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y^^^ 


:l 


V 


■»bv* 


A  HISTOKY 


OF 


DEERPARK 


IN 


ORANGE   COUNTY,  N.   Y 


By  PETER  E.  GUMAER. 


WITH    PORTRAIT    OF    THE   AUTHOR  AND  CUT  OF 
HOUSE  IN  WHICH  HE  LIVED. 


Published  by  the 
MINISINK  VALLEY  HISTORFCAL  SOCIETY. 


1890. 


-/-/f^ 


PORT  JERVIS   UNION    PRlJ^'l 


vJ-  :-■'  T  .  .-., 


r  '  V--  .  *♦  • 


\~\7S\ 


APR    15  1919 


WfTHDRAWN 

N0Vl*ri918 

PUBLIC  UBRARY 
WASHiK0TON,  -  B.  C. 


PubHc  Library. 

WASHINGTON.  D.  O. 

PREFAGB. 


Having  been  solicited  by  certain  individuals  of  the 
first  settlers  in  the  neighborhood  of  my  residence, 
in  the  town  of  Deerpark,  for  a  written  information  in 
relation  to  their  respective  ancestry,  both  of  those  who 
now  reside  in  this  town  and  of  those  residing  in  other 
parts  of  our  country,  and  feeling  desirous  to  gratify 
their  wishes  and  save  .fr^^jsk-,  obj^-vion  the  knowledge  I 
possess  relative  to  liheir  forefathers,  I  have  thought 
proper  to  make  out  a  small  work  of  the  same  and  get 
it  printed,  so  that  all  who  shall  be  desirous  of  such 
information  can  obtain  the  same,  which  undoubtedly 
must  be  a  great  satisfaction  to  many  who  have  not  had 
the  opportunity  of  becoming  informed  in  relation 
thereto,  especially  the  descendants  of  those  whose 
parents  at  an  early  day  of  the  settlement  of  our  western 
country  emigrated  into  it.  The  general  topics. of  con- 
versation have  changed  much  in  this  vicinity  within  my 
time  of  life.  At  the  termination  of  the  Revolutionary 
war  this  change  commenced.  The  attention  of  the 
young  people  was  generally  directed  towards  the  pass- 
ing scenes  of  their  time,  and  they  remained  ignorant 
of  what  had  transpired  during  the  lives  of  their  fore- 
fathers. In  the  early  part  of  my  life  some  of  the  old 
people,  whenever  they  came  together,  generally  intro- 


8  PREFACE. 


duced  the  occurrences  of  former  times,  in  relation  to 
the  ancient  inhabitants  of  this  valley,  who  inhabited  it 
for  a  distance  of  eighty  miles.  From  these  discourses 
and  my  own  observations  and  researches,  I  have  be- 
come enabled  to  write  this  history.  Capt.  Cuddeback, 
Esq.  Depuy  and  my  own  mother  were  the  greatest  his- 
torians. Of  what  had  materially  transpired  through- 
out this  valley  from  the  first  and  last  of  these  I  have 
had  my  greatest  source  of  information. 


INTRODUCTION. 

The  most  interesting  subjects  in  relation  to  the  town 
of  Deerpark  are  contained  in  Eager's  "  History  of 
Orange  County."  These  are  not  embraced  in  this 
work,  excepting  a  few  articles  for  making  a  connection 
of  certain  matters  therein  contained,  with  additional 
materials  herein  introduced. 

All  mankind  generally  are  desirous  to  possess  a 
knowledge  of  their  ancestrj^  their  characters,  occupa- 
tions, manner  and  circumstances  of  life,  the  lineal 
descent  of  the  most  anterior  of  them,  the  different 
scenes  through  which  the  successive  generations  have 
passed,  &c.  All  of  which  is  embraced  in  this  small 
work,  as  far  as  my  information  and  knovvdedge  in  rela- 
tion thereto  extends  :  and,  beiuGf  an  old  man,  and  hav- 
iug  in  early  life  had  great  opportunities  to  become  in- 
formed in  respect  to  the  early  settlement  of  this  town 
and  of  the  people,  wh5,  from  time  to  time  settled  in  it, 
and  their  descendants  from  generation  to  generation, 
down  to  the  parentage  of  the  fourth  of  those  who  first 
settled  in  Peenpack,  and  of  the  third  who  settled  in 
the  lower  neighborhood.     I,  myself,  have  also  been  a 


12  INTRODUCTION. 


spectator  of  the  transpiring  occurrences  from  the  com- 
mencement of  the  Eevohitionarj  war  until  the  present 
time. 

Very  different  have  been  the  scenes  of  life  through 
which  the  successive  generations  have  passed,  and, 
considering  myself  to  possess  the  greatest  fund  of 
knowledge  relating  to  the  same,  I  have  viewed  it  as  in- 
cumbent on  me  to  write  this  history  and  save  from 
oblivion  the  matter  therein  contained,  in  such  manner 
as  the  incompetency  of  my  abilities  will  admit,  which, 
even  if  not  in  the  best  manner,  still  comprehend  the  sub- 
stance I  deemed  necessary  to  be  embodied  in  it,  with 
much  diffidence,  however,  in  respect  to  some  parts  of 
the  same,  in  which  I  have  been  too  lavish  in  intro- 
ducing unnecessary  matter.  But  as  this  work  is  only 
intended  for  the  present  and  future  descendants  of  the 
first  pioneers  in  the  district  of  the  present  town  of 
Deerpark,  I  have  thought  proper  to  enter  some  minute 
matters  to  inform  the  readers  how  their  forefathers 
have  progressed  through  life.  They  came  here  poor 
and  ventured  their  lives  among  the  Indians  to  enjoy 
the  lands  they  took  in  possession  and  afterwards 
bought. 

The  materials  furnished  in  this  work  are  the  follow- 
ing :  My  views  relative  to  an  alteration  supposed  to 
have,  in  very  remote  times,  occurred  in  this  valley  and 
created  the  formation  of  it,  so  as  our  forefathers  found 
it :  also  the  time  they  settled  here  and  the  inhabitants 
who  then  occupied  it  ;  their  manner  of  life  and  means 
of  supporting  themselves,  and  other  different  matters 
and  conjectures  in  relation  to  them  ;  also  the  wild  ani- 
mals, fowls  and  fishes  which  were  in  this  part  of  the 


iNTRODUcrnoN.  13 


country  ;  the  names  of  the  first  seven  settlers,  and  the 
time  they  procured  a  patent  for  the  land  they  intended 
to  occupy  ;  also  the  names  of  those  who  first  settled 
in  the  lower  neighborhood,  and,  as  near  as  can  be 
ascertained,  the  time  they  settled  there  and  the  places 
where  all  of  both  neighborhoods  severally  located  ; 
also  the  names  of  their  respective  descendants  to  the 
third  generation  of  the  Peenpack  neighborhood,  their 
inarriages  and  manner  of  living,  and  the  ages  to  which 
they  respectively  arrived,  as  near  as  I  could  ascertain 
the  same.  Also  certain  matters  in  relation  to  a  late 
emigration  into  this  town  of  inhabitants  who  have 
built  up  the  village  of  Port  Jervis,  which  commenced 
about  the  year  1827  ;  the  great  diminution  of  birds, 
snakes,  frogs  and  toads,  within  the  last  thirty  years  ; 
also  the  commencement  and  continuance  from  time  to 
time  of  religious  worship,  and  the  first  introduction  of 
Justices  of  the  Peace,  &c. ;  the  anterior  prices  of 
farmers'  productions,  and  of  wages,  together  with 
some  speculative  and  interesting  matters  in  relation  to 
the  same. 

Note. — There  were  some  members  of  families  in  both  neighborhoods 
whose  names  I  did  not  know,  and  have  left  blanks  for  the  same,  so  that 
the  purchaser  of  a  book  can  write  the  names  of  his  respective  relatives, 
omitted  in  the  blanks  left  for  that  purpose. 

[The  committee  on  publication  have  sujoplied  these 
names,  so  far  as  they  have  been  able,  and  have  included 
them  in  brackets  in  their  proper  places.] 

The  "  History  of  Deerpark "  was  written  by  Mr. 
Gumaer  between  the  years  of  1858  and  1862  from  ma- 
terials collected  by  him  during  many  years  of  close 
observation  and  after  much  diligence    and  painstaking 


14  INTRODUCTION. 


in  the  collection  of  facts  derived  from  frequent  inter- 
course with  others.  It  is  safe  to  say  that  no  other  per- 
son in  the  town  of  Deerpark,  within  the  last  fifteen 
years,  has  been  so  well  qualified  by  the  possession  of 
historical  facts  and  other  considerations  to  write  its 
history  as  was  Mr.  Gumaer.  Samuel  W.  Eager,  in  his 
history  of  Orange  county,  published  in  1846  and  1847, 
says  that  he  is  more  indebted  to  Mr.  Gumaer  than  to 
any  one  person  in  the  county  for  his  "  good  will  and 
assistance  "  in  j^reparing  his  history.  This  work,  pre- 
l^ared  Avith  so  much  care,  has  been  very  generously  do- 
nated by  his  son,  Peter  L.  Gumaer,  to  the  Minisink  Val- 
ley Historical  Society,  who  have  deemed  it  of  sufficient 
value  to  publish,  and  appointed  a  committee  to  super- 
intend its  publication.  This  committee  have  found  it 
necessary  to  make  a  few  changes  in  the  correction  of 
dates,  which  have  been  found  to  be  erroneous,  as  also 
in  a  few  instances  in  the  names  of  persons  and  of 
places  occupied  by  them.  Where  blanks  have  been 
left  by  the  author  in  the  names  of  families,  to  which  he 
alludes  iu  his  introduction,  the  committee  have  en- 
deavored to  fill  them,  so  far  as  they  have  been  able, 
from  church  records  and  other  'sources.  Where  any 
blanks  remain  unfilled,  or  where  there  may  be  any 
errors  in  the  tilling  up,  or  in  the  original,  the  commit- 
tee will  esteem  it  a  favor  to  be  informed  of  the  same. 
The  changes  that  have  been  thus  made  are  indicated 
either  by  the  names  being  inclosed  in  brackets  or  by 
explanatory  notes  at  the  bottom  of  the  page.  As  the 
history  was  written  about  thirty  years  ago,  Mr.  Gumaer 
designates  particular  places  by  their  then  owners  and 
occupants.     As  these  have,  in  many  instances,  under- 


INTRODUCTION.  15 


gone  changes  by  deatli  and .  removal,  the  committee 
have  added  notes  indicating  the  present  owners  and 
occupants.  With  these  exceptions  and  an  occasional 
word  or  two,  the  history  is  published  as  originally 
written. 

The  committee  close  this  statement  with  a  brief 
sketch  of  the  author  : 

Peter  E.  Gumaer  was  born  in  the  town  of  Deerpark, 
at  or  near  Fort  Gumaer,  May  28,  1771,  and  died  De- 
cember 18,  1869,  at  the  age  of  98  years,  6  months  and 
20  days.  His  parents  were  Ezekiel  Gumaer  and 
Naomi  Low.  He  was  a  descendant  of  the  French 
Huguenots,  who  fled  from  France  at  the  time  of  their 
persecution.  His  father,  being  a  farmer,  he  inherited 
the  business  and  also  learned  the  art  of  surveying, 
which  he  followed  for  more  than  fifty  years.  He 
surveyed  most  of  the  lands  in  the  town  of 
Deerpark,  and  also  of  adjoining  towns.  He  was 
plain  and.  unassuming  in  manner  and  deportment, 
much  attached  to  his  home  and  family,  and,  during 
his  whole  lifetime,  lived  in  the  town  of  Deer- 
park,  having  never  visited  the  city  of  New  York. 
In  his  principles  he  was  regarded  as  a  man  of  great 
integrity,  always  manifesting  a  conscientious  regard  for 
right,  and  nothing  but  strict  and  exact  justice  would 
satisfy  him.  His  habits  of  living  were  extremely  tem- 
perate, using  but  little  animal  food  and  no  stimulants, 
except  tea.  He  was  a  man  of  great  industry,  never 
idle  and  never  seeking  pleasure  or  enjoyment  outside 
of  business  or  study.  He  was  of  a  literary  turn  of 
mind,  and  devoted  as  much  of  his  time  to  reading  and 
stud}"  as  his  pursuits  would  allow.     He  took  great  de- 


16 


INTEODUCTION. 


light  in  the  study  of  astronomy  and  philosophy.  He 
was  especially  interested  in  Sir  Isaac  Newton's  theory 
of  the  motions  of  the  heavenly  bodies,  and  said  if  it 
was  correct,  perpetual  motion  was  possible  and  sought 
for  a  long  time  to  demonstrate  it  practically.  In  1851 
he  published  a  small  volume  upon  astronomy.  During 
his  hfe  he  held  many  positions  of  public  trust,  which 
were  filled  with  credit  to  himself  and  to  the  satisfaction 
of  his  constituents.  It  is  said  that  among  the  many 
instruments  of  writing  drawn  by  him  not  one  was  ever 
broken  in  a  court  of  law,  nor  were  any  of  his  surveys 
of  land  found  to  be  incorrect. 

He  held  in  high  esteem  his  9.ncestry,  whose  remains 
are  buried  in  the  Gumaer  Cemetery,  and  a  few  years 
previous  to  his  death,  as  a  token  of  regard  for  them, 
he  erected  monuments  to  their  memory  with  appropri- 
ate inscriptions. 

In  his  early  life  it  was  customary  for  the  ministers  in 
the  Reformed  Dutch  Church,  which  he  attended,  to 
preach  in  the  Holland  (Dutch)  and  English  languages 
on  alternate  Sabbaths,  and  so  familiar  was  he  with  the 
former  that  upon  returning  home  he  was  at  a  loss  to 
say,  when  asked,  in  which  language  the  services  had 
been  held.  A  bit  of  romance  has  been  related  con- 
cerning his  marriage.  It  is  said  that  when  he  was  a 
young  man  he  visited  the  house  of  his  future  mother- 
in-law,  and  that  she  had  a  little  child  in  the  cradle 
which  she  was  rocking,  and  that  she  said  to  him  : 
"  Peter,  I  want  you  to  rock  the  cradle,  and  when  this 
child  growls  up  to  be  a  young  woman  you  may  have 
her  for  a  wife."  It  so  proved  that  he  married  this 
same  child  that  he  had  thus  rocked  in  the  cradle. 


INTRODUCTION.  17 


The  names  and  ages  of  Mr.  Gtimaer's  children  are  as 
follows  : 

Morgan,  born  January  27th,  1815,  and  died  July  5th, 
1855. 

Ezekiel  P.,  born  May  lOth,  1817,  and  died  June  25th, 
1877. 

Jacob  C.  E.,  born  October  18th,  1820,  living  at  Ovid, 
Mich. 

Peter  L.,  born  January  29th,  1827,  living  at  Guy- 
mard,  N.  Y. 

Naomi,  born  January  20th,  1830,  and  died  May  2d, 
1862. 

Andrew  J.,  born  November  4th,  1833,  living  at  Guy- 
mard,  N.  Y. 

Esther  Harriet,  born  August  30th,  1835,  living  at 
Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  widow  of  Isaac  Mulock. 


HISTORY  OF  DEERPARlv. 


GEOGRAPHICAL   FORMATION   OF    THE    VALLEY. 

Before  entering  into  a  detail  relative  to  the  settle- 
ment of  this  town  by  Europeans,  the  causes  of  their 
emigration  from  the  fatherland,  their  manner  of  life 
in  this  then  wilderness  part  of  our  country,  &c.,  &g.,  I 
will  give  my  views  of  what  I  consider  to  have  been  an- 
teriorly the  geographical  fa^e  of  this  district  of  terri- 
tory, its  productions  an  1  its  native  inhabitants. 

The  present  form  of  the  surface  of  the  earth  teaches 
us  that  there  has  been  a  time  when  it  was  in  many 
places  very  different  from  what  it  is  at  this  day.  This 
appears  to  be  the  case  wherever  there  are  rivers  and 
streams  of  water  ;  and  we  have  reason  to  think  that 
many  lakes  and  ponds  have  been  drained  by  the  action 
of  streams  of  water  issuing  therefrom.  It  must  be  the 
case  that  there  was  a  time  when  the  surface  of    the 


20  HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK. 

ground  in  the  valley  along  tlie  Ne'versink  and  Dela- 
ware rivers  in  this  town,  together  with  that  part  of  it 
which  extends  southwest  to  the  gap  of  the  mountain, 
where  the  Delaware  passes  through  it,  and  northeast 
to  the  North  river,  &c.,  laid  below  the  bottom  of  a  lake 
of  water.  This  opinion  has  been  formed  previous  to 
my  contemplations  respecting  it.  Eager  gives  some 
account  of  this  in  his  "  History  of  Orange  County," 
pages  407  and  408,  and  sufficiently  establishes  the  fact 
from  Indian  tradition,  <fec. 

Not  only  does  the  gap  of  the  mountain,  where  the 
river  passes  through  it,  exhibit  strong  reasons  of  a 
passage  being  worn  through  it  by  the  action  of  the 
water  of  a  lake  in  this  valley,  but  the  knolls  and  low 
hills  in  this  valley  show  that  they  have  undergone  much 
washing  of  water  ;  and,  what  appears  somewhat  mys- 
terious, hills  thirty  and  forty  feet  higher  than  the  sur- 
face of  the  river  flats  are  all  composed  of  ground, 
gravel,  sand  and  such  smooth  stones  as  are  in  the  bot- 
toms of  rivers,  from  which  it  appears  that  not  only  the 
surface  of  those  hills,  but  that  all  the  materials  of  which 
they  are  composed,  have  for  some  length  of  time  been 
water- washed.  We  find  in  them  some  places  of  clear 
sand,  not  mixed  with  the  other  materials  mentioned, 
such  as  is  in  river  sand  banks  ;  from  which  we  have 
reason  to  conjecture  that  after  the  water  received  a 
passage  through  the  mountain  it  created  a  current  in 
the  lake  towards  it,  and  as  that  passage  enlarged  and 
wore  down,  the  water  in  the  lake  drew  off  and  the  cur- 
rent of  its  stream  increased  and  washed  the  highest 
parts  of  its  bottom  down  into  the  hollows,  where  the 
water  was  deep,  and  thereby  run  down  gradually  large 


HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK.  21 

bodies  of  water- washed  stones,  gravel,  sand  and  ground 
from  the  hicjhest  elevations  of  the  bottom  surface  into 
its  lowest  parts,  many  of  which  have  remained  where 
they  have  been  carried  by  the  waters,  and  the  adjoin- 
ing ground,  which  first  was  highest,  has  run  down  the 
stream  and  continued  to  be  moved  down  until  a  gradual 
descent  of  the  rivers  was  formed,  on  a  bottom  of 
smooth  water-washed  stones,  gravel  and  sand,  which 
now  lie  at  different  depths  below  the  surface  of  the 
river  flats,  viz.  :  from  about  four  to  seven  and  eight 
feet  below  that  of  the  lands  along  the  Neversink  river, 
and  at  greater  depths  along  the  surface  of  the  Delaware 
river  flats. 

After  a  river  bottom  was  formed  where  the  flats  now 
are,  the  stream  creating  meandering  channels  through 
those  river  bottom  flats  would  contain  the  water  of  the 
rivers  when  low,  but  in  freshets,  overflow  the  flat  bot- 
toms, whereby  in  every  freshet  a  part  of  the  ground 
which  the  water  carried  down  in  such  times,  lodged  on 
the  surface  of  those  flats,  which,  continuing  to  accumu- 
late in  this  way  for  a  great  length  of  time,  raised  the 
surface  so  high  that  the  freshets  did  not  overflow  it, 
unless  partially  in  uncommon  high  water;  and  as  the 
waters  became  more  and  more  confined  in  stationary 
channels,  the  bottoms  of  these  wore  down  by  the  action 
and  weight  of  the  water.  In  this  manner  undoubtedly 
was  formed  the  soil  of  our  river  lands.  In  the  vicinity 
of  the  gap  of  the  Shawangunk  mountain,  through 
which  the  New  York  &  Erie  Railroad  passes,  are  indi- 
cations in  some  places  on  the  east  side  of  the  moun- 
tain of  the  surface  of  the  ground  having  in  a  very  re- 
mote period  of  time  been  under  water,  when  I  contem- 


22  HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK. 

plate  it  ran  tlirongli  this  gap  into  the  valley  west  of  the 
mountain  into  a  lake  which  has  been  mentioned. 

All  rivers  and  streams  have  formed  the  grade  of 
their  bottoms  from  their  smmmits  toward  the  ocean 
according  to  their  magnitude,  and  the  original  forma- 
tion of  the  respective  districts  of  country  through 
which  they  pass. 

The  river  ftats,  amounting  to  about  three  or  four 
thousand  acres,  was  nearly  all  the  land  in  this  town 
which  the  first  pioneers  considered  to  be  of  any  value 
for  agricultural  purposes,  the  residue  being  generally 
mountainous,  rough,  stony  land,  was  by  them  consid- 
ered to  be  of  no  value  for  farming  purposes. 

PLENTIFtTL   SUPPLY    OF    GAME,    FISH,    FRUIT,    ETC. 

This  district  of  territory  which  the  small  tuwu  of 
Deerpark  now  embraces,  when  the  Indians  Avere  its 
sole  proprietors,  was  a  very  plentiful  place  for  Indian 
life  when  first  discovered  by  Europeans.  The  fiats, 
covered  with  a  tall  grass  from  four  to  six  feet  higli. 
and  the  same  and  surrounding  woods,  often  burned 
over,  abounded  Avith  numerous  deer,  bears,  raccoons, 
and  many  smaller  animals  suitable  for  the  sustenance 
of  mnn,  also  with  turkeys,  ducks,  partridges  and  other 
birds  suitable  for  man's  diet.  Generally  in  the  spring 
of  the  year  vast  numbers  of  pigeons  passed  over 
here  to  the  northeast,  vast  fiocks  of  which  generally 
lighted  on  the  trees  and  ground  to  get  food,  which 
gave  opportunities  of  killing  some  of  tliem.  The 
rivers  and  brooks  teemed  with  difierent  kinds  of  fishes, 
such  as  trout,  pike,  chubs,  suckers,  sunfish,  catfish  and 
eels,  and  numerous  shad  in  the  spring  season  in  both 
the  Delaware  and  the  Neversink  rivers,  in  the  latter  of 


HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK.  23 

which  they  ran  up  about  five  miles,  which  distance 
then  generally  was  deep  water  and  extended  to  where 
David  Swartwout  now  lives^' ;  these  fish  were  caught 
by  bush  seines,  and  in  the  Delaware  river  were  also 
many  rockfish,  which  were  taken  in  the  fall  of  the  year 
by  means  of  eel-weirs  and  bush  seines,  some  of  which 
were  the  largest  fish  in  this  part  of  that  river.  Also, 
there  were,  and  still  are,  different  kinds  of  nuts,  such 
as  white  walnuts,  hickory  nuts,  chestnuts,  butternuts 
hazelnuts  ;  also  various  kinds  of  fruit  and  beiiies,  to 
wit :  large  and  small  grapes,  plums,  black  and  red  wild 
cherries,  huckleberries,  strawberries,  black  and  red 
raspberries,  blackberries  of  two  or  more  kinds,  and 
wintergreen  berries.  Such  was  this  district  of  country 
and  its  productions  when  our  forefathers  came  here,  so 
that  they  could  obtain  a  plentiful  supply  of  the  best  of 
wild  meats  of  animals,  fowls  and  fishes,  and,  by  the 
cultivation  of  small  portions  of  their  lands,  they  could 
obtain  a  supply  of  grain,  roots  and  other  vegetables. 
They  could  not  do  much  at  farming  before  the  children 
of  these  first  families  became  able  to  assist  in  that 
business.  At  this  early  period  of  their  settlement  they 
pounded  their  grain  for  such  bread,  cakes  and  soups 
as  they  made  in  those  times,  for  doing  which  they 
procured  pounding  stones  from  the  Indians,  who  man- 
ufactured them,  and  made  or  obtained  from  the  In- 
dians pounding  blocks  from  one  and  a  half  to  two  and 
a  half  feet  long,  and  about  ten  inches  in  diameter,  in 
one  end  of  which  a  suitable  round  cavity  was  burned 
in  which  to  pound  their  grain,  coarse  salt,  kc.  The 
Indians  manufactured  both  the  stones  and  blocks  in 
good  style. 

*  Now  (1889)  the  residence  of  Peter  D.  Swartwout. 


24  HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK. 

Jacob  Cuddeback  built  a  small  mill  on  a  spring 
brook  near  liis  residence.  How  it  answered  the  pur- 
pose of  grinding  is  not  known.  One  of  the  stones  in 
my  possession  (now  broken)  was  about  two  feet  in 
diameter  and  about  two  inches  thick.  It  was  found  in 
a  cellar  of  an  old  house  which  stood  near  Cuddeback's 
■first  residence. 

The  animals,  fowls  and  fishes  probably  did  not  di- 
minish whilst  the  Indians  were  the  only  inhabitants  of 
this  part  of  the  country.  The  increase  of  these  peo- 
ple was  slow.  A  married  couple  generally  did  not 
have  more  than  two  or  three  children,  in  consequence 
of  which  they  did  not  become  more  thickly  populated 
than  to  consume  only  a  small  proportion  of  the  abund- 
ance of  wild  meat  this  part  of  the  country  continued 
to  produce,  and  they,  not  having  the  means  we  have  to 
kill  and  get  the  wild  animals,  fowls  and  fishes,  often 
suffered  in  consequence  of  not  being  enabled  to  kill  as 
many  as  they  wanted  for  their  support.  The  most 
dexterous  of  them  could  generally  get  a  plentiful  sup- 
ply, but  those  who  were  inactive  had  sometimes  to  be 
assisted  by  the  others,  especially  in  the -cold  season  of 
the  year. 

INDIANS. 

When  we  take  a  view  of  the  difference  between  the 
acquirements  of  the  Indian  race  of  people  and  those 
of  our  own  nation,  and  the  European  and  other  en- 
lightened nations  of  the  world,  we  behold  an  endless 
acquisition  which  the  industry  and  perseverance  of  the 
latter  have  brought  into  their  possession,  whilst  the 
former  have   scarcely  made  a  remove  from  a  state  of 


HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK. 


infancy  in  respect  to  improvements.  This  we  cannot 
so  much  ascribe  to  their  mental  abilities  as  to  their  in- 
dolence and  distaste  of  the  pursuits  of  our  people, 
preferring  their  own  mode  of  life  to  that  of  ours.  They 
were  in  a  state  of  sjreat  destitution  before  their  inter- 
course with  Europeans  for  want  of  such  materials  as 
they  were  enabled  to  procure  after  Europeans  settled 
among  them,  from  whom  they  could  obtain  such  mate- 
rials as  were  necessary  for  their  livelihood,  guns,  traps, 
hatchets,  knives,  blankets,  and  other  articles  of  which 
they  stood  in  need,  whereby  their  condition  of  life  was 
much  improved  ;  and  these  advantages  which  they  de- 
rived and  which  their  descendants  still  continue  to  ob- 
tain as  mentioned,  were,  and  continue  to  be  of  greater 
benefit  to  these  people  than  the  territories  which  they 
abandoned ;  for  they  now  have  the  means  of  obtaining 
a  more  comfortable  living  than  what  they  had  before 
Europeans  came  into  this  country.  Yet  we  must  ad- 
mit that  it  was  a  disagreeable  and  melancholy  trial  for 
them  to  leave  their  native  places  ;  but  for  these  sacri- 
fices they  have  received  and  continue  to  receive  a  good 
reward,  of  which  they  would  have  remained  destitute 
if  they  had  remained  alone  in  this  country.  It  is  the 
lot  of  mankind  to  undergo  such  changes.  Thousands 
of  foreigners  and  our  own  citizens  are  continually  mi- 
grating from  place-  to  place  to  advance  their  interest 
and  better  their  condition  in  life.  Before  Europeans 
came  into  this  country,  stone,  wood  and  clay  were  the 
only  materials  of  which  they  manufactured  any  imple- 
ments for  their  use  ;  and  stone  axes,  bows  and  arrows 
were  the  most  valuable  articles  they  manufactured. 
The   stone   axe  was   made   of    a   solid  stone,  about  six 


26  -  .  HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK. 

inches  long  and  two  thick,  one  end  round  and  the 
other  flattened  with  a  rounding  towards  its  edge,  which 
was  made  as  sharp  as  the  nature  of  the  stone  would 
bear  for  its  intended  use.  With  these  they  would  get- 
bark  from  trees  to  cover  their  wigwams,  and  made 
other  shelters  under  which  to  evade  the  inclemency  of 
storms  of  snow  and  rain,  night  air,  &c.  ;  also  to  get 
bark  for  canoes,  and  girdle  trees  to  kill  them,  so  that 
the  bark  and  limbs  would  fall  for  fuel.  And  with  these 
axes  in  a  slow  operation  they  could  cut  and  split  small 
saplings  for  bows,  and  with  these  and  other  sharp 
stones  and  bones  could  scrape  them  off  to  a  required 
thickness.  Arrow  heads  (generally  called  harpoons 
in  this  section)  were  made  of  different  kinds  of  flint 
stojies,  from  three  to  about  four  inches  long,  one  inch 
wide  at  the  large  end,  and  tapering  from  that  to  the 
small  end.  They  were  flat  and  rounding  towards  each 
side  for  sharpening  the  edges  ;  a  notch  was  worked 
into  each  side  of  the  big  end  to  fasten  it  into  the  ar- 
row. These  appear  to  have  been  made  by  knocking 
off  small  scales,  whereby  their  surfaces,  were  left  un- 
even. 

