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974.701
072
1149163
GENEAL.OGY COL-L-ECTiON
1833 01150 0201
; m^^mm^^ m
^\^^^_^y
-OF-
COLUMBIA COUNTY,
NEW YORK.
t_g==WITH^^J
|[IIttstrations anil 1|i0gra|jliical ^kdche^
SOME OF ITS PROMINENT MEN AND PIONEERS.
PHILADELPHIA:
EVEK.TS Sc BIsTSIO-lsr.
1878.
i^^irSS
PRESS OF J. B. LIPPINCOTT & CO., PHILADELPHIA.
PEEF ACE.
1149163
We present to the public this history of Cohimbia County — tlie result of much labor and research—
with a feeling of confidence, tempered by a consciousness of unavoidable imperfection.
To write a truthful history of any county or section of country is never a light or an easy task ;
but it becomes peculiarly onerous in the case of a county like Columbia, whose annals extend through
more than two and a half centuries, and whose story must commence far back in the dimness of that
^ ancient time wlien the dusky 3Iohicans first welcomed the pale-faced voyagers from beyond the sea.
\« In such a field we have not expected to achieve absolute perfection and completeness of detail, but
\»^v we have used our best endeavors to approximate as nearly as may be to that result. We have con-
sulted many of the best and most reliable historical works bearing upon the subject, and have spared
no labor in gathering material from the most thoroughly informed citizens of the county; and in
these researches we have not been more anxious to collect all obtainable facts than to exclude every-
thing of doubtful authenticity.
The most difficult part of this, as of all similar works, is the obtaining of correct knowledge of
the dates of first settlements, and the names of those who made them. Accounts of these are in most
^ cases — especially in a region so anciently settled as Columbia County — transmitted through the medium
of tradition ; the different statements almost invariably disagreeing in material points, and not infre-
quently being wholly irreconcilable. In these extreme cases the historian has no resource except to
give the differing accounts for what they are worth, and to submit the question to the judgment of
the public.
Another source of perplexity is found in the changes in orthography of many of the old names,
particularly those of Dutch or of Indian origin, though it is by no means uncommon in those of the
English. In old colonial records we not only find that, through the carelessness, caprice, or igno-
rance of the scribes of those days, names of persons and places are differently spelled by different
writers, but that as many as four different orthographical constructions of the same word are some-
times found in the same document; so that, in more than one instance, we have found it extremely
difficult to decide which manner was the proper one to adopt.
It seems unnecessary to say more in presentation of our work to its patrons. They will judge
^ it upon its merits, and we trust it will meet their approval. It has been our design to trace in it the
progi-ess of the county of Columbia in such a manner as to show clearly to the reader of the present
day its gradual development from the original wilderness, and through the maturing stages of its ex-
j istence, up to its present condition of enlightenment and prosperity, and to illustrate in plain and simple
I story the privations, the virtues, the piety, patriotism, and enterprise of her people. How far we have
I succeeded in accomplishing this purpose, the public verdict will decide.
PREFACE.
To those who have kindly given us their aid in the collection of material for the work, we desire
to express our thanks ; and among these we would mention in general the pastors of the churches,
the gentlemen of the Columbia County Medical Society, the editors of the different journals, and the
county officers. We are also under special obligations to the following gentlemen and others through-
out the county for courtesies and favors extended, and for valuable information, both oral and written :
Hon. Edwin C. Terry, Hon. Darius Peck, Stephen B. Miller, Esq., Henry Hubbel, Esq., Peter M.
Jordan, Esq., Hon. John Cadman, Hon. Sherman Van Ness, Hon. Levi F. Longley, E. C. Getty,
Esq., William Bostwick, Esq., Hon. Cornelius H. Evans, Hon. Jacob W. Hoysradt, M. Parker Wil-
liams, Esq., William Bryan, Esq., Hon. Theodore Miller, Hon. John C. Newkirk, Benjamin F. Deiieli,
Esq., Eobert B. Monell, Esq., Wheeler H. Clarke, Esq., F. F. Folger, Esq., C. P. Collier, Esq.,
C. C. Terry, Hudson ; Charles Wild, W. H. Silvernail, Augustus Wynkoop, Wm. H. Atwood, Prof
Taylor, Kinderhook ; H. W. Livingston, Mrs. Johnson, W. H. Washburne, Livingston ; Edward
Kellogg, Samuel A. Curtis, Dr. M. L. Bates, Eev. Geo. W. Warner, H. Cady, Canaan ; Hon. Hugh
McClellan, Geo. E. Burrows, John J. Van Valkenburgh, Wm. Thomas, David Ray, C. B. Hudson,
G. W. Lay, Horace Peaslee, Dr. J. T. Shufelt, Dr. Richard Peck, Chatham ; Hampton C. Bull, Henry
A. Tilden, John Kendall, the Community of Shakers, New Lebanon; Jacob W. Rossman, Vrooman
Van Rensselaer, C. H. Stott, Stockport; Captain A. Davis, Stuyvesant ; Hon. John F. Collin, Hillsdale;
Tobias Esselstyn, E. G. Studley, Nelson P. Aken, Henry P. Horton, Rev. A. Flack, G. W. Phillip,
Claverack ; Wm. H. Wilson, Wm. L. Fraleigh, W. H. Rockefeller, M. Fingar, Clermont ; Hon.
J. T. Hogeboom, George G. Macy, Cornelius Shufelt, Dr. P. W. Mull, Ghent.
THE PUBLISHERS.
CONTENTS.
i3:istok.io^Xj-
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW
I.— Geographical and Descriptive . . . .
II.— The White Man's First Visit, and the Indians v
YOI
fhom
IK.
9
10
15
HISTORY OF THE TOWNS AND VILLAGES
COLUMBIA COUNTY.
Town of Kindcrhook
■' Claveraok
OF
219
234
253
Clermont
" Chatham
III.-Land-Grants— Purchases from Indians
IV.— Earliest Settlements in the County
-The
264
277
''84
" New Lebanon ' . .
301
Kevolution
" Canaan
319
-1852
3G
45
56
73
SI
112
120
12(3
135
141
.143
152
" Sloekport
" Sluvvcsant
347
355
X The Columbia Civil List
" Greenport
" Hillsdale
" Austerlitz
360
XL— Distinguished Men of Columbia County
378
'■ Tagbkanic
" Ancrani
" Gallatin
THE AVAR OK THE ReHELI.ION ....
Patrons' RKCORn
396
XV.— Manufactures and Agriculture .
XVI.— Valuations and Taxation ....
XVII Military
403
411
HISTORY OF THE CIFY OF HUDSON
437
ILXjTJSTIR^TIOnsrS-
page
Map of Columbia County facing 9
Indian Title "15
Fao-simile of Capt. Richard Esselstyn's Commission " 32
Portrait of Elisha AVilliams 83
" Judge Robert R. Livingston 86
" Robert R. Livingston (the Chancellor) ... 87
" Edward P. Livingston 89
" Ambrose L. Jordan 95
" Samuel J. Tilden (steel) . . . between 104, 105
" John Van Ness Philip 105
" Edward P. Cowles 108
" Hon. Henry Hogeboom .... facing 112
CITY OF HUDSON.
Residence of H. A. Du Bois facing 162
Portrait of John Van Dusen ..... " 162
" Hon. Chas. L. Beale .... "168
Hon. H.arper W. Rogers . . . . • " 172
" Robert Vf. Evans "178
" E. Gilford "184
" Stephen L. Magoun .... "192
" John Stanton Gould .... "198
" Hiram Gage "202
" Hon. Theodore Miller (steel) ... " 207
" Stephen Augustus Du Bois 209
" Hon. Jacob W. Hoysradt (steel) . . facing 210
M. Parker Williams 211
" Hon. Darius Peck (steel) . . . facing 212
" Hon. Jacob Ten Broeck 213
it of John H. Overhiser
Charles Esselstyn
Hon. Cornelius H. Evans
John Gaul, Jr.
Willi.am Bryan
Hon. Robert McKinstry
Mrs. Sally McKinstry
Casp(
Collier 218
KINDERHOOK.
Residence of James Mi.^ ....
Portrait of John Thompson Wendover
Residence of C. H. Housman
" (Rear View)
" Charles Wild
" David #. Gardenier, with Portrait
Portrait of Nathan Wild
between 226, 227
. " 226, 227
facing 228
CLAVERAOK.
Residence of Nelson P. Aken (double page) . between 236, 237
Bird's-eye view of Philmont and Mellenville (double
nai'el
" 238, 239
" Upper Hosiery-Mills," Nelson P. Aken .
. facing 242
"Lower Hosiery-Mills," Nelson P. Aken .
" 242
Residence of M. Martin
between 244, 245
Thomas Carroll ....
" 244, 245
" Mrs. Catherine Bushnell .
" 244, 245
J. W. Lockwood ....
" 246, 247
" belonging to Philmont Paper Company
. " 246, 247
CONTENTS.
IXj3LiTJSTR.-^TI03srS.
Residence of David Crego
" and Hosiery-Mill c
Portrait of James Aken
" Nelson P. Aken
Residence and Mills of S. K.
CLERMONT,
CHATHAM.
Residence of W. D. Stewart
Bullis Brothers' Paper-Mills and Property
Residence of George Chesterman
Portrait of James T. Shufelt, M.D. .
Residence of William Irish (with portraits)
Maiden Bridge Mills and Property, owned by
H. W. Peaslee (double page) .
Residence of Noadiah M. Hill .
Portraits of Henry Hill and Wife
" Bradley Nichols and Wife
Portrait of H. W. Peaslee (steel)
Mrs. H. W. Peaslee (steel)
Portraits of Daniel Reed and Wife .
Residence of David Ray (with portraits)
Portrait of P. F. Cady
Residence of J. H. Angell (with portraits)
" John W. Blunt .
between 246, 24/
facing 249
facing 2S4
between 286, 287
" 286, 287
" 2S8, 289
" 288, 289
. " 290, 291
facing 292
between 294, 295
" 294, 295
" 296, 297
296, 297
between 300, 301
300, 301
NEW LEBANON,
Residence of H. L. Brown
The Tilden Homestead
Portrait of Hon. Ransom H. Gillet . . . .
Residence of John Kendall (with portraits)
Portraits of Samuel and Ira Hand . . . .
Residence of Franklin Hand (with portraits) .
" Mrs. Hannah E. Hand (with portraits)
Portrait of William B. Cole
I of 11. A. Tilden
between 300, 301
. facing 302
CANAAN.
Portrait of Asa Douglas
" Daniel D. Warner .
Residence of Miss Sarah Warner
Portraits of Samuel A. Barstow and Wife
Portrait of Daniel S. Curtis
reen 320, 321 '
320, 321
320, 321
facing 324
. 328
Portriiit of Samuel A. Curtis 329
Lorenzo Gile, M.D 330
GHENT.
Farm Residence of C. Jacobie facing 332
Residence of David Crapser " 332
" and Fruit Farm of Townsend Powell . " 338
Portrait of George T. Powell "338
" Hon. John T. Hogeboom (steel) . . " 342
Hon. John Cadman 345
Hon. Hugh W. McClellan (steel) . . facing 346
STOCKPORT.
Residence and Mills of C. H.& F. H. Stott . . facing 349
Portrait of B. Reynolds between 350, 351
Empire Loom-Works(R.Reynolds'Sons,proprietors). " 350,351
Residence and Paper-Mill of J. W. Rossman . . facing 352
Portrait of Jonathan Stott .354
STUYVESANT.
Residence of Levi Miihiim facing 356
Residence of Mr
GREENPORT.
izabeth Hollenbeck (with portraits) facing
HILLSDALE.
Residence of C. M. Bell .
" George M. Bullock
Portrait of E. W. Bushnell
" Catharine Bushnell .
Residence of E. W. Bushnell .
" John F. Collin (with portrait)
J. P. Dorr
AUSTERLITZ.
Residence of Thomas Slocum (with portraits)
Portrait of Dan Niles ....
feen 370, ;
COPAKE.
Portrait of Alfred Douglas, Jr. .
TAGHKANIC.
Residence of Samuel L. Myers (with portrait)
BIOC3-E.7LI=I3:iO^L.
P.O.
PAGE
Martin Van Buren
. 82
John P. Van Ness ....
98
Elisha Williams
. . . 83
William P. Van Ness
98
Judge Robert R. Livingston ....
. 85
Cornelius P. Van Ness .
98
Robert R. Livingston (the Chancellor) .
. 86
William J. Worth ....
99
Edward Livingston
. 88
Henry Van Schaack ....
100
Edward P. Livingston
. 89
William Howard Allen .
101
William W. Van Ness
. 90
David S. Cowles ....
102
Jacob Rutsen Van Rensselaer ....
. 91
Ambrose Spencer
. 91
James Watson Webb
104
Peter Van Sohaack
. 91
Samuel Jones Tilden
between 104, 105
John Van Buren . . . . .
. 92
John Van Ness Philip
105
John C. Spencer
. 94
John W. Edmonds ....
106
Ambrose L. Jordan
. 94
William A. Porter ....
107
Thomas P. Orosvenor
. 97
Edw.ard Pitkin Cowles
107
Benjamin Franklin Butler ....
. 98
Joseph Gilbert Palen
109
James Vanderpoel
98
Joseph D. Monell ....
109
Aaron Vanderpoel
. 98
Killian Miller
110
CONTENTS.
bioc3-k.^i=h:io^l.
Elias W. Leavenworth 110
Dr. S. Oakley Vandcrpoel 110
William H. Tobcy Ill
Hon. Henry Hogebooni facing 112
Hon. Charles L. Beale "168
Hon. Harper W. Rogc's "172
Robert W. Evans "178
David Crego 252
James T. Shufelt, M.D between 288, 289
Henry Hill " 294, 295
Bradley Nichols " 294, 295
Horace White Peaslee 296
David Ray 298
Daniel Reed 298
B. Gifford .
• ■ • ;:
184
192
202
207
209
210
210
211
212
213
William Irish ....
299
Stephen L. Magoun ....
Hiram Gage
Hon. Theodore Miller
Samuel Hand .
" Sf
The Hand Family
314
Stephen Augustus Du Bois
Hon. Jacob W. Hoysradt .
Hon. Samuel Anable
William B. Cole ....
John Kendall <iMi
Hon Darius Peck
Moses Y. Tilden
317
Hon Jacob Ten Broeek
Daniel S. Curtis
328
214
215
215
216
216
217
218
222
232
234
249
Samuel A. Barstow ....
Daniel Warner
John Gaul Jr
Lorenzo Gile, M.D. .
330
John Van Dusen ....
Hon. John T. Hogebooni .
342
Hon. Robert McKiustry .
Casper P. Collier
facing
Hon. Hugh Wilson McClellan .
Townsend Powell
. .346
346
John Thompson Wendovcr
. . . facing
R. Reynolds
between 350, 351
David W Gardenier
Elisha W. Bushnell ....
Hon. John F. Collin ....
DanNiles
Thomas Slooum
between .370, 371
377
facing 384
George W. Philip ....
Nelson P Aken
250
252
Thomas Carroll
Stephen K. Barton ....
Alfred Douglas, Jr
Samuel L Myers ....
394
MelianonB. )
H I 8 T O E Y
COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
BY CAPTAIN FRANKLIN ELLIS.
CHAPTEE L
GEOGRAPHICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE.
The county of Columbia is the fifth (counting north-
ward) in that range of counties of which the Hudson river
forms the entire western boundary.
On the north it is bounded by Rensselaer county, on the
south by Dutchess, which also forms a small part of its
east boundary. The remainder of its eastern border lies
against the State of Massachusetts.
The surface of the county is diversified. There is no
part of it which can properly be called mountainous, though
that term is sometimes applied to the eastern portion, which
is traversed in a northerly and southerly direction by the hills
of the Taghkanic range, from which, in several places, spurs
and detached ridges extend for a considerable distance
westward. A prolongation of the Peterborough ridge
enters Columbia upon its northern border, but soon di-
minishes into inconsiderable hills. To the westward of
these ranges the county is an undulating plateau, which
extends to the river, there generally terminating in bold
shores or blufis.
Of waters, the principal is the majestic Hudson river.
Its largest tributary from Columbia county is Stockport
creek (formerly called " Major Abraham's creek"), which
enters the river about eleven miles below the Rensselaer
county line. This stream is formed from the Kinderhook
and Claverack creeks, which, approaching each other from
the northeast and from the south respectively, unite their
waters at a point only about three miles distant from the
great river. It is estimated that these two streams collect
and pbur into the Hudson through Stockport creek the
waters drained from fully seven-tenths of the entire area of
the county.
Kiaderhook creek takes its rise in Rensselaer county,
flows in a southerly course into the northeastern part of
Columbia, where it receives the waters gathered by the
Wyomanock creek among the Lebanon hills ; then turning
northwest it re-enters Rensselaer, whence, after being aug-
mented by several small streams, it returns to Columbia,
and pursues a general southwesterly course, being joined
from the south by Kline Kill and Stony creek, and from
the north receiving the tribute sent by beautiful Kinder-
hook lake through Valatie Kill ; after which it turns still
more towards the south, and flows on to its confluence with
Claverack creek.
The sources of Claverack creek are in a number of small
lakes and ponds situated in the eastern and southeastern
parts of the county. One of the principal of these is Co-
pake lake, which gives a considerable contribution to the
southern branch of the creek. The two branches unite near
the village of Claverack, from whence the course of the
main stream is nearly north till it meets the creek of Kin-
derhoo k.
A cluster of small lakes or ponds, of which some of the
principal are Rhoda, Snyder's, and Robinson's ponds, lie in
the southeastern part of the county, near the southwest
corner of Massachusetts. From these, and from other
sources farther to the north, among the Taghkanic hills, rise
the numerous streams which, united, form the creek which
for two centuries has borne the name of Roeloff Jansen's
Kill. At first it flows in a southerly direction along the
base of the Taghkanic liills, then swerves towards the
southwest until it reaches and barely crosses the south line
of the county into Dutchess, but immediately returns in a
northwesterly course to Columbia, where it is joined by the
waters of the outlet stream of Lake Charlotte, which lies a
few miles north of the Dutchess line. Beyond this it con-
tinues to flow in a north-northwesterly direction, receiving
from the eastward the small stream called Kleina Kill, and
then entering the river eight miles above the southern line
of the county.
Up to and for several miles above this point, the Hudson
is navigable for vessels of the largest class. The river front-
age of the county is twenty-nine and three-eighths miles,
and its superficial area is sis hundred and eighty-eight
square miles, or more than four hundred and forty thousand
acres.
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
CHAPTER II.
THE "WHITE MAN'S PIEST VISIT, AND THE IN-
DIANS WHOM HE FOUND HEEE.
In the year 1609, and in the month of September, a
small and lonely-looking vessel came in from the ocean and
sailed towards the west, along the south shore of Long
Island. Her people scanned the shore closely, watching
for inlets and harbors, until at last they came to where,
behind a bare and barren point, they saw an inviting bay,
which seemed to extend far away inland towards the north ;
and into this, after careful sounding, they entered and
dropped their anchor in a sheltered roadstead, " where the
water was alive with fish." The barren cape which they
had passed is now called Sandy Hook, and the harbor in
which their little ship lay alone at anchor is that crowded
marine thoroughfare known as the lower bay of New
York.
The vessel was of Dutch build, high-pooped after the
ancient style, of a burden of about forty lasts or eighty
tons, and carrying a rig something similar to that of the
modern brigantine. Her name, " The Half-Moon," in
Dutch, was painted on her stern ; and high above it floated
the Dutch colors, orange,* white, and blue. She was, in
fact, one of the vessels of the Dutch East India Company,
which they had put in commission under command of
Captain Henry Hudson, an Englishman, with Robert Juet,
also an Englishman, as clerk or supercargo, and with a
crew of twenty sailors, partly Dutch and partly English,
and had dispatched her from Amsterdam, for the purpose
of discovering a northeastern or novthwestei-n passage to
China and the Indies.
The previous, incidents of her voyage are not pertinent
to our narrative. It is sufficient to say that, with the
master and crew above mentioned, she had now entered an
estuary, which Captain Hudson verily believed (from its
size, depth, and general direction) to be the outlet of a
passage such as he was seeking.
After a nine days' stay here, during which he thoroughly
explored the kills and other waters around Staten Island,
and met and dealt with the strange people whom he found
living upon the shores, he lifted his anchor, and on the 12th
of September sailed on, up the great river. On the 14th
he passed Haverstraw, and anchored that night near West
Point. On the morning of the 15th he resumed his way,
and before evening many bluffs and headlands, which are
now within the county of Columbia, lay abreast of him,
upon the starboard hand. That night the " Half-Moon" was
anchored near Catskill, where, saj's Hudson's journal, "we
found very loving people and very old men, and were well
used. Our boat went to fish, and caught great stores of
very good fish." The natives also brought on board " In-
dian corn, pumpkins, and tobacco." The next morning
they delayed for a long time, taking in water (probably not
having discovered the excellence of the river water, or else
having found a spring which they much preferred), so that
* At that time the flag of Holland was formed by three horizontjil
bars,— orange, white, and blue; but in or about the year 1050 the
orange bar gave place to one of red.
during all that day they made not more than five or six
miles, and anchored for the night near the present site of
the village of Athens. Beyond here they seem to have
found more difficult navigation and to have made slower
progress. At a point a short distance above the vessel lay
for many hours, during which they were visited by natives,
with whom the commander returned to the shore and
became their guest. The following account of his visit is
given by De Laet, as a transcript from Hudson's own
journal. He says, —
" I sailed to the shore in one of their canoes with an old
man who was chief of a tribe consisting of forty men and
seventeen women. These I saw there in a house, well con-
structed of oak-bark, and circular in shape, so that it had
the appearance of being built with an arched roof It
contained a great quantity of Indian corn and beans of the
last year's growth ; and there lay near the house, for pur-
pose of drying, enough to load three ships, besides what
was growing in the fields. On our coming into the house,
two mats were spread out to sit upon, and some food was
immediately served in well-made red wooden bowls. Two
men were also dispatched at once with bows and arrows in
quest of game, who soon brought in a pair of pigeons
which they had shot. They likewise killed a fat dog, and
skinned it in great haste, with shells which they had got
out of the water. They supposed that I would remain
with them for the night ; but I returned after a .short time
on board the ship. The land is the finest for cultivation
that I ever in my life set foot upon, and it also abounds in
trees of every description. These natives are a very good
people, for when they saw that I would not remain with
them thoy supposed that I was afraid of their bows; and,
taking tliuir arrows, they broke them in pieces, and threw
them into the fire."
De Laet gives 42° 18' as the latitude of the place where
this visit was made. This seems to confirm the belief,
arising from other circumstances, that the lodge, granaries,
and corn-fields of the old chief were in the present town of
Stockport, near the mouth of the creek, and that the com-
mander of the " Half-Moon" was the first white man who
ever set foot within the territory which is now Columbia
county.
Above this place they proceeded slowly, as would natu-
rally be the case in navigating a channel with the intricacies
of which they were entii^ely unacquainted ; and it was not
until the evening of the 18th that the " Half-Moon" let
go her anchor at or near where is now the city of Albany.
The approach of the great canoe with its strange company
had been heralded near and far, and a great number of the
simple natives came to gaze upon a sight which many re-
with fear, and all with wonder.f When Hudson
f " When some of them first saw the ship approaching afar off thoy
did nut know what to think about her, but stood in deep and solemn
amazement, wondering whether it was a spook or apparition, and
whether it came from heaven or hell. Others of them supposed that
it might be a strange fish or sea-monster. They supposed those on
board to be rather devils than human beings. Thus they diflered
among each other in opinion. A strange report soon spread through
their country about the visit, and ert-atcd great talk and <
among all the Indians. This wc have heard several Indii
tify."— Van Der Dunck'a D^acriplwn .,/ Xlw Ntthcrland.
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
saw such great numbers of tliem collected together he had
some misgivings as to their intentions, and the safety of
himself, his crew, and his vessel, and he determined to sub-
ject some of their principal men to a test, " to see whether
they had any treachery in them," and it was a most cun-
ning as well as efficacious one which he applied. " They
took them down into the cabin and gave them so much wine
and nqua vltx that they were all merry. In the end one
of them was drunk, and they could not tell how to take it."
He argued most correctly that, however much they might
be disposed to dissimulate, the test of the fire-water would
tear away the veil and unmask their treacherous designs, if
any such were entertained by them. But no indication of
perfidy was discovered. All drank until their tongues were
loosened, but one old chief went farther, and became help-
lessly intoxicated. When his Indian friends began to see
his manner change and his step grow unsteady, until at last
he lay prostrate upon the deck, they set up sad howlings
of grief, for they believed him to be dead. But the stran-
gers assured them by signs that he was not dead, and that
after a time he would be as well as ever. Then they de-
parted for the shore, though in great sadness, for they left
the old man unconscious upon the cabin floor, and probably
they doubted the truth of the white men's assurances that
he would in due time recover. In the morning, however,
they came back and found him alive and apparently none
the worse for his excesses ; and he assured them that never
in all his life before had he been so happy as after he drank
the strange liquid, and while he remained in the trance.
He asked that he might have more of the strong water,
and his request was complied with, though this time with
greater caution. A small quantity was also given to each
of the other Indians, whose confidence and friendly feelings
were thus fully restored ; and they departed in excellent
spirits, and full of the belief that their recent entertainers
belonged to a superior order of beings.
It was not long before they again returned, and " brought
tobacco and beads," which they presented to the captain,
" and made an oration, and showed him all the country
round about. Then they sent one of their company on land
again, who presently returned and brought a great platter full
of venison, dressed by themselves ;" and after the captain
had, at their request, partaken of this, " then they made
him reverence and departed, all save the old man," who
would probably have preferred never again to quit the In-
dian paradise which he had discovered.*
As Hudson found that the river was shoaling rapidly he
proceeded no farther with his vessel,f but sent his boats
several miles higher up, to where they found the stream
broken by rapids, which intelligence he received with great
sorrow, as putting an end to all his hopes of finding here
a practicable northwest passage to the eastern seas. Having
* A century and a half later, Heckeweldcr and other Moravian
missionaries found, not only among the Delawares and the Mohicans,
but also among the nations of the Iroquois, a tradition having refer-
ence to a scene of drunkenness which occurred at the time when tlie
red men first received the fatal gift of fire-water from the hands of
Europeans.
t While lying here the carpenter made a new fore-yard for the
"Half-Moon," this being the first timber ever e.'cportcd from the
Hudson river.
now no alternative but to return by the way he came, he
left his anchorage on the 23d of September for his voyage
down the river. So difficult did he find the navigation
among the islands and windings of the channel, that he did
not reach the vicinity of the present city of Hudson until
the afternoon of the 2-lth, when the little " Half-Moon" ran
aground and stuck fast on the " bank of ooze in the middle
of the river," now known as the " middle ground." How
much difficulty he had in getting his vessel off we do not
know ; whether she was freed without trouble by the rising
of the tide, or whether the difficulty required the aid of
kedge and capstan ; but it is certain that this mishap, to-
gether with an adverse wind which sprang up, detained him
here for two days, which interval he employed in storing his
vessel with wood, in exploring the neighboring shores, and
in receiving a ceremonious visit of friendship from the peo-
ple of the Indian village where he had first landed. There
were two canoe-loads of these visitors, and Captain Hudson
found — no doubt to his astonishment — that a chief person-
age among them was the old savage who had passed the
night on board the " Half-Moon" after his debauch. It
may be inferred that, grieving at Hudson's departure, he
had set out at once by the river trail, hoping to find the
vessel at anchor at some point below, where he would again
meet t!ie agreeable strangers, and once more taste the ex-
hilarating sclinapps. He had found the vessel motionless
in the river as he had hoped, and had now come off to pay
her a final visit with his Indian friends in the manner we
have mentioned. With him had come another old man,
apparently a chief, who presented the captain with belts of
wampum, and " shewed him all the country thereabout, as
though it were at his command." Two old women were
also of the party, "and two young maidens of the age of
sixteen or seventeen years with them, who behaved them-
selves very modestly." And the old men and the old
women and the maidens were taken to dine in the ship's
cabin, where doubtless they were served with wine or aqna
vitse.
After the repast, they gave their host, by signs, a cordial
invitation to visit them again at their village, but when
given to understand that this could not be they departed
very sorrowfully, though somewhat consoled by numerous
presents, and the assurance that their white friends would
again come across the great lake and visit them. The next
morning, September 27, 1G09, the " Half-Moon" spread her
sails to a brisk northerly breeze, and soon was lost to sight
beyond the wooded headlands. At Catskill the "very
loving people" called out, and made signs of invitation to
the captain and crew ; but the wind was fair and the tide
served, and so the little brigantine kept straight on her
course. On the 4th of October she passed Sandy Hook .
and stood out to .sea, and her bold commander never again
saw the beautiful river which he had discovered, and which
now bears his name. During the stay of the vessel in the
bay of New York she had lost one of her company by the
arrows of the savages, and several Indian lives were after-
wards taken in retaliation ; but at every place above the
highlands Captain Hudson's relations with the natives were
entirely pacific, so that at his final departure they exhibited
a grief which wa.s only partially allayed by presents, and by
HISTOllY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
the assurance (imperfectly understood) that the ship's people
would soon return from across the great waters and revisit
them. This promise was in a measure performed, for
although the same vessel did not return, there came in the
following year another ship, commanded by the former mate
of the " Half-Moon," and having on board a part of the
crew who had accompanied Captain Hudson ; and we are
informed that when these were met by the natives who
had visited them on the previous voyage " they were much
rejoiced at seeing each other."
Among the presents which Hudson had given them were
some axes and other implements, to assist them in their
rude agriculture. These the sailors now saw suspended
as ornaments around the necks of the chiefs, as they had
no idea of their proper manner of use ; but when they
were instructed how to handle them they were much
delighted, and made great merriment over their mistake.
But few incidents of the voyage of this second vessel are
found recorded.
In 1612, two ships, named the " Tiger" and the " For-
tune," fitted out by merchants in Amsterdam, and com-
manded by Captains Block and Christiansen, came here for
purposes of trade, and from that time the traffic with the
natives along the river (the profitable nature of which had
come to be fully understood) was regularly carried on by
vessels sent hither for the purpose from Holland. Hudson
had named his discovery the " River of the Mountains,"
but the Dutch traders who came after him called it the
River Mauritius, in honor of Prince Maurice, of Nassau.
It was the Indian tribe or nation known as the Mohican
— the same which has been celebrated in Cooper's fascinating
romances — which, at the first coming of the white man, held
as its rightful possession not only the present domain of
Columbia, but also those of the adjoining counties of Rens-
selaer and Berkshire ; its chief village or council-seat being
at Schodack, or, in their own tongue, Esquatak, " the fire-
place of the imtion" with other villages perhaps as popu-
lous but less important on Beeren or Mohican island and at
various points on the eastern shore of the river.* In 1690,
after the burning of Schenectady, the Indians were removed
from Beeren island to Catskill, and were employed by the
government as " outlying scouts" towards the north. They
were probably but few iu number at that time. They had
also a village at Wyomenock. another at Potkoke, a place
"about three [Dutch] miles inland from Claverack," and
others at diff'erent places in the interior ; as well as a rudely-
fortified stronghold, erected near the present site of Green-
bush, against the incursions of their enemies the Mohawks.
The Mohicans claimed (as also in fact did the other In-
dian tribes) that theirs was among the most ancient of all
aboriginal nations. One of their traditions ran that, ages
before, their ancestors had lived in a far-off country to the
west, beyond the mighty rivers and mountains, at a place
where the waters constantly moved to and fro, and that, in
the belief that there existed away towards the rising sun a
«■ Indian skeletons have been exhumed, in making excavations for
building, on the lower end of Warren street, in the city of Hudson,
which leads to the belief that an Indian village was once located in
that vicinity. Arrow-heads, corn-pestlcs, and other Indian relics,
are found in every part of the county.
red man's paradise, — a land of deer, and salmon, and beaver,
— they had traveled on towards the east and south to find
it ; but that they were scourged and divided by famine, so
that it was not until after long and weary journeyings,
during which many, many moons had passed, that they
came at length to this broad and beautiful river, which
forever ebbed and flowed like the waters from whose shores
they had come ; and that here, amidst a profusion of game
and fish, they rested, and found that Indian Elysium of
which they had dreamed before they left their old homes in
the land of the setting sun.
At the present day there are enthusiastic searchers through
the realms of aboriginal lore who, in accepting the narrative
as authentic, imagine that the red men came hither from
Asia across the Behring strait, through which they saw the
tide constantly ebb and flow, as mentioned in the tradition.
The fact is, that all Indian tribes told of long pilgrimages
and of great deeds performed by their ancestors far in the
shadowy past, and claimed to trace back their history and
descent for centuries. Missionaries and travelers among
them gravely tell us of Indian chronology extending back
to the period before the Christian era ; and some enthusi-
asts have claimed that the American aborigines were de-
scendants of the lost tribes of Israel. But it is not the
province of the historian to enter any such field of specu-
lation. All their traditions were so clouded and involved
in improbability, and so interwoven with superstition, that,
as regards their truth or falsity, it need only be said that
they afford an excellent opportunity for indulgence in the
luxury of dreamy conjecture.
The Mohicans named their great river the " Shatemuc."
but by the Iroquois it was called " Cahohatatea," and by
the Behiwarcs and other southern tribes, " Mohicanittuck,"
or the river of the Mohicans. With its inexhau.stible store
offish, with shores and islands of such surpassing fertility
as to yield abundant returns even to their careless and in-
dolent husbandry, and bordered by forests swarming with
game, it was a stream and a country such as Indians love ;
and there was no nation or tribe, from the ocean to the
lakes, who had more reason to love their domain than the
Mohicans. They were a humiliated and partially-conquered
people when the Dutch first came among them. Their
fighting men then only numbered a few hundreds, and these
were broken in spirit by continual defeat ; but they sadly
boasted that the time had been, within the memory of some
of their old men, when the call of their sagamores could
muster more than a thousand warriors for the foray,"]" and
when their council-house was sought by emissaries from dis-
tant and weaker tribes desiring their alliance, aid, or inter-
cession. They even claimed that theirs was once " the
head of all the Algonquin nations." The Moravian mis-
sionary, Heckewelder, relates what was told him by a very
aged Mohican, as follows : " Clean across this extent of
country (from Albany to the Susquehanna) our grandfather
had a long house, with a door at each end, which door was
always open to all the nations united with them. To this
house the nations from ever so far used to resort and smoke
f This assertion of the Muhkaua was confirmed by the Velawaree,
and also by the lioquoit, who boasted of having vauciuished so strong
a people.
HISTOKY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
the pipe of peace with their grandfather. The white
people, coming from over the great water, landed at each end
of this long house of our grandfather, and it was not long be-
fore they began to pull it down at both ends. Our grand-
father still kept repairing the same, though obliged to make
it from time to time shorter; until at length the white
people, who by this time had grown very powerful, assisted
the common enemy, the Maqnas (Iroquois), in erecting a
strong house upon the ruins of our grandfather's."
The Mohicans told that, in the time of their strength,
when their tribe mustered a thousand warriors, they had
subdued and thoroughly cowed the afterwards dreaded
Mohawhs, and that it was only after the latter had suc-
ceeded in banding together againist them the Five Nations
of the Iroquois* that they succeeded in turning the tide
of victory against the Mohicans, and in forcing them
across the Shatemuc. Their pride and patriotism, how-
ever, would never allow them to relate or to admit the ex-
tent of their defeat, and indeed it does not appear that they
had then been completely subjugated, though Smith, in his
" History of New York," published in 1756, says that,
" When the Dutch began the settlement of this country,
all the Indians on Long Island and the northern shore of
the sound, on the banks of Connecticut, Hudson's, Dela-
ware, and Susquehanna rivers, were in subjection to the
Five Nations, and, within the memory of persons now
living, acknowledged it by the payment of an annual
tribute." And Brodhead says, in his " History of New
York," that " long before European discovery the question
of savage supremacy had been settled on the waters of the
Cahohatatea," by the triumph of the Iroquois and the
humiliation of the Mohican.
When Hudson came, and for nearly twenty years after-
wards, the relations which we have described were those
existing between the two nations. They were nominally at
peace, but it was a peace brought about by the prostration
of the Mohicans, in whose breasts there rankled the most
intense hatred towards their Mohaivk conquerors. It was
the policy of the Dutch to promote peace between the
tribes, for a state of war would injure the profitable trade
which they prosecuted with both, and for which alone they
cared. But they recognized the superiority of the Mo-
hawks and the subordination of the Mohicans. At the
great treaty held in ItJlT, at Nordman's Kill, qr Tawa-
sentha creek, Brodhead says, " The belt of peace was held
fast at one end by the Iroquois, and at the other by the
Dutch, while in the middle it rested on the shoulders of
the subjugated Mohicans, Mincccs, and Lenni Lenapes."
The yoke grew more and more galling to the 3Iohicans,
and slowly they were brought to the point of open revolt,
and a renewal of the war against the Mohaicks. It may
have been that their possession of Dutch fire-arms gave
them confidence ; but if so it was unfounded, for the
Mohawks were quite as well provided with these weapons
» The date of the formation of the league between the Five Na-
tions is not known. The Rev. Mr. Pyrlaeus, a missionary among
the Mohawks, gives as the result of his investigations that it occurred
" one age, or the length of a man's life, before the white people came
into the country." Gallatin says, " The time when the confederacy
was formed is not known, but it was presumed to be of recent date."
as themselves. But however this may have been, the
Mohicans succeeded in uniting the Woppingers, Minsis,
and other river tribes, and in the year 1625 again com-
menced hostilities. In the following year they induced
Krieckbeck, the Dutch superintendent at Fort Orange
(Albany), to set out with them, with a few of his men, in
an expedition against the Mohawks. This foray was un-
successful, and resulted in the killing of Krieckbeck and
several of his men, and in spreading such a panic among
the Dutch settlers near the fort that Governor Minuit
removed all the families down the river, and ordered the
garrison to observe strict neutrality in future during the
continuance of the hostilities.
The war raged with great ferocity for three years, during
which the advantage was oftener with the Mohawk than
with the Mohican braves. There is a tradition that the
final struggle for supremacy took place within the present
county of Columbia, and not far from where the city of
Hudson now stands. It is to the effect that, both tribes
having mustered all their strength for the conflict, the
Mohicans had retreated to decoy their enemies into their
own territory, and, retiring before them, had come at last
to a place nearly opposite to where the village of Catskill
now is, and that there, upon ground of their own selection,
they stood for battle, which each party fully understood
must be a decisive one.
The fight raged through all the day, and at evening the
Mohicans were almost victors. Disaster stared in the faces
of the Mohawk warriors, and they saw that they had no
longer any hope except through stratagem. In apparent
precipitation and panic they .slunk away from the bloody
field, and fled in the darkness to an island in the river.
The Mohicans soon discovered their flight, and promptly
yet cautiously pursuing, came at last to a place where,
around smothered camp-fires, their enemies seemed to have
stretched themselves to rest, without the precaution of
posting sentinels. They felt almost as much of pity as of
contempt for their unwary foes, but they let fly their
arrows at the blanketed forms, and then leaped in with
knife and tomahawk. They had made a fatal mistake !
The Mohawks, foreseeing the pursuit, had made fagots of
brushwood, wound those with their blankets, and disposed
them around the fires in a manner to appear like sleeping
Indians; then, lying flat upon the ground in the adjacent
thickets, they awaited the moment when their enemies
should discover the fires and waste their arrows ujwn the
delusive blankets. That moment had come, and now the
Mohawks yelled the war-whoop and closed with their
antagonists, who, ambuscaded and panic-stricken, were
soon either killed, captured, or put to flight. The scene
of this bloody and decisive battle was Vastrick island, now
known as Rogers' island, between Hudson and Catskill.-j-
The result of the campaign of 1628 was the complete
overthrow of the Mohicans of this section, and their flight
across the Taghkanic hills. " The conquered tribe," says
Wassenaer (Doc. Hist., iii. 48), " retired toward.? the north
t Historians mention a great Indian battle which was fought
during that war, not far from where Rhinebeck now is, and that the
unburied bones in great numbers still lay upon the field when the
first Dutch settlers arrived in its vicinity.
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
by the Fresh river, so called, where they began to cultivate
the soil, and thus the war terminated." The " Fresh river"
mentioned by Wassenaer was the Connecticut, that being
the name then given to it by the Dutch. His mention of
it as being " towards the north" is neither strange nor ma-
terial, as points of compass were very vaguely and care-
lessly referred to in those days. The fact was that the
vanquished 3Iohicans took refuge in the Connecticut val-
ley, where at first they were well received by their kins-
men, the Pequods. Their lands within the present coun-
ties of Columbia and Rensselaer were vacated, but not taken
for occupation by the victorious Muhawks. After a few
years the exiles came back, first as transient hunting and
fishing parties, and afterwards for more permanent stay ;
but never afterwards were they a numerous people, though
they again inhabited Potkoke and several other villages.
The " fireplace of the nation," however, was no longer at
Schodack, but at Westenhok, beyond the Taghkanics.
For more than thirty years after their subjugation they
lived in continual terror of the Molmwks, and paid to their
conquerors such tribute as their weakness and poverty per-
mitted. But in 1663-64 another combination against their
tyrants seems to have been eifected, though how composed,
or how brought about, does not seem whollj" clear. In
Kregier's " Journal of the Second Esopus War" it is re-
lated that in the foil of 16G3 the inhabitants of Bethlehem,
in Albany county, were warned by a friendly Indian to re-
move to a place of security, as " five Indian nations had
assembled together, namely the Muhikanders \^Mohicans\,
Kaiskills, the Wappingers, those of Esopus, besides another
tribe that dwell half-way between Fort Orange and Hart-
ford ;" that their " place of meeting was on the east side of
Fort Orange river, about three [Dutch] miles inland from
Claverack ;" and that they were " about five hundred
strong." Also that " Hans, the Norman, arrived at the
redoubt with his yacht from Fort Orange, reports that full
seven thousand Indians had assembled at Claverack, on the
east side, about three [Dutch] miles inland, but he knows
not with what intent." These last-mentioned figures are
manifestly absurd, and even the estimate of five hundred
was undoubtedly much too high. It is not probable that
the Mohicans then living west of the Taghkanic range
could muster one-sixth that number of warriors.
In July, 1664, Brodhead says, " War now broke out
again. The Mohicans attacked the Mohawks, destroyed
cattle at Greenbush, burned the house of Abraham Staats,
at Claverack, and ravaged the whole country on the east
side of the North river ;" but these ravages could not have
been committed or incited by this tribe of the Mohicans,
who do not appear to have been unfriendly to the Dutch
settlers.
The English took possession of the province in Septem-
ber, 166-4, and immediately used .all exertions to prevent
hostilities between these tribes, and with so much of success
that but little more Indian blood was shed in the feuds be-
tween Mohican and Iroquois.
King Philip's war in Massachusetts, which was closed in
1676 by the death of the chief, was the means of adding
to the Indian population of this region. After the decisive
conflict of the 12th of August in that year, the Pennacooks,
who farmed a part of Philip's forces, retreated before the
victors uutil they came to the Hudson river, where a part
of them crossed to the old Indian village of Potick, near
Catskill, but the remainder took up their residence " near
Claverack ;" probably at the Mohican village of Potkoke.
Notwithstanding these accessions, the total number of river
Indians in the county of Albany in the year 1689 was only
two hundred and fifty, and eight years later (1697) was
but ninety, as returned by the high sheriff and justices of
the peace, who made an official enumeration by order of the
Earl of Bellamont. And when it is remembered that this
number included all, children and adults, on both sides of
the river, it will easily be seen to what a miserable handful
the once powerful tribe of New York Mohicans had be-
come reduced.
The most potent cause of their decadence was drunken-
ness, to which, as has been said, they were more addicted
than any other tribe. Their intercourse wa,s constant with
the trading-post at Fort Orange, and with the Dutch traders
upon the river ; and with these they would barter every-
thing that they had, their maize, peltry, their very souls, if
they had been merchantable, in exchange for liquor, — most
properly named by them fire-water, — that baleful poison
which has proved to their race (even in a more marked de-
gree to our own) the quintessence of all evil and woe.
And this it was which depopulated their villages and
made vagabonds of the few of their tribe who survived its
blight. But even among them there were instances of
reformation wrought by saving grace. There was a 3Io-
hican, named Tschoop, mentioned as a chief,* who lived
either on the Livingston manor or near the county line in
Dutchess, and who was one of the very worst and most
ungodly of his tribe and race, " the greatest drunkard
among his followers," bloody-minded, false, and treacherous,
so that there was hardly a form of Indian vice, outrage, and
sin in which he was not a leading spirit. Yet, through the
efibrts of Ciiristian Henry Ranch, a Moravian missionary,
who labored in these parts, this godless Indian, this devotee
of sin and of the Evil One, not only entirely abandoned
his drunkenness, but, being baptized by the Moravians, be-
came a meek lamb, a servant of God, and a pious and
fervent preacher not only to those of his own tribe but
also among the Delawares, and so he remained true and
faithful to the end.
In the cemetery at Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in a space
allotted to the graves of the Indian converts, may yet be
seen the mound under which lie the remains of this con-
verted Mohican, with a rose-bush growing at the head, and
upon the stone which marks his peaceful resting-place is
this inscription :
In Memory of
Tsruooi., a Mohican hdian,
Who, in holy baptism, April 17, 1742,
receired the name of
John,
oneo/thefirst/nutso/the
Mimon at Shekonteko, and a
remarkable instance of the poii-er
of Divine grace, icherebt/ he
* In ihose days of their decay, every adult male Indian was
chief, and all claimed to be owners of lands.
7^ ^h'oM'^,^-^^.^^^, ,-. ,^Q^^^
-^ "<, og^^-yy Act , %r»-er^,&^ 4d^
(so-^/t^^'
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
became a dintiiitjulshed teavltei-
among hia nation.
He departed llii» life hi full
amminee of faith, at Bethlehem,
■ AiiguS 27, 1747.
" There shall bo one fold
and one shepherd." John x. 16.
The Indian mission at Stockbridge, Mass., was founded
by the aid of the Society for Propagating the Gospel in
Foreign Parts, and commenced in October, 1734; the Rev.
John Sergeant being the first missionary. Into this, the
little fragment of the Molucan tribe of the Hudson river
was drawn, and merged with the Stockbridge Indians ; and
thenceforth they were known by that name. A handful of
these fought on the American side in the Revolution, at
Bunker Hill, White Plains, and in several other engage-
ments. Their ancient enemies, the Mohawks, fought in the
opposing armies.
The Stockbridge Indians were removed from Massachu-
setts to Madison Co., N. Y., in 1785, and few, if any,
of the Mohican race lingered behind them upon the shores
of the Shatemuc. " The pale-faces are masters of the
earth," said the aged Tamenund at the death of young
Uncas, " and the time of the red man has not yet come
again. My day has been too long. In the morning, I saw
the sons of Unami happy and strong; and yet before the
night has come, have I lived to see the last warrior of the
wise race of the Mohicans."
CHAPTER III.
LAND GRANTS-PUKCHASES PKOM INDIANS.
The absolute property of all the lands in the State of
New York is vested in the respective owners, liable only to
escheat, and to the reservation of gold and silver mines in
such as derive title from colonial patents.
The Dutch government sometimes granted lands in the
colony without the formalities of Indian purchase, but it
was the rule of the English to first extinguish the aborig-
inal title. It was customary to apply to the governor and
council for leave to purchase ; if leave was granted, a treaty
was held and an Indian deed obtained, a writ was issued
to the surveyor-general to survey, and a map and field-notes
were reported. The attorney-general was then directed to
prepare a draft of a patent, which was submitted to the
governor and council, and if approved was engrossed on
parchment, recorded, sealed, and issued.
Governor William Tryon, in his report made in 1774,
"With respect to the Titles under which the Inhabitnnts hold
their possessions: Before the Province was granted on the 12th
March, 1663-64, Iiy King Charles the Second, to his brother, James,
Duke of York, the Dutch West India Company had seized it, made
settlements, and Issued many Grants of Land. In August, 1664, the
country was surrendered by the Dutch to the English, and by the 3d
Article of the Terms of Capitulation it was stipulated, ' That all Peo-
ple shall continue free Denizens, and shall enjoy their Lands, Houses,
and goods, wheresoever they are within this country, and dispose of
them as they please.' Some lands of the Province are held under
the old Dutch Grants without any confirmation of their Titles under
the Crown of England; but the ancient Records are replete with
confirmatory Grants, which the Dutch Inhabitants are probably the
more solicitous to obtain, from an Apprehension that the Dutch
Conquest of the Province in 1673 might render their Titles, under
the former articles of capitulation, precarious; though the country
was finally restored to the English by the Treaty signed at Westmin-
ster the 9th February, 1674. From that period it has remained in
the possession of the English ; and the Duke of York, on the 29th of
June, 1674, obtained a new Grant from the King of all the Terri-
tories included within the former Letters Patent in 166.3-64.
"During the reign of King Charles the Second, the Duke of York,
as proprietor of the soil, passed many Grants (by his Governor) in
Fee, and since his accession to the Throne, Grants have continued to
issue under the Great Seal of the Province, in consequence of the
Powers given the several Governors by their Commissioners and In-
structions from the Crown. Two instances only occur of Grants or
Letters Patent for Lands under the Great Seal of Great Britain. . . .
" These are all the different modes by which the Inhabitants have
derived any legal Titles to their Lands within the limits of this
Province, whence it appears that all their lawful titles to Lands in
Fee, e.\eept in case of old Dutch Grants unconfirmed, originated
from the Crown either mediatelt/, through the Duke of York before
his Accession to the Throne, or immediutelt/, by Grants under the
Great Seal of Great Britain or of this Province.
" Purchases from the Indian natives, as of their aboriginal right,
have never been held to be a legal Title in this Province, the Maxim
obtaining here, as in England, that the King is the Fountain of all
real property, and from this source all Titles are to be derived."
Such purchases were encouraged, however; and, during
the administration of Governor Nicolls, it was officially
announced that " the Governour gives liberty to Planters
to find out and buy lands from the Indyans, where it
pleaseth best the Planters."
The fees incident to procuring a patent were important
sources of revenue to the officers concerned. Only one
thousand acres could be granted to one person ; but this
rule was evaded by the use of the names of merely nom-
inal parties, the officers through whose hands the papers
passed frequently profiting largely by this method. The
colonial government in this respect became exceedingly cor-
rupt, and the American Revolution wrought a much-needed
reform therein.
In a few isolated cases, grants of lands were made directly
by the crown, and no records appeared in the State offices.
The following enumeration of rights, more or less varied,
was embraced in all patents : The grants were " in fee and
common soccage," and included with the land all " houses,
messuages, tenements, erections, and buildings, mills, mill-
dams, fences, inclosures, gardens, orchards, fields, pastures,
common of pastures, meadows, marshes, swamps, plains,
woods, underwoods, timber, trees, rivers, rivulets, runs,
streams, water-lakes, pools, pits, brachen, quan-ies, mines,
minerals (gold and silver, wholly or in part, excepted),
creeks, harbors, highways, easements, fishing, hunting, and
fowling, and all other franchises, profits, commodities, and
appurtenances whatsoever."
Colonial grants were usually conditioned to the annual
payment of a quit-rent at a stated time and place named in
the patent, the payment being sometimes due in money,
and often in wheat or other commodity, others in skins of
animals, or a mere nominal article as simply an acknowl-
edgment of the superior rights of the grantors. The quit-
rents formed an important source of revenue, and after the
Revolution became due to the State. In 1786 it was pro-
vided that lands subject to these rents might be released
upon the payment of arrears, and fourteen shillings to
16
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
every sliilling of annual duos. Large amounts of lands,
upon which arrears of quit-rents had accumulated, were
sold from time to time, and laws continued to be passed at
frequent intervals for the regulation of these rents, until
182-t, when an act was passed for the final sale of all lands
which had not been released by commutation or remitted
by law. Such lands as then were unredeemed were allowed
to be redeemed by the payment of two dollars and a half
to each shilling sterling due. The last sale took place
March, 1826. In 1819 the quit-rents, then amounting to
fifty-three thousand three hundred and eighty dollars, were
taken from the general fund and given, in equal portions,
to the literature and school funds. In 1846 the Legislature
enacted a law to prevent the recurrence of anti-rent diffi-
culties, prohibiting the leasing of agricultural lands for a
longer period than twelve years. It also provided that all
lands previously rented for a life or lives, or for more than
twenty-one years, should be taxed as the personal property
of the person receiving the rents to an extent equal to a
sum that at the legal rate of interest would produce the
annual rent. Such taxes were made payable in the coun-
ties where the lands lay, which proved an unpleasant en-
cumbrance and contributed to the reduction of the amount
of lands thus held, the proprietors quit-claiming to their
tenants for an agreed sum.
Before mentioning in detail the dilFerent Indian pur-
chases and patents, which covered the lands comprehended
within the limits of Columbia county, we quote from the
report of Surveyor-General Cadwallader Golden, made in
the year 1732, upon the condition of the lands within the
province, as follows :
"There being no previous survey to the grants, their boundaries
are generally expressed with much uncertainty by the Indian names
of brooks, rivulets, hills, ponds, falls of water, etc., which were and
still are known to very few Christians, and which (?) adds to this
uncertainty is, that such names as are in these grants taken to be
the proper of a brook, hill or fall of water, etc., in the Indian lan-
guage signifies only a large brook, or broad brook, or small brook,
or high hill, or only a hill or fall of water in general, so that the In-
dians show many places by the same name. Brooks and rivers have
different names with the Indians at different places, and often change
their names, they taking their names often from the abode of some
Indian near the place where it is so called. This has given room to
some to explain and enlarge their grants according to their own in-
clinations by putting the names mentioned in them to what place or
part of the country they please. . . . Several of the great tracts
lying on Hudson's river are bounded by that river on the east or
west sides, and on the north and south sides by brooks or streams of
water, which, when the country was not well known, were supposed
to run nearly perpendicular to the river, as they do for some dis-
tance from their mouths, tokereaa maiii/ of these brooks were nearlij
pttruHel to the river and sometimes in a course almost directly opposite
to the rirer. This has created great confusion with the adjoining
jiatcnts, and frequently contradictions in the boundaries as they are
expressed in the same patent."
No language could have been employed by the surveyor-
general which would be more clear and direct in its appli-
cation to the boundaries of tracts in this county. Especi-
ally appropriate are the words which we have italicised,
as describing the courses of Kinderhook and Claverack
creeks in relation to that of the Hudson river.
The first patent of lands in this county was issued by
Governor NicoUs on the 25th of March, 1667, to Major
Abraham Staats, a surgeon of the garrison at Fort Albany,
for a tract which was described as " called by the Indians
Cicklekawick, lying north of Claverack,* on the east side
of the river, along the great kill [Kinderhook creek] to
the first fall of water, then to the fishing place ; containing
two hundred acres more or less ; bounded by the river on
one side and the great kill on the other." This grant was
confirmed, and four hundred acres more included, in a
second patent, issued to Staats by Governor Dongan, Nov.
4, lG85.f Stockport creek (then known as Major Abra-
ham's creek) was the south boundary of this patent, and
the whole six hundred acres lay together in one body.
On the 18th of March, 1667, Jacob Jansen Flodder
and Captain John Baker purchased from several Mohican
Indians, for the consideration of " one blanket, one axe,
three hoes, two bars of lead, three handsfull of powder,
one knife, and one kettle," a tract of land lying west of
Kinderhook creek, and which was described in the In-
dian deed as " All that bush land and kill with the
fall running north and south, lying and being upon the
north side of Emikee's]; land at Kinderhook, and on the
west side of the great kill." Less than a month later
(April 15, 1667), Flodder and Baker received from Gov-
ernor Nicolls a patent for their purchase, which was de-
scribed in that document as "A certain parcel of bush
land near Fort Albany, together with a creek or kill with
the fall of water running north and south, lying and being
upon the north side of Emikee's land, at Kenderhook, and
on the west side of the great kill, containing by estimation,
acres of land." The tract thus indefinitely described
was covered by the patent granted nineteen years afterwards
to Jan Hendrik De Bruyn, and out of this fact grew long
and ruinous lawsuits. As to Flodder and Baker, the
patentees, very little is known.
Then came the " Van Hoesen patent," which was issued
by Governor Nicolls, May 14, 1667,§ to Jan Frans Van
Hoesen, of lands which the latter had purchased from In-
dians June 15, 1662 (by permission of the Dutch gover-
nor), and which were described in the patent as " a certain
parcell of land lying and being at Claverack, near Albany,
stretching from the small creek or kill by Jan Hendrick
sen's als Roothaer, to the land belonging to Gerrit Slichten-
horst, which said parcell of land takes in three of the
clavers on the south side of the said Roothaer's, and strikes
into the woods near about the way that goes over the great
creek or kill, and so going forward it includes all the land
within the bounds of the markt trees and the creek or
kill." This included all the site of the present city of
Hudson, and a part of the territory of the town of Green-
port, the north line of the patent being about one mile
north of the north boundary of the city, and the south
limit was the mouth of Kishna's Kill or creek, where it
enters the South bay. The east line was Claverack creek.
* The " Claverack" here referred to was a tract of land which had
been purchased from the Indians five years before, by Jan Fi-ans
Van Hoesen, and by him occupied, though at that time it bad not
been patented.
t Book 5 of patents, p. 23o.
J Emikee was a Mohican chief, the reputed owner of large tracts
of land in the neighborhood of Kinderhook.
g Book 2 of patents, pp. 219, 220.
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
The grants made to Dirck Wessels and Gerrit Teuiiissen
were of tracts lying on the eastern and southeastern sides
of Kinderhook lake, in the present town of Chatham. We
are unable to give their boundaries or the date of grants,
but it is certain that Wessels and Teunissen were among
the earliest grantees of lands in this region.
Next in order of date came the manorial grants to Van
Rensselaer and Livingston ; and in order to clearly under-
stand these it is necessary to go back to the first Van Rens-
selaer grant, which was located in Albany county, above Fort
Orange (now Albany), and Which antedated by many years
the first grants made within the present county of Columbia.
In 1629 the States-General of Holland, to encourage
settlement in the New Netherlands, offered to any person
who should settle a colony of fifty or more persons above
the age of fifteen years, in any of the lands of the New
Netherlands, a grant of land, with the title of patroon, and
feudal privileges. Under this regulation Killian Van
Rensselaer, a pearl -mei-chant of Amsterdam, began a set-
tlement at Fort Orange, in 1630, receiving a grant of land
in that vicinity ; and from that time until 1637, while his
colony was being brought up to the required minimum,
various grants were made covering an immense tract of
country, not only in the present county of Rensselaer and
Albany, but in several adjacent counties. Various grants
made by the Dutch were confirmed by the English gover-
nors, among them the Van Rensselaer grants, which were
erected into a manor called Rensselaerwyck, with baronial
privileges.
The first purchase of Van Rensselaer was made Aug. 13,
1630, of Indians named Kottomack, Nawanomit, Albant-
zeene, Sagiskwa, and Kanaomack, of a tract of land north
of Fort Orange; Samuel Blommaert, Johannes Do Lact,
and Touissant Muyssart being associated with him in the
grant. Van Rensselaer had two shares and the others one
share.each, but he alone had the title of patroon. In 1641,
Van Rensselaer was given power to devise his estate, and
did so subsequently to Johannes, his eldest son. The
grant from the Dutch States-General covered a tract of
territory twenty-four miles long on each side of the
Hudson river, and forty-eight miles broad. This estate
remained in the family, descending by the law of primo-
geniture, until 1775, when General Stephen Van Rens-
selaer, the last of the patroons, inherited it. He died in
1840, and much of the property has pas.sed out of the
family, large inroads having been made in it by litigation.
In 1667 the English governor, NicoUs, confirmed the
Van Rensselaer grant, and in 1685 the whole manor came
into possession of Killian Van Rensselaer, grandson of the
first pstroon.* On Nov. 4, 1685, a patent was issued by
Thomas Dongan, governor of the province of New York,
to Killian Van Rensselaer (eldest son of Johannes, eldest
son of Killian, the first patroon), for Rensselaerwyck,
described as follows : " Beginning at the south end of
Beeren (Bear) island ; thence north on both sides of Hud-
sou's river to the Kahoos, or great falls of Hudson's river ;
and east and west on each side of the river twenty-four
* It is supposed the first patroon never visited his possessions in
America. Johannes or "Jan the Baptist" came in 1651.
3
English miles." Also for a certain tract, now in Columbia
county, bjunded as follows : " Bjginning at th3 creek by
Major Abraham Staats', and so along the said Hudson
river southward to the .south side of Va.xtrix island ; by a
creek called Wajhan Knslch ; thence with an easterly line
twenty-fjur English miles into the woods to a place called
Wiiwanaqidttslck ; from thence northward to the head of
said creek by Major Abraham Staats'." The date of the
purchase of this tract from Indians was May, 1649. These
grants were by this patent erected into a manor, which was
accorded a " court-leet and court^baron, to be held as often
a-s the lord of the manor chose." Also, the right to choose
a deputy to sit in the General As.sembly was granted. The
quit-rent for this entire grant of about seven hundred thou-
sand acres, in the present counties of Albany, Rensselaer,
Greene, Montgomery, Schenectady, Saratoga, and Scho-
harie, and one hundred and seventy thousand in Columbia,
was " fifty bushels of good winter wheat."
Van Rensselaer had much difiBculty in maintaining his
claim to the lands in Columbia county, and invoked the aid
of the courts and of the General Assembly; and in 1704 a
compromise was effected by which that part of the grant
called Claverack,'}" lying between the Kinderhook patent
and the Massachusetts line, and between the north and
south manors, was surrendered by Van Rensselaer, and his
title to the remainder of Claverack was confirmed. In
1704, Killian Van Rensselaer conveyed Claverack to his
brother Hendrick. It was inherited by Johannes, a son of
Hendriok, born in 1711, and who died in 1783.
Johannes Van Rensselaer erected Claverack into a manor,
and called it the "lower manor," in contradistinction to the
upper manor of Rensselaerwyck.
" Claverack" included the present site of tlie city of
Hudson, and covered the tract patented to Jan Frans Van
Hoesen in 1667. The question of priority of title arose
between Van Rensselaer and Van Hoesen, and after a long
litigation was decided in favor of the latter.
In 1721, Claverack was surveyed for Hendrick Van
Rensselaer, the lines being run " south from Kinderhook
to north bounds of Livingston manor; thence easterly
twenty-four miles to Wcstenhook."
In 1784, on Feb. 2, Claverack was divided by Robert,
Henry I., James, John, and Catherine (Mrs. General
Philip Schuyler), in which division it was described as fol-
lows : " Beginning at the mouth of Major Abram's or Kin-
derhook creek ; thence south 84° 30' east ten miles ; thence
south 40° west as far as the right of John Van Rensselaer
extended (to the manor of Livingston) ; then to Wahank-
asick ; then up Hudson's river to beginning."
On the 13th of February, 1767, John Van Rensselaer,
of the manor of Rensselaerwyck, conveyed a tract of land
to the trustees of the Reformed church of Claverack, for
church purposes. Hendrick Van Rensselaer first leased the
ground to the trustees. C. C. and J. C. Miller convej'cd by
deed a tract to the elders and deacons of the same cliurch.
May 19, 1759, the Millers receiving their title from Colonel
John Van Rensselaer.
The Livingston grants of 1684 and 1685 were patented
f Indian name Pott kook or Pot koko.
18
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
as a manor in 1686, and ccniaincd atout one hundied and
sixty thousand two hundred and forty acres, including the
greater portion of the present towns of Cleimont, Geimau-
toTvn, Livingston, Gallatin, Taghkanic, Ancram, and Co-
pake. It also had a couvt-leet and courtbaron, held by the
lord of the manor, and in 1715 was given the privilege of
electing a member of the General Assembly and two con-
stables. The annual quit-rent was twenty-eight shillings.
Robert Livingston,* the first lord of the manor, bought
® Robert Livingston, the progtnitor of that large and powerful
family which became so noted in Columbia and other river counties,
and which for afull century wielded more influence than any other,
and held more public offices than any three other families in the
State of New York, was the son of a Scotch clergyman, and born at
Ancrara, Scotland, Dec. 13, ]()54. Upon the death of his father, in
1672, he crossed over to Holland, from whence he came to Amerfta
in 1674 with Rev. Nicolaus Van Rensselaer. He w.ts made town
clerk of Albany in 167a, and in the same year, by some means,
secured the appointment of secretary for Indian affairs from Gov.
Andros.
In 1683 he bettered his social position by marrying Alida, widow
of Rev. N. Van Rensfelaer and sister of Peter Schuyler. On the
12th of July, 16S6, he received the appointment of collector of excise
and quit-rents from Gov. Bongan, who thought that this, with his
other offices, "might afford him a competent maintenance." It was
in this year that he received from the governor the patent of the
manor of Livingston, a small portion of which he had previously
purchased for a few trifles from some Indians (the knowledge that
those valuable lands remained unpatented having been gained by
him in his official relations). "And thus," says Brodhead, " the
shrewd Scotch clerk of Albany became one of the largest land-
holders in New York." In 1688 he became obno.xious to the Leisler
party, and was forced to leave the province; hut upon Leister's
downfall he was restored to favor and to his ofBces, which then (be-
sides those above mentioned) embraced those of clerk of the peace
and clerk of the court of common pleas at Albany.
In 1695 he visited England to promote certain claims og.ainst the
crown ; and while there he, in company with the afterwards notorious
freebooter, Capt. William Kidd, preferred charges against Gov.
Fletcher, who in revenge sufpended him from all his offices except
that of town clerk. The king, however, reinstated him at the
solicitation of Lord Bellamont; and when the latter became governor
in the following year he called Livingston to his council. While in
England (Oct. 10, 1695) "Articles of Agreement between the Right
Honorable Richard, Earle of Bellamont, of the one part, and Robert
Livingston, Esquire, and Captain William Kidd, of the other part,"
were entered into for the enterprise of equipping a vessel on shares
for their mutual advantage ; the said vessel to be used as a privateer,
and also "to fight with and subdue Pyrates,"— Livingston furnishing
the scheme, Bellamont the necessary funds, and Kidd the requisite
nautical skill and fighting qualities. Of the result O'Callaghan
says, " Kidd shortly after deceived his associates, and brought down
trouble on all those who had been unfortunately, though innocently,
connected with him." Instead of subduing pirates, he himself joined
the bloody fraternity.
In 1701 the former adherents of Leisler, in pursuance of their old
grudge, demanded from hira an account of a large sum of money
which had passed through his hands, and upon his failure to comply
the Assembly passed an act sequestrating his property. Upon this
he prepared to return to England to lay his case before the sover-
eign; but before setting out he had the forethought to obtaiiyfrom
the Indiana authority to act as their representative at the court, an
act which the Assembly declared to be "contrary to the duty and
allegiance he owes to his majesty, and to the peace of this govern-
ment." On the 20lh of April, 17C2, he was suspended from the
council. In 1705 he succeeded in obtaining a royal warrant re-
storing his otEces, notwithstanding which the council refused to vote
hira any salary, declared his Indian office to be useless, and demanded
its abolition. He, however, quietly continued to exorcise its func-
tions, and in the end secured lull payment for his services. He
succeeded in being elected representative for Albany, and continued
to represent that city from 1709 to 1714. He had become wealthy
first of the Mohican Indians " (wo hundred acres of good
land and eighteen hundred acres of woods," on RoelofF
Jansen's Kill, July 12, 1683, and this was confirmed by
the government in 1684. Livingston then represented
that there was net a sufficiency of arable land in his first
purchase, and petitioned for peimission to buy another
tract of about four hundred acres, but was allowed to buy
from the revenues of his several offices, and the profits realized from
his various contracts with the government in furnishing supplies to
the troops, the colonized Palatines, etc., and he now .set about se-
curing for his manor a representation in the Assembly. This ho
accomplifhed, and himself took his seat as its representative in 1716.
He remained a member until 1726, when he finally retired from public
life, and died about 1728.
He was a man of rather meagre education, and of no marked
talent, except for the acquisition of wealth, in which he exhibited
remarkable ability, tact, and enterprise. Of the methods adopted
by him in pursuance of this object, the opinions of his contempora-
ries, the Earl of Clarendon, Gov. Hunter, and others, are shown else-
where in this volume. The opinions of Gov. Nanfan upon the s.ame
subject were plainly expressed in his published reasons for suspend-
ing Robert Levingston from the council in April, 1702, namely : " Sec-
ondly, That the late Earl of Bellamont, being made sensible that the
said Robert Levingston was guilty of great frauds in Management
of the Excise of Albany, etc., did, about January, 1701, declare that
he would remove him from being of the Council at the meeting of
the Assembly, but his lordship's much-lamented death prevented it.
Thirdly, That an Act of Assembly of this province appointed Com-
missioners of publick Acc'ts to adjust with all persons concerned
in the receipt and payments of the publick revenue; but the said
Robt. Levingston, in contempt of the said Act, never gave any
obedience thereto, altho' duely and timely summon'd to that end and
purpose, nor would ever render any ace'tts to them of the publick
money he had received. Eonrlhly, That thereupon tho gen'll Assem-
bly, being well apprised that said Robt. Levingston had committed
great frauds in relation to his Mnjes'ts revenue, made an Act of
gen'll Assembly confiscating his real and personal Estate, unless he
should give in A full Account in writeing unto the Commissioners
of Ace'tts of all his receipts and disbursements, and the Grounds
and Occations of the same, before the 25th day of March Last, which
he hath refused or neglected to doe. . . . Sixthly, That I was in-
formed by his Mnj'ts Collector that he, the said Robt. Levifigston,
had received several summs of money of his majestie's Excise and
Quit-rents of this Province without any Authority, and of which bo
had given no Acc'tt to the said Collector."* And for these and
other reasons he was suspended.
The tenacity with which he and his descendants clung to public
office was surprising. In 1721, after having held office in the prov-
ince continuously for forty-six years, and during nearly all that
period having held several positions at once, he, wishing to retire to
the quiet of his manor, petitioned the king to be allowed to turn ovei'
hi) several njficea in Albany to his son Philip as his successor. And,
strange to say, his prayer was granted. The civil list of Columbia
county shows, for a period of a half-century, no name but that of
Livingston as member of Assembly; the office being held without
break from 1716 to 1775, inclusive, by members of tho faraih', viz.,
Robert (Sr.), Gilbert, Robert (third lord), Robert R., and Peter R.
And everywhere through the lists of local, State, and national
officers, during those and subsequent years, the name of Livingston
occurs with a frequency which is almost wearisome, notwithstanding
the exalted chnnicter and position of some of those incumbents.
Of one characteristic of this family too much can hardly be said
in praise, namely, their intense and inflexible patriotism. With
scarcely an exception they stood steadfastly by tho cause of their
country through all her trials; and it is said that the immediate
cause of tho death of Robert Livingston, the grandfather of tlio
chancellor, in 1775, was tho receipt of the news of the battle of
Bunker Hill, which was first reported as an overwhelming disaster
to the patriots. (See biographical sketch of the Livingston family
in chapter on elistinguished men of Columbia county.)
* Doc. Hist.
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
but " two hundred acres of good land and four hundred
acres of woods" adjoining. This second purchase was
made of what was called Taghkanic, Aug. 10, 16S5, and
confirmed the 12th of the same month. The whole tract,
when surveyed and erected into a manor in 1G8G, was
found to contain the amount before named, one hundred
and sixty thousand two hundred and forty acres, by reason
of the metes and bounds given in the Indian deeds, some
of which were preserved in the map of the manor, and are
as follows: Ahashawaghkick, a lull in the northeast cor-
ner of Massachusetts line; Acawanuk, a flat, or rock, in
north part of North P]ast (Dutchess county) ; Kaohwa-
wyick, a place west of a certain mountain ; Kickwa, or
Kickpa, one of three plains near Roeloff Jansen's Kill ;
Mananosick, a hill in the west part, or near the Massachu-
setts line ; Wawanaquasiek, stone-heaps on the north line,
" where the Indians have laid several heaps of stones to-
gether by an ancient custom among them ;"* Maliaskakook,
a " cripple-bush" on the south line of the patent ; Mawich-
nak, a flat on both sides of a creek, where it joins RoeloflF
Jansen's creek ; Minmissichtanock, a piece of land north
of Roelofi' Jansen's creek ; Nowanagquasick, on north line
of the manor (Sauthier's map) ; Nachawachkano, a creek
tributary to Twastawekak ; Nichankooke, one of three
plains, near Roelofi" Jansen's creek ; Pottkook, patented to
Killiau Van Rensselaer, south of Kinderhook, and called
by the Dutch Claverack; Quisichkook, a small creek north
of Roelofi" Jansen's creek ; Saaskahampka, or Swaska-
liamaka, a place opposite Saugerties, Ulster Co. ; Sac-
ahka, on north line of town of North East ; Sankhenak,
Roelofi" Jansen's Kill; Skaankook, a creek ; Towastawekak,
or Twastawekak, a creek ; Waehaisekaisek, a small stream
opposite Catskill creek ; Wahankasick, near Roelofi" Jansen's
creek (Sauthier's map) ; Wawyachtonoch, a place ; Which
quo puh bau, southwest corner on Massachusetts line.
The first purchase, called the " Roelofi" Jansen's Kill
tract," began at Oak hill on the north, and lay along the
river to the southern limit of Germantown, a distance of
twelve miles, and extended back with the same width to
the Taghkanic hills ; and for this tract Livingston paid to
his Indian grantors the following consideration : " Throe
hundred guilders in zewant, eight blankets, and two child's
blankets, five and twenty ells of dufi"els, and four garments
of strouds, ten large shirts, and ten small ditto, ten pairs
of large stockings, ten of small ditto, six guns, fifty pounds
of powder, fifty staves of lead, four caps, ten kettles, ten
axes, ten adzes, two pounds of paint, twenty little scissors,
twenty little looking-glasses, one hundred fish-hooks, awls
and nails, of each one hundred, four rolls of tobacco, one
hundred pipes, ten bottles, three kegs of rum, one barrel of
strong beer, twenty knives, four stroud coats, two duff"el
coats, and four tin kettles." This payment was entirely
satisfactory to the Indians concerned, in the sale, except
one, a squaw, named Siak-a-nochiqui, a cripple bush woman,
of Catskill, who, four years afterwards, pushed her unsatis-
fied claim, and was bought ofi" with " one cloth garment and
® This is the only one of the interior boundaries of the manor
which is now reeognizable. It is on the north line of the town of
Taghkanic, and a little east of its most northern corner. The stone
heaps made by the Muhicans centuries ago are still visible.
one cotton shift." This was the first litigation of the Liv-
ingston manor, and amicably settled, but for nearly, if not
quite, two hundred years it was in the law and chancery
courts, in some form or other, almost continuously.
In 1710, Robert Livingston, the first lord of the manor,
conveyed to Anne, "by the grace of God, Queen of Great
Britain and Ireland," six thousand acres of his estate for
two hundred and sixty-six pounds sterling, for the occu-
pancy of the German Palatines. This sale was afterwards
surveyed (IT-ll) by Cadwallader Colden, surveyor-general
of the province of New York, and includes nearly the
entire town of Germantown. It was patented to Johannes
Haevor, Hagedorn, and others, June 15, 1741, as trustees
for the colony of Palatines, and a new patent was issued
Uov. 17, 1775.
In 1715 the manor was re-surveyed and platted, the lines
being as follows :
" Beginning on the east side of Hudson river at a certain place called
by the Indians Wahankassek, thence east by south 5° 40' southerly
OJ miles to a certain place called in the Indian language Mawanap-
([uassck, then east by south 7° 45' southerly 9i miles and 30 rods to
a hill called by the Indians Ahashewaghkamick, by the north end of
Taghkanick hills or mountain, thence south 2° W. along said hills
13i miles to Wich qua pu chat, thence E. 2° 30' N. 3 miles and 156
rods to a run of water called by the Ini^ians Sackaekqua, thence S.
by E. S° 30' easterly 100 rods to three linden-trees, thence W. S. W.
6° 30' southerly U miles to Rock called Nakaowasick, thence W. N.
W. 13i miles to southernmost boucht of Roeliff Jansen's Kill, thence
N. W. 11° westerly llj miles to Hudson river, thence up said river
to beginning."
Thirteen thousand acres of the Livingston manor were
set off by the will of the first lord, and formed into the
lower manor of Clermont, and given to Robert, grandfather
of Chancellor Robert R. Livingston, as a reward for having
discovered and frustrated a plot of the Indians for the mas-
sacre of all the white inhabitants of the province. The es-
tate north of Roeloff Jansen"s Kill was devised entail, and
was thus transmitted through two generations, the eldest
son, Philip, and his eldest son, Robert, inheriting the same.
Philip was born in Albany in 16S6, and succeeded to the
manor of Livingston in 1728, on the death of his father,
Robert, the first lord. Philip's son, Robert, Jr., was the
last lord, the Revolution breaking the entail, and after his
death the estate lying etxst of the po.^t-road from New York
to Albany was divided between Walter, Robert C., John,
and Henry, sons of Robert, Jr., according to the provisions
of the will of the latter, the share of each being about twenty-
eight thousand acres. The division was made in 1792. In
1716 the first lord of the manor took his seat in the Gen-
eral Assembly, and the manor was so represented until the
Revolution.
Walter Livingston conveyed his interest in the estate of
his father, April 14, 1792, to Henry Livingston, for twenty-
four thousand nine hundred pounds New York currency
(about sixty-two thousand dollars) ; the dower of Cornelia,
wife of Walter, being reserved. A portion only of this vast
estate is now in the Livingston family.
On the 16th of December, 16S6, a patent was issued by
Governor Dongan to Jan Hendriek de Bruyn, for a certain
tract of land which he had purchased eighteen years before
(Aug. 14, 1668) from three Indian chiefs, named Pompoe-
neck, Taeppchasunen, and Attowanoe. (See facsimile on
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
the following page.) This tract was described as being
" A certain parcel or tract of land laying on the east side
of Hudson's river, or the river of New Albany, beginning
from Davidson's creek, which creek lies against Beare island,
called in the Indian tongue Pahpapaenpcniock, and from the
said creek stretching southerly along the river to the saw-
kill of Frans Peiters Claver, the creek in the Indian tongue
called Pittannoock stretching to the east, and in the woods
to the first two lakes or inwaters, which are called by the
Indians ' Hithoock and Wogashawachook'."* The consid-
eration named in the patent was a yearly quit-rent of " five
bushels of merchantable winter wheat, payable on the 20th
day of March in every year." A reference to the records
in the comptroller's oflice at Albany will show that the rent
was faithfully paid.
Many years afterwards, in the trial of the case of Jackson
vs. Frier, Chancellor Kent defined the boundaries of the Do
Bruyn patent as follows : " The line from David's Hook to
the saw-kill is to be drawn between those points along the
east shore of the Hudson, and composes the western boun-
dary ; a line along the west shore of the Fish lake (Kin-
derhook lake) in its whole extent, the eastern boundary; and
straight lines from the extremities of the lake to the stations
on the Hudson, — David's Hook and the saw-kill, — the north
and south boundaries."
" The great Kinderhook patent," as it was afterwards
known, was issued March 14, 1687, by Governor Nicolls to
Jan Hendrick De Bruyn and others, freeholders of Kinder-
hook, and in actual possession ; the description of the land
ratified to them being as follows : " All that tract or parcel
of land that lieth on the east side of Hudson's river, begin-
ning at a place called Swate Hook, and runs north upon
said river four English miles to a certain place called David's
Hook, and then runs east into the woods, keeping the same
breadth, to the land of Derick Wessels and Gcrrit Teun-
nissen and the high hills eight English miles, and then south
to the fall of Major Abrams" (Chittenden's falls). The
consideration was the payment of a quit-rent of " twelve
bushels of good winter marchantable wheat," on the 20th of
March in every year.f
The " Powell grant" was a tract located in that part of
old Kinderhook which is now Stuyvesant.
A tract of four thousand acres lying on Kinderhook and
Claverack creeks, and between Rensselaerwyck and the
great patent of Kinderhook, was surveyed to Conradt
Burghart and Elias Van Schaaek.|
In 1703, a tract was .surveyed to Lawrence Van Schaack
and Lawrence Van Alen, " lying south of Kinderhook,
north of Potkoke, and east of Claverack.''§
Bui-gar Huyck and others received a patent for six thou-
sand acres, Oct. 2, 1731, from Rip Van Dam, president, and
Archibald Kennedy and Cadwallader Colden, councillors,
» Book 6 of Patents, page 319 ; also see Plat Book 9, subdivision
D, ji.age 197, for field-notes of survey and partition of the Kinder-
liook patent, ordered by Jaines II., 1704, and by him conveyed to
Colonel Peter Schuyler, John Do Bruyn, Andries Jaisse, and twenty-
eight others. Also subdivision E, Field Book 21, for the Kinder-
hook patent survey, secretary stale's oflice, Albany.
t Book 6 of Patents, pp. lot, l.'>6, office secretary of state.
X Land Papers, vcl. vi. p. 21.
^ Ibid., vol. iii. p. 124.
for lands on " both sides of Kinderhook creek, and running
north to the south bounds of Rcnsselaerswyck, and east
along that line 70 chains."||
The Mawighanunk patent was issued Aug. 4, 1743, to
Stephen Bayard, Cornelius Van Sehaick, John Baptiste
Van Rensselaer, Johannes Van Deusen, Barent Vaasburgh,
and Jacobus Van Rensselaer, for a " tract lying northeast of
Kinderhook, about fifteen miles from Hudson river, and
lying on Kinderhook creek, being part of a tract called by
the Indians Mawighanunk, bounded as follows: Beginning
on the south line of Rcnsselaerswyck, thence south 40
chains; thence south 50° east, 220 chains; thence east
120 chains; thence south 40° east, 260 chains; north 30°
30' east, 166 chains ; north 40° west, 50 chains ; south 82°
30' west, 140 chains; north 52° 30' west, 80 chains; north
11-5 chains; west 242 chains ; containing forty-three hun-
dred and eighty acres."
The Wawieghnunk patent was issued to William and
Stephen Bayard in 1743.^ Peter Van Alen received a
patent from Governor Nicolls, June 26, 1668, for a tract
'' east of the kill behind [east of] Kinderhook and extend-
ing south to Nohacktequal.sick."
In January, 1767, Abraham Lott and others petitioned
for and had surveyed to them a gore of ten thousand one
hundred and fifty-two acres, lying between Claverack and
Livingston manors. This grant was the basis of a suit at
law which was brought by the patentees against John Van
Rensselaer, an explanation of which, as well as its result, is
given in the following extract from the A\w York Gazette
of Nov. 10, 1768, viz.:
" On Saturday last the great cause between the Crown and Mr.
John Van Rensselaer was ended. It was tried by a struck jury, and
came on before the Hon. Justice Jones, on Tuesday, the 2olh of Oc-
tober, and continued (with evening adjournments by the consent of
parties) until the 5th instant. The suit was for intrusion upon the
crown lands, to try the limits of that part of the old Renssclacrs-
wyck manor and estate called Claverack. It was promoted by cer-
tain reduced officers, upon a supposition that there was a great
unpatented vacancy between the manors of Rensselaerswyck and
Livingston and the patents of Kinderhook and Wcstenhook, and
carried on at the expense of the crown. There never was a trial in
this colony so solemn, important, and lengthy. The counsel spent
about eleven hours in summing up the evidence. Mr. Attorney-
General, Mr. Mayor, Mr. Duane, and Mr. Kissam were of the counsel
for the crown ; and Mr. Smith, Jr., Mr. Scott, and Mr. Thomas Smith
conducted the defense. The judge was clear in his charge upon the
construction of the old patent in the Rensselaer family, and the jury
in two hours agreed on their verdict for the defendant. . . . This
estate was attached upon the same principles by certain petitioners
a few years ago; but their petitions were dismissed by the governor
and council in the administration of General Monckton on the 20th
October, 1762."
A tract of seven hundred acres was located by John Van
Ness on Kinderhook creek, and surveyed to him on the
surveyor-general's warrant, dated Blarch 4, 1788.
Under the act of the Legislature of March 12, 1703,
the rights of the State in a tract of land situated in the
towns of Hillsdale and Kinderhook, lying south of Canaan
and north of the north line of lands claimed by the heirs
of Colonel John Van Rensselaer, and also west of Canaan
and east of Kinderhook patent, were vested in the persons
II Book 1 1, Patents, pp. 38, 39.
f Portfolio E, No. 16, survcyor-gencral'j
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
actually in possession, and who were holding the lands in
their own right, and not for another. An act of the same
body, passed March 22, 1791, vested the title of the State
to lands in Canaan in such settlers as were in actual pos-
The State of New York confirmed the colonial grants,
but abolished the feudal tenures and privileges.
But few leasehold* estates are now held in Columbia
county, and those are the property of the daughters of the
late Henry W. Livingston, and situated in the towns of
Copake and Taghkanic.
CHAPTER IV.
EARLIEST SETTLEMEMTS IN THE COUNTY.
In regard to the first settlements by Europeans upon the
fertile uplands and in the rich valleys and meadows that
border the streams of Columbia county, we know beyond
reasonable doubt that the earliest of these were made
within that region which lies to the north and west of
Stockport and Kinderhook creeks ; and that the jiioneers
who first made their rude homes here were principally
emigrants from Holland, the frugal but honest and brave
descendants of that race of lowland freemen whom all the
power and prowess of Rome could never conquer. But,
when we pass beyond these facts, we are compelled to deal
with suppositions and probabilities alone. There now lives
no person who can toll with certainty the name of the first
white man who built his house here, or who can say in
what year or on what spot that first dwelling was erected.
Under the well-known maxim that " property in the soil
is the first evidence of settlement," we should give priority
to Major Abraham Staats (or Staets), who took out the first
land patent in the limits of the present county, and who
settled at the mouth and on the north side of the stream
now called Stockport creek, but which at that time and in
consequence of his settlement there received the name of
" Major Abram"s creek," by which it continued to be known
for more than a century.
The major had come to Fort Orange (Albany) in 1642
with Dominie Melpogensis. He was by profession a sur-
geon, and had almost immediately upon his arrival been
placed in that capacity in charge of the garrison of the fort.
In 1643 he became a member of the council, and was after-
wards president of the board, with a salary of one hundred
florins. Like nearly all the others of the new-comers, he
soon became anxious to participate in the great profits which
were then being realized in traffic with the Indians, and so
applied for and received license to trade in furs ; and in the
prosecution of this new calling we find it recorded that in
the year 1657 he sent four thousand two hundred beaver-
skins to New Amsterdam, and that at the same time he
had " a considerable bowery." He was also for many years
the owner and skipper of the sloop " Claverack," which
plied between Albany and New York. Probably the sloop
"■■ Life leases were given on the Livingston una perpetual leases on
the lower Kenssclaer manor. The lower manor has been held in fee
by its occupants since about 1S51.
was not run by him in a general carrying trade, but for the
prosecution of his own traffic. It seems reasonable to sup-
pose that, after engaging in the various pursuits of fur-
trading, river-navigation, and agriculture, he must have
resigned his place as garrison-surgeon ; but if so we find no
record of the date of such resignation.
He married Catrina Jochemse, daughter of Jochem
Wesselse, and by her had four sons, — namely, Abram (born
in 1665, and in later years known as " Abram Staats of
Claverack"), Samuel, Jochem, and Jacob, which last named
became, like his father, surgeon to the garrison (1698 to
1708). Also, like his father, he tried navigation, and was
skipper of the sloop " Unity," running between New York
and Albany ; besides which he was at one time one of the
justices of the peace in and for the county of Albany.
Abram Staats " of Claverack" married Elsje, daughter of
Johannes Wendell, July 3, 1696. It is probable that he
was born in the old massive stone building, which is a part
of the dwelling now occupied by Mr. Joseph Wild, near the
Stockport railroad station. This, however, cannot be the
house first built by Major Staats as a dwelling, for we are
told by Biodhead that in the year preceding the birth of
this child (viz., in July, 1664) the Indians " destroyed
cattle at Greenbush, burned the house of Abraham Staats
at Claverack, and ravaged the whole country on the east
side of the Hudson river." It is possible that the first house
was of stone, and that the Indian burning destroyed only
its roof and interior work, which were afterwards rebuilt
upon and within the same wails ; but it is far more prob-
able that the first house was wholly destroyed, and that the
great thickness of the walls of the building which still
stands (for they are fully three feet thick) was given for the
double purpose of making them fire-proof and of providing
a strong place of refuge in case of future savage attack.
It is certain that IMajor Abraham Staats occupied his
lands above the mouth of the creek before the date (March
25, 1667) of his first patent; and unless he had so occu-
pied it for some years before that time, he cannot be
thought of as possibly the first settler within the county of
Columbia, for the Dutch historian. Van der Donck, as early
as 1656 mentions Esopus (now Kingston), Rhinebeck, and
Kinderhook as the principal, if not the only, settlements
along the banks of the Hudson river. The settlement
mentioned by Van der Donck was at Old Kinderhook
Landing, and it seems not improbable that its commence-
ment was earlier than that of JIajor Staats at Claverack.
The earliest known reference (excepting the above slight
mention by Van der Donck) to the settlements at Kinder-
hook and Claverack is embodied in a communication made
some years since, by the Rev. J. Edson Rockwell, to the
Columbia Republican, which we quote as follows :
** To the early records of the settlement of this region there has
lately been added one of jilcnsant interest, for which we arc iodebted
to the Long Island Historical Society, and especially to the lion.
Henry C. Murphy, long our minister in Holland. During his residence
there, he found in his scholarly researches among ancient documents
a manuscript copy of a journal of a voyage to New York, in the
years 1679 and 1780, by Jasper Bankers and Peter Sluyler, two
Labadist brethren who came thither in search of a home for the
religious sect to which they belonged. . . . After visiting various
sections around New York, they resolved to explore the shores of the
Hudson river, and on the 15th of April went in search of a boat to
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
go to Albany, and found one ready to leave immediately. The name
of the skipper, the journal adds, was ' Mens Hogeboom, to whom we
agreed to pay for the passage, up and down, one Beaver, — that is,
twenty-five guilders in zewant, — and find ourselves. We gave in our
names to have them inserted in the passports.' On the 19th, or four
days after the boat was ready to sail immediately, the journal pro-
ceeds : ' We left New York about three o'clock in the afternoon, with
about twenty passengers of all kinds, young and old, who made great
bustle and noise, in a boat not so large as a common ferry-boat in
Holland; and as these people live in the interior of the country and
somewhat nearer the Indians, they are more wild and untamed, reck-
less, unrestrained, haughty, and more addicted to misusing the
blessed name of God, and to cursing and swearing.' As the wind
slackened they came to anchor, in order to stem the ebb tide.
" On the 20th they entered the Highlands, and on the 21st reached
Kinderhook, and on the 22d came to anchor at Fort Orange or Al-
bany. After a visit to Schenectady and Cohoes, they set out for
their return on the 30th, and came to anchor at Kinderhook, where
a certain female trader had some grain to be carried down the river.
While waiting the process of loading, the journal adds, 'we stepped
ashore to amuse ourselves. We came to a creek where, near the
river, lives a man whom they usually call the Child of Lu.\ury
(f kinder van walde). Ho had a s.iw-mill on the creek or a water-
fall, which is a singular one. The water falls quite steep in one
body, but it comes down in steps, with a broad rest sometimes be-
tween them. These steps were sixty feet or more high, and were
formed out of a single rock. We saw chrystals lying in layers be-
tween these rocks. They sparkled brightly, and were clear as water.'
No one [says Mr. Rockwell] familiar with the scenery around Stuy-
vesant falls can fail to recognize the description here given of that
spot as it appeared nearly two hundred years ago. ' We set sail,'
continues the journal, ' in the evening, and came to Claverack, six-
teen miles further down the river, where we also took in some grain
in the evening. Wo were here laden full of grain, which had to be
brought in four miles from the country. The boors who brought it
in their wagons asked us to ride out with them to their places, which
we did. We rode along a high ridge of blue rock on the right hand,
the top of which was grown over. The stone is suitable for burning
lime. Large, clear fountains fiow out of these cliffs or hills, the first
real fountains and the only ones we have met with in this country.
We arrived at the places, which consist of fine farms; the tillable
land is like that of Schoon-ecten-deel, low, flat, and on the side of
the creek very delightful and pleasant to look ujion, and especially at
the present time, when they are all green with the wheat coming up.
The woodland also is very good for (making) tillable land, and it was
one of the locations which pleased me most with its agreeable foun-
The large, clear fountains here mentioned now furnish
one of the sources of water-supply for the city of Hudson,
and are situated a short distance east of the city, on the
main road to Claverack. It is to be noticed that the name
Claverack was then applied not only to what was after-
wards known as Claverack Landing, where now is the city
of Hudson, but also to the settlement of Major Abraham
Staats, and in fact to the whole straight part or " reach" of
the river between these points, " from three bare spots or
clavers which appear upon the land," says one writer, —
the bare spots, Avherevor they may have been situated, being
(presumably) covered with white clover, which in this
region sprang up spontaneously in every place which had
been made clear by burning, or by the indolent agriculture
of the Indians.
The first settler in the vicinity of Claverack Landing, re-
ferred to in the above narrative as " Claverack, sixteen miles
further down," was Jan Frans Van Hoesen, who is supposed
to have settled there in 1662, the date of his purchase of
the land from the Indians. Among the settlers who soon
after took land adjoining his, and farther inland, were Ger-
rit Slichtenhorst and another Dutch pioneer, who was known
by the nickname of " Jan, the red head," while the rich
lands on the Claverack creek were early settled by a number
of thrifty Dutch farmers, as is shown by the journal of
the Labadists as above quoted.
The praises which the brethren bestowed on the low, flat
lands, which they found " very delightful and pleasant to
look upon at the time when they are all green with the
wheat coming up," were fully merited, not only as applied
to the Claverack creek bottoms, but as well to the lands
through all this section of country. Some idea of their
virgin fertility may be had from the account given in the
journal of David Pietersen De Vries, patroon of Staten
island, who in April, 1640, sailed up the North river in his
own sloop, on a voyage of private exploration " to see the
country there." For more than thirty leagues above Fort
Amsterdam he found the banks of the river " all stony and
hilly, and unfit for dwellings ;" but towards the close of the
day, on the 27th of April, he reached the " Catskill," where
there was open land, upon which the natives were employed
in planting corn. On the following day they came to
" Beeren island," where there were many Indians engaged
in fishing, and most beautiful meadows were seen every-
where along the river. At evening the sloop arrived at the
plantation of Brandt Peelen, at Castle island. Here De
Vries visited the proprietor at his house, and was astonished
to learn of the great productiveness of his farm ; particularly
on being informed by Peelen that he had raised fine, heavy
crops of wheat upon the same land for ten successive years
without any interval of summer fallowing. Van Der Donck,
in his description of New Netherland, confirms this. He
says, " I had the laud adjoining this same farm, and have
seen the eleventh crop, which was tolerably good. The
name of the man who did this was Brandt Peelen, a native
of the province of Utrecht, and at that time a schepen in
the colonic of Rensselaerswyck." This was a short distance
above the north limit of the present county of Columbia,
but no one will doubt that the lauds here were tjuite as pro-
ductive as those mentioned in the region immediately ad-
joining.
Both Do Vries and Dominie Megapolensis assure us that
these pioneer colonists lived in the midst of nature's richest
profusion, and that " the land was very well provisioned
with all the necessaries of life." The old writers assure us
that both flax and hemp grew spontaneously here ; that every-
where, but particularly upon the islands and along the mar-
gins of the river and the creeks, the forest-trees were inter-
laced and festooned with grape-vines, which in autumn
were loaded with fruit " as good and as sweet as in Hol-
land ;" that nut-trees of various kinds were numerous and
very productive ; that wild plums were everywhere ; that
the hills were covered with blackberries, and the meadows
and slopes with wild strawberries, which were so plentiful
that the people would often " lie down and eat them, and
so that in June the fields and woods are dyed red."
Captain Hudson, in his journal, said of the country on
the river that " It is as beautiful a land as one can tread upon,
and abounds in all kinds of excellent ship-timber ; walnut,
chestnut, yew, and trees of sweet wood in great abundance ;
and there is great store of slate for houses, and other good
stones."
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
The woods were alive with game. There were deer,
which in the aulunin and in haivcst-time were " as fat as
any Holland deer (sn le," ar.d the carcass of cne of these
would frequently be offered by the Indians in exchange
" for a loaf of bread, or a knife, or even for a tobatco-pipe."
There were also wild luikeys of surprising size, and so fearless
of man that they often came down to feed with the swine
of the colonists. At certain sea.?ons of the year the land
was almost overshadowed by wild pigeons, of which there
were such vast numbers that they sometimes broke down
trees of size by roosting upon them. Pheasants, cjuails,
hares, squirrels, and raccoons were found everywhere, and
if the desire of the hunter was for more exciting and dan-
gerous sport, he might not infrequently find its gratification
in a shot at bear, wolf, or panther. It is probable, however,
that the thrifty Hollanders who settled Columbia county
were not much given to hunting as a mere amusement, but
only engaged in it to a limited extent as an easy means of
supplying their Aimilies with food.
The great river, and the creeks as well, teemed with the
finest fish, among which were the shad, and many kinds
scarcely less delicious ; while in the branches, particularly
towards their heads, the trout existed in great abundance.
There were plenty of sturgeon, too, which, as we are told,
" the Christians do not make use of, but the Indians eat
them greedily." Herrings* there were in myriads, so that
if all other sources of supply had been withdrawn from the
Indians they could, we are told, have lived on herrings
alone, and had abundance. In the journal of Hudson's
voyage it is stated that in the river he " saw many salmons
and mullets, and rays very great." A well-informed
writer, however (Dr. Mitchell, in N. Y. Hist. Soc. Coll.),
discredits the statement that Hudson saw salmon in any
considerable numbers in the North river, though he admits
that they have been taken in it.
It must be admitted that the.se slow-going but shrewd
Dutchmen had chosen for settlement a land which had
been highly favored by the hand of nature. And there is
no doubt that by the exercise of the indefatigable industry
of their race they soon brought their farms to a high state
of cultivation ; though De Vries, writing of that period,
says that, so universal had become the passion for traffic,
owing to the great gains realized from it, that " each flumer
became also a trader."
The greater part of those who settled here are said to
have been persons who brought some amount of pecuniary
means from Holland, and were not unfrequently accompa-
nied by servants. In this they were somewhat different
from most of those who had settled in upper Rensselaer-
wyck, who were sent out at the patroon's expense, and
received small advances in money or implements, to be
repaid with exorbitant interest.
* Herrings hove alvfnys lecn abundant in the river, though for-
merly more so tlian now. It is related that, more than a ecntury
later than the time of which we write, a vessel of one hundred tons'
burden was filled at a single tide near Kogcrs' island, below Hud-
son. The Indians made great use of these tish as an article of food,
drying and then jiounding them into powder, to be laid away in bark
receptacles for winter's use. They also understood the curing of
both fish and meats by smoking.
From the meagre li.sts of emigrants arriving by different
ships about IGGO, and in three or four succeeding years,
we give the few following names, being of those who are
believed to have been among the earliest settlers upon lands
in this county, viz.: In ship "Brown Fi.sh," June, 1658,
Evert Luyeas, wife and daughter. In the ship " Moos-
man," April, 1659, Gillis Mandeville. In the "Faith,"
February, 1G59, Jannetje Teunis Van Ysselstein. In the
"Gilded Otter," April, 1G60, Gerrit Aartsen Van Beuren,
Gerrit Cornelissen Van Beuren, — both named as " agricul-
turists." In the " Beaver," May, IGGl, Peter Marcelis Van
Beest, wife, jour children, and two servants ; Aert Picter-
sen Buys Van Beest, wife, and son ; Frans Jacobsen Van
Beest, wife, and two children ; Widow Geerlje Cornells Van
Beest and six children ; Widow Adrientje Cornells Van
Beest and daughter ; Goossen Jansen Van Noort Van
Beest ; Hendrick Dries Van Beest ; Neeltje Jans Van
Beest ; and Gcertring Teunissen Van Beest. In the
" Fox," August, 1GG2, Dirck Storm, wife, and six chil-
dren, from the mayory of Bosch. In the " Purmerland
Church," October, 1GU2, Ferdinandus de Mulder. In the
" Spotted Cow," April, 1GG3, Marytje Theunis Van Beest.
In the " Concord," April, 1664, Claes Melius, wife, two
children, and servant.
Among the early settlers in Kindcrhook was Gerrit
Teunissen, who patented lands adjoining Kinderhook lake,
as before mentioned. He had been a prominent man in
Albany before his removal here, and was no less promi-
nent afterwards in Kinderhook, both in military and civil
positions.
From the " Documentary History of New York" we ex-
tract the following in reference to Kinderhook :
"The Said Mr. Renselaer and Capt. Tcunise Report that when
they came by Kinderhook they founde ye People Very much Inclined
to mutiny, who were Preparing themselfs to come hither [to Albany],
by reason of a letter which they had Received of Jacob Milbornc to
come up to Albany in all Speed to Receive Priviledges and Libertyes.
So yt they had much adoe to stop them ; however, some did come."
The date was 1689, and the occasion referred to was the
return of Killian Van Rensselaer, of Albany, and Captain
Gerrit Teunise (or more properly Teunissen), of Kinder-
hook, from Connecticut, whither they had been sent to
convey to the governor and council of that State the thanks
of the convention (then sitting at Albany) for the proffer
of troops by Connecticut,f for the protection of the New
York frontier against a threatened attack by French and
Indians. Milborne was then at Albany, where he had been
sent from New York with fifty men by Leisler, ostensibly
to protect them and the fort, but really, as it was supposed,
t This proffer of troops was accepted, and they formed part of an
expedition which was organized under command of General Win-
throp, of Massachusetts, for the protection of the northern border
and the invasion of Canada. The Connecticut contingent set out
from Hartford, July 14, 1690, accompanied by Mr. Robert Living-
ston as a guide, and, after marching for a week " through the diffi-
cult and almost impassable parts of the wilderness;" reached Kinder-
hook on the 2lst. This was the first organized body of armed white
men which ever marched through this region. They were met at
Kinderhook by officers from the Albany garrison, who escorted them
to that city. At Albany General Winthrop was the guest of Mr.
Robert Livingston.
24
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
to gain possession of the fort, which was then being held
by the adherents of the sovereigns, William and Mary.
The extract is given here because of its reference to a state
of mutiny among " the people" of the place, as it seems to
show that even at that early time the population had
already grown to be very considerable.
It is a matter of great regret that we are unable to give
an extended list of the early comers to the northern part
of the county. The portions nearer to the Massachusetts
line and bordering on it were settled at a much later day,
and by a different race : that is, by people of English,
Irish, and Scotch extraction, who came in chiefly from the
New England States.
SETTLEMENTS ON THE LIVINGSTON LANDS — THE
PALATINES.
The settlements in the south — upon the Livingston
grants — were commenced about half a century later than
these in the northwest, and by a very diflferent race and
class of men. On the 2d of January, 1702, the Earl of
Bellamont, in a communication to the lords commissioners
of trade, wrote in reference to these tracts as follows:
" Mr. Livingston has on his great grant of sixteen miles
long and twenty-four broad but four or five cottages as I
am told; men that live in va.ssalage under him and work
for him, and arc too poor to be farmers, having not where-
withal to buy cattle to stock a farm." This was certainly
a very poor showing of progress made during his seventeen
years of occupancy, and it does not appear that much, if
any, improvement on this condition of things was accom-
plished in the eight or nine years following that time ; and
so, when it was proposed by Queen Anne to furnish an
asylum and home in her American possessions for a large
body of refugees from the Lower Palatinate, in Germany
(many of whom had before served in her armies,* and who
now asked her bounty, liaving been driven from their homes
by the ravages of the French), the opportunity was em-
braced by Mr. Livingston to secure the location of the
greater part of them on lands which he sold to the queen
for the purpose, — having in view the prospective advantages
to accrue from such settlement by appreciation of his manor
lands, and in other ways, as will appear.
The first of the Palatines (about fifty in number) arrived
in New York in 1708, and were settled on a tract on the
west side of the Hudson, in the county of Ulster. The
second immigration of these unfortunate people occurred in
June, 1710, when the ship " Lyon" arrived at New York,
having on board a large number, who were disembarked on
Nutten (now Governor's) i.sland, and were there cared for
at the expense of the government. During the month fol-
lowing several other ships arrived, also bringing many
hundreds of the Palatines, who were similarly disposed of.
Upon the question of the location of lands upon which
to establish them, it was at first proposed that they be sent
to the Mohawk,, and Governor Hunter ordered a survey to
be made for the purpose ; it being the intention of the
government that they should be employed in the manufac-
* Their services h.aving been purchased by the qiiccu from their
sovereign, the elector, after the custom of those limes.
ture of tar and other naval stores, and serve as a barrier
against the northern Indians. It was, however, the opinion
of the governor that the Mohawk lands would not be found
adapted for this purpose, and in a letter addressed by him
to the board of trade, July 24, 1710, he said, "These
lands, however, I believe will be in no ways fit for the de-
sign in hand, being very good lands which here bears no
Pines and lyes very remote. I shall, however, be able to
carry it on elsewhere. ... I am in terms with some
who have lands on the Hudson's River fitt for that pur-
pose, which I intend to view next week in company
with Dr. Bridges, who is now with me, and gives me good
Ineouragement."
The person with whom ha was in negotiation proved to
be Robert Livingston. On the 3d of October following
the governor again wrote the board of trade, saying, " I
have been obliged to purchase a Tract of Land on Hud-
son's River from Mr. Lavingston, consisting of 6000 acres,
as your Lordships will observe from this imperfect draught
of it, for £400 of this country money, that is, 266£ Eng-
lish, for the planting of the greatest division of the Palatines.
It has these advantages besides the goodness of the Soilo,
that it is adjacent to the Pine, which by the conveyance
we are Intituled to, and a place where Ships of 50 feet
water may go without diSiculty." This six-thousand-acre
tract was conveyed by Mr. Livingston, through Governor
Hunter, to the queen, Sept. 9, 1710, and was identical with
the territory of the present town of Germantown, except
that in more recent years a small triangular tract has been
annexed to that town from Clermont. The immigrants'
settlements within this tract were named as follows : Anns-
berg, for Queen Anne ; Haysbury, for Lady Hay, wife of
Governor Hunter; Hunterstown, for the governor himself;
and Queensbury, in still further honor of the crown. These
four were collectively known as the " East Camp."
The smaller portion of the Palatines were settled upon
the west side of the river, where, as the governor then wrote,
" I have found a small Tract of about a mile in length along
the River, which has by some chance not been granted,
tho' pretended to have been purchased of the Indians by
some, where I have planted the remainder." This .small
settlement was known as the " West Camp."
During the month of September they commenced moving
to the lands assigned them on the east side of the river,
and on the VM\ of November the governor contracted
with Robert Livingston to furnish them with bread and
beer, to be delivered to them at his manor-house, at the
rate of sixpence per diem for adults and fourpence for chil-
dren. The number of Palatines for whom subsistence was
charged during the following winter was two thousand two
hundred and nine of all ages, of whom nineteen hundred
and fifty-two were upon the Livingston tract, and two hun-
dred and fifty-seven in the two camps or villages on the
west side of the river.
From the very first the colonists seem to have evinced a
feeling of dissatisfaction, particularly in regard to the change
of location from Schoharie, which had first been selected,
to the Livingston lands, where, as they believed, they were
to be denied the privilege of a small, separate tract for each
family, as had been promised, but were instead to be kept
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
25
to aether in three or four large communities, to labor for
life in a distasteful occupation for the advantage of those
into whos3 power it was their misfortune to have fallen.
They felt deeply grateful for the royal benevolence of the
queen, but they distrusted the good faith of their immediate
superiors, and chiefly that of the governor and the lord of the
manor ; and that this distrustful feeling was shared by some
in high station clearly appears from the tenor of a letter
addressed to Lord Dartmouth, March 8, 1711, by Lord
Clarendon,* in which the latter says, —
"I think it is unhappy that Colo. Hunter, at his first arrival in his
government, fell into so ill hands, for this Levingston has been known
many years in that Provinse for a very ill man. Ue formerly
victualled the forces in Albany, in which he was guilty of most noto-
rious frauds, by which he greatly improved his Estate. He has a Mill
and a Brew-houso upon his land, and if he can get the Victualling of
those Palatines who are so conveniently posted for his purpose, he
will make a very good addition to his Estate ; and I am persuaded the
hopes he has of such a Subsistence to be allowed by Her Miijesty
were the Chief, if not the only, Inducements that prevailed with him
to propose to Colo. Hunter to settle them upon his land, which is not
the best place for Pine Trees. The Borders of Hudson's River above
Albany, and the Mohaoks River, Schenectady, arc well known to be
the best places for Pines of all sorts, both for numbers and largeness
of Trees. . . . The bills drawn by Colo. Hunter for one-quarter's
Subsistence for 1764 adults and 445 Persons under age, in all making
2209 Persons, and amounting to £4700.17.11, seems to be computed
according to the numbers that landed at New York in June, 1710,
which, with submission, I think ought not to be, because it is certain
many of them are dead.f . . . My Lord, upon the whole matter I am
of opinion that, if the Subsistence proposed is allowed, the conse-
quence will be that Lcvingston and some others will get Estates ; the
Palatines will not be the richer."