It  was  said  that  they  had  manufactured  pots  of  clay 
for  cooking,  and  that  a  few  remains  of  these  had  been 
found,  in  a  broken  condition,  and  that  they  made  eel- 
pots  of  withs  and  caught  therein  eels  and  fish  by  set- 
ting them  in  the  mouths  of  eel-weirs,  which  consisted 
of  wings  of  stones  thrown  up  in  rivers  and  streams  of 
water.  The  stone  axes,  bows  and  arrows  were  of  great 
value  to  the  naked-handed  Indians.  With  the  latter  it 
was  said  that  they  could  even  kill  a  deer  by  making 
the  bow  very  stiff  and  laying  down  with  it  in  the  tall 


HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK.  27 

grass  wliicli  grew  on  the  flats  near  to  a  deer-path, 
would,  when  a  deer  approached  to  pass,  place  both  feet 
against  the  bow  and  with  both  hands  draw  the  string 
or  cord  of  the  bow  and  shoot  the  deer  as  it  passed,  so 
as  to  kill  it.  It  was  said  they  made  use  of  a  sharp  flint 
stone  to  skin  it. 

Now,  although  the  improvements  the  natives  of  this 
country  had  made  during  their  existence  in  it  was  very 
trifling,  yet  they  had  attained  to  about  all  that  was  in 
their  reach  in  the  circumstances  under  which  they 
labored,  and  had  come  to  the  borders  of  a  gigantic  step 
which  was  necessary  to  be  made  for  entering  into  a 
field  of  improvements  similar  to  that  of  the  enlight- 
ened nations  of  the  world. 

MANUFACTURE  OF  IMPLEMENTS  OF  IRON  AND  STEEL, 

This  step  is  the  manufacturing  of  iron  from  the  ore? 
and  iron  and  steel  utensils.  The  most  ingenious  of 
our  own  race  of  people  would  be  puzzled  to  get  into 
operation  any  works  to  answer  that  purpose,  naked- 
handed  as  those  people  were,  and  in  their  state  of 
ignorance  when  alone  in  this  country.  This  discovery 
of  manufacturing  iron  and  steel  utensils  is  the  most 
useful  to  mankind  of  any  ever  made.  Without  the 
manufacture  of  iron,  or  some  other  metal  which  would 
have  answered  the  same  purpose,  mankind  must  all 
have  remained  in  that  low,  naked-handed  and  unim- 
proved state  in  which  the  Indians  were  found  in  this 
country.  The  production  of  this  metal  by  the  original 
cause  of  all  things,  and  its  manufacture,  are  indispen- 
sable for  the  whole  business  of  mankind.  The  black- 
smith and  manufacturer  of  iron  and  steel  stand  at  the 


28  HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK. 

head  of  all  other  mechanics.  If  the  productions  of 
the  former  were  to  pass  out  of  existence,  that  of  the 
latter  would  inevitably  become  extinct  and  the  farmer 
would  have  to  abandon  the  cultivation  of  the  earth, 
and  the  wheels  of  all  the  hydraulic  works  and  manu- 
facturing machineries  whatever  would  cease  to  move. 
The  oceans,  seas,  lakes  and  rivers  would  become  un- 
burdened of  the  ships  and  vessels  passing  thereon  ;  the 
rattling  of  cars  on  the  raih'oads  would  stop  their 
music,  and  the  still  voice  of  the  telegraph  would  cease 
to  whisper  its  news.  The  consequence  of  all  of  which 
would  be  starvation  and  a  miserable  life  of  such  as 
should  survive  to  witness  such  a  terrible  catastrophe. 

From  all  of  which  we  are  taught  the  great  blessing 
we  have  derived  in  being  suitably  formed  for  its  man- 
ufacture, and  the  construction  of  innumerable  articles 
for  our  use  and  advantage,  new  inventions  of  which 
are  continually  exhibited. 

Dr.  Franklin,  a  lover  of  science  and  friend  of  man, 
in  the  latter  part  of  his  life  said,  that  after  a  century 
from  the  time  of  his  decease  he  would  like  to  revisit 
the  earth  to  see  what  improvements  would  be  made  in 
that  time.  If  he  now,  after  a  shorter  period,  should 
be  reinstated  on  earth  in  his  former  capacity,  he  un- 
doubtedly would  be  astonished  at  the  vast  mechanical 
improvements  made  in  our  country  since  his  time,,  and 
his  philanthrophy  would  receive  the  \erj  pleasing 
satisfaction  of  haA'ing  himself  made  a  discovery 
from  which  has  originated  one  of  the  most  wonderful 
discoveries  ever  made,  viz.  :  to  convey  intelligence  in- 
stantaneously over  any  distance  on  our  globe. 

Now,  although  the  Indians  still  remain  disposed  to 


HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK.  29 


pursue  their  own  habits  of  life,  yet  it  appears  obvious 
that  the  time  will  come  when  it  will  be  necessary  for 
their  descendants  to  l)ecome  an  improved  and  educated 
people  and  to  get  a  livelihood  by  agriculture,  manufac- 
ture and  literature  ;  for  they,  as  well  as  ourselves,  are 
susceptible  of  such  improvements.  Their  habits  of 
life,  continued  from  generation  to  generation  for  a  very 
great  length  of  time,  seem  to  have  become  so  seated 
in  their  minds  that  all  the  entreaties  which  the  white 
people  have  from  time  to  time  made  to  abandon  their 
present  mode  of  life  and  pursue  that  of  ours,  has  had 
but  little  effect  on  the  great  body  of  Indians  to  lead 
them  out  of  the  long  accustomed  habits  of  their  an- 
cestry. 

As  they  were  scattered  over  all  parts  of  this  coun- 
try before  Europeans  came  into  it,  and,  as  their  in- 
crease has  been  slow,  it  is  evident  that  their  origin  in 
it  must  have  been  in  a  very  remote  period  of  time. 
They  generally  were  most  numerous  where  the  animals, 
fowls  and  fishes  on  which  they  lived  were  most  plenti- 
ful, which  was  in  the  vicinity  of  rivers  and  streams  of 
water,  lakes  and  ponds  ;  and,  in  consequence  of  living 
chiefly  on  those  natural  productions  and  tlieir  destitu- 
tion of  the  means  to  get  a  sufficient  supply  of  these, 
made  it  necessary  for  tliem  to  scatter  thinly  over  this 
part  of  our  country  for  procuring  a  competency  for 
their  subsistence.  It  w  as  said  they  raised  corn  and 
beans  in  very  small  quantities. 

We  have  accounts  of  the  South  American  Indians 
manufacturing  vessels  and  trinkets  of  gold  before 
Europeans  came  into  it,  in  such  parts  of  that  country 
and  its   islands   where   that   metal   was   plenty.     This 


30  HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK. 

would  have  been  easily  done  with  the  nse  of  stones,  as 
the  same  is  very  ductile. 

FIRST   SETTLERS. 

In  the  year  1690,  as  near  as  can  be  determined, 
Jacob  Cuddeback,  Thomas  Swartwout,  Anthony  Swart- 
wout,  Bernardus  Swartwout,  Peter  Gumaer,  John 
Tyse  and  David  Jamisont,  settled  in  the  present  town 
of  Deerpark,  in  the  County  of  Orange  and  State  of 
New  York,  on  and  near  a  handsome  knoll  or  hill  con- 
tiguous to  a  spring  brook  and  a  spring  of  living  water, 
in  the  central  part  of  the  Peenpack  flats  J.  This 
spring  still  remaius  near  its  first  location,  but  not  as 
flush  as  formerly.  The  upper  surface  of  this  hill  is 
flat,  and  its  elevation  about  20  feet  higher  than  the  low- 
land surrounding  it.  The  Indian  name,  "  Peenpack," 
was,  by  certain  of  the  ancient  people,  said  to  be  signifi- 
cant of  this  hill  and  spring. 

Peter  Gumaer  located  himself  at  the  southwest  end 
of  the  hill,  John  Tyse  between  that  and  the  spring 
brook,  Bernardus  Swartwout  on  the  easterly  brow  of 
the  hill,  a  few  rods  westerly  of  the  spring,  where  the 
cellar  now  remains  ;  Thomas  Swartwout  on  the  central 

t  Tyse  and  Jamison,  it  appears  from  other  sources  of  information, 
did  not  become  permanent  settlers  here.  Jamison  was  from  Scotland, 
and,  from  1697  to  1714,  served  either  as  Vestryman  or  Warden  in  Trinity 
Church,  New  York,  where  he  was  Recorder  of  the  city  in  1712,  and  At- 
torney-General of  the  Province  of  New  York  in  1720.  Tyse  (Tyson) 
lived  at  Kingston. 

I  About  three-fourths  of  a  mile  south  of  the  old  stone  bouse,  which 
stands  near  A.  E.  Godeffroy's  dwelling,  all  of  which  was  formerly 
owned  by  Peter  E.  Gumaer  and  family.  Fort  Gumaer  was  located  on 
the  south  end  of  this  knoll,  on  which  spot  now  stands  the  frame  dwelling 
owned  by  A.  J.  Gumaer,  of  Guymard,  and  occupied  by  a  tenant. 


GUMAEKS   OLD    STONE   HOUSE. 


HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK.  31 

part  of  the  hill,  opposite  the  spring,  where  the  cavity 
of  his  cellar  remains  ;  Jacob  Cuddeback  a  few  rods 
northeast  of  the  northeast  end  of  the  hill,  on  the  low 
ground,  where  has  been  a  cavity  of  his  cellar,  now 
leveled  ;  Anthony  Swartwout,  where  the  house  formerly 
of  Cornelius  Van  Inwegen  stood,  a  few  rods  northeast 
of  Cuddeback's  place  of  residence,  and  David  Jami- 
son, somewhere  iiear  this  last  location.  Here  these 
few  families  had  advantageously  located  themselves  for 
material  assistance  to  repel  Indian  attacks,  in  case  they 
should  happen,  and  also  for  all  of  them  to  get  water 
out  of  the  spring  for  their  drink  in  hot  weather.  The 
most  distant  of  those  residences  was  not  over  thirty 
rods  from  it. 

Eager,  in  making  researches  for  a  history  of  Orange 
County,  found  this  settlement  to  be  the  earliest  of  any 
in  it".  The  libert}^  of  settling  here  was  probablj' 
obtained  from  the  Indians  by  purchase ;  for  it  appears 
that  these  settlers  Avere  and  remained  at  peace  with 
them  and  on  friendly  terms  until  the  commencement  of 
the  French  war.  As  the  neighborhood  in  time  ex- 
tended about  four  miles  in  length,  it  continued  to  bear 
that  name,  although  tliere  were  several  localities  within 

*  Since  then  it  has  bersn  ascertained  that  there  was  an  earlier  settle- 
ment in  the  county  near  New  Windsor,  at  what  is  known  as  Plum 
Point.  In  1684,  Patrick  McGregorie,  his  brother-in-law  David  Toshuck, 
who  subscribed  his  name  "  Laird  of  Minivard,"  and  twenty-five  others 
principally  Sc  tch  Presbyterians,  purchased  a  tract  of  4.000  acres,  em- 
bracing lands  on  both  sides  of  Murderer's  creek.  Here,  on  Couwan- 
ham's  Hill,  so-called  from  its  aboriginal  owner,  but  now  known  as  Plum 
Point,  McCxregorie  built  his  cabin,  and  in  the  same  vicinity  were  those  of 
his  associates,  William  Chambers,  William  Sutherland  and  one  CoHum, 
while  on  the  north  side  of  the  creek  David  Toshuck  and  his  servant 
Daniel  Maskrig  established  a  trading  post.  (See  Ruttenber's  History  of 
Orange  County,  p.  21,  22) 


32  HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK. 

that  distance  wliich  had  other  Indian  names  ;  one  at 
my  present  residence  ;  one  at  the  Neversink  river,  near 
the  aqueduct  of  the  canal  ;  one  at  the  present  resi- 
dence of  Col.  Peter  P.  Swartwout  t,  and  two  between 
that  and  the  first  Peenpack  locality.  In  these  several 
places  resided  small  collections  of  Indians  near  living 
springs  and  streams  of  water. 

When  this  place  was  first  settled,  it  was  about  25  or 
30  miles  distant  from  the  nearest  settlement  of  white 
people,  which  latter  was  on  the  road  from  here  to 
Kingston.  Two  of  the  first  pioneers,  Cuddeback  and 
Gumaer,  were  from  France  and  of  families  who  Avere 
in  comfortable  circumstances  of  life,  which  appears 
evident  from  what  has  been  said  by  them  in  relation 
thereto,  and  from  the  fact  that  they  had  been  brought 
up  without  doing  any  manual  labor.  It  was  said  that 
their  hands  were  so  soft  and  tender  Avhen  they  first 
came  into  Amorica  that  they  blistered  and  bled  when 
they  first  labored  for  a  living  in  this  country.  The 
family  of  Cuddeback  were  in  a  trading  business,  in 
wliich  Cuddeback  had  served  as  clerk.  It  was  said  the 
family  of  Gumaer  were  rich  and  in  possession  of  large 
bills  of  exchange,  for  which  they  could  not  get  money 
before  he  had  to  flee  to  escape  persecution  or  death. 
Prom  a  certificate  of  his,  in  the  French  language,  in 
relation  to  his  churcli  membership  and  character,  dated 
the  20th  of  April,  1686,  it  appears  that  he  then  was  in 
France  and  about  20  years  of  age.  In  1685,  the  edict 
of  Nantes  was  revoked  by  Louis  XIV.,  King  of  France, 
whereby  the  Huguenots  became  unprotected  by  the 
laws  of  that  country  and  exposed  to  the  vengeance  of 

t  Now  (I889)  owned  and  occupied  by  Benjamin  Swartwout. 


HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK.  33 


the  Catholics,  who  were  the  most  numerous  and  power- 
ful class  of  people  in  that  country,  and,  after  they  be- 
came unrestrained,  exercised  their  power  to  torture 
and  murder  the  former,  and  to  plunder  and  destroy 
their  property,  which  caused  a  flight  of  thousands  of 
them  from  France  into  other  countries,  in  which  the 
two  individuals  mentioned  made  their  escape  from  it. 
The  name  Cuddeback,  as  now  written  and  Codeback 
as  written  in  the  patent,  must  both  differ  from  the 
original  orthography.  Cuddeback  has  said  that  his 
name  was  that  of  a  certain  city  in  France.  On  exam- 
ining an  ancient  gazetteer  I  find  the  orthography  of 
one  city  in  that  country  to  be  "  Caudebec,"  which,  in 
the  French  tongue,  has  the  same  oral  sound  as  that  of 
Codeback  in  the  feffcfiish4.bn& 


ora.rv. 


ue. 


The  Rev.  Heury  Morris,  of  Cuddebackville,  has  fur- 
nished me  with  some  historical  accounts  from  Malte 
Brun's  Universaf&eoghiphy';'^!.  6,  being  the  follow- 
ing notice  of  Caudebec  : 

"Caudebec  was  fornrerly  the  capitol  of  Caux,  a 
small  country  in  which  agriculture  has  attained  to  a 
high  degree  of  perfection,  where  every  house,  sur- 
rounded by  trees  of  different  sorts,  contributes  to  adorn 
the  different  sites  ;  iadee;!,  the  country,  watered  by  the 
Seine  from  Havre  to  Rouen,  may  vie  with  the  vaunted 
banks  of  the  Seine.  Caudebec  was  a  flourishing  town 
before  the  revocation  of  the  edict  of  Nantes  ;  it  was 
almost  ruined  in  consequence  of  that  impolitic 
measure,  and,  although  it  possesses  a  convenient  har- 
bor, the  population  does  not  exceed  three  thousand 
souls.  It  is  situated  in  the  district  of  Yvetot,  a  small 
town  of    which  the  lords  before  the  reif^n  of  Louis  XI. 


34  HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK. 

were  styled  kings  by  their  vassals." 

Morris  further  states  that  ''  Caudebec  is  situated  in 
the  department  of  the  Lower  Seine,  in  which  are  the 
following  towns  :  Lillebonne,  Eouen,  Elbeuf,  Gournay 
and  Aumale,"  and  judges  that  it  lies  on  the  river 
Seine  between  Paris  and  the  English  Channel,  and  be- 
longs to  that  part  of  France  that  anciently  was  called 
Normandy. 

I  feel  very  thankful  for  this  information.  It  reminds 
me  of  certain  occurrences  which  attended  Cuddeback 
and  Gumaer  at  the  time  of  their  iiight  from  France, 
and  all  in  connection  gives  me  reason  to  think  that 
both  of  them  resided  in  the  capital  mentioned. 

Caudebec  said  that  the  vessel  in  which  he  escaped 
from  his  country  had  many  wheat  bread  passengers  on 
it,  who,  after  a  few  days'  sailing,  began  to  complain  of 
their  fare  on  the  vessel,  aad  that  they  could  not  live  on 
the  diet  furnished,  when  the  same  consisted  of  plenty  of 
bread,  meat,  beans,  and  other  vegetables,  and  such  eat- 
ables as  were  generally  had  on  ships,  but  were  inferior 
to  such  as  they  had  been  habituated  to.  As  for  him- 
self, he  said  he  thought  he  could  do  well  enough  on  such 
victuals,  but,  he  said,  before  they  arrived  at  their  place 
of  destination,  provisions  became  scarce  and  they  be- 
gan to  have  good  reason  to  complain.  From  which,  it 
appears,  that  their  voyage  must  have  been  retarded  by 
contrary  winds,  or  a  circuitous  route,  to  avoid  being 
taken  by  their  enemies.  I  have  also  understood  that 
(iumaer  lived  in  a  city,  and,  when  his  enemies  sought 
for  him,  he  was  reading  in  a  garden,  where  he  was  in- 
formed of  his  enemies  searching  for  him  and  he  fled 
to  the  top  of  one  of  the  houses,  where  he  hid.     Now, 


HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK.  35 

as  it  appears  that  this  cit}'-  was  a  flourishing  phice  be- 
fore it  became  reduced  by  the  persecutions  mentioned 
and  suffered  much  in  consequence  of  the  same,  and,  as 
one  of  those  two  individuals  bore  the  name  of  the 
town,  it  appears  very  probable  that  the  passengers  in 
the  vessel  mentioned  were  all  from  this  capital. 

I  have  been  informed  that  Caudebec  sometimes  re- 
lated the  manner  in  which  the  Pro'testants,  or  Hugue- 
nots, were  tortured  and  murdered,  one  of  which  I  still 
remember,  but  consider  it  too  shocking  to  our  feelings 
to  embrace  it  in  this  work,  being  worse,  in  my  view, 
than  the  vile  Nero's  project  of  employing  dogs  to  kill 
Christians.  These  innocent  people  in  the  early  days 
of  Christianity  suffered  great  persecutions  from  those 
who  were  inimical  to  their  professions  and  doctrines. 
It  seems  strange  that  after  tlieir  doctrine  became  popu- 
lar, the  greatest  proportion  of  those  who  embraced  it 
in  France  became  as  cruel  as  the  monster  Nero,  who 
had  the  power  to  exhibit  to  the  world  his  thirst  for  im- 
posing on  mankind  the  numerous  cruelties  he  caused 
to  be  inflicted.  He  became  so  destitute  of  the  feelings 
of  humanity  that  he  caused  even  his  own  mother  to  be 
put  to  death  to  satisfy  an  unnatural  curiosity.  Also 
the  great  moralist,  Seneca,  who  had  been  his  tutor, 
did  not  escape  his  jealous  disposition,  but  was  ]:)ut  to 
death  according  to  his  orders.  All  his  impositions  for 
self  present  gratification  will  remain  an  everlasting 
stain  on  his  character  of  the  blackest  dye,  and  the  suf- 
ferings he  caused  to  be  endured  must  have  affected 
thousands  of  his  subjects. 

Now,  all  these  acts  are  only  as  a  drop  of  water  in  a 
bucket  to  like  acts  unnecessarih^  imposed  from  time  to 


36  HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK. 

time  on  tlie  Komaii  people  and  other  nations,  bj  ruling 
characters  of  Roman  dominions. 

What  shall  we  think  of  mankind,  who,  for  self-exal- 
tation, have  so  overcome  all  those  tender  feelings  im- 
planted in  their  natures  as  to  kill,  mxlrder  and  plunder 
each  other  without  any  just  cause,  but  merely  to  sat- 
isfy the  cravings  of  men  who  were  a  curse  to  the 
world  ?  I  do  not  know  of  any  species  of  creatures  on 
the  globe  who  have  acted  as  cruel  as  human  beings 
have  done  in  this  respect.  And  by  taking  a  view  of 
the  sins  of  the  ancient  nations,  who  have  been  des- 
troyed, it  appears  that  good  reason  existed  for  their 
destruction,  and  that  all  the  animnl  tribes  have  yielded 
more  to  the  government  and  laws  of  their  Creator  than 
maidvind. 

The  name  Gumaer,  as  now  written,  was  on  the  cer- 
tificate written  "Guimar."  In  another  writing,  which 
gave  Gumaer  the  right  of  citizenship  in  the  English 
territories,  it  was  written  "  Guymard."  This  writing 
Avas  also  found  among  tlie  papers  formerly  of  Peter 
Gumaer,  jr.,  now  (1S58)  in  possession  of  his  son-in- 
law,  Solomon  Yan  Etten,  Esq.  It  is  probable  that  the 
names  Gomar,  Guymard  and  Guimar,  in  France,  orig- 
inated from  one  of  those  names,  the  last  of  which  is 
the  name  of  a  certain  town  within  the  French  territo- 
ries. I  have  never  seen  the  handwriting  of  Cuddeback 
or  Gumaer.  The  children  of  the  first  families  were 
not  educated,  in  consequence  of  which,  when  it  became 
necessary  to  write  their  names  in  their  business  trans- 
actions, &G.,  the  same  was  done  in  the  Dutch  tongue, 
Avithout  any  other  guide  than  that  of  the  oral  sound, 
which    of    the    latter    name    had    become    somewhat 


HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK.  37 

broader  among  the  Dutch  than  what  it  was  originally  ; 
and  the  French  sound  of  "  mar  "  was  altered  in  the 
Dutch  sound  of  "  niaer,"  which  is  the  same  as  that  of 
"  maur  "  in  the  English  tongue. 

A  hasty  flight  of  these  two  individuals  prevented 
them  from  being  f#i'nished  with  sufficient  funds  for  a 
livelihood,  in  consequence  of  wliicli  it  was  concluded 
that  two  sisters  of  Cuddeback,  who  were  to  leave 
France  afterwards  and  meet  them  at  their  place  of  des- 
tination (which,  the  writer  has  understood,  was  to  be 
England,  but  it  may  have  been  in  Holland),  were  to 
bring  money  for  setting  up  a  business  of  trade.  It  is 
probable  that  there  was  an  intended  marriage  of  Gu- 
maer  with  one  of  those  sisters.  They  did  not  arrive  at 
the  appointed  time,  and,  after  all  hope  of  their  coming 
was  given  up,  these  two  young  men  embarked  for 
America  and  landed  in  the  State  of  Marj^land,  which 
passage  exhausted  all  their  money,  and  here  they  be- 
gan to  experience  the  want  of  it.  After  a  short  stay, 
they  came  into  the  State  of  New  York,  where  both  en- 
tered into  a  state  of'  matrimony,  Cuddeback  with  a 
daughter  of  Benjamin  Provost,  who  was  in  a  trading 
business  either  in  the  city  of  New  York  or  somewdiere 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  Hudson  river,  whereb}^  he  became 
related  to  some  Swartw^out  families,  wliicli  probably 
led  to  an  association  of  Cuddeback,  the  three  Swart- 
wouts  and  other  companions  to  move  into  this  part  of 
the  countr}'.  Peter,  son  of  the  first  Gumaer,  has  said 
that  his  son  Elias  took  after  the  Deyo  family,  which 
leads  us  to  infer  that  Gumaer's  wife  was  of  a  Deyo 
family. 

The  name  of  the  father  of  the  three  Swartwouts  is 
not   known,    but   we   have   reason   to  believe    it   was 


38  HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK. 

Gerardus,  as  tliis  is  a  name  which  has  been  given  to  at 
least  one  member  of  each  Swartwout  generation  from 
the  first  in  this  neighborhood  to  the  present  ;  and  also 
m  the  family  of  Harmanns  Van  Inwegen,  whose  wife 
was  a  Swartwout,  and  the  name  of  their  only  son  was 
Gerardus,  which  name  has  also  continued  in  his  family 
descendants  to  the  present  time.  The  name  Jaco- 
bus (James)  and  the  name  Samuel,  are  Swartwout 
names,  and  have  continued  in  those  families  to  the 
present  time.  In  the  early  part  of  the  settlement  here, 
there  were  two  Swartwouts  who  sometimes  came  over 
here  from  the  east  side  of  the  Hudson  river  (probably 
from  Dutchess  or  Westchester  counties)  to  see  their 
relatives  here.  The  name  of  one  of  them  was  Jacobus 
(James),  and  he  was  generally  called  Dickke  Jacobus 
(Thick  James),  in  consequence  of  his  bodily  thickness. 
It  was  said  he  was  uncommonly  broad  and  thick 
around  liis  shoulders  and  breast,  and  unusually  strong. 
It  is  probable  that  the  Swartwouts  in  this  place  either 
came  from  the  city  of  New  York  or  from  one  of  the 
counties  on  the  east  side  of  the  Hudson  river,  and  that 
their  ancestry  emigrated  from  Holland  into  this  coun- 
try at  an  early  period  of  its  settlement  for  advancing 
their  interests. 

Cuddeback,  Gumaer  and  one  of  the  Swartwouts 
were  the  only  three  of  the  first  settlers  who  remained 
in  the  present  town  of  Deerpark,  and  they  became  the 
owners  of  the  land  granted  by  the  patent ;  and  having 
become  too  weak  to  defend  their  possessions  against 
Jersey  claimants,  the}^  let  Harmanus  Van  Inwegen  have 
some  of  their  lands  to  come  and  reside  here  and  help 
defend  their  possessions.  He  was  a  bold,  strong  and 
resolute  man,  on  whom  much  reliance  was  placed.    He 


HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK.  39 

was  originally  from  Holland,  and  in  tlie  early  part  of 
bis  life  had  been  a  seafaring  man.  At  a  certain  time 
he  was  at  the  house  of  Cuddeback,  and  on  hearing 
him  read  that  part  of  history  which  relates  to  Hindoo 
women  suffering  themselves  to  be  burned,  after  the 
death  of  their  husbands,  in  case  of  being  the  survivors, 
said  that  his  own  eyes  had  seen  what  he  (Cuddeback) 
was  reading,  and  mentioned  the  place  of  the  occur- 
rence and  maifber  in  which  it  was  transacted.  Van 
Inwegen  had  married  a  sister  of  the  three  Swartwouts. 

It  is  somewhat  uncertain  which  of  the  three  Swart- 
wouts remained  in  this  neighborhood,  but  as  the  seats^ 
of  Bernardus  and  Thomas  became  vacated,  and  An- 
thony's continued  to  be  occupied  by  Van  Inwegen 
after  Samuel  and  James  Swartwout  removed  more  dis- 
tantly from  the  neighborhood  first  settled,  I  will  make 
use  of  his  name  as  the  father  of  the  two  latter.  An- 
other reason  is  that  the  seats  of  Bernardus  and  Thomas 
became  possessed  by  the  second  Peter  Gumaer.  He 
bought  the  rights  of  two  Swartwouts. 

It  is  not  knoAvn  what  became  of  the  families  of  Tj^se 
and  Jamison,  nor  where  the  two  Swartwouts  went,  who 
removed  from  here.  There  are  Swartwouts  down  the 
Delaware  river,  in  the  State  of  Pennsylvania,  or  New 
Jersey,  among  whom  the  name  of  Bernardus  has  been 
kept  up.  These  probably  are  descendants  of  Ber- 
nardus who  settled  here.  There  also  are  Sw^artwouts 
on  the  Susquehanna.  These  may  be  descendants  of 
Thomas  Swartwuut. 

After  the  seven  first  settlers  had  resided  here  a  few 
years,  they  sent  Jacob  Cuddeback  to  the  Governor  of 
the  New  York  Colony  to  obtain  a  patent  to  cover  as 
much   land   as   they  intended  to  occupy,  which  w^as 


40  HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK. 

granted  the  14th  of  October,  1697,  for  1,200 
acres  land  to  Jacob  Cuddeback,  Thomas  Swart- 
wout,  Anthony  Swartwont,  Bernardus  Swart wout, 
Jan  Tyse,  Peter  Germar  and  David  Jamison, 
who,  as  near  as  can  be  determined,  continued  to 
be  the  only  settlers  of  white  people  in  this  .part  of  the 
country  for  a  term  of  more  than  20  years.  The 
strongest  evidence  of  this  is  that  the  children  of  the 
first  settlers  between  this  place  and  the* Delaware  river 
were  contemporary  with  the  grandchildren  of  the  first 
settlers,  and  that  some  of  the  children  of  the  first 
pioneers  were  among  the  first  settlers  of  both  the  lands 
between  this  place  and  the  Delaware  river,  and  a  few 
miles  down  the  same  in  the  north  part  of  New  Jersey. 
One  daughter  of  Jacob  Cuddeback,  one  of  Van  Inwe- 
gen,  one  of  Swartwout,  and  a  sister  of  the  second  Pe- 
ter Gumaer's  wife,  were  among  the  first  settlers  be- 
tween this  place  and  the  Delaware  ;  and  one  son  and 
four  daughters  of  Cuddeback  were  among  the  first  in 
the  north  of  New  Jerse}^ 

There  were  two  neighborhoods  in  this  town,  one  of 
which,  formerly  known  by  the  name  of  Peenpack 
neighborhood,  extended  southwest  to  the  old  county 
line,  formerly  between  Orange  and  Ulster  counties, 
and  the  other  extended  from  that  line  southwest  to  the 
Delaware  river,  and  was  in  the  first  instance  desig- 
nated "  over  the  river  neighborhood,"  in  consequence 
of  its  population  then  being  principally  on  the  east 
side  of  the  river,  but  after  the  increase  of  inhabitants 
on  the  west  side  of  the  river  the  whole  district  was 
generally  termed  "  the  lower  neighborhood." 


ANCIENT  FAMILIES 

OF     THE 

PEENPACK  NEIGHBOKHOOD. 

FAMILY  OF  JACOB  CUDDEBACK  AND  WIFE,  MARGARET  PRO- 
VOST— (Jacob  Cuddeback  lived  to  be  about  100  years 
old.) 

First  son,  Benjamin  Cuddeback,  never  married.  He, 
in  the  first  instance,  lived  with  his  brother  AVilliam, 
and  afterwards  with  his  nephew,  Benjamin  Cuddeback. 
(Lived  to  be  about  80  years  old.) 

Second  son,  William  Cuddeback,  married  Jemima 

Elting,  daughter   of    Elting  of    the  Old  Paltz. 

He  became  owner  of  his  father's  farm,  and  resided  on 
the  premises  afterwards  occupied  by  his  son,  Captain 
Cuddeback.     (Lived  to  be  about  74  years  old.) 

Third  son,  James  Cuddeback,  married  Neelje  Decker, 
daughter  of  Christopher  Decker,  of  Shipikunk,  in  the 
north  part  of  New  Jerse}^  where  Cuddeback  became  a 
resident.     (Died  about  30  years  of  age.) 

Fourth  son,  Abraham  Cuddeback,  married  Esther 
Swart wout,  daughter  of  Major  James  Swartwout,  of 
Peenpack.  They  resided  near  the  present  dwelling 
house  of  Peter  L.  Gumaer  until  they  became  old  and 
were  removed  by  their  sons  to  Skaneateles  Lake,  in  this 


HISTOEY     OF     DEERPAKK. 


State,  wliere  two  of  his  sous  lived.  He  owned  a  farm 
where  he  first  resided,  i  Abraham  Cuddeback  died  at 
Skaneateles  Aug.  18th,  1796,  aged  83  years.  His  wife 
died  April  11th,  1798,  aged  65.) 

Oue  daughter,  Dinah  Cuddeback.  married  Abraham 
Louw,  a  son  of  Tts  Louw  +,  of  Koohester.  in  leister 
eouutT.  He  was  a  blacksmith  and  settled  in  Shipi- 
kunk.  in  the  noi-th  part  of  New  JerseT,  and  became 
owner  of  a  good  farm,  of  which  Wilhemus  Freden- 
burofh.  Pet^r  and  Joseph  Van  Xoy  aud  James  and 
Evart  Van  Auken  afterwards  became  owners.  (Dinah 
lived  to  be  about  74  years  old.) 

Another   daucrhter,    Eleanor   Cuddeback,      married 

Evart  Hornbeck,  son  of Hornbeck,.  of  Eo- 

chester,  in  Ulster  county.     They  first  settled    on   the 

•  Tys  Lcuw  and  wife  commeDced  life  poor.  The  writer  knows  noth- 
ing respecting  their  ancestors.  He  was  an  indolent,  nou-providing  and 
intemperate  man.  .She  was  the  reverse  of  him  m  those  respects ;  and 
the  whole  business  of  the  family  devolved  on  her,  in  which  he  exercised 
no  manner  of  control,  but  left  the  whole  business  of  the  family  to  be 
nianaged  according  to  her  direction.  He  was  naturajly  good-natured, 
and  very  indulgent  to  her.  She  furnished  him  daily  with  such  small  por- 
tions of  liquor  as  would  not  intoxicate  him.  She  entered  into  the  busi- 
ness of  manufacturing  linen,  both  for  the  wearing  apparel  of  the  family, 
and  to  defray  the  other  expenses,  and  did  yearly  manufacture  more  than 
a  supply  for  the  same,  the  surplus  of  which  she  took  to  New  York  at  the 
end  vi  every  year,  and  for  it  procured  such  articles  of  trade  as  her 
spinsters  and  neighbors  generally  wanted  to  purchase,  and  in  this  way 
she  made  a  yearly  addition  to  her  stock  of  goods  and  thus  obtained 
wealth  and  credit,  so  that  she  became.enabled  to  keep  a  good  assortment 
of  such  goods  as  were  salable  in  her  time  and  commanded  quite  an  ex- 
tensive trade.  She  also  carried  on  the  blacksmith  business,  f  jr  which 
she  employed  a  workman  and  put  herawr  son,  Abraham  Louw,  with  him 
in  the  shop  to  learn  the  trade.  Xot  long  before  her  decease  she  had  told 
a  confidential  friend  that  she  had  ;7i,2od  in  money.  Besides  this  she  had 
her  store  of  goods  and  other  property.  The  ;7i,2oo  was  equal  to  Sj.ooo, 
which  in  her  time  was  worth  about  three  times  as  much  as  at  the  present 
time. 


HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK.  43 

farm  now  in  possession  of  Joseph  Cuddeback  in  this 
town,  and  afterwards  moved  into  tlie  neighborhood  of 
Shipikunk,  in  NeAv  Jersey,  and  became  residents  on  or 
near  the  premises  lately  occupied  by  his  grandson, 
Capt.  Benjamin  Hornbeck,  Avhere  they  became  owners 
of  a  good  farm.  He  was  a  blacksmith,  which  was  a 
good  trade  in  his  time.  (Eleanor  lived  to  be  about  70 
years.) 

Another   daughter,    Else  Cuddeback,  married   Har- 

manus  Van  Gorden,  son  of ■- — .     He 

was  or  became  owner  of  the  farm,  which,  after  his 
death,  was  owned  by  his  two  sons,  Daniel  and  Benja- 
min Yan  Gorden,  in  the  neighborhood  of  Shipikunk. 
This  name  (Shipikunk)  originated  from  the  Indians, 
and  probably  had  reference  to  the  smooth  rocks 
against  the  side  of  the  mountain  near  the  neighbor- 
hood, as  the  name  "  unk"  is  significant  of  rocks.  (She 
lived  to  be  about  80.) 

Another  daughter,  Maria  Cuddeback,  married  Geo; 
Westfall,  son  of Westfall,  of  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Miilnissing,  in  New  Jerse}^  This  was  the 
ancient  Indian  name  of  the  neighborhood  in  which 
the  ancient  Minisink  churcli  was  located.  Her  husband 
die  d  and  she  afterwards  married Cole.  "" 

Youngest  daughter,  Naomi  Cuddeback,  married 
Lodiwyke  Hornbeck,  a  widower,  and  son  of  Judge 
Jacob  Hornbeck,  of  Rochester,  in  Ulster  county,  where 

*  This  woman  lived  to  a  great  age.  It  was  said  of  her  that  in  early  life 
she  became  very  fleshy  and  was  taken  with  a  severe  sickness,  which  re- 
duced her  very  low  and  she  became  lean,  and  having  found  the  incon- 
venience of  being  fat  and  fleshy  and  fearing  to  become  so  again,  she 
thereafter  stinted  herself  in  eating  less  than  her  appetite  craved,  and 
lived  to  the  age  of  about  loo  years.  She  had  the  reputation  of  a  fine 
woman,  possessed  of  excellent  qualities  of  mind. 


44  HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK. 

thej  continued  to  reside  till  after  the  decease  of  her 
husband,  whom  she  survived,  and  underwent  different 
scenes  in  life  afterwards.  She  had  the  reputation  of 
a  sensible  woman.  They  had  one  son  named  Henry 
and  one  daughter  Maria.  The  former  had  children, 
but  the  latter  had  none.  The  writer  knows  nothing  in 
relation  to  the  children  of  Henry. 

[There  appears  to  have  been  another  son  of  Jacob  Cuddeback  and 
Margaret  Provost  named  Jacob,  who  was  baptized  in  the  Dutch  church 
in  New  York,  July  7th,  1 706.  His  name  is  mentioned  likewise  in  an  old 
deed  of  his  father.    He  married  Jannetye  Westbrook.] 


SECOND  GENERATION. 

FAMILY     OF     WILLIAM     CUDDEBACK     AND     JEMIMA     ELTING. 

(Married  April  8th,    1732.) 

First  son,  James  Cuddeback,  a  very  active  young 
man,  became  deranged.  (Lived  to  be  about  80  years 
old.) 

Second  son,  Abraham  Cuddeback,  married  Esther 
Gumaer,  daughter  of  the  second  Peter  Gumaer.  He 
remained  in  the  homestead  of  his  father  and  became 
owner  of  half  of  his  real  estate.  He  was  Captain  of  a 
company  of  militia  before  and  during  the  Revolution- 
ary War.  They  had  four  sons.  Col.  William  A.  Cudde- 
back, Peter  G.  Cuddeback,  Esq.,  Jacob  Cuddeback  and 
Cornelius  Cuddeback,  and  two  daughters — Esther,  wife 
of  Evart  Hornbeck,  and  Jemima,  wife  of  David  West- 
fall.  (Captain  Abraham  Cuddeback  lived  to  be  about 
82  years  old.) 

Second  son,  Benjamin  Cuddeback  (lived  to  be  about 


HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK.      '  45 


45),  married  Catliarine  Van  Fliet,  daughter  of  John 
Van  FHet,  of  the  lower  neighborhood,  in  this  town 
He  became  owner  of  the  other  half  of:  his  fatliers 
estate.  They  had  four  sons,  William,  Henry,  Levi  and 
Benjamin  Cuddeback,  Esq.,  and  three  daughters— 
Syntche,  wife  of  Simon  Westf all ;  Jemima,  wife  of  An- 
thony Van  Etten.  The  other  daughter  died  young, 
and  Levi,  after  he  became  a  young  man,  died  suddenly 
of  cliolic. 

Fourth  son,  Eoulif  Cuddeback  (lived  to  be  about  50 
years  old),  never  married.  He  fought  the  Indian,  as 
mentioned  in  Eager's  History,  t 

Only  daughter,  Sarah  Cuddeback,  married  Daniel 
Van  Fliet,  son  of  John  Van  Fliet,  of  the  lower  neigh- 
borhood. They  owned  the  farm  heretofore  sold  by 
Samuel  Cuddeback  and  William  Donoldson  to  Ezekiel 
P.  Gumaer  and  brothers  (nearly  one-half  mile  south 
of  Port  Clinton.)  They  had  a  son,  Solomon,  and  a 
daughter,  Sarah.  (Mahakamack  church  records  give  the 
baptism  of  four  more  children— Mardochai,  Willem, 
Thomas,  Jacomyntje— 1739,  1759.) 


FAMILY   OF   JAMES    CUDDEBACK    AND    WIFE,    NEYLTJE 
DECKER. 

An  only  son,  James  Cuddeback,  married  Neyltje 
Westbrook,.  daughter  of.  Westbrook,  who  re- 
sided on  the  east  side  of  Shawangunk  mountain,  in  the 
northeast  part  of  New  Jersey.  He,  a  poor  man,  by 
persevering  industry  became  owner  of  a  valuable  farm. 

T^This  was  a  hand-to-hand  encounter  with  the  Indian,  near  where  Sol- 
Van  Fleet  now  lives,  in  which  neither  were  victors,  and  they  parted,  each, 
glad  to  get  away  from  the  other. 


4G  HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK. 

He  liad  three  sons — Jolm,  James  and  Richard,  and 
three  daughters.  Eleanor  married  Samuel  Slielley,  of 
Peppercotting  (Papakating)  valle^^,  south  of  Decker- 
town,  N.  J.  ;  Mary  married  Samuel  Adams,  of  Decker- 
town  ;  another  daughter  married  James  Wilson,  of 
New  Jersey.  These  sons  all  moved  to  Niagara  county, 
N.  Y.,  where  their  descendants  are  quite  numerous. 
They  spell  their  name  Cudeback,  using  but  one  d. 


FAMILY  OF  ABRAHAM  CUDDEBACK  AND  WIFE,  ESTHER 
SWARTWOUT. 

First  son,  James  Cuddeback,  married  Scynta  Van 
Fliet,  daughter  of  John  Van  Fliet,  of  the  lower  neigh- 
borhood. 

Second  son,  Peter  Cuddeback,  married  Margaret  De 
Witt,  daughter  of  Jacob  R.  De  Witt,  of  this  neigldjor- 
hood. 

Third  son,  Abraham  Cuddeback,  married  Jane  De 
Witt,  also  a  daughter  of  J.  R.  De  Witt.  All  the  de- 
scendants of  these  sons  are  in  Western  New  York,  near 
Skaneateles. 

Fourth  son,  Philip  Cuddeback,  never  married.  He 
died,  when  a  young  man,  by  over  heating  himself  in 
seeking  to  stop  a  fire  in  the  woods.  (Mahackamack 
church  records  show  the  baptism  of  two  dauT;hters 
besides  of  Abraham  Cuddeback — Annatje  and  Esther.) 


FAMILY    OF   ABRAHAM    LOUW    AND     DINAH     CUDDEBAOK,    HIS 

WIFE.     (Married  May  31st,  178cS.) 
First    daughter,   Jane    Louw,   married    Jacob    Van 
Etten,  son   of    John  Van   Etten,  who  resided   near  the 


HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK.  47 


Delaware,  in  Pennsj'lvania  or  New  Jersey.  They  be- 
came owners  of  fcke  Louw  farm,  in  New  Jersey.  They 
had  three  daugliters — Dinah,  Margaret  and  Sarah,  who 
became  motherless  soon  after  the  birth  of  the  last. 

Second  daughter,  Naomi  Louw,  married  Ezekiel  Gu- 
maer.    (For  their  history  refer  to  liis  name  in  advance.) 

Third   daughter,    Margaret    Louw,   married    Martin 

AVestbrook,   son   of AVestbrook.     He   became 

owner  of  a  farm  in  New  Jersey,  on  which  his  daughter- 
in-law,  Nancy  Westbrook,  now  resides.  They  had  one 
son,  Abraham,  and  one  daughter,  Mary. 

Fourth  daughter,  Sarah  Louw%  married  Moses  De- 
puy,  SOLI  of  Benjamin  Depuy,  Esq.,  of  the  Peenpack 
neighborhood.  They  had  three  sons — Benjamin,  Abra- 
ham and  Martin  Depuy.  The  father  was  drowned  in 
the  Neversink  river  by  falling  from  a  raft  at  the  close 
of  the  war. 

By  a  second  marriage  with  Jonathan  Stanton,  they 
had  two  sons — William  and  Moses  Stanton.  They 
owned  a  farm  and  resided  on  it,  at  the  late  residence 
of  Harmanus  Cuddeback,  for  some  years,  and  ex- 
changed it  for  a  farm  at  Wurtsboro,  of  which  the  tw^o 
sons  became  owners.  (Mahackamack  church  records 
gi\e  the  baptism  of  a  son  Jacobus  ;  baptized  April  23, 
1744.) 


FAMILY    OF    EYART     HORNBECK   AND    WIFE,     ELEANOR     CUD- 

DEBACK. 

First  son,  James  Hornbeck,  married  Margaret  Ennes, 
daughter  of  William  Ennes.  He  became  owner  of  a 
part    of    his    father's   farm.     They  had sons. 


48  HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK. 

namely,    Evart, —   and -. 

daughters,  namely  (Elizabeth  Eiines,  baptized  April  29, 
1772,  and  Lena,  born  Dec.  23,  1780.) 

Second  son,  Joseph  Hornbeck,  mamed  Lydia  West- 
brook,  daughter  of  Jacob  Westbrook,  of  Shipikunk 
neighborhood.  He  became  owner  of  a  part  of  his 
father's  farm.  They  had  three  sons  and  one  daughter, 
Jacob,  Benjamin  and  Saffrine  (Severyne)  and  Lydia. 

Third  sou,   Benjamin   Hornbeck,   married   Kebecca 

Wells,  daughter  of AVells.     He  died  in  early 

life.  They  had  (two)  sons,  namely,  (Joseph,  baptized 
Oct.  29,  1780,   and  Jacobus,  born  Feb.  23,  1780),  and 

daughters,  namely, .    Sara, 

bap.  Nov.  25,  1776. 

Fourth  son,  Evart  Hornbeck,  married  Esther  Gud- 
deback,  daughter  of  Capt.  Abraham  Cuddeback.  They 
occupied  the  farm  now  oAvned  by  Joseph  Cuddeback. 
The}^  had  live  sons — Joseph  (bap.  Feb.  16,  1785),  Ja- 
cob, Abraham  (bap.  June  22,  1783),  Benjamin  and 
Cornelius,  and  two   daughters — Eleanor  and  Jemima. 

Daughters  Maria  Hornbeck  married  James  Rose- 
crantz.  They  became  owners  of  a  good  farm  in  West- 
fall  township,  in  Pennsylvania.  They  had  five  daught- 
ers, namely,  Betsy,  Avife  of  Manual  Brink  ;  Lena,  Avife 
of  Marty ne  Cole  ;  Catherine,  whose  first  husbaad  was 
Daniel  Decker,  and  her  second  Crissie  Bull  ;  Roanna, 
Avife  of  Saunder  (Alexander)  Ennis  ;  Diana,  Avife  of 
John  B.  Quick. 

Daughter  Margaret  Hornbeck  married  Isaac  Van 
Auken.  They  resided  in  the  house  after Avards  occu- 
pied by  their  son,  James  Van  Auken,  and  OAvned  a 
fai*m  of  which   his  sons  James   and  Evert  Van  Auken 


HISTORY     OF     DEEEPAEK.  "49 


became  possessed.  They  liacl  three  sons — Joseph 
(bap.  Feb.  12,  1758),  James  (bap.  April  8,  1764),  and 
Evart,  and  three  daughters,  namely— (Seletie,  bap.  Oct. 
17,  1773  ;  Seletta,  bap.  Nov.  25,*^  1776  ;  Grietje,  bap. 
June  23,  1778.) 

Daughter  Lydia  Hornbeck  married  John  Westbrook, 
son  of Westbrook,  ot*  Minnissing,  in  New  Jer- 
sey. They  owned  a  good  farm  and  had  three  daught- 
ers, one  of  whom  died  young.  The  names  of  the  two 
surviving  were  Catharine,  born  July  15,  1767,  and 
other  records  give  the  names  of  Jane,  who  married  Levi 
Van  Etten  ;  Maria,  who  married  Cornelius  Westbrook  ; 
John  I.,  who  was  blind  ;  Solomon,  grandfather  of  John 
I.  Westbrook,  of  present  (1889)  firm  of  Westbrook  & 
Stoll ;  Saffrein  (Severyn),  who  married  Blandina  West- 
brook. 

Daughter  Eleanor  Hornbeck  married  Daniel  Ennes, 
a  blacksmith,  and  son  of  William  Ennes.  They  had 
two  sons — James  and  Alexander,  and  some  daughters, 
namely, 

He  commenced  with  small  means,  and,  by  persever- 
ing industry,  acquired  a  valuable  property,  viz  :  one 
farm,  where  his  son  Alexander  resided,  in  New  Jersey, 
and  a  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  Owasco  lake,  in  New 
York. 


FAMILY   OF    HARMANUS   VAN    GORDEN  AND  WIFE,    ELSIE    CUD- 

DEBACK.     (Married  June  11th,  1727.) 

First  son,  Daniel  Van  Gorden,  married  Hannah 
Westbrook,  daughter  of  Tjeick  V.  Westbrook, 
of  a  place  now  known  by  the  name  of  West- 
brookville.     They   had    three    or    more    sons — Levi, 


50  HISTORY     OF     DEEPvPARK. 

Abraham,  Martin  (born  Nov.  5,    1786), ,  and 

three  or  more  daughters— Mary  (bap,  Oct.  17,  1773), 
Else  (bap.  June  14,  1775),  Eleanor  and  Lena  (bap. 
June  1,  1777.)  He  became  owner  of  a  part  of  his 
father's  farm,  on  which  they  resided. 

Second  son,  Benjamin  Tan  Gorden,  marred . 

He   became   owner  of    the   other  part  of    his  father's 

farm.     They  had sons,  namely, , 

, ,  and    daughters,  namely. 


, .     One    daughter, Van 

Gorden,  married  Wilhelmus  Fredenburgh,  of  Shipi- 
kunk,  where  he  became  owner  of  a  farm.  They  had 
five  sons — Aaron,  Benjamin,  Daniel,  Joshua  and  Heze- 

kiah,  and daughters,  namel}^ 

Aaron  became   the  greatest  historian  of  his  time  of 
the  ancients  in  this  valley  within  his  vicinity. 


FAMILY    OF   ANTHONY    SWARTWOUT   AND    WIFE. 

One  son,  Samuel  Swartwout,  married  Esther  Gu- 
maer,  daughter  of  Peter  Gumaer.  He  owned  the 
premises  on  which  the  writer  now  resides,  and  his 
house  stood  where  the  road  from  my  house  comes  to 
the  spring  brook,  which  brook,  in  his  time,  was  about 
8  or  10  rods  from  the  foot  of  the  hill,  and  on  the  flat 
between  the  hill  and  brook  some  Indians  continued  to 
reside  until  the  Revolutionary  War  commenced. 

Another  son,  James  (Jacobus)  Swartwout,  mirried 
Anne  Gumaer,  also  a  daughter  of  Peter  Gumaer.  He 
resided  where  Col.  Peter  P.  Swartwout  now  resides, 
and  became  major  of  a  regiment  of  militia,  which  ex- 
tended over  a  wide  district  of  territory  in  the  present 
county  of  Orange. 


HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK.  51 


One  daugliter,  Jane  Swartwout,  married  John  (Jan) 
Van  Fliefc,  who  owned  the  farm  now  occupied  by 
Micliael  and  Solomon  Van  Fliet.  t 


FAMILY  OF   SAMUEL  SWARTWOUT  AND  WIFE,  ESTHER  GUMAER. 

The  only  daughter,  Elizabeth  Swartwout,  married 
Benjamin  Depuy,  a  son  of  Moses  Depuy,  of  Rochester, 
in  Ulster  county.  Depuy,  after  marriage,  became  a 
resident  with  his  fatlier-in-law  and  afterwards  the 
owner  of  all  his  estate.  He,  after  marriage,  built,  and, 
after  the  Revolutionary  War  ended,  rebuilt  the  house 
of  my  present  residence.  He  was  for  many  j^ears  a 
Justice  of  the  Peace  ;  and,  near  the  end  of  his  life,  re- 
moved to  Owasco,  where  all  his  children,  excepting 
one  or  two,  had  previously  settled.  They  had  five 
sons — Moses,  Samuel,  John,  Benjamin  and  James,  and 
three  daughters — Margaret,  Esther  and  Eleanor.  His 
descendants  are  now  all  in  western  countries. 


FAMILY   OF   MAJOR   JAMES  (jACOBUS)  SWARTWOUT  AND  WIFE, 
ANNA     GUMAER. 

First  son,  Gerard  us  Swartwout,  was  killed  by  the 
Indians  in  the  time  of  the  French  war  in  company 
with  two  soldiers,  who  also  were  killed  at  Westbrook- 
ville  about  live  miles  from  Gumaer's  fort. 

Second  son,  Philip   Swartwout,  married  Antje  Wyn- 

koop,  a  daughter  of Wynkoop,  of  Rochester  or 

its  vicinity.     He  became  owner  of  his  father's  estate, 

t  Now  (1889)  occupied   by  Solomon  Van  Fleet,   a  nephew  of    Michael 
and  Solomon. 


52  HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK. 

and  resided  at  the  present  residence  of  Col.  Swart- 
wout.  He  was  a  Justice  of  the  Peace  before  and  in  the 
beginning  of  the  Revohitionary  War,  and  one  of  the 
Committee  of  Safety.  He  Avas  killed  by  the  Indians 
when  they  invaded  this  neighborhood,  and  his  tAVo 
eldest  sons  were  killed  at  the  same  time  and  another 
son  was  badly  wounded.  An  Indian  pursued  his  son 
James  a  half-n^ile  across  lots  and  fences,  but  could  not 
overtake  him.  Swartwout  and  first  wife  had  four 
sons — Gerardus  (bap.  Aug.  26,  1759),  Philip,  James 
(bap.  Sept.  18, 1750),  and  Cornelius  (bap.  June  24, 1752.) 
(The  Mahackamack  church  records  give  the  baptism 
also  of  another  son,  Cornelius  Wynkoop,  bap.  March 
20,  1763),  and  one  daughter,  Anna  (bap.  June  17,  1754.) 
By  a  second  marriage  with  Deborah  Schoonover,  he 
had  one  son,  Peter  Swartwout. 

One  daughter,  Esther  Swartwout,  married  Abraham 
Cuddeback,  as  has  been  mentioned.  (For  their  history 
refer  back  to  their  names.) 

Another  daughter,  Jane  SwartAvout,  married 

^ ,  of  Rochester,  Ulster  Co. 

Another    daughter, Swartwout,    married 

Durland,  of  the  town  of  Warwick,  in  Orange 

county.     There  are  many  of    their  descendants  in  this 

county.        They    had sons,    namely, , 

,    and daughters,   namely, , 


FAMILY     OF    JOHN    (JAN)    VAN    FLIET    AND   WIFE,     JANE 
SWARTWOUT. 

One    son,  James  (Jacobus)  Van  Fliet,  married  Mar- 
garet Palmatier.     He    became    owner   of    his   father's 


HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK.  53 

farm,  now  occupied  by  his  sods,  Michael  and  Solomon. 
They   had   four   sons — John,   Thomas,    Michael   (bap. 

Jan.   22,  1783),    and   Solomon,  and daughters, 

namely  (Esyntje,  baptized  Oct.  29th,  1780  ;  Elizabeth, 
born  March,  1785  ;  Clara.) 

Another  son,  Daniel  Van  Fliet,  married  Sarah  Cud- 
deback,  of  Peenpack.  For  their  history  refer  back  to 
their  names. 

Another  son  (Samuel,  married  Tjaetje  Cole,  married 
by  J.  C.  Fryenmoet,  Nov.  26th,  1752.)  (See  Mahacka- 
mack  church  records.) 

One  daughter,  Deborah  Van  Fliet,  married  John 
Decker,  Avho  resided  Avhere  Simon  Westfall  now  lives, 
and  owned  the  old  Decker  farm  at  that  place  and  a 
farm  east  of  Shawangunk  mountain,  which  his  sons, 
Levi  and  Isaiah,  occupied  after  their  father's  decease. 
They  had  three  sons — Levi  (bap.  Feb.  12, 1758),  Isaiah 

and  Isaac,  and daughters — Margery  (born  Aug. 

31,  1768),  Seletta  (bap.  Jan.  8,  1772.) 

J.  D.'s  first  wife,  Elizabeth  De  Witt,  was  a  daughter 
of  Jacob  De  Wi^^t,  of  Rochester. 

Another  daughter,  Catharine  Van  Fliet,  married 
Benjamin  Cuddeback,  son  of  William  Cuddeback. 
For  their  history  refer  back  to  their  names. 