If, by the expression " Levingston and some others,"
Lord Clarendon intended the implication that the governor
and Livingston were confederated in the matter, it would
seem to be disproved by a letter, dated Oct. 22, 1711, from
Governor Hunter to General Nicholson, J on the eve of the
departure of the latter for England. The governor had
learned that Livingston had requested Nicholson to make
a report to the home government damaging to the admin-
istration of Hunter, and upon this subject the latter said, —
"I cannot forbear taking notice of this proceeding of Mr. Living-
ston's as a most base and Villainous practice if there be any truth in
it, and I hope I have deserved that Justice from you that you will
as soono as may be acquaint me with what Mr. Livingston has
thought fitt to represent. I know him to be ye most seltish man alive,
but I could never have believed that a man who lay under so many
obligations to me as he does would take it into his head to make any
Representations to my prejudice without acquainting me at least:
neither can I be persuaded that after ye manner wee have Liv'd
togcather, and ye mutuall confidence betweene us, you would eng.age
yor Selfe in anything of that nature upon the Suggestions of such a
man. I have suffered here by giveing him too much Countenance, And
if any Man has any Advantage by ye Palatines here it is he. I beg
you'l cleare that matter to me, because hee has too considerable a
trust to be continued to him after soe base and barbarous a practice.'*
On the 1st of May, 1711, the whole number of Pala-
tines upon the Livingston tract was 1178, and these were
in a state of almost open mutiny, having resolved that they
would neither continue to work at tar-making nor remain
» Doc. Hist. N. Y., vol. iii. p. 656.
t A bill dated Sept. 5, 1711, presented by Peter Willemse Romers
for two hundred and fifty coffins furnished for Palatines who died on
Nutten island, seems to confirm his lordship's opinion.
X Doc. Hist. N. Y., vol. iii. p. 675.
4
upon the tract, but that they would remove to Schoharie,
and for this purpose would use force if necessary. At this
juncture the governor sent to Albany, ordering a lieutenant
with a detachment of sixty soldiers to meet him at the
manor for the purpose of overawing the Germans, if they
could not be conciliated.
Upon his arrival with the troops, demanding to know the
cause of their insubordination, he was told that they would
rather lose their lives than remain where they were ; that
they had been cheated in the contract which they had
signed, it being wholly different from that which had been
read to them in their own language in England, by the
terms of which each family was to have forty acres of land,
to be paid for at the end of seven years in hemp, timber,
tar, pitch, or other productions, instead of which it w;is
now designed to make them life-long slaves, as Mr. Cast§
had plainly and insolently told them, — a condition to which
they would not submit, but were determined to remove to
and occupy the lands at Schoharie which the queen had
designed for them.
"Whilst his Excellency was talking with the Deputys, he received
Information that there was a great body of men in arms on the other
side of the Brook, and having by that time a reinforcement of seventy
men more, he marched the detachment immediately, and passed the
Brook; the Palatines were run home to their houses. His E.vcellency
marched to the first village, and ordered them to bring in all their
arms, which they did Immediately, except a few. He could go no
further that night, but the next morning marched to yc other three
Villages on the same side of the River, and disarmed thorn all, and
then returning to Mr. Levingston, sent orders to the Villages on the
other side to bring in their arms that day to the Store house, to be
transported to him. . . . After his Excellency had disarmed them,
he sent back the detachment to Albany, and the sober and better part
of the people, being secured from the rage of the hot-headed, un-
thinking, and misguided, met together to debate on their former pro-
ceedings, and with a general Consent came to this Resolution, to
acknowledge their faults, ask his Excellency's pardon, and signify
their hearty repentance. Accordingly, all the Villages by their
Deputys waited on him, and some of them on their knees asked his
pardon, and promised a thorough Reformation of their behavior, and
an entire Resignation to his orders for the future: whereupon his
Excellency pardoned them, with this Certification, that the first diso-
bedience shall be punished with the utmost rigor the law will allow,
which they received with great joy, and now they begin to demon-
strate their sincerity by inquiring when they shall be set to work,
and show a great desire to make a good beginning on it." {Ltiten
of Seci-elnry Clarke (o tlie Cnnh of Trade, Mai/ 30, 1711. Doc. Hist.
N. Y., vol. iii. pp. 665-667.)
The energetic action of the governor had thoroughly
cowed the colonists and reduced them to submission. They
returned to their distasteful work in the pine woods, but it
was done sullenly and with great dissatisfaction. In a letter
written by Mr. Cast to the governor in the following July
he said, " Mr. Sacket is now busy constructing a Bridge
for the conveyance of the Tar to the river-side. . . . The
people, perceiving that the construction of this bridge fore-
shadows the manufiicture of a large number of Barrels of
J Robert Livingston, John Cast, Richard Sacket, Godfrey Wal-
sen, Andrew Bagger, and Herman Schureman formed the board of
commissioners who had general charge and superintendence of the
Palatine settlement. A court for the trial of Palatine cases was
authorized by Governor Hunter, but with the express condition that
of this court " Robert Livingston or Richard Sacket is always to bo
one." Richard Sacket was the first settler upon the " Great Nino
Partners" in Dutchess county, before the coming of the Palatines,
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
Tar, disapprove likewise of its erection, and say the bridge
will rot before it is put to that use : Meaning that they do
not intend to remain on Livingston's lands long enough to
make use of said bridge. This last opinion does not dis-
turb me. The advantage already gained over the people
makes me hope to cflFect a complete victory over them."
Such expressions as these show that among these official
subordinates of Queen Anne there existed very little of the
benevolent pity which had moved her to befriend the help-
less Palatine exiles.
During this summer about three hundred of the arms-
bearing portion of the colonists volunteered* for service in
the expedition against Canada under General Nicholson.
Prom this expedition they returned to find their families in
a .state approaching starvation.
The result accomplished in the manufiicture of naval
stores during the season of 1711 was far from satisfactory,
and on the opening of the following spring the governor en-
forced the strictest regulations to secure subordination and
efficient work, — the first and most significant of which was
that a lieutenant and thirty soldiers should be ordered from
the garrison at Albany to Livingston manor, " there to be
posted in such manner and at such places for the better car-
rying on the work as Mr. Sacket shall think proper, and that
tents be provided for them." The rations both of bread and
beer were also reduced, as the governor found it " absolutely
necessary to make the Expence for the Palatins as little as
possible;" but, notwithstanding his best efforts in the direc-
tion of discipline and economy, the coming of the autumn
made it apparent that the "Tarr Work" was a failure, and
must be abandoned, though the governor was careful to assure
the people that no such thought was entertained. At the
same time he notified them that he had exhausted all the
money and credit he possessed for their support, and that to
prevent their perishing, and the total abandonment of the
work, it was his desire that they accept any employment
they could secure from the Airmers in this and the province
of New Jersey. Prior to this they had been threatened
with severest penalties if they should dare to leave their
villages, and constables were ordered " to forewarne all of
their Districts that they do not Harbor any pallatines at
their perrill." But now, at the commencement of winter,
they were cast adrift and advised to seek for employment
(which both they and the governor well knew it was impos-
sible for them to obtain) among the farmers.
This heartless abandonment by the authorities, who.se
duty it was to care for them, " otca.sioned a terrible Con-
sternation amongst them, and particularly from the women
and Children the most pityfull and dolerous Crycs and
lamentations that perhaps have ever been heard from any
persons under the most wretched and miserable circum-
stances; so that they were at last, much against their wills,
put under the hard and greeting necessity of seeking relief
from the Indians."
In their extremity some of their people proceeded to
Schoharie, where the Indians gave them permission to settle
*■ This is the term used in the ancient documents referring to the
matter, but the word dm/led would be more appropriate, as tlioy
went in obedience to a peremptory order for that number of men to
be furnished from the Palatine fcttlemcnts.
on their lands, and promised them such assistance and pro-
tection as they were able to give. Upon which, with great
labor, they cleared a track through the woods, and at the
end of two weeks about fifty of their families were on their
way to " the Schorie," to them the land of promise. This
step provoked the wrath and fierce threats of the governor,
but these they could not heed when the alternative was
starvation, and before the end of March, 1713, the greater
part of the Palatine colonists had left their settlements on
the Livingston purchase, and passed across the mountains
and through the deep snows to rejoin their neighbors on the
frontier. At the commencement of the enterprise it was
said and believed that the Livingston tract and the Palatine
lands on the west side of the river would "enable the send-
ing of Tar and Pitch enough, not only for supplying the
Royal, but even the whole Navy of England." It was not
long, however, before it became apparent that these great
expectations were not to be realized. In the absence of
visible results the promoters of the project in England
wrote Governor Hunter, imploring him at all hazards to
" send Tarr, to convince the world of the solidity of the
project;" and in 1712 (Oct. 31) the governor, in writing
to the Lords of Trade, mentions that the whole superin-
tendency of the work was then in Mr. Sacket's hands,
" since Mr. Bridges did so basely desert it." Mr. Bridges
was a Massachusetts man, supposed to be an expert in titr-
and rosin-making, and was employed as such to teach the
art and to superintend the work. Prom the above it seems
evident that he soon saw that the enterprise must fail, and
decided to leave it to its fate.
The entire result of the work was the production of less
than two hundred barrels of tar, and then the project was
abandoned in disaster.
" Such of that people as were sober and industrious,"
wrote Governor Hunter to the secretary of the board of
trade, July 26, 1720, " remain on the Lands where I set-
tled them at first, and which I was obliged to purchase for
them on Hudson's River for the Ends proposed by those
who sent them, vizt., the Manufacture of Naval Stores.
These are well enabled to subsist themselves ; the rest have
been wanderers." The fact is that about fifty families re-
mained, and were allowed to locate on different portions of
the tract as fiirmers, in which vocation it is probable that
they became reasonably prosperous.
In August, 1724, it appears that there were about sev-
enty families on the tract, of whom sixty heads subscribed
their names as being desirous to continue there, while the
other ten declined to remain as permanent settlers. The
list referred to was prepared by the surveyor-general in obe-
dience to an order of council, issued in consideration of the
petition of Jacob S. Soherb, ChristofFel Hagendorn, and Ja-
cob Schumacker, made June 13, 1724, in behalf of them-
selves and the other Palatine inhabitants, praying for the
issuance of letters patent for the Palatine tract to the peti-
tioners and other occupants. The matter was referred to a
committee of the council, who, at a meeting held at Fort
George, Aug. 27, 1724, reported to the governor that they
■' Have considered of the same, and are of opinion that your
Excellency may grant to Jacob Sharpe, Johannes Hciner,
I Johannus Kolman, and Christophel Hagendorn, their heirs
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
27
and assigns, six thousand acres" (describing it by bounda-
ries) ; upon which the grant was made, with certain condi-
tions, all of which will be found more fully mentioned in
the history of the town of Gerniantown. Thus, such of the
Palatines as remained became eventually proprietors of the
lands on which they had settled, and to-day their descend-
ants are numerous throughout the county.
From "A List of the Ffreeholders of the City and
County of Albany," made pursuant to an order of court,
dated June 11, 1720, and directed to Gerrit Van Schaick,
high sheriff, we transcribe the names of those then resident
within the present limits of the county of Columbia, as fol-
lows :
" Kendtrhook and part Maimnr of Lirhir/itou, vtz. : Jochim Von
Valkenburgh, Isaac Fausburgh, Caspar Rouse, Peter Van Alen, La-
uiert Iluyck, liurger lluyck, Johannis Hujck, Derrick Gardineer,
Peter Van Slyck, John Gardineer, Evert Wieler, Derrick Goes, Peter
Fausburgh, Peter Van Buren, Jno. Goes, Mattias Goes, Luykus Van
Alen, Jacobus Van Alen, Evert Van Aleu, Johannis Vandeusen, Cor-
nells Sehermerhoru, Johannis Van Alen, Gerrit Dlngmans, Bartle-
meus Van Valkenburgh, Thomas Van Alstine, Coonrodt Burgaert,
Stephanis Van Alen, John Burgaert, Abrani Van Alstine, Lawrence
Van Schauk, Jurie Klaime, Guisbort Scherp, Lawrence Schcrp, Hen-
drick Clawe, Lamert Valkenburgh, Melgert Vanderpoel, Lenerd Co-
" In the north part of He Mannnr of Livhujaton : Robert Livings-
ton, Esq., Peter CoUe, Killian Winnc, Jan Euimerick Plees, Hans
Sihans, Clacs Bruise, Jonat. Recs, Coonrodt Ham, Coonradt Schure-
man, Johannis Pulver, Bastian Spikerman, Nicolas Smith, Baltis
Anspah, Juo. Wui. Simon, H.nns Jurie Prooper, Abram Luyke, Brocr
Decker, Jurie Decker, Nicolas Witbeck, Johannis Uldrigh, Ffitz Mu-
jigh, Coonrod Kclder, David Hooper, Gabriell Broose, Solomon
Sehutt, Jacob Stover, Johanis Roseman, Nicos. Styker.
"In, Cluverack: Tobias Tcobrocck, Cornelis Mulder, Cornilis Es-
selstino, Jeremias Mulder, Derrick Hogoboom, Cornelis Huyck, Isaac
A'andusen, Jno. Hoose, George Sidnem, Richard Moor, John Ilar-
dyck, Hendr. Van Salsbergen, Jacob Van Hoosem, Kasper Van Hoo-
sem, Jan A''an Hoosem, Samuel Ten Broeck, Peter Hogoboom, Rob.
Van Deusen, Casper Conine, -Frank Hardyke, Johannis Van Hoo-
sem, John Bout, Wm. Halenbeck, Johannis Coolc, John Rees, \Vm.
Rees, Johannis Scherp, Andrie.*! Rees, Ghondia Lamafire, Hendrick
Whitbeck, Jurie Fretts, Hendrick Lodowick, Jacob Eswin, Jurie Jan,
Cloud Lamatere."
This is beyond doubt a correct list, and doubtle.ss a very
nearly complete one of all the freeholders then living within
the limits of the county of Columbia. There were at that
time no freeholders in Germantown, and the eastern part of
the county north of Livingston manor was at that time a
wilderness.
CHAPTER V.
INDIAN INCtJRSIONS-THE FEENCH AND INDIAN
"WAB-THE REVOLUTION.
The inhabitants living within the bounds of this counly
never suffered severely from Indian ravages. When Hud-
son explored the river he found the natives peaceable, and
■well disposed towards the whites, and they continued to be
so for many years. We find no account of any Indian
violence committed against the settlers south of the present
line of Rensselaer county until the attack of 1664, to
which we have already alluded, in which we are told that
they burnt Major Staats' house, and " ravaged the country
east of Hudson's river;" but we are not told what particular
outrages (if there were any besides that at Staats') they
committed in this county, or whether any white blood was
shed. This inroad, whatever its extent, was, without doubt,
the work of other tribes than the Mohicans, for they were at
that time too weak in numbers, and too much cowed by
years of subjugation, to undertake offensive warfare, unless
incited and supported by other and more powerful bands.
But the raid of 166-t, whether it Wiis an extensive and
bloody one or not, had, undoubtedly, the effect to make the
settlers more distrustful, more fearful of Indian hostility,
and to cause them to strengthen their houses, and to erect
buildings to be used as places of common shelter and de-
fense in case of a dangerous outbreak. The lion. H. C.
Van Schaack, of Manlius, N. Y., in his unpublished "Life
of Colonel Henry Van Schaack," says, —
"A portion of the old Dutch parsonage still standing in Kinder-
hook originally formed a part of a fort, with a stockade as an out-
side b.irrier. On one occasion, when the men were all absent, Indians
appeared in the vicinity : the women repaired to the fort, and having
dressed themselves in men's clothes and hats, they, under the lead of
Mrs. Hoes, a brave Dutch matron, paraded with shouldered muskets
and made great noises. The Indians, deceived by this appearance
of strength, did not venture to attack the feminine garrison. In
some of the old Dutch houses, when first erected, there were port-holes
in their gable ends, placed there to enable the occupants to defend
themselves when attacked by the savages."
The time to which he alludes, however, was probably
about 1755, or more than ninety years later than that of
which we have written above ; and there is no reason to
believe that during all that long period the settlers within
this county saw any occasion to avail themselves of the
defenses which they had prepared.
In Queen Anne's war, in 1704, the Ilousatonic river
was made, by mutual agreement between the Indian bel-
ligerents fighting respectively with the French and with
the English, the eastern boundary of the neutral ground.
In the " Colonial History" (vi. 371) it is stated that " the
inhabitants of this province living on the west side of that
river* followed all their occupations in husbandry as in
tiiuo of peace, while at the same time the inhabitants of
New England were in their sight exposed to the merciless
cruelty of the French and Indians." And this is the ex-
planation of the fact that, through the constantly-recurring
wars which succeeded, from that time until 1754, the peo-
ple inhabiting this section enjoyed entire security from
Indian outrage. In the year named, on the 2Sth of
August, about five hundred Indians, who four days before
had left Crown Point, on Lake Champlain, on an expedi-
tion of rapine and murder to which they were incited by
the French, fell upon " Dutch Hoosack," near the Ver-
mont line, destroyed the settlement, and massacred many
of the inhabitants. This sharpened their appetite for blood,
and, although they did not then wholly ignore the lino of
neutrality, small parties detached from the main body
scoured the country to the south and west, and, during all
the period of that war's continuance, the settlers at Kin-
derhook and in other parts of this county lost their pre-
» The territory of New York
east to the Housatnuic (or, as
that time supposed to extcnil
then called, tkc Wcstcnbuok)
28
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUiNTY, NEW YORK.
vious feeling of safety ; though it does not appear that any
savage incursions were ruaile here except about the year
1755, nor that these were very bloody or destructive, es-
pecially when compared with those which so often occurred
in Massachusetts and other parts of New England.
From the New York Mercury of July 14, 1755, we
extract the following account of an Indian attack which
had then recently been made near Kinderhook :
" We hear from Kinderhook that on Wednesday, the 2d inslaot, as
four men, two boys, and a negro were hoeing corn in a tield near
that place, they were surprised and fired upon by si.x Indians and a
Frenchman, which wounded one of the men, a boy, and the negro
fellow, when they, wilh the three others, took to their heels; the
seventh, named John Gardineer, ran towards their arras, that were
nigh at hand, and having dispatched two of the Indians, a third
closed in upon him, and in the scutBe the Frenchman came up, and
seeing Gardineer get IhS belter of the Indian, he knocked him down
with his piece and afterwards scalped him, when the Indians made
oflf and carried their dead with them. Some short time after, Gard-
ineer came to himself, and with some difBcully reached the fort, lie
was so stunned with the blow he received from the Frenchman that
he was insensible of being scalped until he was informed by the peo-
ple, who discovered the blood, but remembered the whole of their
proceedings before, and said he could have killed three of the Indians
had not the second gun he took up missed fire.
"On the receipt of the above news the sum of twelve pounds was
immediately raised by a few gentlemen in this city, and sent to John
Gardineer for his gallant behavior, to support his wife and family
during his illness, and 'tis to be hoped that those gentlemen who
would willingly infuse a martial spirit in the armies now going
against our enemies will follow an example so truly worthy of their
imitation."
The same paper, in its issue of July 21, narrates the
particulars of a subsequent inroad, probably by the same
party, and near the same place, as follows :
" We hear that on Monday last another party of French and
Indians, consisting of between thirty and forty, appeared at Kinder-
hook, and carried off a young boy and wounded a negro man, and
that Robert Livingston, Jr., Esq., with about forty men, were gone in
pursuit of them."
And again, from the issue of July 27 :
"We learn from Claverack that on Wednesday, the 9th instant, in
the morning, a party of Indians came to the house of Joachem Van-
derbcrg and carried off a young woman and two of his children.
The man himself, lying on a bed unobserved by the Indians, went
quietly up-stairs, and after loading his gun with shot fired at one of
them who remained somewhat longer than the rest in order to carry
off his wife, and killed him on the spot, and at the same time wounded
his wife, but so slightly that her life was not in the least danger.
. . . We are told that on receipt of the above news at Albany, and
the cruelties committed by the savages at Kinderhook, one hundred
brave New England men were immediately despatched from the army
with orders to scour the woods for six days, and, if possible, to inter-
cept the Indians on their return to Canada. We have advice from
Kinderhook that Robert Livingston, Jr., Esq., with his men, were re-
turned, after being out several days in quest of the Indians."
There may have been other Indian forays into this region
during the French and Indian war, but we find no account
of them, and it will be noticed that those which we have
mentioned were but inconsiderable affairs, and could not
in any sense be termed massacres. It is very likely that
the settlers in this county were protected by their nation-
ality, for it is certain that the savages in this province (ex-
cepting at Esopus and below that place, on the river) were
disponed to be friendly towards the Dutch, as those of New
England were correspondingly hostile to the English-speak-
ing settlers in that region.
It is not known what soldiers were furnished by this part
of Albany county for the French war, but several officers
in that conflict had their homes here, among the most
prominent of whom was Henry Van Schaack, who served
under Sir William Johnson in the expedition against Crown
Point, in 1775, being at that time a lieutenant in the com-
pany which was commanded by Captain (afterwards Major-
General) Philip Schuyler. In the campaign against Niagara
he was major, and in both these campaigns he gained great
credit for soldierly qualities, and was favorably mentioned
by Sir William, in general orders, for his part in the battle
of Sept. 8, 1755, at Lake George. His father, Cornelius
Van Schaack, served as colonel in the same war.
THE REVOLUTION.
In the revolutionary struggle for independence an earnest
and patriotic part was taken by the inhabitants of this por-
tion of Albany county.
They heard, as from afar off, the mutterings of discon-
tent which arose at the passage of the Stamp Act of 1764,
and the more ominous growling of incipient rebellion,
occasioned by the Boston massacre and the forced importa-
tion of tea; a growling which deepened into the unmis-
takable roar of revolution as it rolled across the country
from the barren old Lexington common and from the steep
sides of Bunker Hill. Then the patriotic flame burst forth
and spretid through all the colonies, and it burned as
brightly here upon the shore of the Hudson and along the
slopes of the Taghkanics as it did on the plain of Benning-
ton or the banks of the Brandywine, though here are no
historic battle-fields, and the soil has never been pressed
by the foot of the invader.*
Committees of safety were formed in this and other parts
of Albany county in 1774, and these were associated or
consolidated in one earlj' in 1775. A document show-
ing this fact is still in existence in Albany, and a copy of
it is given below. Among the names of its signers will
be found those of many whose residence was in what is now
Columbia county. The document is dated February 24,
1775, and endorsed ".4 general association, agreed to and
subscribed by the members of the several committees of the
city and county of Albany :"
"We, the Freemen, Freeholders, and Inhabitants of the City and
County of Albany, being greatly alarmed at the avowed design of the
ministry to raise a revenue in America, and shocked by the bloody
scene now acting in the Massachusetts Bay, do, in the most solemn
manner, resolve never to become slaves, and do associate, under all
the ties of religion, honor, and love to our country, to adopt and
endeavor to carry into execution whatever measures may be recom-
mended by the Continental Congress, or resolved upon by our Pro-
vincial Convention, for the purpose of preserving our Constitution
and opposing the execution of the several arbitrary and oppressive
acts of the British Parliament until a reconciliation between Great
Britain and America, on constitutional principles (which we most
ardently desire), can be obtained. And that we will in all things
follow the advice of our General Committee respecting the purposes
» A British detachment under Gen. Vaughan did land at Clermont
in 1777, and remained long enough to tire the Livingston mansion at
that place, after which they retreated precipitately. This is the
only instance of an armed foe ever setting foot within the county.
After Burgoync's surrender he and some of his suite passed as pris-
oners through Kinderhook, and were hospitably entertained there.
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
aforesiiid, the preservation of peace
of individuals and private property.
nd good order, and the safety
"John Barclay, Cl,„!n„„
'Walter Livingston,
Henry I. Bogert,
John Bay,
Abrm. Cuyler,
James Magee,
Robert MuClellan,
TVNSEN CoLBOKN,
Henry Wendell,
Jo. Young,
Cohn's Van Santvoordt,
RlCHAHD ESSELSTVN,
Rr. Bleecker,
Othniel Gardseu,
Henry Bleecker,
Baret Dyne,
John H. Ten Eyck,
Isaac Van Aernifm,
Jacob Bleecker, Jr.,
Gisbert Marselis,
Jno. T. Beeksias,
Phi. D. Schuyler,
Har. Wenoell,
George WniTE,
Matthew Adgate,
John McClung,
Abm. Y'ates, Jfn.,
Guthorn Woodworth,
John Taylor,
Bastejaen T. Vescher,
Rutger Lansixgii,
Flous Bancker,
Henry Qvackenboss,
John Knickerbacker, Jr.,
John M. Beekman,
Barent Vandeupoel,
John I). Fonda,
William Van Beugkx,
John Van Re.nsselaer, J
John Abbott,
John Price,
jAronis Wn,i,iAMs..N-,
Anthony Van Schaick,
Sasil. Van VicnnK.v,
DiRCK Ten Broeck,
PETF.tt ]!k. Ki:ii,
Reitzert Bronker,
EBKXKiKU AlLKN,
Frederick Beringer,
Simeon Cuvell,
Reyneer Van Aalsteyn,
Asa Flint,
Philip Van Veghten,
James Parrot,
Joshua Losee,
Henky L. Leake,
Anthony Van Bergen,
Anories Waibeck,
Albertus Van Loon,
Mat. Visscher,
Mynd. Roseboom,
Saml. Stringer,
John Van Loon,
Gerrit Lansing, Jun.,
Ab. Ten Evck,
John Ten Broeck,
Henry Van Veghten."
Robert Yates,
But it was not all patriotism. Here, as almost every-
where at that time, there were Tories, adherents of the
king and haters of the cause of the people ; and it is said
that in few communities, even along the North river, were
they more active and bitter than in Albany county, and in
that part of Albany which is now Columbia.
From a fragment (there are but two or three leaves re-
maining) of an ancient book which contained a journal of
the proceedings of the committee of safety we have copied
the following, in relation to the establishing and main-
taining of a night-watch in the county, for the purpose of
guarding and defending the persons and property of patriots
against the machinations and evil designs of Tories :
" Articles /or Begulaliiig the Nlijhl- Watch in the Manor of Liviiiijaton,
to commence 2'ith Sejttemher, 1778, and to Cimtiuue wheneaer thought
proper, according to a Resoloe of this Committee.
"Art. 1. That the Guard for every Night consist of twelve men,
exclusive of the officer.
"2. That the Guard shall muster at Eight o'clock p.m., at the
Guard-House.
".3. That the Guard shall take the first Grand Rounds at 9 o'clock
precisely.
"4. That the Guard be dismissed at 5 o'clock a.m.
"6. That the officer of the Guard station two men at the house of
Dirck Jansen, and two men at the house of Harme Best, which Men
shall be relieved Every 21 hours.
" 6. That the Officer shall take the Grand Rounds, with the Eight
remaining Men, every 2i hours.
" 7. That when any person is seen, the Guard to Challenge them
three times distinctly, and if no Answer is returned, or attempts to
run, the Guard to have full liberty to fire.
" 8. That when any person is taken by the Guard, to be detained
there until the Officer of the Guard comes up, when, if he can't pro-
duce a certificate, or give satisfaction to the Officer, to be detained
till Morning, and then brought to the Chairman of the Committee.
"9. That every Ccntinul that is found sleeping on his post, to bo
put under Guard till morning, and brought to the Chairman of the
Committee.
"10. That every Officer or private Man that Refuses or Neglects
to serve, to be dealt with according to the Resolutions of the pro-
vincial Congress for Regulating the Night- Watch.
"11. That every Man is to Mount Guard in person, unless pre-
vented by sickness.
" 12. That no Man is Excused from serving by being from home;
he is to procure a Man for his Night, otherwise to pay the fine."
•' Heiolvp.d , That the Night- Watch to be kept from Dirck Jansen's to
Harme Best, shall consist of eighty-four men, which number is to be
divided in seven subdivisions.
"Heaolved, That twelve men be the guard for a Night, exclusive of
the Officer.
"Jtesolred, That the Night-Watch to bo kept at Samuel Ten
Broeck's* shall consist of twenty-eight me% which number is to be
divided in seven subdivisions."
The above was taken from two consecutive pages of the
journal ; those preceding and following these being miss-
ing. It will be noticed that this refers only to the main-
tenance of a watch in Livingston manor ; but as other parts
of the (present) county were quite as much infested by
Tories as was the manor, there is no doubt that if the
remainder of the journal were accessible, it would show
that the same precautionary measures were taken in other,
if not in all, parts of the county ; in which case it would
appear that the patriotic portion of the people here were
compelled, in order to guard their lives and property, to
perform service at home nearly as arduous as that which was
required of soldiers in the field.
To wreak their vengeance on the Whigs, whom they so
bitterly hated (though often their immediate neighbors),
these Tories hesitated at no crime, however black ; not
even at murder, which by them was by no means infre-
quent, and was always accompanied by robbery and pillage.
Two such instances are given below, — one of incendiarism
and the other of murder, — committed by Tories, both of
which crimes were swiftly and fully avenged, as was always
the case in those days whenever the Tory criminals were
captured ; trial in such instances generally folluioing ex-
ecution.
The instance of incendiarism and attempt at murder was
related by John H. Dickie, in a letter written by him to
the Rev. Dr. E. S. Porter, and dated Claverack, Aug. 30,
1867. The account refers to Captain Casparus Conyn, the
grandfatiier of the narrator, and is as follows :
" During the darkest period of our Revolution he (at
that time holding a commission of captain) received a fur-
lough, came home to visit his family, and while there, re-
posing ill his own house, about midnight, a noise was heard
by his wife. She awoke him, telling him she believed there
were robbers in the house. They sprang up and found the
house surrounded. Every window had a sentinel, and they
found it too late to give an alarm. The robbers, or Tories,
as they were called, had already entered the house. They
carried away every available tiling they could, and such as
"i^' Among those who at one time formed the guard stationed at
Ten Brocck's are found the names of Nicholas Power, Dirck Jansen;
Marks Bladtner, Samuel J. Ten Broeck, Pctrus Wynkoop, Jr., Petrus
Van Gaasbeck, and Leonard Ten Broeck.
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
they could not, destroyed. They emptied the cream-pots
upon the floors and the feathers from the beds, mixing
them together. They took such articles as jewelry, going
to one of the family and, taking hold of her hand, asking
her for her diamond ring, she having, while they were
there, slipped it from her finger and put it. in her bosom.
She gave some reason that saved the ring. Among the
articles taken by them were a pair of gold sleeve-buttons
belonging to grandfather, and eight hundred dollars in
money. At last they had grandfather taken into a room,
and, with a cord from his drum, fastening to a beam above,
hung him by the neck ; but in jerking the chair from under
him the rope broke, and that saved his life. They then
had him, with all the family, taken to the cellar of the house
and locked them in. While there they heard the tread of
the sentinels pas.sing the window of the cellar. Grand-
father about this time, taking an iron bar, broke open the
door, ran up, and out the door to the road, found a man
just then passing on horseback, caught hold of the bridle,
and inquired who he was. He found him to be a neigh-
bor; invited him to come in and see what had been done.
" The following morning, as the family gathered around
the breakfast-table, Kasparis Konyne offered thanks to God
that they had their barns filled (it being fall, or the fore-
part of winter) ; but, sad to say, shortly after, their barns
were burnt, with the contents. The barn built by him in
its stead is .still standing upon the place now occupied by
John W. Jenkins. For all this he never received any other
compensation than the reward of having a clear conscious-
ness of having served his country during the darkest days
of the Revolution.
" Among those guilty of this but two were ever discov-
ered, convicted, and found guilty. Having a flag of his
in their possession, they were found guilty and hanged.
Others not far off were suspected. I, having had this
handed down, have watched the dealings of God in his
providence, and think I see a confirmation of the truth
' that the wicked shall not go unpunished.' "
The locality of the above occurrences was in the district
(now town) of Claverack. The other event to which we
refer, and in which the Tory perpetrators met a similar
swift punishment, was the murder of Abraham Van Ness,
an oflScer in the Revolution, in August, 1777. The fol-
lowing description of the locality in which the tragedy
occurred is inserted at the request of two prominent gen-
tlemen of the county :
" The highway leading from the present village of Maiden
Bridge to Chatham Centre passes through a series of fertile
farms, which are washed on their eastern border by the
Kinderhook creek, the surface sloping gently upward from
the stream to the crowns of a range of uneven and pictur-
esque hills.
" On the east side of this road, and at the distance of a
little more than a mile from the village of Maiden, stood
in the year 1777 the homestead of John Van Ness, the
pioneer of the Chatham family of that name, who with his
wife, Jane Van Alen, removed from Kinderhook and set-
tled there about the year 1749, when he acquired title to
what is now divided into several farms, including also the
site of the village of Maiden Bridge, and extending from
the north bounds of the old Van Hoesen farm (now owned
by Hon. Perkins F. Cady) to the Rensselaer county line.
" The homestead or dwelling-house, at the date mentioned,
was of stone, and pierced with loopholes for defense, being
used as a fort or rallying-place, in case of sudden alarm.*
Here were born and reared the family of the proprietor,
numbering one daughter and five sons; several of the latter
serving as officers in the American army during the Revo-
lution. A portion of the same stone walls now form the lower
story of the residence of Samuel Hand, Esq. A small
stream, flowing eastwardly into the Kinderhook creek, then
as now crossed the road a few rods south of the house,
spanned by a road bridge, beyond which and on the west
side of the road stood an old-fashioned Dutch barn, with
low projecting eaves."
The locality thus described was the scene of the murder
of Abraham Van Ness, the circumstances of which are
related as follows, by Mr. Jesse Van Ness (now of Wiscon-
sin), a grandson of John Van Ness, and consequently a
nephew of the murdered Abraham :
" At the time Burgoyne was making his way south to form
a junction with the British commander at New York, the
Tories through the region of the Hudson river were col-
lecting in squads to go north to join Burgoyne's army, one
lot of whom was composed of men from the region south
of grandfather's [i.e., John Van Ness'], and quite a number
of them acquaintances of the family; a portion of them,
from the Kline Kill neighborhood, were the party that did
the robbing and killing. It appears— as I have been in-
formed by my father and Uncle ' Bot' (Bartholomew) Van
Valkenburgh and an old gentleman who belonged to the
militia at the time, named John Sluyter (a brother of the
late Dominie Sluyter, of Claverack) — that the family of
sons of grandfather as well as himself were at work in the
harvest at the time, and not having seen any Tories for a
number of days, it was supposed that they had left for the
north [that is, for Burgoynes army]. Uncle Abraham hold
a commission of some kind, and had been absent on duty
for some time, and returned on furlough the day before he
was killed, and was resting on the day of his death, when
suddenly the house was attacked, and the family had barely
time to close and fasten the doors, yet the doors were broken
open with axes, etc. The Tories having entered the house,
Uncle Abraham was taken by them, and after they had him
a prisoner, they consulted as to what disposition they should
make of him ; some of the Tories were for taking him
along to Burgoyne's army, while others said that he was
acquainted with them, and if he should escape he would
inform against them, and that he had better be disposed of,
and he was consequently shot.
'■ Now whether this is wholly correct as to the details I
am unable to say, but that he was a martyr to the cause of
liberty is undeniable, and that seven of that same band of
Tories were executed, near Albany, for that and other acts
of a like nature is quite certain ; and in that connection, the
old gentleman, John Sluyter, was one of the guard around
the gallows, and witnes.sed the execution, as I had it from
■ Probably one of the strong houses built or put in defensible con-
ion during the time of the Indian alarms. The Peokham house,
ir Chatham Centre, was another of the fortresses.
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
his own lips, and tlic old veteran would shed tears profusely
while relating the killing of uncle and of the execution, —
the latter part would arouse the old man, and he seemed to
feel all the ardor of his youth returning at the recital.
Uncle ' Bot' (Bartholomew) Van Valkenburgh has fre-
quently told me of the circumstances, and how himself
and his brother, the father of John J. Van Valkenburgh,*
was called and laid out the body of Uncle Abraham, made
a coffin, and how he was buried while the party was guarded
by armed men."
William I. Van Ness, brother of Jesse, and now a resi-
dent of Northampton Co., Va., adds to the above, concern-
ing the murder of his uncle Abraham, as follows: "The
active company, at the time of my uncle Abraham's death,
had for captain my uncle David ; lieutenant. Uncle John';
and for ensign, Uncle Abraham. The company, with David
as captain, was at Saratoga at the surrender of Burgoyne.
" The Tories at that time considered the rebels as outlaws,
and organized bands to rob and to arrest any active Revo-
lutionist. Whole neighborhoods of patriots would join to
work, first this and then that man's field, while a small
guard would be lefl at their houses. My grandfather's
family were particularly marked for their disloyalty, and
one of the.se bands of Tories (I think eleven of them)
watching their chance, fell upon the house when only my
grandfather and Uncle Abraham were on guard. Grand-
father at the time was at the barn. Resistance was useless.
They took my uncle out-doors, and were about to tie him.
He broke away, but was fired on by the whole partyf while
on the bridge, between the house and barn, and fell, pierced
by several balls. Grandfather from the barn and grand-
mother from the house saw their son fall. The Tories
hurriedly plundered the house and left.
" Now comes in a little scrap I got just fifty years ago.
While yet an apprentice in Troy, I was sent down to the
nail-factory to collect a bill from an old man (I regret I
have lost his name). On giving him my name he asked my
genealogy. When I told him, he at once brightened up
to tell one of the descendants of that awful time and scene.
He was one of the neighbors in the field. He said, ' We
got the alarm, and in three hours we had thirty men after
them. Your grandfather knew them (or most of them),
and that very night we had three of them hanging on trees,
and the next day we caught more. We did not stop to try
them. Most of them were hung near Albany.'
" I have told you before that my grandfather was too old
to take the field. He had been an active scout in the old
French war, some of his exploits furnishing Cooper whole
scenes in his ' Last of the Mohicans.' "
Immediately prior to the opening of the Revolution
there existed in what is now the county of Columbia an
organized " regiment of foot," of which the field-officers
were Jeremiah Hogeboom, colonel; Johannes Van Hoe-
sen, lieutenant-colonel ; and Jacobus Delamater, major.
Solomon Strong was adjutant, and Caspar Huyck quarter-
master. We do not know what service they performed in
* John J. Van Valkenburgh is still living in Chatham, at the age
of ninety. six years.
f It will be noticed that this account of the killing differs slightly
but immaterially from that given by Mr. Jesse Van Ness.
the war (excepting the company of Captain John McKin-
stry), but it is probable that they saw service of some kind,
either in the field or at home, in the equally necessary and
scarcely less arduous duty of controlling the troublesome
and dangerous Tories. We therefore give the list of offi-
cers and men- of the different companies, except that of
Captain Casparus Conyn, the roll of which is not found
with the others, which arc in the pos.session of Mr. Tobias
Esselstyn, of Clavcrack. The composition of the compa-
nies was as follows :
CAPTAIN STEPHEN IIOGEBOOM'S CO.MPANV.
Captain, Stephen Hogeboom.
First lieutenant, Cornelius S. MuUcr.
Second lieutenant, Jogham Muller.
Third lieutenant, Peter Hogeboom.
Clerk, Matthew Scott.
Sergeants, John Juriah Van Iloesen, Peter Esselstyn, Juriah
Smith, John Nap, Nathaniel Kinney.
Corporals, Broar Janse Backer, Ament Ostrander, John Van
Hoesen.
Drummer, Jonathan Pitcher.
PiuvATKS. — Abraham Vosburgh, Derrick Muller, Jacob Philip, Jr.,
Wm. Michel, Samuel Uollinhack, John Harder, Hendrick Row, John
Morris, Jeremiah (Jobs.) Muller, Johannes Mullor, Robard Halin-
back, Peter Harder, Joseph Egclston, Jacob Bout, Jr., Thomas Bc-
graft, Jr., Jacob Hardock, Jacob F. Ilardock, Derrick Van Derker,
William Rees, John Ilardock, Derrick Van Hoesen, William Garner,
Johannes Skinkle, Jacob Skinkle, Jeremiah Delamater, John Nut-
tingham, Maties Hollenback, Carilon Stolp, Jr., Jacob Anderson,
Peter Bout, Jacob Van Iloesen, Jan J. Van Hoesen, Peter Smith,
Matthew Crum, James Parker, Andrus Ostrander, Ilendrick Ostran-
der, Jacob Risedorf, Peter Muller, Jacob Hogeboom, Abraham Har-
dock, Samuel Pratt, William Cadman, Jerome Groat, Derrick (John)
Muller, Peter (Jonas) Muller, John Halinback, Johannes Smith,
Guisbert Turner, Coanrat Shults, Samuel Church, Henry Selsherg,
John Selsbcrg, Maties Bout, William Bout, John Warn, Garret Van •
Hoesen, Jonathan Rees, Daniel Adams.
CAPTAIN JAMES SPENCER'S COMPANY.
Captain, James Spencer.
Lieutenants, Roger Kinne, Jonathan Dean.
Ensign, Stephen Graves.
Clerk, Truman Powell.
Sergeants, Amos Lawrence, Jonah Graves, Judah Lawrence, Jacob
Foord.
Corporals, Daniel Bowers, Jonathan Sheppard, Elcazer Spencer,
David Pratt.
Drummer, Samuel Foot.
Privates. — Simeon Rowley, Israel Woolsey, Boslion Rosman, John
Rosmau, Benjamin Allen, Silas Palmer, Eli Reynolds, Eli Reynolds,
Jr., David Preston, John Preston, Elihu Lawrence, Ebenezer Soles,
Benjamin Richmond, Stephen Richmond, Abel Kidder, Ephraim Kid-
der, Abraham Chase, Abraham Frcese, Harmonous Flock, Moses Spen-
cer, David Spencer, Phineas Spencer, Samuel Spencer, Stephen Kline,
Abner Johnson, Eliphas Spencer, Daniel Lee, Roswell Lee, Aniaziah
Phillips, Richard Phillips, Benjamin Hawley, Israel Holdridge,
Daniel Stuart, Matthias Spencer, Eliakim Nichols, James Wallcn,
•John Sledman, Charles Davenport, Ezekiel Palmer, Stephen Palmer,
Gains Dean, Jonathan Chamberlin, Reuben Wetmore, Elisha Cham-
berlin, John Taylor, Benjamin Chittenden, Caleb Brainard, Hezekiah
Doolittle, Jeriah Williams, Elisha Chaddock, Joel Lee. Samuel Dart,
Samuel Curtis, Return Ilolcom, Stephen Holcom, Ebenezer Holcom,
Ashbell Goff, Michel Wilson, David Auger, Zebulon Alger, Samuel
Williams, Matthew Hatch, Ebenezer Andrews, Allen Graves, Increase
Graves, Joseph JIool, Joseph Tillotson, Asa Spencer, Ebenezer Tyler,
John Ward, James Hymes, J.imcs Andrus, Stephen Chapman, James
Ackley, Christopher Brazee, Jr., Gabriel Brazee, Wilson Brazee, Law-
rence Brazee, Aaron T.^ylor, Thomas Jostlin, Beriah Thomas, Timo-
thy Spalding, Ichabod Squire, Ichabod Squire, Jr., Bartholomew
Barret, Daniel Mcssinger, Andrew Messinger, Roderick Mcssinger,
Asel Drake, Asel Drake, Jr., Charles Blum, Nicholas Root, David
HISTOKY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
Hutchinson, Samuel Hutchinson, Ludlow Owen, Abraham Bliss,
Dominy McCoUany, Miles Griswold, Elijah Stasson, Richard Soper,
Benjamin Bankson, Amos Carver, Lonson Saxton, Ebcnezer Sax-
ton, William Saxton, Andrew Quick, Jeremiah Reynolds, Thomas
Brown. Jonathan Welch, Barnabas Brunson, AVilliam Shapley,
Cornelius Fuller, Ichabod Squire, Seth Scudder, Joseph Rodman,
John Scudder, Moses Root, Edward Cadmond, Asa Chaddock, John
Rolin, Thomas Clark, Ephraim Wright, Benjamin Kellogg, Silas
Doty, Jediah Graves, Daniel Taylor, Ephraim Leach, Abraham Bliss,
Levi Phelps, Amaziah Carver, Joseph Andrus, Oliver Goff, Zephaniah
Holcomb, Abel Wright, Abijah Ford, Barnabas Kinne, Amos Story,
Benjamin Valentine, William Chamberlin, John Wright, John
Wright, Jr., Nathaniel Cross, Jabez Spencer, Joel Pratt, John Gris-
wold, Benjamin Ford, Simeon Dudley, Peter Dinne, Aaron Day,
David Day, Caleb Ede, Jonah Phelps, Peter Hizer, Abraham Peutt,
Coonrad Rossman.
CAPTAIN JOHANNES PLASS' COMPANY.
Captain, Johannes Plass.
First lieutenant, Derick Delamater.
Second lieutenant, William Holiuback.
Ensign, Jacob Carter.
Clerk, Peter A. Fonda.
Sergeants, Thos. Everts, Abraham Van Hoesen, Jacob Hallenback.
Corporals, Tobias Bout, Johannis (Jac.) Van Hoesen, Joshua
Brocks.
PitivATES.— Lukes Wilback, Thomas Wilback, Hendrick Rees, Jr.,
Adam Hydorn, Conrot Hydorn, Johannes Van Duesen, Gloudey Van
Duesen, Gloudey Delamater, Jr., Donwe Fonda, Nicholas Nichols,
Jonathan Begraft, Johannes G. Van Hoesen, Thomas Carter, Thomas
Rees, Simon Hoes, Michel Harder, Jr., George Harder, George
Dacker, Jr., Henry Dacker, Johanyost Celder, Hendrick Colder, Jr.,
Frederick Blesing, Samuel Ekens, Moses Ekens, Patrick Cranhyt,
Hendrick H.alinback, William Halinback, Cornelous (Jac.) Van
Hoesen, Jacob Van Hoesen (the 3d), Garret Van Hoesen, Jr., Peter
Van Hoesen, Jr., Levy Padock, Matthew Everts, Jonas Rees, Adam
Kook, John Hardick, Jr., Myndert Bent, Jogham Plass, Andrics
Halinback, Jacob Harder, Jr., Jonathan W. Rees, Nicholaus Marris,
William Calder, John McDonald, William Begraft, Jonathan Rees,
Hendrick Wilback, Jr., Joshua Broeks, Jr., S.amuel (Jon.) Ten Broeck,
William Scherraerhorn, Ycron Halinbeck, Jacob Bows, Andrew Ha-
linback, Benjamin Frear, Abraham Frear, Peter Frear, Aaron Beach,
Ayer Curtis, John Speer, Oliver Cool, Ohradirick Cool, Award Patter-
son, John Vaughn, Richard Vaughn, John Steward, Robard Farns-
worth, Joshua Kellogg, Eldert Kellogg, Oliver Taylor, John Cleve-
land, Isaac Ward, Elisha Ward, Ephraim Brunson, Thomas Hatch,
Lemuel Hill, William Tuknes.
CAPTAIN RICHARD ESSELSTYN'S COMPANY.
Captain, Richard Esselstyn.*
First lieutenant, David Bonesteel.
Second lieutenant, William Philip.
Clerk, Claude Delamater.
Sergeants, Simon Shutts, Henry Stover, Simon New, John P.
Bortle.
Corporals, William Alsworth, Dirck Smith, Benjamin Beach, Con-
rat Ree.
Drummer, Martin Ree.
PniVATES.--Andrcw Miller, William Mullor, Jacob Muller, Samuel
Miller, John Miller, Adam Wagoner, John Esselstyn, Jacob Hough-
taling, Abraham Esselstyn, Thomas AVhiting, John Coons, George
Finkle, Jr., William Clapper, Martin Houghtaling, Frederick Helle-
kas, John Hellekas, Martin Van Deusen, Ahram Van Deuscn, Harmon
Jacobs, William Rodman, Frederick Bonesteel, Hendrick Kelder,
Thomas Kelder, Henry Proper, Carlogh Stolp, Jr., Peter Stuffle-
becn, Henry Stufflebeen, William Philip, Jr., Peter Stolp, Andrew
Bamhover, Barent Lyck, Abram Houghtaling, Jacob Semon, Jeremiah
Smith, Martin Crom, Frederick Fell, Conrat Schout, George Philip,
Jacob Shufelt, H. William Shufelt, Peter Shufcit, John Thurtin,
Jacob Deney, Nicholas Dcney, George Hener, Christian Ree, Henry
Hener, Peter Hener, Peter Bortle, Jacob Best, Henry Bonesteel, Wil-
* Promoted afterwards to major. See fac-simile of his major's
eommisgion, on opposite page.
liam Dierik, John Loot, Elisha Demmens, Wm. Semon, Henry Semon,
Jeremiah C. Mailer, Jerry Embrigh, John Demmens, Peter Stever.
CAPTAIN THOMAS STOR.M'S COMPANY.
Captain, Thomas Storm.
First lieutenant, Peter Loop.
Second lieutenant, Isaac J. Vosburgh.
Ensign, Isaac Spoor.
Sergeants, Gershom Dai'Iing, Robert Rorabagb, Bartholomew
Heath, Samuel Coon.
Corporals, Nathaniel Frisly, Andrew Cool, Thomas Robbins, An-
drew Schermerhorn.
Clerk, Evert Hecrmanee.
Drummer, Daniel Kelley.
Privates.— Gilbert Turner, Barent Van Deusen, Jacob Hecrmanee,
Jr., Ebenezer Culver, Peter Vosburgh, Peter R. Ludlow, John Hager-
man, Charles Boioe, Isaac Chase, George Kilmer, Hunry Kilmer,
Jonathan Rudd, Henry Chrisler, John Loop, William Luycks, Nich-
olas Luycks, John Rorabigh, Peter Sisson, William Moor, Henry
Borabagh, Anthony Bever, Dirck Miller, Jr., William Miller, Jr.,
Isaac Grimes, Philip Burch, John Smith, John White, William
White, Jr., John White, Jr., Peter White, Israel Walker, Andrew
Brasie, Samuel Warner, John Warner, Richard Warner, Gideon
Walker, Nicholas Shorts, Aaron Pixley, Jacob Darling, Abram Rees,
Philip Kees, Ephraim Wilbeek, Cornelius Witbeck, Henry Witbeck,
John Ronie, Elisha Pixley, George Alsburg, Gilbert Decker, Jan
Hallenbeok, Michael Hallenbeck, William Hallcnbeck, Samuel Ilal-
leubeck, Nicholas Hallenbeck, Clark Pixley, Thomas Rorabagh,
Joseph Boiee, Michael Ray, Henry Cline, George Sisson, John Mo-
Farling, Jonah Pixley, Cornelius H. Brent, Cornelius McCarter,
Joseph Morehouse.
CAPTAIN WILLIAM VAN ALSTYN'S COMPANY.
Captain, William Van Alstyn.
First lieutenant, John Uphaui.
Second lieutenant, Jeremiah Miller.
Ensign, A. B. Bacon.
Clerk, Tobias Legget.
Sergeants, Peter Van Valkenburg, Frederick Moul, Roeloff Van De
Karr, Lawrence Hogeboom.
Corporals, Jacob Philip, Peter Dingman, Jurrien Yator, Wm. Wood.
Drummer, Michael Lusk.
Privates.— William Martin, Hendrick Van De Karr, Arent Van
De Karr, Ezekiel Benewie, Peter Helm, Hendrick Shever, Johannes
Van De Karr, Derick Van De Karr, Johannes Van De Karr, Jr.,
Feyt Miesiek, Johannes Miesick, Thomas Miesick, Hendrick Miesick,
Johannes Miesick, Jr., Jacob Vosburgh, Martin Vosburgh, Peter Vos-
burgh, Jacobus Legget, Jonathan Smith, J. A. Smith, Johannes
Dingman, Hendrick Skinkle, Jacob Dingman, Andries Dingman,
Jurrien Van Valkcnburgh, Hnns Van Valkenburgh, Wilmelmus
Philip, Charles Smith, Johannes Traver, Jacob Cole, Cornelius Hoge-
boom, Lawrence Scherp, Peter Scherp, Andries Witbeck, Peter Conyn,
Benjamin Newkirk, Johannes Hogeboom, Barent Waeger, David
Saeger, Michael Saeger, Johannes Foos, Nicholas Groat, Jerome
Groat, Jacobus Groat, John Mandigo, John Rossman, David Foot,
Michael Foot, Frederick Martin.
LIEUTENANT HENDRICK VAN HOESEN'S COMPANY.
First lieutenant, Hendrick Van Hoesen.
Second lieutenant, Francis Hardick, Jr.
Ensign, Samuel Ten Broeck.
Sergeants, Garret Van Hoesen, Abraham E. Van Alen, Justus Van
Hoesen, Justus Folkhamer.
Privates. — Garret Hardick, Justus Hardick, Leonard Hardick,
Jonathan Hardick, John Hardick, Jacob F. Van Hoesen, D.aniel
Young, Jacob Hardick, Jr., Peter Becker, Cornelius Becker, Peter
Hardick, John Nicholas Van Hoesen, William Van Hoesen, Cornelius
Van Hoesen, Jr., Jacob John Van Iloesen, John Jacob Van Uoesen,
John Becker, John Johannes Van Deusen, Isaac Morcy, John Har-
dick, Jr., David Williams, Abel Brookway, Lucas Salsbury, Nicholas
Van Hoesen, Benjamin Harder, William Cockrcn, Alexander Patter-
son, Timothy Allen, Robert Coventry, John Holmes, John Van Sals-
burgh, Mathias Hoes, Michael Harder, Jr., Peter Harder, John Folk-
hamer, Andrew Bowman, Johannes Smith, Peter Smith, Johannes
^
.fern Jf 1^1 .
is ^/
-3 •s*
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
Peter Smith, Hondrick Dingman, Andreas Dingman, Adolphus Ding-
man, Tunis Smith, Thomas Patrick, Johannes Miller, Jr., Abraham
A. Van Alen, Jacob L. Winegart, Killian Van Kensselaer, Peter Van
Rensselaer, John Miller, William Henry Ludlow, Henry H. Ludlow,
Leonard Ten Broek, Christopher Witmore, Jeremiah AJam Smith,
Johannes Dingman, Cornelius Fonda.
CAPTAIN JERE.\IIAH C. MILLER'S COMPANY.
Captain, Jeremiah C. Miller.
First lieutenant, William Van Ness.
Second lieutenant, Hendrick Miller.
Clerk, Christophel Miller.
Sergeants, David Brewer, Hendrick Sholts, John Edmunds.
Privatks.— Peter Wisner, Peter Groat, David Ilottman, Darby
Nunan, Hendrick Miesick, Jr., William Mickle, Adam Herder, Luke
Bowman, Stephen C. Miller, Jr., Jacob Harder, Brewer Decker,
Hendrick Graat, Christian Haver, Christian Haver, Jr., Nicholas
Stupplebeem, John Jerry Covel, Nicholas Simon, Wynaart Mantle,
Johannes Holsapple, Johannes Moul, Cornelius J. Miller, Hendrick
Philip, Peter Philip, Felta Stopplebeem, Helmas Ostrander, Jacob
Conklin, John Rowe, Frederick Lant, George Lant, Bartholomew
Van Valkenburgh, John C. Ten Broek, Philip Holsapple, Justus
Brockway, Derick Russell, Abram I. Van Valkenburgh, Lawrence
Lant, Jeremiah Lant, Mathias Embrigh, Francis Embrigh, Adam
Embrigh, Hendrick Snyder, George Embrigh, John P. Van Salis-
bergh, John Scott, Jr., Stephen S. Miller, Jeremiah Miller, George
Cadman, Isaac Lanfear, Christopher Garneright, Leonard Van
Hoesen, Nicholas Miller, William Holsapple, John G. Vought, Jacob
Sharp, Godfrey Schoomaker, Urquehel Hyser, Alexander McLean,
William Rowe, John Conklin.
Another of the companies in this regiment was com-
manded by Capt. John McKinstry, of Livingston, who
fought bravely at the battle of the Cedars, on the St.
Lawrence river, May 19, 1776, on which occasion he was
captured by the Indians under tlie famous Thayendanega,
or Captain Brant. The Indians having taken Capt. Mc-
Kinstry, were preparing to murder him by torture, when,
having heard tliat Brant was a Freemason, he bethought
himself to give the hailing signal of distress, which the
red chieftain recognized, and at once saved and liberated
the captive. From that time Brant and Capt. McKinstry
were fast friends during life. It is related that whenever
afterwards the former came as near as Albany, he never
failed to visit the man whose life he had saved, and that in
1805 he, with Capt. (then Colonel) McKinstry, visited the
Masonic lodge in Hudson, where he was handsomely re-
ceived, and was an object of great curiosity.
The following is an abstract of the commissioned and
non-commissioned officers and soldiers belonging to Capt.
John McKinstry's company in the Fifteenth Regiment,
commanded by Col. John Patterson, for the month of Sep-
tember, 1776, which is undoubtedly nearly identical with
the company which he commanded at the Cedars, viz. :
Captain, John McKinstry.
First lieutenant, Thomas McKinstry.
Second lieutenant, John Pennoyer.
Ensign, Gerard Fitch.
Sergeants, William Cheney, William Pike, Othniel Phelps, Jesse
Hollister, William Roberts.
Corporals, Prosper Policy, John Brown, Samuel Utley, William
Roberts, Joel Phelps.
Drummer, Abraham Ackley.
PnivATES. — Joel Phelps, Isaac Welch, Matthew Hatch, Jonathan
Dunham, Stephen Gregory, John Spencer, Mabra Evins, William
Bennett, David Forbes, Malachi Gates, Michael Murray, Samuel
Horsford, William Hatch, Isaac Doty, John Stewart, John Limmon,
John Connolly, Isaiah Jurdin, Oliver Fletcher, Elihu Parker, Daniel
Wilier, Josiah Cleveland, Charles Sheffield, David Hunt,
Kinion, Elijah Hatch, Asa Crawfoot, James Hatch, Abel Buck, John
Blair, Francis Baahcrow, Zachariah Newton, David Fletcher, James
Russ, David Shepherd, David Webb. Morris Roach, Benjamin Wig-
gins, Joseph Robbins, Michael Willson, William Brisie, Solomon
Alexander, Daniel Pathin, Benjamin Graves, John Bcntley, William
F. Jerts, Jonathan Tillison, Daniel Gray, John Scott, James Coven-
try, Joseph Hollister, Daniel Avery, Amos Pennoyer.
Capt. McKinstry also served in the campaign on the
Mohawk, under Colonel Robert Van Rensselaer, of Clav-
erack. During this service, while the command was march-
ing to the relief of Fort Brown, which was invested and
in most imminent danger, the captain took occasion to re-
monstrate with Colonel Van Rensselaer, on account of the
very slow progress which they were making, assuring him
that the people at the fort would be overpowered and mas-
sacred if they did not reach them soon, and that tliey were
wasting time which was of priceless value. The colonel,
instead of heeding McKinstry's protest, deliberately gave
the order to halt for dinner, upon which the brave captain
passionately broke his sword before the colonel's eyes, saying
that under such a commander he had no need of a weapon.
Whether he was placed in arrest for this insubordination
and insult or not we have no account.
Below is given a copy of the " Declaration of the officers
of the Regiment of Hillsdale," dated " Claverack District,
County of Albany, November 17, 1775," with the names
of officers of six companies, as follows :
"We, the subscribers, the officers of the Ninth regiment, in the
county of Albany and Colony of New York, do hereby promise and
Engage, under all the ties of religion, honor, and regard to our Coun-
try, that we will respectively duly observe and carry into Execution to
the utmost of our power all and every the orders. Rules, and recom-
mendations made, or to be made, by the Continental Congress and the
Congress or Convention of this Colony ; that we will also give, in our
respective ranks, due obedience to the regulations by them established
for the forming of the militia in the Colony, as also due obedience to
such officers who either by rank or Superiority are placed above us,
in such order as is directed by the said Continental or Provincial
Congress.
" Colonell, Peter Van Ness.
"Lieutenant-Colonell, Stephen Hogeboom.
" First Major, Jacob Ford.
'* Second Major, David Pratt.
"Adjutant, Bartholomew Heath.
"Captain 1st Company, Philip Bartle.
"First Lieutenant, Cornelius Hogeboom.
"Second Lieutenant, Ellas Delong.
"Ensigns, Ray; Francis Delong, Oct. 20, 1776.
"Second Lieutenant, Benjamin Allen, Jan. 24, 1777.
" Captain 2d Company, Ithamar Spencer.
"First Lieutenant, Abner Hanley.
"Second Lieutenant, Jonathan Pitcher, Oct. 20, 1776.
" Ensign, Amaziah Phillips.
"Captain 3d Company, Jonah Graves.
" First Lieutenant, Charles McArthur.
"Second Lieutenant, William Fickner.
"Ensign, Stephen Graves, Oct. 20, 1776.
"Captain 4th Company, Bartholomew Barrett, Oct. 21, 1776.
"First Lieutenant, Abner Kellogg, Oct. 21, 1776.
"Second Lieutenant, Daniel Boons, Oct. 21, 1776.
"Ensign, Roswell Lee, Oct. 21, 1776.
"Captain 5th Company, Jonathan Bixby, Deo. 2, 1776.
"First Lieutenant, Abel Whalcn, Deo. 2, 1776.
"Second Lieutenant, Joseph Heath, Dec. 2, 1776.
"Ensign, Abram Bliss, Oct. 20, 1776.
"Captain 6th Company, Nathaniel House, Dec. 10, 1776.
" First Lieutenant, Joshua Whitney, Dec. 10, 1776.
"Second Lieutenant, David McKinstry, Jan. 24, 1777.
"Ensign, Johannis J. Van Valkenburgh."
34
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YOEK.
The later dates set against the names of some of the
ofiScers lead to the belief that the regiment was not com-
pleted and organized until the autumn of 1776. We are
told in a general way that they served in the Mohawk
country, but it is believed that a part of the command at
least was with Gates' army at Saratoga. A full con)pany
was in the service in 1777 under Capt. Tiel Rockefeller, of
Germantown, and also a company of nine months' men
under Capt. Lothrop Allen.
Dr. Moses Younglove, then of the eastern part of the
county, but afterwards of the city of Hudson, was in the
service as brigade-surgeon under General Herkimer in the
Mohawk valley, and was present at the battle of Oriskany,
where he was made prisoner by an Indian, and received
harsh usage during his captivity, as appears from an affi-
davit made by him some months later before the Albany
county committee, — John Barclay, chairman, — in which
he deposed and said, "that being in the battle of said
militia, above Oriskany, on the Gth of August last (1777),
toward the close of said battle he surrendered himself a
prisoner to a savage, who immediately gave him up to a
sergeant of Sir John Johnson's regiment ; soon after which
a lieutenant in the Indian department came up in company
with several other Tories, when said Mr. Grinnis by name
drew his tomahawk at this deponent, and with a deal of
persuasion was hardly prevailed on to save his life. He
then plundered him of his watch, buckles, spurs, etc. ; and
other Tories following his example stripped him almost
naked, with a great many threats while they were stripping,
and massacreing prisoners on every side. That this de-
ponent, on being brought before Mr. Butler, Sonr., who
demanded of him what he was fighting for, to which this
deponent answered, 'he fought for the liberty that God
and Nature gave him, and to defend himself and dearest
connections from the massacre of savages.' To which
Butler replied, ' You are a damned impudent rebel,' and so
saying, immediately turned to the savages, encouraging
them to kill him, and if they did not the deponent and the
other prisoners should be hanged on a gallows then pre-
paring. That several prisoners were then taken forward
toward the enemy's headquarters, with frequent scenes of
horror and massacre, in which Tories were active as well as
savages. . . . That the prisoners who were not delivered
up were murdered in considerable numbers from day to
day round the camp, some of them so nigh that their
shrieks were heard. That Capt. Martin, of the bateaux-
men, was delivered to the Indians at Oswego, on pretence
of his having kept back some useful intelligence. That this
deponent during his imprisonment, and his fellows, were kept
almost starved for provisions ; and what they drew were of
the worst kiud, such as spoiled flour, biscuit full of maggots
and mouldy, and no soap allowed or other method of
keeping clean ; and were insulted, struck, etc., without
mercy by the guards, without any provocation given. That
this deponent was informed by several sergeants orderly on
Gen. St. Leger that twenty doUare were offered in general
orders for every American scalp." Dr. Younglove died
Jan. 31, 1829, at the age of seventy-seven years, and his
ashes lie beneath a handsome monument in the Hudson
cemetery.
The most prominent officer from this county who served in
the American army during the Revolution was Gen. Henry
B. Livingston. His first notable service in that war was at
the storming of Quebec, in December, 1775, where he led an
assaulting column against the defenses of the upper town.
As lieutenant-colonel he commanded a regiment in the battle
of Stillwater, in 1777, and was present at the surrender of
Burgoyne. He commanded at Verplanck's Point at the
time of Andre's capture and Arnold's escape, in 1780. With
but a single light piece — a four-pounder — he audaciously
engaged the British frigate " Vulture," and this he did with
so much vigor and effect that but for the setting in of the
flood-tide the ship must have sunk. As it was, the cannon-
ade, by alarming and delaying Andre, led to his capture and
saved West Point. Speaking of his conduct upon that oc-
casion Gen. Washington said to him, " It is a great source
of gratification to me that the post was in the hands of an
officer so devoted as yourself to the cause of your country."
And says Lossing, " Washington's confidence was not mis-
placed, for there was not a purer patriot in that war than
Henry B. Livingston." He was made a brigadier-general
at the close of the war, and afterwards retired to his home
in Columbia county, where he died in 1831.
CHAPTER VL
CIVIL HISTORY.
Formation of Districts — Erection and Subdivision of tlie County.
Civil government was first introduced into what is now
the State of New York from the Dutch Republic in 1621.
Soon after the discovery of the " Great River of the Moun-
tains" by Hudson, trading vessels were dispatched to the
new land, whose enterprising skippers established trading-
posts along the river, and shortly afterwards the States-Gen-
eral took formal possession of the country, and the name of
New Netherlands was given to the territory lying between
New France and Virginia.
On the 11th of October, 1614, a large commercial com-
pany, similar to its prototype, the Dutch East India Com-
pany, was formed and chartered by the Dutch States-Gen-
eral, styled the " New Nelherland Company," for trading
purposes with the Dutch possessions in America. The
charter was to expire in three years from its date, but so
profitable were the operations of the company at the expira-
tion of their charter, that its wealth and consequent influence
were such as to enable it to continue its monopoly of trade,
and procure a still more liberal charter for a much more
extensive company. In 1821 a second company was in-
corporated and chartered, under the name of the " Dutch
West India Company." It was a va.st monopoly, founded
in the selfish interests alone of trade, protracted and con-
centrated even by the very limitation of its existence, which
was to continue for a period of twenty-two years.
On the 12th day of May, 1664, Charles II., King of
England, disregarding the Dutch claim to the " New
Netherlands," granted to his brother James, Duke of York
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
and Albany, " all Mattawacks (now Lon>; Island), all Hud-
son's river, all the lands from the west side of the Connec-
ticut river to the east side of Delaware bay, together with
the royalties and rights of government."
To enforce this claim, Colonel Richard NicoUs was sent
with a force naval and military, and Petrus Stuyvesant, the
Dutch governor, surrendered the forts and government of
the colony, stipulating for the retention of the rights of the
West India Company in the lands then held by it and its
grantees. In 1G67, by the treaty of Breda, between Eng-
land and Holland, the possession of the country was guaran-
teed to the Duke of York by the States-General. With
the exception of a brief interval in 1673-74, when the
Dutch gained a temporary supremacy, the colony or pi-ov-
ince remained under the English rule until the war of (he
American Revolution, when the prerogative of the king
gave way to the constitution of a sovereign state, under
which the people are supreme and the sole source of govern-
ment.
Under the Dutch the only civil divisions were the city and
towns. In 1605 a district or shrievalty, called Yorkshire,
was erected, comprising Long Island, Staten Island, and a
part of the present county of Westchester. For judicial
purposes it was divided into the east, west, and north
ridings. Counties were first erected by the Colonial As-
sembly, in November, 1683, and were twelve in number,
as follows: Albany, Cornwall, Dukes, " Dulchesses," Kings,
New York, Orange, Queens, Richmond, SuflFolk, Ulster,
and Westchester.
The county of Albany, as then erected, contained within
its boundaries the present area of Columbia, except such
portion as lies south of Roeloff Jansen's Kill, which was
then a part of Dutchess county. The former county was
thus limited in the act of erection : " To conteyne the
towne of Albany, the colony of Rensselaerswyck, Schonec-
tade, and all the villages, neighborhoods, and Christian habit-
aeons on the east of Hudson's river from Roeliffe Jansen's
creek, and on the west from the Sawyer's creek to the Sar-
aaghtooga."
The second Assembly, which met in 1691, under authority
of the new sovereigns, William and Mary, declared the
legislation of the first Assembly null and void.* and pro-
ceeded to reorganize the counties. By that act of reorgan-
ization (passed Oct. 1, 1691) the county of Albany was
defined " to contain the manor of Rensselaerswyck, >Sche-
nectada, and all the Villages, Neighborhoods, and Christian
Plantations on the east side of Hudson's River from Roeloff
Jansen's Creek, and on the west side from Sawyer's Creek
to the outmost end of Saraghtoga." Dutchess county was
by the same act described as extending " from the Bounds
of the county of Westchester on the south side of the
Highlands along the east side of Hudson's River as far
as Roeloff Jansen's Creek, and eastward into the Woods
Twelve Miles." This, so for as concerned the line between
Dutchess and Albany, was but a re-establishment of the
original boundary.
Roeloff Jansen's creek continued to be the north bound-
ary of Dutchess county until 1817, when (May 27) a law
■ Journal of Colonial Assembly.
was passed enacting that " the manor of Livingston shall
be and forever remain annexed to the Countie of Albanic,
and be accounted as Part, Parcel, and Member thereof,
which bounds of the said Manor shall end and terminate
the Countie of Albanie on the Ea-stside of Hudson's River,
as the Sawyer's Creek doth terminate the same on the west
side thereof"
By an act passed March 24, 1772, the territory now
Columbia county was divided and formed into districts iis
follows, viz. :
"All that part of the county of Albany north of the county of
Datchess and south of the boanU of Chvveraok, oootinue;! to the
easternmost extent of this Colony and to the eastward of Hudson's
River, shall be called and known as the District of the Manor of Liv-
ingston;" and
"All that part which lies to the eastward of KinJerhook District,
to the north of Claverack District, and to the west of the east bounds
of this Colony, and to the south of an East line from Bcaren Island,
shall be one separate and distinct district, and bo henceforth called
and known by the name of Kings District;" and
"All that part of said county of Albany which is bounded on the
south by the district of the Manor of Livingston, on the east by the
east bounds of this Colony, on the west by Hudson's River, on the
north by a Line beginning at the mouth of Major Abraham's Creek,
and running thence up to the first falls, and from thence east as far
as this Colony extends, shall be, and is hereby declared to be, one
separate and distinct District, and the same shall be from henceforth
called and known by the Name of the District of Claverack ;" and
"All that part of the said county of Albany which lies to the
northward of Claverack District, to the southward of an east line
from Bearen Island in Hudson's Kivcr to the eastward of Hudson's
River, and to the west of a straight line drawn from a point in the
said East line from Bearen Island ten miles distant from Hudson's
River, and continued due south till it strikes the north bounds of the
District of Claverask, shall be one separate and distinct District, to
be called and known by the name of the District of Kindcrhook ."
Germantown was formed into a district April 1, 1775.
Hillsdale was taken from Claverack and made a district
March 26, 1782.
The city of Hudson was incorporated April 22, 1785, to
include all the territory embraced within the boundaries of
Major Abraham's (Stockport) creek on the north, Claverack
creek on the east, the north line of the district of the
manor of Livingston on the south, and the Hudson river
on the west.
The districts were all formed prior to the organization of
Columbia county, which was erected as such by act of Legis-
lature, passed April 1, 1876,| as follows :
"An Act tu divide the Cmnty of Albany iniu tioo Cmnitiei.
" Wkercus, the County of Albany is so Extensive as to be Incon-
venient to its Inhabitants, therefore be it enacted by the People of
the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, and it
is hereby enacted by the Authority of the same, that that part of the
County of Albany which lies on the East side of Hudson's River, on
the South side of the North Line of Kindcrhook District, and on the
South of the North Line of King's District, shall bo one separate and
Distinct County, and shall be called and known by the name of Co-
lumbia; and be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, that the
said County of Columbia shall hold and enjoy all the Rights, Privi-
f On the first day of April, 1798, the south boundary line of the
county was defined to be "a due East line drawn from the South bank
of the Sawyer's Kill, on the west side of Hudson's river, continued
due East till it meets with a line settled and established between
Robert R. Livingston and Z.achariah Hoffman, deceased, and others
as the mutual boundary so far as it respected them individually,
then along the same as far as it runs, and thence on the same course
continued to the southermost bend of RoeloBf Jansen's Kill."
11491B3
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
leges, and Immunities which appertain to other Counties within this
State.
" And be it further Enacted by the authority aforesaid, that the
Court-House and Gaol for the said County of Columbia shall be
erected at or near the pl.ice where the old church in Clavernck now
stands.
(Signed) " Pierre Van Cortlandt, Pres. Sen.
" John Laxsinc, Jr., Speaker.
" Geo. Clinton."
The original towns of Columbia county, seven in num-
ber, were erected as such by an act passed March 7, 1788 ;
their territorial description and boundaries being established
by that act as follows, viz. :
"All that part of the County of Columbia bounded westerly and
northerly by the County'of Albany, southerly by the north bounds of
the city of Hudson as far as the first falls in Major Abraham's Creek,
and from thence running east and easterly by a line running from a
place in the north line of the county of Columbia ten miles distant
from Hudson's River, due south, until it strikes the said last line from
the said Falls," to be the town of Kinderhook ; and
"All that part of the said county now called Kings District
bounded westerly by Kinderhook, northerly by the County of Albany,
easterly by the east bounds of the State, and southerly by the said
east line from the first falls in Major Abraham's Creek aforesaid, con-
tinued to the east bounds of this State, shall be, and hereby is, erected
into a town by the name of Canaan ;" and
"All that part bounded southerly by the Manor of Livingston,
westerly by the city of Hudson, northerly by Kinderhook, and east-
erly by a line beginning at the southeast corner of Kinderhook, and
running thence south fourteen degrees west to the Manor of Living-
ston," was established as the town of Claverack ; and
"All that part of the said county bounded westerly by Claverack,
northerly by Canaan, easterly by the east bounds of this State, and
southerly by the Manor of Livingston and the north line thereof, con-
tinued to the east bounds of the State," was erected as Hillsdale ;
and
" All that part of said county beginning on the south side of the
mouth of a certain river, commonly called Roeloff Jansen's Kill, and
running thence along the south side of said river eastwardly until it
comes to the Tract of Land heretofore granted to Dirck Wessels,
lying on both sides of said river, thence along the westerly, northerly,
and easterly bounds of the said tract until it again eomes to the said
river, and then along the south side of the said river, and then (by
various courses) till it meets with the north line of the county of
Dutchess, and thence westerly along the Line of the said county of
Dutchess to Hudson's River, and thence northerly up along said river
to the place of beginning," was erected as the town of Clermont,
"except thereout the Tract of Country called the German, or East
Camp ;" and
"All that part of the said county known by the name of the Ger-
man, or East Camp," was erected as Germantown.
"And all the remaining Part of the said county of Columbia shall
be and is hereby erected into a town by the name of Livingston."
The other towns which are at present embraced in the
county have been formed and erected as follows:
Chatham, formed from Canaan and Kinderhook, erected
March 17, 1795.
Ancram, from Livingston, erected as Gallatin, March 19,
1803 ; name changed as at present March 25, 1814.
Taghkanic, from Livingston, erected as Granger, March
19, 1803 ; present name adopted March 25, 1814.
Austerlitz, from Canaan, Chatham, and Hillsdale, erected
March 28, 1818.
Ghent, from Chatham, Claverack, and Kinderhook,
erected April 3, 1818.
New Lebanon, from Canaan, erected April 21, 1818.
Stuyvesant, from Kinderhook, erected April 21, 1823.
Copake, from Taghkanic, erected March 26, 1824.
Gallatin, froft Ancram, erected March 27, 1830.
Stockport, from Hudson, Ghent, and Stuyvesant, erected
April 30, 1833.
Greenport, from Hudson, erected March 13, 1837.
Additional territory taken from Clermont was given to
Germantown, March 2, 1858.
CHAPTER VI L
THE MJ
lASSACHUSETTS BOUND AEY— ANTI-RENT—
1751-1852.
The peculiar disturbances known as anti-rent troubles
may be said to have existed in Columbia county for a full
century before their final extinguishment, for, although the
long serie.s of violent and unlawful acts which were com-
mitted in the vicinity of the eastern border, and which
had their commencement about the year 1750, have been
most frequently mentioned as growing out of the question
of the disputed boundary line between New York and
Massachusetts, yet it is doubtful whether the controversy
between the provinces was not less a cause of than a con-
venient excuse for the lawlessness of those who were deter-
mined to free themselves from the burden of yearly rent to
the manors, particularly that of Livingston, which, as they
asserted, owed its very existence to " falsehood and fraudu-
lent pretenses." .
This question of boundary had been long held in dispute.
By the government of New York it was maintained that
their eastern limit was the Connecticut river, because " that
the Dutch claimed the colony of New Netherlandt as ex-
tending from Cape Cod to Cape Cornelius, now called Cape
Henlopen, Westward of Delaware Bay along the Sea Coast,
and as far back as any of the Rivers within these Limits
extend ; and that they were actually possessed of Connect-
icut River long before any other European People knew
anything of the Existence of such a River, and were not
only possessed of the Mouth of it, where they had a Fort
and Garrison, but discovered the River above a hundred
miles up, had their People trading there, and purchased of
the Natives almost all the Lands on both sides of the said
River, and that the Dutch Governor Stuyvesant did in the
year 1664 surrender all the Country which the Dutch did
then possess to King Charles the Second, and that the
States-General made a Cession thereof by the Treaty of
Breda in the year 1667. That the Dutch re-conquered
part of this Province in 1673, and surrendered and abso-
lutely yielded it to King Charles the Second, in 1673-74,
by the Treaty of London, and that in 1674 King Charles
granted to the Duke of York all the Land between Con-
necticut River and Delaware Bay."
The Massachusetts government scouted this argument,
and in turn claimed westward at least as far as the Hudson
river,* although, as they said, they " had for a long Time
^' For the ulterior purpose of establishing their claims upon the
Hudson the Boston government had, as early as 1669, made a grant
of land on the Hudson river, below Fort Orange, and in 1672 they
sent John Payne to New York to solicit permission to pass and re-
pass by water. He was received by the authorities with great con-
sideration and courtesy, and his request was referred to the king, but
was never granted.
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
37
neglected the settlement of the West Bounds, they lying
very remote from Boston."
The council of New York inquired, " By what Warrant
they Claim or Exercise any right To soil or Jurisdiction
west of Connecticut River ?" The general court of Mas-
sachusetts, in a report made to their governor, September
11, 1753, retorted that "It is Demanded of this Govern-
ment What Right we have to Soil or Jurisdiction West of
Connecticut River, Suggesting that it was but very lately
they knew we had any possessions West of that River ;
this proceeding of the Gentlemen of New York appears
indeed extraordinary, as severall of our ancient and best
Towns Had been settled West of this River about an
hundred Years, and the Shire Town of Springfield near a
hundred and Twenty Years."
" On the first reading of the above paragraph," said the
committee of the council of New York, in a report made
November 16, 1753, " few of us doubted but that the Shire
Town of Springfield had been situated on the west side of
Connecticut river Till we were informed that it was on the
East side of that river, and that Mr. Poplis' Large map
Represents it so, which Information some of us doubts the
Truth of, Because of the DilSculty of Reconciling it with
what was Conceived the Obvious sense of the above para-
graph." And the commit;tee proceeded to say that " The
Massachusetts Government have been pleased to appoint a
time and place for the meeting of their CDmmissioners with
those of this province. If they would have been pleased
to have Recollected that the Government of this Province
is his Majesty's Immediate Government, which theirs is
not, it would have been something more Decent to have
referred the naming of those things to this Government.*
And as his Blajesty is concerned in the Controversy, and
no Settlement which can be made by any authority derived
from Both Governments without the Royal Direction, par-
ticipation, and Concurrence cau be Binding on the Crown,
we Conceive that the appointment of Commissioners for the
purpose would not only be fruitless and Ineffectual to the
Determination of the Controversy, but also Derogatory To
the rights of the Crown and disrespectfull to his most
Sacred Majesty."
And thus the controversy grew more complicated as time
elapsed, neither party appearing willing to concede, though
both were evidently conscious of the extravagance of their
claims ; for it is noticeable that in the voluminous corre-
spondence which ensued between the governments in refer-
ence to the numerous acts of aggression committed by the
respective partisans upon the disputed territory, frequent
allusion was made to the distance from the river at which
those acts were perpetrated ; this being really an acknowl-
edgment on both sides that the boundary should be, and
probably would be, established on the basis suggested by
the commissioners of the crown in 1664, and, as between
New York and Connecticut, agreed on by Governors Don-
* Commissioners appointed by botti provinces, however, met in
conference at Aibanj in June, 1754, " but could not come to any sort
of agreement ; and if we may be allowed to judge of this transaction
from events which have happened since, instead of operating as a
remedy to the evil, it has had quite a contrary effect." — lU/iurl vf the
Lords of Trade to the Kiiuj, May 25, 1757.
gan and Treat in 1685, and confirmed by King William
March 28, a.u. 1700 ; namely, a line running generally
parallel to, and twenty miles east of, the Hudson river.
It was in the fall of 1751 that the first symptoms of dis- '
turbance became manifest, in defiant threats made by the
tenants on Livingston manor against their landlord, Robert
Livingston, Jr., grandson of the first proprietor. Many of
these tenants had neglected to pay their rents, and now
neglect grew into refusal, open defiance, and an avowed
purpose to continue their occupation, not as tenants, but as
owners, under authority of grants to be secured from the
government of Massachusetts Bay. Among the earliest,
and at that time the principal, malcontents were Michael
Hallenbeck, a tenant upon the manor for thirty years, and
Josiah Loomis, an ore-digger at the iron mines, and a
tenant for twelve years under Livingston, who now brought
action of trespass against Hallenbeck, and warned Loomis
off his manor. Whether this action of the proprietor was
the cause of, or was caused by, their rebellious conduct does
not clearly appear, but it resulted in their seeking protection
from the assumed authority of the adjoining province.
Not long after Livingston received a letter from a resident
of Slioffield, the tenor of which was us follows :
" March 2), 1 752.
" Silt, — in consequence of an order of a Committee of the Gencnil
Court of the Province of Massachusetts Bay to lay out Equivalents in
the Province land, I have begun on the East side of Tackinick Bar-
rick and laid out a large Farm which encompasses the Dwellings of
Michael Hallenbceck and Josiah Loomis, and you may depend on it
the Province will assert their rights to said lands. 1 have heard you
have sued the one and threatened the other, which possibly may not
turn out to your advantage. I should have gladly seen you and
talk'd of the affair with Calmness and in a friendly manner, which I
hope to have an opportunity to do. In the mean time, I am. Sir,
your very humble servant, Oliver Parthidge."
This seems to mark the commencement of a long-con-
tinued series of active hostilities between the two provinces.
On the 16th of April, 1752, Mr. Livingston made his
grievances known in a communication addressed to the
governor, requesting that ofiicial to cause the apprehension
and committal of such persons as should disturb his pos-
sessions under pretense of authority from Massachusetts:
The petition was referred to Attorney-General William
Smith, who reported that in his opinion it was most ex-
pedient for the governor " not to Interpose at present by any
Extraordinary Act or Order, but leave the Petitioner to bis
Ordinary Remedy at Law ;. and if any of his Pos.scssions
sxe forcibly taken or forci'b/i/ held from him, the Statutes of
England being duly put in Execution will sufficiently punish
the offenders and afford a speedy Relief to the Petitioner."
On the 22d of November, 1752, William Bull and fifty-
seven others, many of them tenants upon the manors of
Livingston and Van Rensselaer petitioned the IMassa-
chusetts general court for a grant of land, which they de-
scribed as " Beginning at the Top of the first Great Moun-
tain west of Sheffield, running northwesterly with the
General course of the Mountain about nine or Ten miles ;
thence turning and running West about six Miles, thence
running Southerly to the North Line of Connecticut out;
thence running Easterly to the first-mentioned Boundary. "f
t These boundaries clearly inclose » tract of which a great por-
tion is included in the present bounds of MassacUsetts.
38
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
This petition of Bull and others was regarded hy Mr.
Livingston as " the Groundwork of all the proceedings" by
which he was afterwards so seriously disturbed in his pos-
sessions ; and this view seems to have been shared by the
Legislature of Massachusetts, who reported " that the pres-
ent warmth and disorders arose upon, or at least quickly
after, the Petition of some per.sons (who had encroaeh'd
on this Province's ungranted Lands West of Sheffield) ;
that the General Court of this Province would sell or dis-
pose of to them the Lands they thus possosst ;" proceeding
to state that " not long after this a Number of persons in
the Employ of Robert Livingston, jr., Esqr., burnt down
the Dwelling-house of George Robinson, one of these Pe-
titioners, and Mr. Livingston caused his Body to be
attached and Committed to Albany Gaol, by a Warrant
from Authority in New York Province, who was after-
wards Bailed by Order of this Government ;" but Living-
ston declared that he caused Robinson's incarceration for
trespass in carrying away his (Livingston's) goods, and
that in his opinion the bailing and defending of him by
the Massachusetts government was " an Aiding and abet-
ting of the said Trespass, and an Encouragement to future
Trespassers of the like kind."
In the spring of 1753 the Massachusetts government,
under the plea that they "judged it vain to attempt any-
thing by way of Treaty in the Controversy," appointed
Joseph Dwight, Esq., Colonel Bradford, and Captain Liver-
more a committee to view the lands west of Sheffield and
Stoclvbridge, and report the exact state of affairs there.
In the report of the doings of this comtnittee it is narrated
that they met Robert Livingston upon the ground in April,
1753, and that it was mutually agreed that all proceedings
should be held in abeyance, awaiting a final adjustment of
the boundary ; but that notwithstanding this, in July
" Mr. Livingston, with above sixty men, armed with Guns,
Swords, and Cutlasses, in a very hostile and riotous man-
ner, entered upon part of said Lands in the possession of
Josiah Loomis, Cut down his Wheat and carried it away
in his Wagons, and destroyed above five acres of Indian
Corn."
The account given by Mr. Livingston, however, was ma-
terially difierent. He related that having met the com-
mittee and explained the tenure by which he held the lands,
showing his boundaries, and that the extent of his patent
was nineteen miles and thirty rods eastward from Hudson's
river into the woods, they all proceeded to Taghkanic,
where they found a great number of people were collected,
to whom the committee recommended that they remain
quiet and satisfied until the settlement of a division line,
and that such as were tenants should pay their rents hon-
e.stly to the landlord. It was his belief, however, that the
committee were insincere in this, desiring only to quiet him
for the time being, so that they could afterwards execute
their scheme without his presence or interruption ; and that
after his departure to his manor-house they secretly gave
orders for the survey of the tract petitioned for by William
Bull and others ; which, he added, was accordingly done by
seven New England men, assisted by the sons of four of
his tenants, and they took possession by the construction of
a tree-fence. And that as to the matter of Josiah Loomis, he
was a tenant at will, and had been ordered to leave the
manor two years before ; whereon the said Loomis had
begged leave to stay long enough to raise one more summer
crop, after which he promised he would remove. Instead of
which he prepared to put in still another crop, which Mr.
Livingston, on being informed of the fact, plainly declared
to him that he should never reap ; in accordance with which
warning he (Livingston) at harvest-time " went with a Suf-
ficient number of people, and did accordingly Cutt Down
and Carry away that crop, as it was Lawful and right for
him to do."
These occurrences were followed by many similar ones,
acts of aggression and retaliation committed by both parties ;
not of great moment, except as showing how the temper
and animosities of the contestants were gradually wrought
up and increased until they became ripe for more serious
outrages.
A man named Joseph Payne was arrested in 1753 by
Mr. Livingston for the alleged destruction of about eleven
hundred trees near the Ancram furnace, and was imprisoned
in the Albany jail in defiiult of bail to the amount of one
thousand pounds, which was afterwards furnished by Col-
onel Lydius, at the instance of the Boston government.
This occurrence was the cause of much bitterness of feel-
ing and many recriminations. On the 19th of July in
that year a party of men, of whom Captain David Inger-
soll, of Sheffield, was said to be a ringleader, claiming to
act under authority from Massachusetts, entered the house
of Robert Vanduesen, taking him and his son Johannes as
prisoners to the jail at Springfield upon charge of being
members of the party who despoiled the crops of Josiah
Loomis. Nine days later the governor issued his proclama-
tion ordering the arrest and imprisonment of these rioters,
upon which Michael Hallenbeck (who was said to be one
of the number) was arrested and imprisoned in the jail of
Dutchess county. Concerning this arrest the general court
of Massachusetts reported (Sept. 11, 1753) to their gover-
nor that " Jlichael Halenbeck, whom they (the New York
partisans) supposed to favor the taking of the Van Dusars,
has been apprehended and closely confined in Dutchess
county jail (it is said to be in a dungeon), and the most un-
exceptional Bail refused," and it was voted that the gover-
nor be desired as soon as might be to write very particu-
larly on this affair to the governor of New York. This
Governor Shirley did, and in due time received the reply
of Governor Clinton, dated Oct. 1, 1753, assuring him
" that Michael Hallinbeck, who was lately confined in the
Gaol of Dutchess County, made his Escape from thence with
several other debtors. Nor can I think he met with any
severe Treatment while there. It must be a mistake that
he was confined in a Dungeon, there being, I am told, no
such Place belonging to that Gaol ; and as to Bail being re-
fused for his Appearance, in this, too, I imagine your Gov-
ernment has been misinformed, for, as he was committed on
the Proclamation I issued, with the Advice of the Council,
he could not have been admitted to Bail but by Applica-
cation to the Chancellor or to one of the Judges of the
Supreme Court, and I am well assured no such Application
was ever made."
The Indian irruptions of 1754, at Hoosick and Stock-
HISTOEY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
39
bridge, had caused the organization of several military com-
panies in the vicinity of the border and within the disputed
territory. There were at least two of these in Sheffield,
commanded by Captains David IngersoU and John Ashley,
one at Taghkanic, with Michael Hallenbock as captain,
and one at Claverack, under Robert Noble, a tenant of
Rensselaerwyck ; all these being under commission by the
governor of Massachusetts ; while Robert Livingston, Jr.,
and Dirck Ten Broeck, holding respectively the commissions
of captain and lieutenant from the governor of New York,
commanded a company made up of men living on both the
Livingston and the Van Rensselaer manors. These com-
panies, especially those of Noble and Hallenbeck, were not
provided with a full complement of muskets, but the defi-
ciency in this particular was made good by the use of pikes,
cutlasses, and hatchets, which perhaps answered all the
purposes of firearms. It was chiefly to meet the exigencies
of Indian attack that these bodies were organized,* but it
is found that they were used to no .small extent as agents of
intimidation, and even of bloodshed, in the bitter quarrel
of which we write.
The disaffection which first appeared among Livingston's
tenants had now spread to those of the manor of Van
Rensselaer, the proprietor of which, in an affidavit made at
Claverack, Feb. 22, 1755, deposed " that one Robert Noble
and severall other of his Tenants within the said manner
had Entered into a Confirmation with some Boston People,
and disclaimed being any Longer Tenants to or under him,
and gave out and pretended to hold their Lands and pos-
sessions within the said Manner under the Boston Govern-
ment, and that they had taken Clark Pixley, one of the
Constables of Claverack in the said Mannor, and by force
of Arms, and had Carried him thence, and one John Mor-
ress, prisoners into Boston Government, and also had been
Guilty of other Outrages and Threatenings upon severall
other of his Tennents, in order to force and Compell them
to Join in opposing the Deponent's Rights and Title in the
said Mannor; .... and that he was informed that his
Excellency Governour Shirley had given the said Robert
Noble a Commission to be Captain of a Company within
Claverack in the Manor of Rensselaerwyck, and that he
had also appointed and Commissionated several other Mili-
tary Officers to Doe Duty and Have Jurisdiction Within the
said Mannor, and also in the Mannor of Livingston."
The cause of the capture of Clark Pixley and John
Morris does not appear. They were seized on the 7th of
February, by Robert Noble and a part of his company, and
were taken to Springfield jail. On the 11th, Sheriff Abra-
ham Yates, Jr., with a posse, and accompanied by John
Van Rensselaer and his brother Henry, set out from Clav-
erack, and proceeded towards Noble's house, for the pur-
pose of effecting his arrest. On their way they saw and
captured Thomas Whitney, one of the party who took Pix-
* Mr. Livingston wrote the governor, in February, 1755, advising
him of the raising of a company of one hundred men ** to Difeiid
Taghkanick against the French and Indians, but it is supposed it is
in order to possess themselves of my Lands."
A military company had exi.«ted on Livingston manor since the
e.irly days of the Palatines. In 1715 it mustered sixty-eight, rank
and file.
ley. They found Noble's house transformed into a sort of
fortification, with loop-holes for musketry, and garrisoned
with some twenty armed men, under command of Captain
Noble, who himself carried a pike, which he presented at
the breast of the sheriff, demanding of which side he was;
to which Yates replied that he was high-sheriff of the city
and county of Albany. With that his prisoner, Whitney,
was rescued from him, and he himself seized and confined in
Noble's house, where he remained under guard from eleven
A.M. until ten at night, when he was conveyed to Sheffield,
and there remained in custody for twenty-four hours, at the
end of which time he was released on a bail of one hundred
and fifty pounds to appear for trial at the May term of
court; the offense charged against him being that of having
dispossessed two persons, one a tenant of Van Rensselaer
and the other of Livingston, but who claimed to hold under
Massachusetts authority.
The namosf of the sheriff's captors were Robert Noble,
Thomas Willnie, Jacob Bacon, Joseph Jellit, Benjamin
Lovejoy, Elysa Stodder, Benjamin Chittenton, Richard
Vane, Talvenis Stevens, Wheat Herk, William S. Hallen-
beck, Myhiel Hallenbeck, Hendrick A. Brosie, William J.
Rees, Francis Bovie, Andris J. Rees, William J. Hallen-
beck, Nathan Lovejoy, Hyman Spenser, Andrew Lovejoy,
and Daniel Lovejoy. A proclamation ordering their ap-
prehension was issued on the 2d of April, and on the
13th four of them, including Josiah Loomis, were arrested
and lodged in jail ; their captain, Noble, and the remainder
of the company having fled from their stronghold and
retired to Sheffield before the approach of the capturing
party, which was led by John and Henry Van Rensselaer
and numbered between thirty and forty men. On the fol-
lowing morning at daylight the party appeared at the house
of William Rees, a tenant of Livingston, and one of the
partisans of Noble. Finding that Rees was in the house,
they demanded his surrender, which was refused, and im-
mediately after he was shot dead by one of the Rensselaer
party named Matthew Furlong.
The exact circumstances of this killing will never be
known. The statement made by the Van Ren.sselaer party
was that Rees was desired to open the door, which he re-
fused to do, and at the same time swore that he would take
their lives ; whereupon a board was broken from the door,
and through this opening Rees attempted to fire on the
party, but fortunately his gun missed fire. That the assail-
ants then rushed into the house, and Rees retreated to the
garret, and thence out through the roof, and was in the
very act of firing upon Furlong, when the latter in self-
defense shot him through the body, and then surrendered
himself to Justice Ten Broeck, who was also lieutenant of
the company. It was further stated as being susceptible of
proof, that Rees had repeatedly declared his determination
to kill one at least, and particularly on the occasion of the
seizure of Sheriff Yates.
Upon the other side, it was asserted that Rees had at-
tempted no resistance, but had retreated by the garret and
through the roof, and was running away when he received
the death-wound ; that an inquest was held upon the
t Vide Doe. Hist. N. Y., vol. iii. p. 778.
40
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
body, which was found to be pierced in seven places, appar-
ently by buckshot, and that the jury returned a verdict of
willful murder.
A proclamation was at once issued by Governor Phips,
of Massachusetts, offering a reward of one hundred pounds
for the arrest and delivery of those engaged in the homicide ;
ETid under pretext of this authority, on the 6th of May fol-
lowing, the sheriff of Hampshire county, supported by a
posse of over one hundred men, many of them tenants of
Livingston and Van Rensselaer, made a descent on Liv-
ingston's iron-works at Ancraui, capturing and carrying
to prison in Massachusetts eight of Mr. Livingston's de-
pendents who were present at the killing of Rees. Fur-
long, however, was not among the number taken, and as,
upon examination of these prisoners at Springfield, it was
found that no complicity in the homicide could be proved
against them, they were sent under guard to Sheffield, with
orders that they be held there as hostages, to be released
when, and not before, the authorities of New York should
liberate the Massachusetts partisans and anti-renters then
confined at Albany.
The killing of Rees seems to have intensified the bitter-
ness of feeling on both sides, but more particularly among
the opponents of Livingston and Van Rensselaer. A sur-
veying-party, acting under Massachusetts authority, and
protected by a body of about one hundred armed men, set
out from Sheffield, and during the months of April and
May, 1755, surveyed several townships west of the Tagh-
kanic mountains, and within the two manors, but chiefly
in that of Rensselaer. These " townships" each embraced
a territory about five miles east and west, and seven miles
north and south ; and within these a tract of one hundred
acres was presented as a free gift to each tenant or other
person who would accept and hold it against the propri-
etors ;* the remainder of the lands being sold or released
by the Massachusetts government to purchasers at two
shillings an acre. The result was that these " townships"
became peopled by settlers who cared nothing for Massa-
chusetts Bay except for the protection which that govern-
ment afforded them against the rightful authority of the
province of New York ; but who were moved, first by a
desire and determination to possess the land without ren-
dering an equivalent, and next by an intense hatred of the
proprietors, especially Livingston, whose life they freely
threatened and placed in such jeopardy that he dared not
travel through his estate, or even remain at his manor-house,
without a guard of armed men.f
« Vide Documentary Hist. N. Y., vol. iii. p. 807, report William
Smith and Kobert K. Livingston.
t"Mr. Robert Livingstone's Tennants being encouraged by such
Proceedings to hold their Farms independent of him, was advised
by his Lawyers to serve the most riotous of them with ejectments;
and having the last term obtain'd judgment against them, The
Sheriff of the County of Albany was ordered to turn them out of
Possession and put him in. He accordingly, on the 25th of last
month, went with some men he summoned to attend him to some
houses of the ejected, and after some opposition effected it. . . . On
the 29, one J.ames Connor, of Sheffield, came to Mr. Livingston and
informed him that two of Van Gelden's sons had been at Sheffield,
when he heard them say they would have Timothy Connor (head
collier to Mr. Livingston) dead or alive; that they would burn his
(Mr. Livingston's) house over his head; that they went from thence
A very serious riot and resistance of authority took
place on the 7th of May, 1757, by thirty-one anti-rent
partisans, who were partially fortified in the house of Jona-
than Darby at Taghkanic. In this affair two were killed
and several wounded. In consequence of this. Gov. De
Lancey issued his proclamation, June 8 of that year,
declaring that certain persons residing in or near the eastern
borders of the province had entered into a combination to
dispossess Robert Livingston of his lands comprised in the
manor of Livingston, etc., and ordering the apprehension
of all the persons concerned in the riot at Darby's on the
7th of May. Under this authority a number of them were
arrested, and remained incarcerated in prison at Albany
for about two years. This had the effect to quell the
disturbances, and for a considerable time afterwards the
proprietors of the manors remained undisturbed.
It having become apparent to the home government that
it was useless to expect an adjustment of the boundary by
agreement between the two provinces, the matter was sub-
mitted for final settlement to the Lords Commissioners of
Trade, who, on the 25th of May, 1757, made known to the
king, George II., their decision as follows :
'* Upon a full consideration of this matter, and of the little proba-
bility there is that the dispute can ever be determined by any
amicable agreement between the two Govern'ts, it appeared to us
that the only effectual method of putting an end to it and preventing
those further misohiels which may be expected to follow so long as
the cause subsists, would be by the interposition of your Maj'tya
authority to settle such a line of partition as should, upon a consid-
eration of the actual and ancient possession of both pi-ovinces with-
out regard to the e.xorbitant claims of either, appear to be just and
equitable. And we conceive it the more necessary to rest the deter-
mination upon these principles, because We find, upon examining
the Grant from King Charles the 2nd to the Duke of York in 1663-64,
and the Royal Charter granted to the Massachusetts Bay in 1691,
that the description of the limits of those grants is so inexplicit and
defective, that no conclusive Inference can be drawn from them with
respect to the extent of territory originally intended to be granted
by them. We have, therefore, had recourse to such papers on Record
in our OfBce as might shew the Actual and Ancient possession of the
Provinces in question ; and as it appeared by several of them, of
dates almost as old as the said Grant, that the Province of the
Massachusetts Bay had in those times been understood to extend to
within 20 miles of Hudson's River, and that many settlements had
at different times been made so far to the Westward by the people of
to Stockbridge to invite those Indians to assist them to execute this
scene of Villany, and that if they could not prevail on them, they
would go to the Mohawks and require assistance from them. Mr.
Livingston further informs me that one Nicholas Koens came twenty
miles to advise him to keep a good watch, for that Van Gelden's sons
intended to come with the Stockbridge Indians to murder him and
burn all he had. . . . And to prevent their carrying into execution
their threats, I applied to Lord Loudoun for a sufficient Guard to be
quartered at the House and Iron-Works of Mr. Livingston for the
security of his family, when his Lordship informed me he had heard
the story from the Mayor of Albany, who is Coroner of the county,
who he advised to make a requisition of such a guard in Mr. Living-
ston's name, and that he had left orders with General Abercrombie
to send an officer and twenty-five men to Mr. Livingston's. Sir Wil-
liam Johnson was with Lord Loudoun at the Storys being told, who
acquainted his Lordship that he would send immediately to the
Stockbridge Indians. By all these precautions I trust Mr. Living-
ston will have no further disturbance for the present, for I cannot
flatter myself that these violations will not be attempted again if
opportunitys offer for it, and his House left unguarded." — Vide Culo-
ninl Hi,t. Sinte of N. Y., vol. vii. p. 206. Letter of Governor Hard^
to the Lords of Trade, Dec. 22, 1756.
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
41
that province; and as that evidence coincides with the general prin-
ciple of the agreement bstwcen the province of New York and the
Colony of Connecticut iu 16S3, which has received the Royal confir-
mation : We are of opinion that a line to be drawn Northerly from a
point on the South boundary line of the Massachusetts Bay twenty
miles distant du". East from Hudson's River to another point 20
miles distant due East from the said river on that line which divides
the Provinces of New Hampshire and the Massachusetts Bay would
be a just and equitable line of division between Your Maj'tys prov-
inces of New York and the Massachusetts Bay.
"But as a doubt might arise whether such boundary could be es-
tablished without the concurrence of the Massachusetts Bay, the soil
and Jurisdiction of it being granted by Royal Charter, We thought
proper to call before Us the Agents for the two provinces in question,
and to communicate to them such our opinion and the authorities
■whereon it is founded. And the Agent for New York having signi-
fied to us that he submits the settlement of the said boundary as a
matter entirely in your M ij'tys determination, and the Agent for
the Massachusetts Bay having acquainted us that ho, on behalf of
his constituents, acquiesces in the above-described line. We there-
fore beg leave humbly to propose to your Majesty that you would be
graciously pleased, by your order in Council, to establish the line
hereinbefore describsd as a final boundary of property and Jurisdic-
tion between the provinces of N. York and the Massachusetts Bay."
This decision, however, did not meet the approval of the
governor and council of New York, who expressed their
dis.satisfaction, and asked for certain alterations. Their
request was duly considered, but being objected to by the
agent of the Massachusetts government,' was definitely and
finally denied in a communication by the Lords of Trade
to Governor De Lancey, dated Dec. 9, 1757 ; and a royal
order in council afterwards established the line as deter-
mined on by the Lords, and nearly the same as at present
existing.
But even the king's decision and the order in council did
not prove to be a final settlement of the boundary, though
it was tacitly accepted by the two provinces as to jurisdic-
tional conflicts between them. It was not until many years
after that the line was established. In the spring of 1773,
John Watts, William Smith, and Robert R. Livingston,
commissioners on the part of New York, and John Han-
cock, Joseph Hawley, and William Brattle, commissioners
for Massachusetts, met at Hartford, where, on the 18th of
May, they easily and amicably agreed on a partition line of
jurisdiction, and this agreement received the approval of
the governors of the two States. The line as agreed on
was to commence at the northwest corner of " the oblong,"
and to run thence north 21° 10' 30" east to the north
line of Massachusetts ; this eastern deflection being given
to conform to the course of the Hudson river, from which
it was intended to make the line distant, as nearly as might
be, a distance of twenty miles at all points.
But the line, though agreed on, was not then run. Great
trouble appears to have arisen in the execution of the work,
on account of the baflling variation of the needle among
the ore-beds of the Taghkanics, — -and perhaps from other
causes, — and it was not until 1787 that the work was ac-
complished. In that year Thomas Hutchins, the national
geographer-general, David Rittenhouse, and the Rev. Dr.
John Ewing, of Philadelphia, three gentlemen whom
Congress had, at the request of the two States, appointed
as commissioners for the purpose, succeeded, after great
difiiculty experienced from the capricious variation of the
needle, in running and establishing the boundary between
6
New York and Ma.ssachusetts ; the line being substantially
the same as that ordered by George the Second, thirty
years before, and identical with the present boundary, ex-
cepting the slight difference caused by the cession of Boston
Corner to New York in 1855.
As has been before mentioned, the royal order in council
of 1757, although it did not then close the question of
boundary, yet virtually put an end to conflicts of jurisdic-
tion between the provinces. And for a period of five years
from the riots and arrests of 1757 there seems also to have
been a season of quiet and freedom from outrage and law-
lessness upon the manors. But in 1762 the clouds again
gathered, and the malcontents, under lead of Josiah Loomis
and others, again took the war-path. During this state of
affairs Mr. Livingston wrote (March 22, 1762) to Gov-
ernor Golden, " These Rioters have given me no trouble
since the Proclamation issued in 1757, but now they intend
to make their last bold push, which I think will be pre-
vented by another proclamation coming out in time." The
governor acted on the suggestion, and nine days later issued
his proclamation, directed particularly against Josiah Loo-
mis and Robert Miller, " who, in contempt of said Procla-
mation [that of 1757], have lately riotously assembled
within the said Manor, and do now threaten to dispossess
the Tenants of the said Robert Livingston, and to seat and
maintain themselves therein by Force and Violence;" and
he ordered and directed the sheriff' to suppress all unlawful
and riotous gatherings at all hazards, and with the whole
force of the county. This prompt action seems to have had
the desired effect, and four years more of comparative quiet
succeeded.
But again, in 1766, the disturbances broke out with more
violence than ever, this time under the leadership of Robert
Noble, who assembled his band in such numbers that they
were able to and did attack and defeat a strong posse under
command of the sheriff" of Albany while in performance of
his duty. This outbreak caused the loss of several lives,
and was immediately followed by a proclamation ordering
the most stringent measures, and the apprehension of
Robert Noble. In an attempt to eff'ect the arrest of Noble
the sheriff and his posse attacked the fortified house of
Noble (in the present town of Hillsdale), but without being
able to effect their object, and Noble escaped to Massachu-
setts. He and Josiah Loomis had been principal ring-
leaders in the anti-rent insurrection from the time of it.s
first outbreak, but after this time Noble was no more heard
of as an insurgent leader on the New York side of the line.
His absence, however, had not the eff'ect to intimidate or
discourage the rioters. On the contrary, their demonstra-
tions of violence increased to such a degree that the sheriff
and magistrates, realizing that the civil power of the county
was entirely unequal to the exigency, notified Governor
Sloore of the fact, and invoked the assistance of the military
arm. The governor responded by ordering detachments of
the Forty-sixth Royal Infantry to proceed to the neighbor-
hood of the disorders to sui)port the sheriff' and enforce the
law.
The following, a copy of a letter written by Mr. Living-
ston at that time, has reference to the state of affairs then
existing on the two manors :
HISTOEY OF COLUMBrA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
" Manoh Livingston, 9th July, 1766.
" Sin,— This minute arrived here Cnjit. Claike of the 46tb, with 120
of His Majesty's Troops, in order to assist the magistrates and sheriff
of the county to apjirehend the Rioters in this County. And as it will
be necessary yourself, the Sheriff, and Coll. Van Ktnslaer should be
here, I desire you immediately (o send an E.Npress for them, that we
may go on the service to-morrow. It would be agreeable to me if
Ciipt. Schuyler® could come along. As it will be in our power to quell
this dangerous Riot and Establish our authority in our respective
manors, no time must be lost, nor no expense thought too much. In
hopes of your speedy Complyance, I remain,
nost Humble
S Ji
Renslaeii, Esq.,
■' Claverack.'
The presence of the military had the desired effect. The
rioters seem to have had as wholesome a dread of bayonets
as was displayed by their descendants on the same ground
seventy-eight years later. The spirit of insurrection was
immediately and (for the time) completely quelled.