(The  Mahackamack  church  records  show  the  bap- 
tism of  Marie,  Oct,  23d,  1743,  and  another  daughter, 
Marya,  May  10th,  1747.) 


FAMILY    OF    PETER   GUIMAR   AND    AVIFE,    ESTHER. 

A  copy  of  his  certificate  of    church   membership  in 
the  French  language,  viz  : 

Nous,  sonssequez  ancien  du  consistoire,   de   Moire, 


54  HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK. 

on  I'abseiice  cle  Monsieur  Morin,  nostre  Ministre,  cer- 
tifions  que  Pierre  Guimar,  de  ous  on  enui  von.  fail,  ei  a 
tousjours  fair  profession  de  nostre  religion,  en  laquelle 
il  osesen  sans  commetlie  aveum  scandalle  qui  soit  venu 
a  nostre  connoissance  qui  empesclie,  quil  re  puisse 
estre  admisula  participation  de  nos  Sacrements.  En 
foy  dequoy  nons  luy  avons  signele  preveur  certificon  a 
Moire,  ningtiesme  8  avril,  1686. 

S.    Avillaguer. 

Losary  Cillfand. 
F.  Guymard. 

[translation.] 
We,  the  Elders  of  the  ancient  Church  of  Moire,  in 
the  absence  of  our  minister,  Mr.  Morin,  do  certify  that 
Peter  Guimar,  aged  about  20  years,  has  made  a  profes- 
sion of  our  religion,  and  that  he  has  never  (so  far  as  we 
know)  committed  any  act  which  should  prevent  him 
from'  the  participation  of  our  sacraments.  In  witness, 
whereof  we  have  signed  the  foregoing  certificate,  at 
Moire,  the  20th  day  of  April,  1686. 

L.  Avillaguer. 

Losary  Cillfand. 
F.  Guymard. 
[The  above  translation  was  made  by  Hulda  Morris, 
daughter  of  Kev.  Henry  Morris.] 


FAMILY    OF    FETER   GUMAER   Ax\D    WIFE,  ESfHER. 

Among  the  papers  formerly  in  possession  of  Ezekiel 
Gumaer,  was  found  a  paper  in  the  handwriting  of 
Thomas  Kyte,  who  formerly  was  a  schoolmaster  in  the 
Peenpack  neighborhood,  which   contain   the   dates   of 


HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK.  65 


the   births   of    the   children   of    Peter   Giimaer,  iu  the 
Dutch  t3ugne,  of  wliich  the  following  is  an  abstracted 
co])j,  viz  : 
Dochter  Anna  was  geboren  de  30st  Mart,  1693. 

"        Esther  Avas  geboren   de   5d  von   May,  in  het 
yaer,  1697. 
Dochter  Eagel  is  geboren  de   8st  von  February,  in  het 

yaer  1700. 
Dochter  Maria  de  8st  von  December,  in  het  yaer  1702. 

"       Elisabetli  de  22st  von  Mart,  in  het  yaer  1705. 
Soon  Peter  de  15  de  von  November,  in  het  yaer  1708. 

This  is  in  (      In  het  yaer   1710  is  geboren  Taitie  De 

a  different  I  ttt-;     t  -d \        n 

1        n        -    Wit,    liuys    vrow    von    Peter    Gruniar,    is 
nantl-        I 

writing.      [  geoverleden  de  12d  November,  1756. 
[translation.] 
Daughter  Anna  was   born  the  30th  March,  in  the  year 

1693. 
Daughter  Esther  was  born  the  5th  of  Ma}-,  in  the  year 

1697.        : 

Daughter  Rachel  was  born  the  8th  of  February,  in  the 

year  1700. 
Daughter  Mary  the  8th  of  December,  in  the  year  1702. 
"  Elizabeth   the    22d  .  of    March,  in   the    year 

1705. 
Son  Peter  the  150i  of  November,  in  the  year  1708. 

In  the  year   1710  was  born  Charity  De  Witt,  Avife  of 
Peter  Guinaer.     Slie  died  the  12tli  November,  1756. 


MARRIAGES,    ETC.,    OF   THE    FIRST  GENERATION. 

One  daughter,  Esther  Guiraar,  married  Samul   Swart- 
wout,  son  of    Anthon}^  Swartwout.     (For  their  history 


56  .    HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK. 

and  of  their  descendants,  refer  back  to  their  names.) 
Another   daughter,    Anne    Guimar,    married   James 

(Jacobus)   Swartwout.     (For    their    and    descendants' 

history,  refer  back  to  their  names.) 

Another   daughter, —  Guimar,  married  Dubois, 

of  Rochester,  in  Ulster  county.     He  became  a  wealthy 

farmer.     They  had  two  daughters,  namely, and 

Another  daughter, Guimar,   married  Lode- 

wyke,  son  of  Judge  Jacob  Hornbeck,  of  Rochester. 
They  had  three  sons — Isaac,  Philip  and  Henrj.  After 
her  death  he  married  Naomi  Cuddeback,  as  mentioned. 

Another  daughter  (Mary)  Guimar,  married  (Jan) 
Elting,  of  Old  Shawangunk,  where  he  occupied  a  farm. 
They  had  one  son,  Peter. 

One  only  son,  Peter  Guimar,  married  Charitj' De 
Witt,  daughter  of  Jacob  De  Witt,  of  Rochester.  He 
became  owner  of  all  his  father's  real  estate,  excepting 
what  was  granted  to  Samuel  and  James  Swartwout.  It 
was  said  the  father  gave  a  good  portion  to  each  of  his 
daughters  for  that  time.  About  t^YO  or  three  years  be- 
fore the  French  war  commenced,  Peter  Guimar  built  a 
stone  house  (see  page  29),  40x45  feet  on  the  ground, 
a  cellar  under  tbe  whole,  and  a  high,  roomy  chamber 
above  tlie  upper  floor.  Along  two  sides,  below  the 
eaves  of  the  roof,  were  made  port-holes  through  which 
to  shoot,  either  Avhen  the  house  was  built  or  the  war 
commenced.  This  was  a  lucky  transaction  for  himself 
and  neighbors.  Ic  was  the  largest  house  in  this  part  of 
the  country,  and  best  location  in  this  neighborhood  for 
a  fort  ;  and  when  the  French  war  commenced,  a  picket 
fort  was  erected  on  its  front  and  rear  sides,  and  all  the 
families  of    the  neighborhood  moved  into  it,  excepting 


HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK.  57 

those  women  and  children  who  were  sent  to  their  rela- 
tives in  Rochester,  Old  Paltz  and  other  places.  A 
barn,  which  the  father  had  built,  was  50  by  60  feet  on 
the  ground,  its  floor  30  b}^  60  feet,  a  stable  on  each  side 
60  feet  long.     This  was  an  additional  advantage. 


SECOND  GENERATION. 

FAMILY  OF   THE    SECOND    PETER  GUMAER  AND  WIFE,  CHARITY 
DE    WITT. 

In  his  time  the  family  name  began  to  be  written 
"  Gumaer,"  and  has  continued  to  be  so  written  by  his 
descendants,  and  that  orthography  now  used  will  from 
hence  be  continued. 

The  following  is  an  abridged  copy  of  the  last  part  of 
the  Dutch  record  heretofore  mentioned,  to  wit  : 
Dochter  Esther  geboren  de  2d  January,  1729-30. 
Soon  Peter  geboren  de  19  February,  1731. 
Dochter  Maregretj  geboren  de  12de  van  Mey,  1736. 
Soon  Jacob  De  Witt  geboren    de    12de  van  December, 

1739. 
Soon  Ezekiel  geboren  de  29st  van  December,  1742. 
Dochter  Maria  geboren  de  16de  van  July,  1745. 
Soon  Elias  geboren  de  22st  van  January,  1748. 
Dochter    Elizabeth    geboren    de    5de    van    November, 

1750.     Sye  was  overladen  de  2de  van  July,  1752. 
[translation.] 
Daughter  Esther  born  the  2d  January,  1729-30. 
Son  Peter  born  the  19th  February,  1731. 
Daugliter  Margaret  born  the  12th  of  May,  1736. 
Sou  Jacob  De  Witt  born  the  12th  of  December,  1739. 


58  HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK. 

Son  Ezekiel  born  the  29tli  of  December,  1742. 

Daughter  M^rj  born  tlie  16th  of  July,  1745. 

Son  Elias  born  the  22d  of  January,  1748. 

Daughter  Elizabeth  born  the   5th  of  November,  1750. 

She  died  the  2d  of  July,  1752. 

Oldest  daughter,  Esther  Gumaer,  married  Abraham 
Cuddeback.  For  their  and  descendants'  history,  refer 
back  to  their  names. 

Oldest  son,  Peter  Gumaer,  married  Hannah  Van 
Inwegen,  daughter  of  Gerardus  Van  Inwegen.  He 
became  owner  of  a  part  of  his  father's  estate,  on  which 
he  lived  during  his  life.  They  had  three  sons — Jacob, 
Gerardus  and  Peter,  and  one  daughter  Elizabeth. 

Daughter  Margaret  Gumaer  married  John  Decker, 
son  of  Thomas  Decker.  He  became  owner  of  the  farm 
now  occupied  by  George  Cuddeback  t  and  resided  on 
it  during  his  life.  They  had  one  or  more  children,  and 
she  and  they  died.  He  afterwards  married  Sarah 
Hornbeck. 

Son  Jacob  De  Witt  Gumaer  married  Hulda 
Decker,  daughter  of  Thomas  Decker,  of  the  lower 
neighborhood.  He  became  owner  of  a  part  of  his 
father's  estate  and  resided  on  it  at  the  present  resi- 
dence of  Solomon  Van  Etten,  Esq.  J.  They  had  two 
sons — Peter  and  Jacob  D.  Gumaer,  and  six  daughters — 
Jane,  Hannah,  Elizabeth,  Esther,  Mary  and  Charity. 

Son  Ezekiel  Gumaer  married  Naomi  Louw,  daughter 
of  Abraham  Louw,  of  Shipikunk,  in  New  Jersey.  He 
remained  in  the  homestead  of    his  father  and  owned  a 


t  Now  (i88g)  occupied  by  Henry  Cuddeback. 
t  Now  (1889)  occupied  by  Cornelius  Caskey. 


HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK.  59 

part   of    liis  farm.     They  had  two  sons— Peter  E.  and 
Abraham.     The  latter  died  when  a  small  boy. 

Daughter  Mary  Gumaer  married  James  Devens. 
They  became  owners  of  the  old  Devens'  farm  in  Mam- 
akating,  on  which  they  continued  to  reside  during  their 
lives.  They  had  five  sons — Elias,  Jacob,  Peter,  James 
and  Abraham,  and  one  daughter  Charity. 

Youngest  son,  Elias  Gumaer,  married  Margaret  De- 
puy,  daughter  of  Benjamin  Depuy,  Esq.,  of  this  neigh- 
borhood. He  first  had  a  farm  of  his  father,  on  which 
he  resided  for  some  years.  This  he  exchange'd  for  the 
farm  on  which  he  last  resided  and  sold  to  Abraham 
Ciiddeback,  Esq.  He  and  his  wife,  in  their  old  age, 
removed  to  the  western  part  of  New  York,  where  their 
children  had  previously  settled.  They  had  four  sons — 
Benjamin,  Elias,  Samuel  and  Peter  E.  Gumaer,  and 
two  daughters — Charity  and  Elizabeth. 


FIRST    GENERATION. 

FAMILY   OF   HARMANUS    VAN   INWEGEN   AND   WIFE, 

SWARTWOUT. 

His  son,  Gerardus  Van  Inwegen,  married  Jane  De 
Witt,  daughter  of  Jacob  De  Witt,  of  Rochester,  in 
Ulster  county.  He  became  owner  of  his  father's  farm 
and  resided  where  his  son  Cornelius  lived  previous  to 
his  removal  from  this  neighborhood. 

His  daughter,  Hannah  Van  Inwegen,  married  Thos.L 
Decker.    He  was  or  became  owner  of  the  present  farnu 


60  HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK. 

of  George  Cuddeback,  and  resided  at  his  present  resi- 
dence.    (Now,  1889,   occupied  bj  Henrj^  Cuddeback.) 


SECOND  GENERATION. 

FAMILY   OF     GERARDUS    VAN    INWEGEN   AND    WIFE,    JANE   DE 

WITT. 

First  son,  Harmanus  Van  Inwegen,  married  Mar- 
garet Cole,  daughter  of  David  Cole.  He  became 
owner  of  the  farm  now  of  Col.  Peter  Cuddeback,  and 
resided  near  his  present  dwelling  house.  He  was  a 
Justice  of  the  Peace  for  some  years  in  and  after  the 
Revolutionary  War,  and  also  one  of  the  Committee  of 
Safety  in  that  war.  They  had  eight  sons  —Gerardus, 
David,  Cornelius,  Jacob,  Samuel,  Jacob  and  Josias, 
and  two  daughters — Charlotte  and  Hannah.  Ge- 
rardus was  killed  or  taken  prisoner  at  Fort  Mont- 
gomery, when  it  was  taken,  and  the  first  Jacob  died 
when  about  12  or  14  years  old  of   a  short  illness. 

Second  son,  Jacob  Yan  Inwegen,  never  married. 
He  owned  a  part  of  his  father's  estate,  which,  after  his 
death,  became  the  property  of  his  two  brothers.  He 
resided  with  his  bro':ber  Harmanus  until  the  end  of 
his  life. 

Third  son,  Cornelius  Van  Inwegen,  married  Eleanor 
Westbrook,  daughter  of  Terrick  V.  Westbiook,  of  now 
Westbrookville,  m  Ulster  county  (qow  Sullivan  county, 
1889.)  He  continued. to  reside  on  the  homestead  of 
his  father,  and  became  owner  of  that  part  of  his 
father's   farm.     They  removed,   in   their  old   age,  into 


HISTORY     OF     DEEEPARK.  61 


the  western  part  of  this  State,  where  nearly  all  their 
children  had  previonslj  settled.  Thej  had  nine  sons- 
Abraham,  Gerardus,  Daniel,  John,  Jacob,  Levi,  Cor- 
nehus,  Henry  and  Martin,  and  one  daughter  Mary. 
CorneKus,  the  seventh  son,  died  when  a  child,  and 
Martin  was  killed  by  lightning  in  driving  a  wagon  from 
a  hay-stack  towards  home  in  time  of  haying.  Both 
horses  driven  by  him  were  also  killed. 

One  daughter,  Margaret  Van  Inwegen,  married  John 
Wallace.  They  resided  in  this  town  until  a  few  years 
after  the  Kevolutionary  War,  when  they  removed  to 
Onondagua,  in  this  State.  They  had  one  son  Corne- 
lius and  one  daughter  Jane. 

Another  daughter,  Hannah  Van  Inwegen,  married 
Peter  Gumaer,  as  mentioned.  (For  their  history  refer 
back  to  their  names.) 

The  descendants  of  this  last  family  have  all  moved 
into  Pennsylvania,  New  Jersey  and  the  western  part  of 
New  York. 

(Kingston  church  records  show  the  baptism  of  another 
daughter  Jenneke,  Feb.  2d,  1735,  and  Mahackamack 
church  records  those  of  Tjaade,  May  30fch,  1739,  and 
Elizabeth,  March  15th,  1747.) 


SECOND  GENERATION. 

FAMILY  OF  THOMAS  DECKER  AND  HANNAH  VAN  INWEGEN. 

First  son,  Daniel  Decker,   married __. 

They  settled  in  New  Jersey,  some  distance   down    the 


62  HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK. 

Delaware  river,  where  lie  owned  a  farm.     They  had 

sons, , ,  ,  -,  and    

daughters, , —. 

Second  son,  John  Decker,  first  married  Margaret 
Gumaer  ;  for  their  history  refer  back  to  their  names, 
and  afterwards  Sarah  Hornbeck,  daughter  of  Benja- 
min Hornbeck,  of  Rochester,  They  had  two  sons — 
Benjamin  and  Daniel,  and  four  daughters  Margaret, 
Jane,  Hannah  and  Marj^  At  the  commencement  of 
the  Revolutionary  War,  he  became  Major  of  a  Regi- 
ment of  Militia  of  Orange  eount}^,  and,  when  the  In- 
dians invaded  the  lower  neighborhood,  he  was  wounded 
b}^  the  enem}^  on  his  return  from  a  funeral,  and  nar- 
rowly escaped  from  being  taken. 

Third  son,  Peter  Decker,  married  (Catrina)  Cole. 
They  resided  in  the  north  part  of  New  Jersey,  and  had 

two  sons     Thomas  and   John,  and daughters — 

Sarah  (bap.  July  24,  1763),  Jane. 
Y  First  daughter,  Hannah  Decker,  married  Anthony 
y]Van  Etten,  son  of  4m^  Van  Etten,  of  Rochester,  ur 
its  vicinity.  He  obtained  a  piece  of  land  of  his  father- 
in-law  and  built  the  house  afterwards  occupied  by  his 
son,  Henry  Van  Etten,  on  which  he  also  erected  a 
blacksmith  shop,  and  with  the  help  of  an 
apprentice  pursued  the  blacksmith  business,  of 
which  he  obtained  a  great  run  and  became 
owner  of  one  of  the  best  farms  in  the  pres- 
ent town    of    Deerpark.     He    served    some  years   as 

a  Justice  of    the  Peace.     They  had sons — Levi 

(bap.  Feb.  12,  1758),  Henry,  Thomas  (bap.  Sept.  8, 
1751),  Anthony.  (The  Mahackamack  church  records 
gives  the  baptism  of  other  children,  namely  :     Antje, 


i^pf 


fid.  (^ 


I 


HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK.  63 

bap.  Jan.  14,  1753  ;  Jenneke,  bap.  Ap.  28,  1754  ;  Mar- 
grieta,  bap.  Feb.  13,  1756  ;  Alida,  bap.  Aug.  19,  1759  : 
Blandina,  bap.  Sept.  4,  1763  ;  Maria,  bap.  Nov.  2, 
1765  ;  Tomas,  bap.  October  16,  1768  ;  Jacob,  Oct.  29, 
1770),  and dangbters. 

Second  daugliter,  Huldi  Decker,  married  Jacob  De 
Witt  Gumaer.  (For  their  history  refer  back  to  their 
names.) 

The  descendants  of  those  four  ancient  famihes  are 
dispersed  into  different  parts  of  our  country,  and  have 
become  settled  in  different  parts  of  New  York,  New 
Jersey,  Pennsylvania.  Ohio,  Michigan,  Wisconsin,  Cal- 
ifornia, and  probably  in  some  other  States  and  territo- 
ries ;  and  some,  in  connection  with  those  among  whom 
they  have  intermarried,  have  remained  on  the  prem- 
ises of  their  forefathers  and  now  possess  nearly  all  the 
valuable  land  for  agricultural  purposes  in  the  present 
town  of  Deerpark. 

The  reader  \vill  learn  from  this  history  that  generally 
the  descendants  of  the  first  pioneers  became  farmers, 
and  continued  in  those  occupations  to  the  end  of  the 
third  generation  ;  and  the  greatest  proportion  of  the 
fourth  and  fifth  generation  of  the  present  time  (1858) 
are  farmeis.  Our  ancestors  were  not  in  opulent  cir- 
cumstances, but  generally  had  a  plenty  of  the  neces- 
saries of  life  and  were  a  thriving  people,  and,  so  far  as 
the  writer's  knowledge  extends  in  relation  to  those 
who  have  settled  in  other  parts  of  our  country,  they 
have  generally  acquired  farms. 

Jacob  Cuddeback  has  been  known  to  say  that  by 
leaving  France  he  had  been  deprived  of  many  enjoy- 
ments he  might  have  had  in  that  country,  but  for  these 


64  HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK. 

sacrifices  he  had  the  satisfactioD  of  leaving  his  pos- 
terity in  a  country  of  good  land  and  easily  to  be  ac- 
quired. 

It  appears  that  the  first  emigrants  craved  title  for  no. 
more  land  than  what  they  wanted  to  oscup}',  thinking 
that  the  mountainous  land  bordering  on  it  would  re- 
main unsold,  and  that  they  and  their  descendants 
could  always  get  wood  from  it  without  paying"  for  the 
land.  This  continued  so  for  about  sixty  or  seventy 
years,  when  they  had  to  buy  it  at  a  higher  price  than 
they  felt  willing  to  pay  for  it,  for  a  supply  of  fuel, 
fencing,  timber,  &c.  The  patentees  now  saw  their 
mistake,  and  Jacob  Cuddeback  at  a  certain  time  was 
censured  by  his  son  William  for  not  Uaving  included 
land  enough  in  the  patent  to  cover  an  additional  tract 
of  wood  land.  The  old  man,  not  relishing  this,  re- 
plied, "  We  all  can  see  the  mistake  now,  when  it  is  too 
late.  You  have  the  same  chance  I  had  to  provide  for 
your  family.     See  if  you  will  do  better." 

The  descendants  of  the  four  pioneers  have  generally 
acquired  as  much  territory  as  was  necessary  to  obtain 
by  the  sweat  of  the  brow  comfortable  livings  for  their 
respective  families  ;  and  not  only  have  they  obtained  a 
competency  for  their  livelihood,  but  a  large  surplus, 
which,  as  the  avails  of  it,  have  reached  all  branches  of 
mechanical  and  other  business  whatever  in  our  coun- 
try ;  and  many  of  their  productions,  together  with  the 
masses  of  other  producers,  have  been  conveyed  to 
European  countries.  In  consequence  of  which  they 
have  been  valuable  citizens,  and  have  rendered  exten- 
sive benefits  to  mankind,  from  whom,  in  return,  they 
have  received  an   equal   amount  of  necessary  articles 


HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK.  65 

and.  luxuries.  The  whole  annual  surplus  amount  now 
produced  by  the  fourth  and  fifth  generations  of  the 
ancient  little  neighborhood  of  Peenpack,  must  amount 
in  value  to  manj  thousands  of  dollars. 


FAMILY   OF   JACOB    R.    DE   WITT   AND   WIFE,    JANE     DEPUY. 

They  removed  fi'om  Neponaugh  (Napanock),  in 
Ulster  county ,into  the  neighborhood  of  Peenpack  about 
the  year  ITbO.  He  was  a  son  of  Egbert  De  Witt,  of 
the  former  place,  and  she  was  a  daughter  of  Moses 
Depuy,  of  Kochester.  He  built  the  old  stone  and 
frame  house  at  the  Neversink  river,  and  a  grist  mill 
near  the  present  aqueduct  across  the  river,  and  owned 
the  farm  he  formerly  occupied,  together  with  those 
premises.  In  the  commencement  of  the  Revolutionary 
War  a  fort  was  built  contiguous  to  his  house,  which 
has  been  termed  Fort  De  Witt  t,  and  he  was  commis- 
sioned Captain  of  a  Company  of  Rangers  for  guarding 
this  frontier.  According  to  Eager's  History,  it  is  satis- 
factorily ascertained  that  De  Witt  Clinton  was  born  in 
this  house.  The  writer  has  also  been  informed  by  a 
near  neighbor,  formerly  of  the  Clinton  family,  that  he 
Avas  born  at  that  place. 

The  family  of  Jacob  R.  De  Witt  and  wife  consisted 
of  three  sons — Moses  (bap.  Dec.  12, 1766),  Egbert  and 

t  Fort  De  Witt  was  located  near  the  Suspension  Bridge  which  crosses 
the  Neversink  river,  on  the  road  leading  fiom  Port  Jervis  to  Cuddeback- 
ville,  about  one  mile  south  of  Cuddebackville.  The  small  house  stand- 
ing (i88g)  near  the  present  dwelling  of  Jesse  Tillson,  is  on  the  foundation 
of  this  fort. 


66  HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK. 

Jacob,    and   seven   daughters — Marj,  Eachel,  

Margaret,  Jane,  Hannah  and  Esther. 

Moses  had  a  suitable  genius  for  obtaining  scientific 
knowledge,  and  an  uncommon  relish  for  the  same  ;  he 
also  was  naturally  a  very  persevering  student  and  of 
an  amiable  disposition.  His  opportunities  for  obtain- 
ing education  were  small  ;  but  he  acquired  much  in 
view  of  the  disadvantages  under  wlaich  he  labored, 
and  far  beyond  that  of  any  of  his  contemporaries  in 
this  part  of  our  country  who  had  the  same  opportuni- 
ties with  himself.  He  became  employed  as  one  of  the 
under-surveyors  to  run  the  line  between  the  State  of 
New  York  and  Pennsylvania,  and  afterwards  one  of 
the  Surveyors  to  survey  the  military  lands  in  the  State 
of  New  York.  He  died  about  the  age  of  27  years, 
possessed  of  a  very  valuable  property  of  unsettled 
lands  in  the  district  of  military  lands  in  this  State.  He 
and  his  brother  Egbert  both  died  unmarried. 

Youngest  son,  Jacob,  removed  from  this  neighbor- 
hood before  he  arrived  to  manhood. 

Daughter  Mary  De  Witt  married  William  Rose,  from 
Little  Britain  or  its  vicinity.  In  the  time  of  the  Rev- 
olutionary War  he  was  commissioned  a  Captain  to  in- 
list  a  company  of  soldiers  to  serve  in  that  war,  and, 
after  it  ended,  he  became  Captain  of  a  company  of 
militia.  He,  in  the  latter  part  of  his  life,  owned  the 
farm,  mill,  &c.,  of  his  father-in-law,  then  deceased. 

Daughter  Rachel  De  Witt  married  Robert  Burnet, 
of  Little  Britain,  where  he  owned  and  occupied  a 
farm.  He  has  served  in  different  county  and  State 
offices.  ,^^ 

One  daughter  married ; 


HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK.                                  67 
/ 


daughters. Margaret  and  Jane  married  Cuddeback,  as 
has  been  mentioned.  (For  their  history  refer  back  to 
their  names.) 

Daughter  Hannah  De  Witt  married  James  Ennes, 
son  of  Daniel  Ennes,  of  New  Jersey.  They  became 
owners  of  a  farm  near  the  outlet  of  Skaneateles  lake- 
Daughter  Esther  De  AVitt  married  James  Depuy, 
son  of  Banjamin  Depuy,  Esq.,  of  the  Peenpack  neigh- 
borhood. They  settled  at  Onondaga,  where  they 
owned  and  occupied  a  farm.  He  served  in  civil  and 
military  offices.  v 

Abraham   Westfall  and  wife,  Blandina  Yan  Etten,  \ 
became  residents  in  the  southwest  end  of  the  Peenpack    | 
neighborhood,  in  the  latter  part  of  the  Revolutionary 
War,  and  he   became  owner  of  a  small,  ancient  West- 
fall  farm,  now  included  in  the  farm  occupied  by  Capt. 
Henry  Swartwout.     A  few  rods  east  of    his  dwelling 
house  stood  the  old  stone   house  of  Westfall.     This  j 
was  the  house  where  the  fort  was  in  the  time  of  the 
French  war,  and  which  the  Indians  attacked  and  killed 
part  of    a  company  of    soldiers   who    were  traveling 
from  New  Jersey  to  E^opus,  and,  just   before  the   at- 
tack, had  stopped  ia   to  rest  and   take  refreshments. 
The  particulars  of  this   are  stated  in   Eager's  History 
of  Orange  County. 

Abraham  Westfall  was  a  son  of  Westfall,  and 

his  wife  was  a  daughter  of  Anthony  Van  Etten,  Esq., 
of  the  lower  neighborhood.  In  the  latter  part  of  the 
Revolutionary  War,  Westfall  was  commissioned  a  Cap- 
tain of  the  soldiers,  who,  from  time  to  time,  were  sta- 
tioned on  this  frontier.  Near  the  end  of  the  war  he 
built  a  small  fort  at  his  house,  and,  with  a  few  soldiers 


68  HISTOEY     OF     DEERPABK. 

and  one  or  two  families,  occupied  the  same.  Some- 
time after  the  war  ended,  he  removed  with  his  family 
to  one  of  the  Southern  States.    Ciy*^^^^^ 

(Children,  Joseph,  baptized  Aug.  18th,  1782  ;  An- 
natje,  baptized  April  20fch,  1784.  Mahackamapk  church 
records.)  -*       T^^^^^Ci^   t4<^i4/Ut^  J^J?^^'^'^ 

FAMILY   OF    JAMES    DAVIS   AND    WIFE,    ELIZABETH    KATER. 

They  removed  from  the  lower  neighborhood  into  the 
Peenpack  neighborhood  soon  after  the  Revolutionary 
War  ended.  She  was  originally  from  Rochester  or  its 
vicinity.     They  had  three  sons — Solomon,  James   and 

Daniel,  and    daughters — Leali,  Elizabeth,  Anna, 

and  Polly.     They  all  removed  into  the  western 

part  of  this  State,  excepting  some  of  the  daughters. 

FAMILY   OF   WILLIAM   GEEGGE   AND   WIFE,   LEAH   DAVIS. 

He  was  originally  from  Ireland  and  by  trade  a  mill- 
wright. His  wife  was  a  daughter  of  James  Davis,  . 
father  of  the  preceding  family.  They  were  married  a 
few  years  after  the  Revolutionary  War  ended.  He 
built  and  occupied  a  grist-mill  on  a  farm  he  purchased. 
The  mill  seat  and  farm  is  now  owned  by  John  Van 
Etten,  Esq.  They  had  one  son,  ¥/illiam,  and  a 
daughter. 

There  were  a  few  other  families  in  the  vicinity  of 
the  Peenback  neighborhood. 


ANCIENT  FAMILIES 

OF    THE   LOWER   NEIGHBORHOOD. 

The  following  were  ancient  families  wbo  resided  in 
the  lower  neighborhood  of  this  town,  who,  as  near  as 


HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK.  69 

can  be  ascertained,  must  have  commenced  to  settle 
in  the  same  more  than  20  years  after  the  first  settle- 
ment was  made  at  Peenpack  : 

FAMILY   OF   HENRY   CORTRIGHT   AND    WIFE,    MARGARET 
DECKER. 

She  probably  was  a  sister  of  Thomas  Decker.  He 
must  have  been  from  Eochester.  They  resided  where 
Aaron  Whitlock  now  lives,  and  became  owners  of  Ms 
present  farm. 

One  son,  Daniel  Cortright  (bap.  May  3,  1743),  mar- 
ried  ■ .     They  first  resided  on  the  east 

side  of  Shawangunk  mountain,  in  the  town  of  Mini- 
sink,  and  from  thence  removed  into  the  western  part 

of  York  State.     They  had sons, , 

and daughters. 

Another  son,  Moses  Cortright  (bap.  March  24, 1745), 

married Van  Etten,  daughter  of  Anthony  Van 

Etten,  Esq.  They  continued  to  reside  in  the  house  of 
his  father,  and  he  became  owner  of  his  homestead 
farm.  A  few  years  after  the  Eevolutionary  War  ended, 
he  with  his  family  removed  into   the  western  part  of 

this    State.     They  had sons,  namely, , 

.  and daughters. 


FAMILY  OF  ABRAHAM  VAN  AUKEN  AND  WIFE. 

They  resided  between  the  present  residences  of 
David  Swartwout  and  Joseph  Cuddeback,  where  he 
owned  a  farm.     They  had  three  sons — Cornelius,  Jo- 


70  HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK. 

sias  and  Abraham.  They,  or  two  of  them,  moved 
into  the  western  part  of  this  State  soon  after  it  began 
to   be   settled.     They  had   daughters,  namely — 


FAMILY   OF   JOHN   WESTBROOK   AND    WIFE,     MAGDELENA 
WESTBROOK. 

He  owned  the  farms  now  of  Abraham  J.  and  Isaac 
Cuddeback,  and  resided  where  the  old  house  of  the 
former  now  stands,  in  a  stone  house.  He  for  some 
years  kept  a  small  store  for  Indian  trade  and  a  tavern. 
He  was  Captain  of  a  company  of  militia.  He  had 
(six)  sons,  namely — (Anthonie,  bap.  Oct.  31,  1738; 
Johannes,  bap.  Sept.  19,  1740  ;  Johannes,  bap.  Nov. 
16,  1746  ;  Samuel,  bap.  March  12,  1749  ;  Joel,  bap. 
April  11,  1756  ;  Gideon,  bap.  Nov.  21,  1759),  and  (four) 
daughters,  namely — (Antje,  bap.  Dec.  23,  1744 ;  Alida, 
bap.  June  21,  1747  ;  Elizabeth,  bap.  March  24,  1751  ; 
Sara,  bap.  June  17,  1753.)  Nearly  all  his  descendants 
have  removed  from  this  place. 


FAMILIES  OF  VAN  AUKEN — HENRY  DECKER, 

And  another  individual  were  early  settlers  oh  the 
farm  heretofore  occupied  by  Benjamin  Cuddeback, 
Esq.,  now  by  his  sons,  Elting  and  Dr.  Thomas 
Cuddeback.  Van  Auken  resided  at  the  former  resi- 
dence of  Jacob  Shimer,  Decker  where  Elting  now  re- 
sides, and  the  other  near  the  mouth  of  the  brook.  The 


HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK.  71 

two  latter  had  grist-mills.  None  of  their  descendants 
have  remained  in  this  town.  The  wdfe  of  Jacob 
Shimer  was  a  daughter  or  grandaughter  of  Van  Auken. 
They  had  one  son,  Kichard,  who  married  a  daughter 
of    Daniel  Ennes,  and  two   daughters,  one   of    whom 

married  Hezekiah  Fredenburgjh,  and  the  other 

.     They,  all  of    this  family,  removed  into  the 


western  part  of  this  State. 


FAM]*LY   OF    JAMES   VAN   AUKEN   AND    WIFE, 

Settled  at  the  present  residence  of  Jam3s  D.  Swart- 
wout,  Esq.,  and  owned  his  farm.  He  was  the  first  Jus- 
tice of  the  Peace  in  the  present  town  of  Deerparkt 
which  office  he  probably  derived  from  the  governmen, 
of  the  State  of  New  Jersey.  He  was  a  brother  of  Yan 
Aukea  mentioned. 

His  son,  Daniel  Van  Auken,  married  Leah  Kettle, 

daughter  of    — — .     He  became  owner  of 

his  father's  farm,  and  occupant  of  his  house,  at  which  a 
fort  was  built  in  the  time  of  the  Revolutionary  War  ; 
and  when  the  Indians  invaded  this  neighborhood,  they 
attacked  the  fort  and  two  Indians  w^ere  shot.  They 
shot  old  James  Van   Auken  as   he  looked  through   a 

window  on  the  chamber.    They  had sons — Elijah, 

Nathaniel,  Nathan,  Absolum,  Joshua,  Daniel,  Jere- 
miah,   ,  and    daughters,  namely, , 


, , , , ,  whole  num- 
ber fifteen.  One  of  his  sons,  a  school  teacher,  was 
killed  by  the  Indians  when  they  invaded  the   lower 


72  HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK. 

neigliborhood.     These  descendants  became  dispersed 
into  different  parts  of  our  country. 


SOLOMON   KUYKENDALL   AND   WIFE,  SARAH  COLE, 

Eesided  at  the  present  residence  of  the  widow  Elt- 
ing  and  her  family,  and  owned  their  present  farm.  He 
was  a  Justice  of  the  Peace  in  the  time  of  the  Revolu- 
tionary War  and  after  it  ended.  James  Van  Fliet,  jr., 
became  owner  of  his  real  estate.  From  which  I  infer 
that  the  former  had  no  children  living  at  the  time  of 
his  decease.  Yan  Fliet  had  two  sons — Solomon,  who 
married  a  daughter  of  Benjamin  Carpenter,  and 
the  other,  Daniel,  married  a  daughter  of  Jacob  West- 
brook. 

Van  Fliet,  after  some  years'  occupation  of  the 
premises,  sold  and  removed  with  his  family  west  into 
Pennsylvania  or  York  State. 


FAMILY    OF   SIMON   WESTFALL   AND    WIFE,    JANE    (JANNETJE) 
WESTBROOK. 

They  resided  in  the  old  stone  house  now  or  lately 
occupied  by  James  Bennet,  Esq.  He  owned  a  grist- 
mill there  and  some  land.  They  had  (eight)  sons — 
Simeon  (bap.  Feb.  1'^,  1749)  ;  Wilhelmus  (bap.  July  8, 
1753)  ;  John  De  Witt  (bap.  May  19,  1751)  ;  Jury  (bap. 
April  23,  1744)  ;  Jury  (b:ip.  Jan.  24,  1748)  ;  Solomon 
(bap.  Jan.  27,  1759)  ;  Daniel  (bap.  June  5,  1763),  and 
Eeuben  (bap.  April  8,  1764.)  Also  (three)  daughters, 
namely — Aeltje  (bap.  Oct.  6,  1745)  ;  Aeltje  (bap.  Feb. 
1756),  and  Blandina  (bap.  Nov.  9,   1760.)     Wilhelmus 


HISTORY     OF     DEEKrAKK.  73 

settled  ea«t  of  the  Slia  wan  gunk  mountain,  near  Deck- 
ertown,  in  the  State  of  New  Jersey. 

His  son,  Simeon  Westfall,  married  Sarah  Cole, 
daughter  of  David  Cole.  They  became  residents  m 
the  old  stone  house  at  Port  Jervis,  in  Pennsylvania, 
where  he  had  a  good  farm,  now  possessed  by  different 
occupants,  Samuel  Fowler,  Simeon  AVestfall,  Dimmick 
and  others.-  Westfall  and  wife  had  three  sons,  Simon 
(bap.  Feb.  9,  1766),  David  and  George,  and  two 
daughters,  Jane  and . 

Son  John  D.  Westfall  married  Mary  Davis,  daughter 
of  Samuel  Davis.  They  resided  in  the  stone  house 
now  occupied  by  (David)  Westfall,  in  the  Clove,  in  the 
north  part  of    New  Jersey,  where  he  became  owner  of 

a  good  iarm.     They  had   sons,  Samuel   De  AYitt 

Westfall  (bap.  Oct.  29, 1780), , . 

They  all  removed  into  the  western  part  of  York 
State. 

Son  Reuben  Westfall  married  (Tjaetje)  Kuykendall^ 
daughter  of  Jacob  Kuykendall.  They  remained  in  the 
old  homestead  and  he  remained  in  possession  of  the 
farm  and  mill  of  his  father.     They  had daughters. 


One  daughter  (Blandina)  Westfall,  married  John 
Brink  They  and  family  have  moved  into  western 
countries.  (The  Mahackamack  church  records  contain 
the  baptism  of  two  children — Femmetje,  Oct.  29, 1780  ; 
Reuben  Westfall,  April  22,  1784.) 


FAMILY  OF  WILLIAM  COLE  AND  WIFE. 

They  settled  near  the  present  dwelling  house  of  Eli 
Van  Inwegen,  Esq.,  and  owned  a  farm  there. 


74  HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK. 

His  son,  Willielmns  Cole,  married  Leah  AVestbrook, 
daughter  of  Cornelius  Westbrook,  of  Jersey  State. 
He  occupied  the  liouse  of  his  father  until  he  built  a 
new  one  after  the  war  ended  at  the  same  place  ;  and 
owned  his  father's  farm.  They  had  two  sons— Josias 
(bap.  Nov.  21,  1764),  and  Cornelius  Westbrook  Cole 
(bap.  Feb.  7,  1767),  and  two  daughters— Maria,  (bap. 
Oct.  16,  1772), . 

Solomon  Decker,  from   Old  Shawangunk,  and  wife, 

Eleanor  Quick,  daughter    of Quick,  an  early 

resident  of  the  present  township  of  Westfall,  in  Penn- 
sylvania, settled  with  their  family  in  the  lower  neigh- 
borhood in  the  time  of  the  Kevolutiouary  War,  near 
the  present  residence  of  David  SAvartwout  ^'.  They  had 
seven  sons — Solomon  (bap.  Feb.  9,  1746),  Jacob  (bap. 
Sept.  13,  1761),  Thomas  (bap.  Aug.  19,  1759),  James 
(bap.  Feb.  2,  1752),  Joseph  (bap.  July  4,  1756),  Peter 
(bap.  June  21,  1767),  and  Isaac  M.  Decker,  and  three 
daughters — Margaret  (bap.  April  14, 1754),  Lydia  (bap. 
Oct.  11,  1747),  and  Mary  (bap.  March  4,  1750.)  None 
of  this  family  have  remained  in  the  present  town  of 
Deerpark.  Youngest  son,  Isaac  M.  Decker,  is  yet  liv- 
ing and  now  in  1859  is  92  years  old. 


FAMILY  OF  PETER  KUYKENDALL  AND  WIFE,  FAMITJE  DECKER. 

They  resided  in  now  Port  Jervis,  where  Elias  Kuy- 
kendall  formerly  lived,  and  he  was  owner  of  a  farm 
there  ;  all,  or  nearly  all,  of  which  is  now  covered  by 
the  Village    of    Port   Jervis.     (The    Kingston    church 

*  Now  (1889)  the  residence  of  Peter  D.  Svvartwout. 


IIISTOIIY'     OF     DEElirARK.  <  i) 

book  records  the  baptism  of  a  son,  Martinas,  June  18, 
1734:,  and  the  ^Mahackaniack  records  that  of  Jacob, 
Aug.  23,  1737,  and  a  second  Jacob,  Oct.  30,  1739.) 

Son  Peter  Kuykeudall  married  (Catharina)  Kettel. 
He  continued  to  live  with  his  father  and  became  owner 
of  his  farm.  They  had  four  sons  — Wilhehnus,  Mar- 
tin (bap.  April  8,  1764),  Solomon  (bap.  Oct.  21,  1753), 
and  Elias,  and  (three)  daughters,  namely — Elizabeth 
(bap.  June  19,  1757),  Christyntje,  (bap.  Aug.  28,  1759), 
and  Lea  (bap.  Dec.  8,  1765.)  Their  descendants  are 
dispersed  into  different  parts  of  our  country. 


FAMILY    OF   JOHN   DECKER    AND    WIFE. 

He  owned  an  extensive  farm  or  tract  of  land  along 
the  Delaware  river,  the  southeast  part  of  wdiich 
bounded  on  the  land  of  Knykendall,  near  which  he 
probably  first  settled  t. 


t  It  is  now  a  few  years  over  a  century  since  th-^  fall  of  the  deepest 
snow  ever  known  in  this  part  of  our  country  ;  and  before  it  fell  Peter 
Kuykendall  and  wife  went  to  Esopus  and  left  their  children  home,  where 
John  Decker  and  his  wife  were  to  go  daily  and  see  to  them  and  render 
such  assistarce  as  would  be  necessary.  Two  or  three  days  after  they 
started  this  snow  fell,  and  the  morning  after  its  falling  John  Decker 
commenced  to  shovel  and  make  a  footpath  through  the  snow  to  Kuyken- 
dall's  house.  He  worked  all  that  day  and  the  greatest  part  of  the  next 
day  before  he  got  to  it,  and  found  the  door  shut  so  that  the  children  could 
not  get  out  of  the  house.  The  door  opened  to  the  outside,  and  the  snow 
laid  so  deep  against  it  that  it  could  not  be  opened  from  the  inside  before 
the  snow  was  removed.  It  is  probable  that  they  first  settled  as  near  to 
each  other  as  their  situations  of  ground,  water,  &c.,  would  admit.  No 
victuals  had  been  prepared  for  the  children  on  the  previous  day  to  serve 
them  for  the  next.  They  contrived  to  get  meal,  mix  it  up  with  water, 
bake  it  some  op  the  hearth  before  the  fire,  and  lived  on  it  till  they  were 
otherwise  provided  for. 


76  HISTOEY     OF     DEERPARK. 


One  son,  Martin  Decker,   married 

They  lived  in  the  old  stone  house  of  Stephen  St.  John, 
and  he  became  owner  of    a  part   of    his  father's  farm. 

They    had   two    sons — John    and   Richard,   and    

daughter, . 


FAMILY   OF   SOLOMON   DAVIS   AND   WIFE,   LEAH   DECKER. 

They  resided  near  the  present  grist-mill  of  Thomas 
Van  Etten,  Esq.,  and   he   owned   a   grist-mill  at  that 

place.     They  had sons — James,    Daniel,    Joel, 

,    and daughters — Beletje, . 

(The  following  is  the  baptismal  record  of  the  children 
of  Solomon  Davis  and  Leah  Decker  :  Kingston  re- 
cords—Lea, March  26,  1735  ;  Jacobus,  May  18,  1736. 
Mahackamack  records — Beletje,  May  31,  1738  ;  Daniel, 
June  18,  1740  ;  Joel,  April  23,  1744  ;  Jonas,  June  16, 
1745  ;  Catharina,  June  21,  1747  ;  Elizabeth,  Jan.  20, 
1748  ;  Petrus,  April  15,  1750  ;  Salomon,  April  5,  1752.) 

Oldest  son,  James  Davis,  married  Elizabeth  Kater. 
For  their  history  refer  back  to  their  names. 

Second  son,  Daniel  Davis,  was  the  strongest  man  of 
his  time  in  the  present  town  of  Deerpark. 


FAMILIES    OF WESTFALL   AND    DAVID    COLE 

were  the  first  settlers  on  the  present  farms  of  Levi  and 
Thomas  Van  Etten,  Esq. 

George  Davis  and  wife,  Deborah  Schoonnover,  had 
one  son,  Samuel,  who  became  owner  of  the  ancient 
grist-mill  at  T.  Van  Etten's  mill  seat. 


HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK.  77 

Very  little  is  now  known  respecting  these  four  last 
mentioned  ancient  families. 

Some  of  the  families  in  the  lower  neighborhood, 
who,  by  marriages  had  become  connected  with  certain 
families  in  the  Peenpack  neighborhood,  are  included 
in  the  history  of  the  latter  and  here  omitted. 

It  will  be  seen  by  this  history  of  the  ancient  citizens 
of  the  lower  neighborhood  that  they,  as  well  as  the 
others  mentioned,  were  farmers,  and  they  have  also  ob- 
tained their  livings  by  the  cultivation  of  the  earth  (a 
laborer's  business),  and  not  only  provided  a  compe- 
tency for  their  respective  families,  but  also  a  surplus 
for  the  markets  of  our  country  to  support  those  in 
other  pursuits  of  life  ;  but  there  now  are  of  the  pres- 
ent generations  of  the  descendants  of  both  neighbor- 
hoods some  in  nearly  all  the  different  occupations  of 
life  in  our  country. 

From  the  length  of  time  which  intervened  between 
the  first  settlement  nearest  at  Peenpack  and  that  made 
in  the  lower  neighborhood,  it  appears  probable  that 
the  latter  was  prevented  by  the  Indian  chief  who  re- 
sided on  the  land  now  of  Levi  or  Thomas  Van  Etten, 
Esq. 


LONGEVITY    OF    THE    FIRST    AND    SECOND 
GENERATIONS. 

The  ages  to  wliicli  the  first  apd  second  generations 
arrived,  cannot  all  be  correctly  ascertained  for  want  of 
records  of  the  times  of  their  severarlDirths  and  deaths. 
The  only  record  of  which  the  writer  is  in  possession,  is 
thatof  the  families  of  the  first  and  second  Peter  Gtimaer, 
relative  to  the  births  of  tlieir  respective  children. 
These  two  records  ai:e  a„guide  t.o  get  into  the  neiglibor- 
liood  of  the  times  of  the  births  of  ihe  members  o£  the, 
other  families,  and  frohi  what  I  have  obtained  from  in-, 
s'criptions  on  tombstones  and  the  information  I  have 
had  relative  to  the  times  to  which  some  of  them  lived, 
I  can  correctly  determine  the  ages  of  some  of  them 
and  within  a  few  years  of  others. 

It  was  said  of  Jacob  Cuddeback,  by  his  grandson, 
Capt.  Cuddeback,  that  he  lived  to  the  age  of  100  years 
and  retained  his .  faculties  good  to  the  end  of  his  life. 
In  1686,  when  Peter  Gumaer  was  20  years  old,  and  he 
and  Cuddeback  had  to  leave  France,  the  latter  cannot 
have  been  less  than  20  or  25  years  of  age.  It  appears 
he  lived  until  after  the  inhabitants  of  this  neighbor- 
hood had  to  buy  some  land  out  of  Expense  lot  number 
two,  in  the  Minisink  patent,  for  a   supply  of  fuel,  rail 


HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK.  79 

timber,  &c.,  which  must  have  been  about  the  year  1766. 
From  all  of  which  it  appears  that  the  age  of  Cudcle- 
back  cannot  have  been  less  than  100  years,  and  that 
the  answer  he  made  to  his  son  William,  heretofore 
mentioned,  near  the  end  of  his  life,  shows  that  his  in- 
tellect was  yet  good  at  that  time. 


AGES     OF     FIRST     GENERATION. 

FAMILY   OF.    JACOB   CUDDEBACK. 

Y^ears. 
Himself.. .................   IQO 

f  Benjamin ,     about     80 

His     1  William... "         74 

sons.   I  James .  ....,...;.....-.....• "         30 

[  Abraham . .      "         80 

His  wdfe,  Esther  Swartwout /'         80 

fMaria "       100 

[Dinah....  ..:... "         74 

Daughters  4  Eleanor ........ "         70 

•■      .jElBe...., '/.        70 

[Naomi. .  .  .-.^^^^  J'_:„  .80 

AGES    OF    THE    SECOND    GENERATION. 

FAMILY   OF   WILLIAM   CUDDEBACK. 

f  1st.   James about     80 

Sons    \  ^^'    ^^^^^^^^^ •  • •  •  •      "         ^2 

j  3d.    Benjamin ...      "         45 

[  4th.  Roolif  i^preinature) "         50 

Only  daughter  Sarah "  .       70 

These  are  all  the  descendants  of  the  ancient  Cudde- 


80  HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK. 

back  family  who  remained  in  the  present  town  of  Deer- 
park. 

FIKST    GENERATION. 

FAMILY   OF    ANTHONY   SWARTWOUT. 

His  (  Samuel  Swartwout about     70 

sons  I  James   Swartwout  (premature) "         63 

One  daughter,  wife  of  John  Yan  Fliet Unknown. 

SECOND    GENERATION. 

FAMILY  OF  SAMUEL  SWARTWOUT. 

JTears. 

One  only  daughter,  Elizabeth about     60 

Her  husband,  Benjamin  Depuy *'         80 

FAMILY   OF   JAMES    SWARTWOUT. 

Anne  Gumaer,  his  first  wife about     50 

90 
51 
60 
90 
90 


His  second  wife,  Anna  Westbrook 

Son  Philip  Swartwout  (premature) 

His  wife,  Deborah 

His  son,  James  Swartwout 

And  wife,  Jane  Hornbeck   

These  two  last  individuals  were  contemporary  wdth 
the  second  generation,  though  James  was  of  the  next 
descent. 


FIRST    GENERATION. 

FAMILY   OF   PETER   GUMAER. 

It  is  not  known  to  what  ages  his  five  daughters  ar- 
rived, but  none  of   them  became  old.     They  all  lived 


HISTOllY     OF     DEEllPAIJK.  81 


till  after  married  and  had  children.     Two  of  them  had 
each   one  child,  one  had   two,  another  three   and   the 
other  four.     AH  their  husbands  became  widowers   and 
two  or  more  of  them  hnd  second  wives.    It  is  probable 
that  they  all  died  between  the  Mges  of  30  and  60  years 
It  was  said  that  in  the  days  of  their  youth  they  la'bored 
very  hard,  both  on  the  farm  and   to   manufacture  their 
cloth  and   do  their  housework,  and  yet  had  a  delicate 
appearance  and  very  fair  skin.     It  was  said  of  one  of 
them  that  she  would  plough  a  whole  week  and  become 
very  dirty,  and  on  Sunday  wash  and  clean  herself  and 
put  on  clean  clothes  and  appear  in  their  reading  meet- 
ings with  skin  as  fair  and  white   as  that  of  any  lady 
who  was  kept  housed  out  of  the  sun's  influence.  Peter 
Gumaer,  their  brother,  is    the  only  one  of  the  family  I 
have  seen.     He  also  was  a  fair  complexioned  man  '  It 
was  said  that  the   ancient  Cuddebacks  were  also  fair 
complexioned,  and  that  Major  Swartwout  and  his  sons 
Esqs.  Swartwout,  were  not  only  fair  comj)lexioned    but 
large  and  yery  fine,  portly  men  when  young  in   prime 
of  life,  and  that  the  appearance  of  the  Major  on   mili- 
tary parades  was  dignified  and  noble. 

Years. 
Age  ot   Peter  Gumaer ^-^ 

SECOND     GENERATION. 

FAMILY   OF   THE    SECOND    PETER    GUMAER. 

Years. 

1st  daughter,  Esther  Gumaer .^bout     70 

Son  Peter u         or 

Daughter  Margaret ' u         ^q 


82  HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK. 

Years. 

Son  Jacob  D 92 

His  wife,  Huldah  Decker "         75 

Son  Ezekiel 80 

His  wife,  Naomi  Louw 84 

Daughter  Mary . "         80 

Her  husband,  James  Devens *'         70 

Son  Elias "         70 

His  wife,  Margaret  Depuj "         70 


FIRST    GENERATION. 

FAMILY   OF   HARMANUS   VAN   INWEGEN. 

Yea?'s. 

His  son,  Gerardus about     90 

Daughter  Hannah "         80 

Ages  of  the  wife  and  husband Unknown. 

SECOND     GENERATION. 

FAMILY  OF  GERARDUS  VAN  INWEGEN. 

Years. 

First  son,  Harmanus about     80 

His  wife,  Margaret  Cole "         85 

Son  Jacob "         70 

Son  Cornelius "         80 

His  wife,  Eleanor  West  brook. Unknown. 


HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK.  83 

Vears. 

Daughter  Hannah about     50 

Daughter  Margaret "         80 

Her  husband,  John  Wallace "         80 

HEADS    OF   FAMILIES. 

The  ages  of  the  following  heads  of  families  of  this 
neighborhood,  contemporary  with  the  second  genera- 
tion, were  as  follows,  to  wit  : 

Years. 

Jacob  E.  De  Witt about     60 

His  wife,  Jane  Depuy "         8^ 

James  Davis "         80 

His  wife,  Elizabeth  Kater "         70 

William   Geegge ''         80 

His  wife,   Leah  Davis "         80 

SLAVES. 

The  ages  of  the  following  slaves  who  were  in  this 
neighborhood,  contemporary  with  the  second  genera- 
tion, were  as  follows,  to  wit  : 

Yea7's. 
Capt.  De  Witt's  slaves  : 

Cuffee about  100 

Frances "         70 

Woman ''         60 

Esq.  Depuy's  : 

Man  Peter about     80 

Woman  Dinah "         75 

Capt.  Cuddeback's  : 

Woman  Susanna "   *    80 


84  HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK. 

Years. 
Ezekiel  Gumaer's  : 

Man  Jack "         80 

Esq.  Van  Inwegen's  : 

Woman  Susanna "         70 

James  Swartwont's  : 

Man  Anthony *. .      "  .       70 

Woman  Jucle "         70 

The  first  two  generations  of  the  four  ancient  families 
had  the  small-pox  naturally,  without  vaccination  or 
dieting  and  without  the  attendance  of  a  physician,  and 
generally  had  it  light.  A  few  individuals,  it  was 
said,  had  only  light  symptoms  of  the  disease  and  few 
pox  ;  yet  certain  individuals  of  two  families  had  them 
hard.  A  few  of  the  oldest  of  Depuy's  family  Avere 
considerably  pock-marked,  and  a  few  of  the  oldest  of 
Van  Inwegen's  family.  The  Cuddebacks  and  Gumaers 
were  not  pock-marked,  and  the  Swartwouts  very 
trifling.     . 

There  was  in  this  neighborhood  a  contagious  fever 
between  the  years  1750  and  1760,  which  was  here 
termed  "  the  long  fever."  It  commenced  in  one  of  the 
summers  near  the  end  of  harvest  time,  and  was  more 
mortal  to  the  black  people  than  the  whites.  Depuy 
lost  several  slaves,  who  died  of  this  fever.  He  said 
the  cause  had  been  attributed  to  eating  too  many 
pigeons. 

The  second  generation  of  the  four  ancient  families, 
with  few  exceptions,  remained  health}- .  Eheumatism 
sometimes  afllicted  the  members  of  the  second  Gumaer 
family,  but  still  were  able  to  perform  much  labor  and 
were  strong,  though  not  equal  in  strength  to  the  Swart- 


HISTORY     OF     'dEERPARK.  85 

wout  or  Caddeback  families.  All  were  men  of  six 
feet  stature,  exceptiag  two  of  the  Gnmaer  and  one  of 
the  Van  Inwegen  family,  and  averaging  near  200  lbs. 
weight. 


LOWER     NEIGHBOEHOOD. 

The  following  are  the  ages  of  the  first  generation  of 
descendants  of  this  neighborhood  who  were  contem- 
porary with  the  second  of  the  other,  viz.  : 

Yea7's. 

Wilhelmus  Cole  died  1829,  aged 88 

His  wife,  Leah,  died  1820,  aged 77 

Peter  Kuykendal about  80 

Martinus  (Martin)  Decker  died  in  1802,  aged 09 

Simon  Westfall  died  in  1805,  aged 87 

His  wife 85 

(Sally),  wife  of  his  son  Simon,  died  1837,  aged. .  .  95 

Solomon   Kuykendall,  Esq >  Unknown 

His  wife,  Sarah  Cole ) 

Daniel  Yan  Auken aged  about  80 

His  wife,  Leah "         "  80 

James  Van  Fliet "         "  80 

His  wife,  Margaret  Schoonover "         *'  80 

Anthony  Van  Etten,  Esq ''         "  — 

His  wife,  Hannah  Decker "         "  85 

Major  John  Decker ''         "  70 

His  wife,  Sarah  Hornbeck ''         "  80 

Johannis  (John)   Decker.  .  .  .  •  * '*         "  65 

His  wife,  Deborah  Van  Fliet "         "  50 


86  HISTOEY     OF     DEERPAEK. 

Years. 