On the 24th of February, 17C7, Gov. Moore wrote to
the Earl of Shelburne in reference to this auti-rent outbreak
and its suppression as follows :
"There has been no dispute in the present case between the Prov-
inces in regard to any Tcrrilori:U Jurisdiction, but the whole has
taken its rise from a Scene of Litigation among private Persons. Sev-
eral Inhabitants of the Mas.^inljiiM tl,-, , nr,,uia-ia l.y their country-
men (as they acknowledge in xjiuc <il tlnii ;i[]i>i;i\ its). j)asscd over
the line of Division, and scatiii- iIki.is.Ivis tn tlii' Westward of it, on
the Lands belonging to Mr. Kcuslaer, and acknowledged on all bauds
to be within this Province, began Settlements there without invitation
from him, or even permission first obtained. Mr. Renslaer, unwil-
ling to dispossess them, offered them Leases on the same Terms which
he had granted to his Tenants, their near neighbors!, which were re-
fused; and notwithstanding they could not shew any lligbt in them-
selves to the Lands, refused to acknowledge any in Mr. Renslaer, who
upon such behavior endeavored to remove tlieni l.y a due Course of
Law. But as it never was the intenliun of these Pcjile to s ubmitt their
Title to a legal examination, every opi)ositiiin was made to the sheriff
when he attempted to do his duty, and matters were carried to such
a length that they assembled armed in a great body and attacked and
defeated him in the Execution of his office, altho' supported by the
Posse of the County, and some lives were lost on both sides. After an
action in justification of which so little could be said, many of the
Delinquents thought proper to quitt this Province immediately, and
sheltered themselves under the Protection of the Neighboring Govern-
ments of Massachusetts and Connecticut ; . . . but none of them
were ever secured, although they ajipeared publickly in the Provinces
of the Massachusetts and Connecticut, neither have any of those com-
plainants thought proper to return to their Homes and submit their
Cause to be decided by the Laws of their Country. ... It was with
great concern I saw the progress of these disturbances, but was still
in hopes that the civil Power alone would be able to prevail, and it
was at the earnest request of the Magistrates of both those countiesf
that the Troops were sent to their assistance. ... I should have been
guilty of a neglect of my Duty had I refused the aid required, es-
pecially in the County of Albany, where the rebels had set the civil
Power at Defiance, and had defeated the Sheriff at the head of the
Posse of the County."
After their suppression, in 17G6, the anti-rent partisans
did not again rally (as such) for a period of twenty-five
years. During the Revolution many scenes of violence
were enacted within the limits of the county, but these
had (or were supposed to have) their origin in party feel-
* Afterwards Major-General Philip Schuyler, of Revolutionary
fame.
t Referring to disturbances which occurred also about the same
time in Dutchess county, requiring the assistance of the military to
quell. A part of the Twenty-eighth Infiintry was sent to that county.
ing and in the hatred that existed between patriots and
Tories, though doubtless the state of affairs then existing
was, in many cases, made an excuse for the wreaking of
private revenge. After the war, although robbery and
other lawless actsj were frequent enough, the old anti-rent
spirit does not seem to have been actively manifested until
about 1790, when combinations were again formed to
wrest from the Livingston and Van Renssehier proprietors
portions of their lands. In 1791 these combinations took
the form of armed resistance to the execution of the laws,
and resulted in the shooting of the sheriff of the county,
Cornelius Hogeboom, E.sq., while engaged in the perform-
ance of his duty.
Few occurrences in the history of Columbia county have
ever moved the feelings and sympathies of its inhabitants
more deeply than this atrocious murder of Sheriff Hoge-
boom The following account of the deplorable event ap-
peared in the Albany Gazette of Oct. 31, 1791, being
communicated to that journal by a gentleman of Kinder-
hook :
" Cornelius Hogeboom, Esq., sheriff of the county of
Columbia, was shot on his horse on Saturday, the 22d inst.,
at a place called Nobletown, in the town of Hillsdale, and
on Monday his remains, attended by an uncommon number
of respectable inhabitants from different parts of the county,
were deposited in the family burial-place at Squampommock,
where they testified an unfeigned sorrow for the loss of so
valuable a citizen.
" Mr. Hogeboom had filled the office of sheriff for up-
wards of two years ; and it was at a very distressing period
that he entered on the duties of this office, whereby his
unexampled benevolence to the distressed was fully evinced,
at the same time that a just degree of promptitude was
paid to the interests of his employers. Few men were
capable of giving so universal satisfaction. He was a real
patriot and a true friend.
" The murder of Sheriff Hogeboom is of such a barba-
rous and inhuman nature, while at the same time it is so
interesting, that we shall give to the public a short and
circumstantial account of the horrid deed. A few days
previous to the murder one of the sheriff's deputies was to
have held a vendue at Nobletown by virtue of an execution
against one Arnold, but on the day of the intended sale
the Nobletown people assembled, and with threats deterred
the deputy from proceeding in the vendue, who thereupon
adjourned it to the Saturday following, informing the peo-
ple that he should acquaint the high sheriff with what had
happened, which he accordingly did. The sheriff attended
on Saturday, and after waiting till near four o'clock for his
deputy, who had the execution, and he not arriving, and a
number of people having assembled in a riotous manner,
he concluded to leave, and told the people that since his
deputy had not come he would leave it to him to make such
return as he thought best. He then, with his brother and
X For the suppression of the numerous felonies which were c:
mitted in this vicinity after the Revolution a company of rangers i
organized, and fifteen hundred pounds wore raised under autho;
of the act of May 11, 1780, to defriiy tbu expense thus incurred ;
neither the date of the formation of the company nor the partici
acts of outrage which caused its orgauizaliuu can be given.
HISTORY OP COLUMBIA' COUNTY, NEW YORK.
another gentleman, rode off, and when they were opposite
the barn young Arnold fired a pistol, at which signal seven-
teen men, painted and in Indian dress, sallied forth from
the barn, fired and marched after them, keeping up a con-
stant firing. Some of the balls passing between them, the
companions of the sheriff desired him to spur his horse or
they would all be shot ; to which he replied that he was
vested with the law, and they should never find him a
coward.
" Young Arnold seeing those in Indian dress fell astern,
then mounted a horse with another fellow and rode up to
them ; two of whom mounted the horse, and (the sheriff
having only walked his) soon came up and dismounted,
when one of them leveled his piece, and lodged a ball in
the heart of the sheriff; upon which he said, ' Brother, I
am a dead man !' fell from his horse, and expired. His
brother then took him up in his arms and carried him into
the house of one Crum, but supposing himself yet in immi-
nent danger rode off.
"Great praise is due to Captain Sloan, of the city of
Hudson, who soon afterwards came and took care of the
body, and at the risk of his life guarded the papers of the
sheriff. Young Arnold went to Crum's house for the pur-
pose (as is supposed ) of putting a period to the existence
of the sheriff, if it had not been already done.
" Four of the perpetrators set out the next day for Nova
Scotia by way of New London. A reward of two hundred
and fifty pounds is offered for apprehending them. A party
of men are in pursuit, and, as we hear, were on Tuesday
within fifteen miles of them.
" Twelve are lodged in the gaol at Claverack under a strong
guard. Jonathan Arnold is not yet taken. It is recom-
mended to all good citizens who wish well to the support of
good government to be active in apprehending one who
dares to commit such an outrage against civil government
and civil society."
The accused persons were tried at a term of the oyer and
terminer, held at Claverack in February, 1792, and '' after a
long and impartial trial were acquitted." The murderer was
never discovered.
The widow of the victim, Mrs. Sarah Hogeboom, died
wholly of grief, on the 16th of January, less than three
months after her husband's nmrder. The Hudsoij Gazette
of January 26, in noticing her death, said, " It is impos-
sible to describe the extreme distress with which Mrs.
Hogeboom hath been afflicted from the moment she re-
ceived information of the inhuman murder of her husband
until the time of her decease." This unfortunate couple
were the grandparents of the late Judge Henry Hogeboom.
After the tragedy of 1791, the most vigorous measures
were employed to quell the lawless spirit which.had caused
it, and although there were afterwards occasional instances
of resistance to the payment of manorial rents, yet for
more than half a century there occurred in Columbia
county no demonstration of sufficient magnitude to be
noticed as an anti-rent revolt.
The spirit of anti-rentism, however, was not dead, but
only sleeping. The farmer-tenants upon the manors not
only in Columbia, but in the counties of Albany, Greene,
Ulster, Delaware, Schoharie, Herkimer, Montgomery, Ot-
sego, Oneida, and Rensselaer, at last began to regard their
condition as unendurable, and as being little, if any, better
than that of vassals. They argued that they and their
ancestors had already paid in rents far more than the value
of the lands, even including the buildings and improve-
ments which themselves (and not the landlords) liad put
upon them, and that the degrading and perpetual nature
of the tenure wa.s inconsistent not only with the prin-
ciples of republican government, but with all proper feel-
ings of self-respect. They asked upon what principle it
was that their fathers left the oppressive, aristoeratic;iI gov-
ernments of the Old World, to find here, in the New, and
upon the banks of Hudson river, a system of land-tenure
which was overthrown in England so long ago as the year
1290, and in France by the Revolution of 1787? Could
they believe that such things were right or legal ? And
should they by their submission allow them to become per-
manent? These theories, advanced by their leaders and
industriously circulated through the public prints, had the
natural effect to reawaken the old feeling of resistance to
what they considered the oppressive exactions of their land-
lords, and it was not long before they began to consult to-
gether on plans to throw off the burden. About 1840
associations began to be formed, and delegates were ap-
pointed, who met for deliberation on ways and means by
which to accomplish their ends. " Ere long the people be-
came more and more engaged and excited, and the anti-rent
feeling manifested itself in open resistance to the service of
legal process for the collection of manorial rents. A secret
organization was devised, extending through several coun-
ties, by which bands of men were formed, and pledged upon
summons to appear disguised and armed, and ready to pro-
tect the persons of tenants from arrest and from the service
of process, and to guard their property from levy and sale
upon execution. So soon as a sheriff appeared in one of the
disaffected towns, a troop of men collected in fantastic calico
dresses and with faces masked, or painted to imitate Indians,
and armed with pistols, tomahawks, guns, and cutlasses, and
generally on horseback, gathered round him or hovered
near, warning him away, and deterring him by threats from
performing his duty." *
It was not in Columbia, but in Rensselaer, Delaware, and
some of the other counties, that this state of affairs origi-
nated. The first overt act of lawlessness occurred in Rens-
selaer, in the town of Grafton, where a body of anti-renters,
disguised as Indians, met upon the highway a man named
Smith, who was a known and violent opponent of their
plans. AVith him they entered into a violent altercation,
which resulted in his being instantly killed by a pistol-shot,
fired by one of their number. It was, however, alleged by
them that Smith made the first attack, with an axe ; but
whatever the facts may have been, the person who fired the
shot was never discovered, although more than two hundred
persons were summoned, and testified in a legal investigation
of the circumstances of the homicide.
It was not long before the spirit of revolt had spread to
Columbia county. The first demonstration of force in re-
sistance to the execution of the laws in this county, was
New American Cjclopsdia.
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YOKK.
made Dec. 12, 1844, when the sheriff, Hon. Henry C.
Miller, attempted to serve process against the property of
an anti-renter in the town of Copake. Proceeding with-
out a posse (except a single companion) towards the place
of his destination, he at length encountered the outlying
pickets of the enemy, but was by them allowed to pass on.
Arriving at the place where the process was to be served,
he was surprised by a show of force which be had not an-
ticipated. There was a body of about three hundred men
disguised as Indians, under command of the chief, " Big
Thunder," and besides these there was a gathering of more
than a thousand people, undisguised, and present only as
spectators of the scene of violence which they evidently
expected, for they had, undoubtedly, supposed that the
sheriff would appear with a strong posse, and prepared to
use force in the performance of his duty. Upon his ap-
pearance the great chief, " Big Thunder" (whose real name
was Smith A. Boughton), and six other sachems of the
tribe, conducted him to the public-house of the place, where,
after informing him that under no circumstances would he
be permitted to execute his mission, and that his life would
be endangered by a persistent attempt to do so, they suc-
ceeded, by intimidation with firearms, in dispossessing him
of his papers, which they burned in public, amid the war-
whoops of the braves and the plaudits of the spectators.
The sheriff was then permitted to depart in peace, and to
return to his home at Hud.son, where his report of the
outrage was received by the citizens with feelings and ex-
periences of the deepest indignation.
It was advertised that, on the 18th of December, the
chief " Big Thunder" would attend at Smoky Hollow, in the
town of Claverack. there to address the people — particularly
the Van Rensselaer tenants — on the (then) paramount
question of the day. At the time appointed a very large
audience had gathered there, some out of sympathy with
the principles set forth, and some from motives of mere
curiosity. Pursuant to the announcement the orator ap-
peared supported by a strong body-guard in costume. It
is said that this was the most brilliant — as it was destined
to be the last — of his days of triumph. During the orgies
of the day, a youth, named W. H. Rifenburgh, a spectator
qf the performances, was killed by a pistol-shot, alleged to
have been accidentally fired. When intelligence of this
occurrence reached Hudson, it was at once decided that
" Big Thunder" should be arrested, and upon this sheriff
Miller set out for the seene of the tragedy, accompanied
by Mr. Joseph D. Monell. When they reached Smoky
Hollow it was late in the day, and the meeting had already
dissolved ; but " Big Thunder" was found in a back room
at the public-house, divested of his plumes and war-paint,
and engaged in quiet conversation. He was arrested at
once and without resistance, but upon reaching the open
air, where he was surrounded by a number of his men, he
drew a pistol and made a desperate attempt to escape, but
was at last overpowered and bound.
The sheriff also captured the chief " Little Thunder"
(whose real name was Mortimer C. Belding), and a little
later he had delivered both the chiefs safe in the jail at
Hudson. Soon after, deputy-sheriff Thomas Sedgwick
effected the arrest of two other leaders, named Rey-
nolds and W^alter Hutchins. The last named was other-
wise known as the " White Chief," and had frequently and
freely uttered the threat that he would never be taken
alive ; but upon being found secreted in a garret, he was
secured without so much as a show of resistance.
When " Big" and " Little Thunder" arrived at Hudson in
the custody of the sheriff, a vast and shouting crowd followed
them to the jail, and the whole city was jubilant ; but when
it was learned that wellnigh a thousand men in the east
part of the county had sworn to rescue the prisoners and
burn the city the rejoicings were succeeded by unmistakable
panic, and the citizens were not in the least reassured by
the proclamation of Mayor Curtiss, in which he recalled to
mind the fact " that no policy of insurance will cover losses
by fire when caused by invasion, insurrection, or civil
commotion."
It was decided that the citizens should be organized for
the security and defense of the city, and the plan and details
of such organization were placed in the hands of a com-
mittee, which might properly have been called the Com-
mittee of Public Safety, consisting of Colonel Charles
Darling, Captain E. P. Cowles, Killian Miller, Rufus Reed,
and Warren Rockwell. The first measure adopted was the
establishment of a patrol of citizens, twenty from each
ward, to be constantly on duty during the hours of night.
Then Captain Cowles' military company, the Hudson Light
Guard, were ordered to hold themselves in readiness,
equipped and ammunitioned for instant service, and to
muster at the court-house with the least possible delay
upon the sounding of certain alarm-strokes on the bell of
the Presbyterian church. Four pieces of artillery were
placed in charge of a company of one hundred men, en-
rolled from the citizens, and under command of Captain
Henry Whiting, and videttes were posted well out upon
the roads leading into the city from the eastward.
These were but the beginning of the precautionary meas-
ures. A request was made to the State authorities to fur-
nish five hundred stand of arms, with proper ammunition,
which was promptly responded to by the governor, and the
arms furnished. A battalion of five hundred volunteers
was formed, called the " Law and Order Association," to
act as " minute-men," to be always ready and subject to the
call of the sheriff at all times. This body consisted of four
companies, commanded by Captains Thomas P. Newbcry,
Ichabod Rogers, Hiram Gage, and Warren Rockwell, and
the battalion was under command of Colonel Darling.
Assistance was also asked and received from abroad.
Colonel Darling went to Catskill, told the people there of
the danger which menaced Hudson, and asked for volun-
teers to return with him. A large number of men re-
sponded, and remained in Hudson over Saturday night,
Sunday, and Sunday night, returning to Catskill on Mon-
day. A request was made by the common council for the
Albany Burgesses' corps to lend their assistance, to which
the corps responded by reporting to the mayor of Hudson
for duty, to remain until the exigency should have passed.
Afterwards, upon a still further request for troops. Governor
Bouck sent hither the Emmet Guards, Van Rensselaer
Guards, Washington Riflemen, Albany Republican Artillery,
and a company of cavalry from New York, under command
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
of Captain Krack. This comparatively large force crowded
the available accommodations of Hudson, and many were
quartered on the boats, which then lay winter-bound at the
wharves. At the end of about one month, during which
time the soldiery had given material aid to the sheriff in
making the desired arrests of implicated persons, the dan-
ger was believed to have passed, and the troops returned to
their homes, carrying with them the thanks and gratitude
of the people of the city.
There are those among the citizens of Hudson who,
looking back to that time, freely express the belief that the
magnitude of the power invoked was largely dispropor-
tionate to the danger which menaced, but there were proba-
bly few who then entertained that view of the case.
The prisoner Boughton, for whose safe-keeping the city
had been placed in a state of siege, was brought to trial
before Judge Parker at the March term of court, and was
defended by Ambrose L. Jordan and James Storm. At-
torney-General John Van Buren was assisted by Hon. The-
odore Miller in the prosecution. The trial continued for
two weeks, and ended in a disagreement of the jury. In
the following September he was again tried before Judge
John W. Edmonds, and was found guilty. When asked
the usual question why sentence should not be passed upon
him, he simply replied that he had done nothing which he
considered a crime, but that the court had seen fit to con-
vict him, and he must submit to its decision. He was then
sentenced to a life imprisonment in the Clinton State prison.
Several of the other leaders were convicted and sentenced
for different terms, but " Little Thunder" was never brought
to trial.
The conviction of these men quelled forever all attempts
by anti-rent partisans to resist the execution of the laws
in Columbia county ; not that a single anti-renter had
changed in his hatred to the manorial system, or was any
less than before inclined to resist what he deemed its in-
tolerable wrong and oppression, but that it was now fully
realized that resistance to constituted authority was worse
than useless, and that what was to be done must be accom-
plished by the wielding of political power at the ballot-box.
By pursuing this course the anti-rent party elected their
governor (Young) in 1846, and one of his first official acts
was to pardon from the State prison the so-called anti-rent
convicts, including " Big Thunder" and all others who had
been sentenced from Columbia.
The final triumph of the anti-renters came in the year
1852, in the decision of the court of appeals in the test-
case of De Peystcr vs. Michael. De Peyster occupied the
position of proprietor by reason of purchase of Van Rens-
selaer's interest in some lands in Columbia county, from
which lands it was sought to eject Michael foe non-perform-
ance of certain manorial conditions. The counsel for the
proprietor was the Hon. Josiah Sutherland (now of New
York), who argued the case most ably for his client.
Without entering at length upon the merits of the case,
it is sufficient to say that the court was unanimous in its
decision in favor of the defendant, and that Judge Suther-
land himself has never hesitated to declare that the decision
in the De Peyster case was a legitimate close to the anti-
rent controversy in favor of the anti-renters.
CHAPTER VIII.
POLITICAL.
Propei-l,.v in Men and Wunien— I'uMtics an.l Parties in the County.
The first election by the people in what is now the State
of New York was that of the "Twelve Men," in 1641,
held under the Dutch rule. The first election under the
English was that of the Assembly of 1665, for the pro-
mulgation of the " Duke's Laws." The first election under
the authority of the people themselves was that one held
in March, 1775, to elect deputies to the provincial conven-
tion, which met in New York, the 20th of April following,
to choose delegates to the Continental Congress, which assem-
bled at Philadelphia, on May 10, 1775. Down to the
adoption of the State constitution in 1777, elections were
held before the sheriffs by a poll or viva voce vote. The
constitution provided for the ballot system to be tried, after
the war then waging liad ceased, as an " experiment," guard-
ing the same, however, with a provision that " if the ex-
periment proved unsatisfactory, the former method," or some
other, should be returned to. In pursuance of this pro-
vision, a law was passed March 27, 1778, authorizing the
use of the ballot in elections for governor and lieutenant-
governor, but retaining the viva voce system for members of
the Legislature ; but in 1787, February 3, the restriction
was done away, and the ballot system introduced generally.
The inspector system was introduced at this time (1787),
and, with some changes, still obtains. Local boards in
each election district at first canvassed the returns; the
result was recorded by the town clerk, who forwarded the
same to the county clerk, who recorded it in his office and
forwarded it to the secretary of state, who also recorded it,
when the votes were canvassed by a State board, consisting
of the secretary of state, comptroller, and treasurer, on or
before the 8th of June, and who published the result. By
the act of 1787, general elections were held on the last
Tuesday in April, and might be held five days. By the
act of April 17, 1822, a board of county canvassers was
instituted, consisting of one inspector of elections from each
town, and the attorney-general and surveyor-general were
added to the State canvassers. The general election day
was changed to the first Monday in November, and could
be held by adjournment from place to place in each town
or ward for three days.
In 1842, the date of holding general elections was
changed to the Tuesday succeeding the first Monday in
November, and the balloting confined to one day. By this
last act the supervisors of the respective counties were
constituted the boards of county canvassers, which system
is in vogue at the present time.
Under the Assembly of 1091, electors were required to
be residents of the electoral district at least three months
prior to the issue of the writ, and to be possessed of a free-
hold worth forty pounds. " Freemen" of the corporations
paying a rental of forty shillings per annum were also ad-
mitted to the right of suffrage. Catholics were not allowed
to vote nor to be elected, and Quakers and Moravians were
at first virtually disfranchised, and remained so until they
HISTORr OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
were allowed to aiErm. Under the first constitution electors
were required to have a residence of six months, and such
as were freeholders of estates of twenty pounds in the
county, or paid a rental of forty shillings per annum, and
actually paid taxes, could vote for representatives to the
Legislature. Freemen of New York and Albany, also,
were voters for these and inferior officials without the
proper qualifications ; but to cast a ballot for governor,
lieutenant-governor, and senators required the possession
of a freehold worth one hundred pounds over and above
all debts discharged thereon. In 1811 these values were
changed to corresponding sums in the Federal currency,
viz., two hundred and fifty dollars, fifty dollars, and five
dollars. No discrimination was made against blacks and
mulattoes, except that they were required to produce au-
thenticated certificates of freemen. The constitution of
1821 extended the elective franchise to every male citizen
of the age of twenty-one years, being a resident of the State
one year preceding any election, and of the town or county
where he offered to vote six months, provided he had paid
taxes or was exempt from taxation, or had performed mili-
tary duty, or was a fireman ; and also to every such citizen
being a resident of the State three years, and of the county
one year, who had performed highway labor, or paid an
equivalent therefor during the year. Colored persons were
not voters unless possessed of a freehold of two hundred and
fifty dollars value, were residents of the State three years,
and had paid taxes on the full value of their estates above
incumbrances thereon. In 1826, the elective franchise was
made free to all white male citizens, without property quali-
fications of any kind ; that qmilification, however, was re-
tained for colored citizens. In 1845, the property (jualifi-
cation required for the holding of office under the consti-
tutions of the State up to that date was abrogated by the
people. In 1846, and again in 1860, propositions for
equal suffrage to colored persons were rejected by the people
by heavy majorities. By the amendment to the constitu-
tion adopted by the people Nov. 3, 1874, " Every male
citizen of the age of twenty-one years, who shall have been
a citizen for ten days, and an inhabitant of the State one
year next preceding an election, and for the last four
months a resident of the county, and for the last thirty
days a resident in the election district in which he may
offer his vote," is entitled to vote at such election. Elective
officers under the first constitution were limited to the gov-
ernor, lieutenant-governor, senators, and assemblymen ; and
the town officers, loan officers, county treasurers, and clerks
of supervisors were appointed as the Legi-slature provided.
AH other civil and military officers were to be appointed
by the council of appointment, unless otherwise designated
in the constitution. Under the second constitution, the
list of elective officers was greatly extended, and the power
of appointment of those not elective conferred on the gov-
ernor. In 1846, two hundred and eighty-nine officers
were thus appointed. The list of appointive officers is
very limited at the present time.
SLAVERY IN THE COUNTV.
The act for the manumission of slaves in the State of
New York was passed in 1788, but previous to that time
the Quakers had in several instances freed their servants. In
1799 the act for the gradual abolition of slavery in the
State was passed.
The records of the county show bills of sales and deeds
of manumission of slaves, a few of which we here give :
On the 23d day of December, 1786, Abraham Vosburgh
sold to Barent Vander Poel a negro man named " Piet"
for seventy pounds New York currency. The grantor war-
ranted his title in Piet good, and would defend the same
against all comers : " To have and to hold to the said Van-
der Poel, his heirs and assigns, the said Piet/oreye?-."
Cornelius Sharp and wife gave a deed of manumission to
Moses Frayer and wife and child, and by will devi-sed to
their former slaves all of their property, to take effect on the
death of both Sharp and his wife.
A bill of sale disposes of " one negro girl 4 years old, a
heifer, a loom, and 40 plank" for fifteen pounds.
Deeds of manumission of slaves were predicated on their
ability to support themselves, proof of the same to be made
to the satisfaction of the overseers of the poor of the town
where they resided.
Further mention of this subject will be found in the his-
tories of several of the towns of the county.
COLUMBIA COUNTY POLITICS AND POLITICAL PARTIES.
Political parties, in the sense in which the term is now
understood, cannot be said to have had any existence prior
to the Revolution. During that struggle there were found
everywhere (and Columbia county formed no exception to
the rule) many who, from interest or a sense of duty, main-
tained their attachment to the crown, and upon these the
name of Tory was bestowed as a term of opprobrium by
their patriotic opponents, the Whigs ; but these terms as
then used did not apply to or indicate organized parties.
At the close of the war, however, political lines began to be
drawn, and we find that soon after three parties had devel-
oped themselves, of whom, and of their composition. Chan-
cellor Livingston, in a letter written in January, 1784, spoke
as follows : " Our parties are, first, the Tories, who still hope
for power, under the idea that the remembrance of the past
should be lost, though they daily keep it up by their
avowed attachment to Great Britain. Secondly, the violent
Whigs, who are for expelling the Tories from the State, in
hopes by that means to preserve the power in their own
hands. The third are those who wish to suppress all vio-
lence, t?o soften the rigor of the laws against the royalists,
and not to banish them from that social intercourse which
may by degrees obliterate the remembrance of past mis-
deeds, but who at the same time are not willing to shock
the feelings of the virtuous citizens that have at every ex-
pense and hazard fulfilled their duty, by at once destroying
all distinction between them and the royalists, and giving
the reins into the hands of the latter, but who at the same
time wish that this distinction should rather be found in
the sentiments of the people than marked out by the
laws."
The league between the States, created by the adoption
of the articles of confederation, in 1777, had been entered
into in time of public peril, as a means of mutual defense,
and so long as the safety of the States remained in jeopardy
HISTOKY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
it sei-ved the purpose of its creation. It was really a tem-
porary offensive and defensive alliance, and had never been
expected to become permanent as a plan and basis of gov-
ernment. In fact, it had none of the attributes of a gov-
ernment, for the Congress, as con.stituted under those
articles, was little more than a convention of delegates from
the- several States, called together to deliberate and agree
on public measures to be recommended by them to their
respective Legislatures for adoption.
A short experience after the return of peace was suf-
ficient to produce a universal conviction of the inadequacy
of this method, and the necessity for establishing a new
plan of government ; but opinions differed widely on the
question of what that plan should be: one side favoring
the mere revision of the old articles of confederation, while
the other demanded the adoption of a new constitution at
the basis of a permanent and more consolidated govern-
ment. The advocates of the constitutional plan became
known as Federalists, their opponents Anti-Federalists;
and th&se were, in fact, the first of the political parties of
the United States.
In February, 1787, Congress resolved that it was expe-
dient that on the second Monday of May following a con-
vention of delegates from the several States should be held
at Philadelphia, for the purpose " of revising the articles of
confederation, and of reporting to Congress and to the sev-
eral Legislatures such alterations and provisions as should,
when agreed to in Congi-ess and confirmed by the States,
be adequate to the exigencies of government and the pres-
ervation of the Union."
At the time and place appointed the national conven-
tion assembled for deliberation upon the different plans, of
which there were pioposed, first, the revision of the old
articles of confederation, of which Robert Yates and John
Lansing, of the New York delegation, were the uncom-
promising advocates; second, the adoption of a constitution
establishing a strong and purely national government, in
which plan Alexander Hamilton, also of the New York
delegation, was the recognized leader ; and, third, the " Vir-
ginia plan," offered by Mr. Randolph, of Virginia, and
supposed to have been drawn by Mr. Madison, intended to
represent the people in their numerical strength, as well as
the States in their sovereign capacity; this being the one
finally agreed on by the convention and recommended by
them to the States for their adoption.
In this State the opposition to the new constitution was
very strong and determined. A resolution was passed in
both branches of the Legislature for the call of a State con-
vention in pursuance of the recommendation of Congress,
and in the subsequent election of delegates to that conven-
tion the sole question considered was whether the candi-
dates were for or against the adoption of the constitution.
Columbia county elected the opposition, or Anti-Federalists,
Messrs. Matthew Adgate, John Bay, and Peter Van Ness.
The convention met at Poughkeepsie, and organized June
17, 1788, by the appointment of Governor George Clinton
as president. The body was largely Anti-Federal. Wil-
liam Jay, in his " Life of John Jay," states that out of the
total of fifty-seven delegates, forty-six were Anti- Federalists.
Hammond, in his " History of Political Parties," thinks Jay
was mistaken, and gives the whole number as sixty-seven.
Chancellor Livingston, as leader of the adoptionists, opened
the debate. It continued for three weeks, and would prob-
ably have ended in rejection, or at least conditional adoption
of the constitution, but, in the midst of the deliberations,
news arrived of its ratification by New Hampshire, which,
as it completed the requisite number of nine States, left the
question before the convention, not whether they preferred
the old articles to the new constitution, but whether they
would remain in the Union or secede. In this stiite of
affairs a portion of the Anti- Federalists (advised, as was
supposed, by Governor Clinton) yielded to the necessity,
and on the 26th of July it was, by a vote of thirty to
twenty-seven,* " Resolved, That the constitution be ratified,
ill full confidence that the amendments proposed hij this
convention will he adopted." And then, after all the
members had subscribed to a circular letter to the other
States, requesting their co-operation in an effort to obtain
the adoption of the proposed amendments annexed to their
ratificatiofl, the convention adjourned sine die.
The election in 1789 was warmly contested, and gen-
erally resulted in the success of the Federalists.f Ham-
mond, in liis " History of Political Parties," says such was
the result in Columbia ; nevertheless, we find that Matthew
Adgate and John Bay, two of the stanch Anti-Federal
opponents of the constitution in the convention of the pre-
vious year, were now elected to the Assembly. Peter Van
Ness, who also as a delegate had been unwavering in his
opposition, was elected by the House a member of the
council of appointment. The election in 1790 indicated no
especial change of political opinions among the people.
In 1791 (Feb. 7) a division of senatorial districts was
made, in which Columbia, Rensselaer, Washington, and
Clinton formed the eastern district. The senators elected
in this district in that year were Peter Van Ness, John
Williams, Edward Savage, Alexander Webster, and William
Powers, the last named being of Columbia county.
The political sentiment of the county was now inclining
towards Federalism, and so continued for a number of years.
In 1794, Ambrose Spencer was elected to the Assembly,
and in 1796 he was elected senator by the Federalists.
Peter Silvester (Federalist) was elected to the Senate in
1797. In the four following years the county favored the
Federalists, though the Republicans^ had been confident
of success in 1799. In 1800 the middle district (of which
Columbia was made a part in 1796) elected Republican
senators, viz.-, Daniel Van Ness, John C. Hogeboom, Solo-
mon Sutherland, Jacobus S. Bruyn, and James W. Wilkin,
though the county itself gave a majority against them.
The number of votes cast for Hogeboom was eight hun-
dred and forty-sLx ; for Van Ness, eight hundred and fifty ;
'^ The Columbia county delegation remained steadfast, and o]»posed
the ratification in the final vote.
t Governor Clinton was, however, re-elected bv a majority of four
hundred and twenty-nine votes. Hammond says, "That Governor
Clinton succeeded in this election is a high evidence of his personal
popularity. His friends around him were slain, but he himself walked
off the field of battle in triumph."
j Thi' Anti-Federalists had now become more generally known as
Republicans, and were often known as Democrats.
48
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
for Sutherland, eight hundred and eighty-eight ; for Bruyn,
eight hundred and sixty; and for Wilicin, eiglit hundred
and seventy-nine. The elected ticket received an average
plurality of thirty-one in the city of Hudson, but in the
county the opposing ticket received an average plurality of
one hundred and fifty-six.
At the election held in that year for representative in
Congress, John Bird received in the county ten hundred
and forty-five votes, against eighteen hundred and sixty-six
given for Henry W. Livingston. The three towns then
embraced within the Livingston manor voted as follows :
Clermont, for Livingston, one hundred; for Bird, none;
Germantown,* Livingston, forty-two ; Bird, none ; the town
of Livingston, for H. W. Livingston, five hundred and
forty ; for Bird, twenty-seven ; showing either a remarkable
unanimity of political opinion, or a no less remarkable
personal popularity enjoyed by Mr. Livingston among the
people of his own section.
In this year Columbia's favorite, the gifted Elisha Wil-
liams, was first elected a member of the Assembly. In the
gubernatorial election of 1801 the county vote for the
successful candidate. Governor George Clinton, was eleven
hundred and twenty-six, and for his defeated opponent,
Stephen Van Rensselaer, ten hundred and thirty-five.
In the election for members of Assembly in 1802, Samuel
Edmonds received sixteen hundred and seventy-four votes;
Aaron Kellogg, fifteen hundred and ninety-six ; Moncricf
Livingston, fifteen hundred and ninety-eight; and Peter
Silvester, sixteen hundred and seventy-two votes ; and these
were elected by an average plurality of one hundred and
twenty-four over the opposing candidates.
In 1801, Elisha Jenkins, of Hudson, was made comp-
troller. He had formerly been known as a leading Feder-
alist in the county, but had transferred his allegiance to the
Republicans, in 1798, with Ambrose Spencer, to whom it
was said he owed this appointment. " It is not derogatory
to Mr. Jenkins," says Hammond, " to say that he was far
inferior to the person (John V. Henry) who was removed
in order to make a place for him."
Mr. Spencer was appointed attorney-general of the State
in 1802. He was a leader and a power in politics. At
first he was a stanch Federalist, and as such had been
elected first to the Assembly, in 179-1, then to the Senate,
but changed sides during the latter part of the session of
1798. This was not long after the appointment of Mr.
« Similar results were often shown in the vote of Germantown. In
ISOl it gave Hezekiah L. Hosmer, for Congressman, forty-six votes,
and his opponent none. In the same year it gave Van Rensselaer,
for governor, si.\ty-five votes, and his antagonist, Clinton, one vote;
the Federal Senatorial ticket in the same election receiving si.xty-five
votes, with none opposing. In 1802 the vote of the town for repre-
sentative in Congress stood fifty-nine for Livingston to three for John
P. Van Ness. In 1804 it gave Burr, for governor, fifty-eight votes,
and Morgan Lewis, for the same office, four votes; but in the next
election of governor { 1807) Lewis received the lion's share, — seventy-
nst '
solitary vote gii
for hi!
oppo
D. D.
Tompkins. In 1810 the town gave Piatt, for governor, seventy-eight
votes, against four for Tompkins ; in 1813, Tompkins held his own in
the town, receiving four votes, to eighty-six cast for his competitor,
Van Kcnsselaer. In 1816, Rufus King received seventy-five, and
Tompkins' supporters had increased to nine; but in 1820 Tompkins
received but six votes in the town, against eighty-five cast for his
antagonist, De Witt Clinton.
Jones as comptroller, and it was charged by the party which
he abandoned that his course was actuated by disappoint-
ment and resentment that his own aspirations to that ofiice
had been ignored by Governor Jay. This charge, however,
was denied by him, and was branded as an aspersion and a
calumny.
The maxim that " to the victors belong the spoils," often
supposed to have been first generally adopted at a much
later period, seems, however, to have been at the time of
which we write quite as much the rule of political action
as at the present day. The most violent denunciations of
political opponents, too, were in common, and wellnigh
universal use, degenerating not infrequently into gross per-
sonal abuse, and even assault ; and this was true not only
as applied to the ruder and less cultivated classes, but also
to those occupying the very highest social and political
station.
In the year 1801, among the various removals of county
officers made (probably chiefiy, if not entirely, for political
reasons) by the council, of which Ambrose Spencer was
then a member, was that of the clerk of Delaware county,
Mr. Ebenezer Foote, an influential Federalist, who had been
a senator from the middle district, and who had received
his appointment as clerk, in 1797, from the council, of
which Mr. Spencer was then also a member. This removal
was much complained of as having been made on purely
political grounds, and, in general reply to these complaints,
a writer in the Albani/ Register, signing himself! " A Friend
of Justice," defended the action of the council, and charged
Foote with official short-comings as the cause of the re-
moval. Foote replied, denying the accusation, and charging
Mr. Spencer with being himself the author of the publica-
tion, and with base and unworthy behavior as a member of
the council and as a public man. Spencer retorted that he
had not known nor heard of the article in question until he
saw it in print; and as to the matter of Foote's removal,
he added, " It was an act of justice to the public, inasmuch
as, in removing you, the veriest hypocrite and the most
malignant villain in the State was deprived of the power of
perpetrating mischief ... If, as you insinuate, your
interests have by your removal been materially affected,
then, sir, like many men more honest than yourself, earn
your bread by the sweat of your brow." Even the great
De Witt Clinton, in speaking of a political adversary (Col-
onel John Swartwout), stigmatized him as " a liar, a
scomulrcl, and a villmn." f
It was rather an unusual thing, however, even in those
times, for gentlemen like Ambrose Spencer and De Witt
Clinton to express their opinions in terms quite as violent
as the above. Although the sentiments to which they
f This choice language occasioned a duel between the parties.
Swartwout demanded an apology or recantation; Clinton replied
that he (Swartwout) had charged him with opposing Aaron Burr
from base motives, and that he had used the offensive language solely
in reference to that charge. If that were withdrawn he (Clinton)
would recant or apologize. Swartwout would not withdraw, and so
they fought. Clinton said he was fighting a man against whom ho
had no personal enmity, but nevertheless he fired five shots at him ;
and two of these having taken effect, the surgeons interposed and
prevented further hostilities, though contrary to the expressed wish
of Swartwout.
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
49
gave utterance were by no means considered extreme in
the political circles of that day, yet it was not uncommon
for men of equal education and approximate position to
express similar opinions in phrases less abrupt, if no less
forcible. Of such character were the contents of a pamphlet
published in 1802, and bearing the fictitious signature of
Aristides. This, discarding coai-se vituperation, assailed in
polished terms, but with unrelenting bitterness, the private
character as well as the public actions of nearly all the
prominent men of the Republican party. Upon Dr. Tillot-
son, and the Livingston family in general, it .showered a
flood of the most unsparing denunciation, as being dis-
honest, false, venal, and governed by the maxim,
" Rem, facias rem,
Si possis rccte, si non, quoquc modo, rem."
" But," says Hammond, " the vials of his wrath, the dregs
of his gall and bitternsss, seem to have been reserved to be
poured on the heads of De Witt Clinton and Ambrose
Spencer. He charges them with everything vile, every-
thing mean and malignant. William P. Van Ness is now
the admitted author of this production. It is written with
great talent. As a political writer, its style renders Mr.
Van Ness unrivaled since the days of Junius ; and yet
every sentence and line of it seems to have been written
with such intense hate and malice boiling in his bosom,
that no man who possesses the least portion of the milk of
human kindness would consent to enjoy the reputation for
genius and talent to which the author is entitled, if the
possession of that reputation must of necessity be connected
with the evidence which this pamphlet affords of the ex-
treme malignity of the heart of the writer."
But these comments bear much too severely on the
brilliant Van Ness. A weapon so sharp as was the keen
blade of his satire has ever proved too dangerous to be
wielded by fallible human nature, and in this case we find
no exception to this universal rule ; but, in extenuation,
may be urged the weighty plea of the general custom and
practice of those political times, which countenanced such
attacks, and even tolerated physical assault. And it should
also be borne in mind that at that time Mr. Van Ness was
naturally in a state of exasperation at the extremely severe
accusations — however well founded — which had been made
against his, personal friend, Aaron Burr, in a political
pamphlet then recently published. This pamphlet was
almost as bitter, though by no means as able, as the publi-
cation of Aristides.
The newspapers of that time were generally violently
partisan in character, and teemed with the grossest personal
abuse of political opponents. Mr. Charles Holt, the pub-
lisher of a Republican paper called the Bee, at New Haven,
Conn., who had been convicted, fined, and imprisoned for
sedition in 1799, removed in 1802 and established his paper
at Hudson by invitation from the Republicans of Columbia.
" On the appearance of the Bee in Hudson," says Mr. Mil-
ler, in his " Historical Sketches," " a small paper, less than
a letter-sheet in size, was issued from the office of Mr.
Croswell [who was the editor and publisher of the Hudson
Balnncel called the Wasp, ... and both Wcisj^ and Bee
stung with personal abuse." They were political opponent-s,
7
most bitterly hostile, and were supported and applauded in
their vituperation by their respective parties. As a speci-
men of the language employed in their articles, we quote
from the Wasp a reference to its political antagonists :
" With them vice and virtue are convertible terms, as
party interest requires. Yes, in this combination may be
seen in miniature the conspiracy of a Cataline, and although
I have not TuUy's powers of elocution, yet ere long I will
lash the rascals with plain facts, and by a just exposition of
their conduct I will make those pactitious scoundrels feel
the just resentment of a just people; and if their callous
souls are not impervious to the keenest remorse, they will
fly the sight of honest men, and, like Nyctimene, bewail
their fall in the dark."
In 1803, Mr. Croswell, the Federalist editor, made a
most violent attack on President Jefferson, for which he
was indicted by the grand jury of the county. He was
tried in February, 1804, and found guilty under the then
existing law, though he was defended by no less a lawyer
than Alexander Hamilton.
These political controversies did not in those days always
end in mere words. Mr. Holt, of the Bee, had upon one
occasion printed an article which was extremely severe on
Elisha Williams, who, becoming furious in consequence,
hud in wait for Mr. Holt (having first taken the precaution
of posting several of his political friends within supporting
distance), and upon the appearance of the editor assaulted
and knocked him down ; an act disgraceful enough in itself,
considering the high position of the perpetrator, and doubly
so from the fact that Mr. Williams, who was himself a man
of powerful frame, thought it necessary to provide rein-
forcements in advance when going to waylay a man who
was not only naturally feeble and slight, but w;is also a
cripple.
In those early times the bank question seems to have been
a political one. The few banks then in existence appear
to have been originated and used as party machines, and
the chartering of new ones was not only made a party
question, but was often accompanied by bribery and cor-
ruption to an extent comparatively as great as that to which
the same agents arc employed at the present day in the
securing of legislative favors to financial projects.
Up to the year 1799 there were in the State of New
York but three banks, and the people thought this number
was too great, for the system seemed to them too much like
that of the old Continental paper money, the evils of which
all either recollected or had heard of from their fathers,
and the name of bank, too, carried with it the idea of a
chartered combination of the money power against the
interests of the poor. The three banks in existence were
the Bank of New York, the Bank of Albany, and the Bank
of Columbia, at Hudson ; all in the hands, or under the
influence, of Federalists.
That Columbia county bad been able to secure for her-
self one of these coveted charters at that early day, and in
spite of the strong popular prejudice against them, shows
clearly upon what a commanding position of political in-
fluence among the counties of the State (inferior only to
New York and Albany) she bad been placed by the num-
ber and transcendent abilities of her leading men.
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
In the year above mentioned the Legislature was peti-
tioned to incorporate The Manhattan Company, for " sup-
plying the city of New York with pure and wholesome
water ;" an object which seemed to be a most laudable one,
especially in view of the ravages which had been made in
the city by the then recent visitation of the yellow fever.
This plausible scheme found favor with the unsuspecting
legislators, and the desired charter was granted during the
last days of the session of 1799. As it was uncertain what
amount might be required for the project, a capital of two
million dollars was authorized, and, in view of the possi-
bility that this sum might more than cover the outlay, it
was provided that " the surplus capital may be employed in
any way not inconsistent with the laws and constitution of
the United States, or of the State of New York." But
not long after the close of the session it was discovered that
in this seemingly insignificant clause was contained a grant
of banking privileges to Aaron Burr and his Republican
associates, who had thus secured by indirection what they
knew it was impossible to obtain otherwise, viz., an ofiFset to
the power wielded in the interest of the Federalists by the
Bank of New York. Hon. Ambrose Spencer, of Columbia,
was soon afterwards largely interested in the Manhattan
banking concern. Whether he was so interested from the
first we are unable to say, but it appears more than proba-
ble.
Then came the project of the State Bank at Albany,
which was chartered in 1803. The petition was signed by
Ambrose Spencer, John Taylor, Elisha Jenkins, Thomas
Tillotson, and others; Columbia county being, as usual,
well in the foreground. No concealment was here made of
the fact that this was a measure urged in the Republican
interest, for it was alleged in the petition that not only did
the trade and commerce of the capital city require another
bank, but that the then-existing bank — the Bank of Albany
— was owned by Federalists, and that its power was used
oppressively against business men who were members of the
Republican party.
The petitioners also a.sked that, in addition to banking
privileges, they might receive a grant or lease of the Salina
salt springs for a long term, — say sixty years, — at an annual
rent to be paid by them to the State of three thousand dol-
lars during the first ten years, three thousand five hundred
dollars during a second term of equal length, and four
thousand dollars yearly thereafter ; the company to be bound
to furnish, and have always ready for sale at Salina, mer-
chantable salt, at a price not exceeding five shillings per
bushel. It is not probable that any among its advocates or
opponents realized the enormous value of the concession
asked for, but there were not lacking those who felt that it
was too extravagant to be granted, and as a result this pro-
vision of the bill was finally stricken out.*
This occasion seems to have marked the commencement
of the system of bribery (to use a plain term) which has
since that time grown to such alarming proportions. In the
marking out of the scheme, and before the petition was
presented, the members of the company had agreed on an
allotment of stock among themselves, and had reserved a
* Vide Hammond, vol. i. p. 329.
surplus to be placed where it would do the most good to
the project, — -among the membsrs of the Legislature. Two
differing statements have been made of the manner in
which this stock fund was used. Both agree that it was
distributed among Republican members exclusively, and that
it was guaranteed that its price would be above par ; but
they difier, in that by one account it is made to appear
that the distribution was only made among such Republi-
cans as voted for the charter, and by the other, that it was
placed with all Republican members, without regard to the
manner of their voting. It is most probable that the latter
was the course actually pursued, but in either case the
intent and the result would be the same, for any member
who would accept the more direct proposal would not fail
to see that the value of his stock depended wholly on the
granting of the charter, and would then vote in accordance
with his own interest.
Bills to incorporate the Merchants' Bank of New York
and the Mercantile Company of Albany failed to pass. It
was alleged by the friends of those projects that it had been
agreed between them and the promoters of the State Bank
that mutual support should be given to secure the paissage
of the three bills, but that when the State Bank had
secured their own object they forget the agreement, and
not only fiiiled to assist but secretly opposed them.
The Merchants' Bank was again before the Legislature
in 1804, but with no better result. In 1805 they made a
third and determined effort for a charter. It was regarded
as a Federal measure, and was strongly opposed by the Re-
publicans, under lead of De Witt Clinton and Judge Spen-
cer. Its most powerful champion in the Assembly was
William W. Van Ness, of Columbia, who, although he had
then just made his first appearance in that body, was the
recognized Federal leader. The opposition was overcome,
and the bank received its charter.
These matters are referred to more at length, as show-
ing the commanding political position held by Columbia
county, by reason of the eminent abilities of her public
men.
The political power possessed by Judge Spencer, not only
while he remained a member of the council of appointment,
but for years afterwards, seems most remarkable, as well in
the great influence which he wielded in the making of ap-
pointments as in the control which he habitually exercised
over men and measures within the lines of his party. In
explaining this, Hammond says, " It must be borne in mind
that all officers, including sheriffs, clerks of counties, and
justices of the peace, were appointed by the council at Al-
bany. The appointment of justices conferred a more effect-
ual means on the central power of influencing the msiss of
the community than all the other patronage within the gift
of the government. The control over these oSicers carried
the influence of the central power into every town and even
the most obscure neighborhood in the State. ... By some
such means Judge Spencer acquired and possessed great
power in creating yearly the appointing power, and the
ability to create generally carries with it the ability to con-
trol the thing created. I must not be understood as in-
tending to represent or even to insinuate that Judge Spencer
yielded his assent to any measure or the support of any
HISTORY OF COLUiMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
51
man when he believed or suspected that such assent would
prejudice substantially the great interests of the public.
Far from it. On the contrary, I believe him to have been
honest and patriotic in his views ; but I believe he looked
on these matters as mere personal questions, and thought
he had a right to pursue a course calculated to advance his
own views and interest when that interest was not incom-
patible with the public good. . . . Judge Spencer was
truly a great man ; but he was not only fond of power, but
of exercising it. He was industrious, bold, enterprising,
and persevering. To these qualities it may be added that
he was a man of commanding intellect, and one of the
ablest judges, if not the ablest judge, in the United States.' '
He was appointed to the bench of the Supreme Court
Feb. 3, 1804, to fill the vacancy occasioned by the resigna-
tion of Judge Radoliff. In reference to that appointment
Hammond remarks, " It is a somewhat singular coincidence
that William W. Van Ness, then a young lawyer and a
zealous Federalist, of Columbia county, afterwards a judge
of the Supreme Court, was removed from the office of sur-
rogate of the county of Columbia for political reasons by
the same council and at the same time that Mr. Spencer
was appointed a judge. Did either one or the other antici-
pate what would be their official, social, and political rela-
tions for several years succeeding the year 1818?"
Upon his elevation to the supreme bench. Judge Spencer
removed his residence to Albany, and ceased to be a citizen
of Columbia county.
In 1804 the county gave a majority for the defeated
gubernatorial candidate. Colonel Burr, the vote being as
follows: Aaron Burr, twelve hundred and ninety-one;
Morgan Lewis, eleven hundred and sixty-two ; plurality for
Burr, one hundred and twenty-nine.
In this year William W. Van Ness, Moncrief Livingston,
Peter Silvester, and Jason Warner, Federalists, were elected
to the Assembly by an average plurality of two hundred
and eighty votes over their opponents ; Mr. Van Ness, who
had three months previously been removed from the office of
surrogate, running considerably ahead of his ticket. He made
his first appearance in the Legislature at the special session
called in November, 1804, for the election of United States
senator and presidential electors. At the regular session,
convened in January, 1805, he at once, and by general assent,
assumed the leadership of the Federalist party in the Assem-
bly, and, as we have seen, achieved a notable success in his
advocacy of the charter of the Merchants' Bank. This may
be regarded as the commencement of his short but surpass-
ingly brilliant public career.
The vote of the county in 1807 for governor was as fol-
lows : for Daniel D. Tompkins, thirteen hundred and six ;
for Morgan Lewis, fifteen hundred and six ; being a
plurality of two hundred in favor of the unsuccessful
candidate. The city of Hudson gave Lewis one hundred
and eighty, and Tompkins one hundred and eighty-six
votes.
In this year Hon. W. W. Van Ness was elevated to the
supreme bench, and Jacob Rutsen Van Rensselaer soon
after became one of the Federalist leaders in the lower
house. In 1808 tiie Federalists achieved a triunipli in the
State, the first in a period of ten years. Upon the result
of this election being known, William W. Van Ness wrote
to his friend, Solomon Van ll'.;nsselaer, at Albany, in a ju-
bilant strain, as follows :
"Ci.AVKRACK, .^Oth April, 1808.
"Dear Sir,— Federalism has triumphed most gloriously in this
county. We have at least 000 majority ; 200 more than we ever had.
If Rensselaer County is faithful we sh.all carry both our members of
Congress. Hasten to communicate this to our friend, Abraham Van
Vcchtcn. Let somebody write us about members of Congress, An.^
Ac., in Rensselaer and Washington counties as soon as possible."
In 1810 the county again gave a majority against the
successful candidate for governor, viz.: for D. D. Tomp-
kins, sixteen hundred and fourteen ; for Jonas Piatt,
twenty one hundred and thirty-four; Piatt's plurality, five
hundred and twenty. The vote of Hudson stood — Tomp-
kins, two hundred and thirty-nine; Piatt, three hundred
and three. The gubernatorial contest in the county in
1813 resulted in a vote of seventeen hundred and seventy-
nine for Stephen Van Rensselaer, against twelve hun-
dred and sixty-four for Governor Tompkins, who was re-
elected.
In 1812, Columbia's most distinguished .son, Martin Van
Buren. was elected to the Senate, and made his first appear-
ance in the New York political arena at the November
session in that year.
Hostilities against Great Britain had been declared by
Congress on the 20th of the preceding June, and the war
question had now become almost the only one which di-
vided political parties. The Federals opposed the war on
the ground that we had no cause for declaring it, or at any
rate that there was much greater cause for war against
France than against England, and that had war been de-
clared against the former country, all our difficulties with
the latter would have been removed. Others believed that
the government had rushed into hostilities prematurely,
and before the nation was prepared for their proper prose-
cution ; but a large majority of the Republican party be-
lieved that the war was a just one, and that the proper
time had arrived for its declaration.
Mr. Van Buren supported the war, and measures for its
vigorous prosecution were warmly and powerfully advocated
b/him in the Senate, but were no less vigorously and ably
opposed by Elisha Williams and Jacob Van Rutsen Rens-
selaer in the Assembly. Frequent conferences became
necessary on account of the collisions which constantly oc-
curred between the Federalist House and the Republican
Senate. " In these conferences," says Holland, in his life
of the statesman, " the measures in dispute were publicly
discussed, and the discussion embraced the general policy of
the administration and the expediency of the war. The
exciting nature of the questions thus debated, the solemnity
of the occasion, the discussions being conducted in the
presence of the two houses, and the brilliant talents of the
parties to the controversy, drew vast audiences, and pre-
sented a field for the display of eloquence unsurpassed in
dignity and interest by the assemblies of ancient Greece.
m". Van Buren was always the leading speaker on the part
of the Senate, and by the vigor of his logic, his acuteness
and dexterity in debate, and the patriotic spirit of his senti-
ments, commanded great applause."
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
Mr. Van Buren was appointed attorney-general in 1815,
and in the following year was re-elected to the Senate for a
term of four years. In the election of 1816 the county
again gave a majority to the unsuccessful candidate for
governor, the number received by Governor Tompkins
being twelve hundred and eighty-nine against fifteen hun-
dred and sixty-one for Rufus King, — a plurality of two
hundred and seventy-two votes.
Upon the question of the nomination for governor in
1817, the Republican (or Democratic) party seemed hope-
lessly divided, one faction favoring and the other opposing
the nomination of De Witt Clinton. A large majority of
the Federalists, having little hope for the success of a can-
didate of their own, desired and labored for the nomination
of Clinton. " Among those most active in their endeavors
to produce this determination of the party," says Ham-
mond, " were Judges Van Ness and Piatt, Jacob Rutsen
Van Rensselaer, Elisha Williams, and generally the lead-
ing Federalists of the city of New York. The ardent
temperament of Judge Van Ness and some other Federal-
ists would not permit them to remain neutral on the ques-
tion respecting the nomination then agitated among the
Republicans."
The opposition to Clinton within the ranks of the Re-
publican party came chiefly from the Tammany Hall branch,
which Mr. Clinton himself, in derision, named the Bucktail
party, from the fact that a leading order of the Tammany
society upon certain occasions wore a part of the tail of a
deer in their hats.* This designation came to be generally
applied to their adherents throughout the State, as well as
in New York city, and thus originated the name of a party
which flourished for a number of years, and which was
celebrated by Fitz-Greene Halleck in verse, of which the
following is a specimen :
" That beer and those Bucktails 111 never forget.
But oft, when alone and unnoticed by all,
I think — is the porter-cask foaming there yet ?
Are the Bucktails still swigging at Tammany Hall?"
One of the principal leaders of the party was Mr. Van
Buren, and Columbia became known as one of the Bucktail
counties of the State as regarded general political questions.
The Clintonians, however, polled nearly the entire vote of
the county for governor in 1817,t the figures being, for
«This is what the Indian missionary, Heckewelder (most excellent
authority in all Indian matters), says of the chief Tamanend, or
Tammany, and the origin of the society which bears his name:
"He was a Delaware chief who never had his equal. The fame of
this great man e.\tended even among the whites, who fabricated vari-
ous legends respecting him, which I never heard, however, from the
mouth of an Indian, and therefore believe them to be fabulous. In
the Revolutionary war his enthusiastic admirers dubbed him a saint,
and he was established under the name of St. Tammany, the patron
saint of America. His name was inserted in some calendars, and
his festival celebrated on the first day of May in every year. On that
day a numerous society of his votaries walked together in procession
through the streets of Philadelphia, their hats decorated with buck-
tails, and proceeded to a handsome rural place out of town, which
they called the mtjwam ; where, after a long talk or Indian speech
had been delivered, and the calumet of peace and friendship had
been duly smoked, they spent the day in festivity and mirth."
t A gubernatorial election was held in 1817, on account of Gover-
nor Tompkins having been elected vice-president of the United
States.
Clinton, thirteen hundred and thirty-one ; for all others,
thirty-four. This result merely showed that the Bucktails
permitted the election to go for Clinton by default, as, not-
withstanding the apparent unanimity, the number of votes
received by him was considerably less than one-half the
number polled for King and Tompkins in the preceding
year.
In 1820 the county went with the majority in the State,
giving Clinton sixteen hundred and cightj'-nine votes,
against twelve hundred and sixty-four cast for his oppo-
nent, D. D. Tompkins.
On the question of calling the convention of 1821 for
revising the State constitution, the vote of the county was
as follows : for the convention, two thousand two hundred
and thirty-five ; against the convention, two thousand and
twenty-five. The county delegates in that body were Eli-
sha Williams, William W. Van Ness, Francis Silvester, and
Jacob Rutsen Van llensselaer.| On the question of the
adoption of the revised constitution, the vote of the county
(given in January, 1822,) was: for adoption, seventeen
hundred and eighty-eight; against adoption, two thousand
three hundred and forty-four. Germantown gave four votes
for, and one hundred and seven against, adoption. The
majority in the State for the constitution was thirty-three
thousand nine hundred and twenty-five.
In the election of 1824 the vote of Columbia for gover-
nor was as follows: for De Witt Clinton, three thousand
and eighty-three; for Samuel Young, two thousand and
ninety-five. The county now stood politically with the
State, Clinton being elected by a majority of sixteen thou-
sand nine hundred and six.
In this campaign, the anti-Ciintonians were divided into
two factions or parties, the division being mainly on the
question of the electoral law and the presidential succession ;
one favoring, and the other opposing, the election of Mr.
Crawford. The latter styled themselves the People's party,
being in favor of the election of presidential electors by
the people ; and they designated their Democratic oppo-
nents as the Regency party. The People's party was repre-
sented — though notstrongly — in Columbia county, and Hon.
Joseph D. Monell, Hon. Ambrose L. Jordan, and Captain
Alexander Cofiin were among its recognized leaders. Its
vote was given chiefly to Mr. Clinton, though many
declined to vote at all.
" The People's party, in the winter of 1824, had deter-
mined to support Colonel Young as their candidate for
governor. Several caucuses were held by the members of
the Legislature belonging to that party. In these caucuses
John Cramer, Henry Wheaton, and Joseph D. Monell, of
Columbia county, were the most active. It was finally
agreed that a State convention should be called for the pur-
pose of nominating a governor. The person who should
draw the address to be signed by the members of the Legis-
lature making the call was appointed, and it was well un-
derstood that Mr. Young was to be put in nomination for
governor. They also agreed to establish a newspaper in
Albany in opposition to the regency, and Allen Jordan,
afterwards mayor of the city of Hudson, was to have been
% Mr. Van Buren was a leading member of tJiat convention, as a
delegate from Otsego.
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
the editor. In case the party should be successful, he was
to be made State printer. So ardent were the mem-
bers of this association, that some part of the printing ap-
paratus for the new paper was actually purchased, when
the nomination of Colonel Young by the Regency party
disconcerted their schemes, and, for a time, paralyzed their
exertions." ( Vide Hammond, vol. ii. p. 156.)
Upon popular questions submitted to the people in the
two succeeding years the voie of Columbia was given as
follows :
1825. — For election of presidential electors by districts,
sixteen hundred and seventy-seven ; for their election on
general ticket by plurality, two thousand eight hundred
and seventy.
1826. — For election of justices of the peace, and for
the extension of the elective franchise, three thousand nine
hundred and twenty-three ; for election of justices, and
against extending the franchise, eight; against both propo-
sitions, nine; against the election of justices, and in favor
of extension of franchise, three.
The county vote of 1826 stood — for governor, De Witt
Clinton, two thousand five hundred and fifty-two ; William
B. Rochester, two thousand four hundred and ten ; the lat-
ter being the Bucktail candidate. That party was then in
a state of splendid discipline, and carried both branches of
the Legislature, though Mr. Clinton's great personal popu-
larity made him governor. In this year Aaron Vanderpoel
made his first appearance in the Assembly, to which he had
been elected in the fall of 1825, as a Clintonian.
On the 17th of July, 1827, a convention of protectionists
was held at Albany. This convention asserted in strong
terms the power and the duty of Congress to pass laws for
the protection of home manufactures, and for the encourage-
ment of the wool-growing industry of the country. Among
the prominent men who composed this body were Elisha
Williams, James Vanderpoel, and Jacob Rutsen Van Rens-
selaer, delegates from Columbia county.
The Anti-Masonic party, which had its origin in the
mysterious incident of the abduction or disappearance of
William Morgan from Genesee county in September, 1826,
first appeared as a political power in 1827, when it devel-
oped sufficient strength to carry the elections in the coun-
ties of Genesee, Monroe, Livingston, Orleans, and Niagara
in the face of the Bucktail and Adams organizations, — a
result which astonished even its own adherents. Its opera-
tion, however, was as yet confined chiefly to the western
portion of the State.
The Clintonian party ceased to exist in 1828, in conse-
quence of the death of their leader, Governor Clin.ton,
February 11 in that year.
The "Jackson party," which first became generally known
as such in 1828, was made up from the old Bucktail party,
a portion of the Clintonians, and a majority of the adher-
ing Masons, who sought this shelter from the unsparing
proscription of the Anti-Masonic party. And at the head
of the Jackson party in New York stood Martin Van
Buren, its candidate for governor.
Its antagonist was the National Republican or Adams
party, whose candidate in 1828 was Smith Thompson. In
this party were found the greater portion of the former
Federalists. Its most prominent member in Columbia
county was Elisha Williams, who, with Killian Miller, were
then among its leaders in the Assembly. Ambrose L. Jor-
dan was a supporter of this party, and was known as an
Adams Democrat. So also was Captain Alexander Coffin,
of Hudson, who was made president of the Adams State
convention, held at Albany on the 10th of June in that
year. Aaron Vanderpoel, who had been elected to the
Assembly as a Clintonian in 1825, was now an adherent of
the Jackson party.
The result of the election of 1828 was a plurality of one
hundred and thirty-six votes against Mr. Van Buren in his
native county, — viz., for Thompson, three thousand five
hundred and sixty-one; for Van Buren, three thousand
four hundred and twenty-five ; and for Solomon Southwick
(Anti-Mason), eighty. This seems like rather a remarkable
result, except that it placed Columbia again in her old
position on the side of the defeated candidates.
In 1829 the county again became Democratic, electing
to the Assembly Messrs. A. Vanderpoel (formerly Clinto-
nian), Oliver Wiswall, and Jonathan Lapliam by an average
plurality of seven hundred and seventy-seven over the
opposing ticket.
In the election of 1830, Columbia gave to Enos T. Throop,
the Democratic candidate for governor, three thousand
three hundred and eightj'-four votes, against two thousand
five hundred and eleven for Francis Granger, the Anti-
Masonic candidate. John W. Edmonds (Jacksonian) was
at this time first elected to the Assembly, and in the follow-
ing year was raised to the Senate, by a plurality of eight
hundred and fifty-one votes over the opposing candidate.
The Anti-Masonic vote of the county was largely increased
in the election of 1832, Francis Granger receiving three
thousand six hundred and eighty-eight votes for governor,
against three thousand nine hundred and fifty-three given for
Wm. L. Marcy, the Democratic candidate. The Jackson
presidential electors received three thousand nine hundred
and sixty-five votes, against three thousand six hundred and
eighty-two given for the opposing ticket, — a majority of
two hundred and eighty-three.
About this time the Anti-Masonic party went out of
existence, having accomplished its object, the overthrow
of Freemasonry, or at least the extinction of nearly every
Masonic lodge in the State. Upon the ruins of this and
the National Republican party arose the Whig party, whose
first gubernatorial candidate was William H. Seward,* in
the election of 1834. In that election Columbia gave him
three thousand eight hundred and sixty-four votes, against
four thousand one hundred and fifty for W. L. Marcy,
Democrat. Among the scattering votes given in that year
were one for Henry Clay for governor, and one for John C.
Calhoun for lieutenant-governor. In 1833 one vote had
been given for Andrew Jackson for member of Assembly.
In 1836, Mr. Van Buren received in his own county
three thousand seven hundred and sixty-seven votes for the
office of President, the vote given fur the Harrison electors
being three thousand and fifty-one. For governor, Marcy
* Mr. Seward had been 6rst elected to the Senate, in 1830, by the
Anti-Masonic party in the seventh district.
54
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
received three thousand seven hundred and forty-three,
against three thousand and eighty-six for Jesse Buel,
Whig. In 1838 the vote of the county for governor
stood four thousand and sixty-eight for Marcy, and four
thousand and eleven for Seward, the successful candidate.
It was during the exciting campaign of that year that a
name which has since become as familiar as a household
word — the name of Samuel J. Tilden — was first heard as
that of a champion in the political arena. He "was at that
time a law-student, and but twenty-four years of age. The
circumstances of his appearance upon the rostrum in the
neighborhood of his birthplace were as follows : Nathaniel
P. Talmadge, then a member of the United States Senate,
having separated himself from the Democratic party and
joined the Whigs, had been announced to speak in Colum-
bia county upon the issues of the day and in opposition to
the financial policy of President Van Buren, and it was
the hope of the Whig projectors of the meeting that many
of the wavering voters in this county might be converted
to Whig principles by the powerful reasoning of the senator.
It was especially for the benefit of these doubtful ones that
the meeting was held ; but although the attendance of
pronounced Democrats was not de.«ired, yet the word of
notification had been passed along their line, and they were
present in large numbers.
The address of Mr. Talmadge was a most forcible and
eloquent one, and during its progress he particularly empha-
sized the assertion that it was not he nor the Whig party
who had changed their position and principles, but that it
was the Democratic party who had abandoned their political
faith and traditions. The address and the argument were
most able, and, when the speaker closed, one of the Whig
leaders offered a resolution, which passed without opposi-
tion, inviting a reply from any Democratic speaker present
who might be so disposed. The young Democrats, who
were mostly gathered in the rear of the hall, regarded this
as a challenge, and shouted loudly for Tilden, who, per-
haps by premeditation, was near at hand, and promptly
took the stand just vacated by the senator. . .
After discussing the main question of the controversy,
he adverted especially to Mr. Talmadge's statement that it
was the Democrats who had changed position while he him-
self had remained consistent. By way of testing the truth
of this declaration he turned to the Whigs on the platform,
and addressing each in turn, asked who it was that had
changed, — whether it was themselves or the .senator who
had been opposed to them in the late presidential contest,
but was now their political friend and champion ? Finally,
addressing the chairman of the meeting, the venerable Mr.
Gilbert, he said, in a tone of mingled compliment and
expostulation, "And you, sir; have you changed?" and the
honest and straightforward old man vehemently answered,
"No!" Mr. Tilden skillfully availed himself of this dec-
laration of his old neighbor and friend, and used it against
the senator with such telling effect that the meeting, which
had been called in the interest of the Whigs, was turned to
the advantage of their enemies, and the young opponent
of Senator Talmadge had achieved great popularity with
the Democracy of his native county. Two years later, Oct.
3, 1840, at New Lebanon, Mr. Tilden made another .speech
of remarkable power, which is yet well remembered and
often mentioned by the older residents of the county.
In 1839 the question of the election of mayors by the
people was submitted to the electors of the county, result-
ing in a vote of four thousand seven hundred for, and three
against the proposition.
In the memorable presidential contest of 1840 the county
was Democratic, though not strongly so, — the numberof
votes given for the Van Buren electors being four thousand
four hundred and seventy-eight, as against four thousand
two hundred and ninety for the Harrison ticket, — a plurality
of one hundred and eighty-eight. For governor, William
C. Bouck, Democrat, received four thousand five hundred
and seventeen votes, against four thousand two hundred and
seventy-two cast for Seward, — two hundred and forty-five
plurality. There were five anti-slavery votes cast in this
election, these being the first of that political complexion
cast in the county.
The first reference to the existence of an anti-slavery
sentiment in Columbia county is an account of an unsuccess-
ful attempt to hold a meeting of that description in the city
of Hudson in November, 1835. Two and a half years later
(April 20, 1838), a large anti-slavery meeting was held in the
Baptist church in the same city, and was " addressed by
James G. Birney, late a slaveholder in Kentucky," and H.
B. Stanton, both these gentlemen then being secretaries of
the National Anti-Slavery Society, and Mr. Birney being
afterwards the candidate of the Liberty party for President
of the United States.
At that meeting (the call for which was headed by Cap-
tain Alexander CoflSn, Rev. John Lester, and Nathaniel
Pinne) the Columbia County Anti-Slavery Society was
formed and organized by the choice of the following
ofiScers, viz. : President, Henry P. Skinner ; Vice-Presi-
dents, Rev. Charles Lester, Alexander CoiSn (then ninety-
eight years of age). Rev. Peter Prink, Dr. Dorr,
Harvey Gott, Martin Beebe, Charles Esselstyn, and Dan-
iel Baldwin ; Corresponding Secretary, Silas Stone ; Record-
ing Secretary, S. S. Hathaway ; Treasurer, H. D. Humphrey ;
Executive Committee, Rev. Seth Ewer, Eli Mosier, Thomas
Marshall, Josiah St. John, and I. V. Bassett. It appears,
however, that the society never accomplished any result in
the influencing of votes in this county, for the highest
number ever cast for a candidate was less than the number
of original officers of the society.
Columbia's vote for governor in 1842 was, for Wm. C.
Bouck, four thousand two hundred and seventy-eight ; for
Luther Bradish, three thou.sand three hundred and sixty-
two. In 1844, for governor, Silas Wright received four
thousand seven hundred and thirty-six votes ; Millard Fill-
more, four thousand two hundred and ninety-four.
The presidential vote of the county in the same year
was, Polk (Democratic), four thousand six hundred and
ninety-two; Clay (Whig), four thousand three hundred
and twenty-two ; and the candidate of the Liberty party,
eleven ; total, nine thousand and twenty-five.
At this time commenced the existence of the Anti-Rent
party as a political power, the first movement in Columbia
being the organization, in the town of Taghkanic, in No-
vember, 1844, of "The Taghkanic Mutual Association,"
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
55
Tvith the following oiSoers, viz. : President, John I. John-
son ; Vice-Presidents, James M. Strever, George I. Ross-
man, Peter Poucher, Samuel A. Tanner, and Greorge I.
Finkle; Treasurer, Philip B. Miller; Recording Secretary,
Anthony Poucher ; Corresponding Secretary, Peter Poucher ;
Executive Committee, John Bain and James M. Strever.
The object of the society was " to blot from the statute
book the last relics of Feudalism," and the members pledged
themselves to use all lawful and honorable means to rid
themselves and the people of the burdens imposed by the
manorial system ; and to that end they pledged themselves
never to make nor accept (without the consent of a major-
ity of the association) any proposition for the payment of
rent or purchase of soil to or from any person claiming to
hold under the Livingston or Van Rensselaer patents.
The movement, however, did not become entirely a
political one until after the arrest and conviction of the
anti-rent leaders for the foolish and lawless excesses com-
mitted in December of the same year. The convictions
had the effect to make many anti-rent converts, and to lift,
the faction to the numerical dignity of a political party ;
and the policy adopted by this party was to elect all town
and county officers from their own ranks, to vote for no
State, civil, judicial, or executive officer unfriendly to them
or unpledged to their cause, and to disregard all former
political opinions. This policy caused politicians to fear
and to be anxious to conciliate them ; and so rapidly did
they grow in influence and strength that the gubernatorial
candidate of the party (Governor John Y^oung) was elected,
in 1846, by a majority of about ten thousand, to which
Columbia county contributed by the following vote : For
John Young (Anti-Rent), four thousand two hundred
and four ; for Silas Wright (Democratic), three thousand
three hundred and eighteen. Governor Young at once
pardoned all the anti-rent convicts, on the ground that their
offenses had been political rather than criminal, and that
it was the wise policy of all good governments to forgive
and restore to citizenship all political offenders after the
law had been vindicated and peace restored.
The vote of the county in 1846 on the question of a new
State constitution was as follows: For a new constitution,
five thousand two hundred and eighty-two ; against, nine
hundred and one. For constitutional amendment giving
equal suffrage to colored persons, six hundred and sixty-
six ; against said suffrage, five thousand two hundred and
sixty-one. The only town giving an unanimous vote against
colored suffrage was Clermont. The vote of Germantown on
that question was one hundred and forty against, and six in
favor of the suffrage ; Hillsdale voted nineteen for, and three
hundred and fifty-six against the measure ; Livingston, four
for, and two hundred and sixty against it ; and several other
towns in about the same proportion.
The influence of the Anti-Rent party in the convention
was sufficient to procure the insertion of a clause in the
new constitution abolishing all feudal tenures and incidents,
and forbidding the leasing of agricultural land for a term
exceeding twenty years. The Legislature' at successive
sessions passed laws which bore heavily against the land-
lord interest, and so far the party seemed to have accom-
plished its mission.
But for several years after the legitimate occupation of
the party seemed to be gone its organization was kept up,
mainly for the purpose, as is said by many, of enabling a
few leaders to hold its vote ready for sale to aspiring candi-
dates, or to one or the other of the great parties, or perhaps to
both parties at the same time. For this purpose the meet-
ings were regularly held, thougli frequently not attended by
more than two or three persons ; these, of course, always
being parly managers. It is related that upon one of these
occasions a few faithful ones met at one of the country
taverns, and after fortifying themselves whh spirituous sus-
tenance, proceeded at about nine P.M. to organize for the
transaction of the important business which had called them
Uigether. Without a moment's delay or hesitation the
" meeting" was opened and organized by the spokesman,
Mr. Finkle, in the following words : " Gentlemen, please
come to order. I move that Becrafl; be chairman of
this meeting. I second the motion. All in favor of
Becrafl as chairman of this meeting say aye ; aye carried.
Mr. Becraft git right round here and take the chair;" the
operation of making, seconding, and putting the motion,
voting affirmatively upon it, announcing the result, and
inducting the chairman into his office, being all performed
by Mr. Finkle without the least assistance, and without
once pausing to take breath. The business of the meeting
was dispatched with almost equal celerity, and it was then
adjourned.
As late as 1851 Columbia sent delegates to an Anti-Rent
convention held in September of that year, .it Albany, upon
which occasion the counties of Albany, Rensselaer, Scho-
harie, Delaware, Greene, Ulster, Sullivan, Otsego, Oneida,
Dutchess, and Montgomery were also represented. The
party, however, did not exist long after that time.
About 1846 came the split of the Democratic party into
the " Hunker" and " Barnburner" factions. The first
political meeting of the " Hunkers" (as such) was a very
numerous one held at Hillsdale, and presided over by the
Hon. John F. Collin, one of the most prominent leaders in
the county. A tall flag-staff was raised amidst the greate.st
enthusiasm, and speeches were made by John H. Reynolds,
of Kinderhook, James Van Santvoord, Henry A. Collin,
and others. The " Barnburner" movement soon resulted
in the formation of the Free-Soil party, which, in 1848,
nominated ex-President Van Buren as its presidential candi-
date. The vote of Columbia in that election stood : for
Lewis Cass, Democrat, two thousand one hundred and
twenty-one ; for General Taylor, Whig, three thousand
nine hundred and forty-three ; for Martin Van Buren,
Free-Soil, two thou.sand one hundred ; for the Liberty party
candidate, five.
In 1850, Horatio Seymour received three thousand seven
hundred and eighty-one votes, and Washington Hunt three
thousand seven hundred and ninety-six votes, in Columbia,
for the office of governor.
In the presidential election of 1852 the county gave
Franklin Pierce (Democrat) four thousand four hundred
and fifty-five votes, and Winfield Scott (Whig) four thou-
sand one hundred and forty-two votes, for the office of Presi-
dent, seven votes being given to the Free-Soil or Liberty
candidate.
HISTORY OP COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
The vote of the county cast in 1854 for the four guber-
natorial candidates who were then in the field was, for
Horatio Seymour, two thousand three hundred and eighty ;
for Myron H. Clark, two thousand four hundred and forty-
four ; for Daniel Ulraan, fifteen hundred and eighty-two ;
for Greene C. Bronson, nine hundred and ninety-four.
In the presidential elections which have occurred since
that time the vote of Columbia has been cast as follows :
1856. — For Jsimes Buchanan (Democrat) 3020
For John C. Fremont (Republican) .3818
For Millard Fillmore ("American") 1981
I860.— For A. Lincoln (Republican) 5108
For J. C. Breckinridge (Democrat) 4722
1S64.— For A. Lincoln (Republican) 4872
For (}. B. McClellan (Democrat) 5240
1868.— For U. S. Grant (Republican) 5354
For Horatio Seymour (Democrat) 5661
1872.- For U. S. Grant (Republican) 5452
For Horace Greeley (Democrat) 6047
1876.— For Samuel J. Tilden (Democrat) 6311
For R. B. Hayes (Republican) 5799
The votes cast in Columbia county on popular questions
submitted to the people since the year 1850 have been as
follows :
1858.- For convention to revise the constitution 3597
Against same 1916
1859.- For State loan to pay Hoating debt 2743
Against same ' 1734
I860.— For equal suffrage to colored pcrs^ons 1881
Against same 5646
1864.— For amendment to allow soldiers voting 4062
Against same 587
1865.— For State bounty act 6448
Against same 762
1866.— For constitutional convention 5060
Against same 4794
1869.— For amended constitution 4504
Against same 3801
For uniform rate of assessment and taxation 4526
For property qualification for co)orcd men 4703
Against same 3368
1870.— For act creating a State debt 4442
Against same 5070
1873.— For appointment of judges of court of appeals and
Supreme Court 2136
Against same 3896
For appointment of city and county judges 2049
Against same ! .". 3787
1874. — Eleven proposed oonstitutioual amendments submitted
at this election received majorities ranging from 2000
to 5000.
1877. — For amendments to Sections 3 and 4, Article V., consti-
tution 7219
CHAPTER IX.
; — Court-Houses and Jails — Alrasho
Asylums.
THE LAW COURTS.
The line of descent of the judicial system of New York
can be traced backward, by those curious to do so, through
colonial times to Magna Charta, and beyond into the
days of the Saxon Heptarchy in England. The great in-
strument wrested by the barons from the king at Runny-
mede, a.d. 1215, was but a regathering of the rights and
privileges of which John and his Norman predecessors had
despoiled the order of nobles of the realm. A comparison
of the charters of liberties drawn up by the colonial
blies of 1683 and 1691, and the bill of rights adopted by
the State in 1787, with the great charter, will disclose many
provisions of like import.
But the courts were first introduced into what is now
the State of New York by the Dutch, at the institution of
their rule in 1621, the director-general and his council
being a trinity of legislative, executive, and judicial au-
thority. In 1641-42 the " Nine Men" held a weekly court,
and in 1653 the burgomasters and schepens of New Am-
sterdam (New York) and Fort Orange (Albany) were
created, and held courts corresponding to the present mayor
and aldermen's courts, to which the Dutch tribunal was
changed on the accession of the English, in 1664. Killian
Van Rensselaer held a patroon's court in his manor of
Rensselaerwyck, where he dispensed justice (?) after the
manner of feudal times, and practically made his tribunal a
court of last resort, by rendering nugatory all rights of ap-
peal therefrom by a pledge exacted from his tenants in ad-
vance to forego their privilege in that respect, as a condition
precedent to occupancy of his estates. The director-general
and council held the orphan court as their prerogative,
the burgomasters being, on their creation, ex-officio orphan-
masters until, on their own application, they were relieved
of the burden and special orphan-masters appointed.
The first English court established in the colony was the
court of assizes, created by the code known as the " Duke's
Ivaws," promulgated by an Assembly at Hempstead, L. I.,
in 1665. Courts of sessions and town courts were also
provided by this code, and a commission for a court of
oyer and terminer for the trial of capital offenses, when
the information was filed in the court of sessions more than
two months before the sitting of the as.sizes. These courts
were abolished by the Assembly of 1683, which passed an
act " to settle courts of justice," under which courts of
sessions, oyer and terminer, town and justices' courts were
re-established with increased jurisdiction, and a court of
chancery created. The Assembly of 1691 repealed all legis-
lation of the former Assembly, and of the governor and
council, and established, as a temporary expedient, the
courts of sessions, confining their jurisdiction to criminal
matters ; courts of common pleas, with civil jurisdiction ;
justices' courts in the towns; the court of chancery; and a
Supreme Court of judicature. These courts were enacted
in 1691, 1693, and 1695, and ceased in 1698, by limita-
tion. The court of oyer and terminer was not continued
in 1691 as a separate tribunal, but its name was retained
to distinguish the criminal circuit of the Supreme Court.
On the 15th of May, 1699, the governor (Eari Bellamont),
and council, by an ordinance, continued the courts of the
Assembly of 1691, with the exception of the court of
chancery, which last, however, was revived August 28,
1701, by Lieutenant-Governor Nanfan, who declared him-
self the chancellor thereof; but Lord Cornbury, then gov-
ernor, on the 13th of June, 1703, su.spended the tribunal.
On the preparation by the chief and second judges of the
province of a fee-bill and code of practice for the same,
Cornbury finally, Nov. 7, 1704, re-established the court,
and revived the cases pending therein at the daU of his
suspension of it. All of the above tribunals, continued or
revived by the ordinances before named, were held by that
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
authority alone until the English rule was abrogated by the
Revolution for American independence.
The manors of Livingston and Rjnsellaerswyck were both
granted " a court leet and court baron, to be hold as often
as the lords of those minors chose."
The powers and jurisdiction of the court granted to the
manor of Livingston were expressed in the patent of Gov-
ernor Thomas Dongan as follows :
" I, the said Thouiii' Dongan, have also Given and Granted, and by
these Presents Doe Give and Grant unto the said Robert Livingston,
and to the Heires and Assignes of the said Robert Livingston, full
Power and authority, at all times, and forever hereafter, in the said
Lordship and Manor, one Court Leet and one Court Barron, to hold
and keep at such time and times and Soe often, Yearely, as ho or they
shall sec meet, and all fines. Issues, Amerciaments, at the said Court
Leet and Court Barron, to be holden with the said Lordshipp and Man-
nor to be Sett, forfeited, or Imposed, and Payable, or happening, at
nny time, to be Payable by any the Inhabitants of or within the said
Lordshipp or Mannorof Livingston, or the Limitts or Bounds thereof,
and also all and every the Powers and authoritycs hereinbefore-
menconed for the holding and keeping the said Court Lcett, Courtt
Baron from time to time, and to award and Issue out the Customary
Writts to be Issued and awarded out of the said Court Leet and Courtt
Baron, to be kept by the said Robert Livingston, his Ueires and As-
signes forever, or theire or' any of theire Stewards deputed and ap-
pointed with full and ample Power and authority to Destraine for the
Rents, Services, and other Sumes of Mony, Payable by reason of the
Premises, and all other Lawful Remedyes and meanes for the haveing.
Possessing, Receiving, Levying, and Enjoyeing tho Premissesse, and
every parte and parcell of the same, and all Wastes, Estrayes, Wrecks,
Deodands, Goods of felons happening and being forfeited within the
said Lordshipp and Mannor, and all and every sume and Sumes of
Mony to boe Paid as a Post fine upon or fines to bo Levyed if any
Lands, Tenements, or Hereditaments within the said Lordshipp or
Mannor of Livingston, together with the advowson and Right of Pat-
ronage and all and every the Church and Churches Established or
Erected or hereafter to be had Erected or Established in the said
A court of appeals, for the correction of errors only, was
established in 1691, but appeals in certain cases would lie
from it to the king in privy council. It was composed of
the governor and his council, who sat in the fort when con-
vened in that capacity. The prerogative court (court of
probates) was held by the governor during the colonial
period by virtue of the instructions received by that official
from the crown ; the granting of probates being a part of
the royal prerogative retained by the king. The courts of
common picas, in remote counties, were authorized to take
the proof of wills, and transmit the papers for record in the
office at New York. Surrogates, with limited powers, were
appointed previous to 1750, also in other counties. A court
of admiralty was held by the governor and council under
the Dutch rule; and under the English, it was at first held
by the governor's special commissions until 1678, when
authority was given to appoint a judge and other officers;
it eventually, however, depended from the lords of the
admiralty in England.
The constitution of 1777, of New York, provided for a
court for " the trial of impeachments, and the correction of
errors," the same being the president of the Senate for the
time being, the senators, chancellor, and judges of the
Supreme Court, or a majority of them. This court re-
mained <Ae same under the constitution of 1821, with
some change in its composition, and ceased with the adop-
tion of the constitution of 18-16.
The court of chancery was recognized by the first con-
stitution, and a chancellor appointed for it by the governor.
It was reorganized in 1788, and ceased its existence, pur-
suant to the constitution of IS 16, on the first Monday of
July, 1847.
The Supreme Court of judicature was recognized by the
first constitution, as the tribunal then existed, and was
reorganized in 1778, the judges being appointed by the
council of appointment. The court of exchequer was a
branch of the Supreme Court, the same as during the colo-
nial period, and was reorganized in 1786, " for the better
levying and accounting for fines, forfeitures, issues, and
amercements, and debts due to the people of the State."
It was abolished by the general repealing act of December
10, 1828. Circuit courts were established April 19, 1786,
to be held by justices of the Supreme Court in the respective
counties. Under the second constitution, the circuit courts
were held by circuit judges, appointed by the governor,
there being eight circuits in the State. The constitution
of 1846 abolished the circuits as then established, and pro-
vided for the holding the circuit court by tho justices of
the Supreme Court.
Courts of oyer and terminer were provided by an act
passed February 22, 1788, to be held by the justice of the
Supreme Court at the same time with the circuit. Two or
more of the judges and assistant judges of the court of
common pleas, in the respective counties, were to sit in the
oyer and terminer with the justice. Under the constitu-
tion of 1821 the oyer and terminer was held by the circuit
judge. Any justice of the Supreme Court could, however,
hold a circuit or preside at an oyer and terminer. The
court of admiralty existed but a short time under the State
government, the court ceasing at the adoption of the Federal
Constitution in 1789 ; that instrument vesting admiralty
jurisdiction solely in the federal courts.
The court of probates was created in 1778, by the act to
"organize the government of the State," passed March 16,
in that year. This act divested the governor of tho powers
he possessed in the colonial period in the prerogative and
probate courts, and transferred them to the judge of the
court of probates, except in the appointment of surrogates.
In 1787 surrogates were empowered to be appointed. The
judge of the court of probates held his office at New York
until 1797, when an act was passed, March 10, requiring
the court to be held in Albany, and the records to be re-
moved and kept there. The court had appellate jurisdic-
tion over the surrogates' courts, and was abolished March
21, 1823, its jurisdiction transferred to the chancellor, and
its records deposited in the office of the clerk of the court
of appeals in Albany.
Surrogates were appointed under tl»e first constitution for
an unlimited period by the council of appointment, and an
appeal lay from their decisions to tlie judge of the court of
probates of the State, as before stated. Under the second
constitution they were appointed by the governor and Sen-
ate for four years, and appeals lay to the chancellor. Un-
der the constitution of 1846 the office was abolished, except
in counties having more than forty thousand population, in
which counties surrogates may be elected, the term being
first for four years, but by an amendment adopted in 1869,
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
the term was extended to six years. Appeals lie to the
Supreme Court. In counties of less population than forty
thou.=and, the county judge performs the duties of surrogate.
The court of common picas was continued from the colo-
nial period by the first constitution, and under that instru-
ment had a large number of judges, as high as twelve being
on the bench at the same time in some counties. By an
act passed March 27, 1818, the office of assistant justice
was abolished, and the number of judges limited to five,
including the first judge. The court was continued with-
out material change by the second constitution, and expired
with that instrument in 1847.
The constitution of 1846 provided for the following
courts : a court of impeachments, to take the place of the
former tribunal of that nature, and composed of the presi-
dent of the Senate, the senators, and judges of the court of
appeals, or a majority of them. A court of appeals, organ-
ized at first with eight judges, four chosen by the people for
eight-year terms, and four selected from the class of justices
of the Supreme Court having the shortest time to serve.
By the article in relation to the judiciary, framed by the
convention of 1867-68, and adopted by the people Novem-
ber, 1869, the court of appeals was reorganized. In ac-
cordance with the provisions of this article, the court is
now composed of a chief judge and six associate judges,
" who hold their office for the term of fourteen years, from
and including the first day of January after their election."
The first election of judges was in the year 1870. This
court has full power to correct or reverse the decisions of
the Supreme Court, five judges constituting a quorum, four
of whom must concur to pronounce a judgment. In case
of non-concurrence, two rehearings may be had, and if the
non-concurrence still obtains, the judgment of the court be-
low stands affirmed. The clerk of the court is appointed
by the court, and holds his office during its pleasure.
The Supreme Court, as it existed in 1846, was abolished,
and a new one established, having general jurisdiction in
law and equity. The State is divided into eight judicial
districts, in each of which four justices are elected, except
the first (comprising the city of New York), where there
are five. The term of office, as originally established, was
eight years, but the amended judiciary article provided
that, on the expiration of the terms of justices then in
office, their successors shall be elected for fourteen years.
They are so classified that the term of one justice expires
every two years. The court possesses the powers and exer-
cises the jurisdiction of the preceding Supreme Court, court
of chancery, and circuit court, consistent with the constitu-
tion of 1846, and the act concerning the judiciary, of May,
1847. The Legislature abolished, April 27, 1870, the gen-
eral terms of the court then existing, and divided the State
into four departments, and provided for general^ terms to be
held in each of them. The governor designates a presid-
ing justice and two associate justices for each department,
the former holding his office during his official term, and
the latter for five years, if their terms do not sooner expire.
Two terms at least of the circuit court and court of oyer
and terminer are held annually in each county, and as many
special terms as the justices in each judicial department may
deem proper. A convention, composed of the general term
justices, the chief judges of the superior courts of cities,
the chief judge of the court of common pleas of New
York city, and of the city court of Brooklyn, appoint the
times and places of holding the terms of the Supreme and
cii'cuit courts, and the oyer and terminer, which appoint-
ment continues for two years. The county clerks and clerks
of the court of appeals are clerks of the Supreme Court.
THE COUNTY COURTS.
The constitution of 1846 provided for the election in
each of the counties of the State, except the city and
county of New York, of one county judge, who should hold
the county court, and should have such jurisdiction in cases
arising in justices' courts and in special cases as the Legis-
lature might provide ; but should have no original civil
jurisdiction, except in such special cases. The Legislature,
in pursuance of these provisions, has given the county
judge jurisdiction in actions of debt, assumpsit, and cove-
nant in sums not exceeding $2000 ; in cases of trespass and
personal injury not to exceed S500 ; and in replevin, $1000.
The county court has also equity jurisdiction for the fore-
closure of mortgages, the sale of real estate of infants,
partition of lands, assignment of dower, satisfaction of
judgments, whenever $75 is due on an unsatisfied ex-
ecution, and the care and custody of lunatics and habitual
drunkards. The new judiciary article (1869) continued this
jurisdiction, and gave the courts original jurisdiction in all
cases where the defendants reside in the county, and in which
the damages claimed shall not exceed $1000. The term of
office of the county judge, originally four years, was then
extended to six years, upon the election of successors to the
incumbents then in office, the new tenure beginning Janu-
ary 1, 1871.
COURTS OP SESSIONS.
Two justices of the peace, to be designated by law, were
associated with the county judge, by the constitution of
1846, to hold courts of sessions, with such criminal juris-
diction as the Legislature shall prescribe.
Special judges are elected in counties to discharge the
duties of county judge when • required, by provision of the
Legislature, on application of the board of supervisors.
THE mayor's COURT
of the city of Hudson was established with the granting of
the charter of the city in 1785, and had the jurisdiction of
the courts of common pleas.
THE COURT OP COMMON PLEAS
of Columbia county was first opened at Claverack, Jan. 9,
1787. " The Cryer made proclamation, and the commis.sion
for the Court of Common Pleas for the County of Columbia
was openly read, also one additional commission for Justice
Philip Rockefeller and Justice Bishop." The coroner's
commission was " openly read" also in court, after which the
crier made proclamation, and the court of common pleas was
opened according to law, with the following presence : Peter
Van Ness, first judge ; Peter Silvester, Peter R. Livingston,
Henry I. Van Rensselaer, William B. Whiting, judges;
Stephen Hogcboom, Samuel Ten Broeck, a.ssistant justices.
There was no business on the docket ready, and the court
HISTORY OP COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
adjourned " till 10 o'clock a.m. to-morrow." On January
10 the court opened with the same judges, except Peter R.
Livingston, and Isaac Goes appeared in place of Justice
Ten Broeck. Jacob Radcliffe was formally admitted as an
attorney to practice before the court, being the first so ad-
mitted in this court. He was admitted on a license from
the Supreme Court.
Christopher Smith, Johannes Henricus, Andries Wyants,
Peter Rooh, and George Sipher appeared before the court
and pledged their fealty to the sovereign State of New York,
" by the grace of God free and independent," taking the oath
of allegiance under the act of April 25, 1786, for the natu-
ralization of certain persons named therein. The third day
the same presence as on the first appeared, and litigation
began.. On motion of Mr. Gilbert the court rendered judg-
ment in favor of Jinet Montgomery,* against Abraham
Scott, for £42 and costs. In the case of Jonas Smith vs.
John Barnard, on motion of Mr. Van Schaack, it was or-
dered by the court that the record on a plea of title before
Abraham I. Van Alstine, Esq., be filed. A recognizance
in the case of Jonas Smith vs. JMichacl Brannin was ordered
filed. In the case of Robert Van Rensselaer vs. Johannes
Vosburgh, Killian K. Van Rsnsselaer, attorney for the
defendant, confessed judgmant for £'J6 and costs, on
which final judgment was entered. The fourth day
no business was done. On the fifth day, John Bay, as
attorney for Daniel hza, confesssd judginant in favor of
James Roosevelt for £45 6s. and costs, and on motion of
Van Rensselaer for W. E. Pratt, final judgment was entered
on the same. Mr. Van Rensselaer confessed judgment for
Hendrick Miller in favor of David Van Ness and Andries
Heermance for £20 9s. id., and Radclifie, as attorney for
the plaintiffs, procured final judgm3nt on the cognovit.
Marks Platner, by his attorney, Gilbert, obtained an order
of final judgment of £23 and costs against Jacobus Besse-
mer. On this day the formal admission to practice as attor-
neys before the court was entered of record of Killian K.
Van Rensselaer, Peter Van Schaack, John C. Wynckoop,
Myndei't P. Vosburg, Edward Livingston, Elisha Pratt, E.
Gilbert, Thomas Smith, Jr., John Johnson, and John Bay,
and rules of practice were also adopted, of which the fol-
lowiuK is
" Whercan, The Establishment of rules and order for the regulation
of the practice of this Court is deemed highly necess.ary for the regu-
lation and speedy advancement of Justice in this County of Columbia,
Ii is therefore ordered by this Court that the following rules and
orders be observed by all and every officer and minister thereof, and
by all other persons in any wise concerned therein.
" 1st. It is ordered by this Court that all processes that shall
issue out of this Court be sealed with the seal of this Court [which
has the figure of a man inscribed, with a mariner's compass in his
hand, intended to represent Columbus, and has the words ' County
Columbia' out round], and signed with the Clerk's name."
The 2d, 3d, and 4tli rules related to the time for
giving special bail ; 5th, bail to be excepted to after the
declaration was delivered only " de bene esse." The 6th
required a copy of the declaration to be served on the de-
fendant's attorney or his clerk in the first vacation after
filing, and the 7th allowed a noii pros, after the end of
' Widow of General Richard Montgomery.
the second term if no declaration was filed ; 8th, judgment
for want of plea could be entered forty days after expira-
tion of the rule for one ; 9th required an affidavit of
merits in the plea of abatement; 10th and 11th, dilatory
pleas and replications to be filed in forty days a/ler the
return of writ or filing plea ; 12th provided for a judgment
by default or nonsuit if the rules were violated ; 13th re-
lated to notices for trial, a defendant over forty miles having
fourteen days, and within that distance eight days', notice ;
14th and 15th related to notice of countermand of trial and
pleas in ejectment; IGth provided that no person should be
admitted as an attorney of the court but upon examination,
and unless they had had a regular education and produced
a certificate or other sufficient evidence of good moral
character, and had obtained a degree and received a certifi-
cate or diploma from some college, and had served a regular
clerkship with some attorney of this or the Supreme Court
for at least three years ; and if they had not received a
collegiate education, then the time of service as clerk shall
be five years. But an admission into the Supreme Court
entitled all persons to a license to practice in this court
without an examination. An exception was made in favor
of persons already entered as clerks requiring but three
j'ears' service under any circumstances. The 17th rule re-
quired a copy of the declaration to be served on the
defendant's attorney, or no judgment could be had for
want of a plea. It also required all rules for judgment to
be entered " nisi causa sedente ostcnta sit curia " and mo-
tions in arrest of judgment must be made at the same term
as entered. The 18th and 19th rules related to writs of
Ji. fa. and ca. sa., taxation of costs, and bail; 20th provided
for notice in interlocutory judgments and writ,s of inquiry;
21st and 22d related to defendants in custody ; and 23d re-
quired non-resident plaintiffs to give security for costs.
Mr. Van Rensselaer's docket contained for this term of
the court nineteen suits wherein the sheriff's return was
" a cepi corpus." Mr. Bay brought twenty-four suits, and
appeared for the defense in nine ; Radcliffe brought two
suits ; Mr. Gilbert brought sixteen suits, and defended four-
teen ; Van Schaack had a single client, and Mr. Wynkoop
had thirteen who prosecuted and one who defended. Mr.
Pratt's docket had seven nonsuits.
At the May term, 1787, Judge Van Ness, Peter Sil-
vester, Peter Livingston, Henry I. Van Rensselaer, Stephen
Hogeboom, and Isaac Goes were the judges. The first
jury-trial was had at this term in the ca.se of Thomas
Bightel vs. Hendrick Potts, Mr. Bay appearing for the
plaintiff. The jury was composed of William Spier, John
Bagley, James Elting, John Vanger, Johannes Kilts, Sam-
uel Utley, Jr., James Van Deusen, Seth Toby, Charles Mc-
Clean, Hendrick Clapper, Robert HoUenbeck, and William
Hollenbeck. Eleven witnesses were sworn for the plaintiff
and two for the defense. Two constables took charge of
the jury when they retired to consider their verdict, which
was given through Seth Toby, foreman, in favor of the
plaintiff for £18 damages and sixpence costs, and judg-
ment was entered on the same. Hezekiah L. Hosmer was
admitted as an attorney on a certificate of clerkship of three
years' service with Blr. Gilbert, and that Hosmer was of
good moral character "as far as hath come to his, said Gil-
IIISTOKY OP COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YOEK.
bert's, knowledge." Messrs. Bay, Van Schaaok, and Addi-
son were the committee who passed on Mr. Hosnier's
merits.
Mr. Bay had the second jury-trial, which resulted in a
nonsuit. In the case of Peter Van Ness vs. Hugh Chan-
dler, the plaintiff being related to the sheriff, Henry I. Van
Rensselaer and Aaron Kellogg were appointed elisors to
summon the jury. Henry Van Rensselaer brought suit
against the Dutch Reformed church of Claverack, and the
matter was referred to James Bryant and William Powers,
Esqs., and Thomas A. Hogg, merchant, to report on.
Andrew Hunter was appointed guardian of Jo.shua Green,
Simeon Wylie being his surety in the sum of £500.
At the January term, 1788, Ambrose Spencer, Martin
Van Buren, and James S. Smith were admitted to the bar
on certificates of clerkship. Mr. Van Buren presented the
certificate of John C. Wynkoop. They were examined by
Messrs. Peter Van Schaack, Edward Livingston, and K.
K. Van Rensselaer. Thomas Cooper, Augustine James, and
Frederick Prevost, licensed attorneys of the Supreme Court,
were also admitted. At the January term, 1789, the first
insolvent debtor was discharged from the importunities of
his creditors, the same being Nathan Rowley, Sr., who
as.signed his estate to Oliver Mallery, under the bankrupt
act of March 21, 1788. At this term a petition for the
securing of Peter I. Gardenier's rights in the Kinderhook
patent was filed, Mr. Van Buren appearing for the peti-
tioner. The Gardenicr grant was for a tract fronting thirteen
hundred paces on Hudson river, measured from Hendrik
de Bruyn's grant north to the south bounds of Rensselaers-
wyck,and running back into the woods three English miles.
John S. Van Alen, John E. Van Alen, and Lawrence
Van Dyek were appointed commissioners to partition the
estate.
COURT OF GENERAL SESSIONS.
The fiist term of this court was begun at Claverack,
Jan. 9, 1787, the crier making due proclamation, and the
commission for the court being publicly read. The following
judges occupied the bench : Mr. Justice Van Ness, Jus-
tices Silvester, Livingston, Van Rensselaer, Hogeboom,
Goes, Wiesner, Birdsall, CoflBn, Spoor, and Van Alen. The
sheriff returned the venire of the grand and petit juries,
the former being served on the following persons : Jacobus
Van Alen, Peter Wynckoop, Abraham Van Beuren, John
J. Van Alstyne, John E. Van Alen, Gideon Hubbard,
Joel Pratt, Harmon Vosburgh, Evert Vosburgh, John A.
Fonda, Marks Platner, Wm. Rockefeller, Abraham Bau-
man, Abraham Patterson, Peter Hogeboom, Jr., Jochim
Muller, Philip Frysbie, Hosea Beebe, Palmer Cady, Jesse
Hollister, all of whom appealed, and were sworn as a grand
inquest, the first one named being appointed foreman.
Isaac Goes, Jr., and John Van Deusen also appeared, and
were excused from service, and Samuel Allen and Wm.
Van Ness were summoned, but defiiulted.
The grand jury retired for deliberation under charge of
Gilbert Turner and John Best, constables, and on the third
day of the term presented to the court their first indict-
ment, the same being against Jacob Haithaway ; and on the
fourth day the jury brought in six more presentments, — one
for grand larceny, one for misdemeanor, two for assault and
battery, one for forcible entry, and one for deceit, — and were
discharged. The indictment for deceit was against one
John McLean, who, on his arraignment at the bar of the
court, pleaded guilty, and was ordered into custody. Sub-
se(|uently the clerk of the court (he being at that time the
prosecutor, district attorneys not yet having been provided
for) moved the court for the sentence of McLean, and ho
was ordered again brought to bar, whereupon the sheriff
informed the court that the prisoner had escaped. That
officer was allowed until the next term to recover his pris-
oner and produce him in court. Five recognizances were
taken to the next term, and five like bonds were discharged.
The two assault and battery cases were disposed of by pleas
of guilty and a fine of ten shillings and costs on each de-
fendant, and commitments until the same were paid. At
the May sessions the case of misdemeanor was tried, and
the defendant convicted and fined five pounds and costs, and
committed until the sum was paid. The grand jury at this
term found four indictments, — one for riot and assault, one
for exorbitance and breach of the Sabbath, one for forgery,
and one for assault and battery. The latter was against
John B. Schuyler, who moved in propriu ])erso7ia to quash
the indictment, making two objections, and being overruled
by the court on both points, pleaded guilty, and threw him-
self on the mercy of the court. After consulting Ezekiel
Gilbert, that attorney took the conduct of the case, and
moved the court for leave to withdraw the plea of guilty
for precipitancy in pleading, and the haste of the court to
overrule the objections inteiposed when there was good law
to show the indictments were bad. The court allowed the
motion on condition that the attorney " would pin himself
down to the two objections the prisoner himself made on
his first motion to quash the indictment," which were, first,
that the caption of the indictment recited the " town of
Claverack, and the body of it the district" of Claverack ;
and. second, that it appeared from the indictment that the
assault had been committed in the county of Albany.
The court further stipulated that in case the attorney
brought no law deemed sufiicient by the court to sustain
the objections, then the plea of guilty should " remain
and stand good." Schuyler was recognized to the next
.sessions in forty pounds, with Wm. Cantine as his se-
curity in twenty pounds; and finding at that term that
eleven judges on the bench were too heavy a match for one
defendant and a single attorney, he pleaded guilty, and was
fined twenty shillings and costs.
The indictment found against McLean for deceit was
brought on liis forgery of a guaranty of Daniel Penfield
for the payment for certain goods, to the amount of " five
pounds eight shillings and fourpence."
The indictment for exorbitant charging and Sabbath-
breaking was found against a constable of Hudson, who
charged an excessive fee on an execution against one Cherck
Vielee, on which he, the constable, had taken the horses of
said Vielee on a Sunday.
An indictment brought from Albany, where it was found
in 1782, recites the character of its subject in these words:
" Being a person of ill-name and fame and dishonest con-
versation, and not intending to get his living by tnith and
honest labor, but compassing and devising how he might
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
61
unlawfully obtain and get into his possession the monies of
the honest subjects of this State for the maintenance oF liis
unthrifty living, did present a certain forged and false tax,
or assessment list, for military rates, and drew eight shil-
lings thereon fraudulently," etc.
Under the act of April 20, 1787, the general sessions
appointed at the September term of that year highway
commissioners for the several towns of the county, and at
the same term indicted the Claverack bridge, in which the
presentment recited " that from the time whereof the mem-
ory of man is not to the contrary there was, and yet is, a
common and ancient public highway, or road, leading
southeast from the Court-house in Claverack to the town of
Livingston," etc. In January, 1788, the highway com-
missioners of Claverack and Hudson were ordered to take
the bridge away before the first day of the next sessions,
on pain of contempt. At the May sessions, Thomas Mer-
ritt, blacksmith, and Stephen Atwater, gentleman, were
recognized to the next oyer and terminer, at which court
the blacksmith was fined forty shillings and the " gentle-
man" ten shillings for assaults.
Isaac Decker and his surety were I'cspited till the next
sessions, in a bastardy case, to await results.
In May, 1789, the sheriff protested against the insecurity
of the jail, and it was indicted for insufficiency (?). In
January, 1790, William Doran was indicted and pleaded
guilty on a charge of horse-stealing, and was sentenced to
receive twenty-one lashes on his naked back, to stand com-
mitted till the co.sts were paid, and to leave the country on
his release from imprisonment. At the 3Iay" sessions
James Ley was indicted for larceny, pleaded not guilty,
was tried and convicted, and sentenced to receive " thirty-
nine stripes on his naked back, which was immediately
executed." Mr. Van Rensselaer appeared at this sessions
as public prosecutor. At the May sessions, 1793, Benoni
Hunter was presented under sixteen separate indictments
for petit larceny, and one for horse-stealing. His great
weakness seemed to be an extreme partiality for mutton,
eight indictments being found against him for .sheep-stealing.
He gathered unto himself from his neighbors a complete
outfit for an agricultural life, to wit : a heifer, flour, rye,
wheat, fowls, and a coulter, and then a saddle and some
buckles, to all of which takings he pleaded not guilty, and
put himself upon the country for trial. His peers found
him truthful in regard to the horse and six of the sheep, but
said he was mistaken as to the rest, and found him guilty.
For the two sheep he paid fines of "two pound ten each;"
the heifer cost him thirty-nine lashes ou his bare back ; the
flour, rye, wheat, fowls, and coulter cost him fifty shillings
each; and the buckles proved expensive and painful orna-
ments, representing thirty-nine stripes. He was also in-
dicted for poisoning a colt, and found guilty; but judgment
was arrested, because poisoning was not an offense at either
common law or under the statute.
Seven recognizances were estreated to the court of ex-
chequer in January, 1794. At the November sessions,
1795, Robert Dawson was indicted for forgery, pleaded
guilty, and was sentenced to six months in the county jail
and to stand one day, between ten o'clock a.m. and one
o'clock P.M., in the pillory. At the January sessions,
1798, the first sentence to the penitentiary was pronounced,
the prisoner, for grand larceny, being sentenced to the
institution for two years, and to remain in the county jail
until the prison was finished.
In 1797 the pounds, shillings, and pence of royalty give
place to the dollars and cents of democracy.
At the May sessions, 1802, Jacob Ilutsen Van Rens-
selaer, as attorney for Elizabeth Kells, filed papers of
manumission of " Nan," a female slave of said Elizabeth,
under the act of April 8, 1801, and the former mistress
was released from any liability for her former slave's future
support.
In 1803, Thomas Osterhoudt, a slave, confessed to a
crime which the court certified could be properly punished
only by transportation out of the State, and sentenced him
to be so transported within thirty days by his master, or in
default the slave should be imprisoned three years.
In 1805, Nero, a slave, was convicted of petit larceny,
and his master allowed a certificate to transport him from
the State to a clime where the people were less fastidious
as to rights of property, or where black flesh and blood
commanded a qulil j^'V quo in the market.
In January, 180(), the jail limits of the new jail in
Hudson were laid off, and included an area of 130,600
square feet. The limits included a line from "Stoddard's
corner, on Third street, to the east line of Lot 9, between
Fifth and Sixth streets ; from Hathaway's corner, on oppo-
site side of Warren street, to east line of Lot 7 ; the court-
house lot, jail, and market grounds; the lots of Samuel
Stockings, Nathaniel Greene, James Vanderbergh, 'Squire
Allen, Christopher Hoxie, Samuel Gamage, Obadiah New-
comb, Seth Morton, Daniel Collar, Widow Burke, John
Light Body Silvanus, William Whiting, Joshua Toby,
Widow Hussey, that was, John Bennetts," and divers
crossings connecting streets. The courts were firet held
in the court-house in Hudson, at the January sessions,
1806.
THE OYER AND TERMINER AND OENERAL JAIL DE-
LIVERY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY.