Capt.  Johannis  (John)  Westbrook "         "         80 

His  wife,  Magdalena "         "         75 


POPULATION  OF  THE  NEIGHBORHOOD  OF 
PEENPACK. 

MANNER  OF  LIVING,  ETC.,  DURING  THE    REVOLUTIONARY 
WAR,    AND    FOR   SOME   YEARS    THEREAFTER. 

The  second  generation  came  on  the  stage  of  action 
and  were  married  and  had  their  farms  granted  to  them 
in  the  intervening  time  between  the  French  and  Revo- 
hitionary  wars,  and  commenced  their  business  transac- 
tions when  this  part  of  our  country  was  in  a  more 
thriving  condition  than  it  ever  had  been,  in  consequence 
of  the  circulation  of  a  paper  currency,  which  had  be- 
come plentiful,  and  farmers  made  money  faster  than  at 
any  previous  time  ;  but  when  the  scale  turned  by  its 
depreciation,  its  previous  value  was  lost,  which,  to- 
gether with  the  destruction  the  enemy  made  in  the  war, 
greatly  reduced  the  property  of  the  inhabitants. 

In  1777,  three  forts  were  built  in  this  neighborhood  : 
one  at  the  house  of  Esq.  Depuy  was  vacated  the  13th 
October,  1778,  on  which  day  the  enemy  invaded  this 
neighborhood  and  burned  this  house,  fort  and  other 
buildings  of  Depuy,  in  consequence  of  which  all  the 
inhabitants  of  this  neighborhood  were  collected  in  the 
fort  at  Gumaer's  and  in  Fort  De  Witt,  to  wit  : 

At  Gumaer's  the  following  families  : 

Whole  No. 
Philip   Swartwout's,  Esquire,  which,  after  the 
death  of  himself  and  two  oldest  sons  by  the 


HISTORY      OF      DEEllPARK.  87 


Whole  .No. 
enemy,  consisting    of    his   step -mother,  his 
widow,    three    sons,     a     son's    wife     and 
daughter,  two  skves  and  an  insane  man.  .  .  10 

Capt.  Abraham  Caddeback's,  which  consisted 
of  himself  and  wife,  four  son^,  two  daught- 
ers, a  nephew  and  brother,  and  three  shives  13 

Harmanus  Van  Inwegen's,  Esq.,  consisted  of 
himself  and  wife,  seven  sons,  two  daughters, 
a  brother  and  five  slaves 17 

Benjamin  Cuddeback's  were  himself  and  wife, 
four  sons,  two  daughters,  a  brother  and  two 
slaves Y\_ 

Jacob  D.  Gumaer's  was  himself  and  wife,  two 

sons,  five  daughters  and  two  slaves. .......  11 

Peter  Gumaer's,  himself  and  wife,  two   sons 

and  one  slave 5 

Ezekiel  Gumaer's,  his  father,  himself  and  wife, 

a  son  and  one  other  boy  and  one  slave 6 

Thomas  White  and  wife 2 

Mathew  Terwilliger's,  himself,  wife,   six  sons 

and  three    daughters .  _    ; \\ 

John   Wallace's,  himself,   wife,   one   son  and 

one  daughter 4 

Average    number    of     soldiers    during    nine 

months  in   each  year,  about 8 


12 
23 
63 


Amount gg 


oo  HISTOEY     OF     DEEKPARK. 

Whole  No. 
Benjamin  Depuy,  Esq.'s,  family  were  in  this 
fort  about  one  year.     It  consisted  of  him- 
self, wife,  three   sons,  three  daughters  and 
seven  slaves 15 

Whole  number  that  year 113 


At  Fort  De  Witt  were  the  following  families  : 
Capt.  Jacob  E.  De  Witt's,  which  were    him- 
self, wife,  three  sons,  six  daughters  and  four 

slaves 15 

Moses  Depuy's,  himself,  wife,  two   sons  and 

two  slaves 6 

WhoIe~  number 21 

Samue]  Depuy's,  himself,  wife,  two  sons  and 

one  slave 5 

Elias  Gumaer's,  himself,  wife,  four  sons,  two 

daughters  and  two  slaves 10 

Abraham    Cuddeback's,    himself,    wife,    four 

sons  and  one  slave 7 

Average    number    of    nine  month's    soldiers 

about 12 

Jonathan  Pierce's  family  and  a  few  other  in- 
dividuals may  have  been  in  this  fort  10  in 
number 10 


44 
21 


Amount ^^ 


HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK.  89 

^SlioU  No. 
Esq.  Depuy's  family  were  in  this  fort  during 

a  part  of  the  year,  15  in  number 15 

Whole   number 80 

There  were  some  children  born  in  both  forts,  which 
are  not  included. 

LOWER    NEIGHBORHOOD. 

ITS  FORTS  AND  SOME  OF  ITS  WAR  OCCURRENCES,  ETC. 

Previous  to  the  invasion  of  this  neighborhood  by 
the  Indians,  three  forts  had  been  built  in  it  in  1777  or 
'78  ;  one  at  the  house  of  Major  Decker,  where  George 
Cnddeback  now  lives  ^,  one  at  the  house  of  D  iniel  Van 
Auken,  near  the  present  brick  house  of  James  D. 
Swartwout,  Esq.  t,  and  the  other  at  the  house  of  Peter 
Decker,  in  the  present  village  of  Port  Jervis,  The  fort 
at  Major  Decker's  was  convenient  for  the  families  of 
Esq.  Anthony  Yan  Etten,  Sylvester  Cortright,  Gapt. 
Westbrook,  Moses  Cortright,  Abraham  Yan  Auken, 
and  Schoonhover  ;  and  the  fort  at  Yan  Auken's  was 
convenient  for  the  families  of  James  Yan  Fliet,  Solo- 
mon Kuykendall,  Esq.,  Simon  Westfall,  John  Decker, 
and  one  or  two  other  families  ;  and  the  fort  at  Decker's  % 
was  convenient  for  the  families  of  Wilhelmus  Cole, 
Martin  us  (Martin)  Decker,  Samuel  Caskey,  James 
Davis  and  Utley  Westbrook. 

*  Now  (1889)  occupied  by  Henry  G.  Cuddeback. 
t  Now  (1889)  owned  by  Ludwig  Laux. 

f  Located  upon  the  present  site  of  the  old  stone  house  in  Germantown, 
formerly  occupied  by  Stephen  St.  John,  deceased,  and  his  family. 


90  HISTOKY     OF     DEERPARK. 

On  the  20tb  of  July,  1779,  Brant,  with  a  corps  of 
Indians  and  tories,  invaded  this  neighborhood.  The 
occurrences  of  which  and  of  the  battle  of  Minisink, 
one  or  two  days  afterwards,  are  contained  in  Eager's 
History  of  Orange  County,  page  388,  &c.,  relative  to 
the  invasion  and  in  relation  to  the  battle  see  page  490, 
&c.  TJiere  were  about  18  families  in  this  neighbor- 
hood who  suffered  in  a  greater  or  less  degree  the  effects 
of  the  war,  and  a  great  proportion  of  them  lost  much 
property  by  the  plunder  and  destruction  which  the 
enemy  made  by  taking  some  of  the  best  horses,  plun- 
dering houses  of  goods  and  wearing  apparel,  burning 
of  houses,  barns  and  other  buildings.  In  addition  to 
which  a  few  prisoners  were  taken,  two  of  whom  were 
slaves  and  two  or  more  were  killed.  This  invasion 
caused  many  of  the  best  citizens  of  Goshen  and  vici- 
nity to  volunteer  and  pursue  the  enemy.  The  result  of 
this  WHS  a  more  grievous  calamity  than  the  former,  the 
results  of  which  can  be  obtained  as  mentioned. 

The  number  of  children  and  domestics  of  each 
family  in  the  lower  neighborhood  I  cannot  correctly 
determine,  but  contemplate  the  number  of  children  to 
liave  been  nearly  as  follows,  to  wit  : 

Anthony  Van  Ettjen 15 

Daniel  Yan  Auken. 15 

Major  John  Decker. 6 

Moses  Cortright. about  7 

Jacob  Schoonhover .about  3 

Abraham  Van  Auken "  4 

Capt.  John   Westbrook "  7 

John  Decker,  Sr .  . "  6 

Sylvester  Cortright "  4 


HISTOPtY      OF      DEERPAIIK.  91 

: Decker "  4 

James  Van  Fliet "  8 

Solomon  Knykendall .  Mone. 

Simon  Westfall "  6 

Wilhelmiis  Cole "  4 

Peter  Knykendall "  5 

Samnel  Caskey "  6 

Martin  us  (Martin)  Decker 3 

Utlej  Westbrook 2 

Whole   number 105 

The  number  of  children  of  those  18  families,  ac- 
cording to  my  recollections,  cannot  have  been  less 
than  100,  and  may  have  been  as  many  as  110.  How 
many  of  them  grew  up  to  years  of  maturity,  or  how 
many  died  previous  thereto  I  do  not  know.  Major 
Decker  had  two  or  three  children  by  his  first  wife,  who 
died  young;  and  John  Decker,  Sr.,  had  one  or  more  by 
his  first  wife,  who  also  died  young  before  the  war  com- 
menced, but  all  of  them  after  the  decease  of  their  re- 
spective mothers.  The  loss  of  a  mother  will  afi'ect  the 
feelings  of  some  children  much,  and  no  doubt  many  a 
child  dies  in  consequence  of  the  melancholy  state  of 
mind  produced  by  such  a  bereavement.  There  \<^ere 
two  or  more  premature  deaths  of  boys  or  young  men, 
and  there  may  have  baen  a  few  natural  deaths  in  this 
neio'hborhood  of  which  I  have  no  recollection. 


PEENPACK     NEIGHBOEHOOD. 

The  following  were  the  number  of   children  of  each 
family  in  it  during  the  war,  and  of   two  contemporary 


92 


HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK. 


families  who  came  into  it  after  the  war   ended,  to  wit : 

Children  of    Esq.  Swartwout 4 

Capt.  Cuddeback .  6 

Esq.  Yan  Inwegen. 10 

B.    Cuddeback 6 

J.  D.  Gumaer 7 

P.  Gumaer 4 

Ez.  Gumaer 2 

J.  Wallace 2 

M.  Terwilliger , 9 

Esq.    Depuy 6 

Capt.  De  Witt 9 

M.  Depuy 3 

S.  Depuy 3 

Eb.  Gumaer 6 

Ab.  Cuddeback 4 

Widow  Cuddeback 3 


Residents  after 
the   war  ended 


1 


84 

J.  Davis 7 

W.Geegge 2 


93 

Of  these  93  children  a  son  of  Ezekiel  Gumaer  died 
at  the  age  of  nearly  live  years,  a  daughter  of  Benja- 
min Caddeback  at  the  age  of  about  six  years,  and  a 
son  of  Esq.  Yan  Etten,  aged  about  12  years.  A  son  of 
Benjamin  Caddeback  (Levi),  died  prematurely  after  he 
became  a  man,  of  a  colic,  caused  by  eating  too  many 
wintergreen  berries,  and  a  son  of  Abraham  Caddeback, 
Sr.  (Philip),  also  died  prematurely  after  he  had  arrived 
at  manhood,   of   consumption,   caused  by  overheating 


HISTORY      OF     DEERPARK.  '  93 

himself  to  put  out  a  fire  in  the  woods.  Both  these  oc- 
curred a  few  years  after  the  war  ended.  All  the  others 
lived  until  after  they  were  married  and  had  families 
of  their  own  ;  but  the  greatest  part  of  them  did  not 
become  as  old  as  their  respective  parents.  The  first 
wife  of  James  Swartwout  died  in  the  fort  at  Gumaer's, 
of  consumption,  within  about  one  year  after  she  came 
into  it,  aged  about  25  years  ;  and  Peter  Gumaer  died 
of  palsy  in  this  fort,  near  the  end  of  the  war,  aged 
71  years.  There  also  were  five  premature  deaths 
caused  by  the  enemy — that  of  the  three  Swartwouts  in 
tliis  neighborhood,  as  has  been  mentioned — Gerardus 
Van  Inwegen  at  Fort  Montgomery,  and  Mathew  Ter- 
williger,  in  the  Minisink  battle. 

The  following  exhibits  a  certain  number  of  the 
children  mentioned  who  became  as  old,  and  older,  than 
their  respective  fathers  and  of  those  who  did  not  at- 
tain to  such  an  age.  In  this  I  have  excluded  those 
families  I  could  not  ascertain,  in  consequence  of  hav- 
ing removed  into  other  parts  of  our  country,  and  of 
those  untimely  deaths  not  ended  by  nature's  process, 
which  leaves  for  calculation  t"i3  following  families. 
The  left  hand  column  of  figures  shows  the  number  of 
those  who  became  as  old,  and  older,  than  their  respec- 
tive fathers,  and  the  right  hand  column  the  number  of 
those  who  did  not  arrive  to  that  age,  to  wit  : 

Oldest  Youngest 

Parents.  Children.       Children. 

Capt.  Cuddeback 2  4 

Esq.  Van  Inwegen 2  8 

Benj.  Cuddeback 4  2 

J.  D.  Gumaer 0  7 


94  HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK. 

Oldest  Youngest 

Parents.  Children.  Children. 

Peter  Gumaer 0  ,  4 

Ez.    Gumaer 1  2 

Esq.  Depuy 4  4 

S.  Depuy 3 

Eb.   Gumaer 0  6 

J.Davis 1  6 

Wm.  Geeggc 2 

J.  R.  De  Witt 4  *  5 

18  52 

This  calculation,  being  as  near  as  I  can  ascertain  the 
same,  in  respect  of  correctness,  shows  that  only  about 
one-quarter  of  the  children  of  those  families  became 
as  old  as  their  respective  fathers. 

This  great  degeneracy  will  naturally  lead  to  an  in- 
quiry respecting  the  cause  of  the  same.  To  answer 
which,  or  to  throw  some  light  on  the  subject  in  rela- 
tion thereto,  I  consider  it  necessary  to  state  the  man- 
ner and  circumstances  of  life  of  each  generation,  as 
near  as  I  am  able  to  do  it,  to  wit  : 


THE    FIRST    GENERATION 

Being  the  children  of  the  first  pioneers,  who  set- 
tled in  Peenpack  at  a  time  when  there  was  was  no 
other  production  in  this  part  of  the  country  for  them 
to  live  on  than  the  meat  they  could  obtain  of  the  wild 
animals,  fowls  and  fishes  before  they  raised  grain  or 
other  productions  for  their  diet,  and  we  have  reason  to 
infer  that  after  raising  grain  they  only  pounded  it  fine 


HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK.  95 

to  answer  for  meat  soups  and  such  bread  or  cakes  as 
thej  could  make  of  it,  to  eat  with  those  meats,  and 
that  these  were  their  chief  or  only  eatables  for  some 
years  before  they  became  enabled  to  have  any  other 
diet.  They  may,  in  the  first  instance,  have  obtained 
some  meal  from  Rochester  or  vicinity,  but  after  raising 
enough  for  their  use  it  is  probable  tbey  would  rather 
use  it  pounded  than  to  take  it  to  the  nearest  mill,  at 
that  time,  to  get  it  ground,  in  which  latter  case  the 
bran  remained  in  the  meal  and  as  they  could  obtain 
good  pounding  stones  and  blocks  from  the  Indians  to 
pound  their  grain,  and  as  the  bran  in  grinding  as  well 
as  pounding  would  remain  in  the  meal,  and  as  the 
nearest  mill  must  have  been  about  25  or  30  miles 
from  their  neighborhood,  we  have  reason  to  believe 
that  they  pounded  their  grain  for  soups  and  bread  be- 
fore mills  were  erected  in  this  town  ;  and  tbat  the 
greatest  difference  between  the  diet  of  those  families 
and  that  of  the  Indians,  was  that  the  formei  ate  a 
greater  proportion  of  vegetable  productions  than  the 
latter.  The  men  of  this  generation  of  descendants 
were  generally  stronger  than  tliose  who  succeeded 
them,from  which  it  appears  their  eatables  were  health- 
ful and  that  their  drink,  which  was  the  best  of  spring 
water,  also  promoted  healtli,  and  that  all  other  circum- 
stances which  attended  them  were  also  of  a  healthful 
character,  to  wit  :  a  pure  air  of  the  atmosphere,  not 
impregnated  with  the  exhalations  from  bad,  stagnant 
waters  ;  brooks  and  small  streams  of  clear  water  run- 
ning down  the  mountains  into  the  Neversink,  creating 
a  river  of  clear  water  passing  through  this  valley  ; 
such  lof?  houses  as  would  let   the    fresh  air    of   the  at- 


96  HISTOEY     OF     DEERPARK. 

mosphere  pass  freely  into  tbem  towards  tlie  large  lire 
they  kept  up  in  cold  weather,  and  their  continual  ex- 
ercises in  their  boyhood  with  the  Indian  children  in 
hunting,  fishing,  &c.,  and  in  all  their  sportive  exer- 
cises of  running,  wrestling,  &c.,  all  had  a  tendency  to 
promote  health  and  strength  and  tit  them  for  the  labor 
tliey  had  to  perform  as  they  advanced  in  growth  and 
after  arriving  to  manhood,  in  respect  to  which  how- 
ever some  parents  were  more  indulgent  than  others, 
and  those  of  the  most  persevering"  business  character 
compelled  their  children  to  labor  harder  than  those 
parents  who  were  less  persevering. 


SECOND  GENERATION. 

My  own  recollection  reaches  no  farther  back  than 
the  time  in  which  all  of  them  had  families  and  when 
most  of  their  children  were  small,  but  I  have  under- 
stood that  their  bi'ead  was  made  of  unbolted  wheat 
meal  sifted  through  hand  sieves  to  take  out  the  coarse 
bran,  until  after  they  had  grown  up  to  years  of  matur- 
ity, and  that  after  bolting  meal  was  first  introduced 
some  persons  said  it  was  too  extravagent  to  use  only 
the  fine  flour  to  eat  and  to  use  all  the  rest  for  feed. 
During  this  time,  and  until  all  had  families,  many 
deers,  bears,  raccoons,  wild  fowls  atid  fishes  continued 
to  exist,  and  the  inhabitants  were  furnished  with  many 
meats,  in  consequence  of  which  they  did  not  make  use 
of  as  much  pork  and  beef  as  they  did  after  those  wild 
creatures  and  fishes  became  scarce. 

As  far  back  as  I  remember,  being   from    about   the 
year  1774,  in  my  father's  family  mush  made  of   Indian 


HISTORY      OF     DEERPARK.  97 

meal  and  milk  (generally  buttermilk),  bread-  and  milk? 
buttermilk  pop  of  two  kinds  and  bread  and  butter  was 
a  very  general  diet,  not  only  of  his  family  but  of  all 
those  in  the  forts  during  the  war  and  for  some  years 
thereafter  throughout  this  neigliborhood.  It  was  also 
very  common  to  have  a  dinner  pot  of  pork  and  beef, 
or  either  of  these  boiled  together  with  peeled  potatoes, 
turnips  or  other  sauce.  The  bread  used  during  this 
time  was  rye  l)read,  not  as  white  as  we  generally  now 
have  it.  It  was  very  common  to  have  a  pot  of  sweet 
milk  thickened  with  wheat  flour  lumps  boiled  every 
Sunday  morning  for  breakfast  and  for  a  part  ot  the 
dinner.  These  were  the  most  general  diet  during  the 
warm  season  of  the  year.  In  winter,  a  greater  pro- 
portion of  meat,  potatoes,  turnips  and  o'dier  vegeta- 
bles, dried  apples,  pumpkins,  beans,  &c.  were  eateii,  and 
less  milk  diet  ;  yet  the  supper  generally  consisted  both 
summer  and  winter  of  mush  and  milk  or  buttermilk  poj)> 
except  in  families  during  a  time  where  cows  happened 
to  be  all  dry.  The  supper  was  had  without  any  addi- 
tion except  in  the  long  summer  days  when  bread  and 
butter  was  added.  Some  buckwheat  pancake  was 
generally  eaten  in  winter.  Njw,  inaddition  to  those 
common  diets,  they  sometimes  had  as  a  rarity,  wheat 
flour  shortcakes,  doughnuts  boiled  in  hog's  lard,  pan- 
cakes baked  thin  in  a  frying  pan,  puddings  and  dump- 
lings boiled  in  water  and  eaten  with  a  palatable  gravy, 
chicken  pot-pie,  chicken  soup,  eggs  boiled  or  fried  and 
sometimes  used  in  other  different  ways  ;  many  apple 
pies  and  huckleberry  pies  were  made  when  these 
fruits  and  berries  were  plenty.  They  also  had  for 
winter  rarity  sausages  of  hog's  meat,  <fec. 

In  respect  to  the  other  attendants   of  air,  water  and 


98  HISTORY     OF     DEERPABK. 

exercise  which  have  heretofore  been  mentioned,  this 
generation  .ejijoyed  all  these  in  the  same  manner  as 
the  firsf;,  J?ut,  tfhes,e  had  superior  dwellings  which  were 
comfo^^table  stone  houses  which  every  farmer,  with 
vei;y  few  exceptions,  in  this  town  possessed  before  i/h6 
Revolutionary  War  commenced.  These  were  closer 
than  the  first  dwellings  erected  here,  but  still  not  rery 
tigjit  houses.  Each  room  generally  had  an  outside 
door,  and  all  the  rooms  generally  were  on  the  lower 
floor ;  the  chamber  above  these  was  used  for  granaries, 
flour  barrels,  and  to  store  many  different  articles.  The 
celjars  were  used  for  their  milk  and  dairy  articles,  meat 
casks,  cider  barrels,  winter  apples,  potatoes,  turnips, 
and  other  vegetables.  These  cellar  articles  were  not 
saleable  in  former  times,  but  were  generally  used  by 
the  families  who  produced  them. 

The  table  furniture  generally  consisted  of  ordinary 
tabje  .knives,  and  forks,  pewter  plates,  pewter  basins 
and.  platters  of  different  sizes,  pewter  spoons,  and  a 
pew,ter  mug  which  would  contain  about  two  quarts  of 
cidpr,  on  which  was  a  cover  to  open  and  close  by  means 
of  a  hi,nge,  which  last  article  was  generally  brought  on 
the  table  .for  dxink  when  the  meal  eonsisted  of  meat 
and  hearty  victuals^  but  was  not  used  with  their  milk 
diets. 

In  the  time  of  the  war  many  of  those  articles  were 
destroyed,  and  wooden  plates,  wooden  bowls  and 
dishes  of  different  sizes  were  manufactured  with  a 
turning  lathe  and  used  for  table  furniture. 

Now,  although  our  parents  lived  in  this  plain  and 
simple  style,  yet  our  mothers  were  as  neat  and  clean 
housekeepers  as  their  circumstances  and  business  con- 
cerns  would    admit.     They   generally    cleaned   liovise 


HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK.  99 

every  spring  and  fall,  iu  whicli  they  scrubbed  and 
washed  with  soap-suds  the  under  part  of  the  upper 
floor  and  beams,  and  whitewashed  the  walls,  and  every 
Saturday  scrubbed  and  wiped  the  floors  of  their  sitting 
rooms  and  kitchens.  Floor  carpets  were  not  used  in 
their  time.  The  linen  shirts,  trowsers  and  frocks  of 
the  men  and  boys,  and  the  linen  clothes  of  the  women 
worn  during  one  week,  were  in  the  next  boiled  in  a 
pot  or  kettle  of  lye,  and,  after  a  proper  time,  the  pot 
was  carried  out  to  a  pounding  block,  where,  while  hot, 
the  clothes  were  taken  out  by  pieces  and  battled  on 
the  block  with  a  battle,  and  then  put  in  a  tub  of  soap- 
suds, made  of  soft  home-made  soap,  in  which  the  same 
wag  washed  and  thereafter  rinsed  in  clean  water  and 
dried.  Our  fathers,  their  sons  and  slaves,  labored  hard 
in  the  hot  season  of  the  year  and  often  wet  their  shirts 
and  trowsers  with  the  sweat  of  their  bodies,  and  this 
manner  of  boiling,  battling  and  washing  those  linen 
clothes  was  very  effectual  to  clean  the  same. 

All  the  travel  before  the  war,  in  time  of  the  war  and 
for  some  years  thereafter,  was  performed  on  foot,  on 
horf^eback,  and  in  lumber  wagons  and  lumber  sleds.  In 
this  manner  people  visited  each  other,  and  attended  to 
all  their  religious  and  other  meetings,  and  to  all  their 
traveling  business  concerns.  Many  of  the  women  had 
become  habituated  to  ride  on  horseback,  and  had  their 
side-saddles  for  the  same.  When  a  dance  was  had, 
the  young  men  fetched  the  girls  on  horseback,  and  the 
young  man's  horse  became  the  carrier  of  him  and  his 
lady,  who  mounted  on  it  behind  him.  In  those  times 
no  paints  adorned  the  houses  of  our  fathers,  nor  arti- 
cles of  fancy  their  rooms.  No  fanciful  tables  or  table 
furniture  ;  no  great  variety  of  eatables  and  drinks  were 


100  HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK. 

furnished  for  one  meal ;  no  clotliing  of  superfine  cloth 
or  silk  was  worn  in  those  times,  nor  even  a  pair  of 
boots  and  rarely  a  fur  hat.  Pleasure  wagons  and 
pleasure  sleighs  did  not  ease  and  make  comfortable  the 
travels  of  our  parents  ;  no  umbrellas  covered  their 
heads  from  the  rays  of  the  sun  and  the  storms  through 
which  they  had  to  pass.  All  of  which  articles  are  now 
furnished  in  great  abundance,  and  generally  all  can 
enjoy  more  or  less  of  them. 

The  buildings  of  those  times,  especially  before  the 
war,  for  storing  grain,  hay,  horses  and  cattle,  consisted 
of  a  barn  and  one  or  two  barracks  for  each  farmer,  all 
covered  Avith  straw  roofs.  The  barns  were  built  nearly 
square  on  the  ground,  with  a  floor  through  its  middle 
and  a  stable  along  one  side  for  horses  and  one  along 
the  otlier  side  for  cattle.  When  the  barn  would  not 
contain  all  the  grain  raised  on  the  farm,  one  or  two 
barracks  were  erected  by  setting  four  or  five  long  posts 
in  the  ground,  hewed  eight  square,  tapered  towards 
the  top  end.  Holes  to  contain  iron  bolts  about  an 
inch  and  a  half  thick  were  bored  through  each  post 
at  about  one  foot  and  a  half  apart,  from  the  bottom  to 
the  top.  These  holes  contained  the  bolts  on  which 
tlie  frame  of  the  roof  laid,  which  was  raised  to  the  top 
of  the  poles  by  means  of  a  windlass,  and,  after  being 
filled  witli  grain,  whenever  any  of  it  was  taken  out,  the 
roof  was  let  down  therewith  to  prevent  rain  and  snow 
from  blowing  on  it. 

This  generation  generally  ended  their  days  after  the 
commencement  of  a  great  change  in  our  countr}^ ;  and 
by  contrasting  their  manner  of  life  with  that  of  the 
l^resent  time  (now  1858),  we  behold   the  great   chauge 


HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK.  101 


made  in  a  term  of  about  half  a  century  in  the  habits 
of  life  in  this  town. 


THIRD    GENERATION. 

Between  the  years  1780  and  1800  this  generation  of 
the  Peenpack  neighborhood,  of  which  I  am  a  member, 
and  the  second  generation  of  the  lower  neighborhood, 
came  on  the  stage  of  action  and  Commenced  their  own 
business  transactions,  in  which  we  generall}^  followed 
in  the  habits  of  our  parents  in  respect  to  labor  and 
diet,  which  continued  for  some  time  after  the  war 
ended.  A  change  from  the  moral  behavior  of  our  parents 
was  generated  among  the  young  people  in  the  time  of 
the  war,  and  rude,  vulgar  and  uncivilized  habits  had 
been  acquired.  After  the  war  ended  West  India 
and  York  rum  was  introduced  into  this  part  of  our 
country  after  stores  became  established  in  it,  and 
fanners  generally  began  to  use  these  liquors  in  time  of 
harvest  and  haying,  during  which  time,  in  the  first  in- 
stance, a  dram  was  taken  early  in  the  morning  and 
work  commenced  and  continued  until  about  8  o'clock, 
when  breakfast  was  taken  and  then  a  bottle  which 
held  near  a  quart  was  filled  with  liquor  and  taken  to 
the  field  for  about  six  laborers,  to  last  that  day.  This 
had  been  a  practice  before  the  war  commenced  and 
was  considered  to  be  an  antidote  against  people  in- 
juring themselves  hy  drinking  cold  water  when  the 
body  was  much  heated  by  labor  ;  and  as  those  liquors 
enlivened  people  and  made  them  more  vigorous  to 
perform  work  'during  their  operation,  it  was  thought 
to  be  profitable  in  that  respect.     These,  and  the  use  of 


102  HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK. 

cider,  were   the  first   changes   in  this   town,  from  the 
habits  of  the  people  in  the  time  of  the  war. 


USE  OF   SPIKITS  AT   FUNERALS    AND    WED- 
DINGS. 

Liquor  was  used  at  funerals.  The  practice  was 
to  give  each  person  a  dram  before  entering  the  house 
in  which  the  corpse  was.  This  was  done  by  two  men 
who  were  placed  with  liquor  at  each  door  of  the  house 
or  each  side  of  one  door,  and  was  thought  in  those 
times  to  be  an  antidote  against  contagion,  and  for  that 
purpose  a  dram  was  given  to  each  bearer  before  he 
performed  his  official  duty.  Rum  and  cider  were  also 
used  to  treat  people  for  their  services  in  assisting  in 
raising  buildings  after  the  war  had  ended.  Rum  was 
also  used  at  weddings  to  treat  tlie  friends  who  at- 
tended it.  In  those  anterior  times  and  even  within 
my  own  recollection,  it  was  customary  to  invite  to  a 
wedding  all  the  young  people  in  this  present  town  and 
some  down  the  Delaware  in  New  Jersey  and  Pennsyl- 
vania ;  and  people,  after  the  war  ended,  had  not 
the  means  to  furnish  a  variety  of  good  victuals  for 
their  friends  and  neighbors  who,  yet  treated  them  with 
those  liquors,  which  had  a  superior  estimation  in  those 
times  to  that  of  the  present.  They  cheered  and  made 
lively  and  sociable  the  friends  and  neighbors  who  col- 
lected together,  with  trifling,  if  any,  evil  consequences, 
for  people  in  those  days  guarded  themselves  against 
drinking  so  much  as  to  become  intoxicated  and  I  have 


HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK.  103 

never  known  of  any  farmer  of  tlie  second  generation 
becoming  drunk,  yet  there  may  have  been  such  instan- 
ces, and  in  progress  of  years  it  became  a  custom  to 
make  many  afternoon  frolics  with  liquor  to  get  differ- 
ent jobs  of  work  done.  This  led  to  intemperance  and 
their  multiplicity  was  unprofitable  in  a  neighborhood. 
The  young  people  sometimes  had  rude  dancing  frolics, 
where  their  only  beverage  was  rum  which  was  used  in 
different  ways,  clear,  sweetened  with  sugar,  or  made 
into  sling,  milk  punch,  eggnog,  &c.  The  quantity  of 
liquor  drinked  at  these  frolics,  and  the  rudeness  of  the 
times  caused  many  a  fist  fight,  and  this  fighting  be- 
came common  at  other  gatherings  of  people  where 
liqnor  was  drank. 

The  use  of  those  liquors  increased  and  others  Avere 
introduced,  such  as  gin,  brandy  and  different  sorts  of 
wines,  &c.  All  these, generally  of  foreign  manufacture, 
in  progress  of  time,  were  kept  for  sale  in  stores  by  the 
large  measure,  and  in  taverns  by  small  measure,  where 
travelers  and  others  who  entered  the  taverns  could  not 
only  have  a  choice  of  the  variety  of  liquors,  but  also 
have  their  palatable  taste  improved  by  the  infusion  of 
sugar  and  other  articles,  whereby  slings,  milk  punch, 
eggnog,  hot  toddy  and  other  palatable  compositions 
were  made  and  much  drinked  in  taverns.  And  in  pro- 
cess of  time  distilleries  were  numerously  erected  in 
this  part  of  our  country,  and  cider  and  rye  whisky, 
peach  brandy,  &c.  were  distilled  in  great  quantities 
and  other  liquors  were  sometimes  formed  out  of  these. 
All  of  this  flooded  our  country  with  a  great  amount  of 
liquors  of  different  kinds,  the  use  of  which  became  so 
fashionable  that  the  greater  part  of  families  generally 
kept  some  in  their  houses  to  treat  therewith  the  friends 


104  HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK. 

and  neighbors  who  should  visit  them,  and  occasionally 
to  use  it  in  the  family. 

After  some  years'  continuance  of  this  extravagant 
use  of  spirituous  liquors,  its  pernicious  effects  became 
apparent,  and  the  writings  of  those  who  exclaimed 
against  it,  the  warnings  from  the  pulpit,  and  at  last  the 
formation  of  temperance  societies  had  the  effect  of 
making  the  practice  of  keeping  and  using  liquor  in 
families  unfashionable,  and  it  became  generally  aban- 
doned and  many  refrained  from  its  use.  This  was  a 
fortunate  change,  for  all  classes  of  people  had  become 
sufferers  from  the  bad  effects  of  those  habits  which 
had  principally  originated  from  the  introduction  of  the 
fashion  oi  treating  each  other  with  those  liquors  pre- 
pared in  the  most  palatable  manner,  both  at  home  and 
in  taverns  ;  and  I  have  no  doubt  that  more  than  one- 
half  of  the  liquor  drank  in  those  days  was  merely  to 
follow  the  fashion  of  the  times.  Men  generally  dis- 
like to  be  different  from  others.  Tliis  is  a  powerful 
inducement  to  sway  men  to  conform  in  a  greater  or 
less  degree  to  the  customs  and  fashions  of  their  time, 
and,  wheQ  these  happen  to  be  pernicious,  thousands 
sometimes  become  the  sufferers  from  their  evil  conse- 
quences. 


TREATING    VISITORS. 

About  the  year  1800,  the  practice  of  keeping  spirit- 
uous liquors  and  other  appendages  in  families  to  treat 
visitors  commenced.  In  1813,  when  I  commenced 
housekeeping,  I  thought  it  necessary  to  keep  liquor, 
sugar,  &c.,  in  the  house  to  treat  visitors,  and  from  that 


HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK.  105 

time  until  temperance  societies  were  formed,  I  tliouglit 
I  could  not  aojreeably  entertain  a  visitor  witliovit  hav- 
ing those  articles,  and  if  I  happened  to  have  none  in 
the  house  at  such  time  I  generally  sent  out  for  them. 

Cider  had  been  a  very  plentiful  and  common  drink 
in  this  neighborhood  for  many  years.  Ciiddeback  and 
Gumaer  had  been  in  the  habit  of  drinking  wine  in 
their  country,  and  after  settling  here,  it  appears,  made 
early  provision  to  have  cider  for  their  drink  ;  for  there 
were  apple  trees  in  their  orchards  and  in  Yan  Inwe- 
gen's  orchard  between  two  and  three  feet  in  diameter 
in  the  time  of  the  Revolution  ;  and  when  Gumaer  (my 
grandfather)  built  his  house,  before  the  French  war 
commenced,  he  had  an  opening  left  in  tha  back  wall  of 
his  cider  cellar  for  a  gutter  to  pass  through  it  from  his 
cider  press  back  of  the  house  into  the  cellar,  and  this 
gutter  and  others  led  the  cider  into  the  different  cider 
barrels  in  it.  From  which  it  appears  that  the  making 
of  cider  had  become  quite  a  business  at  that  time,  and, 
as  it  was  no  salable  article,  it  was  generally 
all  drank  by  the  family  and  visitors  and  by 
the  Indians.  It  was  a  common  drink  from  the 
time  it  was  made  in  the  fall  until  spring,  when 
Gumaer  made  beer  to  drink  in  warm  weather,  for  which 
he  had  a  large  brass  kettle  set  on  mason  work,  a  long 
building  and  other  fixtures  to  make  and  dry  his  malt. 
The  use  of  cider  by  the  white  people  never  made  them 
drunk,  but  so:ne  Indians,  if  they  could  get  enough  to 
drink,  would  sometimes  get  both  drunk  and  abusive, 
in  consequence  of  which  it  was  generally  withheld 
from  them  after  they  had  drank  enough.  In  respect  to 
which  I  will  here  relate  an  occurrence.     A  large,  stout 


106  HISTOEY     OF     DEERPARK. 

Indian  at  a  certain  time,  came  to  Gnmaer's  and  asked 
for  a  drink  of  cider.  The  pewter  mug,  which  held  two 
quarts,  was  filled  and  given  to  him.  He  drank  and  set 
it  down  by  him,  which,  after  drinking  a  few  times,  he 
emptied  and  asked  for  more.  Gnmaer  told  him  he  had 
drank  enougl),  and  that  he  would  not  let  him  have 
more.  The  Indian,  after  asking  a  few  times  and  see- 
ing he  would  not  get  more,  took  the  mug  and  went  off 
with  it.  Gumaer  went  to  the  barn,  where  his  black 
man.  Jack  (who  feared  no  Indian),  was  threshing  with 
other  hands,  and  told  him  that  the  Indian  had  gone  off 
with  the  mug  and  that  he  must  go  and  get  it  from  him. 
Jack  went,  overtook  the  Indian,  got  hold  of  the  mug, 
and,  after  a  hard  scuffle,  got  it  from  him  and  returned 
to  his  work.  The  Indian  also  returned  and  followed 
Jack  to  the  bain  and  challenged  him  to  fight.  Jack, 
having  felt  his  strength,  did  not  like  to  undertake  it  ; 
but,  after  some  provocation  of  the  Indian,  a  severe, 
long  and  hard  fight  was  had,  in  which  Jack  became 
the  conqueror.  He  had  had  many  a  fist  fight  with  the 
Indians,  but  said  this  was  the  hardest  he  ever  had. 
The  Indians,  when  they  became  somewhat  intoxicated, 
would  often  fight  each  other,  in  which  they  would 
make  great  exertions  to  get  hold  of  each  other's  heads 
and  try  to  twist  each  other's  necks.  From  all  of  which, 
it  appears,  they  could  drink  more  cider  than  the  white 
people  and  enough  to  make  them  drunk,  against  which 
the  latter  had  to  guard  to  evade  the  trouble  of  their 
intoxication.  They  would  never  revenge  injuries  which 
emanated  therefrom,  but  imputed  the  same  to  the 
liquor  as  the  sole  cause. 

After  rum  was  kept  in  taverns  in  our  neighborhoods 


HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK.  107 

a  company  of  Indians  from  other  places  sometimes 
came  here  to  have  a  drinking  frolic,  for  which  they 
procured  rum  and  'selected  a  place  for  that  purpose  at 
a  distance  from  the  dwellings  of  the  white  inhabitants, 
so  as  not  to  disturb  them,  where  they  appointed  two 
of  their  number  to  keep  sober  to  watch  and  prevent 
them  from  hurting  each  other.  To  these  two  men  they 
gave  up  all  their  guns,  hatchets  and  knives,  who  hid 
them  out  of  the  way  so  that  they  should  not  have 
weapons  wherewith  to  hurt  each  other  ;  and  when  all 
their  arrangements  were  made  they  began  to  drink  and 
soon  got  into  a  very  noisy,  turbulent  and  rude  frolic, 
in  which  they  would  whoop,  halloo,  take  Lold  of  each 
other,  scuffle,  wrestle  and  sometimes  fight.  This  they 
continued  till  their  thirst  for  rum  became  satisfied,  and 
after  becoming  sober,  they  were  dull,  stupid  and  de- 
prived of  the  liveliness  and  activity  they  possessed 
before  they  commenced  drinking,  which  had  to  be  re- 
stored by  abstinence. 


NO  DRUNKAKDS  AMONG  THEM. 

The  first  and  second  generations  of  the  first  four  fam- 
ilies who  remained  in  this  neighborhood  had  the  free 
use  of  cider  for  a  term  of  about  one  hundred  years, 
including  the  time  of  the  war,  in  which  they  could  not 
have  it,  and  during  the  greatest  part  of  all  that  time 
had  the  means  to  procure  as  much  other  liquor  as  they 
craved,  and  yet  not  a  single  individual  of  them  be- 
came a  drunkard.  When  they  came  into  compan}^ 
where  rum  or  other  spirituous  liquors  were  drank, 
they   would   become   lively,    cheerful    and   humorous, 


108  HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK. 

by  partaking  of  the  same,  but  not  as  the  saying  is 
''  under  foot."  Such  instances  of  sobriety,  under  such 
attending  circumstances,  for  such  a  length  of  time, 
seldom  occur. 

We  of  the  third  generation,  as  well  as  our  fore- 
fathers, have  also  been  in  a  like  habit  of  drinking 
cider  during  the  greater  part  of  our  lives,  and  for 
many  years  in  the  habit  of  drinking  all  sorts  of  spirit- 
uous liquors  without  a  single  individual  of  us  becom- 
ing what  is  termed  a  drunkard,  but  two  or  three  of  our 
class  did  sometimes  become  intoxicated  and  made  a 
considerable  approach  towards  being  entirely  over- 
come by  the  effect  of  liquor.  Sucli  also  was  the  ad- 
vancement of  Gumaer  toward  those  allurements  as 
has  been  mentioned  and  there  have  been  rare  instan- 
ces of  some  of  us  of  sober  lives  becoming  intoxicated. 
It  is  now  (in  1858)  168  years  since  this  neighborhood 
was  first  settled.  Take  28  years  from  this  time  for 
the  growth  of  an  orchard  to  make  cider,  and  140  years 
remain  for  tlie  use  of  its  production  which  must  have 
become  plentiful  within  a  less  time  than  28  years,  for 
the  first  orchards  of  Cuddeback  and  Gumaer  and  one 
of  Swartwout,  which  became  Van  Inwegen's,  were  on 
the  very  best  of  tiieir  river  flats  and  must  have  had  a 
very  quick  growth  ;  the  trees  became  large  and  were 
between  two  and  three  feet  in  diameter  about  the  year 
1780  when  they  appeared  to  have  their  full  growth 
and  some  limbs  began  to  die.  From  all  of  which  we 
have  reason  to  infer  that  the  manufacturing  of  cider 
commenced  here  before  the  year  1720  and  that  much 
of  it  had  been  drank  here  from  that  time  until  the  year 
1840,  previous  to  which   its   use    began    to    abate  and 


HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK.  109 

within  that  time  many  other  spirituous  liquors  have 
been  used  with  a  mere  trifle  of  intoxication  for  so  long 
a  time. 

Now,  although  we  and  our  forefathers  received  a 
mere  trifle  of  the  bad  effects  of  liquors  in  this  respect, 
jet  the  constitution  of  some  of  us  must  have  been  in- 
jured by  their  use.  I,  mjself,  have  experienced  the 
bad  eftects  therefrom  in  respect  to  my  own  constitu- 
tion, which  at  one  time  became  so  weak  against  its 
efi*ects  that  if  I  drank  so  as  to  feel  the  least  alteration 
from  its  influence  it  hurt  me.  This,  however,  was  not 
the  case  with  many  others  ;  some  hard  drinking  men 
who  came  here  among  us  remained  healthy  and  lived 
to  be  old.  Whether  such  would  or  would  not  have 
arrived  to  an  older  age  without  the  use  of  liquor  is  un- 
certain. 

Our  diets  continued  to  be  the  same  as  has  been  men- 
tioned for  some  years  after  the  Revolutionary  War 
ended  ;  but  the  diets  of  mush,  <fec.,  which  were  eaten 
with  milk,  began  to  be  abandoned  after  different  kinds 
of  teas  and  coflee  began  to  be  used, and, after  becoming 
generally  used,  the  milk  diets  were  in  a  manner  wholly 
abandoned.  In  these  drinks  a  little  milk  and  sugar 
was  put  ;  molasses  also  was  very  plentifully  used,  and 
with  this,  sugar  and  other  articles,  many  palatable, 
different  kinds  of  sweet  cakes,  pies,  &c.,  were  made  ; 
also,  different  kinds  of  spices  became  fashionable  for 
adding  agreeable  flavors  to  some  diets.  Now,  all  these 
are  eatables  and  drinks  which  we  did  not  have  in  our 
early  days.  In  addition  to  all  these  we  now  have  dif- 
ferent kinds  of  preserves  made  with    sugar,  molasses, 


110  HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK. 

and  different  sorts  of  fruit,  berries,  &c.,  and  some  other 
diets  we  did  not  have. 

After  tea  and  coffee  had  been  used  for  some  time, 
they  were  preferred  by  the  young  people  to  the  milk 
diet ;  but  some  of  the  older  class,  who  had  been  habit- 
uated to  eatiijg  buttermillk  pop,  mush  and  milk,  and 
other  diets,  often  chose  to  have  these  in  preference  to 
tea  or  coffee.     Such  are  the  effects  of  habit. 

As  to  our  industry  and  labors  for  the  support  of  our 
families  and  to  make  advancement,  they  continued 
during  our  lives  to  be  about  the  same  on  an  average  as 
those*  of  our  parents,  in  which  some  were  more  perse- 
vering and  others  less  than  their  respective  parents. 

The  inhabitants  of  the  lower  neighborhood  who 
were  contemporary  with  our  parents,  and  those  who 
were  the  same  with  ourselves,  have  also  continued  and 
progressed  in  about  the  same  manner  as  we  and  our 
parents  have  done  in  the  habits  of  life  mentioned. 

After  our  manner  of  living  changed,  we  were  from 
time  to  time  afflicted  with  ailments  and  diseases  wliich 
all  have  continued  to  suffer  at  times,  more  or  less, 
until  the  present  time  ;  but  of  late  years  have  not  had 
such  mortal  distempers  in  this  vicinity  as  some  we  had 
at  certain  previous  periods. 


PHYSICAL    STRENGTH    OF    FIRST    GENERA- 
TION. 

The  first  generation  of  the  sons  of  the  four  families 
were  reputed  to  have  been  strong  men.  It  was  said 
that  the  three  eldest  sons  of  Jacob  Cuddeback,  Benja- 


HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK.  Ill 

mill,  William  andJames,  could  carry  12  skipple  wheat 
(9  bushels),  by  putting  it  into  four  tliree-skipple  sacks, 
and,  placing  one  under  each  arm  and  taking  hold  with 
each  hand  of  the  top  of  the  others,  could,  on  a  barn 
floor,  in  this  manner  carry  it  from  one  end  of  the  barn 
to  the  other  ;  and  that  Antbony  Swart  wont's  two  sons, 
Samuel  and  James,  could  do  the  same,  and  that  Har- 
nsianus  Yan  Inwegeu's  son  Gerardus,  who  was  a  smaller 
man,  could  carry  it  a  few  steps.  Abraham  Cucldeback, 
youngest  son  of  his  father,  could  not  do  it,  nor  Peter 
Guniaer's  son  Peter,  so  that  only  two  out  of  eight  were 
nnable  to  carry  it.  From  which  the  difference  of  their 
bodily  strength,  and  that  of  those  now  on  the  stage  of 
action  becomes  apparent. 

The  degeneracy  of  the  inhabitants  of  this  neighbor- 
hood lias  not  been  confined  to  them  alone,  but  has  ex- 
tended from  here  down  the  Neversink  and  Delaware 
rivers  throughout  the  Holland  Dutch  settlements  ;  also 
from  this  neighborhood  to  Kingston.  In  the  lower 
neighborhood  in  this  town  formerly  were  men  as  stout 
as  those  mentioned.  It  was  said  that  one  man  in  it 
could  add  one  more  bag  of  wheat  and  hold  it  with  his 
teeth,  and  carry  15  skipple  wheat  (11^  bushels). 

Among  the  first  generation  along  the  Delaware  river 
in  the  States  of  New  Jersey  and  Pennsylvania,  were 
men  of  equa]  strength  with  those  mentioned,  but  not 
generally  as  strong.  Such  was  also  the  case  in  respect 
to  the  inhabitants  from  liere  to  Kingston. 

The  second  generation  of  the  four  families  did  not 
arrive  to  as  great  bodily  strength  as  the  first,  but  still 
were  strong  men.  All  of  them,  excepting  three,  were 
men  wliose  stature  averaged  about  six  feet,  and  their 
average  weight  was  near  200  lbs.  when    in  prime  of 


112  HISTOEY     OF     DEERPARK. 

life.  Two  of  the  three,  who  were  of  shorter  stature, 
averaged  about  the  same  weight.  I  have  seen  the 
smallest,  lightest  and  weakest  man  of  their  whole  num- 
ber with  only  the  use  of  one  hand,  take  a  short  three 
skipple  sack,  filled  with  rye,  from  the  ground  and  put 
it  on  his  shoulder.  There  were  twelve  of  these  men, 
and  nine  of  them  had  families.  These  had  36  sons, 
who  were  all  inferior  in  bodily  strength  to  their  respet;- 
tive  fathers,  and  were  all  smaller  and  lighter  men,  ex- 
cepting a  few  of  the  sons  of  Cornelius  Van  Inwegen, 
who  were  taller  and  may  have  been  heavier  than  their 
fathers,  and  nearly  or  quite  as  strong.  All  the  others 
were  inferior  to  their  fathers,  and  some  much  weaker 
in  strength.  Such  a  change  in  the  bodily  characteris- 
tics of  these  sons  from  that  of  their  fathers  must  have 
proceeded  from  their  different  liabits  during  the  time 
of  their  respective  growths,  in  which  there  was  some 
difference,  both  in  respect  to  diet  and  other  attend- 
ants. The  first  (being  the  second  generation)  during 
their  growth  had  for  their  eatables  bread  of  unbolted 
wheat  meal  and  meat  soups,  thickened  with  such  meal, 
and  they  had  a  great  proportion  of  wild  meat  of  ani- 
mals, fowls  and  fishes,  which  were  yet  plentiful  here  at 
that  time.  These  diets  their  children  did  not  have 
during  the  time  of  their  growth,  excepting  a  meal  of 
fresh  wild  meat  sometimes.  They  had  rye  bread  and 
pork  and  beef,  preserved  with  salt.  This  meat  was 
generally  used  for  dinner,  together  with  some  potatoes, 
turnips,  and  other  kinds  of  roots  and  vegetables. 
Bread  and  butter,  mush  and  milk,  and  other  milk  diets 
potatoes,  turnips,  and  other  roots  and  vegetables,  were 
plentiful  here  during  the  growth  of  the  first  as  well  as 


HISTORY     OF     DEERPAEK.  113 

the  second  of  those  two  classes  of  people.  Now,  in 
addition  to  the  change  mentioned,  there  was  another 
of  a  different  nature,  which  must  have  affected  in  a 
small  degree  the  growth  of  the  first,  and  in  a  great 
degree  that  of  the  latter.  This  was  the  effect  of  the 
French  and  Revolutionary  wars,  in  each  of  which  a 
fort  was  built  at  the  house  of  Gumaer,  and  his  neigh- 
bors all  collected  in  it,  which  had  the  effect  of  creating 
more  impure  air  in  it  than  when  occupied  by  one 
family.  This,  in  the  first  war,  could  not  hurt  the  con- 
stitutions of  the  children  as  much  as  in  the  next,  be- 
cause its  duration  was  shorter,  and  most  of  them  were 
sent  from  here  to  relatives  in  other  places,  and  there 
were  not  as  many  in  the  fort  as  in  the  last  war  when 
the  number  in  it  of  all  classes  was  about  100  from  the 
time  the  fort  was  built  in  1777  until  the  war  ended. 
The  walls  of  the  house,  both  in  the  rooms  below  and 
on  the  chamber,  were  all  lined  with  beds,  and  although 
the  inmates  of  the  house  remained  healthy,  yet  the  col- 
lection of  so  many  people  in  it,  and  their  beds  and 
bedding,  must  have  created  much  impure  air,especially 
in  the  night  when  the  doors  were  shut  and  all  were  in 
it,  whereby  the  constitutions  of  the  children  must  have 
become  weakened  and  their  growth  retarded,  so  as  to 
Ivive  remained  both  weaker  and  smaller  than  what 
they  would  have  been  if  the  war  had  not  occurred. 
This  stagnation  of  growth,  which  caused  the  third  gen- 
eration to  remain  inferior  in  strength  to  their  respec- 
tive fathers,  did  not  continue  to  debilitate  in  the  same 
ratio,  the  fourth  class,  but  these  arrived  to  about  or 
nearly  the  same  strength  of  body  as  that  of  their 
fathers.  In  relation  to  health,  however,  there  has 
been  a  gradual  decline,  and  people  have    now  become 


114  HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK. 

more  subject  to  disease  in   this  town  than  in  former 
times. 

The  Holland  Dutch,  who  settled  throughout  this 
valley,  must  have  had  sound  and  strong  constitutions, 
which  their  children  inherited  unimpaired,  and  the 
manner  in  which  they  were  brought  up  and  lived 
during  the  time  of  their  growth  in  this  valley  must 
have  been  very  conducive  to  sustain  health  and  pro- 
mote strength. 


CHARACTERS. 

There  are  certain  predominating  characteristics  in 
families  which,  in  some  cases,  will  remaia  in  their  des- 
cendants from  generation  to  generation  for  a  great 
length  of  time,  and  some  of  those  of  the  first  pioneers 
have  thus  continued  in  some  degree  in  their  line  of 
descent  up  to  the  present  time  ;  and  where  intermar- 
riages have  occurred,  of  such  different  characters,  they 
have  generally  become  united  in  the  children  and,  in 
some  cases,  this  union  resulted  in  better  characters 
than  that  of  either  of  the  originals,aiid  in  others, worse. 

In  respect  to  the  characteristics  of  five  sons  of  the 
first  families  who  remained  in  the  Peenpack  neighbor- 
hood, I  will  here  give  a  short  narration,  to  wit  :  « 

Major  James  Swartwout  was  a  large,  heavy, 
strong,  portly  and  likely  man,  of  a  noble  and  dig- 
nified appearance,  very  suitable  for  a  military  officer, 
and  was  possessed  of  a  spirit  as  noble  as  his  ap- 
pearance. He  was  very  witty,  jocose  and  humor- 
ous in  conversation  (these  were  Swartwout  fam- 
ily traits),  and  he  was  too  liberal  and  easy  in  his  busi- 
ness affairs  to  accumulate  property,  in  consequence  of 


HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK.  115 

which  he  became  much  involved.  He  was  generally 
consulted  in  matters  of  difficulty,  in  respect  to  which  I 
will  relate  one  instance,  to  wit  : 

At  a  certain  time  after  the  fall  of  a  light  snow,  the 
members  of  a  certain  family  Avho  were  neighbors  to 
him,  discovered  apparently  tlie  tracks  of  a  person  on 
the  roof  of  the  house  where  no  person  could  walk,which 
extended  from  one  end  of  the  roof  to  the  other  end. 
This  alarmed  the  family,  who  thought  it  ominous  of 
some  calamity  which  would  happen  to  them,  and  after 
some  conversation  respecting  it,  concluded  it  was  best 
to  send  for  Major  Swart  wont,  to  see  what  he  would 
think  of  it.  They  accordingly  got  him  there,  who,  on 
viewing  it,  concluded  in  his  mind  that  it  had  been  done 
by  some  person,  and  mistrusted  a  slave  of  the  family, 
who  kept  near  them  to  hear  what  would  be  said  re- 
specting it.  He  stepped  up  to  the  black  man  and  ac- 
cused him  of  doing  it,  which  was  denied.  The  Major 
told  him  he  had  done  it  and  that  if  he  did  not  own  it 
he  would  give  him  a  flogging,  and  still  denying,  the 
Major  took  a  gad  and  gave  him  two  or  three  whip- 
pings before  he  would  own  it,  and  after  owning  it  the 
Major  told  him  if  he  would  tell  how  he  did  it  he  would 
let  him  go.  He  said  he  took  a  long  pole  and  fastened 
a  shoe  to  the  end  and  therewith  made  the  tracks.  This 
eased  the  family  of  their  fearful  apprehensions. 

William  Cuddeback  was  a  man  of  somewhat  over 
six  feet  stature,  coarse-boned,  muscular  and  lean. 
He  was  strong  and  very  nimble,  and  could  outrun 
many  young  men  after  he  was  fifty  years  old.  In 
the  French  war,  after  his  hair  had  begun  to  turn 
gray,  he  outran  a  soldier  who  thought  himself 
swift.       He    was    very    talkative    and     witty,    and    I 


116  HISTOEY     OF     DEERPARK. 

think  from  what  information  I  have  had  in  rela- 
tion to  him,  that  he  never  had  his  equal  in  this 
town  for  hnmorons  discourse  and  a  display  of  wit 
properly  and  suitably  applied.  He  was  characterised 
as  a  wise  man  in  his  time.  Argument  was  his  hobby, 
and,  as  there  was  much  of  it  in  his  time  in  relation  to 
the  Scriptures,  he,  although  uneducated,  became  so 
versed  therein  that  when  among  strangers  he  was  often 
thoucyht  to  be  a  well  read  man.  He  was  a  disbeliever 
in  the  superstitious  notions  which  many  people  in  his 
time  had  in  relation  to  witchcraft,  &c.,  and  would  often 
tell  very  laughable  occurrences  in  respect  thereto  He 
was  somewhat  slack  in  his  business  concerns  and  care- 
less in  paying  attention  to  the  same,  but  lie  always  had 
help  enough  to  manage  the  business  of  his  farm. 