The first term of this court was held at Claverack, and
was begun March 25, 1788, with the following presence :
Robert Yates, " Chief-Justice of the Supreme Court of
Judicature for the State of New York ;" Peter Van Ness,
Peter R. Livingston, and Henry I. Van Rensselaer, " Jus-
tices of Oyer and Terminer and general gaol delivery for
Columbia County." Proclamation was made for silence,
and the court was opened, and proclamation was made for
" all justices, coroners, and other officers who have any in-
quisitions or recognizances whereby the people are con-
cerned" to present them to the court for adjudication. The
sheriff' returned a venire of grand jurors, wlio were sworn
and charged by the court, and retired to consider of their
presentments. On the third day after the term the jury
returned three indictments into court for horse-stealing, and
the fourth day returned four more, — two for the like oflfense
as the first ones, one for stealing a cow, and one for petit
larceny. On the fifth day of the tei-m, John Davis was
tried for and convicted of horse-stealing by a jury from
Westchester county. Jacobus Krelenbergh was tried by a
fl
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
Columbia county jury for a like offense, and convicted the
same day ; and on the sixth day Philip Jansen was tried
for a similar theft, the verdict of the jury being " not
guilty as to stealing a gelding of a black color, but guilty
of stealing one of a hay color." The same day the grand
jury returned three other indictments, — one for misdemeanor,
one for theft of a bee-hive, and one against " Peter, a male
slave, the property of Gerard D. Cook," for a theft of
leather. The cow-stealer was convicted ; the bee-hive thief
gave bail to the nest oyer and terminer, at which term a
swarm of witnesses was likely to appear. Two indictments
against Cornelius Chatterton were tried, resulting in verdicts
of " not guilty." On the 2d of April, 1788, Jacobus Kre-
lenbergh, Philip Jansen, and John Davis, convicted of
horse-stealing, were brought to bar for judgment. " And
it being demanded of them severally what they had to say
why judgment should not pass against them respectively,
according to law, they severally nothing said other than
what they respectively before had said. Thereupon it is con-
sidered and adjudged by the court now here that the said
prisoners be severally, for the felonies whereof they are
severally convicted, taken from lienQe to the place from
whence they came, and from thence to the place of execu-
tion, and that they there be severally hanged by the neck
until they shall be respectively dead. Ordered that the
above sentence be executed on the 30th day of May next,
between the hours of ten and twelve of the clock in the
forenoon of the same day, and that the sheriff of Columbia
County cause execution to be done accordingly." This ex-
ecution took place in accordance with the sentence pro-
nounced. Peter, the slave, received " thirty-nine lashes on
his bare back, from the waist upwards, at the public whip-
ping-post," and the cow-stealer was treated to a like inflic-
tion.
At the second oyer and terminer, in March, 1789, the
bee-hive thief was again held to bail to the next term, thus
experiencing what to him at least were the sweets of the
law's delay. Notwithstanding the severe sentence of the
horse-thieves at the first oyer and terminer, there were
found five indictments for stealing, one for burglary, and
three for assault and battery at this term. At the third
term, held June, 1789, eight defaulting jurors were fined
forty shillings each, of whom four were farmers, three
esquires, and one " a gentleman." Hon. John Sloss Ho-
bart held the term. The bee-hive man was tried, and by
the surplus of honey in the tongue of his counsel, or the
lack of sting in the jury, was found not guilty. At the
December oyer and terminer, 1789, Henry McKinney and
Timothy Jackson were indicted and tried for, and con-
victed of, robbery, and sentenced, December 5, to be hanged
December 18. Lawrence McDermod, prosecuting witness,
received eleven pounds thirteen shillings for prosecuting
the above prisoners to execution, Johannes J. Muller and
Elizabeth Muller being the other witnesses for the State.
Justice Yates presided, with Peter Van Ness, Peter Silves-
ter, Peter R. Livingston, and Israel Spencer associates, at
the trial of the robbers.
In July, 1791, Peleg White, alias William Williams,
was convicted on two indictments for larceny, and sentenced
to receive thirty-nine lashes on that day (Saturday), thirty-
nine more on Monday following, and thirty-nine more on
the next Saturday, at the public whipping-post. " Guss,"
a negro, indicted for a rape at the May sessions, 1791, was
tried in the oyer and terminer, and convicted and sen-
tenced to be hanged August 26. At this term Coroner
Peter Bishop returned an inquisition on the body of James
Robertson, killed by the accidental discharge of a gun in
the hands of Mathew Van Djusen, while pigeon-shooting.
At the Djcember oyer and terminer Thomas Southward,
Jonathan Arnold, John West, Abel Hackett, Ebenezor
Hatch, Robert Boze, John Boze, John Rodman, Joseph
Tiekner, and Jacob Virgil were indicted for the murder of
Cornelius Hogeboom, sheriff of Columbia county. The
first named. Southward, was indicted, as the principal, in
the first degree, and the others, as accessories, in the second
degree. These persons were tried at the February term of
the court, 1792, and discharged, the verdict of the jury-
being '• We find the prisoners at the bar not guilty, and
that he did not fly for it," Andrew Klaw, Jacob Mont-
gomery, and Gerrit Rowen were sworn as triers to try the
jurors as to impartiality or favor. Judge John Lansing, of
the Supreme Court, William B. Whiting, Adgate, Peter
Van Schaack, Philip Frisbie, Israel Spencer, David Pratt,
and Peter R. Livingston were the judges.
At the October term, 1795, Justice Yates, and Greene
and Silvester, judges, presiding, Jessap Darling, who was
indicted at the Jlay sessions for forgery, was tried and
convicted, and sentenced to be hanged December 18,
"within two miles of the court-house in Claverack, on or
near the road leading to Kinderhook." John Thompson,
convicted also of burglary, was arraigned for sentence of
death, but judgment was arrested, and the case taken under
advisement. At the next oyer and terminer, held Sep-
tember, 1796, Thompson was sentenced to be hanged No-
vember 10 following. Judge Lansing pronouncing the sen-
tence. At the same term Samuel Freeborn, a slave, was
convicted of manslaughter, and sentenced to confinement
for seven years " in the State prison to be built in Albany
county, and till the same be ready" was to be confined in
the county jail.
In June, 1797, Justice Morgan Lewis (subsequently
governor of the State) presiding, David McCracken, in-
dicted for forgery, was tried and convicted, and sentenced
to confinement for life in the State's prison in New York
city, and until the same was completed to be confined in
the Washington county jail. Ambrose Spencer was attor-
ney-general, and J. Rutsen Van Rensselaer and Elisha
Williams defended the prisoner.
In 1798 the first indictment for passing counterfeit
money was found, and Nathan Kent, the prisoner, was
convicted, and sentenced to State's prison for life. The
June oyer and terminer, 1799, was held by Justice (after-
wards Chancellor) Kent. D. D. Tompkins, afterwards
governor of New York, hold the July oyer and terminer,
1806, and sentenced Ben, a negro slave, who was convicted
of a rape, and Dan Beathew, convicted of burglary, to
imprisonment for life. Cassar Johnson, a black man, was
transported for felony, in 1808. Daniel Burr, for sodomy,
was sentenced to imprisonment for life, in 1810. In Octo-
ber, 1812, John Prosser, for arson, was sentenced to a life
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
imprisonment, and tlirce accomplices received a sentence of
fourteen years' confinement.
At the September oyer and terminer, 1817, Margaret
Houghtaling, alias Peggy Don.'more, was indicted and tried
for the murder of a child, of which she was convicted, and
sentenced to be hanged Oct. 17 following, and was executed.
The next execution was that of Joseph Brown, alias Joseph
Barney, indicted Jan. 15, 18C8, for the murder of Angeline
Stewart, alias Angie Brown, of Canaan, by burning her to
death in a house which he set fire to. lie was tried in
April, before Judge Eufus W. Peckham, Supreme Court
justice, and James E. Christie and George S. Snyder,
justices of sessions, and convicted, and sentenced to be
hanged May 30, and was accordingly executed. Hon. Jonas
Piatt, a justice of the Supreme Court, and L. M. Goes, R.
I. Goes, and H. Dayton, commissioners of oyer and terminer,
tiied Margaret Houghtaling.
Smith A. Boughton ("Big Thunder") and Mortimer
C. Bclding (" Little Thunder") were indicted, February,
1845, for taking from the sheriff of Columbia county, on
the 11th of December, 1844, certain distress warrants on
the Livingston grants, and for such offense Boughton was
tried at the March oyer and terminer. The trial began
Marth 20, and the jury returned into court March 30,
unable to agree upon a verdict, and were discharged.
Fourteen witnesses were sworn for the people and thirty-
one for the defense. The indictment charged riot, con-
spiracy, and robbery. Hon. Amasa J. Parker, circuit
judge, and Peck, Holdridge, Martin, Wilcoxson, and Clyde,
judges, held the trial. Boughton was again brought to
trial in September, 1845, before Judge Edmonds, as circuit
judge, and associates as before. John Yan Buren, attorney-
general of New York, conducted the prosecution, assisted
by Theodore Miller, district attorney. James Storm and
Ambrose L. Jordan defended the prisoner. The jurors
were Peter Gardenier, f:\rnier, Kinderhook ; Bartlett V.
Clark, merchant, Chatham ; Elisha Fingar, farmer, Ger-
mantown; Benson Simpson, merchant, Hillsdale; Richard
Van Alstyne, mechanic, Chatham ; Philander S. Gifford,
farmer, Chatham ; James B. Van Valkenburgh, farmer,
Chatham ; William A. Case, fiirmer, Chatham ; Abraham
Van Dyck, farmer, Stuyvesant ; Jeremiah Manton, farmer,
Stuyvesant; Abraham Raymond, inn-keeper, Ghent; and
Philip Mickle, farmer, Chatham. Forty witnesses were
sworn for the people, and forty-nine for the defense. The
suit was called Sept. 3, and the time from and including
that day to the 17th, also iiKilusive, was occupied in im-
panelling a jury, but four of the regular panel being ac-
cepted. The first witness. Sheriff Henry C. Miller, on
whom the outrage was committed, was sworn on the 17th,
and the testimony was closed on the 2Gth. Mr. Jordan
commenced summing up for the defense on the evening of
the 26th, and closed at five o'clock on the evening of the
27th. The attorney-general opened for the people at half-
past six o'clock P.M. on the 27th, and concluded at a
quarter past four o'clock on Monday evening, the 29th.
Judge Edmonds occupied three hours in charging the jury,
who retired, under charge of four constables, at half-past
eight P.M. on the 29th, and returned into court at half-past
eight A.M. on the 30th, and reported their inability to agree,
and were sent back. At half past eleven a.m. they came
into court again, and returned a verdict of guilty. Bough-
ton was sentenced to State's prison for life, but was pardoned
by Governor Young, after a brief confinement. During the
progress of the trial the attorney-general, Mr. Van Buren,
and Mr. Jordan, attorney for the defense, indulged in a
passage at arms, which resulted in the execution of the
following order of the court:
"Se]it. 4, 9 o'clock, a.m. — Ambrose L. Jordan and John Van Bu-
ren having been severally guilty of disorderly and contcnjptuons be-
havior during the sitting of this court, within the immediate view
and presence, and directly tending to interrupt its proceedings and
to impair the respect due its authority, it is ordered that the said
Ambrose L. .Jordan and John Van Burin be imprisoned in the
county jail of the County of Columbia for the space of twenty-four
hours."
At the March term, 184G, five indictments against as
many different persons were presented for appearing armed
and disguised. These and seven other similar ones were
nol. pros'd. in September, 1846, including the one against
Bclding.
At the April oyer and terminer, 1824, there was a gen-
eral time of felicity. The grand jury had no business, and
filed a congratulatory report with the board of supervisors
on the good morals of the county, praised the jailer, and
condemned the roof of the jail, and commended the alms-
house and city Bridewell of Hudson. Daniel Smith was
the foreman, and Charles Esselstyne the clerk, of the grand
inquest.
THE CIRCUIT COURT OP COLUMBIA COUNTY
was first held, for civil business, June 30, 1823, Hon.
Samuel R. Betts, circuit judge, presiding.
THE SUPREME COURT OP NEW YORK
held a special term in Hudson for the first time, beginning
July 7, 1847, for equity business, Hon. Amasa J. Parker
presiding.
The first judgment entered up in the courts of the
county was by confession, Oct. 30, 1786. Previous to the
first term of the court, so far as appears of record, there
were judgments entered by confession amounting to £685
Is. 8(^., and numbered thirteen in all; two of them entered
by John Bay, three by K. K. Van Rensselaer, two by E.
Gilbert, three by E. Pratt, and three by J. C. Wynckoop.
The first one was in favor of Thomas Thomson, and against
Jonathan Holeomb, for the amount of £32 damages and
£3 14s. costs. The costs in the whole number of judg-
ments amounted to £46 \d.
THE COUNTY COURT OP COLUMBIA COUNTY
held its first session in the fall of 1847, Judge John T.
Hogeboom presiding, — the common pleas having been
abolished from and af\er the first Monday of July, 1847.
THE surrogate's COURT.
The first session of the surrogate was begun at Claver-
ack, April 18, 1787, Killian K. Van Rensselaer being the
first surrogate of the county. Petitions for letters of admin-
istration on the estate of Sarah Van Hoesen, of Claverack,
deceased, were filed, and letters were granted May 2 to Cor-
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
nelius Van Hoesen, of Coxsackie district, Albany county.
Bonds in the sum of one thousand pounds, New York cur-
rency, were given, with Justice Van Hoesen, of Hudson,
and Lawrence Fonda, of Clavorack, as sureties. The let-
ters are dated " in the eleventh year of freedom and inde-
pendence," and run in the name of " the People of the State
of New York, by the grace of God free and independent."
The bond was conditioned for the returning of an inventory
to the court of probates of New York, and the report of the
administration to be examined and approved by that court.
In Augu.st, 1787, the condition of the bond of Angus Mc-
Donald, as administrator of the estate of Rodolphus Ding-
man, of Claverack district, was for the return of the in-
ventory to the surrogate court of Columbia county, but the
final report was to be made to the court of probates. In
1802 administrators were under the full jurisdiction of the
surrogate, all reports being returned to and approved by
him, and wills probated also by him.
The first will that appears of record in the surrogate's
oflSce is that of Lucas Goes, registered Jan. 21, 1804. It
makes specific bequests to relatives, and gives a negro boy,
" Dick," then sixteen years old, to the testator's wife, while
she lives, and then he was to be sold to " a good master"
to serve until he was forty years of age, when he was to be
free. The money the boy Dick brought by his sale was to
go to two devisees named. The testator manumitted his
slave Harr and his wife. The bulk of the estate was de-
vised to sisters and brothers and their children. The exec-
utors were a brother of the testator, John Goes, Jr., and
his nephews. Jacobus L. and James I. Van Alen. The
will was dated August 21, 1803, and witnes.sed by Myndert
P. Vosburgh, John Pennoyer, and Lucretia Vosburgh, who
testified to the due execution of the will, and the competency
of the testator to make the same, before W. W. Van Ness,
surrogate, Jan. 13, 1804. On the same day letters testa-
mentary were granted to the executors named in the will.
The second will was probated Jan. 27, 1804, the same
being that of Zachariah Standish, a physician, who thus
announced his faith in his ante-mortem statement : " Prin-
cipally, and first of all, I give my soul into the hands of
Almighty God, who gave it, and my body to the earth, to
be buried in decent Christian burial, at the direction of my
executors, nothing doubting but at the general judgment I
shall receive the same again by the power of God."
Andries Shirts, inn-keeper in Livingston, devised two
negro women slaves to his wife and daughter, for their use
during life, and on the death of the devisees the slaves to
be free. Their own decease may have enfranchised them
sooner. An old lady gave a son a pair of " old calico cur-
tains which she earned while living with him," and the
remainder of her property to her daughter, with whom she
was living at the time of her death.
The will of Johan Silbernagel, written in the Dutch
language, was proven and recorded June 4, 1805. Its
caption was as follows : " Diess ist mein wille und testament,
und ich babe es bey volkomen Beweert seyn in Deutsche
Sprache in Jahr nach Christte Gebert, ein tousand acht
hundert und fienf, den achten tag Appriels."
Letters of guardianship were granted to Nathan Gillett,
guardian of Nathan Gillett, Jr., son of Elizabeth Gillett,
of Chatham, Sept. 24, 1808, by Martin Van Buren, surro-
gate, under the act of 1802 " authorizing surrogates to
appoint guardians for infants." This was the first appoint-
ment by the surrogate in the county. The general sessions
had appointed before. The first assignment of dower was
made, also by Mr. Van Buren, the same year, the same being
that of Christina, widow of Hendrik Scheelt, deceased, of
Claverack. John J. Rlesick, Harman Sagandorph, and
John I. Miller were the commissioners.
In 1801, October 16, the first petition for the sale of
real estate of a decedent to pay debts was filed, the same
being in the estate of John C. Miller, Jr., intestate. The
order of sale was granted December G, under the act of
March 27, 1801, " conferring additional powers on surro-
gates," and was made by W. W. Van Ness, surrogate.
THE mayor's court OP HUDSON.
This tribunal, though local, was nevertheless for many
years an important one in the county, and as such deserves
a notice in this connection. It was instituted with the
charter of the city, in 1785, and had civil jurisdiction only.
For the past thirty years its chief business has been the
naturalization of aliens. Justices' courts and the police
court now take its place in its former jurisdiction. The
court, prior to 1854, for a time was held by three justices.
In the latter year the first police justice was elected, and
from that time to 1872 continued to be elected, but since
then the office has been an appointive one. The court when
first established was held by the mayor, recorder, and alder-
men, or any three of them, of whom the mayor must be
one.
The court opened for the first time, June 7, 1785, with
the following presence : Seth Jenkins, Esquire, mayor ;
Nathaniel Greene, recorder ; and Ezra Reed, William May-
liew, Benjamin Folger, aldermen. There being no business,
the court adjourned till the first Tuesday in July. At the
July terra there were nine cases on the docket, John Bay
and Ezekiel Gilbert being the attorneys in attendance. Or-
ders in each case were entered for pleas in ten days, or, in
default, judgment would be entered for want of same, with
one exception, in which the plaintiiF was ruled to give
security for costs. Andrew Mayfield Carshore was natur-
alized in pursuance of the act of the Legislature to that
effect. At the August term two cases had the same order
for pleas : one fieri facias was returned by the marshal,
who had seized thereon certain real estate, including the
dwelling-house, store-house, shed, and brewery of John I.
A. Moder, the writ being issued in favor of Cotton Gels-
ton. A writ of venditioni exponas was ordered out on the
same.
At the September term the first jury trial was had, the
jurors being Titus Morgan, Reuben Folger, Peter Fields,
Shubael Worth, Dan Paddock, William Tunnicliffe, Cotton
Gclston, Silas Bunker, William Hardick, Nathaniel Porter,
and Elihu Bunker. Thirteen witnesses were sworn for the
plaintiff, Thomas Denton, and five for the defendant, Jacob
Barnard. The jury gave the plaintiff twenty-four pounds
damages and sixpence costs, and judgment just was entered
on the verdict, Mr. Bay appearing for the plaintiff.
At the December term, Ambrose Spencer and H. L.
HISTOKY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
Hosiner were admitted to practice in the court. A seal
bearing the device of an anchor, with the legend " Hudson
Mayor's Court Seal," was adopted as the seal of the court.
David Van Schaack and Herman Pruyn took the oath of
allegiance to New York, Sept. 5, 1786, and also James
Brebner. K. K. Van Rensselaer was admitted as an attor-
ney of the court at this term.
In March, 1787, rules of admission to practice in the
court were adopted, requiring of the applicant a certificate
of three years' clerkship in the office of some attorney of
the State, and also of good moral character.
The courts of justice which exercise jurisdiction over
the people of Columbia county, within the bounds of the
federal and State constitutions, at the present time are as
follows :
THE SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES.
Morrison R. Waite, Ohio, chief-justice, appointed 1874 ;
Nathan Clifford, Portland, Maine, associate ju.stice, 1858;
Ward Hunt, Utica, N. Y., associate justice, 1873; Wm.
Strong, Philadelphia, Penn., associate justice, 1870 ; Joseph
P. Bradley, Newark, N. J., associate justice, 1870 ; Noah
H. Swayne, Columbus, Ohio, associate justice, 1862; John
M. Harlan, Kentucky, associate justice, 1877 ; Samuel P.
Miller, Keokuk, Iowa, associate justice, 1862 ; Stephen J.
Field, San Francisco, Cal., associate justice, 1863 ; D.
Wesley Middleton, of Washington, clerk ; William T. Otto,
of Indiana, reporter ; John G. Nicolay, of Illinois, marshal.
The court holds one general term at Washington, D. C,
commencing on the second Monday in October.
UNITED STATES COURT OP CLAIMS.
Charles D. Drake, Missouri, chief-justice, commissioned
Dec. 12, 1870 ; Edward A. Loring, Massachusetts, asso-
ciate justice, commissioned May 6, 1858 ; Ebenezer Peck,
Illinois, associate justice, commissioned May 10, 1863 ;
Charles C. Nott, New York, associate justice, commis-
sioned Feb. 22, 1865 ; W. A. Richardson, associate jus-
tice, Massachusetts, commissioned June 2, 1874 ; Archibald
Hopkins, chief clerk, Massachusetts.
THE CIRCUIT COURT OP THE UNITED STATES,
for the second circuit (including New York, Vermont, and
Connecticut). — Judges: Ward Hunt, associate justice,
circuit judge, and the district judge. Terms of this court
are held for the northern district of New York (including
Columbia county) at Albany, second Tuesday in October ;
Canandaigua, third Tuesday in June ; also adjourned term,
for civil business only, at Albany, third Tuesday in Jan-
uary, and at Utica, third Tuesday in March. Charles
Mason, clerk northern division, office at Utica.
THE DISTRICT COURT OF THE UNITED STATES,
for the northern district of New York. — William J. Wal-
lace, district judge, Syracuse ; Richard Crowley, district
attorney, Lockport ; Winfield Robbins, clerk, Buffalo ;
Isaac F. Quimby, marshal, Rochester. The terms of the
court are held as follows : Albany, third Tuesday in Jan-
uary ; Utica, third Tuesday in March ; Rochester, second
Tuesday in May ; Buffalo, third Tuesday in August ; Au-
burn, third Tuesday in November. Special terms are held
by appointment at Oswego, Plattsburg, or Watertown ;
and a special session in admiralty at Buffalo, on Tuesday
of each week.
THE COURT OF APPEALS OP NEW YORK.
Sanford E. Church, Albion, chief judge ; term expires
Dee. 31, 1884. Associate judges: William F. Allen, Os-
wego, term expires Dec. 31, 1878; Charles A. Rapallo,
New York city, term expires Dec. 31, 1884; Charles
Andrews, Syracuse, term expires Dec. 31, 1884; Charles
J. Folger, Geneva, term expires Dec. 31, 1884; Theodore
Miller, Hudson, term expires Dec. 31, 1886; Robert
Earl, Herkimer, term expires Dec. 31, 1890. Edwin 0.
Perrin, clerk, Jamaica; F. Stanton Perrin, deputy clerk,
Albany ; Hiram E. Sickels, reporter, Albany ; Amos Dodge,
crier, Albany ; Andrew J. Chester, attendant, Albany ;
Jeremiah Cooper, attendant, Lenox.
THE SUPREME COURT OF NEW YORK.
The general terms of the third judicial department,
consisting of the third, fourth, and sixth judicial districts,
holden by Wm. L. Learned, Albany, presiding justice ; and
Augustus Bockes, Saratoga Springs, and Douglas Board-
man, Ithaca, associate justices.
THE CIRCUIT COURTS, COURTS OF OYER AND TERMINER,
AND SPECIAL TERMS OP THE SUPREME COURT,
held in Columbia county, in the third judicial district,
comprising the counties of Albany, Columbia, Greene,
Rensselaer, Schoharie, Sullivan, and Ulster. — Judges:
Theodore Miller Hudson, term expires Dec. 31, 1884 ;
Charles Ingalls, Troy, term expires Dec. 31, 1885; Wm.
L. Learned, Albany, term expires Dec. 31, 1884; Theo-
dore R. Westbrook, Kingston, term expires Dec. 31, 1887.
THE COUNTY COURT.
Hon. Hugh W. McClellan, county judge, term expires
Dec. 31, 1883 ; Levi F. Longley, clerk, term expires Dec.
31, 1879; H. M. Hanor, sheriff, term expires Dec. 31,
1879.
GENERAL SESSIONS OF THE PEACE.
Hugh W. McClellan, county judge, term expires Dec.
31, 1883; Philip Rockefeller, justice sessions, term ex-
pires Dec. 31, 1878; Henry P. Van Hoesen, justice ses-
sions, term expires Dec. 31, 1878; Levi F. Longley,
clerk, term expires Dec. 31, 1879; John B. Longley,
district attorney, term expires Dec. 31, 1880; H. M.
Hanor, sheriff, term expires Dec. 31, 1879.
surrogate's COURT.
Isaac N. Collier, surrogate; term expires Dec. 31, 1883.
THE MAYOR S COURT OF
the police court of that city, and the several justices of the
peace in the towns of the county.
THE board of supervisors.
The board of supervisors, as the fiscal manager of the
county, has come down from the "good old colony times,
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
when the people lived under the king," and dates its be-
i^inning in an act of the Colonial Assembly of New York,
passed in April, 1691.* By this act it was provided that
the freeholders of the colony should elect two assessors and
one supervisor in their respective towns ; the former to as-
sess and establish the rates on each freeholder and inhabit-
ant, and deliver the list to the supervisor, who took it up
to a general meeting of the supervisors of the county, who
ordered the same collected by the constables or collectors of
the several towns. The supervisore, as a board, also elected
a county treasurer, who received and disbursed the funds
for county charges. This act was repealed Oct. 18, 1701,
and courts of general or special sessions, lield by the jus-
tices of the peace of the county, or any five of them, were
created, to make the necessary levies of taxes and audit
claims, and certify the same to two assessors and a collector
in each town for collection pro rata. This court also ap-
pointed the county treasurer. On June 10, 1703, the super-
visors were restored again and put in charge of the strong
box of the treasury, and the courts of sessions relieved of
the care of the financial interests of the county, and the
supervisors required to meet as a board at the county town,
annually, on the first Tuesday in October, and at such other
limes as they might deem proper for the transaction of
their business. The board received back again, also, the
power of appointment of county treasurer, who was allowed
a sixpence on the pound for his fees, the collectors getting
ninepence for their fees of collection. The system of the
supervisors has been continued under the several constitu-
tions of the State to the present time.
The first book of minutes of the board of supervisors of
the county of Columbia is still in good preservation. The
proceedings of the board at the first meeting are recorded
as follows :
"In pursuance of an act of the State of New York entitled 'an
Act to divide the County of Albany into Two Counties,' passed the
fourth day of April, 1781), the supervisors for the county of Columbia
met at the house of Gabriel Esselstyne, in Claverack, and were duly
qualified, on the first Tuesday in June, 1786 (June 6, 1786). Mem-
bers present: John Livingston, Manor Livingston; Cornelius A^an
Sohaack, Kindcrhook; Peter Wiessmer, Claverack; William Powers,
Kings; James Bryan, Hillsdale; John Kortz, German Camp;
Thomas Jenkins, Hudson.
''The board nominated John Livingston their moderator. The
board then proceeded to elect a county treasurer and clerk to the
supervisors, when Walter Vrooman Weinple was elected to the two
offices. The board then adjourned till to-morrow morning at eight
" The supervisors met pursuant to adjournment. All the members
as yesterday, except Mr. Wiessmer, present. The board then pro-
ceeded to divide the quotas among the several districts, as follows :
Itiiti". Quota.
Kinderhook 241 4,820
Hillsdale 125 2.500
Kings 179 3,580
Manor Livingston 544 10,880
Claverack 162 3,240
German Camp 48 960
Hudson 162 3,240
1461 29.220
"The board resolved that fifteen hundred pounds (with the ad-
ditional sum of nine pence in the pound for collecting) shall be raised
towards building the county court-house and gaol (£1500).
" The treasurer's bond for the performance of his office is deposited
in the hands of Mr. Livingston.
* Bradford's Ed. Colonial Laws.
' Vou. No. 1. — The board agreed to allow Cornelius Fonda,
for his attendance as messenger this setting £0 08 00
' Vou. No. 2.— The board allowed Gab. Esselstyne for
his bill of expenses 2 15 00
' The board then adjourned till the 21st July r
£3 03 Oi
j'clock A.M.'
On July 21 the board met pursuant to adjournment, the
full board being present, except Mr. Livingston. Mr. Van
Schaack was elected moderator pi-o fern. The following
town accounts were allowed :
-Election expenses, 1785-86 33
Pauper relief. 38
Lands and damages for roads.... 28
Highway commissioners 13
Supervisor 2
aan Camp. — Elections...
Supervisor,
Livingston Manor. — Elections
Pauper relief..
Claverack.— Elections 10
Commissioners of highways 8
Dr. W. V. Wemple!!...!... .!....".!.! 9
-Pauper relief..
Tot.al 360
The apportionment of taxes for the year 171:
follows :
County Tax. District Tax.
was a
Total.
Totalf..
1635 10
On Sept. 5, 1786, the supervisors met to divide a quota
of £2300, under the act of April 29 of that year, the
full board being present, except Messrs. Livingston and
Powers. Mr. Jenkins moved to reduce the quota of
Hudson, but the board refused to do so, and Mr. Jenkins
entered his protest against the action. The quotas of the
several towns were fixed as follows :
£
«.
379
S
281
16
255
255
Hillsdale 190
Manor Livingston 856
German Camp 75
On Jan. 23, 1787, the board met again, the members all
present except Mr. Powers. The trustees for erecting the
court-house and jail asked for the remaining £500 allowed
for the public buildings by the Legislature April 19, 1786,
tS4088.75; $900.79; S49S9.54.
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
and the same was voted accordingly, the apportionment
being as follows: Kinderhook, £83; Hillsdale, £43;
Kings, £61 ; Livingston, £18G ; Claverack, £55; Hudson,
£55 ; German Carap, £17.
At the May meeting, 1787, Clermont sent its first su-
pervisor to the board, Samuel Ten Broeck. The board
canvassed the returns of the election for members of the As-
sembly under the act of Feb. 13, 1786. A vote was passed
to allow assessors and supervisors six shillings per day for
services. The first State tax was levied at the September
session of the board, amounting to £2400 ($6000), dis-
tributed to the several towns as follows : Manor Livingston,
£637; Kings, £294; Claverack, £288 ; Clermont, £181 ;
Kinderhook, £435; Hillsdale, £205; Hudson, £288;
German Camp, £72.
The total county tax was £157 13s. lOrf., of which Cler-
mont's quota was £12. The town taxes amounted to £712
4«., Clermont paying £13 9s. Collectors were required to
return their bad debts within ten days of September 4, or
be held accountable for the same, under act of April 29,
1786.
On May 29, 1788, the board met to canvass the returns
of the election for members of Assembly and for delegates
to the convention to act upon the federal constitution, and
also to divide £600 to be raised for court-house purposes,
under act of March 14, 1788. In June £1250 additional
were raised to complete the court-house and jail. On the
13th of this month a settlement with the trustees of the
court-house was had, and on their report £600 only were
ordered paid for the completion of the buildings ; but the
next board, in May, 1789, voted £600 more to complete the
same. Among the contingent expenses allowed by this
board, was a charge of eight shillings by the public execu-
tioner for whipping a negro by order of the court.
An amount of £7520 12s. 3d. was found due Albany
county from Columbia county as arrearages on tax lists
from 1778 to 1785, which amount was divided among the
towns according to the quota they were then placed in.
Fifty pounds additional for the jail were appropriated.
In 1793 a settlement was made with the treasurer for
the sis years preceding, and a balance of £100 10s. lid.
found in his hands, the rest of the funds for the entire term
being properly and correctly accounted for. He had, be-
sides this, advanced on the taxes of 1789 £169 10s. M.,
which was ordered paid back to him. Two days " extra ordi-
nary" were added to the accounts of supervisors of Canaan,
Hillsdale, Kinderhook, Clermont, and Germantown, on
account of the distance from the county-seat.
In 1795 the first public-school moneys were distributed
to the inhabitants of the county, and were as follows, with
the number of taxable inhabitants :
Taxable!. Disliil.utioii.
£. a. rf.
Livingston 853 302 12 (1
Hillsdale 630 223 9
Canaan 549 194 1"
Claverack 449 159 6
Hudson 411 145 18
Kinderhook 387 134 16
Chatham 321 114 1
Clermont 175 62 1 6
Germantown 100 35 12
Total 3875 1372 12 6
James Savage, the first supervisor of Chatham, came on
the board this year, the taxes of the town being for its own
needs £130 4s. 4d., and for county purposes £30 16s. Gd.
The amount of money raised by the county for school pur-
poses was just one-half the amount received from the State,
to wit, £686 6s. In 1798 the currency was changed from
the New York to the federal currency, dollars and cents
taking the place of the pounds, shillings, and pence of the
colony. The school tax this year equaled the amount re-
ceived from the State, 81412.12. Andrew M. Carshore
succeeded to the clerkship of the board on the death of Dr.
Wemple.
In 1803 two new towns sent their representatives to the
board, — Granger, now Taghkanic, Henry Avery, supervisor;
and Gallatin, now Ancram, Nicholas Kline, supervisor.
Granger had 343 taxable inhabitants, and paid taxes as
follows: county, $98.30; town, $351.90. Gallatin had
369 taxables, and paid county taxes, $102.96, and town
taxes, $237.62. The total tax of the county for county
purposes was $1730.63, and there were 4370 taxables in its
limits. In 1805 the Kinderhook farmers began a sys-
tematic warfare on the crows, and offered a " fo'pence
ha'penny" for the bead of every thief of that family.
In 1806 the board met in the new court-house in Hud-
son. In 1807, " Guss," a free black man, had been fined
for a misdemeanor and committed to jail until the fine and
costs were paid ; but the term of imprisonment, owing to
the impecuniosity of " Guss," bidding fair to be of an in-
definite duration, the supervisors, <is the cheaper method,
paid the fine and costs and thus saved his board. The
military tax against non-combatants, the Quakere, of three
dollars per poll, was levied for the first time in 1807, thei-e
being four polls. The next year the number of polls in-
creased as well as the amount of tax, there being twenty-
five of the former at four dollars.
In 1810 the mayor's room in the court-house was rented
for a school-rocmi to Peter Mills, for the winter of 1810
-11.
In 1813 the first equalization of assessments of real es-
tate was effected as follows : from Hudson, Claverack, and
Kinderhook, 25 per cent, of the assessors' returns was de-
ducted ; from Chatham, 33J per cent. ; from Hillsdale,
12 5 per cent. ; and from Granger, 50 per cent. To Ger-
mantown 100 per cent, was added; to Livingston and
Canaan 25 per cent. ; and to Gallatin and Clermont 50 per
cent.
In 1818, Ghent and Austerlitz were first represented on
the board, the former by Tobias L. Hogeboom, supervisor,
and the latter by Jonathan C. Olmstead, supervisor.
The first a.ssessment of Ghent, for the year 1818, and
the tax-list for that year, were as follows: 25,471 acres at
$22=$560,362 ; equalized, $915,631 ; personal property.
$30,774 ; total a.«sessment, $946,405. State tax, $946.40 ;
county tax, $473.44 ; town tax, $1285.05 ; collector's fees,
$162.29; total, $2867.18.
Austerlitz's first assessment was thus taxed : 22,051 acres,
at $ 1 2=$264,6 1 2 ; equalized , $432,376 ; personal property,
$10,715: total, $443,091. State tax, $443.09; county
tax, $221.66 ; town tax, $786.76 ; fees, $87.09 ; total,
$1538.60.
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
In 1819, New Lebanon sent John King, its first super-
visor, to the board, its first assessment and taxation as a
separate town being as follows: 19,737 .acres, $367,692;
equalized, $267,436 ; personal property, $10,549 ; total,
$277,985. State tax, $277.98; county tax, $207.29;
town tax, $1267.54; fees, $105.16 ; total list, $1857.97.
In 1821, David Dunbar was appointed sealer of weights
and measures, and $80 appropriated for standards.
In 1823, Stuyvesant came to the county legislature in the
person of P. I. Vosburgh, her first supervisor. The assess-
ment and taxation of the new town were as follows : real
estate, $464,583 ; equalized, $239,160 ; personal property,
$52,750 ; total, $291,910. State tax, $291.91 ; county
tax, $249.13; town tax, $937.59; fees, $64.55; total list,
$1543.18.
In 1824, Copake entered the board, William Murray
being the first supervisor of the town. The assessment for
the year was as follows : real estate, $387,197; equalized,
$199,068; personal property, $20,190; total, $219,258;
State tax, $109.63; county tax, $148.79; town tax,
$1500.64; fees, $55.34; total list, $1814.40.
In 1827 the movement for a county poor- farm and alms-
house began, the details of which will be found elsewhere
in this chapter.
In 1831 grand and petit jurors were first paid for
service in the courts, $2500 being raised for the purpose.
In 1833, Stockport came in first to the board, George
Chittenden being the supervisor. Its lands were assessed
at $29 per acre, there being 6543 acres returned. Its real
estate was assessed at $348,864, and equalized at $189,747 ;
personal property, $82,588 ; total, $272,335. County tax,
$556.76; town tax, $787.45; fees, $72.74; total list,
$1416.45. $83 fur schools and $500 for highways were
raised.
In 1835 the tax on the Hudson Whaling Co., for 1834,
was refunded, $251.44.
In 1836 the first sheep damages were allowed by the
board, $297.37.
In 1837, Greenport sent her first supervisor to the board,
the same being Hugh McClellan. Its assessment and tax-
ation were as follows : 11,165 acres at $18 per acre. Real
estate assessment, $307,980, equalized at $200,970 ; per-
sonal property, $72,300 ; total, $273,270. County tax,
$614.28; town tax, $590.76; fees, $66.39; total,
$1271.43. 34 dogs.
In 1847 the board divided the county into two Assembly
districts, pursuant to law, and recommended that the Legis-
lature be petitioned to abolish the ofiice of superintendent
of schools, declared the offices of county judge and surro-
gate separate, and recommended the election of a special
county judge and special surrogate.
In 1851 there were appropriated for the inmates of the
poor-house $132 for tobacco and snuff, besides the tobacco
raised on the farm. The committee thought the amount
extravagant and the articles useless, and if the practice of
such allowances must be continued $50 per annum was
ample.
In 1852 the clerk was rather poetical in his records, as
the entry of an adjournment at the regular session seems to
testify : " The committees spent some time in the examina-
tion of accounts ; when the evening shades were about to
prevail, an adjournment was had till morning."
The list of members of the board of .supervisors is given
in the civil list of the county.
PUBLIC BUILDINGS.
The first court-house erected in Columbia county was at
Claverack. It cost about $9000 (£3600 New York cur-
rency), and was built in 1786-88. It is now the mansion of
Peter Hoffman. It remained the court-house until 1806, at
which time a building was provided in Hudson, the county-
seat having been removed to that city in 1805. Killian K.
Van Rensselaer, the first surrogate, opened his office at the
house of Dr. Joseph Mullins, in Claverack village. The deed
of the site for the court-house at Claverack was executed by
Gabriel Esselstyne, June 7, 1786, and conveyed the site to
John Livingston, William Powers, Cornelius Van Schaack,
James Bryant, Peter Weismer, Thos. Jenkins, and Johan-
nes Kirtz, they being the board of supervisors of the county.
The consideration was £20, and the deed was made under
the act of organization of the county, April 4, 1786, which
located the county-seat at or near the old church at Clav-
erack. The premises were described as follows : " Beginning
at a certain point on a course S. 52° E. distant 2 chains IS
links from the northeasterly corner of the now dwelling-
house of said Gabriel Esselstyne, running from said point
or beginning N. 44° B. 4 chains, then S. 50° E. 1 chain
71 links, then S. 44° W. 4 chains to the old church, then
N. 50° W. 1 chain 71 links to the beginning." This deed
was indorsed with receipts and '' livery and seizin made and
given," and signed "Thomas Williams, Jun., Walter V.
Wemple."
Probably the most intensely interesting scene ever wit-
nessed within the walls of the old court-house at Claverack
was that of the trial of Harry Croswell, of Hudson, for
libel. In the year 1803 the Hudson Balance newspaper
made a violent attack on President Jefferson, for which
offense the editor, Mr. Croswell, was indicted for libel by
the grand jury of Columbia county. The case was tried
before Chief-Justice Lewis, at the February term (1804)
of the Supreme Court, and was the occasion of the greatest
public excitement, as well from the importance of the ques-
tion at issue as on account of the high position and pre-
eminent ability of the counsel employed. It was argued
by Ambrose Spencer, attorney-general, on the part of the
people, and for the defendant by William W. Van Ness,
Harrison, and Alexander Hamilton. A correspondent
of the New York Evening Post, describing the scenes of the
trial, after giving an account of the plea of Attorney-Gen-
eral Spencer for the prosecution, and the effort of Van Ness
for the defendant, continued : " After all came the groat,
the powerful Hamilton. No language can convey an ade-
quate idea cf the astonishing powers evinced by him. The
audience was numerous, and, although composed of those
not used to the melting mood, the effect produced on them
was electric ! ... As a correct argument for a lawyer it
was very imposing ; as a profound commentary upon the
science and practice of government it has never been sur-
passed." The court, however, instructed the jury that the
only question for them to decide was whether the alleged
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
language had been published by Mr. Croswell, and that the
question of libel was to be decided wholly by the court;
and so, notwithstanding the brilliant defense, the case re-
sulted adversely to the defendant. Five months after this,
the brilliant Hamilton fell by the pistol of Aaron Burr.
As a specimen of some of the amenities of those days,
•we note an advertisement of Peter B. Ten Broeck, wherein
he branded the surrogate Van Rens.selaer as " a coward,
pus.sillanimous, and destitute of truth." The surrogate re-
plied in terms no less emphatic and explicit, but notliing
more came of the affair.
COURT-HOUSES AND JAILS.
In 1805, after much earnest and persistent opposition,
the county-seat was removed from Claverack to the city of
Hudson, the common council transferring the city hall to
the county for a court-house, and voting also the sura of
§2000 and a lot of land for the erection of a new jail,
which latter was ready for the reception of prisonera in
October of that year. It was the same building which is
now occupied by the Hudson Gazette and Daily Register.
The room which is now the business office of the editor
and proprietor, Mr. Williams, is the same in which Mar-
garet Houghtaling was confined after conviction of the
crime of child-murder, and from which she was led out to
execution on the 17th of October, 1817.
Until the time when it was decided to remove the county-
seat to Hudson the old city hall had remained in an un-
finished condition, its upper story being divided into
" chambers," as they were called, which were used as
school-rooms and for other purposes, while the ground
floor, originally intended as a meeting-hall, had been de-
graded to inferior uses, and was then, or had recently been,
occupied as a warehouse for the storage of hay and other
coarse merchandise. When the building was completed,
to be used as a court-house, it was remodeled, and its
original arrangement reversed, to bring the hall, or court-
room, into the upper story, and this was used not only by
several of the religious societies as a place of worship, but
for nearly all public gatherings, until after the completion
of the present court-house, when it was vacated by the
county and sold to the Presbyterian society.
At a special meeting of the board of supervisors, held in
Hudson, at the house of Philo Nichols, May 14, 1805,
$1000 was appropriated towards building the new jail, and
a committee appointed to sell the old court-house jail and
W at Claverack for $2000 ; but the property was sold to
St. Paul's church of Claverack for $1500, subject to the
dower of the wife of Gabriel Esselstyne. This sum was
also appropriated to the election of the new jail.
Dr. Geo. Monell, of Claverack, and James Hyatt, of Hud-
son, supervisors, were the building committee on the new
court-house and jail at Hudson. The original cost of the jail
was about $5000, as paid by the county. In 1809, $300
was expended for new cells and $200 for repairs, and every
year to the time the building was abandoned by the county
sums varying from $100 to $500 were appropriated for
repairs on the court-house and jail. In 181G a movement
was inaugurated for a thorough repair of the court-house,
or for building a new one, as deemed most expedient, and
also to build a new fire-proof clerk's office, but it failed.
This year the Baptist society was given the privilege of
occupying the larger court-room for worship on Sunday.
In 1820 another movement was made on the board of
supervisors for a petition to the Legi.slature for authority to
levy a tax for building a fire-proof clerk's office, but nothing
came of it. In 1822 the movement was successful, the
board signing a petition to the Legislature for leave to levy
a tax of $1000 to build such an office, and the act was
passed the same year. In 1823 the board resolved to build
during that year, and a committee on plans and specifica-
tions was appointed, the same being SupervLsors Bay,
Dakin, Poucher, Jno. P. Beekman, and Van Deusen. The
city was granted permission to erect an addition to the
building for a city clerk's ofiice, and the building was to be
located on the east end of the court-house square, with its
gable-end on Warren street. The building was accordingly
erected, and in 1826 a portion of it was rebuilt to make it
secure and dry. In 1829 the judges of the common pleas
called the attention of the supervisors to the miserable con-
dition of the court-house and jail, and an appropriation
of $75 was made for repairs.
In 1833 a movement for a new court-house and jail was
inaugurated, a committee being appointed on plans, cost of
buildings, the amount of contributions Hudson would make
towards the same, and their location. This committee was
composed of Supervisors Mellen, Pratt, and Sanders, who
reported, December 12, that the common council of Hudson
offered to take the old county buildings and lots, at $7000,
and appropriate $3000 towards new buildings, and procure
warranty deeds for four acres, situate at the southerly ter-
mination of Fourth street, for $1000, and guarantee the
title to the county, provided the lot could be obtained, re-
serving to the corporation the same privileges as in the old
building. The board accepted the proposition, and agreed
to proceed with the erection of the buildings at the next
meeting if the council procured the deed for the lot. At a
special meeting, called Jan. 8, 1834, resolutions ba.sed on
the fulfillment of the proposition, or rather the security for
its fulfillment, were passed to petition the Legislature for
authority to raise $8000, by loan, to build a court-house, to
be paid in four equal annual payments. John Sanders,
James Mellen, and Lucas Hoes were the committee in
charge of the matter of the petition, and Sanders, Mellen,
and Pulver were a committee on conveyances between the
corporation of Hudson and the county, and also to receive
plans and specifications and proposals for the erection of
the building. They were authorized to contract for its
erection at a total cost not exceeding $18,000. At a meet-
in" on Feb. 17, 1834, the question was raised as to the
passage of the foregoing resolution for contracting for the
erection of the building, but the board decided by vote that
the same " did pass," and the action of the committee in
advertising for proposals was sanctioned. Deeds were passed
between the county and the city for the respective property
of «ach, and the guarantees required of the city and the
citizens of Hudson for the payment of the sum of $10,000
were accepted by the board of supervisors. The plan of
the building reported by the committee was adopted, as " the
most economical, and properly answering the purposes of
70
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
the County." The buildiug committee was appointed, con-
sisting of John P. Mesick, John W. Edmonds, and James
Mellen, who were given full authority to contract for the
erection of the building, and to modify plans if they deemed
necessary, but not to such an extent as to involve a total
cost of more than f 19,500. Application was made to the
Legislature for leave to raise an additional sum of S2500,
and to borrow the same in advance of taxation for its pay-
ment, from any source available, preference being made for
such loan from the public-school fund. The action of the
board relative to the erection of new public buildings was
not accomplished without strong opposition. Out of this op-
position a movement was begun looking to the erection of
a new county from the .southern towns of Columbia and
northern towns of Dutchess county, which movement was
discountenanced by the board of supervisors, and the mem-
bers of the Assembly from Columbia county were requested
to oppose any attempt to divide the county.
In 1833 the Legislature gave the requisite authority to
the supervisors to erect the proposed public buildings, and
Messrs. Mesick, Mellen, Edmonds, Van Valkenburgh, and
Henry C. Miller were appointed commissioners under the
act to superintend their erection. On the 20th of De-
cember, the commissioners advertised for proposals for the
construction of a main or centre building 48 feet front and
59 feet to the rear, with portico and pediment across the
whole front 13 feet wide at the base, with six fluted col-
umns, and two wings 34 feet by 44 feet. The east wing
to be built for a jail, and the west for a clerk's oflSce, com-
mon council room, and jury rooms. The front of the
whole building to be of Stockbridge marble, and the other
parts of blue mountain limestone, the same being according
to the plans of an architect named Rector. Three propo-
sals were received, — one for $24,000, complete, by Addison
Alger ; one for $22,200, including $1439 for sundry speci-
fied items, by Reuben G. Jared and Richard Macy and
Samuel Giffbrd ; and one from Burch, King & Waterman,
for $20,735.52, from which certain specified items of fur-
nishing were deducted, an alteration in plans effected, and
the contract closed with the last-named firm, at $19,810.52.
At the completion of the building the commissioners
submitted an elaborate report of its cost, which was stated
to be $26,211.51, including site of the building, and com-
missioners' salaries, a barn, wood-house, fence, and side-
walks. Mr. Miller, in his "Sketches of Hudson," puts
the cost of the building at about $35,000. This amount
may, and probably does, include subsequent appropriations
for painting and finishing, and new work in the jail.
The building is two stories in height, being sixty feet
from the ground to the peiik, and is surmounted by a dome.
In 1853, at the annual meeting of the supervisors, their
committee made an elaborate report, condemning the jail as
totally inadequate to comply with the law and the wants of
the county, and recommending the erection of a new jail
on the Auburn plan. That committee was Peter Poucher,
H. W. Reynolds, Daniel Reed, John Miller, and J. H.
Overhiser. A new committee, consisting of Messrs. Far-
rell, Rhoda, and Fulton, was appointed to consult with the
county judge and district attorney in relation to the neces-
sary steps to be taken to make the jail conform to the stat-
ute on prisons; $1431.95 was appropriated for repairs; and
a communication from the superintendent of county build-
ings was received, stating that the estimate of the committee
on the county jail was extravagant, and that $10,000 was
ample to build a jail on the plan proposed by them, and
that the old one could be reconstructed for $3000. This
communication was not received with the most friendly
feelings by some of the board, and a resolution was offered
censuring the superintendent for volunteering advice on
matters foreign to his province, but it was tabled. A con-
tract was made with the Albany penitentiary to hold the
prisoners of Columbia county, which has continued for
several years.
The county judge, Hon. J. C. Newkirk, filed his opinion
as to the necessary steps to be taken by the supervisors to
comply with the law on prisons, and the committee there-
upon reported in favor of building a new jail, the cost not
to exceed $10,000, but their report was tabled.
In 1856 the supervisors voted to purcha-se from the city
the council-room in the court-house for $1500, and fit it up
for the county clerk's use. The room was accordingly
bought, and converted into a vault for the storing of the
records, and for a recording-room, $900 being expended in
the repairs and remodeling. A fire-proof was also con-
structed in the building. In 1867 a committee appointed
for the purpose reported plans for a new jail, 40 feet by 50
feet, but nothing came of the movement. In 1872 another
committee was appointed on the subject of a new jail and
the conversion of the old one into a surrogate's oflSce, but
no new building was projected, $2000 being appropriated
for repairs and improvements on the old one.
At this time a controversy arose betvreen the country and
city members of the board of supervisors respecting the
rights of the city to confine the city's prisoners convicted
by the police court in the county jail. An elaborate report
was made by Supervisor Sherman Van Ness, of Hudson,
showing that the city became vested with such right by the
original agreement to furnish a court-house, a lot for a jail,
and make a contribution of $2000 towards the erection of
the latter. In that agreement the city reserved the right
to confine it.s prisoners in the county jail, and to hold the
mayor's courts and council-meetings in the court-house, and
when the new building was erected the same right was re-
served in it by the city by the terms of the compact then
made between the board of supervisors and the common
council of Hudson. The controversy was finally amicably
adjusted to the satisfaction of all parties.
In 1874 a committee's report in favor of the erection of a
new jail secured no favorable action. A similar report met
the same fate in 1875, and the jail still remains undisturbed.
It has been repaired from time to time, and remodeled to
make it conform more nearly to the requirements of the
statute concerning prisons, but it is neither adequate to the
needs of the county, nor commensurate with its wealth, in-
telligence, and humanity.
The public buildings are beautifully located on the verge
of a bluff overlooking the South bay and the majestic river.
The park in front, formerly known as Wa.shington, but now
as Court-House square, is covered with wide-arching elms and
flanked by handsome residences. From the dome theie are
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
grand and charming views of the Catskills in the west, and
of the blue Berkshire hills, which bound the eastern horizon ;
and, altogether, the surroundings of the Columbia county
court-house are exceedingly beautiful and pleasing.
It may interest the curious to know how much money
has been expended by way of repairs and improvements on
the two court-houses and jails in Hudson, and at much pains
we have been enabled to state the amounts very nearly cor-
rectly, having compiled the same from the proceedings of
the board of supervisors from year to year. On the first
court-house and jail in Hudson, from 180G to the building
of the present one in 1835, the sum of $5450 was paid for
repairs and improvemepts. On the second court-house and
jail, from 1837 to date (1878), there has been paid the
sum of $18,000 for such purposes.
ALMSHOUSE AND POOR-FARM.
The first compulsory charity within the limits of the
present Empire State was that which the act of the Colonial
Assembly of April, 1691, provided for, whereby the towns
of the colony were required to support their own poor, and
whereby, also, safeguards were thrown around the system,
to prevent imposition upon the authorities. The Assembly
of 1G83 may have also provided for such support, and so,
also, may have the Dutch burghers before that, but the first
laws we find recorded on the subject are those reported in
Bradford's edition of the Colonial Laws from 1691 to 1773,
published in London, which gives the first act as passed in
April of the former year.
The Legislature in 1778 provided for the support of the
poor by towns and cities, and later on for the building of
poor-houses by towns and counties. Previous to the adop-
tion of the poor-house system by Columbia county each town
in the county supported its own poor, the county supporting
such as were chargeable to no town, for lack of residence;
and the records of the board of supervisors show annual
appropriations in many of the towns for that purpose of from
$50 upwards.
Prior also to such adoption, the county poor were sold to
the lowest bidder who would contract for their support, as,
indeed, were the town poor also. In 1826 there were nine-
teen paupers chargeable to the county, who were cared for
in the different towns. In October, 1827, the following
action was had by the board of supervisors relative to a poor-
house and farm :
" Uesolced, That it is necessary and proper that a County poor-
house be established for the use of the County of Columbia, and that
all the poor of the different towns, and the p.aupers, be sent to the
same, the e.xpenses for their support to be paid by the County; and
that the money be raised the same as the contingent expenses are now
raised. And be it further
" ResuheJ, That it shall be the duty of each Supervisor to submit
the foregoing resolution to the respective electors of their towns at
their ne.\t town-meeting, and take the sense of the voters thereon,
and return the same at the next annual meeting of the board of Su-
pervisors."
Subsequently the following action was had :
" Resoh-eJ, That the clerk copy the petition on the subject of a
county poor-house which has been presented, and transmit the same
to our representatives in the Assembly, and at the same time inform
them that the same was adopted with but one dissenting voice, and
that he was in favor of the principle contained in the resolution, but
could not vote for the same without consulting his constituents."
At the annual meeting of the supervisors in 1828, a pe-
tion was adcjpted for presentation to the Legislature for the
passage of an act for authority to erect a county poor-house,
and to send agents to Albany to procure the passage of such
act. Messrs. Bushnell and Stebbins were appointed such
agents. At this time there were fifty-one paupers charge-
able to the county.
On October 16 a committee was appointed to ascertain
a suitable site for such poor-house, and to devise a plan for
the same, and ascertain the expense and plan of government
of similar institutions, and report at the next meeting of the
board. The committee was Messrs. Bramliall, Patrie,
Shafer, Tobey, and Power.
On November 12 "the committee reported propositions
received for a site, and a new committee was appointed
to receive proposals for site, and to view and inspect the
several farms offered." This committee was Power, Jordan,
and Patrie. Five thousand dollars were appropriated and
levied for the purchase of a site and towards the erection of
a building.
On December 11 the committee reported on several propo-
sitions received for the sale of forms for a poor-house site,
and the board being unable to agree, went in a body to view
certain of the said farms the same day, but adjourned with-
out purchasing. They met again Jan. 6, 1829, and appointed
Messrs. Bramhall, Patrie, Van Buren, Power, and Shafer
a committee with full power to purchase a farm, contract
for a suitable building, and employ a person to take charge
of it, with full power in the premises to do all things neces-
sary to execute their commission.
0;i February 9 this committee reported that they had con-
tracted with John C. Hogeboom for a farm, containing about
two hundred acres, at forty-five dollars per acre ; but proceed-
ings in chancery were pending which involved the title to the
farm, and the committee were thus prevented from consum-
mating the contract " with the unanimity the subject re-
quired," and consequently the committee report<3d the matter
to the board and resigned their oflice. The board discharged
the committee, and thereupon Mr. Hogeboom appeared before
the board and •' satisfied the members that no apprehension
need be had as to his title;" whereupon the board confirmed
the contract with him, and Mr. Hogeboom delivered a war-
ranty-deed for the farm, and received $1000 in part payment
therefor, and a certificate for $7997.19 for the balance, due
Feb. 15, 1830, with interest at seven per cent. Barnabas
Waterman was authorized to expend $2000 in making the
necessary alterations and additions to the house on the prem-
ises for a poor-house ; and a committee, consisting of Messrs.
Lawrence, Bain, and Van Buren, was appointed, and author-
ized to employ a keeper gf the county poor-house, at a salary
not exceeding $400, and to purchase furniture, farming
utensils, and stock, and give notice to the several towns
when the house was ready for the reception of inmates,
the whole expenditures being limited to $2000.
In 1829 three superintendents of the poor were elected
for one year, viz. : Gayer Gardner, of Hudson ; Roswell B.
Frisbie, of Canaan ; and Isaac Mills, of Chatham. The
superintendents and a committee were authorized to pro-
ceed forthwith to examine and report what alterations were
necessary to be made in the poor-house, the number and
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
kind of stoves necessary, and to report a plan of an addi-
tional building, if one was deemed necessary, with estimates
of cost. It was found that an additional building would be
necessary, of the same height as the one then standing on the
premises, sixty feet long, and that $1500 would be required
to build it. The Legislature was again invoked for authority
to borrow $5000 (and levy a tax to pay the same) to pay
balance on the farm and put up the additional building.
Jacob House was engaged as the keeper of the poor-house.
In 1830, a committee appointed to visit the poor-house
reported everything satisfactorily managed ; the paupers
were clean and comfortably fed and clothed, and, what pleased
them more than all else, they found " a mistress' school at-
tended by small children, under good discipline and im-
provement, and which they think merits their applause."
Farm products were as good as could have been expected
from the season ; " a handsome lot of hogs and beef cattle"
were being fed, and " a handsome fallow to put in a winter
crop of about fifty bushels was in good order ; good fences
and some improvements had been made in clearing up, and
guarding against the overflow of a stream on the premises ;
and the committee (seven in number), from what they saw,
came to the conclusion that the farm was prudently man-
aged." They recommend the erection of a " mad-house,"
at a cost of $150, and the sinking of a new well.
In 1829, $5000 was appropriated for part payment of the
balance on the farm ; and in 1830, $5350 was appropriated
to pay the balance due on the farm, and for the repairs and
improvements made thereon, making the sum of $11,350,
as the total cost to that date.
In 1832 the boards of health of the various towns ex-
pended $2179.77 for the prevention of the Asiatic cholera,
hospitals being established in Ghent and Stuyvesant. A
committee visited the poor-house unawares, but found no
cause of complaint in its management.
In 1831 the number of superintendents was increased to
five, and in 1834 reduced again to three, against the pro-
test of the county judges. In this last-named year the su-
perintendents were authorized to erect a work-house, and
make an inclosure for the same. They were also instructed
to get one hundred young mulberry-trees, and a quantity
of mulberry-seed, for the purpose of the cultivation of the
silkworm and the making of silk, and in 1835 more mul-
berry-trees were ordered.
In 1850 the distinction between town and county poor
was restored. In the amount expended for outside relief
this year ($4109.21) there was a sum of $60 for high-
priced liquors, mostly brandy, at $3 per gallon. Four
hundred and ninety-eight paupers were cared for, the in-
mates in the poor-house averaging two hundred and nine-
teen during the year. There was one pauper to every
twenty-six inhabitants in some of the towns.
On July 2, 1857, the poor-house was totally destroyed
by fire, and only the sum of $1573 Wiis received as insur-
ance. On July 14 the board of supervisors voted to build
at a cost of $10,000, and Messrs. Lippett, Carpenter, Pul-
ver, Van de Carr, and Miller were appointed a committee
on plans. Subsequently $9000 was added to the appro-
priation. Philip Rockefeller, Jacob Conklin, and P. E.
Van Alstyue, the superintendents of the poor, were in-
structed to act with the committee of the board in the
erection of a new poor-house, and a contract with Welch &
Lamb was entered for the erection of the same for $15,493,
and sanctioned by the board. The superintendents then
assumed, or attempted to assume, control of the work, but
the board of supervisors resisted, and taking the question
into the courts gained their point and gave the management
to the building committee. The entire cost of the new
building ready for occupancy was $21,215.55, and it was
finished early in 1858.
In 1870 the barns on the poor-farm were burned, and
rebuilt at a cost of about $5000 ; $998 was received as in-
surance.
In 1875 an insane asylum was built, in connection with
the poor-house, at a cost of $5000, which is constructed in
accordance with the modern ideas of convenience, health,
and wholesome curative discipline necessary for such in-
stitutions. Movements are at the present time inaugurated
to place the management of the asylum on a basis at once
creditable and conducive to the comfort and possible recov-
ery of the unfortunates confined within its walls.
The poor-house, and its accompanying buildings, and the
asylum are a credit to the county, and the spirit of liberal-
ity and humanity with which they are managed speaks
loudly for the charity and benevolence of the people who
contribute to its maintenance and support.
The amount paid for the relief of the poor, inside and
outside the poor-house, since its establishment to the pres-
ent time, as well as the amount paid for such relief prior to
the erection of such poor-house, is, approximately, as fol-
lows : From 1786 to 1812, both years inclusive, the
amount paid by the towns and county was about $50,000,
the larger part being paid by the towns. From 1813
to 1828 the towns paid $132,250, and the county $17,019.
From the establishment of the poor-house system in 1829
to 1849 the amount paid for relief was $167,084, exclusive
of the amount paid for salaries of superintendents of the
poor-house. From 1850 to the present date, including the
appropriations for 1878, the amount paid for relief in the
poor-house, including the products sold and consumed on
the farm, was $331,921. During the same period a sum
of $107,559 was expended by the several towns of the
county, exclusive of Hudson city, for the relief of town
poor. The appropriations of the city, since 1850, have
been from $2000 to $5000 annually for poor support. To
these amounts paid by the county must be added the fol-
lowing appropriations for other charities made since 1850 :
for the State charities, $47,920 ; for the orphan asylum,
about $15,000. From these amounts deduct the amounts
reported as the products of the county farm since 1832,
— about $75,000, — and the grand aggregate paid by the
people of Columbia county for charity's sake amounts to
the large sum of $800,000, besides the amount of Hud-
son's contributions, which have been at least $100,000
more.
The last report of the superintendents of the poor-house
makes the following exhibit: The total expenditures were
$12,415.89; 722 persons were relieved; 149 were remain-
ing in the house Nov. 1, 1877; 128 had been discharged
during the year; 20 died: 425 were transient; 56,975
HISTOKY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
days of board had been furnished at a cost per week of
$1.54. The number of days' board chargeable to each
town in the county was as follows :
1 577
Ureenport
Hillsdale ...
2 778
Kinderliook
Livinsston
Claverack
4,249
1,26(5
Copake
Gallatin
2,3«
1,114
1,435
8,119
. 1 5S2
Stuyvesant
Tao-hkanie
1,098
1 412
Ghent
Transient
425
The stock, tools, and produce remaining on hand were
inventoried at $4072.
THK HUDSON ORPHAN ASYLUM.
The Hudson Orphan and Relief Association was formed
in October, 1843. A house was rented for $100 per
annum, and a home opened under the charge and direction
of a board of lady managers, and the same building occu-
pied until 1847, in which year a building was erected by
subscription ; an addition was made to it in 1853, the whole
building costing $6000. A lot, seventy-five feet by one
hundred and twenty feet, was donated to the association
by Abner Hammond. The home was maintained, up to
1850, solely by private enterprise. In that year and for
three succeeding years the association received a share of
the public charity fund of the State. The board of super-
visors also, in 1852-53, appropriated $100. The institu-
tion was incorporated in 1846, with Aaron C. Macy, Carey
Murdock, Robert McKiiistry, Elihu Gilford, and Cyrus
Curtiss as trustees.
There were 31 children in the house Jan. 1, 1850 ; 34
were received during the year, 10 were provided with
homes, and 8 were taken by friends or relatives. From
1850 to 1853, 79 children had been provided with good
homes, and 45 were in the home in October of the latter
year. The receipts for the years 1850-52 were $4421,
and the disbursements for the same time were $3918,
leaving a balance of about $200 after paying the indebted-
ness on the building. On this showing by the managers,
the board of supervisors appropriated $1000 to the asylum
in 1853. In 1854 the same amount was appropriated by
the supervisors, the other receipts being $1372.35, and the
disbui-sements $2667.21. The receipts in 1856 were
$3051.64, and disbursements $2210.12, and a permanent
fund had been accumulated amounting to $4564.69. In
1859 the fund had increased to $6183.09, and the receipts
equaled the disbursements. In 1870 the receipts were
$6504.10, and expenses $4869.10; in 1872, income
$5382.16, expenses $4861.80; 1874, income $6145.71,
expenses $5817.93; 1875, income $6599.53, expenses,
$6399.50; 1876, income $6519.27, expenses $6386.58.
The children of inmates of the county almshouse have
been, since 1853, maintained in the asylum, the supervisors
paying for their support at the average cost of maintenance
of the children by the institution. The law now requires
that such children shall be supported outside the poor-
houses of the several counties.
This excellent charity owed its existence, and for several
years almost its entire maintenance, to the liberality and
indefatigable eiForts of one noble woman, — Mrs. Robert
10
McKinstry. Early and late, in season and out of season,
and through discouragements of many kinds, she resolutely
worked at her self-imposed task; and her unceasing devo-
tion to the interests of the asylum only ceased when she
passed to her reward. It is to her memory a monument
more enduring than granite, and more beautiful than the
costliest sculpture.
CHAPTER X.
THE COLUMBIA CIVIL LIST.
The Colony— The Nation— The State — The Judiciary— The Senate
—The Assembly— The County.
Below we give the civil list of the county, — that is, the
names of persons, resident within the pre-sent limits of Co-
lumbia county, who have held civil offices, national, colo-
nial, State, and county, with dates of such incumbency, —
namely :
PRESIDENT OP THE UNITED STATES.
Martin Van Buren, of Kinderliook, 1837 to 1841.
VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.
Martin Van Buren, 1833-37.
UNITED STATES SENATOR.*
Martin Van Buren, 1821-27, and re-elected in 1827,
but resigned.
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTORS.
At the first election for President the State of New York
chose no electors. The constitution of the United States
was adopted by a State convention held at Poughkeepsie in
July, 1788, the delegates from this county, Matthew Ad-
gate, John Buy, and Peter Van Ness, voting in the negative.
The electors chosen by the Legislature in 1792 met at
Poughkeepsie. By an act of the Legislature passed March
26, 1796, the presidential electors were directed to meet at
the city of Hudson ; this act remained in force until the
5th of March, 1813, when the Legislature directed the
Electoral College to meet at Albany.
The electors were appointed by the Legislature down to
1825, when the district system was adopted by the people,
but acted under for one election only, that of 1828, when,
by an act passed April 15, 1829, the Legislature adopted
the general ticket system as now in use. In making up the
general ticket one person is selected from each congressional
district, and two to represent the State at large. In 1872
there were three electors at large, one for a congressman at
large given the State before re-districting.
1792. John Bay.
1796. Robert Van Renssela
1800. Thomas Jenkins.
1800. Peter Van Ness.
1804. Stephen Miller.
1812. John C. Hogeboom.
1812. Robert Jenkins.
1816. Joseph D. Monell.
1820. Edward P. Livingston.
1824. Ale.xander J. Coffin.
1828. AIe.\ander Coffin.
gston.
18.32. Samuel Anabl
1832. Edward P. Li
lS3fi. Lucas Hoes.
1840. Elisha Jenkins.
1844. Tobias L. Hogeboom,
1852. Lawrence Van Buren
1856. Robert A. Barnard.
1864. Charles L. Beale.
1865. David Van Schaack.
1872. John C. Newkirk.
s N. P. Talmadge, United States Senator, 1833-1844, was bom in
Chatham, Columbia oouniy. Ue was governor of Wisconsin Territory
in 1845.
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS.
The Federal constitution directs that a census be taken
every ten years, and after each enumeration Congress appor-
tions the representation among the several States. As soon
as practicable, after each apportionment, the Legislature di-
vides the State into congressional districts.
The apportionment of New York has been as follows
since the adoption of the constitution in 1788 :
Years. Ratio. Representatives.
1789 30,000 6
1792 33,000 10
1802 33,000 17
1811 25.000 27
1822 40.000 34
1832 47,000 40
1842 70,680 34
1852 93,433 33
1861 127,000 31
1872 137,800 33
The districts which have included Columbia county in
their area have been as follows : Under act of January 27,
1789, that part of Albany county now known as Rensse-
laer county, Columbia, Clinton, Saratoga (1791), and Wash-
ington. Under act of December 18, 1792, Columbia county
alone composed one district, not numbered. Under act
of March 23, 1797, Columbia and Rensselaer, district 6.
Act of March 30, 1802, and March 20, 1804, Columbia
was district 8. Act of March 8, 1808, Columbia, Rensse-
laer, and Washington, as district 6, were entitled to two
members. Act of June 10, 1812, Columbia county, and
the towns of Rhinebeck and Clinton, in Dutchess county,
formed district 5 ; act of April 17, 1822, district 8, Co-
lumbia ; act of June 29, 1832, district 8, Columbia,
Greene, and Schoharie, two members ; act of Sept. 6,
1842, district 11, Columbia and Greene; act of July 19,
1851, district 12, Columbia and Dutchess; act of April
23, 1862, district 12, Columbia and Dutchess; act of June
18, 1873, district 13, Columbia, Dutchess, and Putnam.
REPRESENTATIVES IN CONGRESS.
1st
Congres
, 1789.— Peter Silvester.
2d
1791.— Peter Silvester.
3d
"
1793.— Ezekiel Gilbert.
4th
1795.— Ezekiel Gilbert.
7th
"
1801.— John P. Van Ness.
8th
"
1803.— Henry W. Livingston.
9th
"
1805.— Henry W. Livingston.
10th
"
1807.— James I. Van Alen.
11th
"
1809. -Robert L.Livingston.
]2lh
"
1811.— Thomas P. Grosvenor.
12th
"
1812.— Robert L. Livingston.*
13th
"
1813.— Thomas P. Grosvenor.
14th
1815.— Thomas P. Grosvenor.
16th
"
1819.— James Strong.
17th
"
1821.- Walter Patterson.
18th
"
1823.— James Strong.
19th
"
1825.— James Strong.
20th
1827.- James Strong.
21st
"
1829.— James Strong.
22d
"
1831.— John King.
23d
"
1833.— Aaron Vanderpoel.
24th
"
1835.— Aaron Vanderpoel.
26th
"
1839.— Aaron Vanderpoel.
27th
"
1841.— Robert McClellan.
29th
"
1845.-John F. Collin.
32d
"
1851.— Josiah Sutherland.
34th Cong
36th
1855.- Killian Miller.
1859.— Charles L. Beale.
FEDERAL CONVENTIONS.
A convention assembled at Albany, in June, 1754, for
the purpose of uniting upon some scheme for the common
defense against the encroachments of the French. Delegates
were present from New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connec-
ticut, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, and Maryland, New
York being represented by the lieutenant-governor and
council of the colony. The plan for a political union drawn
up by Franklin, and adopted by the convention on July 4,
was afterwards rejected by the provincial Assemblies " be-
cause it gave too much power to the crown, and by the
crown because it gave too much power to the people."
The convention of 1765, composed of twenty-eight delegates
from Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York,
New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, and South
Carolina, to consult with common interest and procure the
repeal of certain obnoxious laws, also failed. The New
York delegates were Robert R. Livingston, Philip Living-
ston, Leonard Lispenard, John Cuyler, and William Bayard.
In the Continental Congress, the delegates from what
was afterwards Columbia county were as follows :
First Delegates. — Philip Livingston, April 20, 1775;
Philip Livingston,t Robert R. Livingston, May 13, 1777 ;
Philip Livirgston, Oct. 3, 1777 ; Philip Livingston, Oct.
18, 1779 ; Robert R. Livingston (the chancellor), Sept. 12,
1780 ; Robert R. Livingston, Dec. 2, 1784.
CABINET
Martin Van Buren, secretary of state, 1829 32.
John C. Spencer, secretary of treasury, 1843-44; secretary of war,
1841-43.
Benjamin F. Butler, attorney-general, 1833-38.
DIPLOMATISTS.
Robert R. Livingston, minister plenipotentiary to France, 1801-3.
Martin Van Buren, envoy extraordinary and minister plenipoten-
tiary to Great Britain, 1831.
JUDICIARY.
outhern
William P. Van Ness, judge United States district
district New York, 1812-26.
Hezekiah L. Hosmer, Chief-Justice United States court. Territory of
Montana, 1864.
Benjamin F. Butler, United States district attorney, southern district
New York, 1838-41, and 1845-48.
CUSTOMS.
Cornelius P. Van Ness.J collector of port of New York, 1844.
In the State, Columbia has been thus represented :
GOVERNORS OP NEW YORK.
1828. Martin Van Buren. I 1874. Samuel J. Tilden.
LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR.
1830. Edward P. Livingston.
t Signer of Declaration of Independence.
X While a resident of Vermont, Mr. Van Ness was appointed (1829)
by President Jackson minister to Spain. He was also, in 1816, one
of the commissioners to settle the northeastern boundary under the
treaty of Ghent.
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
CHANCELLOR.
1777. Robert R. Livingston.
JUDGE OF THE COURT OF APPEALS.
1874. Theodore Miller.
JUSTICES OP THE SUPREME COURT (OF THE COLONY).
1763. Robert R. Livingston.
1804. Ambrose Spencer (chii
justice, 1819).
1807. William W. V.in Ness.
18^0. James Vanderpoel.
18.i7. Henry Hogcboom.
1861. Theodore Miller.
ISfi.-!. Henry Hogeboom.
1867. Theodore Miller.
CIRCUIT JUDGE.
1845. John W. Edmonds.
ATTORNEr-GENERAL.
The law officer of the State, whose duties have been sub-
stantially the same since the creation of the office under
the colony. Appointed under the first constitution, chosen
by joint ballot of Legislature under the second, and elected
by the people under the present regime biennially, each odd
year.
1802. Ambrose Spencer.
1815. Martin Van Burei
j 1845. John Van Burcn.
I 1847. Ambrose L. Jordan.
COMPTROLLER.
The office of auditor-general was created by the provin-
cial convention of 1776, for the purpose of settling certain
public accounts. In 1797 the office was abolished, and
that of comptroller was substituted therefor, which was
continued by extensions of two and three years until Feb.
28, 1812, when it was permanently organized. Under the
firet and second constitutions the office was an appointive
one, but under the present organic law it is elective ; term,
two years. The comptroller is the financial officer of the
State.
1801. Blisha Jenkins.
SECRETARIES OP STATE.
1806. Elisha Jenki.
1808. Elisha Jenkii
1811. Elisha Jenkins.
1813. Jacob R. Van Rensselaer.
MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL OP APPOINTMENT.
1789. Peter Van Ness.
1792. William Powers.
1797. Ambrose Spei
1800. Ambrose Spe
803. John C. Itogcboon
SPEAKERS OP THE ASSEMBLY.
1718. Robert Livingston. I 1768. Philip Livingston
1812. Jacob Rutsen Van Rensselaer.
REGISTER OF PREROGATIVE COURT OF COLONY.
1768. Philip Livingston.
REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY.
Peter Silvester, Elisha Jenkins, Martin Van Buren, Edward P. Liv-
MEMBERS OF PROVINCIAL CONVENTION, APRIL 20, 1775,
TO ELECT DELEGATES TO CONTINENTAL CONGRESS OF
MAY 10, 1775.
Peter R. Livingston, Robert R. Livingston, Jr., Walter Livingston.
MEMBERS OF PROVINCIAL CONGRESS OP NEW YORK.
President of Fourth Congress, 1776-77,« Peter R. Livingston ; Mat-
thew Adgate, Fourth Congress ; Gilbert Livingston, First, Second,
and Third Congresses ; James Livingston, Third and Fourth
Congresses ; Peter R. Livingston, Second, Third, and Fourth
Congresses; Robert G. Livingston, Third Congress; Robert
R. Livingston,t Fourth Congress; Peter Silvester, First and
Second Congresses.
MEMBER OP COUNCIL OF S.\FETY, 1777-78.
R. R. Livingston.
MEMBERS OF THE STATE CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTIONS.
Convention of 1788 to act upon Federal <Vjii«fiV(irioii.— Matthew Ad-
gate, John Bay, Peter Van Ness.*
Convention of 1801.— Benjamin Cirdsall, Alexander Coffin, Stephen
Hogeboom, Moses Trafford, James I. Van Alen, Moses Young-
love.
Com-enliou o/ 1821.— Francis Silvester, William W. Van Ness, Jacob
R. Van Rensselaer, Elisha Williams.?
Convention of 1S46.— George C. Clyde, Ambrose L. Jordan.
Convention o/ 1867.— Francis Silvester, John S. Gould.
MESSENGER OF THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE.
1856. Hiram W. Di.xon.
COMMISSARY-GENERAL.
1863. James A. Farrell.
STATE PRISON INSPECTOR.
1843. John W. Edmonds.
COMMISSIONERS OF INDIAN AFFAIRS OF THE COLONY.
1715. Robert Livingston, Jr. I 1752. Robert Livingston (third
1721-32. Philip Livingston. lord of the manor).
1738, 42-45. Philip Livingston. I
MEMBERS OP THE COLONIAL COUNCIL.
1698-1701. Robert Livingston. | 1725-49. Philip Livingston.
LEGISLATIVE.
THE SENATE.
Under the first constitution this body consisted of twenty-
four members, apportioned among four great districts, —
eastern, southern, middle, and western. After the first
election they were divided by lot into four classes, so that the
terms of six should expire each year. This representation
was increased whenever a septennial census revealed an
increase of oiie-twenty-fourth in the number of electors,
until the number should reach one hundred. In 1795 the
number was forty-three. In 1801 the number of senators
was fixed at thirty-two permanently, and has since remained
unchanged to the present. The State was divided into
eight senatorial districts by the constitution of 1821, each
one being entitled to four senators, one to be elected each
year for a term of four years. The constitution of 1846
chano-ed the time of election of senators to each odd year,
and reduced the term to two years, and created thirty-two
districts.
• Ratified Declaration of Independence unanimously.
t Member of committee to report State constitution.
X These three delegates voted against the adoption of the consti-
tution.
g These delegates did not sign the constitution of 1821.
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
Senatorial Districts. — Columbia was a part of the eastern
district from the erection of the county, March 4, 1796,
when it was made a part of the middle district, and so re-
mained until the second constitution was adopted. From
that date to adoption of constitution of 18-16 the county
was a portion of the third senatorial district. By the new
constitution, Columbia and Dutchess was formed the eighth
district. In 1857 the number was changed to the eleventh,
and so remains at this date.
SEN.\TORS.
1792-95. William Powers.
1796-99. Ambrose Spencer.
1797-1800. Peter Silvester.
1801-4. John C. Hogeboom.
1805-8. Stephen Hogcboom.
1809-12. Edward P. Livingston.
1813-20. Martin Van Burcn.
1821-22. John I. Miller.
182.3-24. Edward P. Livingston.
1826-29. Ambrose L. Jordan.
18.32-.'i5. John W. Edmonds.
1838-39. Edward P. Livingston,
1845-47. John P. Beeliman.
1850-51. John Snyder.
1851. Joseph Halstead.
1854-55. Robert A. Barnard.
1858-59. William G. Mandeville
1862-63. William H. Tobey.
1866-67. Edward G. Wilbor.
1874-75. Benjamin Ray.
THE ASSEMBLY.
The first representative Assembly that convened in what
is now the State of New York was " The Twelve Men,"
under the Dutch rule, who were elected in Manhattan
(New York city), Brooklyn, and Pavonia (Jersey City) to
suggest means to punish the Indians for a murder they
had committed. The first representative Assembly under
English rule met at Hempstead, Long Island, March, 1655,
but this could not be called a legislative Assembly, as it
simply promulgated laws — " the Duke's Laws"' — prepared
for such purpose. The first legislative Assembly was that
of 1683, which was afterwards abrogated, and all the laws
it had enacted, and that one of 1691 created, which con-
tinued through the colonial period. Under the State au-
thority the Assembly has always been chosen annually. It
consisted at first of seventy members, with the power to
increase one with every seventieth increase of the number
of electors, until it contained three hundred members.
When the constitution was amended, in 1801, the number
had reached one hundred and eight, when it was reduced
to one hundred, with a provision that it should be increiised
after each census at the rate of two annually until the num-
ber reached one hundred and fifty. The constitution of
1821 fixed the number permanently at one hundred and
twenty-eight, and members were elected on a general ticket.
The constitution of 18-16 required the boards of super-
visors of the several counties to meet on the first Tuesday
in January succeeding the adoption of that instrument, and
divide the counties into districts of the number apportioned
to them, of convenient and contiguous territory, and of as
nearly equal population as possible. After each State cen-
sus the Legislature is to re apportion the members, and to
direct the time when the supervisors shall meet for the pur-
pose of re-districting the county. Pursuant to this pro-
vision, the boards met in June, 1857, and in June, 1866.
Hamilton and Fulton counties together elect one member,
and every other county one or more.
Apportionment. — 1786-1791, three members; Feb. 7,
1791-1802, six; March 31, 1802-22, four; April 12,
1822-46, three; March 8, 1846-78, two.
Districts. — 1847-78, two districts in the county, — first
district, comprising the towns of Ancram, Claverack, Cler-
mont, Copake, Gallatin, Germantown, Greenport, city of
Hudson, Livingston, and Taghkanic ; second district, the
towns of Austerlitz, Canaan, Chatham, Ghent, Hillsdale,
Kinderhook, New Lebanon, Stockport, and Stuyvesant.
MEMBERS OF ASSEMBLY.
1716-28.— Robert Livingston, Sr.
1728-37.— Gilbert Livingston.
1737-59.- Robert Livingston (third lord (
1759-68.— Robert R. Livingston.
1769-74.— Robert R. Livingston.®
1774-75.— Peter R. Livingston.
1778.— Gilbert Livingston.
1780.— Matthew Adgate, Peter R. Livingston.
1781.- Matthew Adgate, Philip Frisbie, Samuel Ten Broeck, Jacob
Ford.
1782-83.- Matthew Adgate, Jacob Ford, Samuel Ten Broeck.
1784.— Matthew Adgate, Jacob Ford.
1785.— Matthew Adgate, Jacob Ford.
1786. — Lawrence Hogeboom, John Livingston.
1787.— John Livingston, Wm. Power.
1788.t— John Livingston, Wm. Power, Peter Silvester.
1789.— Matthew Adgate, John Bay, John Korfz.
1790.— Ezekiel Gilbert, John Livingston, James Savage.
1791. — Matthew Adgate, Stephen Hogeboom, James Savage.
1792.— Benjamin Birdsall, Jared Coffin, Jacob Ford, Lawrence Hoge-
boom, Henry Livingston, James Savage.
1793.— Matthew Adgate, Benjamin Birdsall, Jared Coffin, Philip
Frisbie, Stephen Hogeboom, Samuel Ten Broeck.
1794. — Matthew Adgate, John Bay, James Brebner, Dirck Gardenier,
Matthew Scott, Ambrose Spencer.
1795.— Matthew Adgate, John Bay, James Brebner, Philip L Hoff-
man, Elisha Jenkins, Matthew Scott.
1796. — Benjamin Birdsall, James Brebner, Patrick Hamilton, Ste-
phen Hogeboom, Philip L. Hoffman, Samuel Ten Broeck.
1797.— Caleb Benton, Palmer Cady, John C. Hogeboom, John Mc-
Kinstry, Peter I. Vosburgh, Jonathan Warner.
1798.— Caleb Benton, John C. Hogeboom, Killian Hogeboom, Elisha
Jenkins, Samuel Ten Broeck, Peter 1. Vosburgh.
1799.— Elisha Gilbert, Killinn Hogeboom, Charles McKinstry, John
McKinstry, Peter B. Ten Broeck, Samuel Ten Broeck.
1800.— Ezekiel Gilbert, Robert T. Livingston, Charles McKinstry,
John Noyes, Anson Pratt, Jacob Rutsen Van Rensselaer.
1801.— William Cantine, Asa Douglass, Dirck Gardenier, Ezekiel
Gilbert, John Livingston, Elisha Williams.
1802.— Thomas Brodhead, Josiah Holley, Henry W. Livingston,
Samuel Ten Broeck, Peter Van Alstyne, Moses Younglove.
1803.— Samuel Edmonds, Aaron Kellogg, Moncrief Livingston, Peter
1804.— Benjamin Birdsall, Stephen Miller, Samuel Ten Broeck,
James I. Van Alen.
1805.— Moncrief Livingston, Peter Silvester, William W. Van Ness,
Jason Warner.
1S06.— Moncrief Livingston, Peter Silvester, William W. Van Ness,
Jason Warner.
1807.— Elisha Gilbert, Jr., Peter Sharp, Gains Stebbins, Anson Pratt.
1808. — Thomas Brodhead, Jacob Rutsen Van Rensselaer, Jason
AVarner, E. Williams.
1809. — James Hyatt, Moncrief Livingston, Gains Stebbins, Jacob
Rutsen Van Rensselaer.
1810. — Thomas P. Grosvcnor, Henry W. Livingston, William Lusk,
1811.- Thomas P. Grosvenor, Augustus Tremain, James Vanderpocl,
Jacob Rutsen Van Rensselaer.
» Declared disqualified, being a judge, and refused a seat,
t First representation of Columbia county. From 1780 to 1786,
inclusive, in Albany county.
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
vcnor, Timothy Oakley,
elaer.
1812.— Thomas BroJhead, Thomns
Jacob Rutsen Van Rensselaer.
1813.— Aaron Olmstead, Alan Sheldon, Jacob Rutsen Van Re
Elisha AVilliams.
1814.— Henry Rockefeller, John L. Van Alen, Jr., Jacob Rutsen Van
Rensselaer, Elisha Williams.
1815.— Henry Livingston, Augustus Tremain, Jacob Rutsen Van
Rensselaer, Elisha Williams.
181C.— Henry Livingston, John Whiting, Jacob Rutsen Van Rensse-
laer, James Vanderpoel.
1817.— Gerrit Cuck, Hezckiah Hulburt, John Pi.tley, Elisha AVil-
liams.
1818.— Thomas Bay, Benjamin Hilton, AValter Talterson, Peter Van
Vleck.
1819. — Henry Livingston, Jonathan Lapham, Barent Van Buren,
Jacob Rutsen Van Rensselaer.
1820.- Thomas Brodhead, Azariah Pratt, John V. Van Valkenburgh,
Elisha Williams.
1821.— John Bryan, James Vanderpoel, Elisha Williams, Isaac B.
Williams.
1822.— Philip P. Clum, Elisha Gilbert, Jr., George T. Snyder, Au-
gustus Tremain.
182.'!.— Abraham P. Holdridge, Stephen Storm, John Van Deusen.
1824.- Walter C. Livingston, John King, Joseph D. Monell.
1S25.— Ambrose L. Jordan, Joseph Lord, Killian Miller.
1826.— Jonathan Hill, Adam I. Strevel, Aaron Vanderpoel.
1827.— Jacob P. Mesick, Isaac Mills, Simon Rockefeller.
1828.- Killian Miller, Abel S. Peters, Elisha Williams.
1829.— Abraham P. Holdridge, Henry W. Livingston, Peter Van
Buren.
1830.— Jonathan Lapham, Aaron A'anderpoel, Oliver Wiswall.
1831.— John W. Edmonds, John S. Hiirris, Pliny Hudson.
18.32.— Medad Butler, Tobias L. Hogeboom, Leonard W. Ten Broeck.
1833.— Anthony Boucher, Bastian C. Lasher, John Murduck.
1834.— Henry C. Barnes, John F. Collin, John Snyder.
1835.— Jacob Shafer, Horace Stevens, Julius Wilco.xson.
1836.— Charles B. Butcher, Peter Groat, Jr., Adam L Shaver.
1837.— William W. Hoysradt, Rufus Reed, John S. Vosburgh.
1838.- Abraham Bain, AVilliam A. Dean, William H. Tobey.
1839.— Harry Cornwall, Henry Hogeboom, Peter R. Livingston.
1840.— Robert McKinstry, Jonas H. Miller, Justin Niles.
1841.— Waterman Lippett, William 6. Mandeville, John Milham.
1842. — James Kniokerbacker, Jared AVinslow, Abraham I. Van
Alstyne.
1843.— Anson Brown, Lucas Hoes, Peter Poucher.
1844.— William A. Carpenter, Uriah Edwiirds, Peter P. Rossman.
1845.- Peter I. Bachman, Elijah Bagg, William M. Bunker.
•1846.— William E. Heermance, Levi Pitts, Jeremiah Hover.
1847.- John S. Gould, William M. Miller.
1848.— Jonas H. Miller, Charles B. Osborn.
1849.— James M. Slrever, Daniel S. Curtiss.
1850. — Philip G. Lasher, John H. Overhiser.
1851.— John D. Langdon, Philetus W. Bishop.
1852.— Wesley R. Gallup, George Van Santvoord.
1853.— Henry A. DuBois, Alonzo Chamberlain.
1854.— Milton Martin, Harvey W. Gott.
1855.— David Rhoda, Elisha W. Bushnell.
1856.— Samuel Ten Broeck, Adam A. Hoysradt.
1857.-^ohn Miller, John T. Hogeboom.
1858.— David Miller, Lorenzo Gila.
1859.— Henry P. Heermance, James G. Van Valkenburgh.
I860.— Peter McArthur, P. Edward Van Alstyne.
1861.— Samuel Lasher, Norton S. Collin.
1862. — Jacob Ten Broeck, Samuel Wilbor.
1863.— Peter G. Kisselbraek, Elias W. Bostwick.
1854.— Amos Miller, Wright H. Barnes.
1865.— Walter Shutts, Samuel W. Carpenter.
1866.— Josiah Kniskern, John W. Van Valkenburgh.
1867.— Jacob H. Duntz, Stephen H. Wenduver.
1868.— H-irper W. Rogers, Stephen H. Wendover.
1869.— Edward Sturges, Moses Y. Tilden.
1870. — ^Edward Sturges, Daniel D. Barnes.
1871.— Benjamin Ray, Perkins F. Cady.
1872. — Benjamin Ray, Milton M. Tompkins.
1873.— Benjamin Ray, Milton M. Tompkins.
1874. — Henry Lawrence, Alonzo H. Farrar.
1875. — Henry Lawrence, Alonzo H. Farrar.
1876.— George H. Power, John T. Hogeboom.
1877.— Jacob H. Proper, Samuel Wilbur.
COUNTY OFFICERS.
COURT OF COMMON PLF.AS OF THE COLONY.
Walter Livingston, judge, 1774.
COURT OP COMMON PLEAS AND GENERAL SESSIONS OF
THE PEACE IN AND FOR THE COUNTY OF COLUMBIA.
FIRST JUDGES.
Peter Van Ness, Kinderhook; appointed April 13, 1786.
N.athaniel Greene, Hudson; appointed March IS, 1795.
Jacob Ford, Hillsdale; appointed March 12, 1796.
William Wilson, Clermont; appointed July 2, 1804.
John I. Miller, Claverack ; appointed March 28, 1815.
Daniel B. Cady, Canaan; appointed Feb. 18, 1840.
Abm. P. Holdridge, Austerlitz; appointed April 23, 1841. •
Julius Wilcoxson, Kinderhook; appointed May 2, 1846.
Ap2w
. — Peter Silvester, Kinderhook; Peter R. Livingston, Living-
ston ; H. I. Van Rensselaer, Hudson ; Wm. B. Whiting,
Canaan.
. — Matthew Adg.ate, Canaan ; Stephen Hogeboom, Clavertick.
. — Nathaniel Greene, Hudson.
.—Jacob Ford, Hillsdale.
. — John Tryon, Canaan.
. — Jon.athan Warner, Canaan; Jared Coffin, Hudson: William
Wilson, Clermont.
.-Peter Van Ness, Kinderhook.
.—Edward P. Livingston, Clermont.
. — John M. Mann, Hudson.
. — Hezekiah Dayton, Hudson; Ebenezer Soulc, Hillsdale; Mat-
thew Dorr, Chatham; John I. Miller, Claverack; Wm. P.
Van Ness, Kinderhook.
. — Augustus Tremain, Hillsdale; Samuel Edmonds, Hudson.
. — Judah Lawrence, Hillsdale.
. — David Ludlow, Kinderhook ; Ezra Sampson, Hudson ; John
Whiting, Canaan ; R. H. Van Rensselaer, Claverack.
. — John S. Livingston, Claverack.
. — David W. Patterson, Chatham; Lawrence M. Goes, Kinder-
hook ; Wm. AVilson. Clermont; T. L. Hogeboom, Claverack ;
Isaac B. Smith, Gallatin; James Plait, Hillsdale; J. C.
Olmstead, Hillsdale.
. — Robert L. Livingston, Clermont ; Richard I. Goes, Kinder-
hook.
. — James I. Van Alen, Kinderhook; Seth Jenkins, Hudson.
. — Robert A. Barnard, Hudson ; Henry Loop, Hillsdale.
. — James Barton, Hudson; Wm. H. Wilson, Clermont; Medad
Butler, Stuyvesant.
. — James Vanderpoel, Kinderhook.
.—Walter Pjitterson, Livingston.
.—Tobias L. Hogeboom, Ghent.
—Henry Hogeboom, Hudson.
—John Bull, Jr., New Lebanon.
— Julius Wilcoxson, Kinderhook.
— Josiah Knapp, Jr., Hillsdale.
—John Martin, Claverack.
—Darius Peck, Hudson; George C. Clyde, Chatham.
— Frederick I. Curtiss, Ancram ; Hiram D. Ford, Canaan.
The constitution of 1846 abolished the court of com-
mon pleas from and after the first Monday of July, 1847,
and substituted therefor a county court and sessions, with
a single county judge to be elected for the term of four
years, and two justices for sessions now by law directed to
be elected annuallv.
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
COUNTY
JUDGES.
1S47
JohnT.Hogeboom.
1863
Darius Peck.
1851
John T. Hogeboom.
1867
Darius Peck.
1855
Darius Peck.
1871
John Cadmiin.
1859
John C. Newkirk.
1877
Hugh W. McClellan.
JUSTICES FOR SESSIONS.
ISi?
Wesley R. Gallup.
1863
Henry Shear.
Cornelius Moul.
Wm. Kipp.
1849
Wesley R. Gallup.
1864
John C. Sweet.
Cornelius Moul.
Geo. A. Kisselburg
1850
Wesley R. Gallup.
1865.
Hampton C. Bull.
Jacob Baringer.
Geo. A. Kisselburg.
1851
Wm. H. De Witt.
1866.
Henry P. llorton.
Seth Daley.
James E. Cristie.
1852
Wm. H. Hawver.
1867.
James E. Cristie.
Wm. H. De Witt.
George S. Snyder.
1853
Edward Gernon.
1868.
James E. Cristie.
Elisha Moore.
George S. Snyder.
1854
Elbridge G. Studley.
1869.
James Dingman.
Elisha Moore.
Philip Rockefeller.
1855
Simeon M. Collier.
1870.
James C. Ferguson.
Seth Daley.
Philip Rockefeller.
1856
Wm. M. Bunker.
1871.
James C. Ferguson.
John McKinstry.
Philip Feltz.
1857
Richard Marvin.
1872.
Richard Hallenbeck.
James Dingman.
Wm. Kipp.
1868
John C. Sw°eet.
1873.
John H. Smith.
Wm. Kipp.
Philip Rockefeller.
1859
Wm. Kipp.
1874.
Wm. W. Hoysradt.
Jacob R. Hollenbeck.
Abram Ashley, Jr.
1860
Abraham Lyle.
1875.
Wm. W. Hoysradt.
Philip Smith.
Abram Ashley, Jr.
1861
Jacob R. Hollenbeck.
1876.
John II. Smith.
Abraham Lyle.
John Busby.
1862
Henry M. Niver, Jr.
1877.
Henry P. Van Hoeser
Abraham Lyle.
Philip Rockefeller.
SURRO
GATES
Appointed.
Appointed.
1786
Killian K.Van Rensselaer.
1845.
Joseph D. Monell.
1791.
Philip L. Hoffman.
Elected.
1800.
Wm. W. Van Ness.
1847.
Charles B. Dutcher.
1804
James I. Van Alen.
1851.
Elijah Payne.
1808
Martin Van Buren.
1855.
Robert B. Monell.
1813
James Vanderpoel.
1859.
Charles Esselstyn.
1815.
James I. Van Alen.
1863.
Charies Esselstyn.
1822.
Abraham A. Van Buren.
1867.
Hugh W. McClellan.
1837.
John Gaul, Jr.
1871.
Herman V. Esselstyn
1840.
Wm. H. Tobey.
1877
Isaac N. Collier.
DISTRICT ATTORNEYS.
The State was divided into seven districts in 1796, in each of which
an assistant attorney -general was appointed by the governor and
The third district was formed by Columbia and Rensselaer counties.
Ambrose Spencer, of Columbia, was appointed assistant attorney-
general for this district in 1796.
The office of district attorney was created in 1801 ; the State was
divided into seven districts ; the third district was formed by the
counties of Greene, Columbia, and Rensselaer.
Thomas P. Grosvenor, of Columbia, was appointed district attorney
for this district in 1810.
Each county in the State was made a separate district in 1818.
Appointed hy Court of Oa
1818. Joseph D. Monell.
1819. Thomas Bay.
1821. Julius AVilco.\son.
1832. Josiah Sutheriand, Jr
1843. Theodore Miller.
Elected hi) the People.
1847. Robert E. Andrews.
1850. John C. Newkirk.
1853. William A. Porter.
1856. David S. Cowles.
1859. Francis Silvester.
1862. Jaiues Storm.
1S65. John M. Welsh.
1808. John B. Longley.
1871. Charies M.Bell.
1874. Gershom Bulkley.
1877. John B. Longley.
A]-}pointed.
1772
Philip J. Livingston.
1786
Lawrence Hogeboom
1789.
Cornelius Hogeboom.
1791
John C. Hogeboom.
1795
John Noyes.
1796
Peter B. Ten Broeck.
1801
S.amuel Edmonds.
1802.
Barent Vanderpoel.
1806
John C. Hogeboom:
1810
Moncrief Livingston.
1811.
John King.
1813.
Reuben Swift.
1815.
John King.
1819.
Alexander Smith, Jr.
1821.
James Warner.
Elected.
1822.
Samuel E. Hudson.
Edward 0. Holley.
John Pixley.
Edward 0. Holley.
Leonard W. Ten Broeck.
Leonard Freeland.
Abram F. Miller.
Henry C. Miller.
Jacob R. Hollenbeck.
Abram F. Miller.
William Best.
Henry Waldo.
Ezra Waterbury.
Sherman Viin Ness.
Whiting Sheldon.
John H. Overhiser.
Stephen W. Ham.
William H. Van Tivssel.
Henry M. Hanor.
REGISTER OF CHANCERY UNDER COLONY.
1720. Gilbert Livingston.
CLERK OF CHANCERY.
1720. Robert Livingston, Jr.
COUNTY
CLERKS.
Appointed.
1828. Joseph D. Monell.
1675.
Robert Livingston.
1831. Joseph D. Monell.
1691.
Robert Livingston.
1834. James Storm.
1705.
Robert Livingston.
1837. Killian Miller.
1721.
Philip Livingston.*
1840. J. A. Van Valkenburgh
1786.
Robert Van Rensselaer.
1843. John I. Traver.
1801.
Jacob R. Van Rensselaer.
1846. James Storm.
1802.
Kilian Hogeboom.
1849. John R. Currie.
1808.
Marshall Jenkins, Jr.
1852. David C. Neefus.
1813.
Ezekiel Gilbert.
1855. David C. Neefus.
1815.
Cornelius Miller.
1858. Cornelius Bortle.
1820.
Abraham B. Vanderpoel.
1861. Henry P. Heermance.
1821.
Cornelius Miller.
1864. Edwin C. Terry.
1867. Edwin C. Terry.
Elected.
1870. Edwin C. Terry.
1822.
Justus McKinstry.
1873. Henry B. Hall.
1825.
Harmon Bay.
1876. Levi F. Longley.
COUNTY TREASURERS.
W,alter Vrooman Wemple, of Claverack, was appointed treasurer of
the county by the first board of supervisors in 1786, and held
the office until his death in 1798.
Elisha Jenkins was appointed treasurer Sept. 4, 1798, and re-ap-
pointed in 1799, 1800, and 1801.
Robert Jenkins was appointed in 1802, and was re-appointed in 1803,
1804, 1805, 1806, 1807, and 1808.
James Hyatt, 1809.
Amariah Storrs, 1810-12.
Abner Austin, 1813.
Jonathan Frary was appointed in 1814, and held the office until
1825.
James Van Deusen, 1825.
David Rowley, 1826.
Siliis Stone, 1827-29.
Solomon Wescott, 1830-31.
Robert McKinstry, 1832-36.
Joseph White, 1837-45.
Abr.am C. Vosburgh, 1846.
Silas W. Tobey was .appointed in 1847, and w.as elected to the office
in 1848, being the first treasurer elected by the people.
Silas W. Tobey, re-elected 1851.
Allen Rossman, elected 1854.
Peter S. Wynkoop, elected 1857-60.
■■■ Henry Livingston, of Livingston manor, then Dutchess county,
was appointed county clerk in 1742, and held the office until 1799,
when he died.
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
Richard F. Clark, elected 1863.
Peter Bogardus* elected 1866.
Richard F. Clark.f elected 1868-71.
Charles W. Hinsdale, 1873-76.
COUNTY SUPERINTENDENTS
OF THE POOR.
Appo
,Hed.
1829.
Gajer Gardner.
1838.
Philip I. Miller.
Isaac Mills.
1839.
William H. Coleman.
Roswell B. Frisbee.
Henry P. Mesick.
1831.
Jacob Shafer.
Philip I. Miller.
Henry P. Mesick.
1840.
William II. Coleman.
Gayer Gardner.
Henry P. Mesick.
Roswell B. Frisbee.
Philip I. Miller.
Horace Stevens.
1841.
William H. Coleman.
1832.
Gayer Gardner.
Henry P. Mesick.
Henry P. Mesick.
Philip \. Miller.
Jacob Shafer.
1842
William H. Coleman.
Ahni. Macy.
Henry P. Mesick.
1833.
Gnycr Gardner.
Philip L Miller.
Henry P. Mesick.
1843
Philip I. Miller.
Horace Stevens.
Peter Groat, Jr.
1834.
Gayer Gardner.
1844.
Philip I. Miller.
George Lawrence.
Stephen W. Miller.
1835.
Henry P. Mesick.
Peter Groat, Jr.
Gayer Gardner.
IS45
William R. Macy.
George Lawrence.
Sylvanus Hand.
1836.
AVilliam H. Coleman.
William Nash.
Henry P. Mesick.
1846
Frederick W. Everest.
George Lawrence.
William A. Carpenter
1837.
George Lawrence.
Philip r. Miller.
William H. Coleman.
1847.
Harvey W. Gott.
Philip L Miller.
Henry B. Van Deusen
1838.
William 11. Coleman.
Henry P. Mesick.
Ele
ted.
Henry Hare.
1848.
Harvey W. Gott.
1862.
Joshua Gardner.
Edmund Hatfield.
1863.
Norman Van Bramer.
John S. Fulton.
1864.
Seymour A. Tracy.
1849
Philip W. Pulver.
1865.
Asa Hoag.
1850
David K. Tripp.
1S66
Benoni Sherman (2d).
1851
William R. Mesick.
1867
Samuel Shutts.
1852
Alexander Pullman.
1868
Asa Hoag.t
1853
Cyrus Groat.
1869
Fyler D. Sweet.
1854
Philip Rockefeller.
Henry M. Hanor.
1855
Jacob Conklin.
1870
Samuel L. Myers.
1856
P. Edward Van Alstyne.
1872
William L Holsapple.
1857
Jacob I. Miller.
Roland W. Macy.
1858
Philip P. Groat.
1873
Charles A. Schilling.
1859
Henry Hoysradt.
1875
Cyrus Link.
1860
Sylvester Becker.
Ephraim Kendall.
1861
Hugh Van Alstyne.
1876
Philip Niver.
SCHOOL OFFICERS.
The act creating the office of deputy superintendent of
common schools was passed May 26, 1841, and continued
in force until Nov. 13, 1847, when it was repealed. The
appointments were made by the board of supervisors.
1841. David G. Woodii
1843. David G. Woodii
1845. Henry H. Pouche
1847. Peter Bonesteel.
The office of school commissioner was created by an act
of the Legislature passed April 12, 1856 ; the first appoint-
ments were made by the board of supervisors.
1st District, 1856.— Charles S. Jones.
2d " 1856.— Peter I. Philip.
« Died April 2, 1868. Richard F. Clark appointed to fill vacancy.
t Resigned Dec. 31, 1872. Charles W. Hinsdale appointed to fill
Elected.
District, 1857.— Nathan S. Post.
1857.— Peter I. Philip.
I860.— Hartwill Reynolds.
18G0.— Peter I. Philip.
" 1863.— Hartwill Reynolds.
1863.— David G. Woodin.
1806.— William P. Snyder.
" 1866.— David G. Woodin.
" 1869.— Hiram K. Smith.
" 1869. -Hiram Winslow.
" 1872 — John Strever.
1872.— Hiram Winslow.
" 1875.— Richard M. Whitbeck.
" 1875. — Isaac Van Valkenburgh.
1876.— Richard M. Whitbeck.
" 1876.— Isaac Van Valkenburgh.
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OP EXCISE.
1857.
Wm. H. Wilson.
1861.
Abraham P. Holdridge.
Thomas Beekman.
1862.
Harvey W. Gott.
John Rowley.
1863.
William Kip.
1859.
Wm. H. Wilson.
1865.
John Rowley.
Benajah Conant.
1867.
Sherman Van Ness.
1860.
George H. Rockefeller.
1868.
Peter P. Rossman.
1861.
John M. Welch.
William Kip.
1869.
Wm. G. Mandcville.
COMMISSIONERS OF THE UNITED STATES DEPOSIT FUN
1837.
Henry Hogeboom.
1857.
Robert G. Frary.
Peter I. Hoes.
Abraham P. Holdridge
1839
Hugh McClellan.
1859.
Hiram W. Dixon.
Henry Baker.
Henry S. Van de Carr.
1843
Wm. E. Heermance.
1861
Robert G. Frary.
John Vandcrpoel.
Henry S. Van de Carr.
1845
Wm. E. Heermance.
1863
Lemuel Holmes.
John Vandcrpoel.
1865
William Bryan.
1848
Robert G. Frary.
Henry S. Van de Carr.
Abraham P. lloldridge.
1867
William Bryan.
1850
Robert G. Frary.
Henry S. Van de Carr.
Abraham P. Holdridge.
1870
Lemuel Holmes.
1852
Robert G. Frary.
Jacob S.,Bump.
Abraham P. Holdridge.
1873
Cyrus Groat.
1855
Robert G. Frary.
William Bryan.
Abraham P. Holdridge.
1877
Chester Miller.
Cyrus Groat.
X Resi.
vacancy.
869. John M. Cameron appointed
SUPREME COURT COMMISSIONERS AT HILLSDALE.
1833. Russell G. Dorr. 1 1845. Thomas K. Baker.
SUPERVISORS.
1787._Matthew Adgate, Kings; Cornelius Van Shaack, Kinder-
hook ; John Livingston, Livingston ; James Bryan, Hills-
dale ; Stephen Hogeboom, Claverack ; Samuel Ten Broeck,
Clermont; Henry I. Van Rensselaer, Hudson: John Kortz,
Germantown. Matthew Adgate, moderator; Walter V.
Wemple, clerk.
1788.— Matthew Adgate, Canaan; James Bryan, Hillsdale; John
Kortz, Germantown; Henry I. Van Rensselaer, Hudson;
Stephen Hogeboom, Claverack ; Evert Vosburgh, Kinder-
hook ; Samuel Ten Broeck, Clermont ; William Rockefeller,
Livingston. Matthew Adgate, moderator; Walter V. Wem-
ple, clerk.
1789.— William Powers, Canaan ; Thomas Jenkins, Hudson ; Samuel
Ten Broeck, Clermont; James Bryan, Hillsdale; Stephen
Hogeboom, Claverack ; John Livingston, Livingston ; John
Kortz, Germantown; Evert Vosburgh, Kinderhook. William
Powers, moderator; Walter V. Wemple, clerk.
1790.— William Powers, Canaan; Thomas Jenkins, Hudson ; Samuel
Ten Broeck, Clermont; James Bryan, Hillsdale; Stephen
Hogeboom, Claverack ; Evert Vosburgh, Kinderhook ; John
A. Fonda, Livingston; Nicholas Kierstcad, Germantown.
Wm. Powers, moderator; Walter V. Wemple, clerk.
1791.— Thomas Jenkins, Hudson ; Henry Livingston, Livingston ;
Charles McKinstry, Hillsdale; Samuel Ten Broeck, Cler-
80
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
mont ; George Monell, Claveraok ; Nicholas Kierslead,
Germantown ; Jonathan Warner, Canaan ; Evert Vosburgh,
Kinderhook. Thomas Jenkins, moderator; Walter V.
Wemple, clerk.
1792.— Henry Livingston, Livingston; George Monell, Claverack;
John Thurston, Hudson; Evert Vosburgh, Kinderhook;
Samuel Ten Broeck, Clermont; Nicholas Kierstead, Ger-
mantown: Charles McKinstry, Hillsdale; Elisha Gilbert,
Canaan. Evert Vosburgh, moderator; Walter V. Wemple,
clerk.
1793.— Stephen Paddock. Hudson; Evert Vosburgh, Kinderhook;
Patrick Hamilton, Canaan; Martin J. Cooper, Clermont ;
Philip L. Hoffman, Livingston; Peter Scharp, German-
town; Charles McKinstry, Hillsdale; George Monell,
Claverack. Stephen Paddock, moderator; Walter V.
Wemple, clerk.
1794.— Stephen Paddock, Hudson; Philip L. Hoffman, Livingston ;
Evert Vosburgh, Kinderhook; Charles McKinstry, Hills-
dale ; Patrick Hamilton, Canaan ; Nicholas Kierstead,
Germantown; Samuel Ten Broeck, Clermont; George
Monell, Claverack. Stephen Paddock, moderator; Walter
V. Wemple, clerk.
1795.— Stephen Paddock, Hudson; Evert Vosburgh, Kinderhook;
George Monell, Claverack; Charles McKinstry, Hillsdale;
Samuel Ten Broeck, Clermont; John A. Fonda, Living-
ston; Aaron Kellogg, Canaan; Philip Rockefeller, Ger-
mantown; James Savage, Chatham. Stephen Paddock,
moderator; Walter V. Wemple, clerk.
.1796.— Dirck Gardenier, Kinderhook; Elisha Jenkins, Hudson;
Philip Rockefeller, Germantown ; John A. Fonda, Living-
ston; George Monell, Claverack; Levi Stone, Chatham;
Elisha Gilbert, Canaan; Charles McKinstry, Hillsdale;
Samuel Ten Broeck, Clermont. Direk Gardenier, mod-
erator ; Walter V. Wemple, clerk.
1797. — Elisha Jenkins, Hudson; Dirck Gardenier, Kinderhook;
Charles McKinstry, Hillsdale; Peter Bishop, Livingston;
Levi Stone, Chatham; George Monell, Claverack; Samuel
Ten Broeck, Clermont; Benjamin Tobey, Canaan ; Philip
Rockefeller, Germantown. Charles McKinstry, moderator;
Walter V. Wemple, clerk.
1798.— William Wilson, Clermont; Dirck Gardenier, Kinderhook;
Philip Rockefeller, Germantown; Peter Van Alstyne, Kin-
derkook; Charles McKinstry, Hillsdale; Elisha Jenkins,
Hudson ; George Monell, Claveraok ; Peter Bishop, Living-
ston; Eleazer Grant, Canaan. William Wilson, moderator ;
Andrew M. Carshore, clerk.
1799.— William Wilson, Clermont; Eleazer Grant, Canaan; Henry
Livingston, Livingston; Abm. I. Van VIeck, Kinderhook ;
Charles McKinstry, Hillsdale ; John C. Hogeboom, Clav-
erack ; Peter Sharp, Germantown; Peter Van Alstyne,
Chatham; Robert Jenkins, Hudson. William Wilson,
moderator; Andrew M. Carshore, clerk.
1800.- John C. Hogeboom, Claverack ; Henry Livingston, Living-
ston; Robert Jenkins, Hudson; Philip Rockefeller, Ger-
mantown; Samuel Ten Broeck, Clermont; Peter Van
Alstyne, Chatham; Abm. L Van VIeck, Kinderhook; Wil-
liam Aylesworth, Canaan ; Samuel Mallery, Hillsdale. John
C. Hogeboom, moderator; Elisha Jenkins, clerk.
1801.— Abm. I. Van VIeck, Kinderhook; George Monell, Claverack;
Moncrief Livingston, Livingston; Jonathan Warner, Ca-
naan; Matthew Dorr, Chatham ; Robert Jenkins, Hudson;
John N. Taylor, Germantown; William Wilson, Clermont;
Samuel Mallery, Hillsdale. Abraham L Van VIeck, mod-
erator; Andrew M. Carshore, clerk.
1802.~William AVilson, Clermont; Henry Livingston, Livingston;
George Monell, Claverack ; James Brebner, Chatham ;
John Whiting, Canaan ; Samuel Mallery, Hillsdale ; Garret
Cupk, Germantown; John Van Alen, Kinderhook; Cotton
Gelston, Hudson. William Wilson, moderator; Andrew
M. Carshore, clerk.
1803.— Robert T. Livingston, Livingston ; Nicholas Kline, Gallatin;
Samuel Mallery, Hillsdale; William Wilson, Clermont;
George Monell, Claverack; Garret Cuck, Germantown;
Henry Avery, Granger; Cotton Gelston, Hudson; John
Van Alen, Kinderhook ; John Whiting, Canaan ; James
Brebner, Chatham. James Brebner, moderator; Andrew
M. Carshore, clerk.
—George Monell, Claveraok; William Wilson, Clermont; Mat-
thew Dorr, Chatham ; John Whiting, Canaan ; James S.
Livingston, Livingston ; Nicholas Kline, Gallatin ; Samuel
Mallery, Hillsdale ; John Van Alen, Kinderhook ; Garret
Cuck, Germantown ; Henry Avery, Granger; James Hyatt,
Hudson. William Wilson, moderator; Andrew M. Car-
shore, clerk.
—George Monell, Claverack; Samuel Mallery, Hillsdale ; Hen-
ry Avery, Granger; John Van Alen, Kinderhook; Peter
Sharp, Germantown ; Matthew Dorr, Chatham ; James
Hyatt, Hudson ; Isaac AVilliams, Gallatin ; James S. Liv-
ingston, Livingston; Thomas Brodhead, Clermont; John
Whiting, Canaan. Samuel Mallery, moderator; Andrew
M. Carshore, clerk.
—Samuel Ten Broeck, Clermont; James S. Livingston, Living-
ston; Allen Sheldon, Gallatin; Peter Sharp, Germantown;
Henry Avery, Granger; John King, Canaan; Moses Young-
love, Hudson ; Samuel Mallery, Hillsdale; George Monell,
Claverack ; John Van Alen, Kinderhook ; Matthew Dorr,
Chatham. Samuel Ten Broeck, moderator; Gilbert Jenkins,
clerk.
—Henry Avery, Granger; Matthew Dorr, Chatham; Samuel
Mallery, Hillsdale; Frederick Rockefeller, Germantown;
John Van Alen, Kinderhook ; James S. Livingston, Living-
ston ; Peter Mesick, Claverack; John King, Canaan;
Robert Taylor, Hudson; Isaac B. Smith, Gallatin; Thomas
Brodhead, Clermont. Matthew Dorr, moderator; Mar-
shall Jenkins, clerk.
-James S. Livingston, Livingston; Matthew Dorr, Chatham;
Thomas Brodhead, Clermont; Samuel Mallery, Hillsdale;
Peter Mesick, Claverack; John King, Canaan; John Van
Alen, Kinderhook; Frederick Rockefeller, Germantown;
Josiah llollcy, Gallatin; Henry Avery, Granger; Robert
Taylor, Hudson. Matthew Dorr, moderator; M. Jenkins,
Jr., clerk.
-Thomas Brodhead, Clermont ; Allen Sheldon, Gallatin ;
Henry Livingston, Livingston; Henry Avery, Granger;
Abraham Van VIeck, Kinderhook ; Samuel Edmonds, Hud-
son ; Peter Mesick, Claverack; Timothy Oakley, Chatham;
Ebenezer Soule, Hillsdale; Frederick Rockefeller, German-
town ; Jason Warner, Canaan. Thomas Brodhead, mode-
rator ; Andrew M. Carshore, clerk.
-Thomas Brodhead, Clermont; Abraham Van VIeck, Kinder-
hook; Allen Sheldon, Gallatin; Ebenezer Sonic, Hillsdale;
Jason Warner, Canaan; Henry Livingston, Livingston;
Henry Avery, Granger; Peter Mesick, Claveraok; Nathan
Sears, Hudson ; Timothy Oakley, Chatham ; Frederick
Rockefeller, Germantown. Thomas Brodhead, moderator ;
Luther Bingham, clerk.
-Henry Livingston, Livingston; Ebenezer Soule, Hillsdale;
Henry Avery, Granger; Abraham Van Vleok, Kinderhook ;
Nath.an Sears, Hudson ; Peter Mesick, Claverack ; Allen
Sheldon, Gallatin ; Timothy Oakley, Chatham ; Frederick
Rockefeller, Germantown ; Daniel Warner, Canaan ; Thos.
Brodhead, Clermont. Ebenezer Soule, moderator ; Samuel
Edmonds, clerk.
-John Van Deusen, Livingston ; Thomas Brodhead, Clermont;
Frederick Rockefeller, Germantown; Abraham Van Vlock,
Kinderhook ; Nathan Sears, Hudson ; Allen Sheldon, Galla-
tin ; Peter Mesiek, Claverack; Daniel Warner, Canaan;
Henry Avery, Granger; Bartholomew Williams, Hillsdale;
Timothy Oakley, Chatham. Daniel Warner, moderator:
James S. Livingston, clerk.
-Peter Mesick, Claverack; Daniel Warner, Canaan; Henr^
Avery, Granger; Samuel Wilbur, Chatham; John Van
Deusen, Livingston ; Amariah Storrs, Hudson ; Henry
Mink, Gallatin; Wm. Tanner, Hillsdale; Garret Cuck,
Clermont ; Abm. Van VIeck, Kinderhook ; Frederick Rocke-
feller, Germantown. Daniel Warner, moderator; Wm. G.
Hubbel, clerk.
-Peter Mesick, Claverack; Wm. Tanner, Hillsdale; Amariah
Storrs, Hudson ; John Van Deusen, Livingston ; Garret
Cuck, Clermont; Simon Rockefeller, Germantown; Isaa*
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
B, Smith, Anonim ; Honry Avery, Taghkanio ; Peter Van
Vleck, Canaan ; Henry h. Van Dyok, Kinderhook ; Mat-
thew Bealo, Chatham. Amariah Storrs, moderator; Wm. G.
Hubbel, clerk.
1815.— Robt. H. Van Rensselaer, Hudson; Thos. Jenkins, Hudson;
Josiah Hollcy, Aneram ; Henry L. Van Dyck, Kinderhook;
Daniel Warner, Canaan ; Peter Mesick, Clavoraek ; Garret
Cuck, Clermont; Simon Rockefeller, Gerniantown ; John
Van Deusen, Livingston; Augustus F. Haydon, Chatham;
Friend Sheldon, Taghkanic; Jonathan C. Olmstead, Hills-
dale. Henry L. Van Dyck, moderator; Wm. G. Hubbel,
clerk.
1816.— Henry L. Van Dyck, Kinderhook; John Van Deusen, Living-
ston; Garret Cuck, Clermont; Friend Sheldon, Taghkanic ;
James Strong, Hudson ; John P. Jenkins, Hudson ; Jona-
than C. Olmstead, Hillsdale; Simon Rockefeller, German-
town; Peter Mosick, Claverack; Isaac B. Smith, Aneram ;
Daniel Warner, Canaan; Augustus F. Haydon, Chathum.
H. L. Van Dyok, moderator; Wm. G. Hubbel, clerk.
1817.— Thomas Brodhead, Clermont; Henry L. Van Dyck, Kinder-
hook ; Henry Avery, Taghkanic ; Anthony Boucher, Clav-
erack ; Isaac B. Smith, Ancr-am ; Daniel Warner, Canaan ;
Edward Bagley, Hillsdale; Anson Pratt, Chatham ; James
Nixon, Jr., Hudson ; Paul Dakin, Hudson; John Van Deu-
sen, Livingston ; Simon Rockefeller, Gerniantown. H. L.
Van Dyck, moderator; Wm. G. Hubbel, clerk.
1818.— Henry L. Van Dyck, Kinderhook ; Peter Van Alstyne, Chat-
ham ; Elam Tilden, Canaan ; Tobias L. Hogcboom, Ghent;
Jonathan C. Olmstead, Austerlitz ; Anthony Boucher, Clav-
erack ; Joseph Morehouse, Hillsdale ; James Nixon, Jr.,
Hudson ; Paul Dakin, Hudson ; John Van Deusen, Living-
ston ; Adam I. Strevel, Taghkanic; Isaac B. Williams,
Aneram; Garret Cuck, Clermont; Simon Rockefeller, Ger-
mantown. H. L. Van Dyck, moderator; Wm. G. Hubbel,
clerk.
1819.— Henry L.Van Dyok, Kinderhook; Pater Van Vlesk, Canaan ;
Edward B. Pugsley, Ghent; Anthony Boucher, Claverack ;
John King, New Lebanon; Jojeph Morehouse, Hillsdale;
Adam I. Strevel, Taghkanic ; Peter Van Alstyne, Chatham ;
Thomas Brodhead, Clermont; Paul Dakin, Hudson ; Bar-
nabas Waterman, Hudson; Isaac B.Smith, Aneram; Simon
Rockefeller, Germantown; George Lawrence, Austerlitz;
John Van Deusen, Livingston; H. L. Van Dyck, moder-
ator; William G. Hubbel, clerk.
1820. — Anthony Boucher, Claverack; Henry L. Van Dyok, Kinder-
hook; Joseph Morehouse, Hillsdale; Edward B. Pugsley,
Ghent; George Lawrence, Austerlitz; Samuel A. Curtiss,
Canaan; John King, New Lebanon ; Isaac Mills, Chatham ;
John Van Deusen, Livingston ; Thomas Brodhead, Cler-
mont; Isaac B. Williams, Aneram ; Adam I. Strevel, Tagh-
kanic ; Barnabas Waterman, Hudson ; Paul Dakin, Hud-
son ; Simon Rockefeller, Germantown; H. L. Van Dyck,
moderator; William G. Hubbel, clerk.
1821-22.S— John King, moderator; William G. Hubbel, clerk.
1823.— Walter Patterson, moderator; William G. Hubbel, clerk.
1824-27.— John P. Beekman, moderator; William G. Hubbel, clerk.
1828.- Charles Waldo, moderator; William G. Hubbel, clerk.
1829.— John King, moderator; William G. Hubbel, clerk.
1830.— Oliver Wiswall, chairman ; William G. Hubbel, clerk.
1831.— Wm. H. Wilson, chairman ; William G. Hubbel, clerk.
1832-34.— Robert G. Frary, chairman ; William G. Hubbel, clerk.
1835.— Lucas Hoes, chairman; William G. Hubbel, clerk.
1836.- Garret Burgert, chairman ; Hiram Tapping, clerk.
1837.— Levi Pitts, chairman; Hiram Tapping, clerk.
1838.- James Mellen, chairman ; Joseph G. Palen, clerk.
1839.— Chas. Esselstyne, chairman ; Joseph G. Palen, clerk.
1840.-^ohn E. Warner, chairman ; Rodolphus P. Skinner, clerk.
1841. — John Vanderpoel, chairman; Theodore Miller, clerk.
1842. — John Vanderpoel, chairman ; Stephen Storm, clerk.
1843.— Peter I. Hoes, chairman ; Stephen Storm, clerk.
1844. — James Storm, chairman ; John II. Overhiser, clerk.
1845.— L. Van Buren, chairman ; Henry Miller, clerk.
The list of supervisors from 1821 to
of its extreme length.
11
76 has been omitted <
— L. Van Buren, chairman ; John Mosher, clerk.
— Robert G. Frary, chairman ; Erastus H. Bonn, clerk.
—Robert A. Barnard, chairman ; Harmon B. Whitbock, clerk.
—Jonas H. Miller, chairman ; Harmon B. Whitbock, clerk.
-51. — ^L. Van Buren, chairman; David C. Neefus, clerk.
— Peter P. Rossmnn, chairman ; John Whitbeck, clerk.
-Henry W. Reynolds, chairman ; John M. Welch, clerk.
— Ira Hand, chairman ; Jacob P. Miller, clerk.
— Ira Hand, chairman ; Gilbert Langdon, clerk.
— Samuel A. Barstow, chairman; John Whitbock, clerk.
—William M. Elton, chairman; Robert W. McClellan, Clerk.
—Geo. A. Kisselburgh, chairman; Valentine Fingar, clerk.
—Horatio N. Hand, chairman ; Charles G. Coffin, clerk.
— Ilinini 1>. Ford, chairman; John V. Whitbock, clerk.
— Iloiiiiiu \. lliiii.l. chairman; Theodore Snyder, clerk.
— Sti'plitMi II. r.ar(i-;m, chairman; John Whitbeck, clerk.
.— Wm. (i. Maii.l.ville, chairman: John Whitbeck, clerk.
— Wm. G. Mandeville, chairman ; J. Southart Van Wyck, clerk.
—Peter Mesick, chairman; John V. Whitbeck, clerk.
— John H. Overhiser, chairman; Gilbert Langdon, clerk.
— Peter Mesick, chairman ; Gilbert Langdon, clerk.
-69.— Jacob H. Proper, chairman ; John Whitbeck, clerk.
—Henry Cornell, chairman; Aaron V. D. Whitbeck, clerk.
— Sherman Van Ness, chairman; James Miller, clerk.
—Lorenzo Gile, chairman ; Henry P. Horton, clerk.
— Hugh Van Alstyne, chairman; Ruluf Neefus, clerk.
— Sherman Van Ness, chairman ; John C. Hubbard, clerk.
-77.— Perkins F. Cady, chairman ; Ruluf Neefus, clerk.
— Perkins F. Cady, Chatham; Er.astus Coons, Germantown;
John AV. Coons, Greenport; James Dingman, Stockport;
Jacob H. Duntz, Gallatin ; Frederick F. Folgor, Hudson,
3d ward; Michael Guinan, Hudson, 2d ward; Franklin
Hand, New Lebanon; Charles W. Havens, Canaan ; Mag-
nus D. Herbs, Hudson, 4th ward ; William Hoag, Aneram ;
William G. Kittle, Ghent; John D. Langdon, Copake ;
Samuel L. Myers, Taghkanic ; Henry C. Pierson, Austerlitz ;
John Sagendorph, Chiverack ; Abram L. Schcrmerhorn,
Stuyvesant; Allen Sheldon, Hillsdale; Samuel Shutt.", Liv-
ingston; Charles W. Trimper, Kinderhook; Sherman Van
Ness, Hudson, 1st w.ird ; Harold Wilson, Clermont. Sher-
man Van Ness, chairman ; C. W. Davis, clerk.
CHAPTER XI.
DISTINGUISHED MEN OF COLUMBIA COUNTY.
The county of Columbia has always been remarkable for
the very larjre number, among her natives and residents, of
men who have risen to high places of distinction. It is
claimed — and, as we believe, without the possibility of suc-
cessful contradiction — that there is not in the State of New
York, nor indeed within the United States, a county of
equal .size which is able to boast of a roll so brilliant.
This county has produced a President and a Vice-Presi-
dent of the United States; Secretaries of War and of the
Treasury; Senators and Secretaries of State, both of the
United States and of the State of New York ; Ministers
Plenipotentiary to foreign courts; governors; judges; and
many civil officers of scarcely less exalted station, as well as
military and naval heroes.
It is our purpose to give, in this chapter, brief personal
sketches of some of the distinguished men of Columbia,
chiefly of those who have passed away, and including none
who are now residents of the county. To include all, of
the past and present, who deserve special mention would
be impracticable.
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
MAKTIN VAN BUREN.
Martin Van Buren, the eighth President of the United
States, the son of Abraham Van Buren, a farmer of Kin-
derhook, was born in that town on the 5th of December, 1782.
His early education, which was rather limited, was ac-
quired at the Kinderhook Academy, which he left at the
age of fourteen to engage in the study of the law, which he
commenced in the office of Francis Silvester, in his native
village, hut completed in the city of New York, in the office
of William P. Van Ness.
It is said that the first public office held by Mr. Van
Buren was nearly, if not quite, the lowest possible, that of
fence-viewer, in Kinderhook ; but from that he ascended,
with a rapidity which is seldom equaled, from one position
to another, until he reached the summit of possible am-
bition.^the presidency.
In November, 1803, he was admitted to the bar of the
Supreme Court, and returned to commence practice in Kin-
deihook.
In 1808 he was appointed surrogate of Columbia county.
In 1812 he was elected to the Senate of the State, and in
that body voted for electors pledged to support De Witt
Clinton for President of tlie United States. From 1815 to
1819 he was attorney-general of the State, and in 1816
was again a member of the Senate, the two offices being
held together. In 1818, Mr. Van Buren set on foot anew
organization of the Democratic party in this State, and
became the ruling spirit in a coterie of politicians known
as the Albany Regency, among whom B. F. Butler, Wm. L.
Marcy, and Edwin Croswell were afterwards prominent,
who held the political control of the State uninterruptedly
for more than twenty years. In 1821 he was elected to the
United States Senate, and was also a member of the conven-
tion to revise the State constitution. In the latter body he
advocated an extension of the elective franchise, but opposed
universal suffrage, as also the plan of appointing justices of
the peace by popular election.
On the 6th of February, 1827, he was re-elected United
States senator, but re-iigued the office in the following
year to accept that of governor of New York, to which
he had been elected. One of the first measures recom-
mended by him as governor was the safety fund banking
system, which was adopted in 1829. He resigned the
office of governor to accept the secretaryship of state,
which was tendered him by President Jackson immediately
after his inauguration, in 1829.
In April, 1881, Mr. Van Buren resigned the office of
secretary, and was appointed minister to England, arriving
in that country in September ; but his nomination, sub-
mitted to the Senate in December, was rejected on the
ground that while secretary of state he had instructed the-
United States minister to England to beg of that country
certain concessions in regard to trade with her colonies in
the West Indies, which he should have demanded as a
right, and that he had carried our domestic party contests
and their results into foreign diplomatic negotiations.
This rejection was followed, on May 22, 1832, by the
nomination of Mr. Van Buren for the vice-presidency, on
the ticket with General Jackson ; and in the subsequent
election Mr. Van Buren received the electoral votes of all
the States which voted for General Jackson, with the ex-
ception of Pennsylvania.
On the 2()th of May, 1835, the Democratic convention
at Baltimore unanimously nominated Mr. Van Buren for
the presidency, and in the following November he was
elected to the office, receiving one hundred and seventy
electoral votes, or twenty-eight more than the number
necessary to a choice.
His inauguration in 1837 was immediately followed by
the memorable financial panic of that year, and suspension
of specie payments by the banks. Commerce and manu-
factures were prostrate, hundreds of mercantile houses
in every part of the country became bankrupt, and during
his entire administration the business of the country re-
mained in a very depressed condition as a consequence of
that great revulsion.
In the great presidential campaign of 1840, in which
Mv. Van Buren was nominated for re-election, these dis-
asters were by his political opponents attvibuted to the
measures of his administration ; and such was the effect of
these allegations upon the voters of the country, that in
the election which followed Mr. Van Buren secured (inly
sixty electoral votes, against two hundred and thirty-four
cast for his opponent. General Harri.son.
Upon his retirement from the presidency, March 4, 1841,
he returned to his residence in Kinderhook, to live once
more among the friends and neighbors who delighted to do
him honor. In the year 1844 he was again urged as a
presidential candidate by northern Democrats, but was re-
jected by the southern wing of the party on account of his
opposition to the annexation of Texas, as expressed by him
in a letter to a citizen of Mississippi, who had called for
his opinion on that question; and by the two-thirds rule
adopted in the convention his nomination was defeated. In
1848, when the Democrats had nominated Gerteral Cass,
and avowed their readiness to tolerate slavery in the terri-
tories lately acquired from Mexico, Mr. Van Buren and his
adherents, adopting the name of "Free-Soil Democracy,"
at once began to discuss in public that new aspect of the
slavery question. They held a convention at Utica, June
22, which nominated Mr. Van Buren for President, and
Henry Dodge, of Wisconsin, for Vice-President. Mr.
Dodge declined the nomination, and at a general " Free-
Soil" convention in Buffalo on August 9, Charles Francis
Adams was substituted. The convention declared that
" Congress has no more power to make a slave than to
make a king," and that it is the duty of the Federal gov-
ernment to relieve itself of all responsibility for the ex-
istence or continuance of slavery wherever the government
possesses constitutional power to legislate on the subject,
and is thus responsible for its existence. In accepting the
nomination of this new party Mr. Van Buren declared his
full assent to its anti-slavery principles. The result was
that in New York he received the suffrages of more than
half of those who had been hitherto attached to the Demo-
cratic party, and that General Taylor, the candidate of the
Whigs, was elected.
After that time Mr. Van Buren remained in private life on
his estate at Kinderhook, with the exception of a prolonged
HISTORY OP COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
tour in Europe in 1853-55. On the outbreak of the
civil war, he dechired himself warmly and decidedly in
favor of maintaining the republic in its integrity. In
July, 1862, at a time when all looked gloomy enough for
the northern amiies and for the cause of the Union, the
venerable ex-President lay dying at Lindenwald. " Previous
to the wandering of his mind," wrote a correspondent of
the Boston Journal from Kinderhook, " and once or twice
since, when reason returned, Mr. Van Buren has evinced
the most lively and patriotic interest in the affairs of the
country. He inquired of Dr. Pruyn how the good work
of crushing the rebellion was going on, and was very par-
ticular to learn if the public confidence in the President
was yet firm and unshaken, as he thought it should be,
and appeared much gratified when answered in the affirma-
tive. He has all faith in the ultimate triumph of our arms
and cause." He died a day or two later, — July 24, 18G2.
Mr. Van Buren was an active, laborious, and successful
politician, possessing a deep and intuitive knowedge of
human nature, and remarkable powers of argument and per-
suasion. His private character was without a blemish, his
manners exceedingly pleasing, and his feelings the most
kind and generous, with never a touch of malice or hatred
even towards his most bitter opponents.
On the occasion of the death of his uncompromising
political antagonist, De Witt Clinton, in 1828, Mr. Van
Buren pronounced a most eloquent eulogy, from which we
extract the following admirable passage : " The triumph of
his talents and patriotism cannot fail to become monuments
of high and enduring fame. We cannot, indeed, but re-
member that in our public career collisions of opinions and
action, at once extensive, earnest, and enduring, have arisen
between the deceased and many of us. For myself, it gives
me a deep-felt though melancholy satisfaction to know, and
more so to be conscious, that the decea.sed also felt and ac-
knowledged that our political difi"erences have been wholly
free from that most venomous and corroding of all poisons,
personal hatred. But in other respect it is now immaterial
what was the character of those collisions. They have
been turned to nothing, and less than nothing, by the event
we deplore, and I doubt not that we will, with one voice
and one heart, yield to his memory the woll-descrved tribute
of our respect for his name, and our warmest gratitude for
his great and signal services. For myself, so strong, so
sincere, so engrossing is that feeling, that I, who whilst
living never, no never, envied him anything, now that
he has fallen, am greatly tempted to envy him his grave
with its honors."
Truly, the personal attainments and virtues of Martin
Van Buren, as well as the pre-eminent station to which he
rose, shed much of lusti-e on the county that was his
birthplace and his home.
ELISUA WILLIAMS.
" Now and then," says Oliver Wendell Holmes, in his
" Poet at the Breakfast Table," " one saves a reminiscence
that means a great deal by means of a casual question.
I asked the first of these old New Yorkers* the following
» The gentleman of whom Dr. Holmes mMe (his inquiry was the
Hon. Gulian C. Verplanck.
question, ' Who, on the whole, seemed to you the most
considerable person you ever met?' Now it must be
remembered that this was a man who had lived in a city
called the metropolis ; one who liad been a member of the
State and National Legislatures ; who had come in contact
with men of letters and men of business, witii politicians
and members of all the professions, during a long and dis-
tinguished public career. I paused for his answer with no
little curiosity. Would it be one of the great ex-Presidents
whos^ names were known to all the world? Would it
be the silver-tongued orator of Kentucky, or the godlike
champion of the constitution, our own New England Ju-
piter Capitolinus ? Who would it be ?
" ' Take it altogether,' he answered, very deliberately, ' I
should say that Colonel Elisha Williams was the most
notable personage that I have ever met with.'
" ' Colonel Elisha Williams ! And who might he be, for-
sooth ?'
" A gentleman of singular distinction, you may be
well assured, even though you are not familiar with his
name ; but, as I am not writing a biographical dictionary,
I shall leave it to my reader to find out who and what he
was."
We believe Dr. Holmes was at fault in bestowing a
military title on the Hon. Elisha Williams, but we will
endeavor to tell, in a very brief sketch, " who and what
he was."
He was, for a period embracing more than the first
quarter of the present century, the bright particular stiir
in that shining constellation of legal talent which formed
the bar of the county of Columbia. He was an orator
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
who had few peers ; one who by the charm and power of
his marvelous eloquence could captivate the minds of his
auditors and sway them at his will. He was an advocate
who, as such, seldom found an equal and never a superior;
whose renown was so great and so widely extended that
his services were sought in important cases, not only through
this and neighboring counties and in the cities of Albany
and New York, but also in the adjoining States ; and of
whom it was said by so competent a critic and so eminent
a barrister as Thomas Addis Emmett, " I have listened to
the great men of Europe and America, but never to one
who could enchain the attention and captivate the judg-
ment like Elisha Williams."
This brilliant man, the son of Colonel Ebenezer Wil-
liams, and grandson of the Rev. Ebenezer Williams, of
Pomfret, Conn., was born in that town on the 29th of
August, 1773,* and, losing his father by death while he
was yet but a youth, was placed under the guardianship of
Captain Seth Grosvenor, of Pomfret, who attended to his
early education, which, however, was not very complete.
At a date which we are unable to give, he was placed in
the law-ofiBce of Judge Reeves, of Litchfield, Conn., where
he completed his preparation for the profession in which
he afterwards became so eminent. In June, 1793, when
less than twenty years of age, he was admitted to the bar,
and then started out to seek a location, having with him
his entire personal property, consisting of a horse, a port-
manteau, and less than twenty dollars in money. He
decided on Spencertown, in Columbia county, and there
settled, and two years later he was united in marriage
with the daughter of his former guardian, Miss Lucia
Grosvenor, by whom he had five children.
In 1799 he removed to the city of Hudson, and from
that removal may be dated the commencement of his
famous career. He first took his seat in the Assembly in
1801, and from that time became one of the principal
leaders of the Federal party in the State as well as in Co-
lumbia county. He always declined to accept higher oflSce,
although frequently importuned to do so, and although
himself exerting a controlling influence and almost dic-
tating the nominations so long as his party remained in
power.
He was president of the Bank of Columbia at Hudson
for a number of years, and a large owner in the institution.
Through some of his transactions he became possessed of a
tract of land embracing all or a large portion of the present
site of the village of Waterloo, in Seneca county. From
these lands he realized large returns ; so that by this means
and through his very lucrative professional business he be-
came what was at that time considered a wealthy man.
Some of the last yeare of his life were passed upon his
property in Seneca county. The weary days of his last
sickness were spent principally at Hudson, the city of his
preference, as it had been the scene of most of his pro-
fessional triumphs. During a deceptive rally from the
prostration of his illness he visited the city of New York
for a temporary stay, but while there was stricken with
* These facts are taken from "The Genealogy and History of the
Williams Family," by S. W. Williams.
apoplexy, and died at the residence of Mr. Grosvenor, on
the 29th of June, 1833.
A few days after the sad event (July 2, 1833), at a
meeting of gentlemen of the New York city bar, held at
the city hall, for the purpose of giving expression to their
grief at the death of the great lawyer, and their respect
for his character and talents, Mr. George Grifiin, in second-
ing the proposed resolutions, gave utterance to the following
truthful and appropriate words of eulogium :
" It is not my design to enter upon a detailed panegyric
of the deceased ; that will form a noble subject for the
biographer. It is my purpose simply to allude to a few of
the most prominent features that distinguished him. A
stranger would scarcely have been in company with Elisha
Williams without being aware that he stood in the presence
of an extraordinary man. To be convinced of this, he
need not have witnessed the flashes of his wit, sparkling
from its own intrinsic brilliancy, nor his soul-subduing
pathos, nor the displays of his deep knowledge of human
nature. There belonged to the deceased an eye, a voice,
a majesty of person and of mien, that marked him for
superiority. With these advantages, it is not surprising
that his eloquence should have commanded the universal
admiration of his contemporaries. It was peculiar, it was
spontaneous, it was variegated, it was overwhelming, — now
triumphing over the convinced and subdued understanding,
now bearing away in willing captivity the rapt imagination,
and now knocking with resistless energy at the doors of the
heart.
" I have alluded to his knowledge of human nature. It
was indeed more varied and profound than I have ever wit-
nessed in any other advocate. It seemed to have been his
by intuition. ' He needed not,' as Dryden said of Shak-
spearc, ' the spectacle of books to read nature : he looked
inward, and found her there.' By a kind of untaught
anatomy he was capable of dissecting our intellectual and
moral frame. It was this quality which gave him his
transcendent power in the examination and cross-examina-
tion of witnesses, enabling him to drag forth the truth in
triumph from the inmost recesses of its hiding-place. He
owed little to early education. Like Shakspeare, whom he
resembled in wit, in imagination, in brilliancy, in knowl-
edge of the human heart, in creative powers, he was the
architect of himself Nor was he, even in after-life, distin-
guished for laborious study. His communion was with his
own mighty mind. Like Prometheus, he borrowed his fire
from heaven alone ; and without underrating professional
attainments, or the profound and patient research necessary
for their acquisition, perhaps it may be said that in the
peculiar case of Mr. Williams it was well for him and for
the public that he poised himself .so exclusively on his
own resources. If by this means he imparted less of the
thoughts of others, he imparted more of his own ; if he
displayed less of the lore of other times, he displayed more
of the treasures of his own rich intellect.
" At the outset of his career he attained distinction, and
he remained in the first rank of his profession until near
the age of sixty, when ill health induced him to retire with
undiminished powers. I was associated with him in his
last professional efibrt in this hall ; when, like the clear
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
setting sun, he shed upon the horizon that he was ahout to
leave forever the full and gladdening radiance of his match-
less eloquence.
" Nor was his heart inferior to his head. He was the
most dutiful of sons, the kindest of husbands, the most
affectionate of fathers, the best of neighbors, and the most
faithful of friends. He had ever ' an eye for pity, and a
hand open to melting charity.' He was the poor man's
gratuitous adviser and liberal benefactor. His charities
were more muniticent than his means, and the blessings of
many a one who was ready to perish have ascended before
him to the throne of God."
A meeting of membere of the Oneida county bar, held
at Utica, July 2, 1833, adopted resolutions in reference to
the death of Mr. Williams, from which resolutions we ex-
tract as follows :
" The committee of the bar attending the July term of the Supreme
Court have received, with uicst profound grief, the intelligence of the
death of their honored and beloved associate, Elisha Williams, Esq.
Of the splendid talents, which placed Mr. Williams among the very
first of their profession, their testimony can add no new evidence.
During a professional career of nearly forty years, every part of our
State has had an opportunity of witnessing the wonderful efforts of
his intellect, and of feeling the power of his surpassing eloquence.
Although distinguished amongst the ablest debaters in our public
councils, yet we feel it to be our right and our duty to claim him as
one of the most illustrious ornaments of that profession to which his
life was devoted, and in which his greatest triumphs were achieved.
To us, and to our succes.sors, his example has furnished a lesson of
incalculable value. Literally the maker of his own fortune and fame,
his path to greatness is everywhere strewed with relics of difficulties
overcome and obstacles subdued.
**But great as were his intellectual etforts, and splendid as was his
professional course, he is more strongly endeared to his associates
and brethren by ties ot a different kind, and which even death can-
not sever. The frankness and generosity of his noble nature, which
so irresistibly won the confidence and esteem of those who knew him,
furnished unerring indications of that excellent and full heart which
was constantly overflowing in acts of the purest benevolence, and
which made him love his friend more than himself."
Eli-sha Williams was a distant relative of General Otho
Holland Williams, who was at one time a member of the
staff of General Washington, and of whom the commander-
in-chief is reported to have said that he was the most noble-
looking oflBcer in the Revolutionary army. Perhaps this
physical perfection was a family characteristic, for all
accounts, both oral and published, of the great advocate
of Hudson, agree that it was possessed by him in an emi-
nent degree. His proportions are said to have been most
striking in their stateliness and symmetry. His eye was
large, clear, and searching ; his countenance open, fearless,
and expressive; and all his features, and his general mien,
were so distinguished as to enchain the attention even of
the casual observer or stranger.
But it was not until his clear, melodious voice was
heard that his marvelous powers were revealed. When-
ever it was known that he was to be present and engaged
in a trial, whether at his home in Hudson or in other
places, to which he was so frequently called, the court-
house was invariably crowded to the extreme of its ca-
pacity; and when he spoke, the court, and the jury, and the
auditory gave close and undivided attention to his utter-
ances, and often during the finer passages would seem to
hold their breath, lest a single silver word or intonation
might be lost to the ear.
Colonel William L. Stone, once a resident of Hudson,
and afterwards editor of the New York Commercial Adver-
tiser, used, in early years, to report the speeches made by
Mr. Williams in the Assembly ; and in mentioning that
circunLstance, the widow of Colonel Stone, in a letter writ-
ten several years after the death of Mr. Williams, said, in
reference to it :*
" However, Mr. Stone always said it was impossible for any re-
porter to do him justice, fur unless one could have before him his
imposing figure, his beautiful countenance, beaming with high intel-
lectual effort, and resplendent often with Hashes of wit, which seemed
to light up all the faces around him ; unless the inimitable grace of
his manners, as unconstrained as those of beautiful infancy, together
with all the simplicity and earnestness of a true heart, it would bo
impossible to convey one-half of the charm by which he seemed to
hold all his audience, and sway all the minds before him, as by one
mighty impulse, till they saw with his eyes, heard with his ears, and
laid their hearts as offerings at his feet."
Such was Elisha Williams ; a man of transcendent gift.s
and powers of mind, who is shown, by a concurrence of all
available testimony, to have occupied one of the highest
places among the distinguished men of the State of New
York. During all the years of his professional life he was
a resident of Columbia county. He was her idol and her
boast, and his fame is her rightful inheritance.
JUDGE ROBERT R. LIVIXGSTOX.f
Judge Robert R. Livingston, the son of the first propri-
etor of Clermont, was born in 1719. In 17-12 he married
Margaret Beekman, daughter of Colonel Henry Beekman,
and granddaughter, on her mother's side, of Robert, nephew
of the first proprietor of Livingston manor, and Margaret
Schuyler. The children of Judge Livingston were four
sons and .six daughters. One daughter died in infancy.
The names of the children were as follows :
Janet, born 1743, married to the celebrated Richard
Montgomery, who fell at Quebec; Robert R., first chancel-
lor of the State of New York, born 174G ; Margaret, born
1748, married Dr. Tillot.son, of Rhinebeck, who was one of
the early secretaries of the State of New York ; Henry B.,
born 1750, a colonel in the army of the Revolution ; Cath-
arine, born 1752, married Rev. Freeborn Garrettsou, one of
the early pioneers of the Methodist church in the United
States; John R., born 1755; Gertrude, born 1757, mar-
ried the politician, general, and governor, Morgan Lewis ;
Joanna, born 1759, married the great politician, Peter R.
Livingston ; Alida, born 1761, married General John Arm-
strong, of the Revolution ; Edward, born 17G4, one of
America's most distinguished men.
Judge Livingston filled as important a part in the advent
stages of the Revolution as his sons and daughters bore in
and through the great war for freedom. He was chairman
of the committee appointed by the General Assembly of
New York to correspond with other Assemblies in relation
-'• The letter was written to Mr. McKinstry, of Hudson, and the
extract is from the " Genealogy and History of the Williams Family."
f Further mention of the distinguished family of Livingston will
be found in the history of the town of Clermont,
HISTORY OP COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
to the grievances of the colonies. He was admitted, in the
absence of delegates regularly appointed by New York, to
the stamp-act Congress of 1765. He was the author of the
address to the king, adopted by that body, praying for the
invaluable rights of taxing ourselves, and of trials by our
peers. On account of his sympathy with the popular side
in the incipiency of the Revolution he lost his position as
judge of the king's bench. As the conflict with the
mother-country advanced towards a crisis he saw the neces-
sity of united and open resistance on the part of the colo-
nies, and in the famous postscript to his letter to his son,
Robert R., the chancellor, at the Congress in Philadelphia,
in 1775, made inquiry about .saltpetre for the purpose of
manufacturing powder. He was at that time engaged in the
erection of a powder-mill, in which his .son, John R. Liv-
ingston, manufactured powder during the Revolution.
and died in June, 1800, at Clermont. Her husband, the
judge, died also at Clermont, in 1775. She was a brave,
heroic, and patriotic woman, and bore a noble part in the
home-life as one of the women of the American Revolution.
ROBERT R. LtVIiMG,STO>f (THE CHANCELLOF
Judge Livingston and his wife were blessed by a most
remarkable group of children, — four sons and .six daughters,
— all of whom, when married, settled upon the banks of
the Hudson, extending from Staatsburg to Clermont. The
oldest and youngest sons, Robert R. and Edward, were
prominent statesmen.
Robert R. Livingston was born in the city of New York
on the 27th of November, 1746. He was educated by
the best teachers of the period, and afterwards at King's
JUDGE ROBERT
Judge Livingston was a man of solid judgment, exten-
sive knowledge, and high Christian character. His wile
was an heiress to a very large landed estate, the grand-
daughter of Margaret Schuyler. " At the age of eighteen,"
she writes, " I was made the happy wife uf Robert R. Liv-
ingston. To say that my best friend was an agreeable man
would but ill express a character that shone among the
brightest, his finely-cultivated understanding, his just and
wise decisions as a judge, a patriot ever attentive to the in-
terests of his country, and a discerning politician." One
of Judge Livingston's most intimate friends, William Smith,
the historian, was accustomed to say, " If I were to be
placed on a desert island, with but one book and one friend,
that book should be the Bible and that friend Robert R.
Livingston."
Margaret Beekman survived her husband many years,
(now Columbia) College, then under the presidency of Myles
Cooper, of RevolutioTiary celebrity, where he graduated, in
1764, at the early age of eighteen. He studied law under
William Smith, the historian of New York, and afterwards
in the office of his relative, William Livingston, the di. -
tiiiguishcd governor of New Jersey. On the 9th of Octo-
ber, 1770, he married Miss Elizabeth Stevens, daughter of
Hon. John Stevens, of Hunterdon, N. J. In October,
1773, ho was admitted to the bar, and worked hard, be-
coming very eminent in his profession, and for a short
time was in partnership with his intimate friend, John
Jay. Soon after this he was appointed recorder of his
native city, and was an early opponent of British oppres-
sion, taking a very active part in politics. In this situa-
tion the Revolution found him, so that both father and
son relinquished at the same time important judicial sta-
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
87
tions to take part with their fellow-patriuts in tlie libera-
tion of their country.
The delegates from the colony of New York to the Con-
tinental Congress, which met in Philadelphia in May, 1775,
were John Jay, John Alsop, James Duane, Philip Schuyler,
George Clinton, Lewis Morris, and Robert R. Livingston ;
and the weight of their talents and character may be in-
lerred from the fact that Mr. Jay, Mr. Duane, Mr. Schuyler,
and Mr. Livingston were placed upon the couiniittees
charged with the most responsible duties. Mr. Livingston
took a leading part in the debates of the Congress. He
was placed on the committee to prepare and report a plan
for the confederation of the colonies, and was also a mem-
ber of the committee appointed to draw up and prepare
the Declaration of Independence.
After the adoption of the Declaration of Independence
Other duties of a more active, though not more respon-
sible character, engaged Mr. Livingston's attention, as mem-
ber of the council of safety, by which body he was
charged with military powers to aid General Schuyler on
the northern and western frontiers, as well as for the pro-
tection of the Hudson.
In 1781, upon the creation of the office by Congress,
Mr. Livingston was appointed the first foreign secretary,
and Robert Morris the first superintendent of finance.
Mr. Livingston served as secretary of foreign affairs from
1781 to 1783, when he resigned, as he had received the
appointment of chancellor of the State of New York.
The diplomatic correspondence of the Revolutionary war
may here be referred to as documentary testimony to the
cabinet services of Mr. Livingston during the period of his
foreign secretaryship.
ROBERT R. LIVINGSTON (THE CHANCELLOR).
the colony of New York was changed to a State, and
Robert R. Livingston was placed upon the eoumiittee, with
John Jay, Gouverneur Morris, Charles De Witt, and others,
to draft and report the constitution. Robert R. Livingston
introduced into this instrument the section creating the
council of revision, a body composed of the governor,
chancellor, and judges of the Supreme Court, which sat to
revise all bills about to be passed into laws by the Legisla-
ture, and of which he himself became a prominent mem-
ber. The court existed till it was abolished by the con-
vention of 1821, and its powers lodged solely in the hands
of the governor by the constitution of that year. Mr.
Livingston performed the labor of revising the draft of the
State constitution of 1777, — not by any means an easy task,
but one which required the best talent and learning to
accomplish.
When appointed chancellor of the State of New York,
in 1783, he was the first person who had ever held that
office. It was the highest legal distinction in the State,
and of tlie four who were his successors in office up to the
abolition of the chancellorship, none filled the station with
more learning, ability, or dignity. " The august tribunal
whose justice be dispensed, though since covered with a
halo of glory, never has boasted a more prompt, more able,
or more fiiithful officer." In his official capacity as chan-
cellor of the State of New York he had the honor to admin-
ister the oath of office to Washington, on his inauguration
as first President of the United States. The ceremony took
place at the city hall, New York, then fronting on Wall
street, which had been specially fitted up for the recep-
tion of Congress. On this memorable occasion Chancellor
Livingston, after having administered the oath, exclaimed,
8S
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
in deep and impressive tones, " Long live George Wash-
ington, President of the United States !"
Chancellor Livingston was tendered the post of minister
to France by President Washington, but saw fit to decline
its acceptance ; at a later period, however, after refusing the
position of secretary of the navy in the cabinet of President
Jefferson, he was prevailed upon to undertake the mission
to France, and was appointed minister plenipotentiary to
that government in 1801, resigning the chancellorship of
New York to accept a post abroad. On his arrival in
France he was received by Napoleon Bonaparte, then First
Consul, with marked respect and cordiality. His ministry
was signalized by the cession of Louisiana to the United
States, which, through his negotiations, took place in 1803,
adding all the immense territory west of the Mississippi
river to our possessions.
While in Paris he made the acquaintance of Robert
Fulton, and a warm friondship grew up between them ;
together they successfully developed a plan for steam-nav-
igation. Mr. Livingston had previously become deeply in-
terested in the subject ; he had constructed a boat, and had
obtained of the Legislature of New York the exclusive
right to navigate its waters by steam-power for a period of
twenty years. On meeting Fulton in Franco, he made him
acquainted with what he had done in America, and, from
his knowledge of Fulton's mechanical genius, he advised
him to turn his attention to the subject, which he did, and,
after various experiments, the two together launched a trial
boat on the Seine, which, however, did not meet their ex-
pectations ; and it was not till after their return to America,
in 1807, that the " Clermont" was built and launched upon
the Hudson, and clearly demonstrated the feasibility of
steam-navigation. Chancellor Livingston was the inventor,
but the success of the invention was due to improvements
suggested and made by Robert Fulton, and put in operation
by the combined genius of the two great minds. It should
be remembered, however, that Mr. Livingston was the prime
mover, and was therefore instrumental in perfecting and
bringing before the world one of the greatest discoveries
of the age.
The retirement of Chancellor Livingston from public life
was but the beginning of a new era of usefulness in his
memorable career. During the remainder of his life he
devoted much time and attention to the subject of agricul-
ture, and was actively engaged in introducing a number of
valuable improvements in that art into the State of New
York.
He was the principal founder of the American Academy
of Fine Arts, established in the city of New York in 1801.
And although giving almost the first impulse to art culture
in this country, it was not in this that he was .so much a
benefiictor as in his aid to the means of common subsist-
ence derived from the cultivation of the soil, by his intro-
duction of improvements in the theory and practice of hus-
bandry. Like Washington, he took a deep interest in all
that pertained to the welfare of his countrymen, but in an
especial manner in agriculture. His last work, written a
few years previous to his death, was devoted to this subject.
" Among the men of our common country who, by their
deeds and fame, have added to the national glory and to the
substantial welfare of the land, a pre-eminently conspicuous
place will ever be assigned to Robert R. Livingston."*
He departed this life at Clermont, his seat on the Hud-
son, Feb. 26, 1813, in the sixty-sixth year of his age. He
was buried in the old manor vault of the Livingston family
at Clermont.
EDWARD LIVINGSTON.
Edward Livingston, the youngest son and youngest child
of Judge Robert R. Livingston, was born at Clermont, Co-
lumbia Co., N. Y., on the 28th of May, 1764. He was at
home at the time his mother's house in Clermont was burned,
and formed one of the number who retreated at the approach
of the troops. In 1781 he graduated at Na.ssau Hall College,
Princeton, N. J., and afterwards studied law in the office
of John Lansing, Albany, N. Y. Among his fellow-stu-
dents were James Kent, Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr,
and many other men afterwards distinguished in their
country's book of fame. The office of Edward Livingston,
in New York, was a basement front room in the house
where he resided with his mother. No. 51 Queen street,
now Pearl street, near Wall. At this city mansion La-
fayette and the French officers used to call and spend
pleasant evenings, and as all the members of the family
could speak the French language well, it was very agreeable
to the French officers.
Edward Livingston was married to Miss McEvers on
the 10th of April, 1788. In December, 1795, he took
his first seat in Congress, where he distinguished himself
as one of the ablest orators and debaters of the House. In
1801 he received from President Jefferson the appoint-
ment of attorney of the United States for the district of
New York, and was soon after elected mayor of that city,
entering upon the duties of his office Aug. 24, 1801. He
was the successor of De Witt Clinton and Richard Varick,
in the order named.
After the purchase of Louisiana by our government, he
resolved to remove to New Orleans and commence a legal
career in that city, and accordingly left New York in De-
cember, 1803, arriving in the Crescent City, then a settle-
ment of a few French, Spanish, and Creoles, in February,
1804. He possessed a knowledge of French, Spanish, and
German, which was of great advantage to him in his new sit-
uation. He belonged to the fraternity of Masons, and was
Master of the New Orleans lodge. Rising in his profes-
sion, he became the greatest statesman of his day. He was
one of the chief defenders of New Orleans when it was be-
sieged by the British in 1814. Having, as chairman of the
committee of safety, sent forth a stirring address to the peo-
ple to rouse themselves for the defense of their city, he was
the first to meet General Jackson at the head of his com-
mittee and liiy before him the plans for the defense.
In 1820 he accepted a seat in the lower house of the
Louisiana Legislature, and in 1821 was elected by the
General Assembly to revise the code of the State. He
formed what was afterwards called the Livingston code,
which obtained great reputation. He framed and urged
the passage of a law for the abolition of capital punishment,
but it was not accepted by the State.
» Frederick De Peyster, LL.D.
HISTORY OP COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
The name of Edward Livingston became celebrated
throughout the world. Victor Hugo wrote to him, " You
will be numbered among the men of this age who have de-
served most and best of mankind." He was unanimously
elected as a representative to Congress, in July, 1822,
and afterwards, again, twice elected, serving six sessions as
representative from Louisiana. In 1828 he was elected
United States senator, and became a senator on the same
day that his friend, General Jackson, became President of
the United States. He discliarged the duties of senator
till March, 1831, and had scarcely removed to his splendid
farm and country-seat (Montgomery Place) left him by his
widowed sister, Janet, than he was summoned to Washing-
ton, and urged to accept the secretaryship of state in the
cabinet of President Jackson. His stand taken with Jack-
son against the nuUifiers of South Carolina and his hand
Edward P. Livingston was elected lieutenant-governor
of New York in 1831, and was several times sent to the
State Senate, the last time in 1838. He was chosen presi-
dential elector, was aid to Governor Tompkins, and private
secretary to the chancellor during the latter portion of his
ministry to France.
He was a grandson of Philip Livingston, one of the
signers of the Declaration of Independence. He resided
at the lower manor-house, or Clermont manor, from 1802
till the time of his death. He was a graduate of Co-
lumbia College, which institution he entered at the age of
sixteen years, and was a man of liberal culture and un-
usual fondness for reading, taking a great interest also in
agriculture.
In early life he went to England to engage in commercial
pursuits, but finding no desirable opening, he soon returned.
'.^J^^^S:^
O
EDW.VRD P.
in the famous proclamation issued at that time are well
known. In April, 1833, the President selected Edward
Livingston as minister to France, and his son-in-law, Mr.
Barton, as secretary of legation. On his return to the
United States, after the able fulfillment of his responsible
duties, his receptions by his countrymen were one grand
ovation. This was the last service of his remarkably bril-
liant career. On Saturday, May 21, 1836, he was suddenly
taken very ill with an attack of bilious colic, from which
he did not recover, but died on Monday, May 23, 1836, in
the seventy-second year of his age.
EDAVARD P. LIVINGSTON.
Edward P. Livingston was born in the island of Jamaica
in 1780, and died November, 1843. He married Elizabeth
Stevens, eldest daughter of Chancellor Robert R. Living-
IYI.»
isTo:
He was proposed in 1831 for governor of the State, but
his right \yas questioned on the ground of his having been
born in the island of Jamaica. It did not invalidate his
claim, but was used to defeat his nomination, and he was
elected lieutenant-governor instead.
Mr. Clarkson, in describing the old manor-house of Chan-
cellor Livingston and the reception given there to Lafayette,
remarks, " At the time of the grand reception it was occu-
pied by Robert L. Livingston, who married one of Chan-
cellor Livingston's two daughters, and Edward P. Livingston
married the other, and occupied at this time the old manor-
house adjoining."
This house is now occupied by a grandson of the chan-
cellor, Mr. Clermont Livingston, a most worthy representa-
tive of that noble old family. He is the son and successor
in the estate of Edward P. Livingston, whose portrait
appears above.
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NKW YORK.
WILLIAM W. VAN NESS.
Judge William W. Van Ness was born at Claverack in
the year 1776. His early educational' advantages were rather
limited, being such only as were afforded by his native
village, as he did not receive a collegiate education. While
quite young he commenced the study of the law in the
office of John Bay, Esq., but afterwards served part of the
time of his legal clerkship with Chancellor Livingston, in
New York. In 1797, at the age of twi-nty-one, he was
licensed as an attorney, and commenced practice in Clav-
erack, but soon after removed to Hudson, and there re-
mained in full and lucrative practice until the year 1807,
when he was appointed a judge of the Supreme Court of
New York, under the administration of Governor Morgan
Lewis. Of this appointment and of his previous profes-
sional career the Hon. Aaron Vanderpoel spoke as follows :
" Though but comparatively a youth when intrusted
with the high and responsible office of judge, he had already
secured to himself an enviable nieiisure of professional fame.
His reputation as an advocate, or as it is vulgarly called ' a
jury lawyer,' was at that time eminent beyond all parallel
in the State. The various rencounters between him and a
professional brother* must, according to the accounts of
those who witnessed them, have afforded some of the most
interesting exhibitions of forensic talent. Those who knew
hotli 'men must feel assured that, upon such occasions,
genius must have burst forth in all her variegated aspects.
Hero eloquence could give her proudest specimens, and often
exhibit her proudest laurels. Tlie one, with smooth and
mellifluous accents, with chaste and elegant simplicity,
winning the hearts and judgments of the jury ; the other
brandishing with terrible effect the many-edged sword of
argument, vehemence, wit, imagination, and satire. . . .
It was not at term that his worth was most conxpicnons.
At iiisi-prius his greatness was most resplendent. There,
in his charges to the jury, and his melting appeals to the
hardened culprit about to be consigned to the prison or the
gallows, might be seen developed the resources of his
original and comprehensive mind. I have seen desperate
and hard-hearted villainy melt and tremble under his pathetic
appeals. I have heard of pathos in books upon rhetoric,
but never have I heard it so successfully exemplified as by
the subject of this memoir. Not forgetting the feelings of
the 7nan in the severe duties of the judge, he often gave
proof unequivocal that he felt as well as apoke. In causes
where life was at stake, where_ cruelty was to receive
its just retribution, and where the assassin of reputation
was to be reproved by the verdict of the jury, I have heard
break from him strains of eloquence potent as electricity.
I would not derogate from the reputation of the eminent
judges with whom he was associated, but I know that thei/
unitedly contend that, in charging a jury, he had no equal,
neither in this State nor this country."
In 1820 an unjustifiable and cruel attempt was made by
® The professional brother referred to was Elisha Williams, who
was constantly his antagonist in oases argued before the courts. It
is told of Mr. Williams that, on hearing of the appointment of Mr.
Van Ness to the bench, he exclaimed, " Thank God ! I have now no
longer an opponent to beat me by asking the foreman of the jury for
a chew of tobacco."
political opponents to blast the character of Judge Van
Ness, by allegations of corruption on his part in the matter
of the chartering of the Bank of America, which will be
found noticed more at length in the mention of the Bank
of Columbia, in the history of the city of Hudson, as also
the testimony given by his friend, Elisha Williams, before
a committee appointed by the Legislature, which testimony
had the effect of fully exonerating and acquitting Judge
Van Ness, by the report of that committee, made April 6,
1820. Of that report, and upon the circumstances of the
case, one of the leading journals of that day remarked as
follows :
" After a long, faithful, and impartial examination, the
committee appointed for the purpose of examining the
official conduct of Hon. William W. Van Ness made their
satisfactory report to the State Legislature, and we feel a
sincere gratification in saying that the elevated character of
our judiciary stands unimpaired, and the reputation and
integrity of one of its most useful ornaments untouched
and unsullied. The report, though brief, is full, satisfac-
tory, and conclusive. He has passed through the ordeal
unharmed, and that too at a period of party excitement
almost without a parallel. Every engine that party rage,
wealth, and influence could command has been set in
motion to impeach his conduct, with certain charges pre-
ferred again.st him by the editors of the [New York] Ameri-
can, but, after the strictest scrutiny, nothing could be proved
against him. On the contrary, his innocence has been
completely established and the purity of the bench declared
by the unanimous voice of the people through their repre-
sentatives. We congratulate the public upon the honorable
exculpation of this distinguished citizen and brilliant orna-
ment of the bench."
While this investigation was yet in progress. Judge Am-
brose Spencer wrote to Solomon Van Rensselaer these
words of cheer and confidence : " Your friend. Judge Van
Ness, I have no doubt will come out as pure as gold from
the refiner's hands." And the prediction proved true ; but
the attempt to impeach him, though it failed, cast a shadow
over the life of Van Ness, from which he never recovered,
and which, it is said, accelerated the disease which carried
him to an early grave.
Upon his retirement from the Supreme bench he re-
moved to New York, and there resumed the practice of his
profession ; but his health rapidly declined, and at the close
of the year 1822 his physician bade him, as a last resort,
to seek the milder climate of the south. A few days be-
fore setting out on this, which proved his last journey, he
addressed a most touching letter " to Solomon Van Rens-
selaer and Dr. William Bay, Albany," between whom and
hiuLSclf, as appears, some unpleasant feelings had been en-
gendered Dr. Bay was the son of John Bay, of Clav-
erack, and had married a sister of Judge Van Ness. The
letter referred to was as follows :
" New Yore, Monday, Deo. 30, 1822.
" Mv DEAH Frienps, — This year is about drawing to a close, and
I wish to terminate it in peace with all mankind if I can. I wrote
you a letter some time ago, containing, no doubt, many expressions
highly improper, cruel, and unjust. The only .atonement I can make
is to ask your pardon and forgiveness. My wife, myself, and ser-
vant (by the advice of Dr. Post) sail for Charleston on Thursday,
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
Friday, Saturday, or Sunday, depending on wind and weather. If
you sliould become reconciled to me, let me hear from you both every
once in a while. May <xod enable you, may God suffer you, to enjoy
many happy returns of the season !
"Your sincere friend,
" W. W. Va.v Ness."
The change of climate wrought no healing either to body
or spirit. He died in Charleston, S. C, Feb. 27, 1823, at
the age of forty-seven years, and his remains were brought
back and buried in the church-yard at Claverack. At a
meeting of the Columbia bar, convened upon the announce-
ment of his death, March 22, 1823, Elisha Williams said
of him, " lie was indeed the pride, the ornament, the
patron of our bar. How often has he animated and ad-
monished those who now hear me to strive for honorable
profession ! How has he encouraged the retiring, timid
youth ! how pruned the luxuriant shoots of genius, careful
to detect and faithful to disclose to each his errors !
"The heart of our brother was a stranger to that jeal-
ousy which narrow minds feel at a rival's success. His
soul exulted in the rising fame and increasing prosperity of
his professional brethren. The honor of the bar he con-
sidered as the property of the State, — and he who contrib-
uted most to swell this common fund he regarded as the
greatest public benefactor.
" Careless of the acquisition of weath, he has left little
of it to his bereaved family. But he has left to them and
to posterity a legacy more valuable than riches, more dura-
ble than marble."
JACOB RUTSEN VAN RENSSELAER.
General Jacob R. Van Rensselaer was born in Claverack
in 1767. He was bred a lawyer, practiced his profession in
his native town, and became one of the most distinguished
members of the bar, even of Columbia county. He was
several times elected to the Legislature, and in 1812 was
speaker of the Assembly. He was appointed secretary of
state of the State of New York in 1814, and was a mem-
ber of the constitutional convention of 1821. In the War
of 1812 he commanded troops which were drafted in Co-
lumbia county, and were ordered to the defense of the city
of New York. He was the intimate personal and political
friend of Elisha Williams and Judge Van Ness, — these three
being for years the leaders of the Federalist party in Co-
lumbia. He was a man of great ability, an excellent
and ready debater, a prominent patriot, a most genial and
liberal-minded gentleman, and always during his life en-
joyed great popularity, and stood high in the respect of the
people of the county. He died Sept. 22, 1835. at the age
of sixty-eight.
AMBROSE SPENCER.
Chief-Justice Ambrose Spencer was the son of Philip
Spencer, and was born in the State of Connecticut, Dec.
13, 1765. He entered Yale College in 1779, and remained
there more than two years, but completed his college course
at Harvard University, in 1783, before he had reached the
age of eighteen years. He commenced the study of law in
the office of John Canfield, at Sharon, Conn. ; but in 1785
he came to Claverack, where he entered the office of John
Bay, Esq., who was then a leading lawyer. He was admit-
ted to the bar in 1789, and in the same year was appointed
clerk of the city of Hudson. In 1793 he was elected a
memberof Assembly from Columbia, and in 1795 was elected
to the Senate from the eastern district of the State, making his
first appearance as senator in January, 1796. He was made
assistant attorney-general for the judicial district compo.sed of
Columbia and Dutchess counties, and in 1798 was re-elected
to the Senate, being at the same time a member of the
council of appointment. In February, 1802, he was ap-
pointed attorney-general of the State, and held that office
until 1804, when he resigned it to accept a seat upon the
Supreme bench, to which he was at that time appointed,
and on which he served for nineteen years, during the last
four of which he filled the position of chief-justice, having
received that appointment in 1819.
About the time of his elevation to the bench he re-
moved from Hudson to Albany, and resided in that city
until 1839, when he retired to the village of Lyons, in
Wayne county, N. Y., where he died, March 13, 1848, in
the eighty-third year of his age.
No man in the State of New York ever wielded a polit-
ical power more nearly absolute than that which was pos-
sessed by Judge Spencer, from the time he was first made
a member of the council of appointment, in 1797, until
after his appointment as chief-justice. In his profession
he was solid rather than brilliant, and his gigantic mind
could grasp and comprehend the most abstruse subjects.
" Upon the bench he had no compeer ; and it was but com-
mon praise when he was styled, by contemporary lawyers,
' the Mansfield of America.' "
PETER VAN SCHAACK*
was one of the great men and eminent lawyers of Columbia
county. He was born at Kinderhook, in March, 1747, and
was educated at King's (now Columbia) College. It was
while a member of this institution that he formed those
rare and interesting friendships with his fellow-students,
John Jay, Egbert Benson, Gouverneur Morris, Chancellor
Livingston, and others, whose names afterwards became
famous in the annals of the country.
In January, 1769, he was admitted to the bar of the
Supreme Court, and immediately thereafter opened a law-
office in the city of New York. At the age of twenty-five
he was appointed sole reviser of the laws of the colony.
His revision embraced the statutes enacted during a period
of eighty-two years, — 1691 to 1773. The work was pub-
lished in the latter year, in two large folio volumes. He
had but just risen from the performance of this labor, con-
templating the stability of existing institutions, when the
turmoils of the Revolution commenced. He was a member
of the first committee of correspondence chosen in New
York, in May, 1774, and of the subsequent committee of
one hundred ; and, as a further peaceful remedy, he forbore
to drink tea in his family, urging a similar course upon his
friends. But, upon the initiation of warlike measures, he
retired with his fiimily to Kinderhook.
Although he disapproved of the acts of Great Britain,
he did not think them of a character to justify extreme
* Furniehed by H. C. Van Sehaack, Esq., of Manlius, N. T.
HISTOKY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
measures of resistance. Conservative in his views and
principles, and sensitive by nature, he shrank from an en-
counter with the acerbities and horrors of a civil war. He
consequently assumed the position of neutrality, which he
inviolably maintained. His political separation, at this
period, from many of his most intimate friends who be-
came prominent actors in the Revolution, rendered this the
most trying period of his life. Severe domestic afflictions
also, in the deaths, in quick succession, of three of his
children, followed soon after by the death of his wife, added
their pangs to those occasioned by political alFairs ; and
physical suffering also was joined, in his person, to the un-
happiness of exile. The sight of one of his eyes had
become seriously impaired, probably from their too steady
and severe use in his revision of the statutes, and he ob-
tained Governor Clinton's written permission, in the early
part of 1778, to visit England, to have an operation per-
formed on it, as soon as the state of the country should
admit of it. In ignorance of this permission, the commis-
sioners of conspiracies ordered his banishment from the
country, on the ground of his being an influential citizen
observing a neutrality in the public troubles, considered by
them to be of dangerous tendency. Accordingly, in October,
1778, Mr. Van Schaack took ship at New York for Eng-
land, where he remained nearly seven years. Henry Cruger,
whose sister Mr. Van Schaack had married in 17GS, was
at this time a member of Parliament, having been chosen,
in 1774, a co representative with Edmund Burke, for the
city of Bristol, in the English House of Commons. Mr.
Van Schaack, while in England, spent most of his time in
London, frequently attending tbe debates in Parliament,
and enjoying rare opportunities for becoming acquainted
with the public characters and political affairs, a circum-
stance which imparted to his subsequent history a peculiar
interest. He was in London during Lord George Gordon's
riots, and through the memorable changes of the ministry.
He witnessed the downfall of one set of cabinet ministers
for their hostility to America ; the abrupt secession of an-
other; the dissolution of a third; the grand coalition which
formed the fourth, and which was itself soon after dis-
missed by royal interposition, making shipwreck of the
political reputations of some of the greatest statesmen in
the empire ; and he participated in the interesting discus-
sions to which these extraordinary political revolutions gave
rise. Among those political papers was a caustic letter,
written by him to Charles James Fox, exposing the incon-
sistencies of that minister.
It is an interesting fact that, aft«r a year's residence in
England, Mr. Van Schaack's early political views under-
went considerable change, and he came to the conclusion,
from what he there saw, that the British government was
not entitled to that credit for honesty of purpose in regard
to American affairs for which he had given it credit.
In August, 1785, Mr. Van Schaack returned to the
United States. On his arrival in the city of New York he
was received with open arms by his countrymen, all classes
vying in their attentions irrespective of former differences of
political sentiment. By an act of the Legislature, passed
in January, 1786, he, with a number of other individuals
of high character and known integrity, who were in the
same situation, were restored to the rights of citizenship.
He was soon after re-admitted to the bar, and resumed the
practice of his profession in his native village. For about
twenty-five years he attended the courts and was active in
his profession, when, by the gradual impairment of the
sight of his remaining eye, he became totally blind. He
then gave his principal attention to the instruction of young
gentlemen in the study of the law, a large number of whom
have received more or less of their legal education at his
hands. Among those students were Cadwallader D. Col-
den, John Suydam, John C. Spencer, Joseph D. Monell,
James I. Roosevelt, and William Kent.
Mr. Van Schaack was distinguished for classical scholar-
ship, for purity and elegance of taste, and for profound
knowledge of the English common law. The highest con-
temporaneous authority* pronounced him " the model of a
scholar, a lawyer, and a gentleman." His classical scholar-
ship, in connection with his profound knowledge of law,
procured for him from Columbia College, his Alma Mater,
the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws.
Afllicted for the last twenty years of his life with total
blindness, he lived in retirement at his seat in Kinderhook,
devoting his time to cla.ssical and legal instruction, and
supporting himself under his severe privation, in unabated
cheerfulness, upon the resources of a memory enriched
with ancient and modern literature, and thoroughly familiar
with the sublimity of Milton and the blind Masonides. He
died on the 17th of September, 1832, in the eighty-sixth
year of his age. His life, prepared by his son, Henry
C. Van Schaack, was published by D. Appleton & Co., in
1842, in an octavo volume of five hundred pages, and it
has been favorably criticised in the North Amcriam Re-
view by Charles Francis Adams and Lorenzo Sabine, as
well as by other eminent critics.
JOHN VAN BUREN.
John, the second son of Martin Van Buren, was born at
Hudson, February 18, 1810. He graduated at Yale Col-
lege in the year 1828, and commenced the study of the
law in the ofiice of Benjamin F. Butler, the former law-
partner of his father. His legal course was completed with
Aaron Vanderpoel, at Kinderhook, and he was admitted to
the bar in July, 1831. Soon after this time his father was
appointed minister to England, and John accompanied him
as secretary of legation. Upon his father's rejection by the
Senate, both returned to the United States.
" From the date of his return with his father, Mr. Van
Buren went back to his desk and his law-books, and for
several years pursued the practice of his profession with
assiduity and success.
" During this interval he visited England, in 1838, on
professional business. His position, not more than his
personal accomplishments, gave him at once the entree into
the most exclusive circle in the world. The young repub-
lican was the lion of a whole London winter. The proud
men and women of a proud aristocracy were disarmed in
spite of themselves by a manner and breeding as perfect as
their own. His success at court was regarded as a sort of
» Chancellor Kent.
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
social phenomenon, and furnished more additions to the
city gossip of the papers in London and this country than
an event of state importance. Democracy, his nursing
mother, might have feared for her child when she saw him
the object of such blandishments and graces, the centre of
the favors and honors of the first court in Europe. But
he was of higher mould than that. lie was reserved for
greater things.
" Before his return he spent a considerable time in Ire-
land. The generous hospitalities of a warm-hearted people
were lavished on the son of a Democratic President of the
United States, and in more than one city he was con-
strained to decline the honor of a public entertainment.
" Considerations of obvious propriety connected with
his father's public relations to the Democratic party, and
subsequently an irreparable domestic affliction (the death
of his wife), kept him in comparative retirement until
about 1845."*
In that year he was nominated by the " Barnburners,"
and elected by the Legislature to the office of attorney-
general of the State, and in that position was distinguished
by a skill and ability which few, even of his friends, ex-
pected to find in him, and which gave him at once a very
high position at the bar of New York. One of the most
noted prosecutions conducted by him was that of Smith W.
Boughton, or " Big Thunder," the anti-rent chief, in 1845.
We copy from the Bench and Bar an account of a per-
sonal collision which occurred during that trial, between
the attorney-general and Ambrose L. Jordan, Esq., in the
court-house at Hudson, as follows :
"The trial of the anti-renters forms an interesting epoch
in the legal history of the State of New York Their de-
fense before the courts was as determined, skillful, and bold
as their revolt had been outrageous and obstinate. Every
point that legal skill and learning could devise was inter-
posed to save them from punishment. When defeated in
one court they appealed to another, until their conviction
was finally affirmed in the court of last resort.
" The leading counsel for the defense was Ambrose L.
Jordan, of the Columbia bar, one of the ablest lawyers of
his day. His learning and abilities are evinced by a long
and brilliant professional career.
" Several of the leading anti-l-enters, including ' Big
Thunder,' were brought to trial at the Columbia oyer and
terminer, which held its sittings at Hudson, N. Y., in
September, 1845. John Van Buren was then attorney-
general of the State, and of course to him was committed
the duty of assisting James Storm, then district attorney
of Columbia county, in the prosecution of the offenders.
There was much in the circumstances connected with the
case to excite and exasperate counsel, and as the trial pro-
ceeded their acerbity towards each other increased until a
personal collision became imminent.
" John W. Edmonds, then one of the circuit judges, pre-
sided. He discharged his judicial duties inflexibly and yet
courteously. Perhaps a more independent and pure judge
than he never sat on the bench of the Supreme Court of
the State. But the position he occupied on this occasion
» From the New York Atlas of May 14, 1848.
was trying in the extreme. Before him were two of the
most renowned counselors in the State glaring at each
other with the ferocity of opposing gladiators, ready to
rend each other in brutal conflict. For a long time the
forbearance, dignity, and firmness of the judge restrained
them, keeping them within the pale of respectful deference
to the place they occupied. But as the fourth day of
the trial was drawing to a close, a scene occurred rarely
witnessed in a court of justice. The vindictive passions of
the counsel pa.ssed beyond judicial control, and a personal
encounter ensued. Both lawyers had for some time indulged
in personalities which the judge could not suppress. Re-
tort followed retort, and denunciation was met by bitter
taunts.
" At length Mr. Jordan, while addressing the court as
to the admissibility of certain evidence offered by Mr. Van
Buren, indulged in language the most bitter and insulting.
In the course of his remarks he said, ' The attorney-
general does not care for the condition of these men. He
has not contended for right or justice, but to make an ex-
hibition of himself, — to pander to the miserable ambition
which was the curse of his father. Though his father had
brains to temper his wild ambition in some degree, the son
has none to temper his, and it breaks out everywhere in
puerility and slush.'
" Van Buren answered the legal objections raised by
Jordan with great calmness, force, and dignity. Having
concluded his argument, he said, with contempt curling his
lips, ' The counsel opposed has informed your honor the
cause of my presence here. I shall not stoop to deny his
coarse assertions ; but allow me to add that it is quite out
of place for a man who stands here in this court with the
contributions of murder and arson in his pockets to criti-
cise me for any cause whatever.'
" A dark, withering frown mounted the menacing fea-
tures of Jordan ; his nostrils expanded ; vivid gleams of
anger flashed from his large, expressive eyes, and in the
twinkling of an eye he planted a heavy blow upon the face
of Van Buren. It was returned with the rapidity of light-
ning and with staggering effect ; then, grappling with each
other, a terrible struggle ensued. Rage and fury rendered
these great lawyers forgetful of their positions as ministers
of justice, deaf to the voice of the judge, to everything but
their desire for vengeance. But Sheriff Waldo with his
assistants rushed into the bar and separated the infuriated
combatants before the contest proceeded to any extremity.
" As soon as order was restored Judge Edmonds ad-
dressed them with great calmness, dignity, and eloquence.
He alluded to the high standing of the counsel, not only
before the State but before the nation ; to the baleful ex-
ample they had set before the world ; to their desecration
of the temple of justice ; to the great insult which they
had given the court. 'Should I neglect,' he continued,
' to promptly punish you for the great wrong you have done
I should myself be unworthy to occupy the bench. The
court regrets that it did not punish your first infraction of
the rules of decency ; but as that is passed, it will now, by
a proper interposition of the strong arm of the law, inflict
such a punishment upon you as will preserve its dignity,
and, we trust, prevent a recurrence of the disgi'aceful scene
94
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
we have just witnessed. The court therefore sentences both
of you to solitary confinement in the county jail for tweuty-
four hours.'
" When the judge concluded, Mr. Van Buren arose and
with impressive dignity made an apology, couched in words
of touching eloquence, concluding as follows :
" ' What could I do, your honor, what could I do under
the coarse insults I have been subjected to during this trial ?
I acknowledge I have violated the decorum of this court,
and should be punished. But I pray your honor not to
degrade me by punishment in the common jail, for I feel
that I cannot endure that. I beg your honor to so for
modify the sentence of the court as to inflict a fine upon
me, — I care not how large the amount may be. The ex-
ample of such a fine would be sufficient, and I am sure
justice would be vindicated.'
" But the judge was firm and inexorable, — the very per-
sonification of justice in the act of inflicting due punish-
ment upon its ministers. ' The court,' said the judge, ' can
see no reason for modifying its sentence ; the supremacy of
the law must be maintained. It is no respecter of persons ;
it looks only to their acts, and measures out its punishment
according to those acts, without regard to the standing of
the actors. SheriflF, you will now conduct these persons to
the jail of the county, and keep them and each of them in
solitary confinement for the term of twenty-four hours, dur-
ing which time this court will adjourn.'
" Amid the profound, almost stifling silence, the sheriff
obeyed, and in his custody two of the most eminent lawyers
(if the State of New York passed out of the court-house,
and were soon incarcerated within the walls of Columbia
county jail.
" Before the opening of the court on the morning of the
altercation described. Judge Edmonds had received an in-
vitation to spend an evening with ex-President Van Buren
at Lindenwald. John was to be his companion in the visit,
but before the appointed time arrived he was committed to
jail.
" The term for which Van Buren and Jordan had been
imprisoned having expired, they entered the court-room
with a nonchalance that was really amusing, and the trial
was resumed. An hour or two elapsed, when a short re-
ces.s took place, during which Van Buren approached the
bench, laid his arm carelessly but easily upon it, and, in his
peculiar manner, remarked, —
" ' I hope your honor slept well last night.'
" ' As there was nothing to disturb my slumbers, I most
certainly did,' was the reply.
" ' I thought perhaps it might be possible that your con-
science, your sympathy, or the thoughts of our unenviable
position, might disturb your slumbers,' said Van Buren,
with a characteristic smile. ' But,' he continued, ' the
law is now vindicated ; my offense, at least, is atoned.
I suppose, judge, our arrangement to visit the old man
is still in force. He will be delighted to see me under
the circumstances, and, judge, I think his respect for
you, on the whole, will not be diminislied on account of
the lodgings you assigned mc last night. I know him
of old.'
" ' I think, Mr. Van Buren, the time we have lost in this
trial will render the visit to ex-President Van Buren im-
possible.' And the visit to the old man did not take place.
" The trial continued several days after the release of the
distinguished prisoners. It finally resulted in the convic-
tion of ' Big Thunder' and several anti-rent leaders, and they
were .sentenced to imprisonment for life in the State-prison.
" The manner in which Van Buren conducted this pros-
ecution gave him great popularity. Among other evidences
of popular favor, he was, with the anti-rent leader, made
the subject of the following conundrum :
" ' Why is John Van Buren a greater man than Dr.
Franklin ?'
" ' Because Franklin bottled lightning, but Van Buren
bottled thunder.' "
After the close of his term he became a prominent mem-
ber of the legal profession in the city of New York. In
the presidential canvass of 1848 he greatly distinguished
himself as a popular advocate of the principles of the free
Democratic party, and of the exclusion of slavery from the
territories. Afterwards he returned to the Democratic
party.
In 18G6 he made an extended tour in Europe, and died
on the homeward passage.
JOHN C. SPENCER.
John C., son of Judge Ambrose Spencer, was born in the
city of Hudson, Jan. 8, 1788. He entered Williams Col-
lege in 1803, but graduated at Union College, Schenectady,
in 1806. He studied law in Albany, and was admitted to
the bar in May, 1809.
Although a native of, he was never long a resident in,
Columbia county. In February, 1815, he was appointed
district attorney for the five extreme western counties of the
State, and held that office for about three years. In 1816
he was elected to Congress for the Twenty-first district, but
declined a re-election. In 1820 he was chosen to the As-
sembly, and elected speaker upon its organization. After-
wards he served several terms in the Assembly. He was
elected senator in 1824, taking his seat in 1825. In April,
1827, he was appointed, with B. F. Butler and John Duer,
to revise the statutes of the State.
In February, 1839, he was appointed secretary of state
of New York, and in 1840 a regent of the university. In
1841 (October) he was appointed secretary of war under
President Tyler, and in March, 1843, secretary of the
treasury, which latter office he resigned May 1, 1844, in
consequence of his disagreeing with the President on the
question of the annexation of Texas.
AMBROSE L. JORDAN.'
On the 19th day of July, 1865, I united, with others,
in depositing in the tomb in the cemetery of Hudson the
mortal remains of Ambrose L. Jordan. He departed this
life on the 16th day of July, at his residence in New York,
and appropriate funeral services had been held on the 18th
at the Church of the Transfiguration in that city. He died
at the mature age of seventy-six years, having been born
* From the pen of Hon. Henry Hogeboom.
HISTORY OP COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
95
in Hillsdale, in the county of Columbia, on the 5th day of
May, 17S9.
As he was a native and long a resident of our county,
as he reached high distinction in his profession, and as he
was one of the remaining links between the present and a
past generation, it seems not unbecoming that here in the
county of his birth some slight record should be preserved
of the principal incidents of his career.
Mr. Jordan, it is believed, received a fair, though not
a collegiate, education, and improved in the best manner
the advantages which were thrown in his way. At the
early age of twenty-three (in 1812) he is found in the
practice of his profession at Cooperstown, in the county of
Otsego, where his abilities were not unappreciated, for dur-
ing his brief residence of seven or eight years in that
county, in addition to a leading practice at the bar, he
just named, with others of equal or nearly equal eminence,
were splendid luminaries of the legal profession.
But the period which immediately followed, under the
constitution of 1821, was one of no small consideration in
the annals of the profession in Columbia county. Most of
the names just referred to had disappeared from the public
view. Tiie judges lost their office by the passage of the
new constitution. Spencer renewed the practice of his
profession, but scarcely sustained the fame which had
maiked his judicial career. Kent was soon appointed to
be professor of law in Columbia College, and gave to the
world those inestimable Commentaries which will forever
honorably associate his name with the history of American
law.
Thompson, having previously been appointed secretary
of the navy, was transferred to the bench of the Supreme
i.MlSKOSE L. JOltDAN.
filled the responsible offices of surrogate and district at-
torney.
About the year 1 820 he was recalled to his native county
of Columbia, and it is no small compliment to his growing
reputation that, as common fame affirms, he was invited
here by his friends to be the rival and antagonist of Elisha
Williams, then in the full maturity of his great powers
and at the very zenith of his flime.
Perhaps the Augustan age of the law in this county
had already passed, an age in which, under the old consti-
tution, Spencer and Kent and Thompson and Van Ness
presided at the circuits, and Williams and Van Buren and
Oakley and Grosvenor flourished at the bar. Those were
grand old times ; and although, doubtless, distance lends a
somewhat factitious magnitude and enchantment to the
view, it cannot be questioned that the judges and lawyers
Court of the United States, which he long adorned by his
great abilities. Van Ness fell a victim to an insidious dis-
ease, and in 1823, at the early age of forty-eight yeai-s,
closed a professional and judicial career of uncommon
brilliancy. Grosvenor was also dead. Oakley was soon
appointed to the bench of the Superior Court in the city
of New York. Van Buren had already, to a great extent,
withdrawn from the practice of his profession, which he
never again resumed to any marked degree, having entered
the Senate of the United States in 1821, where he remained
for many years. Of those just referred to by name, Wil-
liams alone remained on the theatre of his former labors to
claim or dispute pre-eminence with old or new competitors.
But Columbia county was not undistinguished in the
nest decade in the walks of the legal profession. There
were (not to name others) Williams and Jordan and the
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YOEK.
Vanderpoels (James and Aaron), Monell, Tallmadge, Bush-
nell, Killian Miller, and Robert H. Morris. Of these, it is
no disparagement to the others to say that in the forensic
department of the law Williams and Jordan took the lead.
They were both, though widely different, highly accom-
plished advocates. Williams was probably the greater
genius, Jordan the more accomplished scholar ; Williams
was rapid, ready, and impetuous, Jordan was more cau-
tious, deliberate, and reflecting ; Williams would rush into
the forensic battle relying upon the resources of his genius,
Jordan would give to every cause the most careful prepara-
tion. The latter was not so much distinguished for quick-
ness of perception in the rapid change of tactics, yet no
living speaker had a finer vocabulary at his command, was
keener at repartee, or knew better how to put the right word
in the right place. Jordan was a man of fine person, of
dignified and commanding presence, and easy and graceful
elocution, of impressive manner, of musical voice, and of
great fluency of speech. Though not indifferent to political
advancement, he wisely confined himself for the most part
to the appropriate duties of his profession, where, more than
in any other sphere, he was adapted to shine ; he was,
nevertheless, in several instances the recipient of political
and ofiicial honors, — those already alluded to, — he having
been surrogate and district attorney of Otsego county while
resident therein. In 1821, soon after his removal to Hud-
son, he was appointed recorder of that city, which oflBce he
held for several years. In 1824 he was elected to the
Assembly. In 1825, for a period of four years, to the Sen-
ate of this State, which office, after three years' service, he
resigned. In 1846, though then a resident of the city of
New York, he was elected to the constitutional convention
from the county of Columbia, and in 1847 he was made
the first attorney-general of the State under the new con-
stitution.
But, as I have said, his tastes as well as his mental en-
dowments inclined him to the practice of his profession.
He continued to reside in Hudson until the year 1838, and
was largely in demand as counsel in the neighboring circuits.
Williams had died in 1833 ; but, in addition to those of his
own county, Jordan found able antagonists in various por-
tions of the State, prominent among them being Samuel
Stevens, Marcus T. Reynolds, Henry G. Wheaton, Henry
R. Storrs, and Samuel Sherwood.
In 1834 he removed to the ciiy of New York, and there
for a period of twenty years he was laboriously engaged in
the practice of his profession, taking high rank therein,
especially in the department of advocacy, among the distin-
guished lawyers of the metropolis. He never failed to
serve his clients with devoted zeal and uncompromising
fidelity ; and if in the heat of forensic contest he, like
others of his profession, sometimes indulged in a vein of
ridicule, of sarcasm, or of severe denunciation, for which
he was well qualified by the copiousness and force of his
vocabulary, no one who knew him will ever deny to him
the possession of an honest, manly heart, or believed him to
be insensible to the instincts of generosity and friendship.
But the burden of his professional cures was ultimately
too weighty for even his vigorous constitution, and — -some-
where I think about the year 1859 — he was stricken down
with paralysis, and this calamity necessitated his withdrawal
from active pursuits. Since that time he lived for the
most part in the privacy, serenity, and happiness of domestic
life, and has at last yielded to that summons which all must
ultimately obey.
His talents and his virtues entitle him to a more ex-
tended and formal notice, but I have thought this brief
tribute would not be altogether unacceptable to his friends
from one who knew him well.
AMBROSE L. JORDAN.»
The death of one so distinguished as Ambrose L. Jordan
is an event which emphatically calls forth from those who
have been associated with him in professional life tokens
of respect and manifestations of personal regard.
The name of Mr. Jordan is associated with my earliest
recollections of the bar of this county. I well remember
the part he took in the trial of Taylor, for murder, and in
the case of Poucher vs. Livingston, two of the most cele-
brated cases in the annals of the law in this county.
While I was a student, Mr. Jordan occupied a most com
manding position at the bar. He was engaged in most ol
the cases which were tried, and he brought to the trial
ability, eloquence, and wit which made him a most formid
able antagonist and a most successful advocate. The trial
of a cause in those days was an intellectual contest, a glad
iatorial combat of mind against mind, which elicited all the
powers and capacities of the man, and all the learning and
genius of the advocate. Those may perhaps be character-
ized as the brilliant days of the profession, when eloquence,
learning, and debate were permitted free scope, without the
restraints which increasing business and modern rules have
imposed.
In those days the courts were the great forum for the
exhibition of clashing intellects striving for the mastery.
When Williams and Jordan, and their compeers, Miller,
Monell, Bushnell, Edmonds, and others, entered the arena,
it was a struggle of giants.
Mr. Jordan was distinguished for his manly beauty.
With an erect, commanding form, an expressive face, and
an eye which, in moments of excitement, flashed like the
eagle's, his appearance never failed to attract attention and
to create a most favorable impression. I have often thought
that, in the prime of his life, he was the perfection of phys-
ical and intellectual manhood.
His style of oratory was of the highest order of forensic
eloquence, his voice as soft and musical as the tones of the
flute, his manner dignified and commanding, his elocution
most fluent and graceful, and his diction in the highest de-
gree terse, vigorous, and elegant.
Although cool and deliberate in the trial of causes, he
was quick at repartee and keen and unsparing in invective.,
He was the possessor of rare wit and a bitter sarcasm, qual-
ities which were often displayed in his addresses to juries
as well as in the cross-examination of witnesses. Unfortu-
nate indeed was he who became the subject of his scathing
rebuke. No speaker had greater power of scornful ex-
pression than he possessed.
* Written by Hon. Theodore Miller soon after Mr. Jordan's death..
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
97
Mr. Jordan was a man of great industry. His cases
were always prepared with the utmost thoroughness. The
large amount of business which claimed his attention made
his life one of incessant labor. Gifted as he was, self-reliant
as he was, yet he never, until near the close of his life,
relaxed his habits of study and labor.
Mr. Jordan removed from this city to the city of New
York about the time I was admitted to the bar. There a
larger field opened to him, and compensation more com-
mensurate with his great abilities rewarded his efforts.
No lawyer could be more devoted and faithful to his
clients, or more earnest and effective in his advocacy of their
rights.
In private life Mr. Jordan enjoyed the esteem of all who
knew him. He was a man of generous sentiments, he had
a high sense of honor, and was just and upright in all his
He occupied during portions of his life places of political
distinction, and it may be said that he enjoyed a full share
of public honors, yet he never sought position or honors
save those which belonged to his profession. His heart
was in the profession to which he devoted himself. He
loved its learning, its principles, its contests, and its victories
with the enthusiasm of the true lawyer.
The name of Ambrose L. Jordan will occupy a place not
only with those who have conferred distinction on this
county, but with the most distinguished and honored men
of the State.
He has gone to his last rest full of years and crowned with
the triumphs of a biilliaut career. He left the field of his
labors with a character unblemished, and with a professional
renown which will make his bright example an encourage-
ment to those who are traveling the same rugged path of
professional labor.
THOMAS P. GROSVENOR.
Mr. Grosvenor was born December, 1780, in the town
of Pomfret, in the State of Connecticut. He spent about
two years at Williams College, and then entered Yale Col-
lege, at the age of sixteen, and received the honors of
that institution in the summer of 1800. Having finished
his collegiate course with distinguished reputation, he im-
mediately commenced the study of the law, under the in-
struction of his brother-in-law, Elisha Williams, of Hudson,
and in 1803 was admitted an attorney of the Supreme
Court of the State of New York. Before his death he had
successively become an active member of the courts of law
and equity of this State and of the United States. Soon
afler his admission as an attorney he opened an office in
the village of Catskill, and entered upon the duties of his
profession. Naturally possessing a clear head, a warm
heart, and a giant intellect, a few efforts at the bar ac-
quired for him the character of an able and successful
advocate. Early in the summer of 1807 he removed from
Catskill to Hudson. Here, having a wide field for the dis-
play of his legal acquirements and forensic talents, his pro-
fessional avocations were followed with brighter and more
alluring prospects of distinction and usefulness. The
electors of the county of Columbia, in April, 1809, nomi-
nated him as one of their representatives in the State
13
Legislature. No means which could blight tlie character
or wound the feelings of an honorable and conscientious
man were deemed unwarrantable or left untried by his
political adversaries to defeat his election. Passion and
party prejudice tran.scended the bounds of moral rectitude,
and the contest was severe but fruitless; he was returned a
member of the Legislative Assembly of the State. The
ability and integrity with which he discharged the duties
of a legislator, during the session of the succeeding winter,
eminently entitled him to the love and confidence of his
constituents. Ho was accordingly re-elected in 1810, and
again in 1811. During part of this period he executed the
oflBce of district attorney, having received a commission for
that purpose in the spring of 1810. In the fall of 1812
he was elected a representative to the Thirteenth Congress
of the United States, and at the same time to supply a
vacancy in the Twelfth Congress, occasioned by the resig-
nation of Colonel Robert Le Roy Livingston. After his
re-election to the Fourteenth Congress, in the spring of
1814, he chiefly resided in the city of Baltimore. He died
at Belmont, near Baltimore, on the 22d of April, 1817, in
the thirty-seventh year of his age.
We extract from an obituary notice of Mr. Grosvenor,
published in the Alexandria, Va., Gazette, soon after his
death, as follows:
" His eloquence may be said to have amongst us consti-
tuted a species. What is true of him would not be true of
any other orator, — at least on this side of the Atlantic;
nor do we know of one by a comparison with whom an
adequate conception of Grosvenor's eloquence would be
conveyed. Its kind was the same as that of the illustrious
Charles James Fox ; in degree alone its essential difference
consisted. The same ardent feeling, earnestness, and ani-
mation ; the same overflowing fullness of conception and
tumult of thoughts, which seemed as if they would burst
the bosom that contained them in their struggles for pre-
cedence ; the same apparent artlessness of arrangement,
which diffused the glowing tint of nature through the
complexion of every speech, and imparted to it a beauty
and effect beyond the skill of wrought-up rhetoricians ; the
same disdain of factitious, vulgar logic, and useless, gaudy
drapery ; the same constant intermixture of matter of ftict
and plain common sense with the most acute, refined, sub-
tle reasoning, which distinguished Mr. Fox from all other
orators, constituted the pre-eminent characteristics of Mr.
Grosvenor's eloquence, and gave it that singular, felicitous
advantage so seldom possessed by that which amongst us
courtesy calls eloquence, namely, the stamp of sincerity
and feeling.
" It is certain that no man of discernment could have
seen much of the great British orator and of Mr. Grosve-
nor, when figuring in their respective senates, without pro-
nouncing the latter to be the Charles Fox of the new
world. . . . We have been told that a very able and acute
speaker,* the representative in Congress from one of the
new States, who had experienced the effect of these powers,
once said, that for readiness and strength on any and every
topic that arose in debate, or, as he emphatically called it.
' Mr. Grundy, of Tennessee.
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
' rough and tumble' in argument, Grosvenor had not an
equal in Congress."
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN BUTLER,
the son of Colonel Medad Butler, was born in Kinderhook
(the part which is now Stuyvesant), Dec. 15, 1795. He
studied law with Martin Van Buren, and on being admitted
to the bar, in 1817, became his partner. He was ap-
pointed district attorney of Albany county in 1821, and
held the office four or five years. In 1825 he was ap-
pointed one of the commissioners to revise the statutes of
New York, and in 1828 was a member of the State Assem-
bly. He was attorney-general of the United States under
General Jackson in 1831-34, and acting secretary of war
from October, 1836, to March, 1837, and from 1838 to
1841 he was United States district attorney for the south-
ern district of New York. He was district attorney of the
United States for the southern district of New York, by
appointment of President Polk (after declining the office of
secretary of war, tendered by him), from March, 1845, till
September, 1848, when he was removed. He afterwards
returned to the practice of the law in New York city, and
was principal professor of law in the University of the City
of New York, of which he had been one of the founders.
During the greater part of his life he was an influential
member of the Democratic party ; but on the passage of
the Kansas-Nebraska bill abolishing the Missouri compro-
mise he joined the Republicans, and voted for Fremont
in 1856.
JAMES VANDERPOEL.
Judge James Vanderpoel, son of Isaac Vanderpoel, was
born in Kinderhook, Jan. 10, 1787. He was educated
principally at Kingston, Ulster Co., and studied law with
Francis Silvester, in Kinderhook, and afterwards with at-
torneys in Kingston.
He commenced the practice of his profession in 1808, at
Kinderhook, where he remained until 1832. He was
elected to terms in the Assembly in 1810, 1816, and 1820,
and was appointed surrogate of Columbia in 1812. He
was appointed judge of the common pleas of Columbia in
1825, and circuit judge of the third circuit, by Governor
Throop, in 1831. In the following year he removed to
Albany, where he acquired a high reputation as a lawyer
and a judge. As circuit judge of the third judicial district
of this State, he was distinguished for learning, ability, and
promptitude, for rapid and clear-sighted views of the law
and the facts, as he was also in his intercourse with his fel-
low-citizens for all manly and honorable qualities. He
died Oct. 3, 1843, universally esteemed and regretted.
AARON VANDERPOEL
was born in the town of Kinderhook, on the 5th day of
February, 1790. His education was acquired at the com-
mon school and at the academics of Kinderhook, and Lenox,
Mass., which instruction was supplemented by classical
training under his brother James, and Peter Van Schaack,
Esq. He studied law in the office of his brother, and im-
mediately after his admission to the bar (May, 1820) joined
in professional partnershiii witli liiui.
He was elected member of Assembly in 1825, and was
again elected to the same office in 1829, and in both these
ses.sions he took a prominent part in the debates. Ho was
elected to Congress in 1832, 1834, and 1838, remaining in
that body until March, 1841.
Tlie stringent measures growing out of the veto of the
bill to re-charter the United States Bank all originated soon
after his first election, and agitated, during his whole term
of service, not only the national Congress but the whole
country. During all this time he was a firm supporter of
the administration, having the full confidence of Presidents
Jackson and Van Buren, of both of whom he was a warm
personal as well as political friend. The files of the con-
gressional debates and records of the proceedings show that
he brought to the discharge of his duties during that period
the same energy, industry, and ability which characterized
his life.
After his retirement from Congress, in 1841, he re-
moved to the city of New York, where he resumed his
profession, and in 1843, after a residence of less than two
years, he was appointed one of the judges of the superior
court of that city, and seiTed in that capacity seven years,
ending on the 1st of January, 1850. He was a man of
the most distinguished talents and tireless industry.
JOHN P. VAN NESS
was born in Claverack district (the part now the town of
Ghent), in 1770. He was educated at Columbia College,
and .studied law with Brockholst Livingston, in New York
city. He commenced the practice of law in his native
county, but did not long continue in it on account of ill
health.
In 1801 he was elected to Congress from the Columbia
and Rensselaer district, and this led to his marriage, in
1802, with a very wealthy lady of Washington, and his
removal to that city as a place of residence. He became
mayor of Washington, president of the Bank of the Me-
tropolis, and major-general of the militia of the District of
Columbia. He was one of the most prominent and influ-
ential men in the capital city, and died there in March,
1846.
WILLIAM P. VAN NESS
was born in what is now the town of Ghent, about 1777;
was educated at Columbia College, studied law with Edward
Livingston, in New York, and commenced the practice of
his profession there about 1800. He was appointed judge
of the United States district court for the southern district
of New York, by President Madison. He was Colonel
Burr's second in the Hamilton duel, and was author of a
pamphlet signed " Aristides," a mo.st bitter attack upon
political opponents, but which evinced such remarkable
powers of mind that Hammond says it had not been equaled
in .style since the days of "Junius." He died suddenly in
New York, Sept. 6, 1826.
CORNELIUS p. VAN NESS.
Governor C. P. Van Ness was born in the town of Kin-
derhook, January 20, 17S2. At the age of eighteen he
entered the law-office of his brother, William P. Van Ness,
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
in New York. He was admitted to the bar in 180-i, and
in the spring of 1806 he emigrated to Vermont, and located
in the town of St. Albans, but in 1809 he removed to
Burlington. In 1809 he was appointed United States dis-
trict attorney for the district of Vermont, and was made
collector of customs for the district in 1813. In 1816
President Madison made him commissioner on the part of
the United States to settle the northeastern boundary. In
1818 he was elected to the Assembly of the State, and in
1821 was appointed chief-justice of the Supreme Court of
Vermont, which he held for two years, and was then elected
governor of the State, to which office he was twice re-elected.
In 1826 he declined re-election and returned to his profes-
sion, which he pursued for three years, and in 1829 tem-
porarily suspended it to accept the office of minister pleni-
potentiary and envoy extraordinary to the court of Spain,
which had been tendered him by President Jackson. Gov-
ernor Van Ne.ss was a brother of John P. and William P.,
and a cousin of the gifted Judge W. W. Van Ness; and
his career certainly did credit to his family name and to the
county of his nativity.
WILLIAM J. WORTH.
General William J. Worth was born in 1794, in a house
which is still standing, on the south side of Union sireet,
between Second and Third, in the city of Hudson. In
this city, for a considerable time during his youth, he was
a clerk in one of the stores.
Upon the breaking out of the last war witli England
young Worth was one of the first to apply for a military
commission, and on the 19th of March, 1813, he was ap-
pointed first lieutenant in the Twenty-third Infantry. In
the battle of Chippewa he acted as aid-de-camp to General
Scott, and was commissioned captain, Aug. 19, 1814. For
good conduct in the battle of Niagara he received the com-
mendation of his superior officers, and was advanced to the
rank of major. At the close of the war he was placed in
superintendence of the military academy at West Point.
He was brevetted lieutenant-colonel, July 25, 1824 ; ap-
pointed major of ordnance in 1832, and colonel of the
Eighth Infantry, July 7, 1838.
In the Florida war he performed excellent service. He
was brevetted brigadier-general, March 1, 1842. He fought
the battle of Palaklaklaha on the 19th of April in that
year, completely defeating a large body of Semiiiolcs, and
capturing their chiefs.
In the Mexican war General Worth was with Taylor's
column, and his second in command, leading the main
part of the corps to the Rio Grande, while Taylor moved
towards Point Isabel. Soon after he was superseded in the
command of his division by General Twiggs, who, arriving
on the ground, claimed the command by priority of com-
mission. Upon this General Worth, considering himself
aggrieved, left the army, proceeded to Washington, and
tendered his resignation, but at the same time expressed
the hope that if actual war should take place, he might be
permitted to resume his place in the army.
" While at Washington the aspect at the seat of war
changed. News arrived of the danger of Taylor at Fort
Brown, and soon after of the march to Point Isabel, and
the battles of the 8th and 9th of May. Worth immediately
applied for his commission ; it was granted, and he hurried
on to Texas. He was received by General Taylor with
open arms, and conducted the negotiations attending the
capitulation of Matamoras.
" But another and nobler field was now ofiered to him at
Monterey. General Taylor, with the generosity of a true
soldier, intrusted him with the attack upon the Bishop's
palace, an almost impregnable fortress, commanding a steep
and rocky height, and the key of the road to the interior.
This was considered by the whole army as an almost des-
perate undertaking, and none who saw the division of the
general march from the camp towards the palace expected
to see half of them return.
" The peculiar situation of Worth favored this belief, as
it was supposed that, in order to atone for his lost oppor-
tunities and stop the voice of calumny, he would rush head-
long into danger, and recover his reputation at every hazard.
Worth acted differently. He felt his duty to the soldiers,
and allowed no personal feeling to hinder its execution.
Where the Americans expected the heaviest loss, and per-
haps total failure, they were scarcely injured. During the
whole time the troops labored in range of the enemy's guns,
crossing ravines, climbing rocks and ledges, wading through
water and carrying their cannon up precipitous cliffs.
Worth was all the time on horseback, riding from post to
post, and using every effort to cheer his men in their labori-
ous duties. His conduct is mentioned by the commander
in terms of the warmest approbation.
" Worth was one of the commissioners at the negotiations
for the capitulation, and performed efficient service during
the evacuation of the city. He was subsequently detached
to Saltillo, where he remained until January, at which time
he marched for the Gulf coast to join General Scott.
" At Vera Cruz, General Worth was the first officer that
formed his troops in line after their landing. His services
in the siege were valuable ; and he was the head of the
American deputation to arrange the terms of capitulation.
When the Mexicans had left the city. Worth was apjminted
governor, and occupied it with his brigade. His prompt
and exact measures soon resuscitated the trade and com-
merce of the city, and repressed the disorders which had
long disgraced it.
" On the same day^ that the battle of Cerro Gordo was
fought. Worth took unresisted possession of the town and
fortress of Perote, in which were found immense stores of
ammunition, cannon, mortars, and small arms. This is one
of the strongest castles in Mexico. Here he remained for
some time, principally engaged in perfecting the discipline of
his army. The movements of Santa Anna called him from
his retirement : and, after the battle of Cerro Gordo, he was
very active in cutting off supplies from the Mexican camp.
Early in May he advanced toward Puebla, and on the 14th
he was met by Santa Anna, with a detachment of about
three thousand men, most of them cavalry. A skirmish en-
sued, several Mexicans were unhorsed, and the whole force
returned to the city.
" The next morning, before daylight, Santa Anna lefl for
the interior, and at ten o'clock the Americans obtained
100
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
quiet possession of the city, wnich contained a population of
80,000."*
The services of General Worth in Mexico were fully
appreciated by the government, and his storming of Mon-
terey is regarded as one of the most brilliant exploits of that
war.
Having safely passed through the dangers and hardships
of the Mexican struggle, General Worth was stricken by
cholera, at San Antonio de Bexar, in Texas, and died there
May 17, 1849. His remains are interred in the city of
New York. Upon the roll of fame his name is clearly
written as one of the most brilliant soldiere and heroes of
the Mexican war.
HENRY VAN SCHAACKf
died at his seat, on the Hudson river, in the original town of
Kinderhook (now Stuveysant), on the 18th day of July,
1823, in the ninety-first year of his age. He was a native of
Kinderhook village, having been born at that place in 1733.
The events of his life, which cover nine decades of a century,
were not without interest. For about forty years he was
in public employ or oflScial station under the crown and
province of New York before the Revolution, and in the
commonwealth of Massachusetts after that event. He was
on terms of intimacy with Sir William Johnson, and cor-
responded with him on colonial afiFairs. He served under
Sir William, then Major-General, Johnson, in the expedi-
tion against Crown Point in 1755, being at that time lieu-
tenant of a company of which Philip, afterwards the famous
General, Schuyler, was captain. The accounts published at
the time of one of the engagements between the English and
French troops near Lake George, in September, 1755, speak
of Lieutenant Van Schaack as having " distinguished him-
self in that action.' He was then twenty-two years old.
He served in the campaign against Niagara, and was then
a major. He was at one time paymaster to the " New York
Regiment," and afterwards held a special commission from
the governor of the province as " Paymaster and Commis-
sary of the Musters," and was obliged, in the performance of
the duties of the latter office, to visit the military posts on
the frontiers, where the troops were stationed.
It was in this old French war, as it was called, that Mr.
Van Schaack formed an interesting acquaintance with the
then captain, and afterwards brigadier-general, Richard
Montgomery. On his way to Canada, in 1775, Montgomery
vLsited his early friend at Kinderhook, and left with him
some tokens of remembrance.
Mr. Van Schaack was postmaster at Albany from 1757
to 1771, a period of fourteen years. During the greater
part of this time he wa-s engaged in the Indian and fur
trade, extending his operations, upon the conquest of
Canada, to Detroit and Mackinaw, which then remote places
he repeatedly visited at that early day. When at Detroit,
on one occasion, he redeemed a white boy from captivity
among the Indians by giving a silver tankard for him. The
boy grew up to inanhood, was' established in business by
Mr. Van Schaack, and was known through life by the name
of Tankard.
* Extracted from the '* Kough and Ready Annual."
t Furnished by II. C. Van Schaack, Esq., of Manlius, New York.
In 1769, Mr. Van Schaack removed from Albany to
Kinderhook village. He was soon after appointed a justice
of the peace, and one of the quorum, upon the recommen-
dation of his friend. Sir William Johnson. He was also
chosen supervisor of his native town at this period, and was
continued in that ofiBce by annual re-election, and he also
held the oflSce of magistrate until the administration of the
laws was interrupted by the Revolution. He was a mem-
ber of the Albany county committee of safety in 1774 ; and
he, together with Robert Yates and Peter Silvester, were
by that body nominated delegates to the memorable Con-
tinental Congress, which met in Philadelphia in September
of that year. The committee afterwards determined to send
only one delegate, and General Schuyler was selected, but
failing to attend, the New York city delegates were finally
empowered to represent Albany county in that great Con-
gress. Soon after this, Mr. Van Schaack ceased to take
part in Revolutionary measures, having come to the con-
clusion (as he quaintly expressed himself in a letter to a
relative) that " people had got to that pass that they did
not consider the qualifications of a king, for that they would
have no king."
At the close of the war Mr. Van Schaack became a citi-
zen of Massachusetts, and fixed his residence at Pittsfield,
in Berkshire county, where he erected a very substantial
and tasty house, in an interesting position near that village,
and devoted himself to agricultural pursuits. He was soon
after called from a purposed retirement, becoming a decided
" Government-man" in Shay's rebellion. This doubtless
led to his being chosen, in 1786, a member of the Legis-
lature of Massachusetts, known as " The General Court."
He took an early and decided stand in support of the
Federal constitution, employing his pen, and addressing his
fellow-citizens, in favor of its adoption. For fourteen years
he was a magistrate in Massachusetts by successive appoint-
ments, made by Governors John Hancock and Caleb Strong.
At an early day he became a member of the Massachusetts
Society for Promoting Agriculture, and he was a member
of the first board of trustees of Williams College, which
latter position he occupied for about twenty years.
The good sense, strength of mind, intelligence, high in-
tegrity, courage, and decision of character, for all of which
he was distinguished, admirably fitted him for the various
positions in which he was placed ; while his urbane and
jovial disposition, and extensive information, gave him, at
all times, a welcome place in the social circle. His asso-
ciates, from an early day, were men of mark ; and his own
commanding good qualities are abundantly evidenced by
the large number of eminent men who were visitors at his
house during his twenty-four years' residence in Pittsfield,
embracing in the list many of the most eminent characters
in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York. Prominent
among those names (not to designate others) were Fisher
Ames and Alexander Hamilton. Chief-Justice John Jay
and Judge Bushrod Washington, of the Supreme Court of
the United States, used to call on the Pittsfield farmer, when
on their way to Vermont to perform their judicial duties.
Distinguished foreigners were also among those visitors,
including the ambassadors fiom Holland and England.
Lebanon Springs, originally known as " The Pool," was
HISTOKY OP COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
then rapidly becoming the Bath of America ; and many of
its frequenters found their way to the mansion at Pittsfield
famed for its hospitaUty.
In 1808, Mr. Van Schaack removed from Pittsfield to
Kinderhook Landing, where he passed the residue of his
life in comparative retirement. Some of his old surviving
friends, however, followed him to his new abode ; among
whom were Judge Oliver Wendell, of Boston, grandfather
of the poet 0. W. Holmes, and his particular friend. Judge
Egbert Benson, of New York. In the " History of Pitts-
field," recently jmblished, a prominent and honored place is
justly given to the name of Henry Van Schaack.
WILLIAM HOWARD ALLEN.
Lieutenant William Howard Allen, United States navy,
was a native of the city of Hudson, the date of his birth
being July 8, 1790. While yet a child he was placed at
school in London, England, but after about one year he
returned to Hudson, where he was afterwards for a short
time a pupil of the Hudson Academy. His education
was completed at the seminary in Doylestown, Pa., and
in the year 1808 he was appointed a midshipman in the
United States navy. In 1811 he was commissioned sec-
ond lieutenant, and afterwards assigned to duty on the
"Argus." This vessel proceeded on her cruise until, on the
13th of August, 1813 (this being during the last war with
England), she fell in with, and at once engaged, the British
sloop-of-war " Pelican."
" Although this vessel was superior to her in size,
men, and metal, yet the battle was long, severe, and bloody.
Early in the action, Captain William Henry Allen was
mortally wounded, and carried below ; shortly after, the first
lieutenant, William H. Watson, was severely wounded, and
taken to the ward-room. The command of the ' Argus' then
devolved on Lieutenant William Howard Allen ; his con-
duct was cool, deliberate, and such as received the admira-
tion of the crew and the approbation and praise of his
superior officers. After fighting was useless, the ' Argus'
was surrendered to the ' Pelican,' a perfect wreck. Lieuten-
ant Allen was taken to Ashburton, England, where he was
Retained eighteen months a prisoner of war ; but he was
exchanged before the close of the war, and returned in a
cartel to Norfolk ; but, owing to an extraordinary pa.ssage of
some ninety days, he did not arrive until after the peace.
In 1816 he made a voyage to Dublin, as the master of the
brig ' Henry Clay ;' he was then engaged in the merchant
service. During the two succeeding years he was attached
to the frigate ' United States,' or ship ' Independence.'
" In the spring of 1819, the United States frigate 'Con-
gress' sailed on a cruise to the Chinese seas. Mr. Allen
was her first lieutenant ; his conduct during the cruise was
highly meritorious. This being the first American ship of
war of her class that had visited the East Indies, the na-
tives were frightened at her terrific appearance ; and he
often described the impression it made upon their minds,
and the deep conviction it left of the strength and prowess
of the United States. In May, 1821, he returned in the
' Congress,' and remained attached to her until about the be-
ginning of the year 1822, when he was transferred to the
ship ' Columbus,' then lying in Boston. He left the ' Colum-
bus' some time in June, having obtained the command of
the United States schooner ' Alligator.' On the 3d of Au-
gust, 1822, he sailed from New York on a cruise against
the pirates, and he plucked a wreath of glory, but the shaft
of death was in it. He cheerfully engaged in this last
perilous service, which would have appalled any ordinary
mind. It called him to the West Indies, the charnel-house
of foreigners, whose seaports in the summer months are the
hot-beds of pestilence, disease, and death, and whose climate
had already consigned to the tomb many valuable lives,
among whom were many of his intimate friends and brave
companions. This service called him in contact with pirates,
a gang of merciless bloodhounds, foes to God and man,
who live by plunder and murder, and who had sworn ven-
geance toward American officers and citizens.
" On his arrival at Havana, he was informed that a gang
of pirates, having in possession some merchant vessels, had
stationed themselves in the bay of El Juapo, in the neigh-
borhood of Matanzas ; without coming to anchor, he imme-
diately proceeded in search of them. He approached the
place, saw the pirate vessels, three in number, well armed
and supplied, and manned with a hundred or more of these
desperadoes, with the bloody flag waving aloft and nailed
to the mast. In possession of these assassins were five
merchantmen and several American citizens ; this property
and these captives the gallant Allen determined to rescue.
The ' Alligator,', in consequence of the shoalness of the
water, could not approach them ; he ordered the boats to be
manned with about thirty of his crew, put himself in the van,
and led the attack and boarded them. The outlaws resisted,
but were driven from their flag vessel, of which he took
possession. They fled to the other vessels, he pursued them
amidst a shower of musketry ; a musket ball struck him in
the head ; still he pressed forward, cheering his men, and,
when about to board them, another pierced his breast ; this
was mortal ; still he cheered his gallant little crew as they
lifted him on board of the prize schooner, and laid him on
the deck he had so dearly won, and he died of his wounds
in about three hours after. He called his officers about him,
gave directions respecting the prizes, for the merchant ves-
sels had been rescued ; conversed freely and cheerfully ;
hoped that his friends and his country would be satisfied
that he had fought well. He said he died in peace with
the world and looked for his reward in the next. Although
his pain, from the nature of his wounds, was excruciating,
yet he did not complain, but died like a martyr, without a
sigh or a groan, and the spirit of a braver man never en-
tered the unseen world. The body of the martyred Allen
was conveyed to Matanzas, in Cuba, where it Wiis interred
on the 11th of November, 1822, with the honors due to his
distinguished merit.
" Soon after the reception of this sad intelligence at Hud-
son, which cast a gloom over the city, the citizens of Hud-
son assembled at the city hall, and it was a more numerous
meeting than had ever been witnessed in that city. This
was on the oth of December, 1822, and on motion of Elisha
Williams, the honorable Alexander Coffin was called to the
chair; and on motion of Ambrose L. Jordan, Esq., Dr.
Samuel White was appointed secretary. The Rev. B. F.
Stanton opened the meeting with an appropriate and im-
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YOKK.
pressive prayer. The Hon. James Strong then pronounced
a splendid eulogy on the character of the late gallant Lieu-
tenant William Howard Allen.
" The common council of the city of Hudson requested
of the navy department to have the remains of Lieutenant
Allen brought from Matanzas to New York in a public
vessel. This request was promptly acceded to by the sec-
retary of the navy, and on the 15th of December, 1827,
the schooner ' Grampus' arrived at New York, having on
board the remains of the lamented hero. On the reception
of this intelligence, the common council of the city of Hud-
son deputed Mr. Reed, former mayor of this city, and Mr.
Edmonds, the recorder, to receive and bring them to his
native city. On the Wednesday following, they were re-
moved from the navy -yard at Brooklyn, under the escort
of the marine corps of that station, and accompanied by
Commodore Chauncey and a numerous body of naval offi-
cers. The colors at the yard and at New York were at
half-mast ; and the procession landed at New York amid
the firing of a salute from the ' Grampus,' which had been
moored in the stream for that purpose. At New York the
procession was joined by the common council of that city,
and an immense concourse of citizens and officers, and moved
across the city to the steamboat which carried them to
Hudson. There a salute was fired by a detachment of
artillery and by the marine corps, and the remains were
delivered by Commodore Chauncey to the Hudson deputa-
tion. His remains were accompanied to Hudson by the
following officers of the navy: Lieutenants Francis H. Greg-
ory, George N. Hollins, William D. Newman, John R.
Coxe, John Swartwout, and Alexander BI. Mull ; Sailing-
Master Bloodgood ; and Midshipmen Lynch, Nichols, Suher-
merhorn, Lawrence, and Pinckney, and arrived early on
Thursday morning. They wore welcomed by a national
salute, and were escorted to the dwelling of Captain Alex-
ander Coffin, the patriotic kinsman of the lamented hero, by
a detachment of military and a numerous escort of citizens,
which moved in the following order :
** Hudson City Guards.
Columbia Plaids.
Athens Lafayette Guards,
And the military under the command of Col. William A. Dean,
with standards furled and drums muffled.
The Reverend Clergy.
The Corpse,
Borne by Lieuts. Gregory, Hollins, Newman, Coxe, Swart-
wout, and Mull, and Midshipmen Lynch and Nichols.
Mourners, including Messrs. Bloodgood, Schermerhorn, Lawrence, and
Pinckney, of the United States Navy.
Hudson Military Association.
Brigadier-General Whiting and his Suite.
The Mayor and Kecordcr.
Aldermen.
Assistant Aldermen.
Clerk and Marshal of the City.
Clerk and Sheriff of the County.
Committee of Arrangements.
" Followed by a larger and more respectable procession
of citizens than had, for many years, been witnessed in that
city. While the procession moved, the bolls of the city
were tolled, and minute-guns were fired from Parade hill.
On its arrival at the grave-yard the body was conveyed in
front of the line of the military, resting on arms revei'sed,
and was committed to the earth, near the grave of Lieu-
tenant Allen's mother. The funeral service was read by
the Rev. Mr. Stebbins, and a volley fired over the grave by
the military. The procession then returned to the United
States Hotel, where it was dismissed."*
The ashes of the hero rest in the Hudson cemetery, be-
neath a monument reared by the citizens of Hudson, and
bearing these inscriptions :
"To the memory of William Howard Allen, lieutenant in the
United States navy, who was killed when in the act of boarding a
piratical vessel on the coast of Cuba., near Matanzas, at the age of
thirty-two.
" William Howard Allen was born in the city of Hudson, July 8,
1790 ; he was appointed a midshipman in 1808, and a lieutenant in
1811, and he took a conspicuous part in the engagement between the
'Argue' and the 'Pelican,' in 1813, and he was killed while in
command of the schooner 'Alligator.'
" William Howard Allex. His remains, first buried at Matanzas,
were removed to this city by the United States government, and in-
terred, under the direction of the common council of this city, be-
neath this marble, erected to his memory by the citizens of his native
place, in 1833.
" Pride of his country's banded chivalry.
His fame their hope, his name their battle-cry ;
He lived .as mothers wished their sons to live,
And died as fathers wished their sous to die."
DAVID S. COWLES,
second son of Rev. Pitkin and Fanny S. Cowles, was born
at "The Grove," Canaan, Conn., Feb. 26, 1817. His
maternal grandfather was an officer in Brigadier-General
Glover's brigade of the Massachusetts line in the War of
the Revolution of 1776. He served with merit and dis-
tinction during its whole period, being engaged in many of
the most severe and important battles.
The fother of Colonel Cowles died while the son was
still young, and soon after he began his preparation for
Yale College, which institution he entered in 1836. At
the end of two years he left college and commenced the
study of law, being successively in the offices of Hon.
James Powers, Catskill ; Judge Peckham, of Albany ; and,
lastly, of his brother, Edward P., at Hudson. He was ad-
mitted to the bar in Columbia county about the year 1843,
from which time he was associated with his brother until
the latter removed to New York, in 1853. He continued
in successful practice, serving ably some years as district
attorney, until the outbreak of the civil war. In the year
1861, Colonel Cowles, at large personal expense, aided in
forming several companies of a regiment of volunteers, in
which he was tendered, but declined, the position of lieu-
tenant-colonel. After the disasters of the Army of the
Potomac before Richmond, in June, 1862, he actively par-
ticipated in raising the One Hundred and Twenty-eighth
Regiment, New York Volunteers, which was enlisted in the
counties of Columbia and Dutchess, and was commissioned
its colonel by the governor of the State. The regiment
left Hudson, Sept. 5, 1862, and proceeded to Baltimore,
Md. Soon after the battle of Antietam it was ordered
with other forces to Gettysburg, Pa., to intercept the rebel
= From Rayt
' Biographical SUctehes of Distinguished Men.'
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
i
cavalry raid made in that direction by General J. E. B.
Stuart. In November the regiment composed part of the
expeditionary forces under command of Major-Gcneral N.
P. Banks, and was embarked about the 1st of December
following at Fortress Monroe for New Orleans and the De-
partment of the Gulf. While at New Orleans, during the
winter and spring of 1863, the regiment acquired a dis-
tinguished reputation for high discipline and soldierly con-
duct. In April, 1863, a brigade, including the One Hun-
dred and Twenty- eighth, was dispatched by order of General
T. W. Sherman, under command of Colonel Cowles, on an
expedition up the Pearl river to attack a rebel position near
Pontochoula, where a depot of supplies and shipping was
being formed. This duty was discharged with entire suc-
cess, and called forth marked commendation in general
orders.
The Confederates at the time held a commanding posi-
tion on the left bank of the Mississippi river at Port Hud-
son. Major-General Banks was ordered by the govern-
ment to invest and reduce the works at that point. Early
in May he moved against them with an army of about
twenty-five thousand men. The One Hundred and Twenty-
eighth formed part of this command. It reached Spring-
field Landing May 22, 1863, and on that day was marched
to the front before the enemy's works. On the 26th, active
demonstrations preparatory to the general assault were
made. Two batteries of heavy guns were assigned to
Colonel Cowles wherewith to silence the enemy's fire on
the extreme left. That operation was finally efiective on
the following morning in silencing all and dismounting
some of the guns, it having been suspended in the night in
order to co-operate with Colonel Clark (Sixth Michigan)
in destroying some houses near the Confederate lines which
interfered with the play of the investing guns. About
the middle of the day, May 27, Major-General Sherman
ordered an assault on the right, left, and centre of the
enemy's works. The column on the Union left, with which
the One Hundred and Twenty-eighth participated, was
under the immediate command of the commanding general.
Immediatelj' on moving, the head of the column became
exposed to the full force of the enemy's fire, — a furious
discharge of grape, canister, and shell, — while sharpshooters
from the tops of trees within the rebel works opened with
deadly effect. General Sherman soon fell from a cannon-
shot, which carried away a leg. Brigadier-General Dow,
second in command, was wounded and carried to the rear.
Colonel Clark, of the Sixth Michigan Volunteers, third in
rank, was knocked senseless by the concussion of an ex-
ploding shell. Colonel Cowles, next in rank, then assumed
command.' By this time the column was badly shattered.
The whole force reeled. With characteristic disregard of
exposure in the moment of peril. Colonel Cowles rushed to
the head of the column, and by voice and example stayed
the recoiling regiments, rapidly re-formed their ranks, and
taking his position at their head and quite in advance, by
force of his own strong will, headed on the column in a
rush at a " double-quick" to within about six rods of the
enemy's works, when he fell from the rifle-shot of a sharp-
shooter, which passed through his body just above the left
groin. He was laid in a slight depression of the field,
having resisted every attempt to take him to the rear, and
refusing to be attended by more than one faithful sergeant,
— Charles M. Bell, now a practicing lawyer at Hillsdale,
in this county, — earnestly urging and commanding all
others to press forward, and constantly inquiring of the fate
and fortune of the assault. It was soon seen that he had
received a fatal wound. With composure he gave his
watch to his attendant, requesting that it be returned to
his mother, who had presented it to him in his boyhood,
also his ring and other small articles. Then, as he felt his
life-blood ebbing last, he desired to be raised up that he
might view the field and look into the enemy's works, ex-
claiming, " Oh, that I could have been spared a few min-
utes longer, and I believe we should have carried those
works!" His thoughts reverted to his command, and,
alluding to his own One Hundred and Twenty-eighth, he
said to his attendant, " I believe, sergeant, I have done my
whole duty by it as a man and a soldier." Growing fainter
with loss of blood, he said, " Tell my mother that J died
with my face to the enemy." With full consciousne.ss that
the hand of death was upon him, he closed his eyes, ejacu-
lated, " Christ Jesus receive my spirit !" and expired.
In person Colonel Cowles was about six feet in height,
of light hair and complexion, with luminous blue eyes, — in
face and form " a model of manly beauty." His tiistcs
were intellectual and fastidious. He was sound and prac-
tical in judgment, fair, honorable, and upright in all his
dispositions. Where familiar, he would often give rein to
a certain merry, incisive, satirical humor. At the same
time there was in him a strongly devout and reverent ele-
ment, which, however unobtrusive in ordinary conversation,
found frequent and intense expression in his private diary.
In acknowledging a sword and belt, the gift of his brother
Edward, he says, " I am very much pleased that you placed
our names on the guard, and also the words on the hilt.
The old Norman or French was, ' Dieu et mon droit.'
This, which you have inscribed, is the appropriate one, —
' God and the Right,' — not my right. If I can by my
conduct give it a value above its intrinsic value, and come
home some day and hang it in the old hall, it will be to all
the family, I know, a pleasing memorial."
Colonel Cowles lived and died unmarried.
To his mother, then in her eightietli year, he was most
tender and devoted. Her own youth had been doubtless
much wrought upon, and her spirit fired, by the Revolu-
tionary tales oft«n rehearsed at her father's fireside by him-
self and guests, old officers and comrades in arms« The
subjoined extract from a letter to her son reveals, while
softened by time and the events of life, how brightly burned
the flame in the heart of nearly fourscore :
••TiiK Ghove, Friday, July 2.'), 1802.
" My dear, dkab David, — I received your letter yes-
terday afternoon, bearing not unexpected tidings. It made
all the blood escape from my face for awhile, but it has at
last returned, and I am trying to look with reason and com-
posure on coming events. Although I cannot know what
even a day may bring forth. I hope and I think I am will-
ing to leave all my own and your dearest interests in His
hands who has so long and so kindly cared for us ; and I
104
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
pray that the same hand may shield you in the days of peril
and danger which seem now more than ever inevitably be-
fore us. I have had little doubt, since the three hundred
thousand troops or recruits were to be raised, that you
would have an appointment by the governor ; and knowing
that so much of the patriotic blood of my own dear father
coursed in your veins, I knew you would not hesitate to go.
Those southern young gentlemen little thought, when they
introduced you at Charleston as ' Colonel Cowles from the
north,' how prophetic their words were. . . .
" May God bless and keep you safely under the shadow
of His wing !
" Most aifectionately,
" Your Mother."
The last interview of tho son with his mother occurred at
the home of a relative in Hudson, whither she had gone
to bid him adieu. It was September 5, 1862. His last
spoken words to her were these : " Good-by, my precious
mother. God bless you through eternity for the most kind,
most devoted mother you have ever been to me !" Then
shielding with his cap his tear-dimmed eyes, he passed from
her mortal view forever. Let us reverently trust that, now
fifteen years later, she has found him again in the " great
hereafter."
His remains, in accordance with a wish expressed by him,
were removed for interment from the scene of his death to
the city of Hudson. They were accompanied by Sergeant
Bell, in whose arms he died. Here all classes with a truly
mournful interest united in expressions of profound sorrow
for his untimely fate, and in warm and well-deserved enco-
miums upon his worth. A funeral pageant such as had
never before been witnessed in this county accompanied
the body of the dead hero to its final resting-place. He
was buried with military honors, as became the occasion
and the man. A graceful granite shaft in the cemetery at
Hudson marks the spot where he lies.
DANIEL CADY,
for many years one of the most eminent and successful
lawyers of the State, and later a judge of the Supreme
Court and in the court of appeals, was born in Canaan,
Columbia Co., in April, 1773. His professional studies were
pursued under John Woodworth, subsequently attorney-
general and Supreme Court judge, and he commenced the
practijp of the law at Florida, in Montgomery county. At
the date of his admission to the bar, Hamilton, Burr, Ed-
ward and Brockholst Livingston led the profession in New
York city. Abraham Van Vechten and Ambrose Spencer
were at Albany, and Elisha Williams at Hudson. In the
first reported case in which he was counsel (1 Johnson's
Cases, 231) his associate was Aaron Burr, and his antagonist
Abraham Van Vechten. From that early date down to his
elevation to the bench, in 1847, his name is found in every
volume of the reports, the associate or the opponent, and
always the peer, of the giants of the bar in all parts of the
State. He was elected to the Assembly in 1809, and to Con-
gress in 1814, and defeated for Congress in 1832. He was a
leading and constantly-employed advocate, and a keen ob-
server of public men and measures, under twenty governors,
from George Clinton to Myron H. Clark, and under fourteen
Presidents, from George Washington to Franklin Pierce.
Among the important trials in which he took part was that
of Solomon Southwick, for endeavoring to bribe Alexander
Sheldon, speaker of the Assembly, to give his vote in favor
of incorporating the Bank of North America. Chief-Justice
Kent presided. Thomas Addis Emmett, attorney-general,
led for the prosecution, and Aaron Burr, Daniel Cady, and
Ebenezer Foote defended. The verdict was for the defend-
ant. He was particularly distinguished for his real property
learning, and was long the counsel of Judge Smith, the
owner of eighty thousand acres in Madison county. He
was a close and tireless student, severe in morals, courteous
in address, prompt in the discharge of all his duties, secre-
tive and taciturn to an extraordinary degree, ever cautious
and wary, a dangerous opponent at nisi prius, and a finished
counsel before the courts in banc. Judge Cady's career
upon the bench of but seven years — he resigned in 1855 — •
was marked by all the splendid characteristics of his forensic
life. He was pure as snow, and suspicion never breathed
his name. He married a daughter of Colonel James Liv-
ingston, and was the father of Jlrs. Elizabeth Cady
Stanton. No loftier character has adorned the annals of
the State, and none has left a more honored name.
A very excellent life-size oil portrait of him has long
hung in the court of appeals room at Albany, by the side
of that of Nicholas Hill. His death occurred at Johns-
town, in Fulton county, Oct. 31, 1859.
JAMES WATSON WEBB,
son of General Samuel Blatchley Webb, a Revolutionary
officer of considerable distinction, and Catharine (Hoge-
boom) Webb, was born at Claverack, in this county, Feb.
8, 1802. At the age of twelve years he went to reside at
Cooperstown, N. Y., with his brother-in-law and guardian,
Judge George Morrill. He entered the United States
army as second lieutenant in the Fourth Artillery in Au-
gust, 1819. He was advanced to the grade of first lieu-
tenant in 1823, and in the following year to that of assist-
ant commissary of subsistence. In the fall of 1827 he
resigned from the army and adopted the profession of jour-
nalism, purchasing the Morning Courier, which he published
in the interest of General Jackson. In 1829 he purchased
the New York Enquirer, which he consolidated with the
Courier, under the title of the Courier and Enquirer. With
this paper he remained connected for upwards of thirty
years. In 1849 he was appointed minister to Austria, but
the appointment was not confirmed. In 1851 he was ap-
pointed by Governor Hunt engineer-in-chief of the State
of New York, with the rank of brigadier-general. He,
however, refused to accept this appointment. In 1861 he
was appointed minister to Turkey, but he declined the ap-
pointment, though it had been confirmed by the Senate.
Shortly afterwards he was appointed minister to Brazil, and
filled that position for eight years. At Paris, in 1865, he
negotiated a secret treaty with the Emperor Napoleon for
the removal of the French troops from Mexico. In 1869
he resigned the mission to Brazil, and has since resided in
New York.
C7a^^^ lyucA^cJ. U'c^^^i-o^
SAMUEL JONES TILDEK
Samuel Jones Tildon was born at New Lebanon, Columbia
Co., N. Y., in 1814. One of his paternal ancestors and the
son and grandson of another were mayors of Tenterden,
Kent, England, between 1585 and 1623. The son of an-
other ancestor was one of the London merchants who fitted
out the " Mayflower." Another ancestor was one of the
founders of the town of Scituate, Mass., and a leader in the
famous Plymouth colony. His mother traced her lineage
to William Jones, lieutenant-governor of New Haven colony,
and son of a regicide judge of Charles I., by a wife who
was at once cousin of John Hampden and sister of Oliver
Cromwell. His father, a farmer and merchant in New
Lebanon (whither he had come with his parents in 1790),
was a man of notable judgment and practical sense. His
influence in the county was a recognized power. New
York's great statesmen of the Jacksonian era — Martin Van
Buren, Silas Wright, William L. Marcy, Azariah C. Flagg,
Edward Livingston, Chancellor Livingston, Albert Gallatin
— were among his visitors, correspondents, and friends.
Reared amid such a society, under such traditions, in such a
school, it is not surprising that from the outset his studies
were widest and deepest in the graver sciences of government,
public economy, and law ; nor that his first adventure, in the
ardor of ripening youth, should have been in a political field.
In the fall of 1832, General Jackson was re-elected to
the Presidency, Van Buren was elected to the Vice-Presi-
dency, and Marcy to the governorship of New York.
Their success had depended on defeating a coalition of Na-
tional Republicans and Anti-Masons. With an early " in-
.stinot for the jugular," young Tilden wrote a paper analyz-
ing the political situation and showing there could be no
honest alliance. His father, his most appreciative, yet least
indulgent critic, approved the paper, took him to pay
a visit to Mr. Van Buren, then at Lebanon Springs, near
by, and to read it to him. Its merit was attested by their
decision to publish it through the State, approved by the
signatures of several leading Democrats ; it was praised by
being ascribed to the pen of Mr. Van Buren; but even
more by the denial that he was its author, made in the
Albany Argus, "by authority." Out of this incident grew
a particular friendship between Mr. Van Buren and Mr.
Tilden, which became of the most confidential character,
and continued till the death of the ex-President.
Young Tilden's academic course was begun at Yale
College, in the sophomore class, which enrolled among its
members Chief-Justice Waite, William M. Evarts, Profes-
sors Lyman and Silliman, and Edwards Pierrepont. His
studies were intermitted for a few months to repair the efiects
of too intense application ; but were shortly resumed at the
University of New York ; were continued in the law school
of that seat of learning, whose pupils were then enjoying the
prelections of Mr. Van Buren, Attorney-General Benjamin
F. Butler, and Judge William Kent ; and were prolonged in
the law-oflice of the gifted, if eccentric, John W. Edmonds.
The accession of Van Buren to the Presidency, in 1837,
preceded but a little the memorable financial revulsion of
that year. He had called an extra session of Congress
that summer, and in his message recommended the separa-
tion of the government from the banks, and the establish-
ment of the independent treasury. Voluminous debates
followed in the press. The late Samuel Beardsley, of Utica,
in.spired, if he did not write, a series of papers published in
the Avffus, then the leading Democratic journal of the State,
which contested the recommendations of the message, and
invited resistance to their adoption. Young Tilden, a
student even then of fiscal systems and political economy,
sprang to the defense of the President's policy, in a series
of papers signed " Crino." His most distinguished biog-
rapher has said of them : " They were marked by all the
characteristics of his maturity, and advocated the proposed
separation from the banks and redeeraability of the govern-
ment currency in specie. Their author was but twenty-
three years of age, — the age at which William Pitt became
Chancellor of England. If history has preserved anything
from the pen or tongue of that illustrious statesman, prior
to that period of his life, which displays a higher order of
merit, it has escaped the attention of his biographers."
' Crino' was long supposed to be Esek Cowen, then one of
the justices of the Supreme Court.
In the fall of 1838, Nathaniel P. Talmadge, a senator
of the United States, from New York, who had separated
from the Democratic party and joined the Whigs, in oppo-
sition to the financial policy of the President, went to
Columbia county to address his new friends. After his
speech the Whig managers invited reply. The Democrats
present took up the challenge, and shouted for Tilden as
their champion. His speech was a masterly refutation of
the veteran senator's argument, and some of its home-thrusts
were so effective and thrilling as completely to countervail
the political purpose of the meeting.
The great depression in prices and paralysis of business
which continued into the fall of 1840, although an in-
evitable result of a long period of bank inflation and un-
sound government financing, were, of course, imputed to
the sub-treasury system, just as the panic of 1873, and
the subsequent distress, have been ascribed to all steps
taken to remove their chief causes and principal conditions.
In October, 1840, Mr. Tilden, who had watched the finan-
cial revolution through all its progress, and knew its source,
nature, and remedies as thoroughly as any older man of his
time, made a speech upon the subject in New Lebanon.
No one can read it at this day without marveling that
Daniel Webster and Nicholas Biddle, with whose arguments
Mr. Tilden grappled, could ever have championed a system
under which the revenues of the federal government were
made the basis of private commercial discounts. He re-
viewed the history of the United States Bank, and exposed
its ill-founded claims to have been " a regulator of the
currency." In short, the youngster was already a veteran
in the service and the councils of his party. But while,
on the one hand, the administration sought his advice and
co-operation, on the other hand, Conde Raguet, whose
" Treatise on Currency and Banking" had placed him
among the most eminent political economists of the period,
recognized, beyond its political, its scientific value as " the
clearest exposition of the subject that has yet appeared,"
and a " most masterly production."
Mr. Tilden opened his law-ofEce in Pine street, New
York city, in 1844, the year of the election of James K.
Polk as President, and of Silas Wright as governor of New
BIOGRAPHY OF SAMUEL JONES TILDEN.
York. To advance that choice he united with John L.
O'SuUivan in founding the Daily Neics, by far the ablest
morning journal till then enlisted in the service of the
Democratic party. Its success was complete, but, as he did
not propose to enter into journalism as a career, after the elec-
tion he made a gift of his share in the paper to his colleague.
In the fall of 1845, Mr. Tilden was elected to the State
Assembly, and, while a member of that body, was elected
to the Constitutional Convention of 1846. His impress is
visible in the legislation of that year, but it was most notable
upon the new constitutional provisions affecting the finances
of the State and the management of its canals.
The defeat of Mr. Wright in the fall of 1846, and the
coolness which had grown up between the friends of Presi-
dent Polk and the late President Van Buren, led Mr. Til-
den to withdraw his attention from politics and concentrate
it upon his profession. Dependent upon his own exertions,
hitherto not lucrative, for a livelihood, he discerned thus
early the importance of a pecuniary independence to the
best political career. Concentrating all his energies upon
his profession, it was not long ere he became as well known
at the bar as he had before been known as a politician ; and
in twenty years of assiduous, untiring industry he made his
way steadily to the foremost rank of his profession, and to
nearly or quite the largest and most lucrative practice in the
country conducted by any single barrister. During these
two decades he linked his name imperishably with some of
the most remarkable forensic struggles of the time. The
limits of this sketch forbid, however, any adequate reference
even to those in which his talents and fertility of resource
were most conspicuous.
The great O'Conor, his associate counsel in the Flagg
case, has spoken of Mr. Tilden's opening speech as one of
the most striking displays of pure intellectual force he ever
witnessed. Mr. Azariah C. Flagg, like Mr. Tilden, a friend
of Van Buren and Wright, and renowned in the State and
city for his fidelity to public trusts, had been elected as comp-
troller of the city of New York. His title to the office was
contested by his opponent by legal process. So close had been
the vote that a change in the return of a single election dis-
trict would reverse the result. Upon a fraud inserted here
his opponent proceeded. From the very data of the contest-
ant, Mr. Tilden, by a mathematical and logical analysis, based
upon the principle that truth always matches all around,
reconstructed a lost tally-sheet, exposed the attempted fraud,
demonstrated Flagg's election, and won his case.
As counsel for the heirs of Dr. Burdell (an American
Tichborne case), Mr. Tilden tore to tatters the amazing
tissue of falsehood woven by the claimant, Mrs. Cunning-
ham, the pretended wife and probable murderer of Burdell,
by an examination of one hundred and fifty-two willing
witnesses called by the claimant. Believing still that the
truth must match all around, and that falsehood cannot be
made to harmonize with even a limited number of facts, he
conducted this defense by a species of moral triangulation.
His metaphysical power, his keen acumen, his penetration
of character, and his creative logic were never more won-
derfully displayed. He not only won the case, but the
conviction at once seized the public mind that had he con-
•ducted the previous prosecution of Mrs. Cunningham for mur-
der, it must have resulted in the woman's iust conviction.
Mr. Tilden's defense of the Pennsylvania Coal Company
probably established, as much as any single case, his high
repute among his professional brethren. It was a striking
exhibition of the power of his analytical method. The
Delaware and Hudson Coal Company had sued for extra
toll, extending over a long period, on a contract, in which
the Pennsylvania Coal Company agreed to pay it as an in-
demnity for the cost of enlarging their canal. The ques-
tion was, had the enlarged canal given transportation at less
expense than the old canal. A chaos of facts beclouded
and complicated the issue. Mr. Tilden reduced this chaos
to order by costly, laborious analysis involving the guided
research of a regiment of computers, amounting to the ten
years' toil of one man. He took the time of a single trip
of a boat as an integer, and from the plaintiifs' books evolved
a luminous series of proofs that defeated their claim and
won his cause. The amount claimed was twenty cents a
ton on six hundred thousand tons a year for ten years, be-
sides a large royalty for an indefinite future.
In the case of the Cumberland Coal Company against its
directors, heard in Maryland in 1858, Blr. Tilden applied
for the first time to the directors of corporations the familiar
doctrine that a trustee cannot be a purchaser of property
confided to him for sale, and he successfully illustrated and
settled the equitable principle on which such sales to directors
are set aside, and also the conditions to give them validity.
Mr. Tilden's success was no less remarkable in a field
which he made especially his own, — in rescuing corporations
from unprofitable and embarrassing litigation, in reorgan-
izing their administration, re-establishing their credit, and
rendering their resources available. Blore than half the
great railway enterprises north of the Ohio and between the
Hudson and Missouri rivers have, at some time, been his
clients. It was here, on this pre-eminently useful, if less
conspicuous stage, that his legal attainments, his unsur-
passed skill as a financier, his unlimited capacity for con-
centrated, energetic labor, his constantly increasing weight of
character and personal influence, enabled him, especially be-
tween the years 1855 and 1 861 , to contribute more powerfully
than any man in the United States to their great prosperity.
He had now earned in the conduct of these large inter-
ests, and in the decisive victories he had won, a considerable
fortune, a ripe experience, and a distinguished fame. The
time was near when all these were consecrated, with as
great and devoted energy, solely to the public service. For
no one in the United States now needs to be told that to
Mr. Tilden more than to any other single man is due the
overthrow of Tweed and his confederates in both political
parties, who for years had used the power of the whole
State to compel the city of New York to pay them the free-
booters' tribute, and whose plunderings caused the major
part of the enhancement of its debt from 819,000,000 in
1857 to $116,000,000 in 1876. The ring had its origin
in the legislation of 1857, constituting a board of super-
visors, — six Republicans and six Democrats, — to change a
majority of which needed the control of the primary meet-
ings of both the great national and State parties for four
years in succession, — a series of coincidences rare in a gen-
eration. This ring of supervisors soon grew to be a ring
between the Republicans, who, for thirteen years prior to
1869 and 1870, controlled the legislative power of the
BIOGRAPHY OF SAMUEL JONES TILDEX.
State, the half-and-half supervisors and a few Democratic
oflBcials in the city, and embraced just enough influential
men in the organizations of each party to control both.
Year by year its power and its audacity increased. Its
seat of operations was transferred to Albany. The lucra-
tive city offices ; subordinate appointments, which each head
of department could create at pleasure, with salaries at dis-
cretion, distributed among legislators; contracts; money
contributed by city officials, assessed on their subordinates,
raised by jobs under the departments, or filched from the
city treasury, were the corrupting agencies which shaped
and controlled all legislation.
Thus for four millions of people were all institutions of
government, all taxation, all appropriations of money, mas-
tered and made. The Ring power was consolidated, and
touched its farthest limit in the Tweed charter of 1870. En-
acted by a Republican Legislature, approved by a Democratic
governor, this charter was simply a grant of all offices, all
local government, all power, to members of the Ring for long
periods, without accountability for their acts. New York
was delivered over, bound hand and foot, to Tweed and his
confederates for plunder. Mr. Tilden, who had accepted
the chairmanship of the Democratic committee and the
titular leadership of his party in the State at the death of
Dean Richmond, now held it against the ambition and as-
saults of the Ring. Without patronage or office to confer
in city or State, he planted himself on the traditions of the
elders, on the moral sense and forces of Democracy, and
upon the invincibility of truth and right. He denounced
the Tweed charter and assailed at every point the Ring
domination. The fight was long and desperate ; many ac-
cused him of making shipwreck of his party, but he would
concede nothing, compromise nothing. Perceiving the vital
centre of power, the city representation in the legislative
bodies of the State, he insisted with his party and before
the people, that the clutch of Ring rule should release that.
Fortune favored the brave. A clerk in the comptroller's
office copied and published the •' secret accounts." Sir.
Tilden went into the bank where all the checks of the Ring
had passed, analyzed the gigantic mass of these and other
vestiges of their frauds, traced out the actual division of
their plunder, and thus accumulated and framed the decisive
and legal proof of their guilt. Fortune again favored the
brave. He was able to put an honest person into the comp-
troller's office, as deputy, with the keys of the city treasury.
From that hour the Ring was doomed.
A side-contest, essential to success in the overthrow of
the Ring, and arduous as any part of that devoted toil, was
his effijrt for the impeachment and overthrow of the corrupt
judiciary of New York. This too was triumphantly
achieved, with the result, besides the imprisonment or flight
of the members of the Ring, and the recovery of some of
their spoil, also the purification of the administration of
justice in the great metropolis.
These sixteen months of sacrifice of every private interest
or occupation of his own, and of strenuous absorbed devo-
tion to the public welfare, led him to make a brief trip to
Europe in the summer of 1873 for rest and recreation.
But the lawyer, the statesman, the patriot, was not suf-
fered to return to the courts and the council-chamber. In
the fi^ll of 1874 he was summoned to lead the party of
Reform in its conte.st for power in the State. Unwilling to
leave it possible for the enemies of reform to .say that he
could not safely submit his work as a reformer to the perils
of party strife and the judgment of the people, he accepted
the Democratic nomination, and was elected governor of
New York by overwhelming majorities, many Republicans
contributing their votes to swell this moral triumph. Two
years before. General Dix liad been elected by a plurality
of 53,000. Governor Tilden's plurality over Dix, his com-
petitor, was 53,000.
Not long was Mr. Tilden seated in the governor's chair
ere the people discovered that besides being occupied it was
filled. His first message, in January, proclaimed his policy
of thorough-going administrative reform, revision of laws,
so as to provide criminal punishment and civil remedies
for the frauds of public officers and their accomplices, and
reduction of taxation. Mr. Tilden also took advantage of
his high position to restore, in this message, to the Demo-
cratic party the authority of its most honorable traditions
in finance, and to the country the only policy which ever had
insured or can insure its substantial, enduring prosperity.
But this was only the beginning. In less than ninety days
he had investigated, and in a message to the Legislature
exposed, the fraudulent processes of the Canal Ring, by
which for years the State had been plundered, its ageuts
debauched, its politics demoralized, and its credit imperilled.
The political courage of this declaration of war to the death
against a caste claiming the balance of power in both the
great political parties can hardly be overstated. In a similar
struggle with the baser elements, forty years before, Silas
Wright had been struck down as he was rising to the zenith
of his fiime, and exiled from public life. But ]Mr. Tilden
preferred to fill like him rather than not attempt the reform
so necessary. Again he put his trust in the virtue of the
people, and again it was not betrayed. He appointed a
commission, with John Bigelow at its head, under autho-
rity extorted from a Legislature containing many notorious
canal-jobbei-s and organized in their interest. The commission
brought out to the light of day the whole system of fraud-
ulent expenditure on the canals, which he had denounced
at the bar of public opinion. Nor was even this all. By
arresting completely such expenditures, by the recommen-
dation and adoption of various other financial measures,
and by the discreet but vigorous exercise of the veto power.
Governor Tilden efiected a reduction of the State taxation
by one-half its sum, before laying down his trust.
By this time throughout the whole Union it was perceived
that precisely such as these were the labors and achieve-
ments needed in a reformed administration of the federal
government at Washington. War had left its usual lega-
cies, — departments honeycombed with corruption, a vast
debt and habits of unbounded extravagance. Between
1850 and 1870 town, city, county, and State expenditures
had increased nearly seven-fuld, and federal expenditures
ten-fold, whilst the population had not even doubled. Taxes
were crushing the nation, and Tweeds were swarming at
its capital. It was natural that the eyes of discerning
men in all the States, and the hearts of the masses of the
people, should be turned towards Governor Tilden. The
belief that the reformer of New York was the reformer for
Washington inspired a decisive choice among the Democrats
BIOGRAPHY OF SAMUEL JONES TILDEN.
from Maine to Texas. It came up from the people like
a tidal-wave, and lifting the political leaders of many a
State who had other preferences, bore them onward to an
inevitable decision.
On the first balloting of the Democratic National Con-
vention, which assembled at St. Louis, June 27, 1876,
Mr. Tilden's name led all the rest. He had received 417 out
of 739 ballots cast. On the second ballot he received 535
out of 744, more than the two-thirds required, and was at
once nominated unanimously. His letter accepting the
nomination was looked for with keen interest, and read
more widely than any other such document. It betrays in
every line its author's mastery of the art and business of
statesmanship. The profoundest problems of finance, the
causes of commercial and industrial depression, the con-
ditions of a revival of national prosperity, are there dis-
cussed with the precision of science and the ease of power.
The contest which followed was one of the most des-
perate and hard-fought in all the annals of popular elections.
Much more than the preference of a majority of the people
was needful to Democratic success. Sixteen years of con-
tinuous rule had given the Republican party every advan-
tage. It wielded the vast influence of $164,000,000 an-
nual expenditures. Its followers were mustered and drilled
by 100,000 office-holders.
But Governor Tilden's character, career, and letter of
acceptance had completely determined and defined the
battle-field and the aggressive quality of the Democratic
campaign. It was an appeal to the conscience and the
power of the American people from the standpoint of
Democratic principles and traditions. War issues were
displaced. Reform was the watchword.
The people rebuked his calumniators, and rewarded with
the laurels of victory his faith in their purpose to restore
the government to the principles and the purity of the
founders of the Republic. They gave him, in a vote
vastly the largest ever polled, great popular majorities, — in
New York State, eighty thousand more suffrages than made
Grant's fifty-four thousand majority in 1872, and in the
Union thirteen hundred thousand more than Grant had re-
ceived in his first election, and seven hundred thousand
more than he had received in his second election.
The electors chosen in the Presidential election of 1876
numbered three hundred and sixty-nine. Of these the
Tilden electors indisputably chosen numbered one hundred
and eighty-four. The Tilden electors in Florida (four),
and in Louisiana (eight), also received, indisputably, a ma-
jority of the votes cast and returned. It was claimed, too,
that Tilden electors (seven) had the majority in South
Carolina. The Hayes electors thus numbered, at most,
173 ; the Tilden electors numbered at least 196. By what
means the casting of these twelve (if not nineteen) electoral
votes was transferred from the Tilden electors to the Hayes
electors history will yet write in burning letters upon the
pages of its abiding record.
Every Republican member of the Electoral Commission
voted (eight to seven) to give effectual validity to the re-
versal, by the State Returning Boards, of the people's choice
of Tilden electors, — voted to receive the vote of every dis-
qualified elector. All were necessary to enable them to seat
Hayes by a majority of one.
We cannot more fitly close this too brief sketch of an
unexampled private and public career than by quoting
Governor Tilden's own words, on the 12th of June, 1877,
upon this, " the most portentous event in our political
history" :
" Everybody knows that after the recent election the men
who were elected by the people President and Vice-Presi-
dent of the United States were ' counted out,' and men
who were not elected were 'counted in' and seated. I
disclaim any thought of the personal wrong involved in this
transaction. Not by any act or word of mine shall that be
dwarfed or degraded into a personal grievance, which is, in
truth, the greatest wrong that has stained our national an-
nals. To every man of the four and a quarter millions who
were defrauded of the fruits of their elective franchise it is
as great a wrong as it is to me. And no less to every man
of the minority will the ultimate consequences extend.
Evils in government grow by success and by impunity.
They do not arrest their own progress. They can never be
limited except by external forces. If the men in possession
of the government can in one instance maintain themselves
in power against an adverse decision at the elections, such
an example will be imitated. Temptation exists always.
Devices to give the color of law, and false pretenses on which
to found fraudulent decisions, will not be wanting. The
wrong will grow into a practice if condoned — if once con-
doned. In the world's history changes in the succession of
governments have usually been the result of fraud or force.
It has been our fiuth and our pride that we had established
a mode of peaceful change, to be worked out by the agency
of the ballot-box.
" The question now is whether our elective system, in
its substance as well as its form, is to be maintained. This
is the question of questions. Until it is finally settled
there can be no politics founded on inferior questions of
administrative policy. It involves the fundamental right
of the people. It involves the elective principle. It in-
volves the whole system of popular government. The
people must signally condemn the great wrong which has
been done to them. They must strip the example of every-
thing that can attract imitators. They must refuse a pros-
perous immunity to crime. This is not all. The people
will not be able to trust the authors or beneficiaries of the
wrong to devise remedies. But when those who condemn
the wrong shall have the power they must devise the meas-
ure which shall render a repetition of the wrong forever
impossible. If my voice could reach throughout our
country and be heard in its remotest hamlet, I would say :
' Be of good cheer. The republic will live. 'The institu-
tions of our fathers are not to expire in shame. The sov-
ereignty of the people shall be rescued from this peril and
re-established.' Successful wrong never appears so tri-
umphant as on the very eve of its fall. Seven years ago a
corrupt dynasty culminated in its power over the one mil-
lion of people who live in the city of New York. It had
conquered or bribed, or flattered and won, almost every-
body into acquiescence. It appeared to be invincible. A
year or two later its members were in the penitentiaries or
in exile. History abounds in similar examples. We must
believe in the right and in the future. A great and noble
nation will not sever its political from its moral life."
I
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
JOHN VAN NESS PHILIP.
Lieutenant-Commander John Van Ness Philip was the
son of the late Colonel Henry G. Philip and Catharine D.
Hoffman, and was born in the town of Claverack, Columbia
Co., N. Y., on March 14, 1823. He received in early life
a classical education, attending the academies at Claverack
and Lenox, Mass., and graduating with high honors at the
Van Rensselaer Institute, in Troy, then under the care of
Professor Eaton.
With his education thus attained, and slaiidinp.' on the
threshold of young manhood, he looked around with
youthful eagerness for some useful and honorable occupa-
tion in which to spend the manly energies which he felt
growing within him. Nor did he look in- vain. On a visit
to his uncle, the late General John P. Van Ness, he was
offered a midshipman's warrant in the United States navy.
The offer being congenial
to his own spirit of cour-
age, enterprise, and pa-
triotism, he accepted it
with alacrity, and thus
devoted his life specifi-
cally to the .service of his
country. As an officer
in the navy he served
faithfully and with honor
in various parts of the
world, both in peace and
in war.
During the Jlexican
war he was stationed on
the coast of California,
and for gallant conduct
in the action of San Ga-
briel was specially men-
tioned, not only in the
report of Commodore
Stockton, but also in that
of General Kearney, com-
mander of the forces on
land.
After his return from
the Pacific coast, Mr. JOI'n V.\n
Philip sailed as lieuten-
ant on board the steam frigate " Mississippi," which was sent
to Turkey by our government for the purpose of convey-
ing to the United States the exiled patriot, Louis Kossuth.
While Kossuth was still guarded by Turkish soldiers, and
was in imminent peril of being given up to the Austrian
authorities. Lieutenant Philip, in connection with some
English officers, devised a plan for his rescue ; which,
however, was delayed in its execution, and finally abandoned
when the Turkish government voluntarily allowed Kossuth
and his companions to place themselves under the protection
of the American flag.
On his return from the cruise in the " Mississippi," Lieu-
tenant Philip was withdrawn from sea service and appointed
to the honorable post of assistant professor of mathematics
in the naval school at Annapolis. While there he was
united in marriage with the daughter of the late Chancellor
14
Johnson, of Maryland. He performed the duties of his
professorship for five years ; but, meanwhile, his thoughts
and desires were reverting to the beautiful scenes of his
childhood. The country, too, was at peace with itself and
with all other nations, and did not imperatively demand his
continuance in the service. He therefore resigned his com-
mission in the navy, returned to his native town, and made
it his home thenceforward till the time of his decca.sc.
Here old friendships were revived and new ones formed.
With characteristic earnestness, yet with becoming modesty,
he applied himself to every good work wiiich his hands
found to do. The circle of his popularity and influence
widened and continued to extend until there was no one in
the community more widely or highly esteemed than John
Van Ness Philip. This esteem and affection he highly
prizcd,butmoreprecious to him were the delights of his home.
For such a man to fear
himself away from such a
home was a sacrifice in-
deed ; but at the call of
duty the sacrifice was
made when his country
again needed his services.
Keenly alive to her honor,
an ardent lover of her fiee
and noble institutions,
chivalric in his admira-
tion and love for the flag
of his country, his heart
leaped with indignation
when the news first broke
upon the land of the un-
justifiable revolt of the
southern States; and, al-
though by marriage con-
nected with the best
blood of the south, he
was among the very first
to fly to the standard of
his country when it was
insulted by the wanton
attack upon Fort Sum-
ter. His offer was accep-
ted, and during the latter
part of May, ISGl, he left the navy-yard at Brooklyn as the
lieutenant and executive officer of the steamship " R. R.
Cuyler," connected with the blockading squadron in the
Gulf of Mexico. How honorably and faithfully he dis-
charged the duties of that position the records of the navy
department and the history of the times fully attest. He
returned in the month of June, 1SG2, making a brief visit
at home, and was again off to join his squadron. The
steamer had been ordered to touch at Key West for coal,
and, although the officers were aware that the terrible
scourge of that climate, yellow fever, was prevailing at that
port, the order was obeyed. The ship became infected with
the deadly disease ; the captain soon died ; the surgeon and
Lieutenant Philip were taken sick ; the latter, on his sick
bed, took command of the steamer, and directed her return
to New York. They rejiehed Sandy Hook and were placed
NE.SS PHILIP.
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
in lower quarantine, where Lieutenant Philip died on the
hospital sliip on the night of Sept. 2, 1862, but not until
he had looked once more upon the faces of his wife and
brother, who had hastened to meet him.
As an oflScer, Lieutenant Philip was brave, vigilant, and
self sacrificing ; as a citizen, patriotic and public-spirited ;
as a man, he was both just and generous ; as a friend, warm-
hearted and faithful. At his death the military committee
of Columbia county, through their chairman, the late Judge
Henry Hogeboom, presented a series of suitable resolutions
of high appreciation of his character, respect for his public
•services, and sincere grief at his loss. The Agricultural
and Horticultural Association, of which he had been unani-
mously elected the first president, and to which he had de-
voted his untiring energy and zeal as an executive oflScer,
also passed resolutions of respect and condolence.
We cannot better clo.se this brief sketch than by quoting
a few of the heart-felt words of his friend, the late Stephen
Burrell, in an obituary notice contributed to the New York
Journal of Commerce :
" The respect of the aged, the honor of the good and
wise, the love of the purest and best, shall hallow his grave.
It shall be wet with the tears of the poor and lowly, and
his memory in the hearts of us all shall blossom all the
year and keep green forever."
JOHN W. EDMONDS.®
John Worth Edmonds, son of General Samuel Edmonds,
was born March 13, 1799, in the city of Hudson. His early
education was obtained at private schools and at the academy
at Hudson, where he prepared for college. In October, 1814,
he entered the sophomore class of Williams College, Ma.s-
sachusetts, but in 1815 he solicited his dismissal from that
institution, and entered Union College, at Schenectady,
where he graduated in July, 1816. On leaving college
he began the study of the law at Cooperstown with George
Monell, Esq., afterwards chief-justice of Michigan. After
remaining at that place about six months he returned to
Hudson, where he studied two years in the office of Monell
& Van Burcn.
In the fall of 1819 he entered the office of Martin Van
Burcn, in Albany. He continued with the ex-President,
re.-iiJiiig in his family, until May, 1820, when he returned
to Hudson and entered upon the practice of the law. He
continued at Hud,son until his removal to New York, iu
November, 1837.
At the age of nineteen he wa.s appointed a lieutenant in
the militia, which commission he held for about fifteen
years, when he obtained the command of his regiment.
This office he resigned in 1828, on being appointed, by De
AVitt Clinton, recorder of Hudson.
At an early age lie took an active part in politics as a
Democrat, and the first vote he ever gave was for Daniel
D. Tompkins, who ran for governor against De AVitt
Clinton.
In 1830 ho was elected by the Democrats of Columbia
Compilca from a notice of Judge EJinoudii in the " Auitrieun
igriipliieal .Sketeh-l?uok."
to the Assembly, in which body he soon became a leading
and influential member.
In the fall of 1831 he was elected to the State Senate,
receiving in his district the large majority of over seven
thousand five hundred votes.
In the Senate he served four years, during the whole of
which time, in addition to other duties, he was a member
of the judiciary committee, and for the last three years was
chairman of the bank committee.
It was also during his senatorial term that the .subject
of nullification, arising out of the forcible resistance of
South Carolina to the tariff laws, occupied the public mind.
A joint committee of the two houses was raised on the
matter, and Mr. Edmonds was a member on the part of the
Senate. An elaborate report, drawn up by Mr. A^^n Burcn,
then Vice-President of the United States, was made by
Nathaniel P. Tallmadge, the chairman of the committee.
About that time Mr. Tallmadge was elected to the United
States Senate, and opposition to his report on nullification
unexpectedly arising, the defense of it fell upon Mr. Ed-
monds. The debate lasted more than a week, during which
time the judge stood alone against six of the most promi-
nent senators on the other side. The result was the
adoption of the report by an overwhelming majority.
In the summer of 1836 he was appointed by General
Jackson to carry into effect the treaty with the Ottawa
and Chlppeiva tribes of Indians. This business took him
during the summer to Michilimackinac, where for nearly
two months he was encamped with over six hundred
natives. In the ensuing year he received appointments in
relation to other tribes ; but in the fall of 1837 he re-
linquished them, and removed from Hudson to New York,
where he resumed the practice of law, and almost imme-
diately found himself in an extensive and profitable business.
In April, 1843, without any solicitation on his part, he
was appointed by Governor Bouck an inspector of the State
prison at Sing Sing. It was with much hesitation that he
accepted this unthankful task. The labor was indeed her-
culean, as scarcely any discipline was maintained in the
prison, and the earnings lell short of the expenses by over
$40,000. But within eighteen months a great change was
effected ; strict discipline was introduced and maintained
among the prisoners, and the annual deficiency in the reve-
nue was reduced to less than a tenth part of the former
sum.
This task, however, was easy in comparison with a reform
of a different character which he sought to introduce. He
found that for more than fifteen years the system of gov-
ernment which had prevailed in our State prisons was one
purely of force, and where no sentiment was sought to be
awakened in the breast of the prisoner but that of fear,
and no duty exacted from him but that of implicit obedi-
ence. No instrument of punishment was used but the
whip, which had the effect of arousing only the worst
passions of both convicts and officers, — a practice of abomi-
nable cruelty, long engrafted upon our penitentiary sy.stcm,
revolting to humanity, and destructive to all hope of re-
forming the prisoner. So thoroughly had it become engrafted
that the most experienced officers insisted that there was
no other mode by which order could be kept.
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
107
Passion, prejudice, and selfishness all combined to place
obstacles in the way of this proposed reform, and its pro-
gress was very slow. Yet it steadily advanced, and when,
in 1845, Mr. Edmonds resigned the ofiice of inspector, his
system was in the full tide of success, and has been con-
tinued by his successors to the present time.
On the ISth of February, 1845, Mr. Edmonds received
the appointment of circuit judge of the first circuit, in the
place of Judge Kent, who had resigned. That office he
held until June, 1847, when he was elected a judge of the
Supreme Court.
Upon the organization of the judiciary, under the new
State constitution, Judge Edmonds was nominated for
justice of the Supreme Court by the bar of New York and
by the Tammany party, and was elected by a majority ex-
ceeding any of his colleagues. This result was gratifying,
not only to him, but to the public, inasmuch as during his
judgeship he had made several decisions that warred upon
popular prejudice, and immediately before his election he
had, with others of the Democratic party, protested against
the admission of Texas into the Union, as eminently calcu-
lated to lead to a war with Mexico, and to perpetuate the
extension of slavery. His course was justified by his
triumphant election by the public, who honored him for his
independence of character. In the discharge of his judicial
duties Judge Edmonds was always fearless and independ-
ent, in which particular he was often compared to the
celebrated Sir Matthew Hale. He was especially gifted in
the art of communicating to others what he himself knew
or felt; and, altogether, he was a man of rare though
somewhat eccentric talents.
WILLIAM A. PORTER
was born at Catskill, N. Y., in the year 182
He
grandson to the late Rev. David Porter, of that place. He
was nephew also on his maternal side to Judge Henry
Hogeboom, of the Supreme Court of New York, lately de-
ceased. Both he and his brothers were distinguished in
their respective callings in life, his brother John A. Porter,
now deceased, having become a leading professor at Yale
College, his brother Henry C. Porter, also now deceased,
an influential merchant at SheflSeld, 111., and his brother
Charles H. Porter a prominent physician at Albany, N. Y.
In his youth he lost both parents, and was thus thrown
early in life upon his own personal efforts and resources.
He began the study of law in the office of Judge Hoge-
boom, at Hudson, Columbia Co., N. Y., and in 1846 was
admitted to the bar. At the age of twenty-seven he was
advanced to the position of district attorney of Columbia
county, and won the respect of all for inflexible integrity
and marked ability in office. In 185G he established him-
self in Chicago, which was thenceforward his home, where,
after some ten years' practice of law in that city, he was
elevated to the bench of the Superior Court of Cook Co.,
111., and continued judge of that court the remainder of his
life, being at the time of his death its chief-justice. In
1859 he married the youngest daughter of Justus Boies,
Esq., of Northampton, Mass., by whom he had one son,
who survives them both, Mrs. Porter having died in 1871.
Judge Porter's death, which occurred Oct. 27, 1873, was
very sudden. In the prime of life, without previous sick-
ness, he was stricken down by an apoplectic attack, and
died in liis bed-chamber while a court-room thronged with
suitors and counsel awaited his coming.
A friend who had known him from boyhood intimately,
himself a distinguished member of the New York bar, and
who followed him a little more than a year thereafter, wrote
the following :
" lie has fallen instantly, and unwarned, in fullness of
his vigor and his ripe manhood, with harness on, his record
well made up, unbowed by sickness or disease, unbroken in
mind or body, honored by his profession, lamented by his
peers, loved by his friends, respected by all."
EDWARD PITKIN COWLES,
the eldest son of the Rev. Pitkin and Fanny Smith Cowles,
graduated at Yale College in 1836, and .shortly after began
the study of law in the oflBce of the late Hon. Ambrose L.
Jordan, at Hudson, N. Y.
In January, 1840, he was admitted to the bar, and
began to practice, his brother, David S. Cowles, joining
him as law partner soon afler. For the thirteen succeed-
ing years he continued at this place, devoting himself
zealously to the study and practice of his profession, taking
also an active part in the political affiurs of the county and
State. He soon became known as one of the strong men
of Columbia county, at a bar which is and has been justly
famous, and here laid the foundation of that which led to
honor and preferment.
In 1852 he married Sarah, daughter of Justus Boies, of
Northampton, Mass. (by whom he had four children, all of
whom survive him), and the following year removed to the
city of New York. Early in 1855 he was appointed, by the
governor, justice of the Supreme Court of this State, to fill
a vacancy caused by the death of Judge Edwards, and at
the close of his term was again appointed to fill the vacancy
cau.sed by the death of Judge Slorris. Over the second
appointment a contest arose, the point being made that an
election should have been held to fill the office. This con-
test Judge Cowles met in such a high-minded, dignified
manner as to obtain for him the esteem and admiration of
the whole community, and the warm friendship of his an-
tagonist.
On his retirement from the bench he was occupied for
several years almost exclusively in hearing and deciding
causes referred to him by the courts, and during the whole
latter part of his life did a large counsel business. During
the course of his practice, Hon. John M. Barbour, after-
wards chief-justice of the New York Superior Court, was at
one time associated with him.
He was an earnest and ardent patriot, and throughout
the War of the Rebellion made his influence felt in favor of
the northern cause. In December, 1864, he delivered a
memorable speech before the Chamber of Commerce of New
York city, on the occasion of the testimonial to Admiral
Farragut, and his predictions, which then seemed remark-
able, in regard to what might be the event of the conduct
of Great Britain towards the United States, were verified
not ten years after at Geneva. In speaking upon that sub-
ject he used these words : " Sir, it is perhaps not for us now
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
to seek to penetrate the veil which conceals the future from
our view. But it may be permitted us to believe that some
time hereafter, when this Rebellion shall have been sup-
pressed, as in time it will bo, and when its suppression shall
have been followed by the lestoration of the Union in all its
integrity, as under the blessing of God it is our unalterable
purpose it shall be, our cousins upon the opposite side of
the Atlantic may then be invited by our government to a
friendly conference over the devastations of our commerce
caused by these illustrations of their duties as a neutral
power during our grapple with a gigantic Rebellion."
His patriotic feelings, and determination that the Rebel-
lion should be put down at whatever cost, had been inten-
sified by the loss of his dearly-loved and gallant brother.
of the pleasure the two experienced at meeting again, of
hopes and plans for the future, of the sadness of parting,
and of the return home. Then a space for many days, with
finally an attempt to write again, followed by a blank which
was never attempted to be filled, and which is more eloquent
than words.
Judge Cowles continued to practice in New York city
until his death, which occurred in his 59th year, Dec. 2,
1874, at Chicago, on his return from a trip to California.
At the meeting of the next general term of the Supreme
Court in the first district, a warm tribute was paid to his
memory by the bench and bar ; the court adjourned, and
ordered a record to be made upon its minutes in com-
memoration of him.
^^^^^^^^-^i^^^^T^^^^^^-^v/^l^
Q^
Colonel David Smith Cowles, who was killed while in com-
mand of and leading an attacking force upon the enemy's
works at Port Hudson, La. In April, 1863, Judge Cowles
had visited New Orleans, and while there the two brothers
had passed the greater part of the time together, sharing
the same tent, and riding out frequently to reviews and
camp inspection. On the 12th he took steamer for New
Y"ork, and was accompanied to the wharf by his brother.
They exchanged signals as the steamer passed slowly down
the river in the twilight, the white kepi which Colonel
Cowles wore being distinguishable in the darkness for some
time. It was their last interview. Six weeks later Colonel
Cowles died on the field of battle. A pocket-diary contains
an account of this trip to New Orleans mid hack. It speaks
At the bar Judge Cowles was an advocate in the highest
sense of that word, striving only to evolve the truth from
the controversy in which he was engaged, remarkable also
for a vigorous and comprehensive grasp and appreciation of
the equity of the case. In his practice he was inflexibly
honest. His decisions while on the bench were but the
offspring of these principles, his sole desire being that right
should triumph, and to that end disregarding artificial and
technical obstacles.
In public life he was pure, in private life gentle and kind,
— a Christian gentleman. Of him it may be truly said
that he left his impress upon the laws and manners of his
time, and that for good.
Towards the close of his life, referring to its events by
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
request of an old Yale classmate, he penned the following
lines, which fitly express the devout and cheerful sentiments
by which he was ever moved : " Profoundly grateful for
such an unusual blending of blessings, I may be permitted
to truly say, my days have had their brightness, and life its
joys."
JOSEl'H GILBERT PALEN
was born at Palenville, Greene Co., N. Y., July 25, 1812.
His ancestors were from Holland. He was educated at
Kindcrhook Academy and at Amherst College, and was also
at Yale and Harvard. He studied law at Hudson, in the
office of Ambrose L.Jordan, whose good opinion he soon won,
and with whom he maintained a warm friendship through
life. He was admitted to practice in 1838, and immediately
formed a law-partnership with Allen Jordan, Esq., doing
with him an extensive and successful practice in the city
of Hudson for several years. Soon after commencing
practice he was appointed a master in chancery. In 1842
he was the candidate of the Whig party in the district
composed of Columbia and Greene, for Congress ; and al-
though defeated received a vote much larger than that of
the party. In 1848 failing health compelled him, much to
his own regret and that of his friends, to abandon the
practice of the law. He removed to Ancram, and there
passed several years in retii-ement upon his farm. In 1853
he was the Republican candidate for county judge of Co-
lumbia county, but was defeated. In 1861, having returned
to Hudson to reside, he was appointed postmaster of the
city, which position he held until 1869, when he was ap-
pointed chief-justice of the Supreme Court of the Territory
of New Mexico; and this position he filled up to the time
of his death, which occurred at Santa Fe, Dec. 21, 1875.
Judge Palen was a man of strong convictions and positive
opinions, and was emphatic and determined in giving ex-
pression to them. Attached and faithful to his friends, he
was frankly and strongly opposed to his enemies, — a man of
moral as well as physical courage, shrinking from the per-
formance of no duty, and not deterred by any danger. He
was without the elements of general popularity ; he avoided
notoriety, and was averse to all demonstrations in honor of
himself His tastes and mode of life were modest and simple,
and his habits studious and reflective. In politics he was
a Republican of the radical school.
As a lawyer he was distinguished for his quick appre-
hension, his accurate and extensive knowledge, his careful
and thorough preparation, and skill and success in the argu-
ment of his causes. His mind seemed to be adapted to the
investigation and comprehension of legal principles, and to
reach correct conclusions almost by intuition. He rarely
made a mistake. As a practitioner, in the equity courts
particularly, he was regarded by the older and more en-
lightened members of the profession as being one of the
ablest at the bar. His opinions were always accepted by
them with great respect. He was an enlightened judge,
just, independent, and conscientious. Prompt in his de-
cisions, having in view, in all his adjudications, the promo-
tion of truth and justice, he acquired an enviable reputation,
and was recognized wherever he was known as an ornament
to the judiciary of the country.
JOSEPU D. MO.XELL.
This distinguished lawyer was born in Claverack in the
year 1781, and was the son of Dr. George Monell, a very
eminent physician of his day. He commenced the study
of the law in the office of Jacob Rutsen Van Rensselaer,
and afterwards entered the office of Peter Van Schaack.
By his early associations, the adaptability of his mind, and
his close application to studies, he attained the first rank in
his profession.
Mr. Monell always occupied a prominent position in the
political affairs of the county, although he would never
accept a prominent office. He was recorder of the city of
Hudson from 1811 to 1813, and from 1815 to 1821 ; was
presidential elector at the first election of President Monroe,
in 1816; was district attorney in 1818; was member of
the Assembly from this county in 1824 ; was for two con-
secutive terms elected county clerk, — in 1828 and 1831 ;
was three years supervisor of the city, and for many years
a commissioner of loans of this county.
He died in the city of Hudson on the 17th of Septem-
ber, 1861. At a meeting of members of the Columbia
county bar, held at the court-house on the following day,
Judge Theodore Miller said, " The decease of Joseph D.
Monell is an event which has caused a pang of sorrow to
vibrate throughout the whole community. He has for
many years occupied a high position as a lawyer and a
citizen, and in his death the profession and the circle of his
numerous friends have sustained an irreparable loss.
" A native of this county, he lias been identified with its
early history, and associated in his professional career with
the great men who have conferred high honor upon it.
He was the compeer of Van Buren, Van Ness, Williams,
Spencer, and others, most of whom have long since passed
away to their final account, leaving behind them an en-
during fame. Amidst stich an array of genius he com-
menced his professional life, which was lengthened out to
an unusual period. For upwards of half a century Mr.
Monell was engaged in a large and lucrative practice, and
during that time filled high places of pubUc trust conferred
on him by his fellow-citizens. He filled these offices with
credit to himself and to the entire satisfaction of the public.
" It was his own choice that he attained no higher posi-
tion. Naturally diffident, he shrank intuitively from the
high places of distinction outside his native county, and
which I have reason to believe would have been conferred
on him if desired, but which he refused to accept when
tendered. He appeared to feel that his place of usefulness
was in an humbler sphere. With talents and ability to
fill the highest offices of honor and trust in the land, he
generously declined them, and was content to confine his
laboi-s to his own immediate neighborhood. It was for
others and not for himself that he toiled. How many are
now living who owe their success and elevation to his in-
defatigable labors? How many has he pushed forward to
eminence and distinction with a disinterestedness and self-
sacrifice rarely witnessed? The field of his labors was in
the more quiet walks of the profession, as he purposely
avoided those of a public character, yet they were marked
by striking characteristics which have never been sur-
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
KILLIAN MILLER
was descended from Holland ancestry, and was born in the
town of Claverack, July 30, 1785. He received his edu-
cation at the select academy in Claverack taught by An-
drew Mayfield Carshore, an accomplished and successful
teacher of that period. He studied law in the office of
Jacob Rutsen Van Rensselaer, at Claverack, and was ad-
mitted to the bar about the year 1807, soon after which lie
established himself in business at the village of Johnstown,
town of Livingston, in this county. He remained there
until the year 1833, when he removed to the city of Hudson,
where he died, Jan. 9, 1859.
He, in conjunction with Ambrose L. Jordan and Joseph
Lord, represented this county in the As.'-embly of 1825-2G ;
again in 1828-29. He represented the county in the As-
sembly with Elisha Williams and Abel S. Peters. He was
elected county clerk in 1837, and in 1855 was elected to
Congress from this district, proving himself an influential
and able member during the two years of his term.
Mr. Miller was a man of mark in his day. He was
greatly distinguished as a lawyer, and won a solid reputa-
tion and a prominent place among the many talented and
brilliant men who adorned the bar of Columbia county,
and made it celebrated throughout tiie State.
As a lawyer he was noted for his persevering industry,
his tact and discrimination in the trial of his causes, his
profound knowledge of men as well as of legal principles,
his loyalty to his client, and the great success which, in a
long practice in this and adjoining counties, crowned his
efforts as an advocate. He was never eloquent, in the
ordinary sense of the term, but there was a vigor and
earnestness and pungency in his thought and language,
and a quickness and directness in his conceptions and
theories, and a stern logic in all his views, which made
him a most dangerous antagonist. The mind that would
venture in collision with his must be daring as well as
able. He had those broad and far-reaching powers of
mind which enable the possessor to command the elements
of legal philosophy and to create a jurisprudence of his
own.
He was well known throughout the State, and was
thoroughly identified with the people of his own section.
Of popular manners and irreproachable integrity, governed
by generous and manly impulses, able and ingenuous, no
one who knew Killian Miller in his prime would deny him
the possession of any of the qualities which illustrate the
learned and honorable lawyer of the old school.
ELIAS W. LEAVENWORTH.
Elias Warren Leavenworth, son of Dr. David Leaven-
worth, was born in Canaan, in this county, Dec. 20, 1803.
At the age of sixteen he entered the Hudson Academy,
then in charge of Rev. Dr. Parker, and in the following
year he entered the sophomore class at Williams College,
and, after spending a year there, entered the same class at
Yale. In 1824 he was graduated with the degree of Bach-
elor of Arts, and in due time received that of A.M. He
commenced the study of law with William Cullen Bryant,
at Great Barrington, Mass., and after a short time entered
the law school at Litchfield, Conn., where he remained till
1827. In the fall of that year he removed to Syracuse,
N. Y., and was soon admitted to practice in the court of
common pleas and the Supreme Court of the State. In
1829 he formed a law partnership with the late B. Davis
Noxon, which continued till 1850, the firm becoming one
of the most prominent in that portion of the State. He
was compelled to relinquish practice in the last-named year
on account of ill health. From 1838 to 1841 inclusive he
held the office of president of the village of Syracuse, and
in 1849 was elected as its mayor, it having been incorpo-
rated a city in the preceding year. In 1850 he was elected
to the Assembly, and during his term was chairman of the
committee on salt manufacture. He was named for the
office of comptroller by Governor Fish in 1850, but, being
ineligible by reason of membership in the Assembly, his
name was withdrawn. In 1851 he was tendered the nomi-
nation for attorney-general or judge of the court of appeals,
but declined these honors. In 1853 he was elected secre-
tary of state. In 1856 he was again elected to the As-
sembly, and served as chairman of the committee on canals,
and a member of that on banks, as well as chairman of the
select committee on the equalization of the State tax. In
1859 he was again mayor of Syracuse, and in the same year
was defeated as a candidate for the office of secretary of
state. In 18G0 he was appointed a member of the board
of quarantine commissioners, and in 1801 became one of
the regents of the university, and was nominated and con-
firmed as commissioner on the part of the United States
government under the convention with the government of
New Granada, and served until the dissolution of the com-
mission, in 1862. In 1865 he was made president of the
board of commissioners appointed by the governor to locate
the State Asylum for the Blind, and the same year a trus-
tee of the State Asylum for Idiots, and in 1867 a trustee
of Hamilton College. In 1872 he was one of the board of
commissioners to amend the State constitution, and in the
same year received the honorary degree of LL.D. from
Hamilton College.
He was elected to the Forty-fourth Congress on the Re-
publican ticket, to represent the district comprising the
counties of Onondaga and Cortland, but declined to accept
a renomination, though urged to do so.
In his earlier life he interested himself much in military
matters, and, being commissioned a lieutenant of artillery
in 1832, he passed rapidly through the intervening grades
to that of brigadier-general, to which rank he was appointed
in 1836, and a.ssigned to the command of the Seventh
Brigade of Artillery. He resigned his commission in 1841.
He is at present one of the most prominent and distin-
guished citizens of the city of Syracuse.
DR. S. OAKLEY VANDERPOEL,
the son of a physician of considerable celebrity, was born at
Kinderhook, Feb. 22, 1824. At an early age he completed
his preparatory training in the Kinderhook Academy, and
entered upon his collegiate course in the University of New
York. He returned with its diploma to begin the study of
medicine with his father, and after a thorough course he
graduated at Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, 1845.
In 1847 he went to Paris to pursue his studies, remain-
HISTOEY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
ing abroad till 1850; then returned and settled in Albany,
where he soon became noted as a physician. In 1857
Governor King appointed him surgeon-general of the State,
and three years later he was chosen president of the Albany
County Medical Society, and re-elected the following year.
In 1861 he was again appointed surgeon-general of the
State; this time by Governor Morgan. The opening of
the War of the Rebellion made this position a most arduous
one. The magnitude of the responsibility may be judged
from the fact that there were between six and seven hun-
dred positions upon the medical staff to be kept filled with
capable officers. A still more significant testimony is em-
bodied in the statement that at one time the surgeon-general
was called upon to make over five hundred appointments in
the space of six weeks. His successful administration of
this office elicited the official approval of both the secretary
of war and the governor of the State, and constitutes an
important chapter in the record of the part taken by New
York in the great conflict.
In 1867 he was appointed to the chair of General Pathol-
ogy and Clinical Medicine in the Albany Medical College,
which he held for three years, and then resigned. At
about the same time he was appointed a manager of the
State Lunatic Asylum at Utica, and in February, 1870, was
elected president of the Medical Society of the State of New
York, the highest recognition in the power of his profes-
sional brethren to bestow.
In 1872 he was called by Governor Hoffman to take
charge of the quarantine department of the port of New
York as health-officer of the port. It is a position of great
power and responsibility, but in the discharge of its duties
Dr. Vanderpoel has given the highest satisfaction to mer-
chants and others connected with the commerce of the city.
In January, 1876, he was elected to the chair of Theory
and Practice of Medicine in the Albany Medical College, —
a position which, with his duties as health-officer, he has
since earnestly sustained.
WILLIAM H. TOBEY
was born in the city of Hudson, in this county, on the 1st
day of January, in the year 1799. He received an aca-
demic and collegiate education, decided upon the profession
of the law as his pursuit, studied in the office of Judge
James Vanderpoel, and after his admission to the bar prac-
ticed for a short time in Rochester and in New Lebanon,
but finally settled in Kinderhook, which was his home for
nearly half a century. Early in his professional career he
formed a partnership with Hon. Aaron Vanderpoel, and in
1843 became associated in business with John H. Rey-
nolds, late commissioner of appeals. This lasted until
1851, and in 1856 the law firm of Tobey & Silvester was
formed by his partnership with the Hon. Francis Silvester.
This continued until his death, which occurred June 16,
1878. In 1837 he was elected a member of Assembly,
and from the commencement of the session, on the 2d of
January, 1838, till its close, on the 18th day of April in
that year, diligently devoted himself to the performance of
his legislative duties. In the list of members of that body
appear such names as Luther Bradish, John A. King,
George W. Patterson, David B. Ogden, and Preston King,
— all well and favorably known in the history of the State
of New York. But no man among them was more atten-
tive to the interests of his constituents or more influential
than William H. Tobey.
In the year 1811 he was appointed by Governor Seward
surrogate of this county, and discharged the duties of that
office for four years to the perfect satisfaction not only
of all suitors in that court, but of the public at large, and
in such a manner as to oflfer a sure protection to the im-
portant interests which were constantly submitted for his
consideration.
In 1853 the Union Bank of Kinderhook was organized.
Mr. Tobey was at once elected its president, and continued
in that position till his death. The peculiarly successful
career of that institution, the harmony which has pervaded
all its management, and the uniformly high credit which it
has maintained must be attributed, in no small degree, to
the wise counsels and judicious management of its presiding
officer. In November, 1861, after an exciting contest, Mr.
Tobey was elected senator from the counties of Columbia
and Dutchess, by the flattering majority of nine hundred
votes.
The judiciary committee was then, as it is now, one of
the most importjmt Senate committees, and upon that
committee he was placed, in conjunction with Judges Fol-
ger and Willard and Mr. Ganson, — men distinguished at
the bar, on the bench, and in political life. Questions of
the gravest interest not only to the State, but to the nation,
were constantly discussed and decided during the whole of
his official term. The country was then passing through
the crisis of its existence ; its very life was at stake ; and
the means of preserving that life were to be furnished, to a
great extent, by the Empire State. No man among his
brother senators could be found, in those trying days, more
continually at his post of duty, or more earnest in the de-
termination to vindicate the authority of^ the law and sus-
tain the government, than the senator from Columbia and
Dutchess. He comprehended as fully and clearly as did
any one of his compeers all the delicate questions that were
daily arising, brought to their consideration and solution
all the powers of his vigorous mind, and ripe and mature
studies and experience, and never failed to shed light upon
any subject which he discussed. Of his career in the
Senate it can be truthfully said, in his own words, which
he applied to his lamented friend. Judge Willard, " he
threw all his influence on the side of the government, the
constitution, and the laws, and cheerfully lent his voice and
his vote on all occasions to sustain the sovereignty of the
Union and to crush out the rebellion."
Deeply interested from early manhood in all questions
affecting national and State politics, he was clear, decided,
and unwavering in his views. AVhile the Whig party re-
mained in existence he was one of its most ardent and
energetic supporters, one of its most valued and trusted
leaders in this section of the State, and a warm and active
advocate of its policy and candidates.
When the Republican party was organized, he became
one of its earliest and most efficient members, and con-
tinued true to its principles till death.
The cause of education found a warm advocate in him.
112
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
He was, at the time of his deatli, and had been for many
years, president of the board of trustees of Kinderhook
Academy ; he was deeply interested in all that pertained to
its welfare, and constantly ready to labor and contribute for
its advancement.
As a lawyer Mr. Tobey was well read, thoroughly
grounded in the principles of the law, devoted to the inter-
ests of his clients, sparing no study in the investigation of
the cases committed to his charge, and entering upon the
preparation and trial of every cause with which he was
intrusted, with energetic zeal and keen discrimination.
During his long years of practice, the roll of members of
the bar of Columbia county contained many distinguished
names. But it is doing no injustice to those now num-
bered with himself among the departed, or those who still
remain to bear the heat and burden of the day, to claim
that he has been surpassed by none of his compeers and
associates in all the various qualifications and essentials
necessary to constitute the useful, trustworthy, honored,
and distinguished lawyer and counselor.
CHAPTER XII.
THE PEOFESSIONS-THE PRESS.
The bar of Columbia county has always been a noted
one. On its roll of attorneys appear names which have
been in the past household words, and whose fame has en-
riched the annals of the State and nation.
From the highest place in the gift of the people, down-
ward through almost every grade of official life, this bar
has been represented with honor. Many of its illustrious
members in the past have personal mention elsewhere in
these pages, and many of its present members are worthily
filling the high places vacated by their predecessors. On
the roll of the Columbia bar there is to-day no lack of
names which might properly be written beside the eminent
ones of the past, but such mention is not within the scope
and plan of this work.
The roll of attorneys who have had a residence in the
county from its organization to the present time, as gath-
ered from the records of the courts, and revised by several
of the oldest practitioners of the Columbia bar, is as fol-
lows :*
178G.— John Bay, Ezekiel Gilbert. Killian K. Van
Rensselaer, Peter Van Schaack, John C. Wynkoop, Myn-
dert P. Vosburgh, Elisha Pratt.
1787. — Hezekiah L. Hosmer.
1788. — Ambrose Spencer, Martin Van Buren, Thomas
Cooper, Philip L. HoflFman, Isaac Goes.
1789. — Francis Silvester, Elihu Chauncey Goodrich.
1790.— John C. Schuyler, Peter L. Van Alen, Peter
W. Livingston.
«■ The date given is the date of the admission to tlie Columbia
county courts, as evidenced by the signature on the parchment-roll
of the court, or the fir-st appearance in the court for business.
1791. — Jacob Rutsen Van Rensselaer, Henry C. Van
Schaack, John P. Van Ness, John Van Hoesen Huyck.
1792. — Barent Hoes, Barent Van Buren, Daniel "Whit-
ing.
1793.— Elisha Williams.
1794. — James I. Van Alen.
1795. — John Champlin.
1796.— William W. Van Ness, Philip Gebhard, Garret
B. Van Ness.
1797. — Barent Gardenier.
1798.— Francis Silvester, Jr.
1799.— Wm. P. Van Ness.
1801.— Elisha Holly, Thomas Bay.
1802.— Philip S. Parker, David Knapp, Ebenezer Foote,
John King.
1803. — Francis Pruyn, Matthew Cantine, Joseph D.
Monell, Cornelius P. Van Ness.
1804. — Thomas P. Grosvenor.
1806. — Cornelius Beekman, Daniel Rodman.
1807.— Killian Miller, John Woodward.
1808. — Abraham P. Holdridge, James Vanderpoel.
1810. — Cornelius Miller, James Strong, James H. Ham-
ilton, Justus McKinstry.
1811. — Abraham A. Van Buren.
1813. — Thomas Beekman, Benjamin F. Butler.
1814. — Thomas K. Baker, Moses J. Cantine.
1815.— James J. Bill.
1816. — Chester Ashley (United States senator from
Texas), David Van Schaack, Austin Abbott, Benjamin P.
Johnson.
1817.— John B. Dexter, Julius Wilcoxson.
1818.— Campbell Bushnell, Reuben Rowley, Chester
Beale, Daniel B. Tallmadge.
1819.— William Overbaugh, John W. Edmonds.
1820.— James H. Teackle, Wra. H. Tobey, Aaron Van-
derpoel, Ambrose L. Jordan, Charles Waldo.
1821. — David F. Barstow, Allen Jordan.
1822.— Robert H. Morris.
1823. — Chester Sturtevant.
1825.— Eleazer Root, Jr., Chas. Esselstyn, Cyrus M.
Stebbins.
1826.— Nathan Chamberlain.
1827.— John B. Van Ness.
1828. — J. Rutsen Van Rensselaer, Jr., Darius Peck.
1829.— Russell G. Door, Chas. B. Dutcher, W. W.
Brodhead, Carroll Livingston.
1830.— Wheeler H. Clarke, Josiah Sutherland, John
Gaul, Jr., John Snyder, John Sanders, Jr., Peter H. Sil-
vester, Henry Hogeboom, Martin Van Deusen, Peter Van
Schaack, Jr.
1831.— Robert B. Monell, Wm. H. Freeland, G. C.
Heermance, James Burt, W. D. Henderson.
1832. — George G. Bull, Josiah W. Fairfield, James
Sutherland, Jr.
1833. — James Storm, A. Underbill, Ambro.se S. Russell,
Alonzo Greene, George W. Bulkeley.
1834.— E. C. Halsey.
1835.— Robert C. Van Rensselaer, Robert L. Dorr,
Edwin C. Litchfield.
1836. — Josephus D. Jordan, Daniel B. Cady.
'V '^
f^ON. /<CNf?YftoCEBOOM
HON. HENKY HOGEBOOM.
Hon. Henry Hogeboom, late judge of the Supreme
Court, was prominently before the public in various legal
and judicial capacities for more than thirty years, and came
of distinguished ancestry. His grandfather, Hon. Corne-
lius Hogeboom, was a descendant of the oldest Knicker-
bocker stock of the Stat«. He was for several years high-
sheriff of Columbia county, and while an incumbent of
that office, and in the discharge of official duties, he was
killed in the town of Hinsdale, in the year 1791. Hon.
John C. Hogeboom, the father of the judge, was a gentle-
man of the purest integrity, and of commanding influence
in the county. He was high-sheriff for two terms, and
discharged the duties of that position with an energy,
fidelity, and promptitude which won him universal com-
mendation and respect. He was twice elected member of
Assembly from his native county ; was once elected State
senator ; was a member of the old council of appointment ;
was presidential elector, and oast his electoral vote for Hon.
George Clinton, with whom he sustained relations of warm-
est personal friendship. He was also the first president of
the old Bank of Hudson, whose banking house was the
same building occupied by the subject of this biography
until the time of his death.
Hon. Henry Hogeboom was born in Ghent, Colombia
county, N. Y., on the 25th of February, 1809. He per-
sued his academic studies preparatory to entering college at
the old academy in Hudson, and graduated at Yale College,
after a full course, at the early age of eighteen years.
Soon after he left college he began the study of law in the
office of Messrs. Power & Day, eminent legal practitioners
in the village of Catskill, and completed his course of legal
reading with Hon. Mr. Bushnell, then a prominent lawyer
of Hudson. He was admitted to practice in 1830, and in
1831 was appointed by his excellency, Enos Throop, then
governor of New York, a master in chancery and one of
the county judges of Columbia county. Immediately aft«r
his appointment to this position he was chosen by his
associates presiding judge of the county, which office he
filled with dignity and universal acceptance for three years.
After the expiration of his judicial term he resumed the
active practice of his profession, becoming the law partner
of Hon. Abraham Van Buren, with whom he continued
until the death of Mr. Van Buren, in 1836. He then formed
a copartnership with Hon. Joseph D. Monell, which con-
tinued until 1845. While a partner with Mr. Monell, Judge
Hogeboom was elected a member of Assembly from Co-
lumbia county, and immediately upon the meeting of the
Legislature took rank with the ablest, purest, and most
influential members of that body. Soon aft«r the dissolu-
tion of the partnership with Mr. Monell, he became a
partner with Casper P. Collier, Esq., of Hudson ; subse-
quently with his favorite nephew, Hon. William A. Porter,
late chief justice of the superior court of Chicago ; and
after the election of Mr. Porter to the office of district
attorney of Columbia county, Judge Hogeboom became
connected in law business with the late William Boies, Esq.
112
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
He was, at the time of his deatli, and had been for many
years, president of the board of trustees of Kinderhook
Academy ; he was deeply interested in all that pertained to
its welfare, and constantly ready to labor and contribute for
its advancement.
As a lawyer Mr. Tobey was well read, thoroughly
grounded in the principles of the law, devoted to the inter-
ests of his clients, sparing no study in the investigation of
the cases committed to his charge, and entering upon the
preparation and trial of every cause with which he was
intrusted, with energetic zeal and keen discrimination.
During his long years of practice, the roll of members of
the bar of Columbia county contained many distinguished
names. But it is doing no injustice to those now num-
bered with himself among the departed, or those who still
remain to bear the heat and burden of the day, to claim
that he has been surpassed by none of his compeers and
associates in all the various qualifications and essentials
necessary to constitute the useful, trustworthy, honored,
and distinguished lawyer and counselor.
CHAPTER XII.
THE PHOPESSIONS-THE PRESS.
THE BAR.
The bar of Columbia county has always been a noted
one. On its roll of attorneys appear names which have
been in the past household words, and whose fiime has en-
riched the annals of the State and nation.
From the highest place in the gift of the people, down-
ward through almost every grade of oflBcial life, this bar
has been represented with honor. Many of its illustrious
members in the past have personal mention elsewhere in
these pages, and many of its present members are worthily
filling the high places vacated by their predecessors. On
the roll of the Columbia bar there is to-day no lack of
names which might properly be written beside the eminent
ones of the past, but such mention is not within the scope
and plan of this work.
The roll of attorneys who have had a residence in the
county from its organization to the present time, as gath-
ered from the records of the courts, and revised by several
of the oldest practitioners of the Columbia bar, is as fol-
lows :*
1786.— John Bay, Ezekiel Gilbert. Killian K. Van
Rensselaer, Peter Van Schaack, John C. Wynkoup, Myn-
dert P. Vosburgh, Elisha Pratt.
1787. — Hezekiali L. Hosmer.
1788. — Ambrose Spencer, Martin Van Buren, Thomas
Cooper, Philip L. Hoffman, Isaac Goes.
1789. — Francis Silvester, Elihu Chauncey Goodrich.
1790.— John C. Schuyler, Peter L. Van Alen, Peter
W. Livingston.
* The date given is the (late of the admission to tlie Columbia
county courts, as evidenced by the signature on the parchment-roll
of the court, or the first appearance in the court for business.
1791. — Jacob Rutsen Van Rensselaer, Henry C. Van
Schaack, John P. Van Ness, John Van Hoesen Huyck.
1792. — Barent Hoes, Barent Van Buren, Daniel Whit-
ing.
1793.— Elisha Williams.
1794. — James I. Van Alen.
1795. — John Champlin.
1796.— William W. Van Ness, Philip Gebhard, Garret
B. Van Ness.
1797.— Barent Gardenier.
1798.— Francis Silvester, Jr.
1799.— Wm. P. Van Ness.
1801.— Elisha Holly, Thomas Bay.
1802. — Philip S. Parker, David Knapp, Ebenezer Foote,
John King.
1803. — Francis Pruyn, Matthew Cantine, Joseph D.
Monell, Cornelius P. Van Ness.
1804. — Thomas P. Grosvenor.
1806. — Cornelius Beekman, Daniel Rodman.
1807.— Killian Miller, John Woodward.
1808. — Abraham P. Iloldridge, James Vanderpoel.
1810. — Cornelius Miller, James Strong, James H. Ham-
ilton, Justus McKinstry.
1811. — Abraham A. Van Buren.
1813. — Thomas Beekman, Benjamin P. Butler.
1814.— Thomas K. Baker, Moses J. Cantine.
1815.— James J. Bill.
1816. — Chester Ashley (United States senator from
Texas), David Van Schaack, Austin Abbott, Benjamin P.
Johnson.
1817. — John B. Dexter, Julius Wilcoxson.
1818.— Campbell Bushnell, Reuben Rowley, Chester
Beale, Daniel B. Tallmadge.
1819.- William Overbaugh, John W. Edmond.s.
1820.— James H. Teackle, Wm. H. Tobey, Aaron Van-
derpoel, Ambrose L. Jordan, Charles Waldo.
1821. — David F. Barstow, Allen Jordan.
1822.— Robert H. Monis.
1823. — Chester Sturtevant.
1825. — Eleazer Root, Jr., Chas. Esselstyn, Cyrus M.
Stebbins.
1826.— Nathan Chamberlain.
1827.— John B. Van Ness.
1828. — J. Rutsen Van Rensselaer, Jr., Darius Peck.
1829.— Russell G. Door, Chas. B. Dutcher, W. W.
Brodhead, Carroll Livingston.
1830.— Wheeler H. Clarke, Josiah Sutherland, John
Gaul, Jr., John Snyder, John Sanders, Jr., Peter H. Sil-
vester, Henry Hogeboom, Martin Van Deusen, Peter Van
Schaack, Jr.
1S31.— Robert B. Monell, Wm. H. Freeland, G. C.
Heerraance, James Burt, W. D. Henderson.
1832.— George G. Bull, Josiah W. Fairfield, James
Sutherland, Jr.
1833. — James Storm, A. Underbill, Ambrose S. Russell,
Alonzo Greene, George W. Bulkeley.
1834.— E. C. Halsey.
1835.— Robert C. Van Rensselaer, Robert L. Dorr,
Edwin C. Litchfield.
1836. — Josephus D. Jordan, Daniel B. Cady.
HON. HENRY HOGEBOOM.
Hon. Henry Hogeboom, late judge of the Supreme
Court, was prominently before the public in various legal
and judicial capacities for more than thirty years, and came
of distinguished ancestry. His grandfather, Hon. Corne-
lius Hogeboom, was a descendant of the oldest Knicker-
bocker stock of the State. He was for several years high-
sheriff of Columbia county, and while an incumbent of
that office, and in the discharge of official duties, he was
killed in the town of Hinsdale, in the year 1791. Hon.
John C. Hogeboom, the father of the judge, was a gentle-
man of the purest integrity, and of commanding influence
in the county. He was high-sheriff for two terms, and
discharged the duties of that position with an energy,
fidelity, and promptitude which won him universal com-
mendation and respect. He was twice elected member of
Assembly from his native county ; was once elected State
senator ; was a member of the old council of appointment ;
was presidential elector, and cast his electoral vote for Hon.
George CUnton, with whom he sustained relations of warm-
est personal friendship. He was also the first president of
the old Bank of Hudson, whose banking house was the
same building occupied by the subject of this biography
until the time of his death.
Hon. Henry Hogeboom was bom in Ghent, Columbia
county, N. Y., on the 25th of February, 1809. He per-
sued his academic studies preparatory to entering college at
the old academy in Hudson, and graduated at Yale College,
after a full course, at the early age of eighteen years.
Soon after he left college he began the study of law in the
office of Messrs. Power & Day, eminent legal practitioners
in the village of Catskill, and completed his course of legal
reading with Hon. Mr. Bushnell, then a prominent lawyer
of Hudson. He was admitted to practice in 1830, and in
1831 was appointed by his excellency, Enos Throop, then
governor of New York, a master in chancery and one of
the county judges of Columbia county. Immediately after
his appointment to this position he was chosen by his
associates presiding judge of the county, which office he
filled with dignity and universal acceptance for three years.
After the expiration of his judicial term he resumed the
active practice of his profession, becoming the law partner
of Hon. Abraham Van Buren, with whom he continued
until the death of Mr. Van Buren, in 1836. He then formed
a copartnership with Hon. Joseph D. Monell, which con-
tinued until 1845. While a partner with Mr. Monell, Judge
Hogeboom was elected a member of Assembly from Co-
lumbia county, and immediately upon the meeting of the
Legislature took rank with the ablest, purest, and most
influential members of that body. Soon aft«r the dissolu-
tion of the partnership with Mr. Monell, he became a
partner with Casper P. Collier, Esq., of Hudson; subse-
quently with his favorite nephew, Hon. William A. Porter,
late chief justice of the superior court of Chicago ; and
after the election of Mr. Porter to the office of district
attorney of Columbia county. Judge Hogeboom became
connected in law business with the late William Boies, Esq.
BIOGRAPHY OF HON. HENRY HOGEBOOM.
his son-in-law, under the firm-name of Hogeboom & Boies.
During this period that law firm opened an office in the
city of Albany. This partnership continued until the re-
moval of Mr. Boies to the city of New York, when Judge
Hogeboom formed a law partnership with the late P. Bone-
steel, which continued until the elevation of the former to the
bench of the Supreme Court in 1858.
Judge Hogeboom had been from his earliest manhood a
member of the Democratic party, and by that party was
nominated for judge of the Supreme Court in 1847, his
opponent being the late Hon. William B. Wright, who
received the certificate of election. In 1849 he was again
nominated by the same party and opposed by the same
candidate, and although the result was that Judge Wright
received the certificate of election, yet a legal investigation
proved the existence of frauds in Rensselaer county which
more than nullified the one hundred majority claimed and
finally conceded to Judge Wright.
In 1857, Judge Hogeboom was made the candidate of
a popular nomination in favor of an anti-partisan judiciary.
He was indorsed by the Republican organization of the
Third Judicial district, and elected by the overwhelming
majority of twelve thousand in the district, his own county
giving him a majority of two thousand nine hundred, and
the town of Austerlitz, in that county, out of .a popular
vote of two hundred and four, gave him a majority of
two hundred and two.
In 1865 he was again elected by a large majority, and in
a district whose party majority was several thousand against
candidates on the same ticket.
Judge Hogeboom married in early life Miss Jane Eliza
Rivington, daughter of Colonel James Rivington, of New
York, and granddaughter of John Rivington, Esq., of
Revolutionary memory. She was one of the most charm-
ing women, a lady of refinement, culture, grace, and great
personal beauty. The peculiar elegance of her manners ;
the soft and gentle graces of her character ; the sweetness
and spotless purity of her Christian life ; and the delightful
and fascinating amenity of her disposition, made her a
favorite in every social circle, the favored object of de-
voted friendship and respectful admiration, and the pride
of her noble husband. With the departure of his com-
panion, in 1858, went all the joy and light of his life for a
time, and in the grave of that loved one he laid away that
sacred affection of his heart, free from all other earthly love
except that next akin to it which he bore for his and her
children.
From an early period in his professional career Judge
Hogeboom excelled as a nisi 2)r ins lawyer and advocate, and
he soon attained high distinction. His mind, cultivated
and affluently stored with all rich and rare thought from
the classic lore of the past, from the " wells of English un-
defiled," from rhetoric, history, philosophy, and poetry of
ancient and modern times, poured forth its glittering and
jeweled abundance whenever a fitting occasion offered. He
possessed a voice of mellow cadence and rich compass ; his
language was rich, ornate, and fluent, yet chaste and appro-
priate; his fine figure, his dignified bearing, the grace.
force, and eloquence of his gesticulation, all made his
forensic efforts masterpieces of excellence.
He was a profound lawyer, most skillful in his analysis
and felicitous in his application. His views on all legal
questions were broad, and he seemed equally at home before
the court in bane or before a jury. No one who ever heard
him when fully aroused could forget the impressiveness,
grace, and power of his efforts. He awed, captivated, and
charmed, all in one. Perhaps his grandest forensic effort
was upon the trial of Mrs. Robertson, — known as the
" veiled murderess." His effort then was masterly, and
carried the case to a conviction.
His latest and perhaps his greatest exhibition of judicial
ability was upon the trial of the notorious murderer, Ru-
loff, at Binghamton, in January, 1871. Never will his
charge to the jury in that case be forgotten by any one who
heard it. " It possessed the grand conciseness of Lord
Mansfield, with the same majesty, serenity, and all the im-
placability of incarnate justice itself, equally devoid of fa-
voritism or fear."
As a judge he was upright and unapproachable, yet
suave, courteous, and conciliatory. No one suspected him
of favoritism or partiality ; no one accused him of fear of
timidity. Above all, he believed when placed upon the
bench the judge should sink the politician, and ignore all
the arts of the partisan and the demagogue. His judicial
ability is certified to in every volume of our State reports ;
is universally recognized wherever he has borne aloft the
scales of justice ; and was attested at his death-hour by
the sad yet unanimous acclaim of the bar and bench of
the whole State and city, and by all the litigants who had
ever been before him.
As a man and a friend he was the kindest and truest.
Tender in his domestic relations, and generous and kind
towards all, he loved right better than success, and the pro-
motion of justice better than to wear the laurels of glory.
He was loved by every young member of the bar, for he
never wantonly injured their feelings, or unnecessarily
checked any laudable ambition for advancement. On the
contrary, he unselfishly recognized and encouraged merit and
talent wherever found, and gave a helping hand to aspiring
youths in the rugged and difficult paths of their profession.
He departed this life Sept. 12, 1872, in the sixty-third
year of his age, ripe in experience and wisdom, and uni-
versally mourned as one whose place cannot be easily filled.
His heart was large with all, — embracing beneficence, warm
with tenderest love for family and friends, liberal towards
all charities, and trustful in simple Christian faith in the
goodness and unfailing care of his God. His funeral ob-
sequies were among the most imposing ever witnessed upon
the decease of any citizen, being attended by nearly the
whole bench of the State, and a large concourse of dis-
tinguished citizens from abroad.
He left three children, — John C. Hogeboom, a well-
known citizen of this county; Susan R., wife of the late
William Boies ; and Margaret, wife of Hon. Herman V.
Esselstyn, recent surrogate of the county. John C. Hoge-
boom has one son, who bears the name of his grandfather.
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
1837.— Theodore Miller.
1838. — Joseph G. Paleu (chief-justice of New Mexico,
now deceased).
1839.— S. V. Cady, Claudius L. Moiiell, Martin Gilbert,
Edward P. Cowles, George C. Clyde, C. P. Schermerhora.
1840. — Levi Rowley, Martin Pechtel, Gershom Buikeley,
P. M. Jordan.
1841.— Wesley R. Gallup, N. T. Rossiter, Stephen
Storm, Stephen L. Magoun.
1842.— Henry P. Horton, Henry Miller, George M.
Soule, P. W. Bishop, Edwin A. Maynard, Alexander S.
Rowley, D. A. Baldwin, Robert H. McClellan.
1843. — Edward A. Dunscombe, Philip J. Clum, John
C. Newkirk, Robert E. Andrews, William Caldwell, John
II. Reynolds, Robert Burrell Storm.
1844.— Philip H. Bonesteel.
1845.— John W. Rider, Charles Smith, C. P. Collier,
Stephen B. Miller, Edward R. Peck, James Elmendorf
1846. — Rodolphus P. Skinner, George Van Santvoord,
Hugh W. McClellan (county judge), Horatio N. Wright.
1847.— Elijah Payn, W. W. Hoysradt, Aaron J. Van-
derpoel, John McArthur Welch, C. M. Hall.
1849.- Mitchell Sanford, Edwin Hoes, D. S. Cowles.
1850.— Charles H. Bramhall, De Witt Miller, W. C.
Benton.
1851.— Charles L. Beale.
1852.— H. B. Barnard.
1853.— Seymour L. Stebbins, Wm. Boies, C. H. Porter.
1854.— C. B. Whitbeck, F. M. Butler, Peter Bonesteel,
John Cadman (ex-county judge), William A. Porter, James
3Iulford.
1855.— John B. Lougley, N. S. Post.
1856. — -Francis Silvester, Cornelius Esselstyne, Martin
H. Dorr, John Whitbeck.
1857. — Daniel Sheldon.
1858.— Theodore Snyder.
1859.— Isaac N. Collier, J. V. Whitbeck.
I860.— J. A. Lant, Alfred Nash, John C. Hogeboom.
1863.— Horace R. Peck, A. F. B. Chase.
1864.— Charles H. Lown, Jacob P. Miller, S. M. Van
Wyck, Jr.
1865.— Herman V. Esselstyne, W. C. Daley, Charles
A. Baurhyte.
1866.— William H. Atwood.
1867.— William H. Hawver, Edward P. Magoun, Wil-
lard Peek, Levi F. Longley.
1868. — Robert Hood, George K. Daley, Gilbert Langdon.
1870.— R. J. Payn, Erastus Coons.
1872.— Charles M. Bell, Louis K. Brown, Eugene Bur-
lingame, Samuel Edwards, Alonzo H. Farrar, Ransom H.
Gillett, Arthur M. Hawkes, W. H. Silvernail, W. W. Sax-
ton, G. S. Collier.
1873.— A. B. Gardenier, John C. Hubbard, Josiah A.
Mills.
1875. — Stephen F. Avery, J. Rider Cady, James B.
Daley, E. D. Delamater, Chancellor Hawver, Giles H.
O'Neill, George H. Stever.
1876.— Claudius Rockefeller.
1877.— Nelson F. Boucher, George D. Earle, JIark
Duntz.
15
THE BAR OP THE PRESENT.
Hudson. — Robert E. Andrews, W. C. Bent«n, Chas. L.
Beale, Nelson F. Boucher, Fayette M. Butler, W. IT. Clarke,
W. F. Clarke, Caspar P. Collier, Isaac N. Collier, J. Rider
Cady, A. F. B. Chace, Mark Duntz, E. D. Delamater, Cor-
nelius Esselstyne, Herman V. Esselstyne, Samuel Edwards,
J. W. Fairfield, John Gaul, Jr. (1830), Chancellor Haw-
ver, John C. Hogeboom, Peter M. Jordan, John B. Long-
ley (district attorney), Levi F. Lougley (county clerk), J.
H. Lant, Robert B. Monell, Stephen L. Magoun, Edward
P. Magoun, Henry Miller, Jacob P. Miller, John C. New-
kirk, Giles H. O'Neill, Darius Peck (1828), Horace R.
Peck, Willard Peck, Alexander S. Rowley, Claudius Rock-
efeller, James Storm, R. B. Storm, S. M. Van Wyck, Jr.,
John V. Whitbeck, John McA. Welch.
Kinderhook.—Wm. H. Atwood, G. S. Collier, Theodore
Snyder, Francis Silvester.
West Taffhkanic— Stephen F. Avery.
Taghkanic.—Wm. H. Hawver.
Greenport. — C. A. Baurhyte.
Chatham Village.— houis K. Brown, Hugh W. McClel-
lan (county judge), John Cadman, W. C. D;iley, Nathan
S. Post, Geo. K. Daley, Josiah H. Mills.
Chatham. — James B. Daley.
Nwth Chatham. — W. Heermance.
East Chatham.— W. W. Saxton.
Valatie. — Gershom Buikeley, Geo. D. Earle, Alonzo H.
Farrar, A. B. Gardenier, Wm. H. Silvernail.
Germantowii. — Erastus Coons.
Hillsdale.— MsLTtln H. Dorr.
Ghent. — John T. Hogeboom, C. H. Porter.
Philmont. — Henry P. Horton.
Ancram,. — W. W. Hoysradt.
Livingston. — Robert Hood.
Copake. — Gilbert Langdon, Daniel Sheldon.
THE COLUMBIA COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION
was organized January 21, 1878, with John Gaul, Jr., as
president ; John C. Newkirk, Hugh W. McClellan, vice-
presidents ; Edw. P. Magoun, recording secretary ; Willard
Peck, corresponding secretary ; Cornelius Esselstyne, treas-
urer ; R. E. Andrews, John Cadman, S. L. Magoun, J.
R. Cady, Samuel Edwards, executive committee ; A. F. B.
Chace, C. L. Beale, Samuel Edwards, Willard Peck, and
C. M. Bell, committee on admission ; and Francis Silvester,
John C. Newkirk, N. F. Boucher, E. R. Delamater, and
Chancellor Hawver, committee on grievances. The regular
meetings of the association are published for the third
Mondays of January and June, second Monday in April,
and first Monday in October. Within one month from the
date of organization about one-third of the members of the
bar of the county were enrolled as members of the asso-
ciation.
Resolutions of respect and condolence have been passed
by the bar and spread upon the records of the courts on
the death of eminent members in several instances. Among
them Joseph D. Monell, in 1861, Hon. John Snyder and
Colonel David S. Cowles, in 1863, — Mr. Snyder dying sud-
denly in his house, and Colonel Cowles at the head of his
regiment in the attack on Port Hudson, — H. N. Wright,
114
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
1867, and Hon. Henry Hogeboom, in 1872. Eulogies on
the deceased attorneys were pronounced by Mr. Gaul, Judge
Newkirk, and others.
The circuit court was in session when the news of the
assassination of President Lincoln was received in Hudson,
and a committee of the bar was immediately appointed to
draft resolutions expressive of the feelings of the court and
bar on the awful crime. The committee reported a series
of resolutions expressing their utter detestation of the
crime and the principles that prompted its commission, and
the deep feeling of respect for the murdered chief magis-
trate, which were by order of the court spread upon the
records, on motion of Mr. Gaul, who made appropriate
remarks relative thereto, as did also Judge Henry Hoge-
boom, and the court was adjourned for the day.
THE MEDICAL PROFESSION.
The first act of the Legislature regulating the practice of
medicine and surgery was that of June 10, 1760. It was
amended in 1792, and again in 1797, and under the latter
act judges of the State courts and courts of common pleas
and masters in chancery were authorized to license persons
to practice as physicians upon proof that the applicant had
pursued for two years the study of medicine. By the act
of April 4, 1806, five or more physicians in a county or in
adjoining counties could form a medical society. Such
societies were empowered to grant licenses to practice medi-
cine in the State, and the State society could grant diplomas.
The latter was organized in 1807, and has maintained its
organization to the present time. Delegates from the county
societies compose its membership. The restrictions laid
upon practice without a diploma were finally abolished in
1844, and the law now makes no distinction between the
different classes of practitioners. Those assuming to act as
physicians become responsible for their practice, and if not
licensed by a county or State society, or are not regular
graduates of a medical school, they can collect pay accord-
ing to the time employed, but cannot collect the specific fees
implying professional skill which are recognized by the
established usages of the profession.
The statute of 1806, for the incorporation of medical
societies for the purpose of regulating the practice of medi-
cine and surgery, may be considered one of the first eiforts
made in this country to give to the medical profession an
honorable station in the community.
The advantages to the community in placing the regula-
tion of the medical profession under the direction of its
own members has already been greatly manifested by the
promotion of medical education, the encouragements given
to physical inquiries and observation, and the diminished
influence of pretenders to the healing art throughout the
State.
COLUMBIA COUNTY MEDICAL SOCIETY.
The organization of this society was eifected at a meeting
of physicians and surgeons of the county of Columbia, held
on the first Tuesday in June, 180G, at which there were
present Drs. George Monell, Henry Jlalcolm, Noah Wells,
John Milton Mann, Henry L. Van Dyck, Samuel White,
William Bay, George Birdsall, John Talman. Dr. George
Monell was chosen to ofiiciate as moderator, and the follow-
ing were elected the first officers of the society, namely :
Dr. William Wilson, president; Dr. Thomas Brodhead,
vice-president; and Drs. William Bay and Henry Malcolm,
respectively, secretary and treasurer ; after which it was
" Reaoli'ed, That the annual meetings of this society shall be on
the first Tuesday in October, at ten of the clock in the forenoon, at
the city of Hudson ; and
" Reeulved, That Mann, Malcolm, and White be a committee to
draft the bye-laws, and that they report them at the next meeting ;
and
" Jieiolved, That the secretary inform the president and the vice-
president of their appointment, and the request of the society that
the president read a dissertation at the annual meeting."
The following is a list of the names of members, past
and present, of the Columbia County Medical Society, with
date of their admission :*
1806.— Samuel White, John Milton Mann, Hudson;
William WiKson, Clermont ; George Monell, Claverack ;
Henry Malcolm, Hudson ; Noah Wells ; Henry L. Van
Dyck, Kinderhook ; William Bay, Claverack ; George Bird-
sail ; Thomas Brodhead, Clermont ; John Talman, Hudson.
The names above mentioned are those of the first mem-
bers of the Columbia County Medical Society, and they
stand as landmarks of a new era in medicine, — the era of
medical associations.
1307. — Daniel Morris, William Barthrop (Kinderhook),
Augustus F. Hayden, Peter Sharp, Joseph Jewett, John
McClellan (Livingston, died in Hudson), John De Lame-
ter, David Abrams.
1809.— E. B. Pugsley (Ghent).
1810.— John P. Beekman (Kinderhook), Abraham Jor-
dan (Claverack).
1811.— Moses Burt.
1812.- Thomas Belton.
1813.— John C. Olmstead.
1818.— David Mellen (Hudson), S. T. B. Plainer, John
T. Brodhead (Clermont), Squire Jones, Robert G. Frary
(Hudson).
1821. — Horatio Root (Chatham), John Merriman, Henry
D. Wright (Lebanon), Eleazer Root (Chatham).
1822. — John Van Der Poel (Kinderhook), Alpheus
Abrams, Edward H. Reynolds, Isaac Everist, Andrew Van
Dyck.
1823.— Hosea Beebe, Edward Dorr (Hillsdale), Robert
Hicks.
1824.— Asa Spaulding, Samuel Pomroy White (Hud-
son), Hessel T. Van Orden (Germantown), Ebenezer Reed
(Spencertown).
1825. — Peter Van Buren (Clermont), John Sutherland.
1826. — Henry Foote (Spencertown), Thomas Sears,
Henry A. Hermancc.
1828. — John Lusk, Levi B. Skinner, Stephen Platner
(Copake), John Hunt (Hudson), Wm. M. Jones (Johns-
town, died in Hudson), Samuel R. McClellan (Hudson),
Peter P. Rossman (Ancram), Erick King, Jesse Ferris.
1829. — Benjamin McKeeney (Hudson), Abner Dayton,
John B. Rossman, Russell Evart, Wm. H. Wilson.
* This list, and the succeeding brief sketches of a few of the old
physicians of the county, were prepared by a committee of the med-
ical society, ai)pointed for the purpose at their meeting in June,
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW" YORK.
115
1830.— Joseph Chadwick (Cliatham), Bostwick 0. Mil-
ler, George H. White (Hudson), Jacob S. Miller, John H.
Cole (Clavcraek), Stillmau E. Ames, Montilliou Beckwith,
Wm. E. Buckley (Hillsdale).
1832. — James Hubbard, John M. Pruyn (Kinderhook),
Seymour W. Simpson, John 0. Flagler, Robert Rossman,
J. W. Palmer, Stephen Hinsdale (Claverack).
1835.— Volkert Whitbeck (Hudson), William C. Bell,
Charles Bull, Richard H. Mesick (Ghent), Robert Clow
(Clermont).
1837.- Daniel Sargent, Hoagland ; C. W. Beman,
James H. Barnes (Ghent), Wm. B. Fiuch, Allen A. Jor-
dan (Claverack).
1838. — Joseph Bates (New Lebanon Springs), Henry
B. Salmon (Stuyvesant).
1839. — Peter Van Zandt, Robert Humphrey (Green-
port), F. W. Jenkins.
1840.— G. W. Cawkins (Germantown), N. Rusk, F. A.
Warner, J. Robinson, William Wright, Daniel Haynes,
Peter R. Coffin.
18-12. — Frankly n D. Pierson, Stephen G. Tallmadge,
Harvey Cole, Conradt Niver (Copake), John C. Newman.
1843. — P. H. Knickerbacker (Clermont), FJlbridge
Simpson (Hudson), Lucas Pruyn (Kinderhook), S. 0.
Vanderpoel (Kinderhook), • Moore, John P. Wheeler
(Hudson), Charles R. Near (Germantown).
Reorganized in 1863. — Joseph Bates, president. New
Lebanon ; H. B. Salmon, vice-president, Stuyvesant Falls ;
P. V. S. Pruyn, secretary, Kinderhook ; Wm. H. Pitcher,
treasurer, Hudson.
1865-66.— Dr. Atwood, William C. Bailey (Chatham),
John C. Benham (Hudson), Elias W. Bostwick (Hudson),
Joseph Dorr (Hillsdale), L. C. B. Graveline (Chatham),
Lorenzo Gile (Canaan), S. M. Moore, 0. H. Peck (Chat-
ham), G. P. Salmon (Lebanon and Hudson), D. F. Van
Aiken (Stuyvesant), Abram Van Deusen (Claverack), R.
H. Vedder (Chatham).
1866-67.— Henry Lyle Smith (Hudson), George E.
Bensen (Kinderhook and Hudson), Rensselaer Platner
(Clermont), J. N. Schermerhorn (Stockport).
1869.— J. K. Wardle (Hudson), Fowler, M. L.
Bates (Canaan), E. B. Boioe (Valatie), J. Lockwood
(Ghent and Philmont), P. W. Shufelt (East Taghkanio),
C. E. Segar, P. B. Collier (Kinderhook).
1872.— X. T. Bates (New Lebanon), N. H. Mesick
(Glenco Mills), George Rossman (Ancram).
1873. — Wm. O. Smith (Germantown), Joseph T. Lamb
(Hudson), A. T. Losee (Germantown).
1876.— Thomas Wilson (Claverack).
1877.— Crawford E. Fritts (Hudson), J. H. Allen
(Churchtowu).
1878.— Charles E. Valkenburgh (Stuyvesant Falls).
The following physicians have officiated as president of
the society since its reorganization in 1863, viz. : 1863,
Joseph Bates; 1864, H. B. Salmon; 1865, Wm. H.
Pitcher; 1866, E. W. Bostwick; 1867, G. P. Salmon;
1868, P. V. S. Pruyn ; 1869, H. Lyle Smith ; 1870, J. C.
Benham; 1871, R. H. Vedder ; 1872, W. C. Bailey;
1873-74, P. B. Collier ; 1875, L. M. Bates ; 1876, G. W.
Rossman ; 1877, W. 0. Smith.
The officers of 1877 were W. 0. Smith, president ; J.
W. Lockwood, vice-president; Thomas Wilson, secretary
and treasurer.
William Wilson was the first president of the Columbia
County Medical Society. He was also president of the
State Medical Society during the year of 1812, — the fifth
of its existence. He was a man of sound judgment and
extensive knowledge, both in medicine and the collateral
sciences. In 1814 he was elected a permanent member of
the State Society. He also represented Columbia county in
the State Legislature, and died in 1829, aged and re-
spected.
John Milton Mann was one of those pioneers in medi-
cine who left a name which time has yet failed to erase.
From 1807 to the time of his death he held responsible
positions in the State Medical Society, and was the first of
the eleven who organized it. He was drowned in crossing
the river on the ferry-boat, Aug. 24, 1809, aged forty-three
years.
Thomas Brodhead served in both the County and State
Societies ; lie was given the honorary degree of Doctor of
Medicine by the regents of the University in 1828. He
practiced long in the county, and left an honorable record.
He died in 1830, aged sixty-five.
William Bay was another of the founders of the County
Society. He was a man of fine education, studied medi-
cine in New York city, and graduated in 1779 ; from this
time to 1810 he practiced in Claverack, where he achieved
an enviable reputiition. In 1810 he removed to Albany,
where he became a leading physician ; he died in 1865,
aged ninety-two, having practiced medicine for sixty-three
years.
Henry L. Van Dyck, another of the progenitors of the
society, was born in Kinderhook. He was a hard worker for
the society, and was honored and respected by all who wore
associated with him.
John Talman, of Hudson, was in the early days of the
society one of the most popular physicians in the city.
He was a skillful practitioner, and a man of very pleasing
address, of fine form, and rare social qualities.
Samuel White is remembered not simply as a successful
practitioner for over half a century in the city of Hudson,
but as the founder, also, of the asylum for the insane in the
same city, and which was in successful operation for twenty-
five years. Dr. White was one of Hudson's most popular
physicians and surgeons, and was a hard-working man in
the society at its organization. He had a very extensive
practice, both medical and surgical, and in his day was
probably the ablest surgeon in eastern New York. He was
professor of surgery at the Berkshire Medical College, in
Pittsfield, for many years. He was made an honorary
member of the State Society in 1829, and in 1843 was
elected its president. After a very active and honorable
life, he died in 1845, aged sixty-eight.
John McClellan figured largely in the medical aSiiirs of
the county. He was a man of large experience and pos-
sessed of good sense and judgment. He was honored with
the degree of Doctor of Medicine by the regents of the
University in 1831, and, after a long and eventful life, died
Oct. 18, 1855, aged eighty-three.
HISTOKY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YOKK.
John Merriman came into the society about the year
] 820. He was original in thought and bold in practice.
He struggled hard to suppress quackery and advance the
regularly-educated physician. He represented the county
in the State Medical Society, and in 1841 was honored with
the degree of Doctor of Medicine by the regents of the
University. After a long and eventful life, filled with
honors and successes, he died at a ripe old age.
Dr. Robert G. Frary, of Hudson, was one of the bright-
est lights of the Columbia County Medical Society, and his
name and memory still live in the hearts of many through-
out the county.
He was the first licentiate before the censors of this
society, receiving his license in 1815. He immediately
joined the society, and up to the time of his death, in 1862,
was a most active and honored member. Dr. Frary was a
self-made man, and rose to eminent distinction in the pro-
fes,sion. He was also the recipient of many public honors,
and filled important offices in public life. He was made a
permanent member of the State Society in 1836, in 1845
was vice-president, and in 1851 was elected its president.
He died Dec. 29, 1862, aged sixty-nine.
So high was the regard of the citizens of Hudson for
Dr. Frary's virtues, that they erected a costly monument to
his memory.
John Van Der Poel came into the society in 1822. He
was active and earnest in the profession, and for many years
a leading practitioner. His son. Dr. S. 0. Van Der Poel,
the present health-officer of the port of New York, prac-
ticed with his father in Valatie.
Ebenezer Reed, of Speneertown, was a man of sterling
worth, and a very successful physician. He joined the
society in 1819, and died in 1871.
Samuel Pomroy White was the eldest son of Dr. Samuel
White. He was born in the city of Hudson, Nov. 8, 1801,
graduated at Union College in the year 1822, and studied
for his profession with his father, going through the regu-
lar course of lectures at the medical college in New York
city, under the late Valentine Mott, M.D. Although
thoroughly familiar with all branches of his profession, he
was especially devoted to surgery, and very early in his
career performed some difficult operations with such skill
and success as to attract the attention and gain the highest
eulogiums from the must eminent members of the medical
fraternity.
One operation alone, successfully performed by Dr. White
when a young man, made him famous. The operation was
the ligature of the internal iliac art«ry. The operation
had never before been performed in America, and but
thrice before in any country. This skillful and brilliant
performance brought the young surgeon into fiivorable
notice. He received from Williams College, soon after,
the honorary degree of M.D., and was chosen to lecture
before the medical college at Pittsfield on surgery and
obstetrics. In the year 1833 Dr. White removed to the
city of New York, where, until the time of his death, he
continued in the successful practice of his profession, secur-
ing the confidence and affections of his patients, and the
liigh esteem and respect of the members of the medical
faculty.
In 1865 he read a paper before the Columbia County
Medical Society on " The Salubrity of the Climate of Hud-
son," in which his warm and abiding interest in the city of
his birth is most clearly evinced. He died June 6, 1867,
and among his private papers, after his death, was found a
note requesting that he might be buried in Hudson, which
request was fully complied with.
George H. White was born in Hudson, Oct. 24, 1808.
He was the youngest son of Dr. Samuel White, and was
associated with his father in the management of the private
insane asylum in the city of Hudson, and after the death
of his father he conducted it alone for several years.
Dr. George H. White possessed many of the distinguish-
ing characteristics of his father and elder brother.
His father, desiring that he should also pursue the pro-
fession which he so ardently loved, gave him every advan-
tage that would tend to fit him for a successful practitioner.
He was a man of fine address, quiet and unobtrusive,
and was honored and respected by all who knew him. He
was a thorough physician and a skillful surgeon. His ad-
vice was always deliberate, because it was mature and
given with a clearness that none could either misconstrue
or misapprehend. And in his operations he was remark-
ably calm and collected.
Among his earlier operations was the successful ligature
of the subclavian artery, external to the scaleni muscles.
Dr. White became a member of the county society in
1830. and was a most active worker in it for twenty-five
years.
Ill health obliged him finally to seek the south, but, un-
fortunately, without benefit, for after a six months' sojourn
in New Orleans he returned to Hudson, and died April 1 1,
1857.
John M. Pruyn, a worthy and active member of the
society, lived in Kinderhook. He was made a permanent
member of the State Society in 1849.
He died February, 1866, aged sixty.
Stephen G. Tallmadge possessed in a rare degree the
qualities of the true physician. He occupied all the posi-
tions of trust in the gift of the society. He died in 1 868,
honored by all who knew him.
Horatio and Eleazer Hoot, both of Chatham, were men
of energy and thoroughly conversant with their profession,
and to-day many mourn their death.
William H. Pitcher was a representative man in an emi-
nent degree, not only in the profession but also in the society
in which he moved. He was born in Claverack, Oct. 26,
1825. He graduated from the State Normal College at
Albany, and on June 22, 1853, he graduated with honor
at the medical college at Woodstock, Vt. He practiced at
Claverack for three years, and then removed to Hudson.
Dr. Pitcher was in all re.spects a self-made man ; he devel-
oped his faculties to a wonderful degree, his intellectual
attainments being solid and substantial rather than brilliant
in their character. In his professional life he w;is marked
by a cool and sound judgment. Bold and fearless in the
use of remedies, he achieved triumphs that extended his
practice over a larger field than most physicians occupy.
As a surgeon he was thoroughly conservative, but he per-
formed many capital operations. He wa.s an active mem-
HISTORY OP COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
ber of the County Society, and represented it as a delegate
to the State Society. On the 2od of May, 1872, while mak-
ing a jwst-mortem examination, he received a wound, which
was the direct cause of his death. He suffered the greatest
agony for several days, and died June 1, 1872. And thus
died one who.se life, for many years, was identified with the
city of Hudson, and whose name upon every tongue was as
f;\miliar as household words.
To the hearts and homes of hundreds he was endeared
by many kindly acts and offices, while to all alike, the high,
the low, the rich, and the poor, he was ever ready to exer-
cise those rare abilities and attainments of which he was
possessed. Lamentation for the loss of Dr. Pitcher extended
over the whole county, and the citizens of Hudson mani-
fested their regard for his virtues by erecting a beautiful
monument to his memory.
HOMffiOPATHY.
The practice of medicine after the school of Hahnemann
was introduced into Columbia county in or about the year
1840, by Dr. George W. Cook. Dr. Robert Rcssman also
began the homoeopathic practice about the same time. Dr.
A. P. Cook was an old-school physician in Chatham in 1835,
and went to Kinderhook in 1839, and in 1842 began the
practice of the new school, and in 1844 came to Hudson,
where he is yet in practice. Drs. G. W. Cook and Ross-
man were also of the old school, as was Dr. Stephen
Coburn, in Ghent, who changed to homoeopathy in 1842.
Edward L. Coburn began the practice also in Ghent in
1843.
Homoeopathic medical societies were authorized to be
formed by the act of April 13, 1857, and under that act the
COLUMBIA AND GREENE HOMCEOPATHIC MEDICAL SOCIETY
was organized Oct. 1, 1861, with the following officers : A.
P. Cook, Hudson, president; T. T. Calkins, Coxsackie,
vice-president; C. M. Samson, Hudson, secretary; P. W.
Mull, Ghent, trea.surer; C. H. Stevens, Hudson, J. W.
Smith, Jr., Claverack, James S. Philip, Kinderhook, cen-
sors. A constitution was adopted, which provides that any
regular licensed physician under the laws of the State, who
avows his belief in the homoeopathic maxim similui stmili-
hiis curantur, and conforms his practice thereto, may become
a member of the society. Drs. Cook, Calkins, and Smith
were the first delegates to the State Society.
The presidents of the society have been as follows : A.
P. Cook, 1862-64; T. T. Calkins, 1805-66; W. H.
Barnes, 1866-67; P. W. Mull, 1867-69; W. H. Barnes,
1869-70 ; H. B. Horton, 1870-71 ; T. T. Calkins, 1871-
72; C. P. Cook, 1872-73; P. W. Mull, 1873-74; A. P.
Cook, 1874-75 ; W. H. Barnes, 1875-76 ; P. W. Mull,
1876-77.
The present officers are : President, P. W. Mull ; Vice-
President, A. F. Mull ; Secretary, T. T. Calkins ; Treas-
urer, W. H. Barnes ; Censors, J. S. Philip, 0. J. Peck,
James Green.
The members of the society have been and are as follows :
1861.— A. P. Cook, T. T. Calkins, C. M. Samson, P.
W. Mull, C. A. Stevens, J. W. Smith, Jr., Jas. S. Philip,
Wright H. Barnes.
1862.— E. Holly Hudson, J. F. Philip.
1863.— L. B. Hawley.
1865.— W. V. B. Blighton.
I860.— S. E. Calkins.
1867.— G. L. Barnes.
1808.— C. P. Cook, W. M. Sprague, H. B. Horton,
Kinderhook.
1809. — James Green, James H. Green.
1870.— Oliver J. Peck, North Chatham; Dwight War-
ren, Spencertown.
1874. — N. H. Haviland, Spencertown ; A. F. Moore,
Coxsackie ; David E. Collins.
George W. Calkins, of Germantown, began the practice
of medicine under the old school in 1836, and about 1857,
or before, changed to the homoeopathic practice, and soon
after moved into Wisconsin, and is now practicing near
Janesville, in that State. He was a giaduate of the New
York Medical College.
THE PRESS.
THE HUDSON GAZETTE
was the first paper published in the county, and is now one
of the oldest in the State. The first number was issued
March 31, 1785, by Charles R. Webster and Ashbel Stod-
dard, who had been apprentices together in the office of the
Connecticut Courant, at Hartford. The size of the sheet
was ten by fourteen inches. In typographical appearance
it was quite equal to the publications of that day. The
introductory of the "printers" is in the following words.
It will be seen that they were profuse in the use of capital
letters :
" The Subscribers having established a PRINTIXG OFFICE in
this flourishing CITY, think it necessary to remind its respectable
Inhabitants of the many Advantages to the Public in general, and
the City in particular, from the Publication of an impartial NEWS
PAPER, conducted on truly republican Principles, and which shall
ever be the WATCHFDLL CENTINEL of its Liberties. It shall
suffice us to observe that every Rank and Station of Life must per-
ceive its Advantages."
The terms were " twelve shillings per annum. Each
subscriber to pay Six Shillings on receiving the Fifth
Number, at which time the Printers will obligate them-
selves, in Case of any Failure on their part, through Neg-
lect, to refund the Whole of the Subscription Money."
Among the most important news items in the first num-
ber is the following, under date of Albany, April 1 : " On
Friday se'nnight two persons broke open the house of Mr.
J. M. V. Wagoner, of Livingston Manor, and after beating
him in a most cruel manner, robbed him of one hundred
pounds iu specie and about seven hundred in bonds and
other paper securreties. Mr. Wagoner is since dead, and
the villains have been apprehended and committed to gaol
in this City."
Among the sensations, Philo Socius enters his " earnest
protest against a dancing-school" that had been established
in the city, as having a tendency to " send all the young
people directly to perdition."
From its columns we see that it required one week to
get intelligence from Albany, two weeks from New York,
and two months from Europe.
At the commencement of the second volume Mr. Web-
118
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
ster withdrew from the concern, and the paper was published
by Mr. Stoddard alone until 1804, when it was merged in
the Balance, published by Croswell, Sampson & Chittenden.
On the 5th of January, 1792, the columns were elongated
two inches, and a new German text head introduced, which
was retained as long as Mr. Stoddard published it. In
1803 the paper was enlarged by the addition of a column
to each page, which made it of very respectable proportions
for the period.
In 1793 the office was burned out, but was soon re-
placed by public subscription. This was the first fire which
occurred in the city, and led to the organization of the first
fire department. In 179G the " Printer" first styled him-
self " The Editor."
In March, 1824, a number of leading and public-spirited
citizens — among them Oliver Wiswall, Solomon Wescott,
David West, Austin Stocking, Abner Hammond, Samuel
Anable, Jchoiakim A. A^an Valkenburgh, Rufus Reed,
Moses Younglove, and Jeremiah H. Strong— raised a fund
of some five hundred dollars, purchased the old printing
material, and resuscitated the Gazette. On the 7th of Sep-
tember, in that year, the first number of the new series
was issued, with John W. Edmonds (then a young lawyer,
and subsequently a judge of the Supreme Court) as editor,
with a salary of three dollars jicr week, and Peter Sturtevant
as publisher. In his salutatory, the editor thus defines the
position of the paper :
" It will maintain the doctrine that the minority ought
in all cases to yield to the majority, and that the great
object of the organization of a party is the advancement of
principles and not men. It will support, with all its power,
regular caucus nominations, convinced that hereby the man
is obliged to yield to the principle, and firmly believing that
no other than good can result from a cause which has placed
such men as Jefi"erson and Madison at the head of our
government, which has doomed the Adams Federalism to
destruction, and which has preserved the triumph of correct
principles for years."
In a letter to the present editor from Judge lidmonds,
written in 1868, reviewing the early history of the Gazette,
he says, —
" The paper grew in circulation and influence, and was
greatly instrumental in working out, in the short space of
four or five years, a political revolution in the county, so
that ' Old Columbia,' which, for a century, had been uni-
formly and inflexibly Federal, in 1829 elected Republican
members of Assembly, in 1830 elected me to the Assem-
bly by some seven hundred majority, and by a still larger
majority assisted in sending me to the Senate at the election
in 1831.
" From that time on the county remained steady in the
support of that party for several years, — how long you can
tell better than I can. I can speak only of the time that
I remained in the county ; for, when I left it in 1837, I, in
a measure, lost sight of its politics, and as I write now from
memory, I dare not speak beyond that time.
" This, however, I can say, and that is, that the Gazette
had very much to do in overthrowing the long-continued
dominaticm of the Federal party in the county, and in
establishing and maintaining an opposite ascendency.
" Another thing I can say of the old Gazette : it was then,
as now, fearless ; and so long as I knew anything about it,
neither for ' fear, favor, aff'ection, or the hope of reward'
would it publish anything which it did not honestly believe
to be true and right. It was earnest in its politics, some
people called it furious ; perhaps it was so, for it had the
impulsiveness of youth about it in those days. It was often
severe and sarcastic, and sometimes witty."
In 1826, Hiram Wilbur became its publisher, and Mr.
Edmonds dissolved his connection with the paper. In 1834
it passed into the hands of P. Dean Carrique, who continued
its publication until the year 1851, when it passed into
other hands, and was continued without any stated pub-
lisher until Sept. 7, 1857, when the establishment was
purchased by M. Parker Williams, its present editor and
proprietor. Under his management it has been twice en-
lar'i-ed, and from time to time improved, until now it ranks
among the first-class papere of the State.
Throughout its varied career the Gazette has always sus-
tained a high reputation among the newspapers of its time,
and wielded a wide political influence. The first twenty
volumes now have a place in the State library at Albany.
THE HUDSON DAILY REGISTER
is the oifspring of the Gazette. It was established May 26,
1866, by Williams & Clark, having its birth in the demand
created "by the growing interests of the city and county for
an organ to creditably represent them. April 10, 1869,
the interest of Mr. Clark was purchased by M. Parker
Williams, who is now its editor and sole proprietor. The
Register held a membership in the Associated Press from
the commencement, which added greatly to its popularity,
usefulness, and permanent establishment. Its distinctive
feature is the advocacy of local enterprise and business
interests.
THE HUDSON REPUBLICAN,
now published by William Bryan, in the city of Hudson,
was commenced in 1820 by Solomon Wilbur, under the
name of the Columbia Republican, as a Democratic paper.
In 1824 it was purchased by Ambrose L. Jordan, who
changed its political character to that of the Whig party.
Ii was published at different times by Ambrose L. and
Allen Jordan, Charles F. Ames, and Samuel Curtiss from
1824 to 1834, and by Lawrence Van Dyke from 1834 to
1843, when it passed into the hands of P. Byron Barker,
who, after continuing it one year, disposed of it to Messrs.
Palen & Jordan, Barker remaining as its editor. In 1845 it
was purchased by Messrs. Bryan & Moores, and Mr. Moores
retired in 1851. In 1855 the paper became the organ of
the Republican party of the county. For a year or two, about
1835-36, it was issued under the name of the Columbia
Republican and Hudson City Advertiser. In 1876 the
Hudson Weekly Star was merged in the Republican. The
Star was commenced in 1842, by J. R. S. Van Vliet,
under the name of the Columbia Wasliingtonian, as an
advocate of total abstinence. Van Vliet published it one
year, and transferred it to Warren Stockwell, who, in 1847,
sold the establishment to AlexaTider N. Webb. In 1850,
Mr. Webb changed the name to the Hudson Weekly Star,
and its character from that of a temperance advocate to
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
119
that of a general newspaper. In 1873, Mr. Webb was
succeeded by Louis Goeltz and H. N. Webb, who con-
tinued the publication to May 1, 1876, when Mr. Webb
sold his interest to Wm. Bryan, and the paper was merged
in the Republican, and the combined journal issued as the
Hmhon Re^mhlican, the name it now bears. Mr. Goeltz
died in October, 1877, leaving Mr. Bryan the sole manager
and editor, which position he still occupies. It is an eight-
column folio, twenty-four by forty-two inches. From the
Repuhlican office also is issued
THE HUDSON DAILY STAR,
which was the first daily paper published in the county. It
was begun in 1847, by Alexander N. Webb, as the Dalit/
Morning Star, but in 1848 changed its name to the Dailij
ERRATA.
The article on The Hudson Daily Star, p. 119, should read as
follows :
THE HUDSON DAILY REPITBLICAN, ■
which nnder its former title of the Hudson Dailij Star was the first daily paper
published in the county. It was begun in 1847, by Alexander N. Webb, as the
Daily Morning Star, but in 1848 changed its name to the Daih/ Evening Star.
However, its vesper appearances were brief, and at the end of two months it
appeared as the Hudson Daily Star, a title which it bore until May, 1876, when
it was changed to the Daily Republican. It has experienced as many or more
changes in form as it has in name even, and it is now a seven-column folio,
twenty-four by thirty-six inches.
The Daily and Weekly Hepublican are Republican in politics, and their
editorials are outspoken and fearless on all matters of public interest. The
printing-house of the Republican is well equipped for book and job work, with
power-presses and material for first-class work.
editor brought commensurate succes.?. In 1864, when Van
Vleck died, the office fell into the hands of J. R. Arrow -
smith, and subsequently into those of Willard Pond, an
erratic geniu(f, who pulled down the old sign and called his
paper the Columbia County Advertiser. He considered its
former name as lacking in dignity and character, and, strange
to say, his subscribers, before a great while, passed a like
judgment on its editor, and he passed away, to be heard of
afterwards as a drummer, a preacher, and, finally, as the
recorder in a New York paper of his own death by ship-
wreck. He was succeeded by J. H. Woolhiser, who in due
season gave way to Wm. B. Howland, who dropped the
words " Columbia County" from the head of his paper, and
sent it forth as The Advertiser.
In May, 1875, it passed into the hands of the present
owner, Charles W. Davis, and the old name, which had en-
deared itself to the residents of the town and village, was
again placed at the head of its columns. The change
" took" at once, the circulation of the paper rapidly in-
creased, and it now has more subscribers than ever before.
The facilities of the office for book and job printing are un-
excelled in the county. The Rough Notes is a four-page,
twenty-four-column paper, and is issued on Saturday of each
week.
THE CHATHAM COURIER
was established in 1862, at Chatham Four Corners, by
Frank 0. Sayles, of South Adams, Mass., a gentleman of
considerable literary and poetic talent. Mr. Sayles soon
sold the paper to Delos Sutherland, a local printer, who
continued the publication of it for several years, and in
1868, or thereabouts, sold it to Charles B. Canfield. In
1871, James H. Woolhiser became associated with Mr.
rt„.,G„i,] :., :f„ '-•■ blication, remaining, however, only a year
i latter became again sole publisher. In
iam B. Howland, of Kinderhook, bought
ill owns it.
s a four-page, thirty-two-column paper,
,ed, and devoted to the local and agricul-
the locality. Its editorial staff is com-
11 B. Howland, editor-in-chief, George T.
,, agricultural editor, and Dr. Allen Cady,
3, has charge of the veterinary department,
swered, free of charge, all questions con-
)f horses and other domestic animals,
leading features are its full, fresh, and
vs from almost every village in the upper
y ; its substantial and valuable agricultural
'eterinary column ; and its editorial review
il news.
irinting-house is amply fitted for first-class
iug three fast presses, and an abundant
id other material.
i in journalism in Columbia county have
removed from New London, Conn., to
7, 1802, and was published by Charles
when he sold the establishment to Samuel
loved to New York. Mr. Clark remained
Bee until 1821. It was the organ of that
class who justmed the War of 1812, and numbered among
its contributors Martin Van Buren, Benjamin F. Butler,
John W. Edmonds, and others of equal talent and position.
It next passed into the hands of John W. Dutcher, who
changed its name to the Cohimhia Sentinel, and two years
afterwards united it with the Columbia Republican.
The appearance of the Bee in Hudson provoked from
the Wasp, a small sheet less than a letter-sheet in size, is-
sued from the office of Mr. Croswell, and edited by " Robert
Rustiooat, Esq.," the following couplet, —
" If, perchance, there come a Bee,
A Wasp shall come as well as he."
Mr. Holt removed his paper to Hudson (at the solicita-
tion of the Republicans of that city) on account of becoming
obnoxious to the sedition laws, under which Mr. Holt had
« From the Columbia County Directory, 1871-72.
118
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
ster withdrew from the concern, and the paper was published
by Mr. Stoddard alone until 1 804, when it was merged in
the Balance, published by Croswell, Sampson & Chittenden.
On the 5th of January, 1792, the columns were elongated
two inches, and a new German text head introduced, which
■was retained as long as Mr. Stoddard published it. In
1803 the paper was enlarged by the addition of a column
to each page, which made it of very respectable proportions
for the period.
In 1793 the office was burned out, but was soon re-
placed by public subscription. This was the first fire which
occurred in the city, and led to the organization of the first
fire department. In 1796 the " Printer' first styled him-
self " The Editor."
In March, 1824, a number of leading and public-spirited
citizens — among them Oliver Wiswall, '
David West, Austin Stocking, Abner H
Anable, Jchoiakim A. Van Valkenbur;
Moses Younglove, and Jeremiah H. Stroi
of some five hundred dollars, purchased
material, and resuscitated the Gazette. C
tembcr, in that year, the first number (
was issued, with John W. Edmonds (the
and subsequently a judge of the Supreme
with a salary of three dollars per week, and
as publisher. In his salutatory, the editi
position of the paper :
" It will maintain the doctrine that tl
in all cases to yield to the majority, ai
object of the organization of a party is tl
principles and not men. It will support,
regular caucus nominations, convinced th;
is obliged to yield to the principle, and fir
no other than good can result from a cause
such men as Jefierson and Madison at
government, which has doomed the Ada
destruction, and which has preserved the
principles for years."
In a letter to the present editor from
written in 1868, reviewing the early histc
he says, —
" The paper grew in circulation and i
greatly instrumental in working out, in the short space of
four or five years, a political revolution in the county, so
that ' Old Columbia,' wliich, for a century, had been uni-
formly and inflexibly Federal, in 1829 elected Republican
members of Assembly, in 1830 elected me to the Assem-
bly by some seven hundred majority, and by a still larger
majority assisted in sending me to the Senate at the election
in 1831.
" From that time on the county remained steady in the
support of that party for several years, — how long you can
tell better than I can. I can speak only of the time that
I remained in the county ; for, when I left it in 1837, I, in
a measure, lost sight of its politics, and as I write now from
memory, I dare not speak beyond that time.
" This, however, I can say, and that is, that the Gazette
had very much to do in overthrowing the long-continued
domination of the Federal party in the county, and in
establishing and maintaining an opposite ascendency.
" Another thing I can say of the old Gazette : it was then,
as now, fearless ; and so long as I knew anything about it,
neither for ' fear, flivor, affection, or the hope of reward'
would it publish anything which it did not honestly believe
to be true and right. It was earnest in its politics, some
people called it furious ; perhaps it was so, for it had the
impulsiveness of youth about it in those days. It was often
severe and sarcastic, and sometimes witty."
In 1826, Hiram Wilbur became its publisher, and Mr.
Edmonds dissolved his connection with the paper. In 1834
it passed into the hands of P. Dean Carrique, who continued
its publication until the year 1851, when it passed into
other hands, and was continued without any stated pub-
lisher until Sept. 7, 1857, when the establishment was
purchased by M. Parker Williams, its present editor and
Allen Jordan, Charles F. Ames, and Samuel Curtiss from
1824 to 1834, and by Lawrence Van Dyke from 1834 to
1843, when it passed into the hands of P. Byron Barker,
who, after continuing it one year, disposed of it to Messrs.
Palen & Jordan, Barker remaining as its editor. In 1845 it
was purchased by Messrs. Bi-yan & Moores, and Mr. Moores
retired in 1851. In 1855 the paper became the organ of
the Republican party of the county. For a year or two, about
1835-36, it was issued under the name of the Columbia
Repuhlican and Hudson City Advertiser. In 1876 the
Hudson Weekly Star was merged in the Republican. The
Star was commenced in 1842, by J. R. S. Van Vliet,
under the name of the Columbia Washingtonian, as an
advocate of total abstinence. Van Vliet published it one
year, and transferred it to Warren Stockwell, who, in 1847,
sold the establishment to Alexander N. Webb. In 1850,
Mr. Webb changed the name to the Hudson Weekly Star,
and its character from that of a temperance advocate to
HISTORY OP COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
119
that of a general newspaper. In 1873, Mr. Webb was
succeeded by Louis Goeltz and H. N. Webb, who con-
tinued the publication to May 1, 1876, when Mr. Webb
sold his interest to Wm. Bryan, and the paper was merged
in the Republican, and the combined journal issued as the
Ifudson Repuhlican, the name it now bears. Mr. Goeltz
died in October, 1877, leaving Mr. Bryan the sole manager
and editor, which position he still occupies. It is an eight-
column folio, twenty-four by forty-two inches. From the
EepiihUcan office also is issued
THE HUDSON DAILY STAR,
which was the first daily paper published in the county. It
was begun in 1847, by Alexander N. Webb, as the Daily
Morning Star, but in 18-18 changed its name to the Daily
Evening Star. However, its vesper appearances were
brief, and at the end of two months it appeared as the Hud-
son Daily Star, a title it has borne to the present time. It
has experienced as many or more changes in form as it has
in name even, and it is now a seven-column folio, twenty-
four by thirty-six inches.
The Repuhlican and Star are Republican in politics, and
their editorials are outspoken and fearless on all matters of
public interest. The printing-house of the Repuhlican is
well equipped for book and job work, with power-presses
and material for first-class work.
THE KOUGH NOTES,
a weekly newspaper, is published every Saturday, and, as a
medium for advertising, is unequaled in the Second As-
sembly district of Columbia county. It was first issued in
1825, as the Kinderhook Sentinel, and was edited by Peter
Van Schaack, a gentleman at that time quite prominent in
political and literary circles. In 1832, Elias Pitts bought
an interest ; the paper changed its name and became known
as the Columhia Sentinel. Two years later John V. A.
Hoes, a nephew of Martin Van Buren, became the propri-
etor, and continued so until 183C, when he sold out to Mr.
Van Schaack, its first owner, who continued in possession
until 1854. In that year Peter H. Van Vleck became the
owner, and the paper became widely known as The Kinder-
hook Rough Notes, and the trenchant wit and humor of its
editor brought commensurate success. In 1864, when Van
Vleck died, the office fell into the hands of J. R. Arrow -
smith, and subsequently into those of Willard Pond, an
erratic geniu#, who pulled down the old sign and called his
paper the Columhia County Advertiser. He considered its
former name as lacking in dignity and character, and, strange
to say, his subscribers, before a great while, passed a like
judgment on its editor, and he passed away, to be heard of
afterwards as a drummer, a preacher, and, finally, as the
recorder in a New York paper of his own death by ship-
wreck. He was succeeded by J. H. Woolhiser, who in due
season gave way to Wm. B. Howland, who dropped the
words " Columbia County" from the head of his paper, and
sent it forth as The Advertiser.
In May, 1875, it passed into the hands of the present
owner, Charles W. Davis, and the old name, which had en-
deared itself to the residents of the town and village, was
again placed at the • head of its columns. The change
" took" at once, the circulation of the paper rapidly in-
creased, and it now has more subscribers than ever before.
The facilities of the office for book and job printing are un-
excelled in the county. The Rough Notes is a four-page,
twenty -four-column paper, and is issued on Saturday of each
week.
THE CHATHAM COURIER
was established in 1862, at Chatham Four Corners, by
Frank O. Sayles, of South Adams, Mass., a gentleman of
considerable literary and poetic talent. Mr. Sayles soon
sold the paper to Delos Sutherland, a local printer, who
continued the publication of it for several years, and in
1868, or thereabouts, sold it to Charles B. Canfield. In
1871, James H. Woolhiser became associated with Mr.
Canfield in its publication, remaining, however, only a year
or two, when the latter became again sole publisher. In
June, 1875, William B. Howland, of Kinderhook, bought
the paper, and still owns it.
The Courier is a four-page, thirty-two-column paper,
handsomely printed, and devoted to the local and agricul-
tural interests of the locality. Its editorial staff is com-
posed of William B. Howland, editor-in-chief, George T.
Powell, of Ghent, agricultural editor, and Dr. Allen Cady,
of Maiden Bridge, has charge of the veterinary department,
in which are answered, free of charge, all questions con-
cerning diseases of horses and other domestic animals.
The Couriers leading features are its full, fresh, and
readable local news from almost every village in the upper
half of the county ; its substantial and valuable agricultural
department ; its veterinary column ; and its editorial review
of current general news.
The Courier printing-house is amply fitted for first-class
job-printing, having three fast presses, and an abundant
supply of type and other material.
Other ventures in journalism in Columbia county have
been as follows :*
The Bee was removed from New London, Conn., to
Hudson, Aug. 17, 1802, and was published by Charles
Holt until 1810, when he sold the establishment to Samuel
W. Clark, aud moved to New York. Mr. Clark remained
proprietor of the Bee until 1821. It was the organ of that
class who justified the War of 1812, and numbered among
its contributors Martin Van Buren, Benjamin F. Butler,
John W. Edmonds, and others of equal talent and position.
It next passed into the hands of John W. Dutcher, who
changed its name to the Columhia Sentinel, and two years
afterwards united it with the Columhia Repuhlican.
The appearance of the Bee in Hudson provoked from
the Wasp, a small sheet less than a letter-sheet in size, is-
sued from the office of Mr. Croswell, and edited by " Robert
Rusticoat, Esq.," the following couplet, —
" If, perchance, there come a Bcc,
A Wnnp shall come as well as he,"
Mr. Holt removed his paper to Hudson (at the solicita-
tion of the Republicans of that city) on account of becoming
obnoxious to the sedition laws, under which Mr. Holt had
35 From the Columbia County Directory, 1S71-72.
HISTORY OP COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
incurred both fine and imprisonment, which destroyed his
business in New London.
THE BALANCE AND COLUMBIAN REPOSITORY
was commenced in 1801 or 1802, in quarto form, by Ezra
Sampson, George Chittenden, and Harry Croswell, who
first published it as a neutral paper ; but in less than a year
it became the organ of the Federal party, the proprietors
refunding to such of the subscribers as did not like the
change their due proportion of the subscription money. In
1808 it was removed to Albany, and was discontinued in
1811. Mr. Sampson, familiarly known at that time as
" Dominie Sampson," was a Presbyterian clergyman and a
vigorous writer. Mr. Chittenden was a book-binder, and
Mr. Croswell a printer.
The Wasp was contemporary with the Bee, and, judging
from the personal abuse which filled its columns and those
of the Bee, the oflice of each was to return sting for sting.
It was edited for a short time only, in the early part of this
century, by " Robert Rusticoat."
The Hudson Newspaper and Balance Advertiser was
commenced in October, 1806, by Harry Croswell.
The Republican Fountain, founded in December, 1806,
was published in the interest of the Lewis branch of the
Democratic party about one year. It was discontinued
after the election, which resulted in the defeat of Mr.
Lewis.
The Northern Whig was begun in 1808, by W. B. Steb-
bins, upon the removal of the Balance to Albany. He
continued it two or three years, and was succeeded by Wm.
L. Stone, who continued it until 1816, when it passed into
the hands of Richard L. Corss, and subsequently, in 1821,
into those of Wm. B. Stebbins, son of the original proprie-
tor, who continued it until 1824, when it was discontinued.
It was one of the strongest Federal papers in the State.
The Columbia Magazine was published at Hudson, at
an early date, by the Rev. John Chester.
The Spirit of the Forum and Hudson Remarker was
published in 1817, as a literary paper, by an association of
gentlemen.
The Messenger of Peace was started at Hudson, in 182-t,
by Richard Carrique, and continued one year.
The Rural Repository, a semi-monthly literary paper, in
quarto, was begun, in 1824, by Wm. B. Stoddard, son of
Aslibcl Stoddard, the. first printer in Hudson. It was dis-
continued in 1851.* During the twenty-seven years of its
existence its able and judicious management secured for it
a large and appreciative list of subscribers, who early
learned to value and welcome its regular visits, and who
deeply deplored its loss.
The Columbia and Greene County Envoy was begun,
in 1831, by Edward G. Linsley, and continued two years.
The Diamond, semi-monthly, was published, in 1833,
by George F. Stone, at Hudson.
The Magnolia, also semi-monthly, was published at
Hud.son, in 1834, by P. Dean Carrique.
The Hudson Flail was published during the campaign
* The first number was issued Saturday, May 29, 1824, and the last,
Saturday, Oct. 4, 1851.
of 1840, as a " Tippecanoe" paper, by J. R. S. Van Vliet,
and its complement was The Thrasher, published during
the same campaign.
The Columbia Democrat was commenced at Chatham
Four Corners, in 1847.
The Temperance Palladium was published at Hudson,
in 1851, by John W. Dutcher.
The Hudson Daily News was published, in 1855, by
Richard Van Antwerp.
The Valatie Weekly Times was published, in 1853, by
H. N. Hopkins.
The Equal Rights Advocate was begun at Chatham Four
Corners, in the spring of 1846, by an anti-rent association.
In 1848 it was removed to Hudson, and changed to TVte
Democratic Freeman, under which name it was published
by Charles H. Collins. It was discontinued in 1855-56.
The Columbia County Journal was published at Chat-
ham Four Corners, in 1850, by Philip H. Ostrander.
The Chatham Courier was established in 1862, and has
since been published at that point.
The Chatham Press had its first issue April 11, 1877.
It was published a year by Burrows & Woolhiser, and then
discontinued.
The American Repository, a paper supporting Millard
Fillmore for the presidency, in 1856, was begun in that
year, but discontinued shortly after the election. Its editor,
R. Van Antwerp, also commenced a daily, which was pub-
lished two months, a short time before the introduction of
the Repository.
The Columbia County Family Journal, a semi-monthly
literary paper, was begun in 1861, by F. H. Webb, but
discontinued after six months' issue.
The Columbia Farmer was a late as well as brief venture,
having been begun and completed during the past two
years, in Hudson.
The Journal of Materia Medica was begun in New
Lebanon, in 1857, by Henry A. Tilden, and its publication
is continued by Tilden & Co., with Joseph Bates, M.D., as
editor.
CHAPTER XIIL
EDUCATIOXiTAIi AND RELIGIOUS.
Prior to the Revolution no general system of education
was established. All schools in existence previously were
private schools, or were fostered by special legislation.
The necessity and importance of common schools had not
been recognized, and education was confined to the wealth-
ier classes. At the first meeting of the State Legislature,
in the year 1787, Governor Clinton called the attention of
that body to the subject of education, and a law was passed
providing for the appointment of regents of the university.
In 1789 an apportionment of public lands was made for
gospel and school purposes. In 1793 the regents were
authorized to report a general system of common schools,
and in 1795 Governor Clinton strongly recommended the
same, and urged its adoption by the Legislature. On
April 9 of that year a law was passed " for the purpose of
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
121
encouraging and maintaining schools in the several cities
and towns in the State, in which the children of the in-
habitants of the State shall be instructed in the English
language, or be taught English grammar, arithmetic, math-
ematics, and such other branches of knowledge as are most
useful and necessary to complete a good English educa-
tion." By this act the sum of 20,000 pounds (New York
currency), or $50,000, was appropriated annually for five
years for the support of schools. Under the law of 1795,
counties were required to raise at least half as much as
was received f.-om the State, and the public money was to
be divided according to the number of days of school
taught. In 1798 there were 1352 schools organized, and
59,660 children taught in them. No further legislation
was had, except for additions to the school fund, until
1811, when five commissioners were appointed to report a
complete system for the organization and establishment of
common schools. The commissioners reported a bill, which
became a law in 1812, by which the sum of $50,000 was
to be distributed annually among the counties, the boards
of supervisors being required to raise an equal amount, the
whole to be distributed among the towns and districts.
Three commissioners in each town were provided for to
superintend schools and examine teachers, and three in-
spectors in each district were to engage teachers and other-
wise provide for the local necessities of the schools, the
whole system to be placed under a State superintendent.
Gideon Hawley was the first superintendent, and held the
position until 1821, when the office was abolished, and the
secretary of state charged with the performance of the
duties pertaining to it. Mr. Hawley, by his efibrts, con-
tributed largely to the advancement of the school system.
After the abolition of the office of superintendent, the
duties of the office could not be properly or promptly per-
formed by the secretary of state, owing to the press of his
other duties, and governors every succeeding year urged
upon the Legislature the necessity of a better system of
schools, and of laws to correct obvious defects in existing
laws. In 1835 departments of teachers were established
in eight academies, one in each senatorial district. In
1838 the district library system was established by law, by
a tax levy of twenty dollars on the taxable property in the
district, and ten dollars annually thereafter, which law was
modified in 1851, making it discretionary with the super-
visor of the town to levy the tax. In 1838 $55,000 was
appropriated by the State for libraries, and counties and
towns were required to raise an equal amount for the same
purpose.
In 1841 the office of deputy superintendent of schools
for counties was created. In 1843 the board of town in-
spectors and commissioners of schools was abolished and
the office of town superintendent substituted. On May 7,
1844, the State normal school was provided for, and opened
at Albany in December following. Nov. 13, 1847, the
Legislature abolished the office of county superintendent,
against the earnest protest of many of the best friends of
education in the State. During this session teachers' insti-
tutes, which had existed for several years as voluntary
associations, were legally established. March 2G, 1849,
free schools were established throughout the State, rate-bills
,16
abolished, and a tax on property for the entire expense of
the schools provided. This law was submitted to the
people, and ratified by a vote of three to one. But the
taxes levied under the law being unequal, the law became
distasteful, and remonstrances poured into the next Legis-
lature against its continuance, and in 1850 it was again
submitted to the people and again sustained, though by a
decreased majority. In 1851 the free-school act was re-
pealed, and the rate-bill again substituted. At the time of
the repeal the sum of $800,000 was provided for annual
distribution by a State tax, which in many districts practi-
cally made free schools. Afterwards this sum was replaced
by an annual tax of three-fourths of a mill on all property
in the State, making an increase in the aggregate and in-
creasing with the wealth of the State. In 1853 the act for
union free schools was passed, and in 1854 the office of
superintendent of public instruction* was created. On
April 13, 1855, a law was passed providing for the designa-
tion by the regents of the university of certain academies
wherein teachers' classes might be instructed free, the State
allowing ten dollars for each pupil, not exceeding twenty
in each academy. April 12, 1856, the office of school com-
missioner for counties was created, and that of town super-
intendent abolished.
In 1867 the rate-bill was again abolished and the schools
supported entirely by a tax on property, the doors of the
school-houses being thrown wide open to all, of every shade
of color, political or religious opinion, and of every condi-
tion in life.
The permanent school fund of the State was derived
chiefly as follows :
1799.— Seven-eighths of four lotteries of $100,000, aggre-
gate $87,500
1801.— One-half of lotteries for $100,000 50,000
1805.— Proceeds of 500,000 acres of land sold ; stock sub-
scribed in Merchants' Bank, and increased in 1807
and ISOS.
1816. — One-half proceeds of Crumhorn mountain tract of
69«i acres, amounting to 5,208
1819.— One-half of arrears of quit-rents 2G,C90
An exchange of securities between general and
common school fund, by which the school fund
gained 161,611
Proceeds of escheated lands given.
1822. — By constitution, all public lands amounting to
991,659 acres were given to the school fund.
1827.— Balance of loan of 1786 33,616
Bank stock owned by the State 100,000
Cnnal stock owned by the State 150,000
1S3S.— From the revenue of the United States deposit fund
annually 110,000
And an additional sum from same fund for libraries 55,000
The sum of $25,000 from the revenue of the United
States deposit fund is annually added to the common-
school fund, and the capital of this fund is declared by the
constitution to be inviolate.
SCHOOLS IN COLUMBIA COUNTY.
In the ancient documents, which contain most of the
obtainable colonial history of the territory now comprised in
Columbia county, the earliest reference to schools or educa-
tional matters is found in a declaration concerning some
church affairs, signed by four residents of Kiuderhook, and
dated Nov. 30, 1702, in which they allude to a man named
Paulus Van Vleck, who " was accepted as precentor and
* Michigan had the first office of this name in the United States.
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
schoolmaster of our church," and also mentioning Joghem
Lammersen and Hendrick Abelsen as having been his pre-
decessors ill those offices. This seems to establish the fact
that among the Dutch pioneers, who settled the north-
western and central parts of the county, the school was but
an adjunct of the church, and the probability that in their
communities the two institutions were coeval. And it is
also probable that, beyond the mysteries of the alphabet and
spelling-book, the instruction imparted by the church
" schoolmaster" was chiefly religious in its nature,* corre-
sponding to the " catechising" system which was in use for
more than two centuries among the New England Puritans
and their descendants.
In the southern part of the county, among the Palatine
settlers, schools were also established at a very early date.
There, however, we find no mention of the separate office
of " precentor and schoolmaster," but the schools appear to
Iiave been under the sole charge of the minister. The first
school opened, and school-house built, in that settlement is
supposed to have been in the year 1711 ; the supposition
being confirmed by an old receipt, still in existence among
the colonial documents in the office of the secretary of state,
of which the following is a copy :
"Jan. IS, 1711.
" I acknowledge to have received of Robert Livingston 40 Boards
for ye school-house in palatcyn town, called Queensbury, and desire
said Livingston to send for ye s"d use 30 Boards now to Compleat ye
school-house.
' JoH. Fn. IIakger, Min."
At a later date, a certain tract of land was set apart for
the use of " the Palatine minister," but upon the condition
that "he shall likewise teach a school." At Linlithgo, in
the manor of Livingston, a school of some sort was taught,
under the encouragement of the lord of the manor, as early
as 1722. The above general fticts comprehend about all
that is now known of the schools of this section during the
century that succeeded its first settlement.
On the 27th of March, 1791, a special act was passed
authorizing " the building of a school-house and the main-
taining of a schoolmaster" in the town of Clermont, out of
" the monies arising from excise and other sources, in the
hands of the overseers of the poor, but not needed for sup-
port of the poor," and Robert R. Livingston, Samuel Ten
Broeck, John Cooper, William Wilson, Marks Blatner, and
George Best were authorized to carry out the provisions of
the act.
The first public school moneys were distributed to the
towns of Columbia in 1795, under the act of April 9 of that
year, and amounted to £1372 12s. M. (83431.56). The
first school tax was raised that year, the amount being that
required by the afor&said act, viz., one-half the amount
received from the State, $1715.78. In 1798, the amount
« Dominie Schaets, who became the minister at Rensselaerswyck, at
a salary of 800 guilders, was, by the terms of his agreement, not only
to attend to his regular pastoral duties, but " to teach also the Cate-
chism there, and instruct the peoj>Ic in the Holy Scriptures, and lo
pay attention to the office of schoolmaster for old and young."
Whether he performed these offices at Kinderhflok and Claverack is
not known, though it is quite certain that the Albany ministers
preached at stated intervals to both those churches for a considerable
time after their formation.
to be raised was an amount equal to that received from the
State, being $1412.12. In 1830, a committee of the board
of supervisors recommended the payment of twenty-five
cents to school inspectors for each examination of teachers,
and fifty cents per visit to the schools, and thought that a
liberal compensation, and that no more than two visits per
day should be paid for.
From 1795 to the present time there has been received
from the State for distribution to the several towns for the
support of .schools the sum of $465,700, and during the
same period there has been raised by taxes on the property
in the county, for the same purpose, the sum of $584,500."!"
At the present time, all of the county, excepting the city
of Hudson, is divided for school purposes into two districts,
each under charge of a school commissioner. These are
known as commissioner districts, numbers one and two, and
are composed as follows :
District No. 1 embraces the towns of Ancram, Claverack,
Clermont, Copake, Gallatin, Germantown, Greenport, Liv-
ingston, and Taghkanic.
District No. 2 includes the towns of Austerlifz, Canaan,
Chatham, Ghent, Hillsdale, Kinderhook, New Lebanon,
Stuyvesant, and Stockport.
The city of Hudson forms a third subdivision, and the
commissioners of each of the three report independently.
From the latest (June 30, 1877) reports of these commis-
sioners are taken the following statistics relative to the
schools of the county, viz. :
The whole number of school districts in the county was ISO
Of which the number of union free-school districts
was .3
The whole number of school-houses was, frame, 164;
brick, 13; stone, 8; total 185
"Whole number of licensed teachers employed at the
same time for a period of twenty-eight weeks or
more during the preceding year 21G
Whole num\)cr of children of school age 16,013
Total average daily attendance 4SS3,219
Total amount of public school money apportioned to
districts in the county for preceding year $31,783.09
Total raised by tax for schools for same time §54,031.71
Total amount paid for teachers' wages in same time $83,821.02
Total number volumes in district libraries 8965
Total value of same $3390
Total value school-houses and sites $142,488.00
There were at the same time within the county twenty-
one private schools (not including incorporated seminaries),
having a total attendance of about two hundred and sixty
pupils.
Seminaries and private schools have from early times
been numerous, generally excellent, and well supported in
Columbia county. The first of these institutions was the
Washington Academy, established at Claverack in 1777,'
by Rev. Dr. Gebhard, pastor of the Reformed church.
This and others of its kind are mentioned more in detail
in the histories of the respective towns and city in which
they are or have been located.
Earnest religious feeling was a marked characteristic of
the early Dutch immigrants. With them settlement and
religious organization were usually almost simultaneous.
Wherever they made their homes in the new western land
t These figures are approximate only,
amount probably, the exact amounts in s
talnable.
I are under the real
years not being ob-
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
123
there they hastened to set up Grod's altar, and made His
service their first duty and chief delight.
That the sober Hollanders who first settled this portion
of Albany county were different in this respect from the
other Dutch settlers of the valley of the Hudson, there is
DO reason to believe; though we find that in the year 1677
the Dutch church at the town of Albany felt called upon
to denounce " the shameful violation of the Sabbath, espe-
cially that committed by the inhabitants of Kinderhook,"
and to petition the council that measures might at once be
taken to bring the oifenders to speedy and severe punish-
ment. What action, if any, was taken by the council in
the matter does not appear.
For lack of any further evidence of record concerning
the religious condition of the people of Kinderhook or its
vicinity during the succeeding quarter of a century, we
pass to certain entries in the minutes of the colonial council,
as follows :
"Order in Councill, Nor. 12, 1702.
"His Excellency in Councill being informed that one Paulus Van
Vleck halh lately wandered about the country preaching, notwith-
standing he hath been formerly forbid by his Excellency to do the
same, and is lately called by some of the Inhabitants of Kinderhook
to be their Clark without any License from his Excellency for so
doing, It is hereby ordered that the high Sheriff of the county of
Albany do take care to send the s"d Van Vleck down by the lirst
opportunity to answer for his contempt before this board."
This order brought out the following declaration, made
by certain people of Kinderhook in Van Vleck's favor :
"Kinderhook, the 30th Novemb., Anno Domine 1702.
"In the first year of the Reign of her Majesty Anne, Queen of
England, Scotland, Ireland, and France, Defender of the Faith, We,
the undersigned inhabitants of Kinderhook patent, acknowledge and
Declare that Paulus van VIcg during the whole of the time that he
hath resided here, and since he was accepted as Precentor and school-
master of our Church, hath truly comported himself to the Great
content of our congregation, and that in all the time he was forbid
to preach he hath never preached in house or barn or in any place in
Kinderhook, but that he performed the office of Precentor as one
Hendrick Abelsen before his death hath done in Kinderhook ; We
have received said Paulus Van Vleg because one Jogheni Lamersen
(who was our Precentor here) hath resigned the precentorship, and
frequently complained that he could not perform its duties any
longer. We further declare that the above-named Paulus van Vleg
never took away the key of our church, but that we brought it to
in his hou
'YOHANXES TAN AlEN.
'coenraet borghghrdt.
'Abram van Alstyn.
'LiMMERT VAN YaNSAN."
For their impertinence the above signers were summoned
to appear and answer before the governor and council in
New York. Whereupon one of them, Coenraet Borgli-
ghrdt, addressed a petition to the governor, humbly beg-
"Your Excell'y favor to Refer the Case till the Spring of the
year by Reason of the Could Winter and Ilconveniencys to my Great
Damage of my family ; or If Your Excell. Would be Pleased to Referr
the Case to be Decided by any .Justice or Justices of the Peace In
Our County whom your Lordship shall Please to apoint, which favour
the Knowledge of y'r Excellency's honour and Justice gives me no
Reason to Doubt of, and your Petitioner as in Duty bound shall
always pray."
This petition was " Read in Councill and Rejected," 2Sth
January, 1703 ; and upon a second and peremptory summons,
the guilty four were, notwithstanding " the Could Winter
and the Great Damage," compelled to journey to New York,
where, as we learn from the minutes of the council, March
11, 1702, "John van Alen, Coenraedt Borghghrdt, Abra-
ham van Alstyn, and Lammert Jansen appeared before
this Board this day in obedience to an order of Councill,
and they acknowledging their error and submitting tliem-
selves thereon, were discharged with a caution to be more
carefull for the future ;" and there is little doubt that they
gave heed to the ofiicial admonition.
From the above it appears evident that in those days of
the colony of New York, church and state were united, —
at least to such extent as made the fiat of the governor as
supreme in religious, as in secular matters. It also appears
probable, almost to a certainty, that in the year 1677 there
was no religious organization at Kinderhook ; but it is
shown conclusively that in 1702 there was both a church
and a church edifice there, and that it had had at least two
precentors before the proscribed Van Vleck took the office.
It can therefore be said with confidence that the first relig-
ious organization in what is now Columbia county was that
of the Reformed Dutch church at Kinderhook, and that
this was formed between the yeare 1677 and 1700.
For the date of the establishment of the Reformed
church at Claverack we depend entirely on tradition, which
tells us that it was formed but little later than that at Kin-
derhook ; but, as we know that for a number of years their
only dependence for preaching was upon the occasional
services of the minister of the church at Albany, it seems
most likely that upon the occasions of his visits the people
of both Kinderhook and Claverack worshiped together at
the former place (the distance from Claverack not being
great), and that they continued to do for a considerable
time after the first organization. The Revs. Van Driessen,
Lydius, and Dellius were ministers of the Albany church
who preached the word to the people here in the days when
they were poor and feeble.
The Reformed church at Linlithgo, in Livingston manor,
was formed about 1721, through the efibrts of Robert Liv-
ingston, who built the church edifice from his own means.
The first services in it were held by Dominie Petrus Van
Driessen, of the Albany church, probably on one of his
visiting tours to the preaching stations at Kinderhook and
Claverack.
The formation of the Dutch church at Germantown, or
East Camp, took place in 1728, under Rev. Johannes Van
Driessen, who assumed its pastoral duties in connection
with those of the churches at Claverack, Kinderhook, and
Linlithgo. The four church formations above mentioned
were the beginnings of Reformed worship (the oldest of the
denominations) in the county.
Next after the Reformed came the Lutheran form of
worship, which was held among the Palatines at the East
Camp immediately after their arrival there. This, how-
ever, could hardly be termed a regular church organization.
It did not prove permanent, and there was probably no
church building ever erected for its worshipers. Their
minister in 1711 appears to have been John Frederick
Haeger, as there are documents still in existence at Albany
bearing that date, and his signature as minister at the East
124
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
Camp. What does not appear quite intelligible, however,
is the fact that this same clergyman is found a few years
later heading a petition for the building of a house to be
used for worship according to the forms of the Church of
England.
A Lutheran church was established at Churchtown (in
Claverack) before 1750, one on Livingston manor in 1764,
and one in Ghent before the Revolution. The church at
Kinderhook was fonned about 1825.
The disagreements between the Reformed and Lutheran
churches were very bitter in the town of Albany;* but it
does not appear that they ever extended to this part of the
county.
On the 31st of October, 1817, there was held at Church-
town, in Claverack, a " Celebration of the Centurial Day
of the Reformation," at which there was a vast concourse
of people, embracing clergymen of all the denominations
in the county, who vied with each other in exhibitions and
expressions of kindly and fraternal feeling. Of this the
Northern Whig of November 11 said, " The clergy, in their
own example, manifested to a large company, composed of
gentlemen from the city of Hudson and the neighboring
towns, who dined with them, that religious tolerance and
the absence of prejudice which ought to characterize the
society of good men, inasmuch as they are all heirs of the
same kingdom of the common Father in Heaven."
The Church of England was first established in the colony
of New York in 1686, Bishop Compton being at that time
authorized " to exercise all ecclesiastical jurisdiction in the
Plantations," including the licensing of schoolmasters com-
ing hither from England ; and the bishop's power was ex-
pressly declared in colonial instructions. The earliest ref-
erence to Episcopalian worship within the territory now
Columbia county is found in one of the Palatine documents.
It is " The humble petition of John Frederick Haeger,
clerk, John Cast, and Godfrey De Wolven, on behalf of
themselves and upwards of sixty families of Palatines in
Dutchessf county," and dated Oct. 8, 1715. After reciting
that they had always attended divine service as decently as
possible, but with great difficulty, for lack of a convenient
place to shelter them from the inclemency of the weather,
that they held themselves bound to continue on the Palatine
tract, and that nothing could contribute so much to render
that settlement comfortable to the petitioners as a place of
public worship, they proceeded as follows :
"Your petitioners humbly Pray that yo'r Excellency will grant
them Your License for building a church in Kingsberry, of si.\ty feet
in length and forty feet in width, to perform Divine Service according
to the Liturgy and Rites of the Church of England, as by Law Es-
tablished, and also to grant your Petitioners the Liberty to Crave the
favor and Charity of well-disposed People for such aid and assistance
as may enable them to Erect such a Place for Divine Service in the
* Among the old documents at Albany is a pass or order made by
Governor Andros, dated Nov. 6, 1674, which reads as follows :
" Perroitt and Suffer the Bearer hereof, Doinine Bernardus Arsen-
ius, to Passe from hence [N. Y.] to Albany, with his Necessarys, in
the Sloope whereof Clacs Tysen is master, and to Officiate there as
Pastor of the Augustine or Lutheran congregation as formerly under
the English Govt., without any manner of Lett, hindrance, or raoles-
tacion whatsoever."
t East Camp was then a part of Dutchess, not being ceded to
Albany county until 1717.
manner aforesaid, which will remain a Monument of yo'r Piety, and
where yo'r Petitioners will in their joint Publick as in their Private
Prayers as in Duty bound ever Pray for yo'r Excellency's prosperity.
(Signed) " John Fr. Haeger."
The petition, which was made on behalf of the remaining
remnant of the Palatines, after the main body of them had
migrated to the " Schoharie country," leads to the belief
that, after their departure, these had abandoned their origi-
nal Lutheran worship and (for some unknown cause) adopted
that of the Established church ; and it is also noticeable that
Mr. Haeger, who had been their minister in 1711, was still
their leader under the new form of worship which they had
adopted.
Beyond the fact that the prayer of the petitioners was
granted there is nothing to show what was its result,
whether or not the church building was erected, how regu-
larly and successfully they sustained that form of worship,
or how long it continued to be observed by them.
During a period of eighty years from that time there ap-
pears to have been no other Episcopalian organization here,
the next being the church which was formed at Hudson in
1795, and which for many years was the only one of the
denomination in the county. This, as well as those of sub-
sequent organization, are elsewhere noticed.
Presbyterian-Congregational worship was regularly estab-
lished before the Revolution, its principal seat being in those
eastern towns of the county which were largely settled
by people from Massachusetts and other New England
States. A Congregational church (now the " Church in
Christ") was formed at New Concord not far from 1770 ; a
Presbyterian church at Spencertown about 1761. A Con-
gregational and Presbyterian church commenced worship in
a log building in New Lebanon about 1772, and one in
Chatham about the same time. A Congregational church
was formed in Austerlitz about 1792. The Presbyterian
church at Hudson was organized about 1790 ; that in Ca-
naan commenced in 1829 ; that at Hillsdale about 1830 ;
and one was organized at Valatie in 1833.
There were Baptist organizations both in New Lebanon
and Canaan as early as 1776. That in New Lebanon was
ministered to by the Rev. Joseph Meacham, who was per-
haps the earliest preacher of that persuasion who labored
within the present limits of the county. The Canaan
church met at Flat Brook, but its duration was not long.
Another organization was effected in the same town in 1793,
and has continued until the present time. A Baptist or-
ganization was had at Hillsdale about 1787. The West
Hillsdale Baptist church was organized at Craryville in
1803, and ten years later regular services by this denomi-
nation were commenced in East Chatham.
It is not easy to say at what date meetings for worship
were first held in this county by the Methodists. The Rev.
Freeborn Garretson, who married a daughter of Judge
Livingston, of Clermont, commenced as an itinerant Meth-
odist preacher in 1775, and was, in 1788, appointed pre-
siding elder of all circuits from New Rochelle to Lake
Champlain ; and, as his residence was at Rhinebeck, almost
upon the border of this county, there can be little doubt
that as early as the years of the Revolutionary war he
performed missionary work here, as there were certainly
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
Methodist people in several of the eastern towns of the
county from the time of their first settlement. The first
Methodist church organization in the county was at Hud-
son, in 1790. Other churches of the denomination were
formed in Chatham and at Red Rock in Canaan in the year
1800, a second in Canaan was organized in 1804, and one
in Hillsdale in 1807, by Rev. William Swayze. From those
days the church within the county has increased to its
present prosperous and flourishing condition.
The first Friends' meeting in the county was formed at
Rayville, about the year 1777, and soon after numbered
about forty members. The meeting at Hudson was estab-
lished immediately upon the arrival of the New England
settlers there, in 178-1. In Ghent, the Friends were organ-
ized through the efforts of Thomas Scattergood, of Phila-
delphia, who first held open-air meetings there in 1793.
The sect is now much less numerous in the county than in
former years.
The Universalist society in Hudson was formed in 1817.
It is large and prosperous, but is the only one of the de-
nomination in the county.
A society of the " Christian Church" was organized in
Canaan in 1829, and a second at Clermont in 1833. That
which is located in Austerlitz was organized about 1851.
Roman Catholic worship was commenced in Chatham in
or about the year 1855. There are now seven other
churches of this religion in the county, but all of a recent
date of organization.
In the above brief mention of the different religious
denominations we have aimed at but little more than to
give the dates of their respective beginnings within the
limits of Columbia county. The different churches of each
denomination will be found specially mentioned in the
histories of the towns in which they are located, and an
extended account of the Shaker community is given in the
history of the town of New Lebanon.
The following statistics of the different churches in
Columbia county are taken from the New York State cen-
sus of 1875. Their absolute accuracy cannot be vouched
for, though they are undoubtedly very nearly correct:
Denominations.
41
|Ii
1
t
11
ii.
ill
<
African M. E. Zion
Baptist
Christian
i
16
1050
1975
650
550
4000
430
200
75
75
9755
2875
2070
7200
2775
1000
450
64
613
175
101
1500
94
2903
799
631
2390
4525
271
83
$11,200
44,500
5,500
6,000
101,100
3,200
1,500
1,000
7,000
157,000
83,000
101,800
165,000
60,000
15,000
40,000
isi'ioo
16,800
2,000
26!600
13,300
13,800
21,'000
Vjooo
$600
4,250
1,000
850
7,860
Ev. Lutlieran
Friends (Hicksite)
Friends (Orthodox)
Methodist Episcopal
17,700
6,950
4,750
Protestant Episcopal
Roman Catholic
Shakers
4,500
Universalist
2,100
« The statistics of the Reformed church in this county are not
given in the census of 1875. Wc have therefore collected the ahove
figures with care from other sources, and believe them to bo correct.
The item of value of church edifices and sites is intended to cover
the value of all other real estate owned by the Reformed church.
COLUMBIA COUNTY SUNDAY-SCHOOL ASSOCIATION.
This is an association composed of nearly all the Sabbath-
schools in the county, working auxiliary to the New York
State Sunday-school Association; and to its aid come the town
Sunday-school Associations, although these town associations
are not in as perfect working order as they should be. The
results of the work will show more favorably as the town
organizations become more perfect. After a few years of
suspension of work this a.ssociation again sprang into life
in the spring of 1869, when a convention was held at
Hudson, presided over by Rev. G. W. Warner, of Canaan,
an earnest Sabbath-school worker, whose heart was then
and is now in the work. Since that time conventions have
been held regularly annually, and some years semi-annually,
with no lack of interest, but continually increasing earnest-
The following table shows the list of conventions which
have been held since 1869, also giving the names of the
When held. Place. ''"'" ve^tion.*^"' County Secretary.
Spring, 18C9 Hudson. Rev. G. W.Warner. Kcv. A. Mattice.
Octobi-r, 18G9...Cliivi.nick. Kev. A. Flack. " "
Miiy, 1S70 Ohathiim Village. Rev. A. Coous. " " *'
Ottoljer, 1870...Gerni;into\vn. " " " " " "
May, 1S71 Valatie. Dr. A. Abbott. " '•
November,1871.Canajin 4 CornerB. A. I. Bristol. " *' **
May, 1872 ChurchtowD. H.K.Smith, " "
October, 1872... .Ghent. " '• " " "
May, 1873 Chatham Village. J. Wesley Jones. " "
Noyember,1873.VaIalie. " " Rev. J. B. Drury.
May, 1874 Claverack. " " Rev.N. H. Van Arsdale.
May, 1875 Chatbam Village. Rev. J. G. Griffith. F. H. Webb.
May, 1876 Hillsdale. A. I. Bristol. Rev. G. W. Warner.
October, lS76.,..ChiMchtown. " " " " "
June, 1877 Ghent. " " J. Spencer Hosford.
May, 1878 Kinderhook. Kev. H. A. Starks.
Statistics showing the condition of the work are gath-
ered each year by the county secretary, with the assistance
of the town secretaries, from each Sabbath-school, thus
giving a basis for future work, and helping to show the
condition of the work in the whole State.
The work of the association is to thoroughly organize
Sabbath-school work in the county by the gathering in of
all the children, and also by encouraging the study of the
Bible to a greater extent. The importance of the work
has been gradually growing in the minds of the people, and
still continues to grow.
The oflScers of the association for the year beginning May,
1878, are : President, Rev. Henry A. Starks, Chatham ;
Vice-Presidents, Abel I. Bristol, Henry L. Warner, Levi
Coons ; Secretary and Treasurer, J. Spencer Hosford, Kin-
derhook ; Town Secretaries, Ancrani : A. A. Vosburgh,
Copake ; Austerlitz : L. S. Griswold, Spencertown ; Canaan :
Ralph Hall, Canaan Four Corners; Chatham : William B.
Rowland, Chatham Village ; Clermont : Martin Williams ;
Claverack : W. A. Harder, Jr., Philmont ; Copake : ;
Gallatin : Rev. D. B. Wyckoff, Mount Ross ; Greenport :
Rev. J. S. Himrod, Hudson ; Germantown : Rev. James
Wyckoff; Ghent: Rev. S. A. Weikert; Hillsdale: A. F.
Park; Hudson: A. S. Peet ; Kinderhook: Rev. W. In-
galls ; Livingston : James Ham ; New Lebanon : C. W.
Bacon, New Lebanon ; Stockport : Alfred Ostrom, Stuy-
vesant Falls ; Stuyvesant : Edw. Van Alstyne, Kinder-
kook ; Taghkanic : George Best, Churchtown.
The following is the statistical table for 1877 ; four schools
did not make any report, and are estimated :
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
STATISTICAL TABLE, 187
TOW.S.
Niimljer
of
Schools.
Officers
and
Teiichers.
Scholare.
Adnlt
Scholars.
Total.
A^t's:.
COMV.
Amount
expended.
Town Seceetahies.
Ancnm
69
253
109
431
233
21
$31.00
A. A. Vosburgh.
Aiistcrlitz
49
208
205
1
50.00
L. S. Griswold.
Canain
66
300
106
472
240
6
115.09
Ralph Hall.
Ch ithiui
13
166
828
307
795
20
505.42
William B. Howland.
30
150
180
100
Nelson Cnons.
CliMriok
10
111
602
205
918
607
8
168.47
W. A. Harder, Jr.
Conakc
39
169
67
275
140
30
49.75
James E. Strever.
Gallatin
41
133
45
219
158
6
32.70
Rev. D. B. Wyckoff.
Giecnpurt
29
122
47
198
127
294.25
Rev. J. 8. Himrod.
Girnnnttiiii.
50
258
105
413
205
3
8.56
Rev. James Wvckoff.
Giant
85
324
126
295
4
208.13
Rev. S. A. Wcikert.
HilNdalc
108
335
202
645
318
2
118.70
Levi Coons.
HmUon
14
292
2138
173
2,603
1869
76
2058.09
A. S. Peet.
Kindcrhook
121
653
112
886
572
11
725.79
A. Abbott.
Lh.ngston
N( w Lebanon
65
262
69
396
229
24
85.50
Robert Hood.
56
183
65
304
188
4
52.24
C. W. Bacon.
Stockport
62
364
15
441
285
15
99.60
Gustavus Rodine.
42
220
12
274
182
22
81.00
Alfred Ostrom.
Taghkan.c .
11
49
19
79
35
8
37.57
George Best.
Schools not ro])orting, tMnnatcd
48
280
64
392
200
12
50.00
113
1540
7831
1915
11,286
6983
273
$4771.86
At the international Sunday-school convention, held in
Atlanta, Ga., in April of this year (1878), this State was
one of the seven " banner States" which could report every
county organized.
MORAL SOCIETIES,
having for their object " to oppose and reform the prevail-
ing disregard of the Sabbath," were formed here about the
year 1814. On the 10th of January, in that year, the
" Columbia Moral Society" was formed at Hudson, a ser-
mon by the Rev. Azariah Clark being preached on the oc-
casion. The rolls of the society bore a great number of
names of the best and most influential people of the county.
Auxiliaries to the county society were formed in Clav-
erdck, Kindcrhook, Livingston, and other towns immedi-
ately after, and the example set here was soon followed in
the adjoining county of Berkshire, Mass. We have been
unable to ascertain much of the later operations of the.se
CHAPTER XIV.
INTEHNAL IMPKOVEMENTS.
Roads — Stage-Routes — Turnpikes — Steamboats — Railroads.
"The Dutch are great improvers of land," said Gov-
ernor NicoUs in his report on the condition of the colony ;
which was true, beyond all doubt, but the same would not
have been applicable to their building and improvement of
roads. To the first settlers along the river-bank, the stream
furnished all the highway they cared for or needed ; and
when, a little later, others came and located a short distance
inland, a rough "wagon-way" from their lands to the river,
enabling them to take their grain and other produce to a point
where a sloop could land, filled all their requirements for travel
and transportation. Such were the roads traversed by the
Labadist brothers, who visited the country back from Clav-
erack and Kindcrhook Landings about 1680. That there
were no roads across the mountains to the eastward, in the
year 1690, is shown by the fact that Winthrop's troops,
who came through from Hartford in that year, were a week
in reaching Kindcrhook " through the wilderness." There
was, however, a practicable road through to Massachusetts
before the commencement of the boundary or anti-rent war,
in 1751-52 ; and before 1714 (as is shown by Beatty's
map, made in that year) " the king's highway" had been
opened from Oak Hill, on the Hudson, eastward to Tagh-
kanic, and there were roads running nearly across the pres-
ent county, in its northern part. The first road traversing
the county from north to south was the " old post-road,"
leading from Albany to New York, through Kindcrhook,
Claverack, and Livingston. As early as 1684 it was estab-
lished by authority " that the rates for riding post be, per
mile, 3 pence ; for every single letter, not above 100 miles,
3 pence ; if more, proportlonably."
On the 24th of November, 1750, an act was passed for
the regulating and laying out of highways, of which that
part having reference to this part of Albany county was as
follows : " The persons herein named shall be, and hereby
are, appointed commissioners to regulate highways, and to
lay out such publick Roads as may still be necessary, and
are hereby fully authorized and empowered to put in Exe-
cution the several Services intended by this act ; . . . that is
to say, — For the Blanor of Livingston, from the southern-
most bounds thereof unto the bounds of Claverack : Robert
Livingston, Jr., Lendert Conyn, and Dirck Ten Brook ; for
Claverack, from the southernmost bounds thereof to the
boundary of Kindcrhook: John Van Rensselaer, Henry
Van Rensselaer, and Casparus Conyn; for Kindcrhook,
from the southernmost bounds thereof, through the woods
to Greenbush, including all the inhabitants along the Road,
though they belong to the Manor of Rensselaerswyck :
Cornelius Van Schaack, Tobias Van Burren, Barrent Van
Burren."
The date of the first passage of mail-stages through this
county is not exactly known, but it is probable that it was
not until after the Revolution. Among the Sir William
Johnson documents is found an allusion to the mail service
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
between Albany and New York, in 1772, as follows: " The
mail to be sent weekly from New York to Albany, up one
side of the River and down the other, for which an extra
£100 is to be allowed ;" the presumption being strong that
tliis service was performed on horseback.
In 1786 an act of Assembly was passed granting to Isaac
Van Wyck, Talmage Hall, and John Kinney the exclusive
right " to erect, set up, carry on, and drive stage-wagons"
between Albany and New York, on the east side of Hudson's
river, for a term of ten years ; and restraining all opposition
to them by a penalty of £200. They were to have and
furnish at least two covered wagons, each drawn by four
able horses ; the fare to be limited to fourpence per mile,
under any circumstances. Trips were to be performed at
least once a week, under penalty of forfeiture of charter.
This company advertised that during the season of good
roads their stage-wagons would perform the journey in two
days, with a charge of only threepence per mile ; but that
in time of bad roads, " for the ease of the passengers," the
time of running through would be lengthened to three days,
and the price raised to fourpence per mile, " agreeably to
act of assembly." The termini of the route were at Coe's
tavern, in Albany, and Lewis' tavern, in New York ; and
the stopping-place in the city of Hudson was at Kellogg's
tavern.
The following is a copy of an advertisement of a line
(apparently a new line) of stages starting on the route in
1793. It is from the Hudson Gazette of Oct. 25, in that
year:
** The public are informed that the Live of Stages will commence
running from N. Y. to Albany, & from Alb. to N. Y., on Monday,
the 4th of Nov. The carriages will leave the aforesaid cities every
Monday and Thursday mornings, and deliver the passengers every
Monday and Sat. evenings. The line will be well supplied with
Horses, harness, A carriages. Only 10 persons can be admitted, un-
less with the consent of the passengers. The proprietors do not hold
themselves responsible for the loss of baggage, — each passenger will
be permitted to carry 14 lb. gratis; any weight between 14 & 50 to
be paid for at the rate of 150 lbs. as a passenger ; any weight above
50 the props, do not hold themselves bound to carry, but if carried must
be pd. for in prop'n to size and convenience. E.xtra carriages may
be had by .applying to Mr. Slay, Cortlandt St., N. Y., or to Mr. Ash-
bel Ely, Albany A Kinderhook."
That there was, in 1785, no mail route across the moun-
tains to New England is evident from the announcement made
by the proprietors of the Iliiihon Gazette, on the 7th day of
April, in that year, to the effect that " the printers inform
the public that they have agreed to establish a post, to ride
weekly to Litchfield, Conn., where he will exchange papers
with the posts from Boston, Hartford, and New Haven," —
and, in 1787, they reminded the public that " the post-rider
has ridden almost half a year, not asking for pay ; he now
requests pay in good merchantable grain, of any kind, or
flax at cash price.*
Next came the era of turnpike-roads, of which at one
time Columbia had probably a greater mileage than any
county in the State, of its size, but nearly all of which
* This post-rider did a kind of express business in small parcels,
etc., and was particularly requested by some of the enterprising
traders or hair-workers of Hudson to bring in all the "long human
hair" which he could collect on his route through the remote scltle-
have now been surrendered. The Dutch settlers asked,
" What do we want with turnpikes ? Our grandfathers had
none, and why cannot we do without them as well as they
did ?" But the Dutch farmers of Columbia county were
environed by New England influence. Transplanted New
Englanders were intrenched upon their west at Hudson,
and New England itself lay just across the Taghkanic hills
to the east, and therefore a turnpike-road between these two
points was inevitable. It was the third turnpike in the
State; chartered in 1799, and built in that year and in
1800, running from Hudson city to the Massachusetts line,
through the towns of Hudson, Greenport, Claverack, Tagh-
kanic, Copake. and Hillsdale, about twenty miles. The
first meeting of the company was held in the city of Hud-
son, and the following-named persons were chosen directors :
Thomas Jenkins, Eiisha Jenkins, Rufus Backus, Samuel
Edmonds, Robert Jenkins, Stephen Miller, John Hager-
man, Benjamin Haxtun, Eiisha Pitkin, Isaac Northrup,
Paul Dakin, Thomas Power, and Jacob R. Van Rensselaer.
At a subsequent meeting, Eiisha Pitkin was cho.sen presi-
dent, Robert Jenkins clerk, and Eiisha Jenkins treasurer.
Capital stock, $25,000.
The following persons have served as president : Eiisha
Pitkin served three years ; Nathaniel Greene, four years ;
Thomas Jenkins, two years; Alexander CoflSn, twenty-eight
years ; Eiisha Jenkins, eight years ; Samuel Rossiter, three
years ; Alexander Jenkins, two years ; Job B. Coffin, four
years ; Benjamin F. Deuell, twenty-five years.
The board commenced taking toll in November, 1800.
This turnpike is still in operation ; the present president
of the corporation is Benjamin F. Deuell.
Other turnpikes followed in quick succession. The
Rensselaer and Columbia turnpike, of which John Tryon,
Eleazer Grant, and others were the corporators, was char-
tered in the same year (1799) " to run from the line of
the State of Massachusetts, where the road from Pittsfield
and Hancock leads by the springs in Canaan, by the house
of Eiisha Gilbert and others, to the ferry near the house of
John I. Van Rensselaer." The " Hudson and Livingston
turnpike" was chartered in 1802, and the " Ancram and
Susquehanna turnpike" in 1804; its route being nearly
identical with that of the old " King's Highway" in the
manor of Livingston. The " Chatham Turnpike-road"
was incorporated April 10, 1804, the corporators being
Peter I. Vosburgh, Bartholomew I. Van Volkenburgh,
John Goes, Jr., Medad Butler, John Rodgers, Abraham I.
Van Vleck, John A. Van Buren, Lupton Warner, and
others.
The " Highland turnpike" was chartered in 1804. The
" Hillsdale and Chatham" was incorporated April 2, 1805,
" for improving the road from the house of David Grossman,
Jr., near the Massachusetts line, to intersect the Rensselaer
and Columbia turnpike, or the present post-road leading
from Kinderhook to Albany." After these were chartered
the " Branch turnpike" to Ancram, 1805 ; the " Claverack
and Hillsdale," in 1808 ; the " Canaan and Chatham," in
same year ; the " Hudson Branch turnpike," to improve
the road " from the house of Fite Miller, in the town of
Livingston," to Hudson, in 1812; the "Farmers' turn-
pike," Hudson to Troy, in 1813; and others, of which few
HISTORY OP COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
are now in existence, and few ever proved of any advantage,
either to their corporators or to the people of the county.
STEAMBOAT NAVIGATION.
The first attempt to navigate the Hudson river, by the
use of steam as a propelling power, was made, not by
Robert Fulton, as has very generally been asserted and be-
lieved, but by a resident of Columbia county, Chancellor
Robert R. Livingston. It appears that the chancellor, who,
in addition to his pre-eminent legal and literary attainments,
was endued with a mechanical turn of mind, had planned
some improvements on Watt's engine, and afterwards con-
ceived the idea of applying it to the purposes of navigation ;
though whether this was an original thought, or whether
it was suggested by the then recent experiments of Fitch
upon the Delaware, or of Cartwright and other inventors
in England, does not appear.
A boat intended for the application of his idea was con-
structed for him at a place called De Koven's bay, south
of TivoU, in the year 1797, by a man named Nisbet ; and
as the engineer in the enterprise he employed a Frenchman,
who had fled from his own country in the revolution of
1793, and with whom Livingston had probably become
acquainted in the course of his experiments directed towards
the improvement of the engine. This Frenchman was
Brunei, afterwards the engineer of the great Thames tunnel
in London.
Confident of the ultimate success of his project, and with
a view to secure to himself the material advantages to accrue
from such a result, he procured the passage by the Legis-
lature of a bill granting to him the exclusive right to navi-
gate by steam the waters within the limits of the State.
The bill, introduced by Dr. Samuel L. Mitchell, and passed
March 27, 1798, recited in its preamble that " Robert R.
Livingston is in possession of a mode of applying the steam-
engine to propel a boat on new and advantageous principles ;
but is deterred from carrying the same into effect by the
existence of a law, passed March 19, 1787, giving to John
Fitch the sole right of making the steamboat by him lately
invented," and proceeded to repeal the said law in favor of
Fitch, and to grant to the chancellor the exclusive privilege,
as above mentioned, " for twenty years after the passage of
this act, if he shall within twelve months build a boat of
twenty tons, propelled by steam, and the mean of whose
progress through the water, with and against the current of
Hudson's River taken together, shall not be less than four
miles an hour ; and shall at no time omit for the space of
one year to have a boat of such construction plying between
the cities of New York and Albany." The boat, however,
proved a failure, and the act expired by reason of non-ful-
fillment of its conditions.
On Mr. Livingston's arrival in France as minister, in
1801, he came in contact with Robert Fulton, who had
come to Paris for the purpose of bringing to the attention
of the First Consul a marine torpedo of his own invention.
Between these two there at once sprang up an intimacy,
which at the end of about two years resulted in the con-
struction of a small boat, which they propelled by steam
upon the Seine, with sufficient success to justify a renewal
upon the North river of Livingston's project of 1797-98.
Having both returned to the United States, Fulton com-
menced, in 1806, the building of that small, but historic
craft, the " Clermont," built with funds furnished by Mr.
Livingston, and named for his Columbia county estate.*
It is needless to repeat the well-known but melancholy story
of her construction, of the jeers, the ridicule, the open in-
sults which constantly assailed her heroic projector from the
laying of her keel to the hour of her final triumph. " The
project," wrote Fulton to a friend, " was viewed by the
public, either with indiff'erence or with contempt, as a vision-
ary scheme. My friends indeed were civil, but they were
shy. They listened with patience to my explanations, but
with a settled cast of incredulity on their countenances.
Never did a single word of encouragement or of bright
hope, or a warm wish, cross my path. Silence itself was
but politeness, veiling doubts or hiding its reproaches."
The little vessel was launched in the East river, in
August, 1807. Her dimensions were — length, one hundred
feet ; width, twelve feet ; depth, seven feet. Aft«r receiving
her engine — built in Birmingham, England, by Boulton &
Watt — she was taken into the North river, and laid upon
the Jersey side, from whence she was to take her first de-
parture for Albany. The following advertisement, copied
from a newspaper of the 2d of September, 1807, announced
the expected event :
"The North River Steamboat will leave Pauler's Hook [Jersey
City] on Friday, the 4th day of September, at 9 o'clock in the morn-
ing, and arrive at Albany on Saturday, at 9 in the evening."
The trip, however, was not made on the specified day, on
account of a failure of some part of the boat's machinery,
which occurred when but a short distance out, and com-
pelled her to return to the dock for repairs. These being
completed, she again started on her voyage, and this time
accomplished it triumphantly, in four hours less than the
advertised time, arriving at Albany at 5 p.m. of the second
day.
" The morning I left New York," said Fulton, " there
were not perhaps thirty persons in the city who believed
that the boat would ever move one mile an hour, or be of
the least utility." But it would appear that the doubters
were soon converted, if we may believe the somewhat extra-
vagant and ridiculous account given by Fulton's biographer.
" Before the boat had made the progress of half a mile,"
he says, " the greatest unbeliever was converted. Fulton
was received with shouts and acclamations of congratula-
tion and applause. She made this her first voyage from
New York to Albany at an average rate of five miles an
hour, stopping for some time at Chancellor Livingston's
dock at Clermont to take in wood. The whole voyage up
the river was one continued triumph. The vessel is de-
scribed as having the most terrific appearance. The dry
pine fuel sent up many feet above the flue a column of
■^ In 1793, the Count St. Hilary and his wife, the Countess of Cler-
mont, fled from the terrors of the Revolution in France, and found a
secluded asylum upon the shores of Oneida lake, in New York. Here
they were found by Chancellor Livingston, who insisted on their ac-
companying him to his estate upon the Hudson. This invitation
they accepted, and remained at the chancellor's country home until
the Reign of Terror had jiassed. The estate of Clermont was so
named by its owner in honor of the countess.
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
ignited vapor, and, when the fire was stirred, tremendous
showers of sparks. Tlie wind and tide were adverse to
them, but the crowds saw with astonishment the vessel
coming rapidly towards them ; and when it came so near
that the noise of the machinery and paddles was heard
" tlie crews of many sailing vessels shriiii/c beneath their
decks at the terrific sight, while others prostrated themselves
and besought Providence to protect them from the approach
of the horrible monster which was marching on the tide
and lighting its path by the fire that it vomited."
This writer would have us believe that the skippers and
crews of the North river sailing craft, in 1807, were as
simple-minded and untutored as those natives of San Salva-
dor who hid themselves away from the flash and report of
Columbus' guns, believing them to be the fiery eyes and
the thundering voice of the Great Spirit. But, divested
of its extravagance, the account shows simply that all along
the route the people flocked to the river-side to gaze in
curiosity (though not in fear) at the strange-looking vessel
as it passed,* and that they gave unstintingly to Fulton
the tribute of applause and admiration which is always
extorted by success.
That the " Clermont" was at once, and largely, patronized
by the traveling public is shown by the following item
from the New York Evening Post of October 2, 1807:
" The newly-invented steamboat, which is fitted up in a
neat style for passengers, and is intended to run from New
York to Albany as a packet, left here this morning with
ninety passengers, against a strong head-wind. Notwith-
standing which, it was judged she moved through the water
at the rate of six miles an hour."
Before the close of the season (in which, however, she
made but two or three trips) the travel which offered was
largely in excess of the " Clermont's" accommodations. She
was, therefore, taken to what was then called lower Red
Hook, where she was hauled out on ways, and during the
winter of 1807-8 was entirely rebuilt and remodeled, by
ship-carpenters from the city of Hud.son ; her length being
increased from one hundred to one hundred and fifty feet,
and her beam from twelve to eighteen feet. About the
first of May she was re-launched, re-christened as the
" North River," and, in charge of Captain Samuel Jenkins,
was taken to New York, where she received her cabin-work
and machinery, which latter had in the mean time been put
in what was then considered thorough repair, though at the
end of her first succeeding trip her boiler was found worth-
less, and was replaced by a new one of copper.
One of the passengers (and the latest surviving one) of
the " North River," on her first trip to Albany, was the
late Francis Sayre, Esq., of Catskill, who, in a letter written
in September, 1857, made the following mention of that
event : " Commodore Wiswall was now in command. At
the hour appointed for her departure (nine o'clock A.M.),
Chancellor Livingston, with a number of invited friends,
« "A farmer living on the banks of the Hudson hastened home to
apprise his wife and neighbors that he had seen the dei-il ijuing tip the
river in a saw-mill." The writer- before quoted says, "She e.xoitcd
the astonishment of the venerable Dutch burgomaster, who almost
dropped his precious pipe as, with strained eyes, he exclaimed,
' Dunder en blicksen !' "
17
came on board, and, after a good deal of bustle and no little
noise and confusion, the boat was got out into the stream
and headed up the river. Steam was put on and sails were
set, for she was provided with large square sails, attached
to masts, that were so constructed that they could be raised
and lowered as the direction and strength of the wind
might require. There was at this time a light breeze from
the south, and with steam and sails a very satisfactory rate
of speed was obtained, . . . and, as the favorable wind
continued, we kept on the even tenor of our way, and just
before sunrise next morning we were at Clermont, the resi-
dence of the chancellor, who with his friends landed, and
the boat proceeded to Albany, where she arrived at two or
three o'clock p.m."
Two or three days were spent at Albany in repairs upon
the boiler, which nevertlieless gave out entirely on the re-
turn trip, some thirty miles above New York, and the
remainder of the voyage was accomplished under sail. The
boat was then laid up for about two months, awaiting the
completion of her new copper boiler, as before mentioned.
Her trips were then resumed, and from that time were ac-
complished with regularity, fairly inaugurating the era of
steamboat navigation upon the Hudso'n.
The project, from its inception to its consummation,
owed more to Columbia than to any other county ; more
than to all others, excepting New York. The boat was
named for a town and estate in Columbia ; a citizen of the
county had first conceived the idea of her construction, and
had furnished the means to execute it; her captain was a
ship-master of Hudson ; and her first pilot (David Mande-
ville) was a resident of the same city ; and when she was
rebuilt as the " North River" the work was performed by
Hudson mechanics.
The " Car of Neptune" was the next steamboat built to
navigate the Hudson after the remodeling of the " Cler-
mont." Fulton owned an interest in her, though to what
extent is not known. Following her came the " Paragon,"
and then came others in rapid succession. In 1826 there
were some sixteen steamboats plying the river, taking pas-
sengers only. The sloops monopolized the freight business.
The following is a list of the steamboats that competed for
the traveling patronage of the river :
Wnion Line. — " Olive Branch," " Niagara," " William
Penn."
North River Line. — " Chancellor Livingston," " James
Kent," " Richmond," and " Saratoga."
Connecticut Line; Hudson Steam Navigation Com-
pany. — " Swiftsure" and " Commerce."
Troy Line. — " Chief-Justice Marshall" and ■' New Lon-
don."
North River Association Line. — " Constellation" and
" Constitution."
The safety-barges " Lady Clinton" and " Lady Van
Rensselaer," Captains Seymour and Peck, were towed in
the rear of the respective steamers " Commerce" and
" Swiftsure." The passage was performed chiefly by day-
light, giving the passengers an opportunity to view the
interesting scenery of the Hudson, and affording to trav-
elei-s an unrivaled degree of comfort and entire security from
those disasters to which steamboats and sailing packets are
130
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
exposed. These passenger-boats made stops at Hudson
and other important landings, and, throughout the summer
months, formed the only means of public conveyance to the
people of this county up to the time of the opening of rail-
roads.
Among the boats which succeeded those already named
were the " De Witt Clinton" (launched in 1828), the
" Oliver Ellsworth," " Henry Eckford," " United States,"
"Sandusky," "Ohio," "Albany," "Captain Jenkins,"
" Rochester," " Robert L. Stevens," " Diamond," " Hen-
drik Hudson," " Oregon," " Empire," " Erie," and " Cham-
plain," four-pipe boats ; " Francis Skiddy," at one time
made two trips a day ; " Arrow," " Napoleon," cigar-boat,
built by Burden, which proved a total failure ; " Emerald,"
" New Philadelphia," " North, and South America," " West-
chester," " Knickerbocker," " Niagara," " Isaac Newton,"
"Armenia," " Alida," "Kosciusko," "Washington," "Cur-
tis Peck," "Wave," "Portsmouth," "General Jackson,"
" Illinois," " Metamora," " Iron Witch," " Roger Wil-
liams," " Confidence," " New Jersey," " Sun," " Express,"
and " Columbia." The " Rip Van AVinkle" was a favorite
boat, and was commanded by Captains Abell, George
Riggs, and Roe, now in command of the " Dean Rich-
mond."
One of the most notable steamboat disasters upon the
Hudson river occurred in the evening of the 7th of April,
1845, in the Athens channel, opposite the city of Hudson.
Tiie Hudson Rural Repository of April 12 gave the fol-
lowing account of the calamity :
"On Monday evening, April 7, the steamboat 'Swal-
low,' Captain A. H. Squires, was on her passage from
Albany to New York, and when opposite this city, in the
Athens channel, ran upon a little, rocky island,* broke in
two, and in a few minutes sank. The alarm was imme-
diately spread in Athens, and a large number of citizens
soon rallied to the scene of disaster, and happily succeeded
in rescuing many lives. Soon after the steamboats ' Ex-
press' and ' Rochester' came down and promptly rendered
what assistance was in their power, taking many passengers
with them to New York. The ' Swallow' had on board a
large number of passengers, but the exact loss of life is at
present unknown [the number lost proved to be about fif-
teen]. The night was excessively dark, with a heavy gale,
* That little islet had been formerly known as "Noah's Brig,"
especially among the lumbermen who ran rafts of logs and lumber
down the river. The circumstance from which it derived this name
is the following. One night a large number of rafts were coming
down the west channel, one of them being under the command of a
man who was known among his comrades by his Christian name,
" Noah." As the rnfts neared this point Noah espied in the dim light
a dark object riding upon the waters, which he at once decided to be
a brig under sail, and as soon as he had approached near enough he
hailed it, " Brig ahoy !'* No response. Again, in stentorian tone,
bis bail rang out upon the night air, but still no attention was paid,
and the mysterious craft kept unswervingly to its course. This ct-
appcratcd Noah, and his third hail was "Brig ahoy! Answer, or I'll
run you down !" and, as no reply was given, true to his word he did
run down theinlatni ; two trees standing widely apart having deceived
him as to its character. Probabl}' neither Noah's brig nor his raft
sustained serious injury, but the poor " Swallow" met a more cruel
fate. A large portion of the island has been taken away, and the
rock material was used in constructing the embankments of the canal
through the middle ground.
snow and rain, and very cold. Our citizens are yet busy
about the wreck."
On the morning of July 4, 1861, the "New World,"
from New York for Albany, was sunk off the Stuyvesant
shore, but without loss of life. She was soon after raised,
towed to New York, put in order, and used as a hospital
boat in the vicinity of West Point. The steamboats now
running through between Albany and New York are the
magnificent night-line, the " St. John" and " Dean Rich-
mond," and the day-lino, composed of the " Drew" and "C.
Vibbard," which make stops at all the principal landings.
The lines having their termini within this county are else-
where mentioned.
No river in the world has been so extensively and ex-
pensively navigated as the Hudson. Some of the largest,
fleetest, and most costly steamers ever built have plied, and
are still plying, upon this beautiful i
RAILROADS.
In the matter of the location and construction of railway
lines, at a period when such projects were regarded by many
as of doubtful expediency, if not absolutely chimerical,
Columbia is entitled to take rank among the pioneer coun-
ties of New York, as we think we shall show in the brief
account which we here give of the building and opening of
the vaiious lines within her domain.
THE HUDSON AND BERKSHIRE, AND BOSTON AND
ALBANY, LINES.
As early as the year 1826 a few enterprising men, with
a boldness which even yet seems amazing, conceived the
idea of uniting the valley of the Hudson with the Massa-
chusetts capital by means of a railroad track, which must
climb the acclivities of Taghkanic and surmount the for-
bidding summits of Berkshire. It is not strange that the
scheme was freely ridiculed, and denounced as a manifesta-
tion of insanity, but, nevertheless, it had no lack of enthu-
siastic supporters, and from the very first was received with
especial favor in the county of Columbia, and in the neigh-
boring portions of the adjoining State.
The Legislature of Massachusetts, at its June ses.sion, in
1827, appointed commissioners " to cause the necessary sur-
veys, plans, and estimates to be made on the best practicable
route from Boston to the New York line, and thence (with
leave obtained) to the Hudson river at or near Albany,"
and $10,000 was voted to defray the expense of the
survey.
Through the summer and fall of 1827 the "railroad
agitation," as it was termed, continued to increase, until, in
Columbia county at least, opposition to the enterprise was
nearly extinct; and at a railroad meeting held at Canaan,
Jan. 25, 1828, the attendance was so large, and the enthu-
siasm so boundless, that it was said that if an authorized
corporation had then and there asked subscriptions for the
construction of a road from Hudson to West Stockbridge,
the entire amount of stock would have been taken upon the
spot.
In April, 1828, the New York Legislature passed an act
authorizing the survey of a route or routes from the Hud-
son to the Massachusetts line, and pledging that if Miissa-
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
chusetts should build her road to that point from Boston,
this State would continue it to the river, or authorize and
incorporate a company to do so.
In due time the commissioners of both States reported
surveys to their respective Legislatures. Through the terri-
tory of New York two routes had been considered and sur-
veyed, one from Troy to the Massachusetts line, near
Adams, and the other to consist of two branches, starting
respectively from Albany and Hud.son, to unite at Chatham,
and proceed thence to the Massachusetts line, near West
Stockbridge.*
Earnest disputes and much rivalry ensued between the
advocates of the northern and the southern routes, and this
was even more the case on the east than on the west side of
the State line. But all of middle and southern Berkshire
was united in the resolve not to wait for a final decision
upon the route of the through road, much less for the dis-
tant event of its completion. If it were commenced at
once, weary years mu.st be spent in its construction, and
meanwhile a short and comparatively inexpensive line might
be built over a familiar route to their old and favorite mart
of trade, the city of Hudson, from whence the river offered
its noble highway to New York ; and at that day none
thought of questioning the superiority of the steamboat over
the railway as a means of travel and transportation.
The people of Hudson had been awake and active in the
promotion of this enterprise. In January, 1828, they had
sent delegates to the interested Berk.shire towns, and on the
3Ist of that month a meeting attended by the principal
citizens of both counties was held at West Stockbridge, and
resulted in the presentation of petitions to the Legislatures
of New York and Massachusetts asking for acts of incor-
poration. New York responded by an act, passed May 1,
1828, incorporating the Hudson and Berkshire Railroad
Company, with a capital of $350,000. Massachusetts de-
layed, and finally refused to charter the portion of the lino
within her jurisdiction, — a course of action doubtless
prompted by the fear of diverting trade to New York, but
in marked contrast with the prompt co-operation which this
State extended to Massachusetts in authorizing the exten-
sion of her proposed line to the canal at Albany. This,
however, did not discourage the friends of the project in
that State, and they continued to press the matter with so
much vigor and pei-sistency that their Legislature at length
yielded, and granted the charter in 1831.
No organization was effected by the Hudson and Berk-
shire company until 1835 ; their charter in the mean time
having expired and been renewed by the Legislature. On
the 5th of May, 1835, the following announcement appeared
in the Hudson Gazette in reference to the opening of the
books: " Hudson and Berkshire Railroad. — The books for
■•■'■ Until this time, and later, thu use of locomotives was not con-
templated by the projectors, but all the plans and estimates of the
engineers and commissioners were based wholly on the idea of the
use of animal power for the moving of trains, "as better adapted to
the transportation of the endless variety of loading which a dense
and industrious population requires." Colonel Kichard P. Morgan,
in his report upon the mountain division of the route in M.assachu-
setts, proposed the construction of inclined planes, along which cars
were (o be drawn by the power of watcr-whecls where such power
was found available; otherwise by horses, or, better than all, by oxen.
subscription for stock were opened yesterday at the Hudson
River Bank, and we are happy in having it in our power
to state that when our paper went to press the sum of
$217,550 had been subscribed." The entire amount sub-
scribed during the three days the books remained open was
$746,550 ; this being iwore than double the sum required.
The allotment of stock was immediately made, and the
company organized May 27, electing the following board of
directors, viz. : John Delafield, Robbins Kellogg, Oliver
Wiswall, Rufus Reed, Silas Sprague, Robert A. Barnard,
William A. Dean, Gouverneur Kemble, James Mellen,
Elihu Gifford, John W. Edmonds, Samuel Anable, Am-
brose L. Jordan. The final survey was commenced at once,
and the work was placed under contract during the follow-
ing autumn.
From the letter of a correspondent of the American Trav-
eller, published in that journal in May, 1837, while this
road was in process of construction, we make the following
quotiition, as showing the expectations which were then
based on the opening of this pioneer line. Those portions
which refer to the probable establishment of a travelers'
route between New York and Boston, to make the journey
in twenty-one hours, by way of the city of Hudson, and of
a through route from Boston to the great west via Catskill
and Canajoharie, read strangely enough at the present day.
This correspondent says, " This road passes through a beau-
tiful valley embracing one of the richest farming districts in
the State. At Stockbridge it will connect with the great
Western railroad from Boston, and at Catskill with the
railroad loading to Canajoharie, and thence to Buffalo.
Through this avenue the east may be supplied with the
produce of the fertile west, and the latter with the manu-
factures of the east. It will also afford a new route for
travelers from the ' Commercial' to the ' Literary Empo-
rium.' They may then leave the city of New York at five
o'clock P.M., reach Hudson at four a.m., and arrive at Bos-
tonf at two P.M. of the following day. But independent of
all travel and eastern and western transportation, it is esti-
mated that the county of Berkshire will support the road
andmorethanpay the interest of the capital. . . . Individuals
acquainted with the marble business have offered to contract
to deliver to the company at Stockbridge, from the quarries
of beautiful marble in that village, 100 tons per day for
nine months in the year, and to insure the sale of the same
amount when delivered at Hudson. But for safety I will
assume but half that amount at $2 per ton for transporta-
tion, where they now pay $5 ; say 50 tons per day for 240
days, pays $24,000. The other tonnage to and from the
Hudson river w;is ascertained two years since to exceed
25,000 tons, which, at $2, would amount to $50,000, giving
a total of $74,000. To secure the marble business to this
company an association of the railroad stockholders have
purchased nearly all of the principal quarries in the vicinity
of Stockbridge. The marble of which the Girard College
at Philadelphia is built was transported from the quarries
over a hilly road to be shipped at Hudson.
" The Lebanon Springs are only seven miles from the
t The Western railroad of M.assachusetts, however, over which
this contemplated connection was to be made, was not opened until
more than four years after the date of this letter.
132
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
line of the road, and as soon as the main road is completed
a branch will be made to that place. That the Berkshire
and Hudson railroad will materially advance the prosperity
of this rising city (Hudson) I do not entertain a doubt. . . .
The whole line, extending from Hudson* to West Stock-
bridge, thirty-two miles, is under contract for grading, and
nearly or quite completed. The rails will in all probability
be laid this summer, and by September of the present year
the work will be completed."
The road was opened for travel September 26, 1838, and
the event was celebrated at West Stockbridge with bound-
loss enthusiasm by a great concourse of the citizens of Co-
lumbia and Berkshire. The construction and equipment of
the line were not of the best, nor indeed were they such as
would be regarded as even passable at the present day.
The track was formed of ordinary flat bar-iron, five-eighths
of an inch in thickness, laid on wooden stringers ; and the
grades of the road, for four miles of its length, varied from
seventy-one to eighty feet per mile. The cars were short and
box-like, and were mounted on springs which were scarcely
springs at all ; so that, in such vehicles and over such a
frail and uneven track, passengers found very little of the
comfort which attends railway travel at the present day.
Still it was a railroad, and its vast superiority over the
old methods of freight transportation was apparent from the
first, while for the surging and jolting of the train, travel-
ers were more than compensated by its speed, which then
seemed almost marvelous, — for the idea of the employment
of animal-power which had at first been entertained was
abandoned, and locomotives (such as they were) were used
instead.
An extension of the road beyond West Stockbridge
(known as the Pittsfield and West Stockbridge railroad)
having been opened in May, 1841, and all links having
been joined beyond Pittsfield during the succeeding five
months, the unbroken route between Hudson and Boston
was opened, amid great rejoicing, Oct. 4, 1841.
The Castleton and West Stockbridge Railroad Company
was incorporated by the Legislature of New York in May,
1834. The line, so authorized, to run from Castleton to
the Massachusetts line, on a route to West Stockbridge.
In 1 836 it was re-chartered as the Albany and West Stock-
bridge Company, and with a corresponding change of
western terminus, making it identical with the northern
branch of the southernmost of the two routes considered and
surveyed by the commissioners appointed by the Legislature
in 1828, and nearly the same as the New York portion of
the present Boston and Albany railroad. The company
was composed principally of citizens of the State of New
York, but the construction and operation of the road was
afterwards, by agreement, assumed by the Western Rail-
road Company of Ma.s.sachusetts.
It had first been proposed to use the wooden track,
capped with the flat bar, but the inferiority of this method
had been so clearly demonstrated upon the Hudson road
that it was rejected here, and a serviceable iron rail was
used instead. This line wasvigorously pushed to comple-
» The route as originally laid out reached the river at the North
bay, upon the north side of the city, but was changed to its present
lueation bi-lore the buildinj; of Ihe road
tion, and was opened to Chatham Four Corners on the 21st
of December, 1841. Eastward from Chatham the Western
company continued to use the tramway of the Hudson and
Berkshire road, but were obliged to exercise the greatest
care in passing their heavier trains over the frail and dan-
gerous track ; but meanwhile they were diligently at work
upon the independent line, which would obviate the neces-
sity of their using the Berkshire road. This was com-
pleted and opened Sept. 12, 1842.
Columbia county had now achieved direct railroad com-
munication with the capitals of both New York and Mas-
sachusetts ; but proud, and justly proud, as she was of this
communication, her roads of that day bore but faint re-
semblance to those of her present system, with their rock-
ballasted beds, steel tracks, superb equipment, and ceaseless
trafiic.
The Hudson and Berkshire road was not prosperous, and
eventually those who had so freely and generously sub-
scribed in aid of the enterprise lost the entire amount of
their investment. The road received State assistance in
1840 to the amount of $150,000, secured to the State by
mortgage, and in December, 1847, was further authorized
by law to issue $175,000 in bonds, which should take pre-
cedence of the State's claim against the road, on condition
that the stockholders should raise an additional $30,000 by
assessments on their stock; the object of the raising of these
sums by loan and assessment being the laying of a new T-rail
in place of the old strap-rail. This was done in 1848, and
new locomotives and cars were purchased, in the hope that
the road might prosper ; but these hopes were not realized.
In January, 1853, it was leased to George H. Power and
Shepherd Kiiapp, who operated it until Nov. 21, 1834.
It was then sold by James M. Cook, comptroller of the State,
on foreclosure, for non-payment of the loan received from
the State. The road and its appurtenances were purchased
by Chester W. Chapin, president of the Western railroad of
Massachusetts (now. the Boston and Albany railroad), for
$155,000. The road was soon after re-organized, placed
under the same management with the Boston and Albany
railroad, and has been successfully operated by that corpo-
ration until the present time.
Under the management of Messrs. Power and Knapp
the business was doubled in less than two year.s, and during
the period from 1852 to 1873 the coal traflic of the road
had increased from 500 tons to 250,000 tons per year ; but
in consequence of the general depression in business, and
the establishing of other lines, the yearly coal tonnage had
fallen off from the amount named in 1873 to 190,000 tons
in 1877. But the road is still prosperous. It is well man-
aged, and is of great advantage to the city of Hudson and
to the county.
THE HUDSON RIVER LINE.
The merchants and business men of this State, being fully
conscious of the advantages which the opening of the
Western railroad from Albany to Boston would give to the
last-named city in the contest for commercial supremacy,
began as early as 1 830 to canvass the project of connecting
by rail the cities of Albany and New York ; but it was
thought ncccs-sary to lay the route at a distance from the
HISTOIIY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
13.'}
river, and to depend considerably on the traffic to be gained
from western Massachusetts and Connecticut. The idens
which then prevailed on that subject are made apparent in
the proceedings of a raih'oad convention of several Berk-
shire towns, held Oct. 10, 1831, and presided over by
Lemuel Pomeroy, and which adopted a preamble and reso-
lution as follows : " Whereas, the citizens of New York
and Albany, with characteristic enterprise and intelligence,
already appreciate the wonderful advantages which within
a few months have been practically developed by the railway
system, and are now about to make a railroad from the city
of Albany to the city of New York ; and whereas, it is
well understood to be the true policy of the cities of New
Y''ork and Albany, if it shall be found practicable, without
materially increasing the distance, to establish a road so far
east of the Hudson as to avoid coinjjulitujn with (he steam-
boat and sloop freightage thereon, but at the same time to
secure to the railroad all the travel and transportation which
demand greater expedition than can be obtained ori the
river, and also to open to those cities the rich resources of
the county of Berkshire, parts of the counties of Hamp-
shire and Hampden, and all tlie western counties of Con-
necticut, and that such a route will combine much greater
resources than one on the banks of the Hudson. ... Re-
solved, that measures of co-operation should be speedily and
cordially adopted by the citizens of Massachusetts and Con-
necticut."
At that time, and for years after, the idea of building a
railroad along the banks of the Hudson, from city to city,
was thought to be absurd and unworthy to be for a moment
entertained ; for it was argued and believed that even if
such a road could be built through the highlands at any-
thing like a reasonable expense (which was by no means
thought possible) it could never hope to compete success-
fully with the safe, swift, and elegant steamers which plied
upon the river and monopolized its trade.
But at length even this project began to be considered
as possible, afterwards as practicable, and finally as impera-
tively necessary ; this last conviction being forced by the
stern logic of the opening of the Boston road in 1841.
To the building of the inland route as proposed in 1831
the people of Hudson had been wholly opposed, as tending
to divert trade and population from their city ; but they
heartily concurred in the new project of a river-road, and
joined with the lower towns in their meetings held in its
interest ; the first of these to which Hudson sent delegates
being at Poughkeepsie, on the 17th of March, 1842.
At a similar meeting, held at the same place, July 28,
1846, " to advance the progress of the Hudson River rail-
road," Mr. William H. Grant, a civil engineer, who had for
years been engaged on the public works of the State, set
forth in glowing language the necessity of the work and
the danger arising from delay in its prosecution. He said
that the Boston road had been in a great degree an experi-
ment tried by the enterprising people of that city, but that
its result had surprised them, as it had also amazed the
thinking ones in New York ; that the steady and rapid an-
nual increase which New Y'ork had before enjoyed had not
only been entirely checked but changed to actual retrogres-
sion by the opening of that road, and that by the same
cause Boston had realized a gain almost exactly correspond-
ing to the loss inflicted on New York during the four years
in which it had been in full operation. " Look," said he,
" at the trains of the Western railroad as they dej)art from
the depot at East Albany, and see if they are not loaded
down and groaning under the burden of our own products
and the products of the west ; carrying our merchants
and the merchants from distant States, that formerly
thronged to New York, rapidly and en masse to the city of
Boston. See them returning with similar burdens, sending
them far and near, and scattering them broadcast through-
out the country, to the exclusion of the legitimate trade of
New York ; and this too when the channels of competition
are all open, and the Hudson river is offering its superior
navigation of one hundred and fifty miles, against two hun-
dred miles of railroad over mountains and on unparalleled
grades. But, more than all, see this only avenue to New
York closed and hermetically sealed during one-third of
the year,* while the whole trade of the interior and the
west, without stint or diminution, concentrates on the city
of Bo.ston. . . . ' Our grand canal' truly ! Why, it has
been made subservient, with our whole canal .system and our
railroads from Albany to BuiJalo, to the city of Bo.ston.
Our internal resources, industry, and capital, and even our
merchants, mechanics, and farmers, have become tributary
to her. Look at the manufacturing establishments spring-
ing up from Massachusetts capital, and even railroads pro-
jected and carried into operation by it, upon our own soil. . . .
There may be some resources upon which New York relies,
not palpable to an unimaginative eye, but to plain, practical
common sense there is no other than the construction of the
Hudson River railroad. With this road well eon.structed
and fairly in operation, she will not only be placed in a de-
fensive position to protect her commerce from the aggres-
sions that have been committed upon it, but she will have
opened an iron avenue with the illimitable west, that will
draw to her again the lion's share of its treasures. That
she will build it, it would be folly to doubt ; and that she
will do it speedily, I most confidently believe. The city of
Hudson, the villages of Rhinebeck, Hyde Park, Pough-
keepsie, Fishkill, and Peekskill, have, besides their local
interests, a reciprocal interest with the city of New York in
this road, and they have evinced thus far an intelligence
and energy in regard to it which New York herself has not
surpassed."
The estimate made by John B. Jervis, Esq., C.E., of
the cost of the road (1431 miles) was $9,000,000, of which
$3,016,500 was obtained in subscriptions to the stock,
other sources being depended on for the remainder. Mr.
Jervis' estimate of annual earnings was as follows : in sum-
mer, 200,000 through passengers at $1 .50 each,t $300,000 ;
400,000 way passengers at $0.50, $200,000. In winter,
■■ By observations takcD during twenty years (1825 to 1844, inclu-
sive), it was found that the river was closed by ice for an average
period of one hundred and thirty-five days in each year.
t The number of passengers transported on the river by the day-
and night-boats during the year preceding the date of this estimate
was 1,200,000. By the terms of the railroad charter, two cents per
mile could be charged in summer and two and a half cents in winter,
but not more than three dollars from New York to Albany in any
134
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
freight and passengers estimated at $412,000 ; U. S. mail,
$40,000. Total, $952,000.
The work was vigorously prosecuted from the opening
of the season of 1848, and it was promised that the road
sliould be completed in two years, which, however, failed
of accomplishment for various reasons, the principal of
which was lack of funds, and another of which was the
prevalence of cholera as an epidemic among the laborers
upon the line. The road was opened for passenger travel
to Peekskill on the 29th of September, 1849, and to New
Hamburg, twenty-three miles farther, on the 6th of the
following December. There were great rejoicings at Pough-
keepsie when, upon the last day of the year 1849, the line
was opened to that point ; but to the cities and villages
lying farther up the prospect was not a cheering one, for
no work had been done and no contracts awarded above
Poughkeepsie, and, what was still worse, the treasury was
empty.
In January, 1850, an act was passed authorizing an ad-
dition of $1,000,000 to the stock of the company, and a
further issue of $3,000,000 of bonds ; and the work was
resumed in the following season, the commencement being
made at the Albany end of the line, and pa.ssengers and
mails* being in the mean time conveyed by stages from
Poughkeepsie to Hudson, and thence by rail, via Chatham
Four Corners, to Albany.
On the 16th of June, 1851, the northern end of the
road was opened from Albany to Hudson, where, tempo-
rarily, the trains made connection with steamers for the
lower terminus and for New York, the through fare being
placed at $1.50. Nest, the road was opened to Oak Hill,
and on the 4th of August to Tivoli.
On the 1st of October, in the same year, the first train
passed over the entire length of the road. One week later —
Wednesday, Oct. 8, 1851 — came the formal opening, in-
augurated by the passage from the metropolis to the capital
of an excursion train, drawn by the locomotive " New
York," and carrying the officers of the road, capitalists,
members of the press, and distinguished citizens. An
extra issue of the Albany Evening Journal of that date
thus chronicles the event : " The day dawned auspiciously.
The sun is shining brightly, and the atmosphere is balmy
and bracing. Tbe public were on tip-toe at an early hour
to witness the joyous jubilee in honor of the completion of
the Hudson River railroad. It is an event well calculated
to awaken enthusiasm. Few greater enterprises have ever
been prosecuted in this country, and none which, in the
outset, met more coldness and ridicule. But the men of
iron nerve who conceived the project could not be diverted
from their purpose by common obstacles. They persevered
and triumplied. The great work, commenced under cir-
cumstances the most chilling and adverse, is now completed.
The event deserves a jubilee, as the inflexible men by whom
it has been accomplished deserve the gratitude of the people
of the State. The road itself will be their perpetual monu-
ment." Concerning the rejoicings at Hudson, a newspaper
« The Uudton Gazette of Dec. 18, 1849, rejoiced in this prospect of
a mail service between New York and Hudson, which should make
the entire distance in a day, as, " by present arrangement, it takes
three days to get a letter to New York and back again."
correspondent upon the train wrote : " At 10.29 we reached
Hudson amid the booming of cannon and the cheering of
thousands. There was more enthusiasm manifested here
than at any previous stopping-place. Banners and flags
waved in every direction, and the utmost enthusiasm pre-
vailed.' Even the children of the Hudson Orphan Asylum
paraded with a banner, on which was inscribed, in honor
of the president of the road, " Boorman, the friend of the
orphans."
Arrived at Greenbush, the officials of the road, with their
guests, and citizens more or less distinguished, — in all more
than fourteen hundred persons, — sat down to a bountiful
repast, furnished by the proprietors of the Delavan House.
Speeches, sentiments, and congratulations followed ; but
these we do not intend to reproduce, save one, the toast
ofiered by President Boorman, " The citizens of Columbia
county. The spirit they have manifested toward this en-
terprise shows them worthy of the illustrious name they
bear." It was a merited compliment, and one which will
not soon be forgotten.
Night closed on the festivities, and the Hudson River
railroad was a fact accomplished. But who, among all the
thousands who gathered on that autumn day to celebrate
its inauguration, could have dreamed of its future colossal
proportions and limitless power?
The length of the Hudson River road within the county
of Columbia is 291 niiles and 653 feet; the length of its
track within the different towns beins as follows :
Clermont (the lower portion) 2J 695
Germantown 3 .338
Clermont (the upper iiortion) 2 567
Livingston li 7.30
Greenport (lower part) 4 173
Hudson city IV 448
Greenport (upper part) li 499
Stockport 4 654
Stuyvesant 8i 509
The road -received liberal subscriptions to its stock from
the inhabitants of these towns, particularly from those of
the city of Hudson ; notwithstanding that these last-named'
had had a bitter experience with the stock of the Hudson
and Berkshire road.
The first surveys had contemplated tunneling under the
lower part of Hudson, so as to have the railroad pass under
Warren street, between Front and First, but this plan very
naturally met with opposition from the citizens, which led
to the eventual adoption of the present route along the
front of the city.
THE NEW YORK AND HARLEM LINE.
This railroad enters the county at Boston Corners in
Alteram, and passes in a general northwesterly direction
through Ancram, Copake, Hillsdale, Taghkanic, Claverack,
and Ghent, to Chatham, where it intersects the Boston and
Albany railroad at Chatham village.
The company was formed in April, 1831, and commenced
work in New York city in 1832, but did nothing north of
Harlem river until after 1840. After that time the work
was prosecuted slowly and finished by sections, it being
completed and opened to Chatham Four Corners (now
Chatham village) on the 19th of January, 1852. It is an
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
135
important line of communication to the eastern towns
through which its route lies.
THE HARLEM EXTENSION LINE.
This road, formerly known as the Lebanon Springs rail-
road, connects with the Harlem railroad at Chatham village,
and passes northerly through the towns of Chatham and
New Lebanon into Rensselaer county, of which it crosses
a part, and, entering Vermont, connects with the Western
railroad of that State at Bennington, 58 miles from its
southern terminus.
The company was organized in 1852, and work upon the
line was commenced early in the summer of 1853, but was
suspended a year later for financial reasons. From that
time until 1867 little was done, but in that year Cornelius
Vanderbilt, Horace F. Clark, and other capitalists became
interested in the enterprise and completed the road, so that
on the ISth of December, 1869, it was formally opened by
an excursion train which passed through to Vermont.
The road was intended as a connecting link in an inland
route from New York to Montreal. The Messrs. Tilden,
of New Lebanon, did much towards completing this line,
which, it is said, is now doing a fair business.
THE POUGHKEEPSIE, HARTFORD AND BOSTON LINE.
This road enters the town of Ancram from Pine Plains,
in Dutchess county, and passes in a generally northeastern
direction to Boston Corners, where it leaves the county and
State. Its length in the county of Columbia is a trifle more
than eight miles. In its commencement it was called the
Poughkeepsie and Eastern railroad, and work was begun
upon it in 1868, but it was not completed until the summer
of 1872 ; the first train passing over its entire length on
the 1st of August in that year. Its existence is advan-
tageous to the mines and manufacturing interests of the
town of Ancram, with the history of which it is more fully
mentioned.
THE RHINEBEOK AND CONNECTICUT LINE
passes north from Dutchess county into the town of Galla-
tin, of which it crosses the southeast corner into Ancram,
crosses that town, and intersects the Poughkeepsie, Hartford
and Boston road at Boston Cornens. This road has about
12f miles of track within the county, and it was completed
and opened for travel in the summer of 1874.
CHAPTER XV.
MANUFACTUKES AND AGRICULTUHE.
uf I'opulatii
ad Wealth— Agricultural S.
The statistics of the census returns for Columbia county
make the following exhibit of the population of the terri-
tory now included in the county limits at the respective dates
given. In 1714: the returns were as follows :
Claverack, 1 male above 60 years; 52 males between 16
and 60 years ; 54 males under 16 years ; 1 female above
60 ; 38 females between 16 and 60 ; 51 females under 16 ;
10 male and 5 female slaves above 16; and two of each
sex under 16.
Kinderhook, 5 males and 6 females over 60 years ; 75
males and 57 females between 16 and 60 ; 83 males and 67
females under 16; 12 male and 7 female slaves over 16;
and 6 male and 7 female slaves under 1 6.
Coxsackie and the north part of Livingston manor, 6
males and two females over 60 years ; 48 males and, 53 fe-
males between 16 and 60 ; 52 males and 28 females under
16 ; 26 male and 11 female slaves over 16 ; and 10 male
and 6 female slaves under 16 years.
In 1720, " Gerret Van Schaijck, high sheriff" of the city
and county of Albany, " by order of the court of judica-
ture held for province of New York, June 11, 1720," re-
turned an enumeration of freeholders in the county, from
which it appears that in Kinderhook and a part of the
manor of Livingston there were 38, in the north part
of Livingston there were 28, and in Claverack 35 free-
holders.
The population by towns from 1790 to 1875 is shown by
the following table :
1790
1800
1810
1814
33,979
1820
38,330
1825
37,970
3,I2H
2,24-
3,U48
3,522
2,970
1,1-16
1,039
1830
39^977
1,533
2,245
2,064
3,538
3,038
1,203
1,675
1,588
.Si
18.%
1840
1845
41,976
1,705
1,812
1,973
3,570
2,934
1,131
1,607
1,670
991
2,417
1,182
2,374
2,640
3,017
.........
5.657
3,679
2,083
l',661
1,718
1,524
1850
4.3,073
1,569
1,873
1,941
3,839
3,208
1,130
1,652
1,586
1,023
2,293
1.300
2,123
2,939
3,350
■6;2S6
3,970
2,020
1,766
1,5.39
1855
44,391
1,801
1,618
1,946
4,023
3,363
1,058
1,620
1,517
1,131
2,537
1,383
2,194
1,460
1,675
1,764
1,821
6,720
3,864
2,064
2,329
1,621
1,937
1,665
1860
47,172
1,720
1,889
2,193
4,163
3,477
968
1,839
1,533
1,353
2,803
1,431
2,552
1,542
►,841
1,694
2,110
•7,187
4,331
2,014
2,187
1,445
2,366
1,717
1,651
1,443
2,000
4,285
3,353
942
1,738
1,392
1,278
2,661
1,130
2,142
1,609
2,078
1,828
2,316
7,831
4,008
1,904
2,086
1,355
2,234
1,472
1870
47,044
1,793
1,442
1,877
4,372
3,671
1,021
1,847
1,416
I,.393
2,886
1,.325
2,083
1,679
2,409
1,856
2,671
8,615
4,055
1,938
2,124
1,438
2,263
1,485
1875
County
Ancram
":"!
!!:"!
32,390
40,r46
1,617
2,092
2,..42
3,469
2,840
1,166
1,616
1,655
979
2,375
43,252
47,621
1,715
1,388
1,702
4.501
3,825
937
1,884
1,361
1,445
2,963
1,354
1,879
1,800
2,283
1,894
2,805 ■
8,828
4,060
i;960
2,459
1,648
2,393
1,401
53
Chatham .....
ckMuic'nt. .'.'.'.'.'.■.'.'.■".'.'..',■.■;.";!;
:::::::
•;:::::::
Giermanldwn
920
2,290
■■
2,389
2,446
2,266
" 2d "
:::i :""
3d "
" 4th "
Total city
;;;;;;;;;
'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.
2,471
1,988
2,628
5,.3y2
2.706
2,087
2,695
"b,bn
2,831
2,206
2,713
2,023
1,7.36
1,589
New Lebanon :
Stockport
1,889
1,693
2,331
1,654
Ta^hkanic
'
■
In penal institution
1
130
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
In 1875, the native-born population of tlae county num-
bered 41,845, and the foreign-born 5776. Of these people,
46,370 were white and 1251 colored, of whom 23,289
were males, and 24,332 were females, 1435 being aliens.
Of the males 13,128 were of the voting age, — over twenty-
one years, — of whom 10,486 were native-born, and 1960
naturalized, and 682 were aliens; 9104 males were of the
military age, — between 18 and 45 ; 6254 males and 6224
females were of the school age, — between 5 and 18 ; 5538
were freeholders ; and 785 of the voting age were unable to
read and write.
There were 8592 dwellings in the county, of which 8037
were frame, 493 were brick, 53 stone, and 9 were the primi-
tive log cabins of the pioneer, the value of which was returned
at §13,610,592,— the frames being $10,990,347, the brick
$2,476,000, the stone 8143,815, and the cabins at $430 ;
52 were returned at less than $50, 121 between $50 and
$100, 752 between $100 and $250, 2704 between $250
and $1000, 2004 between $1000 and $2000, 1948 between
$2000 and $5000, 392 between $5000 and $10,000, and
129 over $10,000. Of the latter, Canaan had 1, Chatham
5, Claverack 4, Clermont 6, Copake 1, Ghent 1, Greenport
5, Hudson 76, Kinderhook 12, Livingston 1, New Leba-
non 13, Stockport and Stuyvesant 2 each. The population
was divided into 10,121 families, inhabiting 8478 dwellings,
averaging 4JjjL persons to each family, and 5^^jj persons
to each inhabited house. The area of the county is 688
square miles, and there were 69.22 persons, 14.71 families,
and 12.49 dwellings to a square mile, and 9.25 acres to
each person. The average value of house accommodation
to each fiimily was $1333.03.
On the 11th of June, 1757, Governor Tryon reported
to the Lords of Trade, " There are few mines discovered in
the Province. One, of Iron Ore, in the Manor of Living-
ston, belonging to Robert Livingston, Esquire ; another, of
Iron also, in Orange county, the properly of Vincent Mat-
thews, Esquire ; and one in the Manor of Philipsburgh.
Tlie works belonging to the First [Livingston] are carried
out to great advantage." Such was the condition of iron
mines and manufactures in the province in 1757 ; there
were but three mines discovered, and but one of these was
worked, which was that of Mr. Livingston. And in all
the province there was but one manufactory of iron, which
was also that of Mr. Livingston ; both the mine and the
works being in the present county of Columbia.
The iron-works of Mr. Livingston were erected in 1748,
" at a place called Sober," but.wiiich was more frequently
termed "Anchoram," being in the present town of Ancram.
A return, made to the Lords of Trade in 1857, of the pro-
duct of those works during the years 1750 to 1756, in-
clusive, shows as follows :
IRON (prBSumiibly pig).
1 Cwt. Qre. Ll.s.
I'iO 4i X 3 13
I'jl MIO 6 3 17
17'>2 ill 7 3
175-5 22 9 2
17,')0 195
17.il 164
1752 183
1302 8 66 15 21
On the 23d of June, 1755, Mr. Livingston, in a letter
which he wrote in reference to a raid of anti-renters who
had despoiled his works and carried away some of the
workmen, said, " It has put it out of my power to furnish
Messrs. Banker & Dire hitherto with the Carriage-wheels,
and Mr. William i\lexander with the quantity of Shot I
engaged to deliver him for the Expedition to Onjagera [Ni-
agara] and Crown Point ; and yet, notwithstanding this ill-
treatment I have received, as I had the expedition very much
at heart, I ordered my Furnace, as soon as I came from New
York, to be Immediately repaired at a great Expence of
upwards of £400, that I might still be able to furnish the
Shott, etc., as soon as my workmen returned, that the Expe-
dition might not be retarded ; and I have now had her in
good order since Monday last, but no workmen yett ;" —
which in itself explains that the much larger weight of
castings returned for 1755 was for the reason that the works
were then furnishing cannon-balls for the army.
During the Revolutionary war another member of that
patriotic family of Livingston (Judge Robert R.,* the father
of the chancellorj furnished the American government with
munitions of war from a powder-mill which he put in oper-
ation near his residence in Clermont, but of whose amount
of production we have no definite account.
On Sauthier's map (January, 1778) the following-named
mills are noted within the manor of Livingston, viz. :
Grist and saw-mills near the manor-house, on north bank
of RoeloiF Jansen's Kill.
The " Mill Good Hope," on the same stream, near the
present village of Bingham's Mills.
Grist and saw-mills on same kill, in present town of Gal-
latin, about three miles below Copake forge and furnace.
The forge, furnace, grist and saw-mills at Ancram.
" Unity Mills," on same stream, at outlet of Robinson's
pond, in Copake.
Grist-mill on same stream, two and one-half miles above
last mentioned.
"Grist-mill Defiance," in Ancram, on "Punch Brook,"
a tributary of Roelofi' Jansen's Kill, and about three miles
above their confluence.
" Mill Success," on Copake creek, west of Copake lake.
" Maryburgh Forge" (marked ;is " in ruins"), on Copake
creek, site of the new forge.
" Mill Support," in the northeast part of Livingston, on
Copake creek.
" Mill Revenge," on " Doove Kill," outlet of Lake Char-
lotte.
Grist-mill in southwest corner of Germantown, on small
stream entering Hudson river.
•■' Judge Livingston died about the
the powder-mill was continued in operat
it of the war, but
by his son John R,
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
137
The first paper-mill erected in the county was one built
at Stuyvesant fells, on the Kinderhook creek, in 1802, by
Messi-s. Pitkins and Edmonds,* an old grist-mill at the
upper fells being transformed into one. In 1802, George
Chittenden bought this mill, from which has probably arisen
the statement that Mr. Chittenden was the builder of it.
The first cotton-factory was built, in 1813, by Nathaniel
Wilde and his brother, " two enterprising Yorkshircmen,"
who gave out their cotton to be carded by the farmers'
wives and daughters.
The first cotton print (calico) works were built, in 1828,
by Benjamin and Joseph Marshall, at Stockport village.
An oil-mill was established by Judah Paddock one mile
east of Columbiaville, about 1805.
The census of 1840 gives the following exhibit of the
industries of the county, other than agriculture, at that
date : Manufactures — iron — 5 furnaces made 915 tons east-
iron ; 2 forges made 150 tons bars; 1372 tons coal used;
98 men and $51,500 capital employed. Stone — 17 men;
$1000 capital; value of product, $10,900. Machinery
manufactured — 58 employees ; $72,500, value of product.
Small arms — 5 men. Marble — $500, value of product ; 1
man. Brick and lime — 27 men ; $8100, value of product.
Wool— 28 fulling-mills, 19 factories, 181 men, and $93,450
capital; value of manufactured goods, $139,000. Cotton —
11 factories, 18,256 spindles, 1 calico-printing fectory, 760
persons, and $893,300 capital employed ; value of manu-
factured goods, $475,440. Silk— 3 male and 2 female
operatives ; $500 capital ; 9 pounds made ; value, $85.
Mixed manufactures — 19 operatives; $6300 capital;
$17,800 product. Tobacco— 2 operatives ; $1000 capital ;
$3500, value of manufactured goods. Hats and caps — 36
operatives; $16,450 capital; product, $50,546. Ten tan-
neries — 89 operatives; $24,550 capital; 1200 sides sole,
5790 sides upper, manufactured. Nineteen other leather-
manufactories, saddleries, etc. — $33,500 capital ; $49,700,
value of product. Soap and candles — ^12 operatives;
$12,000 capital; 164,000 pounds, 46,000 pounds tallow
candles, 60,000 sperm and wax candles manufactured.
Two distilleries — 15,800 gallons ; 1 brewery, 15,000 gal-
lons; 10 operatives; $35,300 capital. $8800 value drugs
and medicines manufactured ; 8 operatives ; $1000 capital.
Four paper-mills — $9500, value of product ; 16 operatives ;
$18,000 capital. Four printing-ofiices, 1 bindery, 3 weekly
newspapers, 2 periodicals — 18 operatives; $7000 capital.
Wagons and carriages — 182 operatives; $52,650 capital;
$76,450, value of manufactured articles. Twelve fluuring-
mills — 18,250 barrels flour; 39 grist-mills ; 41 saw-mills;
$170,275, value of product; 62 operatives ; $196,200 cap-
ital. Furniture — $42,800, value of manufactured goods ;
80 operatives; $16,400 capital. Sixteen brick orstone, and
76 wooden houses built; 216 men employed; $138,340,
value of construction ; $38,680, value of all other manu-
factured articles; capital invested, $18,500. Total capital
invested in manufactures, $1,457,050. Fisheries — 37,075
gallons spermaceti oil ; whale and other fish-oils, 277,200
gallons ; value of whalebone and other product of fisheries,
$147,800 ; 304 men and $330,000 capital employed. Men
* Father of Hon. John W. Edmonds.
employed in commerce, 400, and in internal transportation,
184; capital, $156,500. One commission house in foreign
trade — $14,000 capital. Retail stores of various cliusses of
goods, 228; capital $679,200. Seven lumber-yards— $36,000
capital. Productof forests— lumber, $3400. In 1860 there
were 15 paper-mills and 8 cotton-factories in the county.
The census of 1875 makes no returns whatever of man-
ufactures or commerce. The census of 1870 makes the
following exhibit of manufactures : There were 483 estab-
lishments of all kinds, — 28 steam (1523 horse-power), 131
water (3493 horse-power); 3551 operatives, — 2437 males
over 16, 742 females over 15, and 372 youth ; $5,033,505
capital employed; $3,960,371 value of materials used;
$6,737,568 value of products. These were classed as follows :
No.
Est.il>-
lish-
i^r/.
i^:?:s'd.
JVages.
Mate-
rials
Used.
Value
of
Pro- ■
nrnts.
~
ducts.
\.M.„lMn,l„n,,l.l„«,t8
$27,700
J6,600
S22,354
137,860
32
30,(KK)
5,IH10
9,000
14,850
,;:;';.';':,::■■■:.::.:::;;;
3
2,500
1.600
6,000
10,000
l;i. ,,.| .iiri .1 1,. 1 l.;ikerj'
48
46,000
16,450
66 588
78,420
Bi^ck "i...^ ........'.'.
93
101,000
21,900
' 9,725
38,400
20
112
4,000
65.100
6,695
31,802
10,605
C^Ha'ses" am'l wagoiis.'".'
'"■29,m
92:422
CL.ttiiiif;, mcnV.,.
102
47,450
26,288
68,870
116,100
K,
■i,4i«)
2S,:i:iO
24,860
87+
i,i:,;„,M
1,l,-.7 9:iS
]" '■ /■ ,■ '" '''*
83
': i ■ ' '
,' ' ,' '
T',ij;720
J 1,000
,/''" '"' ""
6
,-, 1 ■
-1,""7
■j:i336
3
9,.SliO
12,185
5
280
384,500
1.80O
100,022
307',721
12,180
Ih'-I, r, ' " '.'.''.''''.
398,24i5
I;.l.,;,i:. :,-. i ^ l"^"'™"
14
3,500
3,663
3,.580
15,600
Iluli, liiRs
l.W
500,000
90,000
632,500
952,610
Iron castings (not speci-
fied) !....
61
i;!o,5iio
38,7,50
34,p80
134,480
105
195,000
.38,125
126,000
L™uore°'uwi't'.':!!!!'.!!.'.!".'.?;
45
190,000
23,700
154,855
356,260
Lumber, SiiweJ
18
14,400
3,350
:«,3no
53,625
Maol_m.cr.v(notsi.ecifie.l)
50
74,000
9,800
18,700
34,160
58
42,000
8,000
']-^
24,000
lolooo
60,000
BIal".'lV-".Vii'rt"M7r.stVmes
25,.50O
l'.i|i,.i ,i,,,| .',',, ,11, ill
74
171,1100
37,.30O
89,691
178,8.50
191
349,000
76,640
193,145
379,400
j.„, ," ' ''■''"' ' ■"■■■".■■■
7
8,1100
3,000
2,800
11,.300
48
30.500
11,588
24.000
52,940
's!i,h,',iV,'.i>,' ;i[i',i I'hii'as'!'!
13
15,000
6,750
13,899
20,000
iron ware...].. .-.
60
48 800
11, iv;
IIJ'IM
73„570
Toliacco and cigars
Woolen goods
It
55
269
22):
5;450
450,000
75,000
iB:
'l '■,;'■■!
7,S914
140,000
Mining— iron ore
^-.l,71K.
stone quari-y
61
15,000
2li,lKM
2,000
30,1100
AGRICULTURAL.
The census returns of Columbia county for the year 1840
show that there were 28,149 bushels wheat produced in previ-
ous year, 1971 bushels barley, 1,107,702 bushels oats, 323,-
299 bushels rye, 97,733 bushels buckwheat, 412,032 bushels
corn, 242,777 pounds wool, 50 pounds hops, 377 pounds
wax, 560,819 bushels potatoes, 56,213 tons hay, 2 pounds
silk cocoons, 839 pounds sugar, 11,273 cords of wood sold,
$201,566 dairy products, $30,506 orchard products, 34
gallons wine, $31,282 value of home-made or family goods,
$9900 value of market garden products, $100 florists' pro-
ducts, $29,606 value of poultry ; there were in the county
9064 horses, 32,699 neat cattle, 123,063 sheep, 54,911 hogs.
In 1855, 3242 persons in the county made returns of
farms, with 304,277 acres improved, and 69,255 acres
unimproved. Value of fiirms, $19,130,749; live-stock,
$1,858,418; tools and implements, $620,449.
t Steam, 1 horse-power ; water, 4 horse-power.
X Above ground, 7 men; under ground, 15 men. § 7000 tons.
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
The census of 1875 shows the following agricultural
exhibit :
EXHIBIT OP INDUSTRY AND WEALTH OF THE COUNTY.
Improved acres, 315,112, unimproved, 50,319 woodland,
11,786 other lands; value of farms, $23,453,394; farm
buildings other than dwellings, $3,546,295 ; stock, $2,217,-
390 ; tools and implements, $965,384 ; cost of fertilizers
bought in 1874, $18,753; amount of gross sales from
farms in 1874, $2,444,012 ; area plowed "in 1874,92,457
acres; 1875, 77,412; grasslands, pasturage, 1874, 87,048
acres; 1875, 90,464 acres; 104,220 acres mown 1874;
105,082 acres 1875; hay produced 1874, 122,609 tons;
grass-seed, 1874, 535 bushels; barley, acres sown, 36 in
1874, 40 iu 1875 ; bushels produced in 1874, 699 ; buck-
wheat, 7042 acres, 86,083 bushels ; 4038 acres, 1875 ; corn,
1874, 17,493 acres, 315,430 bushels; 1875, 17,835 acres;
oats, 1874, 27,624 acres, 627,614 bushels ; 1875, 30,418
acres; rye, 1874, 44,813 acres, 521,155 bushels; 1875,
39,952 acres; spring wheat, 1874, 3 acres, 14 bushels;
1875, 2 acres; winter wheat, 1873, 21 acres; 1874, 54
acres, 363 bushels; corn sown for fodder, 1874, 245 acres;
1875, 153 acres; beans, 1874, 06 acres, 706 bushels; 1875,
75 acres; peas, 1874, 6 acres, 103 bushels; 1875, 6 acres;
hops, 1874, 28 acres, 6920 pounds; 1875, 27 acres; pota-
toes, 1874, 9579 acres, 664,591 bushels; 1875, 11,510
acres; tobacco, 1874,280 acres; 1875, 200 acres ; apple-
orchards, 1874, 258,075 trees, fruit, 342,338 bushels,
cider, 10,441 barrels; grapes, 1874, 403,292 pounds,
1 307 gallons wine made ; maple-sugar, 1875, 485 pounds,
and 210 gallons syrup made; honey collected 1874, 14,459
pounds; horses on farms, colts of 1875, 371 ; do. of 1874,
362 ; 2 years old and over, 9295 ; mules on farms, 1875,
103; poultry, value owned 1875, $73,856; value sold
1874, $34,226 ; value eggs sold 1874, $42,467 ; neat cattle
on farms, 1875, heifers, 977 2 years old, 1384 yearlings,
1749 calves, 854 bulls of all ages, 1935 working oxen and
steers; milch-cows, 1874, 12,084; 1875, 12,414; cattle
slaughtered in 1874, 949 ; dairy products, cows whose milk
was sent to factory 1874, 12; 1875, 4; butter made in
families 1874, 1,157,267 pounds; milk sold in market
1874, 482,482 gallons; cheese made in families 1874,
9386 pounds; sheep, number shorn 1874,29,271; 1875,
32,303; weight of clip 1874, 134,054 pounds; 1875,
149,452 pounds; lambs raised 1874, 19,211 ; 1875, 22,119;
slaughtered 1874, 1576 ; killed by dogs, 266 ; swine, pigs
of 1875, 15,446; of 1874 and older, 15,051 ; slaughtered
on farms 1874, 13,438; pork made on farms 1874,
2,633,138 pounds.
Of farms of all sizes there were 3534, the area of whicii
was as follows: 424 under 3 acres, 311 between 3 and 10
acres, 171 between 10 and 20, 304 between 20 and 50, 544
between 50 and 100, 1768 between 100 and 500, 10 between
500 and 1000, and 2 over 1000 acres. There was an in-
crease of farms of all sizes over the returns of 1870 of
562 ; 422 of the increase being on farms under 3 acres, 109
between 3 and 10 acres, 17 between 10 and 20, 11 between
20 and 50, 132 between 100 and 500, and 2 over 1000
acres. The farms between 50 and 100 acres decreased 137.
The number of sheep .shorn, weight of clip, and average
weight of fleeces for the years 1855, 1864, 1865, 1874,
and 1875, were as follows :
N™>^"- v:^ vlunS:
1S55 81,064 2Gr.368 3.30
186-t S0,262 311,847 3.89
1865 42,209 196,610 4.00
1874 29,271 134,054 4.58
1875 32,302 144,452 4.63
The average yield per acre of the principal crops in 1874
was as follows: Tons hay, 1.18; bushels barley, 19.42;
buckwheat, 12.22; corn, 18.03; oats, 22.72; rye, 16.63;
spring wheat, 4.67 ; winter wheat, 17.29 ; hops, 247.14
(pounds) ; potatoes, 69.38.
Although the soil of the county has to some extent be-
come exhausted by a peculiar system of agriculture, it is
unquestionable that, originally, it was unsurpassed in pro-
ductive qualities by that of any section of the fertile State
of New York.
When Hudson came, he found that the Indians, even by
their slovenly methods, produced not only maize, of which
he saw at one place " enough to load three ships," but they
had also beans, pumpkins, flax, and a variety of other prod-
ucts, and all in abundance. He also found apple, plum, and
mulberry-trees ; and Indian orchards of the fonner still ex-
isted as late as the commencement of the present century
in Ghent, and at other points in the county.
The Dutch settlers found the soil exceedingly productive,
as we have before mentioned ; and that they raised and
shipped wheat in large quantities is evidenced by the
journal of the Labadist brethren who came here in the
seventeenth century. Now, wheat is almost unknown, but,
instead, waving fields of rye may everywhere be seen
throughout the county ; and this, by those whose opinions
should be entitled to weight, is said to be a more profitable
crop than the wheat, which it has superseded.
It is found that the soil and climate of the county are
excellently adapted to the production of fruit, and its cultiva-
tion is on the increase, with the best results. It is believed
that the first Newtown pippins ever seen in England (and
it is the apple which to-day takes precedence of all others
in the English market) were raised in what is now Colum-
bia county ; for it is known that, as early as 1767, Robert
Livingston (the third lord) sent a barrel of that variety to
England, where their beauty and delicious flavor elicited
notices of the highest approbation.
Several members of the Livingston family have at va-
rious times taken great interest in matters of agriculture.
It is said that the famous Merino sheep were first intro-
duced into America by Chancellor Livingston, who, it is
known, imported some exceedingly fine ones about the year
1801. They were procured by him from the celebrated
flock of Rambouillet in France, and it was estimated that,
in the year 1812, 60,000 of the descendants of his importa-
tion were iu the United States, — the flock at Clermont alone
at that time numbering about one thousand. Horatio
Gates SpaflFord, in his Gazetteer of Columbia County, pub-
lished about 1823, says, " Unfortunately for themselves and
the country, the farmers have overvalued and undervalued
in quick succession the Merino sheep, the subject of so much
speculation, profit, loss, and twofold regrets ;" but after
diligent inquiry we have been unable to learn that these
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
sheep were ever raised to any great extent in this county,
with the exception of the Livingston iiock, and tliat of
Beriah Pease, at his " Fonda farm," upon what is now
called Mount Merino from the fact that he kept there a
fine flock of those sheep. The raising of the ordinary
breeds of sheep, however, has in past times been entered
into extensively, but lias now greatly fallen off, though the
average weight of wool produced, per sheep, has steadily
increased, and was greater in 1875 than in any year pre-
viously reported.
The earliest reference which we find to the introduction
of labor-saving agricultural machinery in Columbia county
was in the year 1806, being an advertisement in the Colum-
bia Balance of January 28 in that year. Following is a copy :
"The subscriber, finding the principle of his P.itent Threshing
Machine highly approved of in many parts whore they have been
well built; but being sensible they have not gone so generally into
use as might be expected, owing to inexperienced workmen being em-
ployed, and want of proper materials in erecting them; He there-
fore has proposed, and now informs those Farmers who may think it
an object to make application, that he will have them built in Hud-
son, under his own inspection, and will warrant them to extract at the
rate of 50 to 60 bushels per day ; that they shall answer every reason-
able expectation, or the purchaser may return them at any time within
one year. Having provided proper materials for that purpose, he
flatters himself that some patriotic Farmers will embrace the favor-
able opportunity. The machines may be easily conveyed on a wagon
or sled. Price, §100.
"C. HoxiE.
" HiTDSON, January, 1800."
It is claimed that the first mowing-machine was invented
and constructed by a Mr. Beal, of Spencertowu, in the town
of Austerlitz, between 1830 and 1810. It is mentioned
that " it had a straight scythe, and was at least a good ex-
periment in the right direction."
The first agricultural society of which we find mention
was the " Agricultural Association of Dutchess and Colum-
bia Counties," of which General Jacob Rutsen Van Rens-
selaer was the secretary in 1817. In that year the associa-
tion held a fair and cattle show " at Loop's, in Red Hook,"
at which the premiums offered amounted to $200, being in
part as follows :
For the best five acres Winter Wheat, to be harvested in 1818 $25
" " " acre of Potatoes, 1817 15
" " " five acres of Indian corn 25
" " " five acres B.irley 20
" " " pair of Pigs, four to nine months old 15
We have made considerable research in order to discover
the names of the fortunate ones to whom were awarded the
premiums, but without success. Neither are we able to
trace the subsequent history of the association.
THE COLUMBIA COUNTY AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY.
Owing to the loss or misplacement of the old records of
the society, the exact date of the organization of the County
Agricultural Society has not been determined. It held its
meetings for many years in Hudson, and about 1855 was
removed to Chatham. The fair of 1877 was the thirty-
seventh annual one. In 1856 the society purchased fifteen
acres of ground at that village, paying $2400 therefor, and
in 1858 a horse fair was held. In 1859 the following
officers were elected : Peter P. Jlesick, president ; Peter E.
Van Alstyne, vice-president ; Hiram D. Ford, secretary ;
Henry K. Coburn, treasurer; John T. Hogeboom, William
D. Steward, Waterman Lippett, Elisha W. Bushnell, Bart-
lett S. Marshall, William R. Mesick, executive committee.
A fair was held September 28-30, 1859, at which the re-
ceipts were $2057.39, and the expenses $1930.15. In 1865
additional lands were bought, and in 1866 a new floral hall
was built. In 1 808 more land was bought, the price paid
being $3000. Besides the annual fairs, several spring
exhibitions of horses, sheep shearings, etc., have been held.
The receipts and disbursements since and including 1859
have been as follows :
Receipts. Disbursements.
1859 $2,057.39 $1.9:iO.I5
1800 1,080.:!G ],2S4.S9
1801 I,4:i7.00 1,427.70
1802 1,059.18 7il9.:jfi
1803 2,:!4S.40 1,747.11
1804 2,125.91 2,444.01
1805 2.927.19 H,4:!7.97
1866 3,822.48 3.790.8(1
1867 4,909.45 6.587.39
1870 1,701.26 1,501.00
1871 2,841.46 3,018.53
1S72 1,302.63 889.71
1873 1,420.50 (prems.) 582.75
1874 1,686.38 " 1,516.36
1875 1,733.60 " 1,046.00
1876 1,399.43 " 1,051.00
1877 1,727.93 " 1,177.50
Total $35,013.15 $33,632.83
In 1868 the gate fees were $2732.25 ; premiums paid,
$2970.42 ; $1000 being paid for horse premiums. The
State appropriations have been about $325 annually for
several years past.
The presidents and secretaries of the society since 1859
have been as follows :
Presidents. — Peter F. Mesick, John T. Hogeboom, Na-
than S. Ashley, Peter S. Pulver, Staats D. Tompkins, J.
Wesley Jones, Lewis F. Payne, Stephen G. Bushnell,
George L. Morris, Isaac M. Pitts, John D. Shufeldt, Sil-
vester Van Deusen, J. N. Garner.
Secretaries. — Hiram D. Ford, Abraham Ashley, E.
Backus, Charles A. Belden, Nathan H. Thomas, A. Ash-
ley, Jr., Joseph P. Hogeboom, H. M. Ford, J. Wesley
Jones, Charles H. Beale, James Smith, Charles E. Clark,
W. H. Ten Broeck.
Officers for 187S.—S. Van Deusen, president; P. F.
Mesick, vice-president ; J. W. Boright, secretary ; W. H.
Ten Broeck, treasurer; Directors: John Harmon, P]zra
Lasher, term expires 1879 ; H. C. Pinson, G. L. Morris,
term expires 1880 ; James Bain, M. L. Hanor, term
expires 1881.
THE COLUMBIA AGRICULTURAL AND HORTICULTURAL
ASSOCIATION
was incorporated March 4, 1861, and has its grounds just
outside the limits of Hudson City, where it holds its exhi-
bitions. The incorporators were J. Van Ness Philip,
Henry S. Van De Carr, Peter Bogardus, George H. Power,
P. S. Wynkoop, Samuel T. Du Bois, P. P. Rossman, R. B.
Shepard, F. A. Gifford. The capital stock was $12,000,
at $10 per share. The first officers were as follows : Henry
S. Van De Carr, president ; Silas W. Tobey, Samuel A.
Miller, David Crapser, Hiram P. Hoysradt, David Miller,
vice-presidents ; Robert B. Shepard, treasurer ; Frederick
A. Gifford, secretary ; Directors, George H. Power and
Samuel T. Du Bois, 1860-64; Peter S. Wynkoop, Peter
140
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
Bogardus, 1860-65 ; Peter P. Rossman, William A. Car-
penter, 1860-GG.
On June 11, 1860, the directors voted to purchase
grounds, and appointed committees for purchase, and sur-
vey and grading, and on buildings. The Mellen lot was
purchased, and buildings were erected on the plan of those
of the Troy Agricultural Society. In 1860 the first fair
was held, and was reported by the press as " a splendid suc-
cess," with a " larger and finer display of stock than ever
exhibited before in the county," and also a " very fine ex-
hibition of agricultural implements." The attendance was
very large. The second fair was held Sept. 25-27, 1861,
the receipts of which were $2200.62. Annual fairs and
annual horse shows have been held every year since the
first year, 1860. In 1866 the receipts were $5587.57, and
the premiums paid were 1263. In 1867 the capital stock
was increased $15,000, and in 1868 additional grounds
were bought. In 1869 a new building, 16 by 16 feet, two
stories, was built. In 1870 the Hood property was bought
at $5000, and the covered amphitheatre built at a cost of
$1186.50. In 1873 a portion of the Hood property, some
4 acres and over, was sold for $2500. In 1876 Floral
Hall was burned, and a new one erected at a cost of $5000.
The new hall is 50 by 150 feet, 45 feet high in the clear,
and surmounted with a cupola, from which a charming view
of the surrounding country is obtained. The grand stand
has a capacity of 2500 covered seats. A fine half-mile
track is inclosed within the grounds, and well-built stalls for
cattle and horses, sheds for sheep and swine, coops for fowls,
and rooms for agricultural implements, attest the successful
management of the association and its popularity. The
grounds, some 25 acres in area, are kept in fine condition,
as are all of the buildings. The latter are not excelled by
any county society, and equaled by few.
The receipts of the last foir— 1877— were $3850, and
premiums paid amounted to $1700.
The presidents and secretaries have been as follows since
the organization of the society :
Presidents. — Henry S. Van De Carr, 1860-61, and
1863-68; Jacob W. Hoysradt, 1869-78.
Sea-etanes.—Fredk. A. Gifford, 1 860-64 ; John C. Hoge-
boom, 1864-65 ; Chas. W. Macy, 1866-75 ; W. H. Traver,
1876-78.
The present officers are :
Jacob W. Hoysradt, president ; H. S. Van Do Carr, S.
T. Du Bois, H. W. Rogers, I. W. Tobey, Lemuel Holmes,
vice-presidents ; B. S. Johnson, treasurer ; W. H. Traver,
secretary ; Cyrus Macy, John E. Gillette, D. M. Haviland,
T. H. Gantley, Richard Kidney, Cyrus Groat, directors.
THE farmers' union ASSOCIATION,
which has its headquarters at East Chatham, was organized
March 20, 1874, with Ira A. Smith as president; H. W.
Ellsworth, vice-president ; A. C. Bradley, secretary ; Jay N.
Preston, treasurer ; George S. Harger, salesman ; C. C.
Campbell, superintendent ; and now has forty-five members,
mostly farmers. The principal object of the association
was to enable its members to secure, at the least expense,
an advantageous market for their products, more especially
hay and straw. For that purpose they erected in the
village of East Chatham, during the summer of 1874, a
building forty by one hundred feet in size, in which to press
and store hay and straw, using the " P. K. Dederick Per-
petual Baling Press," run by a six-horse steam-engine, and
able to press from ten to fifteen tons per day.
The association presses and markets about two thousand
tons of hay and straw yearly, and has made East Chatham
one of the best hay-markets in the county. It also enables
its members to purchase coal, seed, flour, and other articles
at wholesale, and to save largely on commissions by so doing.
It is not organized under the State Grange of Patrons of
Husbandry, but is an independent organization, in which
its members are general partners. The cost of its building
and fixtures was $4500, and the Boston and Albany Rail-
road company has laid tracks to it, so that the labor of load-
ing upon cars is reduced to a minimum.
The present officers of the association are Ira C. Smith,
president ; H. W. Ellsworth, vice-president ; A. C. Bradley,
secretary ; Jay N. Preston, treasurer and superintendent ;
George S. Harger, salesman.
The economical pressing, baling, and shipment of hay
and straw are items to be considered by the farmers of this
county, as hay and rye form two of the chief agricultural
products. Vast quantities of unpressed straw are sold to
the numerous paper-manufactories of the county, but large
quantities are likewise required to be baled ; and nearly all
the hay product is sold in that condition. Besides these
two, the other principal crops produced by the fiirmers of
the county are oats, potatoes, and Indian corn. The slaly
soils are thought the best for the production of rye, but the
limestone lands are preferred for most other crops. " Granite
and granular limestone give the constituents of the soils on
and among the Taghkanics, whilst graywacke and blue
limestone, much of which is shelly, and much metalliferous,
superimposed on slate, form the very various soils of the
remainder." Nearly the whole of the county belongs to the
transition formation ; the prevailing rocks are the Hudson
river shales. Nature has furnished abundant store of lime-
stone as a means of tempering such soils as are cold and
clayey, and in many places the lime in the form of marl
requires no burning to form a stimulant.
Professor W. W. Mather, in his report on the geology
of New York, remarked as follows concerning the useful-
ness of marl as a fertilizer :
" Shell or lake marl, so very useful on some soils as a
manure, is continually forming. It is abundant in some
parts of the district, more particularly in that which forms
the valley of the Hudson. . . . The value of fresh-water
shell-marl is well known among our intelligent farmers;
but few know it when they see it, and still fewer know in
what situations to seek it." He mentions, however, only
seven different points where he discovered it in Columbia
county, viz. : in a pond four miles north of Kinderhook
(sixty acres) ; at a point (which he had not visited) one or
two miles west of Maiden ; Crysler's pond, Copake, seven
acres; Rhoda pond, Copake, ten acres; Woodward's pond,
Copake, eight acres ; Hillsdale, in pond on Mrs. Burton's
farm ; and on lands of Mr. Mitchell and Judge Loop. To
identify the two last-named points it will be necessary to re-
member that the professor's report was made in the year 1843.
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
CHAPTER XVI.
VALUATIONS AND TAXATION.
State Loans and United States Deposit Funds.
Public moneys were first raised in the colony of New
York, June 1, 1665, by warrant issued by the governor,
Colonel Nicolls, to the sheriff and collectors.* It would
appear that antecedent to this time the towns and counties
raised moneys for their own use, but the precise mode is
not known. A tax called a " benevolence" was raised on
the inhabitancs, as appears from a letter from Governor
Andross, and Smith observes " this proceeding was a badge
of bad times." In 1683, the first regular system of taxa-
tion by law was adopted. The wars of England with
European nations, especially with the French, plunged the
colony into an enormous debt, most burdensome to the
inhabitants. From 1691 to 1 709 the sum of £61,861 was
raised by the colonists for building forts, raising and paying
troops, and for other war purposes, besides the excise tax of
a penny in the pound for the ordinary and incidental
charges of the colony. Before 1776 the colonists were
obliged to pay nearly £1,000,000 sterling.. In 1788 the
first regular system of taxation was adopted by the State.
The first tax levied in Columbia county was in 1786,
and was apportioned as :
County Tax
District T.ix.
Kinderhook
Hillsdale
Kings
Manor Livingston
Claverack
German Camp
Total
The last
which was as follows :
id valuation was that of 1877,
Towns akd Citv.
Assessors' Valuation.
Equalised Valuation.
Value of Reiil
Estate.
Personal
Estate.
Total Valua-
No. of
Acres.
Price per
Valuation of
Real Estate.
Personal
Estate.
Total Equal- 1
ilted Value.
Ancram.
$5.17,865
324,910
580,920
1,616,.325
1,776,695
4S2,7.S0
1,412,780
4:i.i,156
44!I,5IJ5
1,224,325
6S0.350
509,950
955.425
454,412
979,200
916,750
1,395,305
800,840
374,870
488,440
916,726
669,820
$42,170
18,050
33,840
229,740
139,400
174,100
116,260
14,738
43,930
117.316
204.700
96,350
706,796
157.000
405,550
399,200
755,675
73,497
57,650
66,600
191,960
103,463
$580,035
342,960
614,760
1,846,065
1,916,095
656,830
1,529,040
449,.S94
493,495
1,341,641
885,050
606,300
1,662,221 1
611,412
1,384,750
1,315,950
2,150,980
874,337
432,520
355.040
1,108;686
773,283
25,865
28,676
20,770
31,703
30,224
11,213
24,026
23,690
7,499
27,649
11,402
30,013
1,000
20,389
23,100
20,955
6,194
14,396
23,892
$24.00
8.87i
20.00
39.00
32.00
24.00
21.00
11.50
31.50
33.00
22.50
15.00
1350.00
40.00
25.00
15.75
31.50
34.50
11.50
$620,760
254,500
415,400
1,236.417
967,168
269,112
504,546
272,433
236,218
912,384
370,565
450,195
1,350,000
815,560
577,500
330,041
195,111
496,662
274,758
$42,170
18,050
33,840
229.740
139,400
174,100
116,260
14,738
43,930
117,316
204,700
96,350
1,668,546
755,675
73,497
37,650
66,600
191,960
103,463
$662,930
272.550
449,240
1,466,157
1,106,368
443,212
620,806
287,173
280,148
1,029,700
575,265
346,545
3,018,546
1,371,2.35
650,997
387,691
261,711
688,622
378,221
Chatham
Clermont
Copake
Germantown
Hudson IstWird
" 2d Ward
" 4thAVard
New Lebanon
Taghkanio . ...
$17,983,359
$4,147,985
$22,131,344
382,656
$10,549,332
$4,147,985
$14,697,317
Towns and City.
C.unty and
State Tax.
Unpaid
Tax.
Payable to School
Coinniissiouers.
SrC
Payable to
Supervisor.
Payable to
C.nimissioner
of Highways.
Payable to
Town K. 11.
Com.
Taxation.
1876.
1877.
Ancram
Austr>rliti
Canaan
Chatham
Claveiack
Clermont
Copakt
Gallatin
Germantown
Ghent
Greenport
HillsdUe
Hudiion, I't Ward
2d Waid
3d Ward
" 4 h Ward
Kinderhook
Livingston
New Lebanon
Stockport
Stuyve«>nt
Taghkanio
$8,206.56
3,373.97
5,561.25
18,149.88
13,698.44
5,486.62
7,685.10
3,654.99
3,468.02
12,746.90
7,121..34
\ 37,367.23
19,450.66
8,058.83
4,799.32
3,239.78
8,524.61
4,682.09
$17.23
19.69
19.51
115.77
34.48
7.18
39.64
103.04
16.11
126.06
$26.14
8.03
13.18
43.82
43.76
18.65
24.95
11.34
10.86
30.98
23.46
16.26
$26.49
8.17
13.46
43.94
44.22
17.71
24.81
11.47
11.19
30.86
22.99
16.38
$8,276.42
3,409.86
5,607.40
18,347.14
13,820.90
5,530.16
7,774.50
3,680.84
3,506.18
12,934.80
7,167.79
6,875.08
37,876.37
19,604.63
8,231.64
4,827.17
3,339.14
8,381.32
4,807.47
$2,761.49
385.77
513.22
1,976.09
1,431.49
607.28
1,177.22
2,683.68
950.42
1,241.99
871.16
567.87
t5,049.58
3,413.64
670.53
1,701.49
2,781.39
1,030.75
641.11
$100.00
$11,136.16
4,495.63
6,114.78
26,384.48
15,522..39
6,387.44
9,901.72
6,564.52
4,706.60
14,426.79
8,238.93
7,835.91
42,923.95
23,018.27
9,922.17
14,254.15
6,370.53
9,862.07
5,676.43
250.00
250.00
900.00
200.00
250.00
250.00
$6,061.25
76.63
S09.14
59.44
141.11
4.85
101.37
15,84
95.12
400.00
47.44
25.69
sies
20.23
15.15
47.09
26.01
11.62
7.84
20.64
15.11
1,000.00
543.05
230.00
250.00
7,182.44
_
$181,941.40
$1,302.21
$400.00
$400.00
$184,218.81
$25,628.59 j $5,393.05 $13,243.69
1 !
$233,744.94
» Smith's History of New York, p. 31.
t Payable to oily treasurer.
142
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
Over $450,000 has been paid in taxes for highway and
bridge purposes since the organization of the county. The
total taxes paid by the people of Columbia county since the
organization of the county, exclusive of the city and school
taxes of Hudson, and the taxes raised for school purposes
in the school districts, are as follows, by decades :
1786 to 1800 $101,570.26
1801 to 1810 89,294.48
1811 to 1820 281,156.43
1821 to 1830 289,264.97
1831 to 1840 316,968.66
1841 to 1850 391,594.18
1851 to 1860 738,.324.82
1861 to 1870 2,714,734.99
1871 to 1877 2,098,706.32
Total $7,021,615.11
The heaviest tax paid in a single year was in 1864, when
the taxes amounted to $444,584.36; the next heaviest
was in 1873, $347,708.32. The appropriations made by
the board of supervisors against the tax of 1877 were as
follows :
For State tax $97,239.60
nty bonds 8,932.1"
suiiervisors, clerk, and doorkeeper.
salaries
countj buildings, ins
charities, including ]
trust fund interest....
contingent fund
3,300.00
8,600.00
7,500.00
1,500.00
19,020.00
2,000.00
5,000.00
Total $153,092.36
The gross receipts by the county treasury for the year
ending Nov. 27, 1877, were $250,198.89, including a bal-
ance of $9,837.33 on hand from 1876. $161,380.95 was
for taxes collected ; $26,695 from the sale of county bonds ;
and $31,361.60 from the State school fund for distribution.
$87,601.56 was paid to the State treasurer; $4800 for the
insane asylum on the county farm; $12,985.81 for the
support of the poor; $8498.90 to State charities; $12,465.-
22 for expenses growing out of the courts ; $8500 for sala-
ries. A balance was left on hand of $2016.86, and about
$1500 was due from the towns for the year's unpaid taxes.
Railroad corporations were taxed for the year 1878 as
follows :
Tax.
$13,912.23
5,030.75
12,021.05
6,822.20
469.66
2,344.58
5i,720 1,012.18
....$3,705,699 $42,612.65
; of the county is as fol-
y»luatioti
in County.
New York Central and Hudson River $1,340,784
New York and Harlem 567,200
Boston and Albany 970,250
Hudson Branch, Boston and Albany 629,850
Harlem Extension ". 26,750
Rhinebeck and Connecticut 178,145
Poughkeepsie, Hartford and Boston 5i,720
Total..
The present bonded indebtedn
lows:
War bonds (extended), due March 1, 1883 and
Canal debt, due March 1, 1879, 1880, and 1881
Bonds issued on settlement of claims of State.
$40,000
74,753
15,000
Total $129,753
Town indebtedness :
Ancrara Railroad bonds $30,875
Chatham " " $53,500, other purposes, $6000 59,500
Oallatin " " 27,000
Hudson war bonds, $39,500; water-supply, sewers, etc.,
$245,000; cemeteries, $4500 ; other purposes, $67,250 356,250
Kinderhook 9,000
Livingston 2,200
New Lebanon Railroad bonds 100,000
Chatham Village town hall 2,000
Kinderhook Village town hall 5,000
$721,578
Total .
The following is the statement of the amount of tax
levied and assessed upon the incorporated companies in the
county of Columbia for the year 1877:
state Bank, Chatham
Aqueduct Company, Hudson
Hudson Paper Car Wheel Com-
pany, Hudson
Albany and Rensselaer Iron Works,
Company, Hudson
Clapp & Junes :\I;iii
pany, Hudson
Farmers' Nation .
First National !•
Hudson Cit.v > •.
Albany Steamboat
Natu
The Huilsun lias Company, llmlsun.
The Hudson Iron Ouuipany, Hudson.
The National Bank, Kinderhook
The National Union Bank, Kinder-
hook
12,000
75,000
7,000
8,500
40,000
2,000
8,000'..
12,000
23,000 '
10,000,
150,000
3,000
4,000 1
Total I $355,400 81,486,896
47,000
58,600
8,000
262,000
53,000
50,000
295,071
653.10
1,858.78
1,450.07
8,422.97
5,004.58
1,313.83
1,239.53
7,309.05
2,172.36
2,056.65
840,315.61
During the existence of the office of county excise com-
missioner there was received into the county treasury from
the excise tax or license the sum of $23,367.
THE STATE LOAN.
On the 18th of April, 1786, bills of credit to the amount
of £200,000 (New York currency) were emitted by the
State for the relief of the people, in the way of a circu-
lating medium, and loaned to the different counties according
to their population, and loan commissioners appointed in
each county to manage and loan the same on real estate
security at five per cent, per annum, the loan to run four-
teen years and limited to £300 to any one person. These
bills of credit were counterfeited, and in February, 1788,
new bills were printed for those in circulation and the old
ones retired, and a death penalty declared against all coun-
terfeiters of the new issue. In 1796 another loan was
made to the new counties, and in 1807-8 still another loan
was made by the creation of a debt by the State, bonds
being issued therefor and sold, and the funds arising there-
from distributed pro rata among the counties on the basis
of population, and commissioners appointed as before to
handle the funds in each county. The amount received
by Columbia county in 1792 was $40,325, and in 1808,
$18,580, and was kept at interest as a separate fund until
1850, when it was consolidated with the
UNITED STATES DEPOSIT FUND,
the principal of which was deposited in the county in 1837,
and amounted to $100,298.54, and separate and distinct com-
missioners appointed to loan the same. This deposit fund
was the portion awarded to Columbia county from the sur-
plus moneys in the United States treasury deposited with
the several States by act of Congress of June 23, 1836, and
the amount deposited with New York was, by act of the
Legislature of April 4, 1837, distributed among the several
counties according to their population. The loans from this
fund are limited between $200 and $2000 to a single indi-
vidual, except in New York, where the limits are $500 and
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
143
$5000. The interest is charged at seven per cent., and
the same paid into the State treasury, less fees and expenses
of collection, and by the comptroller distributed among the
counties for the support of schools and academies.
The State loans were guaranteed by the board of super-
visors, and after paying several losses, an order was passed
to pay the principal back to the State as fast as the loans
were paid in by the parties who contracted the same, and
in 1S50, the amount remaining of the loans of 1792 and
1808 was but $5510. Some portion of this fund is still
running at interest on the original loans made in 1795.
The amount reported on loan by the loan commissioners in
November, 1877, was $69,013.70. Under the act of 1786,
£22,000 was apportioned to Albany county, a portion of
which was loaned to citizens in the territory now included
in Columbia county.
CHAPTER XVII.
MILITARY.
Culumbia Coiinly in the War of 1S12-15, and the Great Rebellion.
WAR OP 1812 TO 1815.
In the last war against Great Britain, in 1812 to 1815,
Columbia county furnished a large number of troops (both
volunteers and dratted men), though few of them saw ac-
tual service under hostile fire.
Of the military organizations existing in the county prior
to that war we obtain some idea from an old brigade order,
signed by Joseph Lord as brigade-major, and issued by
command of Brig.-Gren. Samuel Ten Broeck, Aug. 10,
1806, directing that a review and inspection of his brigade
be held near the tavern of Jacob Moul, in Claverack, on
the 2d of September in that year. The different commands
mentioned in the order as composing the brigade were as
follows :
1. The regiment of infantry commanded by Maj. Robert
T. Livingston, having attached to it the troop of cavalry
commanded by Capt. Walter T. Livingston.
2. The regiment of infantry under command of Lieut.-
Col. Jacob Rutsen Van Rensselaer ; attached to which was
the troop of horse commanded by Capt. Killian Hogeboom,
and a company of artillery under Capt. Gilbert Jenkins.
3. The infantry regiment of Lieut.-Col. Cornwell ; with
Capt. John Whiting's troop of cavalry attached.
The brigade was still under command of Gen. Ten
Broeck at the opening of the war, and as to the commands
composing it, we find reference to the 15th, 41th, 56th, and
165th Regiments of infantry. In the 15th Regiment the
following commissions were issued in April, 1814, viz. :
Lieutenant-Colonel Commandant, John Shaver.
Majors : First, Cyrus Capron ; Second, Ira Gale.
Captains : Robert Elting, Joseph Hoot, John I. Ross-
man, Elias Fingar, Hugh Knickerbacker.
Lieutenants : Anson Gale, Jonas Lasher, John Kline,
Frederick F. Stickle, John McKinstry, Jr., Charles Robin-
son, Cornelius Washburn.
Ensigns : Benjamin I. Miller, Jeremiah Best, Jacob P.
Rockefeller, Jacob H. Teal, George Ellsworth, Henry H.
Teal, Elisha Miner, Philip W. Rockefeller.
Surgeon's-Mate : John T. Brodhead.
And at the same time the following were issued for the
44th:
Second Major, John Tibbifs.
Quartermaster, John Lockwood.
Captains: Henry P. Mesick, Isaac Ford, John Knox,
Zadoc Knapp.
Lieutenants : Ralph Tanner, Luther Chase, David Cham-
berlain, Flavel Tiffany, Jakah Lawrence.
Ensigns : Daniel Morehouse, Samuel Wise, William
Stuart, Peter Downing, Amos M. Knapp.
A list of commissions, issued about the same time, for
the 165th Regiment, was as follows :
Lieutenant-Colonel Commandant, Augustus N. Holly.
First Major, Nicholas Robinson.
Second Major, John Finch.
Quartermaster, Philologus HoUey.
Adjutant, Isaac B. Williams.
Surgeon, Charles Suydam.
Paymaster, Elisha Wilcox.
Captains : Gideon P. Wolcott, John Stall, Teunis Race,
Conrad I. Wilsey, Henry M. Hoffman, George I. Rossman,
John A. Decker, Daniel Baker, Jr.
Lieutenants : John C. Drum, Christian C. Shultz, David
Langdon, Abraham Bain, Daniel Loughren, John B. Van
Dusen, John T. Bresee, Cornelius S. Williams.
Ensigns : Richard Townsend, Peter Silvernail, Ebenezer
Finch, Robert Kline, Cornelius Washnian, Alvin Covey,
James Conklin, John Kingman.
For the 5th Regiment of cavalry we find commissions
issued in 1813 and 1814 to residents of Columbia county,
as follows :
Lieutenant-Colonel Commandant, Walter T. Livingston.
First Major, Henry Brown.
Second Blajor, Reuben Ranney.
Captains : Robert H. Van Rensselaer, John P. Mesick,
Esq.
First Lieutenants : Daniel B. Stranahan, Jeremiah Hoff-
man.
Second Lieutenants : Seth Mix, Adam Sagendorph, Wil-
liam I. Johnson.
Cornets : Aaron Beardsley, Amasa K. Center.
The following is a copy of the " muster-roll of a company
of volunteer cavalry under command of Captain Lodowick
S. Babcock. Mustered into the service of the United States
Aug. 25, 1812, for the term of one year, actual service, or
for the term specified in an act of Congress passed Feb. 6,
1812:
Lodowick S. Babcock, captain.
John Ranney, first lieutenant.
Royal Torrey, second lieutenant.
G. R. Fitch, cornet.
William Moore, sword-master (Nov. 20, 1812).
Oliver W. Brewster, first sergeant.
Abram P. Douglass, second sergeant.
Henry Warner, third sergeant.
Henry Budlong, fourth sergeant.
Ovid Pinney, first corporal.
144
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
Elijah Rich, second corporal.
Hiram Frisbie, third corporal.
Sylvanus Mott, fourth corporal.
Wni. W. Watkins, saddler.
Hampton C. Babcock, farrier.
William P. Dexter, blacksmith.
George Bristol, trumpeter.
Privates. — Orrin Tickner, Bartholomew F. Pratt, James
Peasly, Elial Benjamins, Benjamin Hutchinson, Lemuel
Kilburn, Abram Ely, Philip Pitts, Ananias Hocomb, John
C. Wilkinson, Palmer Watterman, Reuben B. Babcock, Mat-
thew A. Lord, Isaac V. Marcelius, Thomas Wright, Daniel
Davis, John Parks, George G. Simmons, Burton Munroe
(Oct. 22, 1812), Jacob Halt, John Darling, George Bab-
cock (waiter), John T. Baker, Peleg Kittle (died at Buf-
falo, Dec. 5, 1812), Wheeler Lamphin.
The above company, known as the " Governor's Guard,"
was largely composed ol' men from the northeastern part of
the county, and its field of service during the war was on
the frontier, in the vicinity of Niagara river.
A regiment or battalion under command of Lieut-Col.
Vosburgh, of Stuyvesant Landing, served from about Sep-
tember, 1812, to March, 1813, on the northern frontier, at
Cliateaugay, French Mills, and other points. Among Col.
Vosburgh's company commanders were Capts. James War-
ner, Ira Gale, and Jared Winslow.
The " Light Infantry Battalion" of Lieut.-Col. (after-
wards promoted to colonel and brigadier-general) Jacob R.
Van Rensselaer was ordered to the defense of the city of
New York about Sept. 1, 1814, and remained on that duty
during its whole term of service, but had no occasion to
participate in any engagement. Col. Van Rensselaer's
second in command was Maj. John Whitbeck, and the bat-
talion contained the uniformed company known as the
" Hudson Greens," commanded by Capt. Barnabas Water-
man ; a company of artillery — also from Hudson — com-
manded by Capt. Elias Worden, and the infantry companies
of Capts. Abraham L. Fonda, of Claverack ; llobt. Elting,
Jr., of Clermont; Israel Holmes, of the southern part of
the county; Henry Van Vleck, of Kinderhook ; and Wm.
N. Bentley. The artillery was posted on Staten Island.
A battalion under command of Col. John Van Dolfson
was also in service at Brooklyn, for the defense of New
York. Its term of service was four months, and the com-
mand included among its companies those of Capts. Coon-
rod J. Wiltsey, of Copake ; John Martin, of Claverack ;
Joseph Lord, of Canaan ; and Cooper, of the soutli-
ern part of the county.
A company of one hundred and twenty volunteers, under
command of Capt. William Jordan, marched from their
rendezvous at Miller's tavern, above Kinderhook, in 1814,
destined for Plattsburgh, but had proceeded only a small
part of the distance when news of the battle reached them,
and rendered their further advance unnecessary. Another
company, under Capt. Henry P. Mesick, First Lieut. Chris-
topher W. Miller, and Second Lieut. Ralph Tanner, marched
for the same destination, where they arrived two days after
the battle had been fought. In the naval battle fought
on Lake Chaniplain by Commodore McDonough, Wm. A.
Spencer, a native of Columbia county, and son of Judge
Ambrose Spencer, served gallantly as a midshipman in the
commodore's fleet, and was wounded upon that occasion.
At the commencement of the war Gen. Scott marched
through the county with a command of about seven hun-
dred men, destined for service in the north, making his
encampment for a night in the city of Hudson, on a spot
of vacant ground near the present site of the court-house.
For many of the above fticts relative to the movements
of the Columbia county troops in the War of 1812 we
are indebted to Wheeler H. Clarke, Esq., of Hudson.
THE WAR OP THE REBELLION.
The part performed by the county of Columbia in the
war waged from 18G1 to 1865, for the suppression of re-
bellion and the preservation of the Union, was most honor-
able and patriotic. At the receipt of the intelligence of
the attack on Fort Sumter, in April, 1861, there were seen
here the same demonstrations of loyalty to the Union and
of determination to crush out treason at every hazard ; the
same patriotic meetings and flag-raisings ; the same dispo-
sition of young men to volunteer, and of old men to en-
courage and aid them in doing so, as were found everywhere,
in nearly every county throughout the Empire State. And
when our armies melted away in the fervent heat of battle,
and call after call was made for men to take the places of
those who had fallen, there was shown here the same deter-
mination to stand by the government at whatever cost; and
the people and the local authorities with the same alacrity
voted the moneys which were called for to accomplish the
desired end.
The troops from Columbia county who entered the ser-
vice of the government during the War of 1861-65 were,
as nearly as can be ascertained, as follows, viz. :
Four companies (and parts of other companies) of the
128th Regiment New York Volunteers, under Col. David
S. Cowles, of Hudson,— ^three years' term of service.
Three companies* (and part of another) of the 91st
Regiment New York Volunteers, — three years' service, —
commanded by Col. Jacob Van Zandt.
Four companies (and a large portion of a fifth) of the
159th Regiment New York Volunteers, under Col. Edward
L. Molineux, — three years' service.
One company of the 14th New York Volunteers, under
Col. James McQuade.
A large number of men from this county also entered
and served in companies of the 44th, 48th, 93d, and 150th
Regiments of New York Volunteer Infantry, as well as of
the 1st, 2d, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 12th Regiments of Cavalry,
and in the regular army and navy of the United States.
For the names of those who entered the service from
this county in New York State regiments, we refer the
reader to the list printed at the end of this volume, copied
from the rolls in the adjutant-general's office at Albany,
and verified, corrected, and added to, in accordance with
such information (deemed reliable) as we have been able to
obtain from veterans of the war and from other sources.
* It is not intended to state that every man in the companies men-
tioned was of Columbia county, but that they were nearly all such, so
that they were recognized and mentioned as Columbia companies.
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
145
There were probably few from this county who served
their country in the navy during the war, but among these
few was Lieut. J. Van Ness Philip, of Claverack, of whose
honorable career we elsewhere give a brief sketch.
Below we give condensed historical narratives of the four
regiments, the 12Sth, 91st, 159th, and 14th, which con-
tained companies from Columbia county.
THE 128tU regiment new YORK VOLUNTEERS.
This regiment was raised in the counties of Columbia
and Dutchess during the months of July and August, 1862.
Four of its companies (A, E, G, and K) were contributed
by Columbia, and six (B, C, D, F, H, and I) by Dutchess.
The term for which its men enlisted was three years.
The first movement in Columbia towards the formation
of a company for this regiment was the issuance of a call,
dated Hudson, July 23, signed by Edward Gilford, Gran-
ville P. Haws, and John V. Whitbeck, asking for volun-
teers. A company (afterwards designated as A of the
128th) was completed within a few days, and the three
other companies from the county were rapidly filled.
On Saturday, Aug. 30, national and regimental colors
were presented to the regiment at Camp Kelly,* in the pres-
ence of about four thousand spectators and amid great en-
thusiasm. One of the speeches made on that occasion was
by the author of the " Field-Book of the Revolution,"
Benson J. Lossing, who said, " Soldiers, — Mothers, wives,
sisters, and sweethearts have laid these objects of their af-
fection upon the altar of their country as tokens of patriot-
ism ; in their name I present you with the banner of our
common country. This banner is the insignia of the Re-
public, the symbol of our nationality. Take it ; bear it
proudly ; defend it gallantly ; wave it triumphantly over
field, and fortress, and town, and bring it back unsullied,
with the glad tidings that it represents a redeemed, purified,
and strengthened nation, whose every image of God is, by
the law of the land, entitled to the inalienable right of life,
liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."
On the 4th of September the men were mustered into
the service of the United States, and on the following day
the regiment, one thousand strong, under command of Col.
David S. Cowles, embarked at Hudson on board the steamer
" Oregon" for New York, whence they proceeded south by
railway, arrived at Baltimore at five p.m. on the 6th, and
bivouacked on Stewart's hill, where, on the 8th, they re-
ceived their arms, ammunition, and shelter-tents, and after-
wards marched to their camping-ground at Camp Millington.
On the 10th of October the alarming intelligence was
received that the cavalry general Stuart had invaded Mary-
land and was pressing northward with a force estimated at
three thousand men. Upon this the regiment received
ordere to prepare to move immediately with two days'
rations, and, on the 13th, at six a.m., they, as part of an
expedition composed of several regiments of Gen. Wool's
command, left Baltimore by the Northern Central railroad,
and proceeded by way of Hanover to Gettysburg, where
they arrived at nine P.M. There, upon a report that the
enemy were advancing, their first line of battle was formed,
* The fair-grounds at Iludson.
and the men stood ready to face Gen. Stuart. But the time
had not come for the hills of Gettysburg to become historic
ground. On learning of the position of affairs there, the
rebel general abandoned his raid in that direction and
retired across the Potomac.
The regiment left Gettysburg on the 14th of October,
and, after a detention of two days at Hanover, caused by
the breaking of a bridge, arrived at Baltimore on the 17th,
and re-occupied their old ground at Camp Millington.
Here they remained, perfecting their drill, but without
notable incident, until Nov. 5, when orders were received
to embark on the transport " Arago," to form a part of
General Banks' famous expedition to New Orleans, though
the destination was at that time unknown to regimental
ofiicers or men.
The ship did not sail until the 9th, when, at seven
o'clock A.M., she left her anchorage and steamed down the
Chesapeake. The day wa-s rough and uncomfortable, but,
as the evening came on, the wind lulled and the surface of
the bay was as smooth as that of their own placid Hudson.
Away to the eastward the land could be dimly seen, but to
the south and west there wa.-? only one wide stretch of
flashing water, while from above the stars twinkled and the
moonlight glittered on barrel and bayonet, and sparkled on
the foam that bubbled in the wake of the ship. All were
in good spirits, for the belief was general that their desti-
nation was the harbor of Charleston. A young officer of
the regiment, in a letter written home from the transport,
said, " I believe we are going to Charleston. If I am to
lose my life during the war, I would prefer to die fighting
within sight of the battered walls of old Sumter."
They arrived at Fortress Monroe on the morning of the
10th, and on the 12th the " Arago" steamed up the Roads
and lay ofi" Newport News, near the wrecks of the historic
frigates " Congress'' and " Cumberland." On the 30th the
regiment encamped near the ruins of the Virginian village
of Hampton, but on the 2d of December they were ordered
to strike tents and re-embark on the " Arago." Their
surgeon, Dr. D. P. Van Vleck, died on board the ship
Nov. 21, and during their tedious stay there, both on land
and afloat, they experienced much hardship and a consider-
able amount of sickness.
In the afternoon of the 4th of December the " Arago"
and other vessels of the expedition set .sail from Hampton
Road.s, and it was now definitely known that their destina-
tion was New Orleans, and that they were to form a part
of the army of General Banks.
During the nine days which they passed at sea, several
deaths occurred ; among them being that of Lieut. Francis
N. Sterling, of Co. D, who died Dec. 6, and on the follow-
ing day was buried beneath the waters.
The transport arrived at Ship Island on the 13th of De-
cember. Here they met the steamer " Northern Light,"
having on board the 159th New York Regiment, of which
a part was from Columbia county, and it may be imagined
better than it can be told with what cheers and demonstra-
tions of delight the two commands greeted each other.
The " Arago" soon resumed her voyage, entered the South-
west Pass on the morning of the 14th, and in the afternoon
of the same day reached Quarantine Station, where the
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
vessel was detained. On the 16th the regiment was dis-
embarked, and quartered in a vacant storehouse, where
they remained until the 5th of January, 1863, at which
time they embarked on the steamer " Laurel Hill," and
were transported to Camp Chalmette, upon the old battle-
field of New Orleans, and about three miles below the city.
The stay here was most disagreeable. The weather was
cold and rainy, and the ground became so soft that it was
barely possible to move from one tent to another. At this
dismal place Lieut. Augustus U. Bradbury, of Hudson,
contracted the disease which one month later terminated
his life. His last camp duty he performed here, on the
night of January 28, as officer of the guard, and on the
evening of February 25 he died. '' I entertained," wrote
Col. Cowles, " a very high opinion of Lieut. Bradbury as
a perfectly reliable soldier under whatever circumstances."
At his funeral the Rev. William S. Leavitt said, " He
whom we have come to bury has finished his warfare, —
prematurely, according to human judgment. But God
sees not with our eyes, and judges by higher and wiser
rules than we. ... It is but a few months since we saw
him going forth with a thousand more, — fresh, earnest, full
of patriotic fire, while our whole city thronged about them
with its tears and farewells. We looked forward to the
time — and it was ever in our thoughts, and present always
to our hopes — when we should welcome him and them,
returning again to the warm hearts and smiles of home,
amid the rejoicings of victory and the blessings of re-estab-
lished order and peace.
' At last he comes, aw.aited long,
Not to home welcomes long and loud ;
Not to the voice of mirth and song,—
Pale-featured, cold, beneath a shroud.' "
On the 3d of February the regiment removed from
Chalmette, a few miles, to Camp Parapet, where they re-
mained iit guard and drill duty until the 18th of April,
when the men were embarked on the steamers " Empire
Parish" and " J. M.Brown," and proceeded across Lake
Pontchartrain on an expedition to Fort Pike and Gaines-
ville ; from which service they returned to camp on the
22d, having captured one steamboat and a large amount of
other rebel property. For this, their first achievement
in the southwest, they were commended in general orders
by Brig.-Gen. T. W. Sherman, under whose immediate
command the expedition had moved.
On the 12th of May another expedition was formed,
and the 128th, with the 6th Michigan Volunteers, all un-
der command of Col. Clark, of the latter, proceeded to
Pontochoula, from which the enemy retired, and the place
was occupied by our men until the 19th, when they re-
turned to Camp Parapet.
The siege of Port Hudson, which was one of the lead-
ing objects of the Banks expedition, had now commenced,
and on the 20th of May the brigade of which the 128th
was a part, under command of Brig.-Gen. Neal Dow, em-
barked on transports to join the main army. They landed
on the 22d at Springfield Landing, about five miles below
Port Hudson, whence, on the same day, they marched ten
miles inland to the rear of the fortifications, and on the
following day moved forward, an<^ were among the first to
take possession of some of the outer works, from which the
enemy withdrew to their principal defenses.
Port Hudson is about twenty-five miles above Baton
Rouge, on the east side of the Mississippi, upon a com-
manding point, around which the river bends, forming
almost a right angle. The strength of the position, natu-
rally great, had been increased by all the devices of mili-
tary science, until the enemy, with apparent reason,
accounted it their Gibraltar. The forces defending the
fortifications were under Jlaj.-Gen. Franklin Gardner, who
had been assigned to that command on the 27th of Decem-
ber.
The plans of the commanding general having been per-
fected, on the 27th of May the troops moved forward to a
general assault. The fire of the artillery was opened early
in the morning, and continued unabated during the day.
At ten A.M. the infantry, under Gen. Weitzel, attacked
the right of the enemy's works. " On the left," said Gen.
Banks, in his official report, " the infantry did not come up
until later in the day ; but at two o'clock an assault was
opened on the works on the centre and left centre by the
divisions under Maj.-Gen. Augur and Brig.-Gen. Sher-
man. The enemy was driven into his works, and our
troops moved up to the fortifications, holding the opposite
sides of the parapet with the enemy."
The 128th New York formed a part of Sherman's divi-
sion, which attacked the rebel left centre, and through all
that lurid day Port Hudson saw no better fighting than
was done by this command.
A storming column, composed of the Columbia and
Dutchess Regiment, the 6th Michigan, 15th New Hamp-
shire, and 26th Connecticut, moved into the infernal fire
with the steadiness of veterans, and carried a portion of
the works by the bayonet ; but afterwards, by overwhelming
odds and exposure to a flank fire, they were compelled to
retire to a belt of woods ; though their skirmish line still
held its position close under the fortifications.
The record of the day was that of repulse and disaster
to the Union forces, and of irreparable loss to the 128th
Regiment in the death of their brave and beloved colonel,
who fell early in the fight, and at the head of his com-
mand. When within a few rods of a gateway which formed
the entrance to the work, two balls struck him, one passing
through his body from breast to back, and the other enter-
ing his groin and pas.sing downward, giving the wound the
appearance of a bayonet-thrust.* The wound was a mortal
one, and he died in less than an hour. His last words
were, " Tell my mother I died with my face to the enemy."
His remains were brought home and interred with imposing
solemnity on Monday, June 15, 1863. The funeral cor-
tege was composed of delegations from the Masonic order
of eleven different adjoining towns, the fire department.
Col. Wright and staff of the 21st Regiment, members of
the bar, Claverack cadets, etc. An appropriate eulogy was
delivered by I. H. Reynolds, Esq., and a funeral discourse
by Rev. W. S. Leavitt. The place of interment was the
plot of ground just previously appropriated by the common
* In Greeley's " American Conflict," as in some other accounts of
this engagement, it was erroneously stated that Col. Cowles died
from a bayonet wound.
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
147
council for the burial of those who should fall in the ser-
vice of their countiy. The memory of this gallant and
patriotic officer will ever be cherished by the people of Co-
lumbia county.
A singular circumstance connected with his death is the
fact that on the very day when the assault was made, while
it was impossible that any news of it could have arrived,
a report was started in Hudson (producing great excite-
ment) to the effect that the regiment had participated in a
terrible battle, and that Col. Cowles had fallen.
On the day preceding the engagement, Capt. (afterwards
Maj.) Edward Gifford, while in command of a party en-
gaged in burning .some buildings in the immediate vicinity
of the hostile lines, was captured by the enemy, and re-
mained a prisoner in Port Hudson for thirty-nine days, but
succeeded in escaping on the night of the 4th of July. In
crossing a creek while attempting to regain the Union lines,
he was carried by the current out into the Mississippi,
where for four hours he battled with the swift waters and
barely escaped with life, although an expert swimmer. He
was rescued by some Indiana troops, and returned to his
comrades, but the privations he had undergone, and the
almost superhuman efforts put forth to regain his liberty,
proved too much for his constitution, and although he re-
ceived the tenderest care and attention from his brother
officers and friends, he steadily sunk, and died in New
Orleans on the 8th of August. His remains were brought
to Hudson and buried with military honors.
After the unsuccessful .issault of May 27 the whole
brigade fell back under cover of some heavy timber, but
still in range of the hostile batteries, the 128th being then
under command of Major Keese. Here they remained till
June 14, when another advance was attempted at the left,
with similar result. In this engagement the loss of the
regiment was much less than on the previous occasion.
Among the wounded were Capt. George W. Van Slyck
and Adj. J. P. Wilkinson.
The Union forces now held their positions before Port
Hudson until July 7, at which time Gen. Gardner sent a
communication to Gen. Banks asking if the report of the
surrender of Vicksburg was true, and if so, requesting a
cessation of hostilities. Gen. Banks replied that Vicks-
burg had surrendered to Grant on the 4th, and that under
the circumstances he could not grant the cessation. To
which Gen. Gardner responded proposing capitulation,
which was soon agreed on, and on the morning of the 9th
the rebel forces, consisting of about five thousand men,
were surrendered, and the fortifications occupied by a small
Union detachment selected for their bravery and discipline.
One of the regiments so selected was the 128th New York.
They had remained inside the works but two days, when
they received orders to proceed to Baton Rouge, at which
place they arrived, after a most fatiguing march, on the 12th
of July. On the 15th they proceeded by transports to
Donaldsonville, where the enemy was reported to be in
great force. On the 14th of August they occupied the
village of Plaquemine, and were there assigned to the 2d
Brigade, l.st Division, under Gen. Weitzel. On the 29th
they were ordered to return to Baton Rouge.
During the autumn of 1863 the followin"; officers of
the regiment were transferred to the Corps d'Afrique :
Capt. C. E. Bostwick, as major ; Capt. George Parker, as
lieutenant-colonel; Lieut. Rufus J. Palen, as major; Lieut.
T. E. Merritt, as captain. On the 1st of January the field-
officers of the 12Sth were James Smith, colonel; James P.
Foster, lieutenant-colonel ; Francis S. Keese, major.
The regiment remained at Baton Rouge until March 2j5,
1865, when the Red River campaign opened, and it joined
the advance of Banks' Army Corps at Alexandria. Gen.
Grover's Division, to which the 128th was attached, remained
here while the rest of the army proceeded to Shreveport
and fought the battles of Pleasant Hill and Mansfield, re-
joining the main army at Grand Ecore. On the 20th of
April this place was evacuated and the army fell back
towards Alexandria. The battle of Cane River was fought
on the 23d, and the 128th distinguished itself by making
a decisive charge at a critical stage of the engagement,
routing the enemy and capturing one officer and thirty men.
Col. James Smith led the regiment in this charge, and was
complimented by Gens. Birge and Grover on the skill and
bravery displayed by officers and men. The losses were one
killed and eleven wounded. During their stay at Alexan-
dria the regiment received a new color, presented by the
ladies of Columbia. In announcing this. Col. Smith said,
" It is with feelings of pride and gratification that the
colonel commanding announces officially that a new color
has been received, intended as a gift from the ladies of
Columbia county. . . . Many, whose loss we mourn, have
fallen under the old colors. How many may fall while
serving under the new no one can tell."
Alexandria was evacuated May 11, Grover's Division in
the advance. On the 16th and 17th the battle of Mansura
Plains was fought, and on the 22d the army reached the
Mississippi river. On the 27th three brigades, including the
12Sth, returned to the Atchafalaya river to guard against
a flank movement of the enemy, and after several days'
skirmishing proceeded to Morganza, where they remained
till July 3, when the regiment embarked on board the
steamer " City of Memphis" and proceeded to Algiers,
opposite New Orleans, where it encamped till the 20th. On
that day it re-embarked on the " Daniel Webster," sailing
under sealed orders, and arrived at Washington July 29.
The day following it proceeded to Monocacy Junction, where
the different regiments composing the 19th Corps were re-
united and moved immediately to Halltown, near Harper's
Ferry. Here Gen. Sheridan assumed command of the
army of the Middle Military Division, to which the 19th
Corps was now attached.
On the 10th of August, Sheridan advanced against Early,
then encamped at Winchester. Then followed the battles
of Halltown, Berryville, Winchester, Fisher's Hill, and
Cedar Creek, in all which the 12Sth was conspicuously
engaged.
At the three engagements of Winchester, Fisher's Hill,
and Cedar Creek, between the 19th of September and 19th
of Augu.st, the regiment lost two hundred in killed, wounded,
and prisoners.
At the battle of Winchester five officers and sixty men
were killed and wounded, among whom was Maj. F. S.
Keese, who was severely wounded.
148
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
At the battle of Cedar Creek, where Sheridan won such
imperishable renown, Maj. Wilkinson, then captain and
judge-advocate on Gen. Emory's staif, was wounded by a
shot through the lungs while attempting to save the guns of
a battery fiom capture.
At Fi.shcr's Hill, the regiment, being deployed as skir-
mishers, drove the enemy from a hill in front of the position
with such impetuous gallantry as to win the applause of
all their comrades who witnessed it, and elicit compliments
from Gens. Sheridan, Emory, and Grover.
In the mouth of August, Sheiidan requested Gen.
Emory to detail one of his best regiments for headquarter
guard. The latter directed Gen. Grover, commanding the
2d Division, to comply with the order, and he designated
the 128th hy name from the twenty-two regiments of his
division for that purpose. It was kept on this duty until
the army retired to Harper's Ferry.
At the close of Sheridan's valley campaign, the 128th
was one of the regiments chosen to garrison Winchester,
where it remained until the Gth of January, 1865, when
the whole division was ordered to Baltimore, and thence to
Savannah by transports.
On the 5th of March two brigades, including the 128th,
left Savannah for Newbern, N. C, to assist in opening a
base of supplies for Sherman's army. Immediately on ar-
riving there the 128th was detailed by Gen. Schofield, com-
manding the department of North Carolina, to repair the
road connecting Newbern with Kinston. This labor occu-
pied about three weeks, during which the men became
familiar with the use of the axe and spade as well as the
musket.
The regiment returned to Savannah on the 4th of May,
and soon after marched to Augusta, where it was engaged
in garrison and provost duty, when the order came to re-
turn to Savannah, and there it was formally mustered out
of service, dating from the 12th of July.
On the 1 Gth it embarked on board the steamer " Charles
Thomas'' for New York, reaching there on the morning
of the 20th. In the afternoon of the same day the men
were transferred to the steamer " Commodore" without
leaving the pier. They reached Albany early on the fol-
lowing morning, and went into barracks on the Troy road,
whence, after receiving pay for their weary service, they
disper.sed to their homes, and resumed the vocations of
peaceful life.
The 128th returned with/oHr hundred of the nine hun-
dred and sixty men, and one hundred and seventy-three
added by recruits. The officers at mustering out were as
follows :
Field and Staff. — Capt. Thomas N. Davis in command.
Surg., J. M. Crawe; A,ssist. Surg., W. H. B. Post; Adj.,
A. B. Hart; Q.-M., S. H. Mase."^
Line Officers.— Co. A, Lieut. T. W. Krafft; Co. B,
Capt. J. S. Pierce, Lieut. R. A. White; Co. C, 1st Lieut.
J. H. Ilager, 2d Lieut. J. H. Asher ; Co. D, Lieut. J.
Armstrong; Co. E, Capt. G. T. White; Co. F, Capt. C.
R. Anderson, Lieut. C. Van Tine ; Co. G, Capt. H. E.
Mitchell, Lieut. G. Murcll ; Co. II, Capt. H. H. Sinccrbox,
Lieut. C. S. Keyes, Lieut. B. T. Ben,son ; Co. I, Lieut. J.
Schoutcn ; Co. K, Lieut. B. Speed.
The tattered battle-flag of the regiment bears the names
of the following fields :
PONTOCIIOn.A,
HlimoX, MAY 27 AXD JUNE 14,1863,
CA.NE niVEU, AI.EXA.NDKIA,
MANSIIRA,
lAP'ALAVA, HALLTOWX, BERRVVILLE,
WINCHESTER, FISHER'.S HILL,
CEDAR CREEK.
91ST REGIMENT NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS.
Soon after the war commenced, the Hon. David S. Cowles
(afterwards colonel of the 128th Regiment) resolved to
give up for his country his lucrative practice at the bar and
go to the fiont, and, after consultation with his friends, de-
cided, if possible, to raise a regiment from Columbia county,
to be known as the Columbia County Regiment ; and in the
month of July, 1861, with his friend, James Mulford, be-
gan the work. He commenced recruiting in various parts
of the county under the following captains : Charles A.
Burt, at Kinderhook ; John B. Collins, at Hillsdale ; John
I. Langdou, at Copake; and William H. Atwood, at Hud-
son. As at this time the first burst of patriotism was dying
out except in the breasts of those who were too old to be
accepted, or were unable to go to war for other causes, and
bounties had not been oifered, recruiting was very slow, and
it was not until September that any of the companies were
filled to the number of men required to be mustered in as
a company, thirty-two enlisted men being required. On
the 27th day of September, Capt. Atwood took his com-
pany to Albany, and they were mustered into service at the
barracks. On the next day Capt. Collins' company was
mustered in ; and Sept. 30, Capt. Langdon's company. On
this day (30th), Col. Cowles, finding it impossible to raise
a full regiment in Columbia county, arranged with Capt.
Allan H. Jackson, of Schenectady, who was having his
company mustered in, to join his regiment, and also ar-
ranged with Capt. Aaron J. Oliver to recruit a company in
Albany and vicinity. October 15, Capt. Burt's company
was mustered in, and soon after Capts. Oliver and Henry
S. Hulbert with their companies went into barracks. Only
seven companies out of ten were obtained, and none of them
were full. At this time there was a part of a regiment in
the same barracks, called the Albany County Regiment, being
raised by Col. Fredendall, of Albany, and the most strenuou.s
eiforts were put forth by the officers of each of these regi-
ments to fill up the companies and regiments, that they
might keep their distinctive organizations and field-officers,
but they were unable so to do ; and an order coming from
Washington to consolidate parts of regiments and send them
forward as soon as possible, these two were consolidated and
given their number as the 91st Regiment New York Vol-
unteers. On the consolidation a great strife commenced as
to the colonelcy between Jacob Van Zandt, then nominal
lieutenant-colonel of the Albany Regiment, and Col. Cowles,
of the Columbia County Regiment, which resulted in the
appointment of the former. In the consolidation the most
of the men from Columbia county were placed in Compa-
nies E, II, and I, and some were assigned to Company K.
The consolidation was efl'ected about Dec. 16, 1861, and
the field-officers placed in command were : Col., Jacob Van
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA' COUNTY, NEW YORK.
149
Ziindt; Lieut.-Col., Jonathan Tarbell ; Maj., Charles Gr.
Clai-k.
The regiment, about nine hundred strong, having received
a beautiful regimental color, the gift of Mrs. Harcourt, a
patriotic lady of Albany, left camp at that city Dec. 20,
1861, and proceeded to Governor's island. New York har-
bor, where it was mustered into the United States service
by Capt. Updegraff, U. S. A., Dec. 30. On Jan. 9, 1862,
it embarked on the steamer " Ericsson," which set sail the
following day for Key West, Fla., and arrived there ten
days later. Here the regiment was armed with Enfield
rifles, and remained in drill and routine duty until May 20,
wlien it embarked for Pensacola, and reached there on the
24th. Its first engagement with the enemy was at Gon-
zales' Plantation, Fla., Oct. 27, 1862, on which occasion
the conduct of men and officers was excellent. On the 27th
of December the regiment left Pensacola by steamer, and
on Jan. 1, 1863, arrived at Baton Rouge, La.
At the opening of the campaign against Port Hudson,
the 91st was assigned to a post of danger in engaging the
enemy to draw his attention while the fleet passed the bat-
teries ; and this service was well and bravely performed.
Then the command returned to Baton Rouge, remaining
there from the 19th to the 27th of March, at which time
it embarked on steamer, and on the 28th arrived at Don-
aldson ville, and thence took up its line of march for Thibo-
deaux, ariiving April 2 ; left by rail for Bayou Bceuf, re-
maining there several days. On the 12tli it embarked for
Irish Bend (near Franklin), and was hotly engaged on that
bloody field in the battle of April 14. On the next day it
was again engaged with the foe at Vermilion Bayou, after
having made a weary march of thirty-six miles through
dust, fatigue, and almost intolerable thirst. The enemy
retreated, and the 91st, with other troops, pursued. On
the 21st it arrived at Opelousas.
For about a month the regiment was almost constantly
on the move in marchings, skirmishings, and expeditions
for the seizure of cotton, until, on the 24th of May, it took
its position before the enemy's works at Port Hudson,
where it participated in the attacks made on the 25th and
27th of May, as also in the furious and disastrous assault
of June 14. From this time the regiment was on constant
duty in the trenches until the capitulation of the enemy,
July 8, 1868, and on the day following marched into the
captured town. It sailed on the 11th for Donaldsonville,
and there engaged the enemy in force on the 12th. On the
29th of July the Olst left Donaldsonville for New Orleans,
where it was paid off, a six months' arrearage, and laid in
comparative quiet for nearly a month ; then, on August 29,
it sailed for Brashear City, which point was reached Sept. 2.
At Brashear most of the regiment re-enlisted as heavy
artillery, and it was recruited to fill the ranks. In January,
1864, it was removed to Fort Jackson, on the Mississippi
river, and there remained on garrison duty till July 21,
1864, when the portion who had re-enlisted received leave
to return home on furlough. They returned by way of the
river to Cairo, thence by railroad to Albany, N. Y. At the
expiration of thirty days these men re-assembled at Albany,
and proceeded in a body to Baltimore, where they were
assigned to duty in the 8th Army Corps. This was about
Aug. 25, 1864. They remained on garrison duty in Bal-
timore for about one month, and were then relieved and
ordered to join the 2d (Ironsides) Brigade, 3d Division, of
the 5th Corps, commanded by Gen. Warren, and then on
duty in front of Petersburg. They went through all the
remainder of that bloody campaign down to Five Forks
and Appomattox, and remained on duty in that neighbor-
hood, after the surrender of the rebel army, for about three
weeks, at the end of which time they marched across the
country (a march of nine days) to Ai-lington Heights,
opposite Washington, where they were disarmed, and were
then transported by rail to New York, thence by steamer
" John Brooks" to Albany, and there mustered out of the
service ; a large number of the men having been in the
field (excepting their thirty days' furlough) from the first
year of the war until its clo.so.
159X11 REGIMENT NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS.
This regiment was composed of men from Columbia and
Kings counties, and was formed by the consolidation of the
167th with the skeleton organization of the 159th. The
companies were recruited during the months of August,
September, and October, 1862, and on the 1st of Novem-
ber in that year the regiment was mustered into the United
States service,* at the Park barracks. New York city, by
Lieut. R. B. Smith, of the 1 1 th Regular Infantry. It was
then ordered under canvas at " Camp Nelson," New Dorp,
Staten Island, whence, on the 28th of the same month, it
moved to New York, where it was embarked on the United
States transport " Northern Light," which, on the 4th of
December, proceeded to sea under sealed orders. Her des-
tination proved to be Ship island, in the Gulf of Mexico,
and the regiment found itself assigned to duty with the
Louisiana expedition under Gen. Banks.
Without disembarking at Ship island the command pro-
ceeded up the Mississippi river, arrived at New Orleans
on the 15th of December, and was at once attached to the
expedition about to move against Baton Rouge, under Gen.
Cuvier Grover. It arrived at its destination on the 17th,
and disembarked under the fire of the Union gunboats, but
the enemy had already evacuated the town.
On the 1st of January, 1863, it was assigned to the 3d
Brigade of Grover's Division, commanded by Col. H. E.
Payne (afterwards by Col. H. W. Birge), and saw active
service immediately, being placed on duty at the United
States arsenal. On the first demonstration against Port
Hudson, March 14, it was sent, with a detachment of the
26th Maine and two pieces of artillery, " to open, keep
open, and hold the Clinton road, leading from Baton Rouge
past the rear of Port Hudson, Clinton, and the rebel
' Camp Moore.' " The whole force was under command of
Col. Molineaux, of the 159th.
s The field-officers of the regiment were Col. E. L. Molineux, Lt.-
C"l. Gilbert A. Draper, Maj. Charles A. Burt. The Columbia county
companies and their captains were as follows : Co. A, Capt. E. L.
Gaul, afterwards promoted to major; Co. C, Capt. A. W. Gamwell
(afterwards Capt. Charles Lewis); Co. E, Capt. Wm. E. Wallermire ;
Co. G, Cnpt. Sluyter. Co. I was partly from this county. The
first adjutant of the regiment was Lieut. Robert D. Lathrop, of
Stockport.
150
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
Tlie duty was performed to the satisfaction of the com-
manding general, and, on the 28th of March, the regiment
embarked on the transport " Laurel Hill," and with the
remainder of the division proceeded up Grand lake to
Indian Bend. It was the second regiment to effect a land-
ing, which it did under a severe fire of canister and mus-
ketry. It was pushed across the Teche to Irish Bend,
posted on a picket line almost within speaking distance of
the enemy, and participated in the general engagement of
the following day. In this battle (Irish Bend) the colonel
was severely wounded, the lieutenant-colonel, adjutant, and
two lieutenants killed, and two other lieutenants mortally
wounded. The regiment lost one hundred and ten killed,
wounded, and missing.
On the 15th of April the regiment took its march up
the Teche, reaching Vermilion Bayou on the 17th. On
the 19th it was detailed to gather all stock and negroes on
the prairies and plantations and drive them back to Ber-
wick City, and on the way thither to destroy the enemy's
works at Camp Bisland and Franklin. On the 29th it ar-
rived at Berwick with eight thousand head of cattle, horses,
and mules, and five hundred negroes. On the 30th the
regiment rejoined the division, and marched, by way of Ope-
lousas and Barre's Landing, to the vicinity of Alexandria,
where it arrived May 12, halted two days for rest, and on
the 14th resumed march for Simmsport, arriving May 17 ;
the marches up to that time amounting to eight hundred
miles. May 21 the command passed up the Atchafelaya
by transport, landing at Bayou Sara, and marching thence
to Port Hudson, where it arrived May 25. On the 27th
the 159th, under command of Lieut.-Col. Burt, and sup-
ported by the 25th Connecticut Infantry, attacked a portion
of the enemy's works, which, however, proved far stronger
than was anticipated, and too strong for capture. The regi-
ment's loss in this attack was forty-seven. Then came
nearly three weeks of severe duty in the trenches, and on
the 14th of June the regiment participated in the furious
assault on the works of the enemy, but retired at night
unsuccessful, with a loss of twenty-eight.
On the 11th of July, after the surrender, the 159th,
with other troops, marched through the captured works, pro-
ceeded by transport to Donaldsonville, and took part in the
engagement of July 13. In the official reports of General
Cuvier Grover and acting Brigadier-General Birge, of the
2d Brigade, this regiment received most honorable mention
for good conduct and gallantry in the engagement of Irish
Bend, April 14, and Port Hudson, May 27 and June 14,
18G3. From Donaldsonville the regiment went to Thibo-
deaux, where it remained until the inauguration of the
movement up Red river, when it proceeded to New Or-
leans, and, crossing to Algiers, took steamboat for Alexan-
dria. At Alexandria the regiment (then in command of
Col. William E. Waltermire) remained with the rest of the
brigade (Molineus's), holding the fortifications and guard-
ing the flank of the operating army. At the end of about
ten days they left for Morganza, where they remained some
four weeks in camp, and at the end of that time left by boat
for New Orleans, at which point they took steamer and pro-
ceeded by sea to the James river, landing at City Point,
i'rom whence they marched to the front of Petersburg, but
returned in a few days to City Point, and there re-shipped
for Wiishington. From that city they proceeded to Tenally-
town, Md., and there remained about a week, when, upon
orders to join Sheridan's army in the valley of Virginia, they
marched by way of Rockville, Edwards' Ferry, the Luray
valley, and Snicker's Gap (being a part of General Emory's
Corps), and after a weary march reached the main army.
They participated in the affair at Halltown, the battle of
Winchester (in which they lost very heavily), Fisher's Hill,
and Cedar Creek (Oct. 19, 18G4). At the close of the
valley campaign they marched to Baltimore, and there
shipped for Savannah, Ga., but at the end of about one
month were transported by sea to Morehcad City, N. C., to
assist in the forwarding of supplies to the army of General
Sherman. After the surrender of the rebel army under
Johnston, the 159th returned to Savannah, and were or-
dered thence to Augusta, Ga., where they remained a few
weeks, and proceeded by rail to Madison, Ga. At this
point they remained until November, 1865, on provost
duty, in the performance of which service their operations
extended over five counties. In November, 1865, they were
ordered to Savannah, and thence to New York, and were
mustered out at Hart's island, having seen active service
through nearly half of the rebel confederacy, from the Po-
tomac river to the borders of Texas.
The principal battle-fields of the 159th were Irish Bend,
Port Hudson, Halltown, Va., Fisher's Hill, Winchester,
and Cedar Creek.
14th regiment new york volunteers.
This regiment, which contained one company (K) of
men from Columbia county, was mustered into the United
States service for two years, at Albany, May 27, 1861.
Under command of Col. James McQuade, the 14th left
Albany on the 30th of that month, bound for Washington,
where it arrived in due time, and camped at Camp Cam-
eron, near Columbia College. On the 2 1st of July it
crossed the Potomac by the Aqueduct bridge, encamped
on the Virginia side, and remained in that vicinity, en-
gaged in provost and picket duty, until March 10, when
it moved to Fairfax Court-House. After five days' stop
there the 14th moved to Alexandria, and there embarked
for Fortress Monroe, arriving on the 23d of March, and
camping beyond Hampton, on the road to Newport News.
On the 4th of April, 1862, the men of the 14th struck
tents and, as a part of the great army of McClellan, com-
menced the memorable march up the Peninsula towards
Richmond, halting in front of Yorktown for four weeks
with the rest of the army. On the evacuation of that
stronghold (as it was then supposed to be) by the enemy,
on the 4th of May, they entered the works, and on the 8th
proceeded up York river, on board the steamer " C. Van-
derbilt," to West Point, Va., where they disembarked, and
after a few days' stay marched by way of White House to
Gaines' Mills, which they reached on the 26th, in time to
form a part of the detachment which marched in the early
morning of the 27th to Hanover Court-House, where they
were engaged in the sharp engagement known by that
name, which was brought about as a diversion to favor
McDowell's advance from the vicinity of Fredericksburg.
HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
After that fight they returned to their camp near Gaines'
Mills, and remained on ordinary duty until June 26,
when they participated slightly in the battle of Mechanics-
ville, which was the first of that series of bloody and dis-
astrous engagements known as the " Seven Days' Fight.''
On the morning of the 27th they marched back to camp,
packed knapsacks, and fell back on Cold Harbor, where,
about noon, they were suddenly and heavily attacked, and
from that time until dark, through the seemingly intermina-
ble hours of that bloody battle of Gaines' M 
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