Peter  Gomaer  was  a  man  of  about  five  feet  ten 
inches  stature.  During  the  time  of  my  acquaintance 
with  him  he  was  fleshy  and  lat,  and  in  his  younger 
days  was  a  very  persevering  business  man.  He  never 
was  a  hard  working  nor  an  idle  man  himself,  but  all 
his  children  and  slaves  performed  a  great  amount  of 
labor.  His  family  produced  a  greater  amount  of 
farmer's  productions  than  any  other  farmer  within  20 
or  3D  miles  distance  from  his  residence,  and  he  had  all 
the  necessary  fixtures  for  his  different  branches  of 
business  in  tiie  best  m  inner  of  his  time.  He  would 
not  suffer  idleness  in  his  family,  and  was  inimical  to  it 
in  others.  He  was  a  man  of  good  judgmenu  and  of  an 
honest  a,nd  independent  principle. 

Gerardns  Van  Inwegen  was  a  man  of  about  five  feet 
eight  or  nine  inches  stature.  He  was  lean,  bony,  mus- 
cular and  strong,  and  had  much  of  the  Swartwout 
Jocose  and  humorous  disposition.     He  was  the  only  son 


HISTORY     OF     DEERPABK:  117 

of  his  father,  and  was  brought  iip  without  Work,  and 
in  his  neighborhood  became  fond  of  hunting,  and  did 
much  of  it  in  company  with  the  white  andlndian  boys 
of  the  neighborhood,  and  in  early  life  became  a  very 
skillful  hunter  and  took  great  delight  in  it.  Se  con- 
tinued to  follow  it  throu':]jh  life,  and  killed  more  deer, 
bears  and  other  wild  animals  and  wild  fowls  than  any 
other  man  of  his  time  in  this  vicinity,  whereby  he  not 
only  obtained  a  very  plentiful  supply  of  those  meats 
for  his  own  family,  but  contributed  liberally  to  those 
of  Cuddeback  and  Gumaer,  his  neighbors,  and  enjoyed 
a  very  happy  life.  He  was  much  addicted  to  playing 
tricks  on  people,  and,  when  any  of  them  happened  to 
be  offensive,  he  could  generally  end  the  matter  in  good 
humor.  (It  appears  those  ancients  generally  were  well 
calculated  to  extinguish  those  offensive  0  3currences 
and  restore  friendship,  by  means  of  which  they  main- 
tained friendly  relations  with  each  other  and  with  the 
Indians.) 

At  a  certain  time  he  put  a  mean,  dirty  trick  on  a 
company  of  squaws  and  their  children,  which  they  dis- 
covered in  going  to  a  certain  place,  and  immediately 
laid  it  to  Gerardus,  and,  on  their  return,  stopped  at  his 
house  and  accused  him  of  it.  He  asked  what  made 
them  think  he  had  done  it.  They  told  him  no  other 
man  in  the  neighborhood  Avould  do  such  a  nasty  trick ; 
that  he  was  worse  than  a  hog  and  they  would  have  sat- 
isfaction for  that  trick.  After  some  altercation  respect- 
ing it,  he  got  a  pail  of  cider  and  gave  them  as  much 
as  they  would  drink,  which  cheered  them  all  up  and 
they  went  off  in  good  humor,  laughing  at  those  who 
fared  the  worse. 

Samuel  Swartwout  was   reputed  to  have  been  a  very 


118  HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK. 

strongcman,  and  naturally  easy  and  very  good  natured, 
not  easily  provoked  to  anger  nor  easily  scared.  He, 
by  bunting  and  trapping,  obtained  a  supply  of  meat 
and  some  other  necessaries  for  bis  family.  He  bad  a 
valuable  farm,  but  bad  no  belp  to  work  it.  Laborers 
could  not  be  hired.  After  Depuy  married  his  daughter 
be  brou:^ht  some  slaves  from  his  father's,  and,  witb 
these,  Depuy  worked  the  farm  and  produced  mucli 
wheat  and  otber  grain.  Swartwout  was  on  very 
friendly  terms  with  the  Indians,  and  when  be  removed 
from  tbe  residence  of  his  father,  be  settled,  as  has  been 
mentioned,  among  a  collection  of  Indians. 

In  order  to  give  some  idea  of  Swartwout's  boldness 
and  of  having  been  so  cbaracterized,I  will  relate  a  certain 
transaction,  to  wit  :  A  certain  Indian  in  his  time  had 
made  a  false  face  of  a  very  frightful  appearance,  whicb 
was  obtnined  from  him  by  two  or  three  of  the  young 
men.  It  was  said  that  wben  it  was  put  before  a  man's 
face  and  a  bear  skin  wrapped  around  his  body,  the  ap- 
pearance in  the  night  was  very  terrifying.  They  gave 
the  man  so  dressed  the  name  of  Santa  Glaus.  On  a 
certain  winter  evening  tbis  Santa  Glaus  went  round 
amonf][  the  families  and  frii^htened  tbe  members  of  four 
of  them  by  this  imprudent  exhibition.  After  this  they 
concluded  to  try  if  they  could  not  scare  tbe  fearless 
Swartwout.  Santa  Glaus  went  and  entered  bis  bouse. 
Swartwout  sat  before  tbe  fire,  and,  on  seeing  him,  rose 
from  his  chair,  took  hold  of  it,  and  put  himself  in  a 
position  to  strike.  Santa  Glaus,  fearing  the  blow,  said, 
"  Uncle  Samuel,  don't  strike."  Swartwout  told  him  to 
go  out  of  the  bouse,  or  he  would  split  his  brains,  and 
added,  "  If  you  are  the  devil,  or  from  the  devil,  go  to 
where  you  belong." 


HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK.  119 

These  five  men  and  their  fathers  had  to  encounter 
man}^  difficulties  to  retain  the  possession  of  nearly  half 
the  land  thej  claimed  under  the  patent  against  Jersey 
claimants,  and  it  appears  they  were  well  qualified  in  all 
respects  to  counteract  them.  An  account  of  this  is 
contained  in  Eager's  historj^ 


CHAEACTERITTICS  OF  A  FEW  INDIVIDUALS 
OF  THE  SECOND   GENERATION. 

Capt.  Abraham  Cuddeback  was  a  man  of  six  feet 
stature  and  over  200  lbs.  weight.  He  was  strong  and 
athletic,  and  could  with  ease  jump  a  five-railed  post  or 
rail  fence.  He  was  very  handsomely  built,  and  in  all 
respects  a  very  good  looking  man.  He  possessed  a 
great  mechanical  genius,  dexterity  and  good  judgment. 
When  quite  young,  seeing  how  shoemakers  and  weavers 
performed  their  work,  he  commenced  and  did  the  shoe- 
making  and  weaving  for  his  father's  family,  and  became 
the  best  shoemaker  and  the  best  and  quickest  weaver 
before  he  was  a  man  grown  of  any  in  this  vicinity.  In 
the  time  of  the  French  war  his  father  sent  him  to  Old 
Paltz,  where,  and  in  Rochester,  he  followed  weaving 
and  had  no  equal  in  those  places.  After  that  war 
ended  the  people  here  generally  were  destitute  of  fan- 
ning mills,  and  cleaned  their  grain  with  hand  fans.  He 
had  seen  one  at  Gumaer's  and  may  have  seen  a  few  at 
the  Old  Paltz.  He  undertook  and  made  one  for  his 
father  or  himself,  and  afterwards  made  several ;  one  for 
my  father,  which  was  done  in  a  good  and  handsome 
workmanlike  manner,  with  which  was  cleaned  all  the 
grain   of    those   in  the  fort  at  my  father's  during  the 


1^0  HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK. 

E-evolutionary  AVar,  and  thereafter  all  liis  own  grain 
clurilig  his  life.  Before  the  commencement  of  that 
war  a  Mr.  John  Williams  had  given  him  some  instruc- 
tion for  laying  out  the  frame  work  of  a  house  and 
barn,  from  which  he  considered  himself  enabled  to  do 
the  carpenter  work  of  such  buildings,  and  did  the  car- 
penter work  of  a  house  and  one  or  tw^o  barns  before 
the  war  commenced,  and  after  it  ended  a  house  and 
barn  for  himself  and  two  or  three  other  barns.  After 
the  war  ended,  he  made  a  turning  bench,  repaired  the 
old  spinning-wheels  in  the  neighborhood,  turned 
spools,  clevises,  &g.,  for  rigging  the  same.  Before  the 
w^ar  commenced,  the  wagons  here  had  all  been  obtained 
from  E-ochester,  in  Ulster  county,  some  of  which  were 
nearly  worn  oat  at  its  end,  and  a  few  years  thereafter 
he  undertook  to  contrive  how  to  make  a  wagon.  He 
said  the  greatest  puzzle  he  had  in  mechanical  work  was 
to  study  out  rules  to  make  the  wheels  (of  which  he  was 
entirely  ignorant),  but,  after  thinking  over  it,  he  dis- 
covered by  what  means  he  could  make  the  same.  After 
this  he  made  wagons  in  a  good  and  w^orkmanlike  man- 
ner, and  in  as  good  style  as  those  wdiich  had  been  ob- 
tained from  Rochester.  He  afterwards  made  pleasure 
sleighs  according  to  the  Kingston  fashion  of  his  time, 
of  which  there  were  only  one  or  two  old  ones  in  this 
neighborhood  as  good  and  handsome  as  those  which^ 
in  his  time,  had  been  made  at  Kingston,  except  paint- 
ing, which  he  did  not  do.  He  made  the  best  ploughs, 
and  all  kinds  of  farming  utensils,  of  any  which  were 
ma<3e  in  his  tims  in  this  part  of  our  country.  He  was 
the  greatest  marksman  at  shooting  with  a  rifle  and  one 
of  the  best  hunters.  And,  notwithstanding  all  these 
acquisitions  and  the  attention  he  paid  to  his  farm,  he 


HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK.  121 

was  one  of  the  greatest  idlers  in  the  neighborhood, 
and  did  often  for  the  sake  of  conversation  visit  his 
neighbors,  and  when  in  company  of  the  best  informed, 
would  generally  introduce  subjects  to  create  argument, 
either  in  accordance  with  his  own  views  or  contrary 
thereto,  so  as  to  produce  argumentation  in  which  he 
delighted  and  was  the  best  means  of  discovering  the 
natural  and  acquired  abilities  of  his  opponent.  He 
said  he  knew  the  mental  abilities  and  natural  charac- 
teristics of  nearly  all  the  men  who  were  contemporary 
with  him  for  a  distance  of  20  miles  down  the  Never- 
sink  and  Delaware  rivers,  and  40  miles  toward  King- 
ston. In  his  time  Marbletown  was  the  general  mar- 
ket place  for  the  inhabitants  in  this  valley  throughout 
the  distance  mentioned,  and  their  travel  to  and  from 
market  made  a  great  intercourse  of  those  people, 
whereby  they  acquired  a  general  acquaintance  with 
each  other.  In  respect  to  which  I  will  relate  an  occur- 
rence. In  the  commencement  of  the  Revolutionary 
War,  John  Westbrook,  who  lived  about  20  miles  dis- 
tant from  Cuddeback's  residence,  was  elected  captain 
of  a  company  of  militia,  and,  in  saluting  him,  he 
was  blinded  by  the  discharge  of  one  of  the  guns,  and 
remained  blind.  About  15  years  thereafter,  Jacob 
Cuddeback,  son  of  Capt.  Cuddeback,  went  to  Mr. 
Westbrook's,  and,  after  speaking  to  him,  asked  Mr. 
Westbrook  if  he  knew  him.  He  said  he  did  not,  but 
the  voice  was  that  of  Capt.  Cuddeback,  which  he  still 
remembered,  and  judged  from  the  resemblance  of  the 
voice  of  the  son  to  that  of  the  father,  though  they  had 
not  been  together  during  that  time. 

In  addition  to  what  has  been  said  respecting  his 
mechanical  acquirements,  he  became  a  workman  in  the 


122  HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK. 

business  of  ^tailoring.  In  the  commencement  of  the 
war  there  were  no  men  tailors  in  this  town,  and  he 
first  cut  for  himself  ;  in  sewing  his  daughter  assisted 
him,  and  tliereafter  sometimes  cut  for  others  ;  and  in 
the  winters,  when  all  were  collected  in  the  fort,  he  aiid' 
his  daughter  did  so  much  at  it,  especially  in  cutting 
and  making  up  of  deerskin  leather,  that  he  became  a 
good  workman  and  had  not  his  equal  here  before  a 
Mr.  Mather,  a  tailor  by  trade,  came  into  the  fort. 

It  was  said  that  at  a  certain  time  he  and  his  wife 
took  each  a  pound  of  frolic  flax  to  spin,  which 
she  refused  to  do  for  him.  He  said  he  would  do  it 
himself  and  beat  her.  She  was  one  of  the  quickest 
spinsters  in  the  neighborhood  and  thought  that  impos- 
sible, and  one  morning  both  commenced  on  a  strife, 
and  he  did  beat  her.  At  the  frolic  they  exhibited  their 
yarn,  and  his  was  adjudged  as  good  as  hers.  While 
spinning  she  lost  a  little  time  to  suckle  a  child.  If  he 
had  ever  spun  any  it  must  have  been  when  he  was  a 
boy.  He  had  not  his  equal  in  this  town  cradling  grain. 
It  was  said  that  a  few  others  in  their  ordinary  way  of 
cutting  might  have  been  equal  to  him,  but  whenever 
he  undertook  to  race  with  a  man,  he  made  a  reserve 
that  his  competitor  should  cut  as  large  a  swath  as 
himself  and  as  good,  which  no  one  could  do,  and  cut 
as  fast  as  he  could. 

At  a  certain  time  in  going  with  my  compass  and 
chain  to  take  the  distance  across  the  Neversink  river, 
to  determine  how  long  a  bridge  it  would  require  to 
reach  across  it,  at  a  place  where  it  was  contemplated 
to  build  it,  I  met  Cuddeback,  who  asked  me  where  I 
was  going  to  survey.  I  told  him  to  take  the  distance 
across   the   river,   to    ascertain  how  long   a   bridge   it 


HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK.  123 

would  require  to  reach  across  it.  He  asked  me  if  that 
could  be  done.  I  told  him  I  could  do  it.  This  ap- 
peared to  be  new.  to  him  and  somewhat  mysterious.  A 
few  days  afterwards  I  saw  him  again,  when  he  told  me 
that  he  had  discovered  how  the  distance  could  be 
taken  across  the  river,  and  informed  me  of  the  manner 
in  which  it  could  be  done.  He  differed  some  from 
one  of  the  theories  by  which  it  was  sometimes  done, 
but  embraced  the  same  principle  and  was  as  correct  to 
ascertain  the  distance  as  that  theory  generally  prac- 
ticed where  the  land  is  level. 

Having  been  commissioned  captain  of  a  company  Of 
militia  at  or  before  the  commencement  of  the  Kevolu- 
tionary  War,  he  had  many  duties  to  perform  during 
the  same  in  that  official  capacity  ;  for  which,  as  well  as 
a  mechanic,  he  had  very  suitable  abilities.  He  was 
bold,  sagacious,  prudent,  and  tenacious  of  his  honor  ; 
he  also  was  humane  to  those  in  his  power.  The  fol- 
lowing were  some  of  his  military  services,  to  wit  : 

He  was  first  stationed  at  Fort  Montgomery  to  com- 
mand the  men  of  his  company,  who  from  time  to 
time  had  to  take  turns  to  serve  as  militia  soldiers  in 
that  fort  ;  and,  previous  to  the  attack  of  the  fort,  on 
the  day  it  was  made,  he  was  sent  with  a  company 
across  the  river  to  prevent  the  enemy  from  loosening 
the  chain  which  had  been  put  across  it.  This  chain 
ran  through  the  centre  of  three  successive  logs,  fast- 
ened round  it  to  j)revent  it  from  sinking,  and  was  put 
there  to  prevent  the  English  ships  from  running  up  the 
river.  On  those  logs  the  company  crossed  the  river 
and  watched  at  the  end  of  the  chain  until  sometime  in 
the  night  after  the  fort  had  been  taken,  when,  from 
some  unknown  cause,  the  men  became  frightened  and 


124  HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK. 

ran.  He  followed  them  a  short  distance,  but  could 
not  find  any  of  them.  He  staid  there  till  morning, 
and  was  alone  to  defend  the  premises.  After  daylight 
he  took  a  distant  view  of  the  English  shipping  ;  had 
an  invitation  to  come  on  board,  with  a  promise  of  good 
usage.     He  went  home. 

At  Cochecton,  40  miles  distant  through  the  woods 
from  this  neighborhood,  some  families  continued  to 
live,  and  for  their  own  safety  kept  in  friendship  with 
the  Indians  as  long  as  they  dared.  In  the  first  instance 
when  danger  began  to  be  apprehended  of  attacks  from 
the  enemy,  the  Committee  of  Safety  sometimes  sent 
Captain  Cuddeback  with  a  few  men  to  Cochecton  to 
procure  what  information  he  could  relative  to  the  In- 
dians, to  discover  whether  there  was  any  danger  here 
of  being  attacked  by  them.  In  these  scouts  he  had  to 
be  cautious  to  evade  as  much  as  possible  the  sight  of 
the  Indians,  and  entered  that  place  secretly  in  the 
night,  where  at  one  or  two  houses  he  made  secret  in- 
quiry respecting  the  Indians,  and  in  the  same  night 
left  the  place  and  returned  back,  and,  in  going  and  re- 
turning, tried  to  discover  signs  of  Indians.  After  two 
or  three  such  scouts  the  Indians  made  an  attack,  in 
1777,  on  the  family  of  a  Mr.  Sprague,  and  next  year 
on  the  family  of  a  Mr.  Brooks,  some  of  whom  they 
killed  and  others  were  taken  prisoners.  These  attacks 
made  the  Committee  act  with  vigilance.  Persons  sus- 
pected of  being  inimical  to  their  country's  cause  were 
apprehended  and  tried.  One  or  more  of  those  at  Co- 
checton were  complained  of,  whom  the  Captain,  with  a 
few  men,  fetched  from  that  place.  In  one  instance  he 
had  trouble  to  save  his  prisoner  from  the  revengeful 
abuse  of   a  Mr.  Brooks,  one  of   the  family  who  had 


HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK.  125 

suffered  from  the  enemy  as  mentioned.  The  prisoner, 
to  reward  the  Captain  for  interfering  in  his  favor,  pre- 
sented him  with  a  very  handsome  powder-horn  and 
bullet  pouch.  These  were  used  by  the  Captain  during 
the  war  and  thereafter,  together  with  one  of  the  best 
of  rifles. 

When  the  enemy  in  1778  invaded  the  Peenpack 
neighborhood,  the  Captain  resided  at  the  Gumaer  fort 
and  had  the  command  of  the  men  in  it.  In  the  first 
instance  he  ordered  all  the  pitchforks  in  the  barn  to 
be  brought  into  the  fort  to  prevent  its  being  scaled,- 
and  directed  the  women  to  put  on  the  spare  coats  and 
hats  in  the  house,  and  each  of  them  to  take  a  pitch- 
fork or  other  stick  and  put  it  on  her  shoulder.  After 
being  so  equipped  to  appear  like  soldiers,  he  paraded 
all  the  men  and  the  women  back  of  the  house  and  fort 
in  single  file,  and,  after  the  enemy  came  in  sight,  he 
ordered  the  drum  to  be  beaten  and  marched  them  to 
the  fi^ont  side  of  the  fort,  where  they  all  passed  into  it 
in  view  of  the  enemy,  after  which  he  ordered  all  the 
women  and  children  to  go  into  the  cellar.  Anna  Swart- 
wout,  a  large,  robust  woman,  widow  of  Major  Swart- 
wout,  asked  permission  to  stay  with  the  men  in  the 
fort  to  assist  them,  which  was  granted.  She  took  one 
of  the  pitchforks  to  help  defend  the  scaling  of  the 
fort,  in  case  it  should  be  undertaken.  The  enemy 
passed  round  the  east  side  in  open  file  at  a  distance 
out  of  gunshot ;  a  few  guns,  however,  were  fired,  but 
ammunition  was  scarce  and  reserved  for  actual  engage- 
ment ;  balls  were  run  the  same  day.  As  the  enemy 
passed  to  where  the  barn  intervened  between  them  and 
the  fort,  the  Captain  and  Jacob  D.  Gumaer  went  into 
it  to  prevent  its  being  set  on  fire  by  them.     Some  of 


126  HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK. 

the  enemy  in  passing  along  the  river  came  to  a  woman, 
who  had  fled,  and  told  her  to  go  and  tell  the  women  in 
the  fort  that  hundreds  of  Indians  wonld  be  there  be- 
fore night,  and  if  they  wanted  to  save  themselves  they 
must  leave  the  fort.  This  being  done  made  a  great 
scare  among  them,  and  some  made  ready  to  go  out  of 
it.  The  Captain  ordered  them  all  to  stay  in  it,  to 
which  they  quietly  submitted.  After  the  enemy  had 
passed  towards  Fort  De  Witt,  a  little  smoke  was  seen 
to  rise  on  the  roof  of  Cornelius  Yan  Inwegen's  house, 
which  was  about  60  or  70  rods  distant  from  the  fort. 
The  Captain  and  Thomas  White  went  and  extinguished 
the  fire,  which  had  just  begun  to  burn.  It  was  said  by 
certain  tories,  who  returned  after  the  war  ended,  that 
the  enemy  had  such  a  g^ood  feast  of  victuals  and  cider 
at  this  house  that  they  concluded  not  to  burn  it.  The 
fire  must  have  originated  from  the  act  of  a  single  indi- 
vidual, or  the  burning  of  the  barn.  At  Fort  De  Witt 
the  enemy  took  a  station  on  a  hill,  in  woods,  withiii 
gunshot  of  the  fort,  and  fired  several  volleys  against 
the  wall  of  the  house  and  picket  fort.  After  a  few 
volleys  were  fired,  Benjamin  Cuddeback,  a  brother  of 
;the  Captain,  challenged  the  enemy  to  show  themselves, 
.and,  although  they  were  out  of  sight,  he,  with  a  long 
Esopus  gun,  heavily  loaded,  returned  some  shots^ 
whereby  they  became  about  as  much  exposed  to  his 
firing  as  the  inmates  of. tlie  fort  were  to  their  firing. 
In  returning  they  passed  on  the  west  of  the  other  fortj 
where  they  tried  to  catch  some  of  my  father's  horses, 
which  his  black  man  Jack  happened  to  see,  who  step- 
ped out  of  the  fort  and  shot,  which  started  both  horsey 
and  the  enemy  so  o-s  to  let  the  horses  go.  A  fire  was 
returned  at  Jack,  and  the  Captain  pulled  him  back  into 


HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK.  127 

,tlie  fort.  The  eilemy  left,  took  some  of  the  best  horses, 
)3hinclered  and  burnt  houses  and  other  buihiings,  and 
tliat  day  went  out  of  the  neighborhood. 
.  In"  July,  1779,  after  the  lower  neighborhood  had 
been  invaded  by  the  eneniy,  and  a  corps  of  militia 
from  Goshen  and  its  vicinity  who  had  volunteered  to 
pursue  the  enemy  arrived  in  that  neighborhood,  Capt. 
Cuddeback  and  some  others  out  of  this  town  joined  in 
the  pursuit,  in  which  the  officers,  after  having  pro- 
ceeded to'  a  distance  from  the  neighborhood  into  the 
woods,  began  to  have  their  consultations  in  respect  to 
continuing  or  returning,  also  in  respect  to  the  best 
place  to  attack  the  enemy,  in  case  of  undertaking  it. 
The  opinions  of  Captain  Tyler  and  Captain  Cudde- 
back, who  were  acquainted  with  the  path  and  woods, 
were  had.  Tyler  proposed  to  make  the  attack  where 
the  enemy  had  to  cross  the  Delaware  river,  and  Cud- 
deback to  make  it  in  the  night,  where  the  enemy  should 
lodge  for  their  night's  rest ;  there  to  fall  on  them  un- 
awares, drive  them  from  their  prisoners  and  plunder, 
recover  these  and  return  homeward  with  them  in  the 
night.  .    . 

Very  reasonable  objections  were  made  to  both  these 
plans  by  the  superior  officers  ;  but,  in  case  of  attack^ 
Tyler's  plan  was  preferred  by  the  officers  generally, 
and  was  urged,  as  is  well  known,  by  very  improper 
means. 

In  the  battle,  Cuddeback,  with  a  dress  of  the  color 
bi  the  leaves,  one  of  the  best  rifles  and  other  equip- 
ments, and  a  very  great  marksman,  was  one  of  the 
most  important  fighting  men  of  the  corps,  and  remained 
on  the  fighting  ground  until  after  the  retreat  had  com- 
menced, and  until  he  saw  he  had  to  run  to  save  his  life, 


128  HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK. 

when  lie  ran  a  short  distance  to  one  side  of  the  course 
(the  mass  of  men  ran)  where  he  squat  down,  cocked  his 
rifle  and  kept  ready  to  shoot  any  Indian  who  should 
happen  to  look  at  him,  where  he  remained  undiscov- 
ered by  those  who  passed  him  until  a  large  Indian, 
came  slowly  walking  and  looking  round,  at  last  turned 
his  face  towards  him  when  he  shot  and  again  ran,  and 
in  coming  to  steep  rocks  he  slid  down  the  same  on  his 
back  ;  and  when  he  came  to  a  good  place  to  hide  he 
again  hid  and  laid  down.  Hera  he  remained  until 
dark,  and  from  thence  in  the  night  started  for  home. 

The  militia  soldiers,  like  the  Indians,  fought  from 
behind  trees,  stumps,  rocks,  etc.  John  Wallace,  one 
of  Ciiddeback's  militia  company,  kept  near  his  Cap- 
tain at  the  different  stations  to  which  he  was  from  time 
to  time  removed  by  his  superior  officers.  At  one  of 
which  Wallace  received  a  slight  wound,  and  in  the 
flight  made  his  escape  but  became  separated  from  Cud- 
deback,  and  in  returning  home  hunted  through  the 
woods  and  killed  three  deer.  After  Cuddeback  had 
been  home  three  days,  Wallace  unexpectedly  arrived 
with  three  deer  skins  on  his  back,  to  the  great  joy  of  his 
wife  and  two  children. 

Cuddeback  commended  Col.  Tusten  very  highly,  and 
said  he  felt  sorry  for  liim  when  he  was  wounded  ;  that 
when  the  retreat  commenced  he  was  called  to  where 
the  Col.  and  other  wounded  officers  and  men  were 
collected  in  the  safest  place,  and  was  solicited  to  try 
and  stop  the  retreat,  but  that  was  impossible  ;  it  had 
become  too  general.  He  had  to  leave  tliem  to  their 
fate,  or  become  a  sufferer  together  with  them,  and 
made  his  escape  as  mentioned.  The  retreat  was  caused 
by  a  hideous  shouting,  yelling  and  firing  of  guns,which 


HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK.  129 

had  been  undertaken  by  the  Indians  as  a  last  resort  to 
put  their  opponents  to  flight  ;  and  it  happened  to  have 
the  desired  effect.  Until  this  occurence,  the  men  who 
suffered  much  in  different  ways  from' heat,  warm  cloth- 
ing, want  of  water  and  wounds,  wonderfully  sustained 
themselves  for  militia  soldiers  against  an  enemy  who 
had  very  great  advantages  in  all  respects. 

Cuddeback,  in  his  domestic  concerns,  had  a  great 
share  of  indulgence  towards  his  family  and  domestics, 
but  was  uncommonly  severe  in  reproof  if  any  of  his 
children  happened  to  do  an  act  of  which  he  much  dis- 
approved, although  „these  n^ver  were  of  a  criminal 
nature.  He  had  an  uncommon  gift  to  stigmatize  and 
reprove  a  bad  action. 

Benjamin  De  Pay,  Esquire,  was  a  man  of  about  six 
feet  stature,  not  as  bony,  muscular,  and  strong  as  the 
descendants  of  the  first  settlers.  He  was  a  persever- 
ing business  man,  but  after  he  had  been  a  few  years 
in  this  neighborhood  he  became  too  fleshy  and  fat  to 
perform  any  labor  on  his  farm  himself,  but  still  paid  a 
very  strict  attention  to  his  farming  business,  the  labor 
of  which  he  managed  to  have  done  by  his  slaves,  and 
,sons  after  they  became  able  to  work.  He  became  a 
Justice  of  the  Peace  here  of  the  former  county  of 
Ulster,  and  served  many  years  in  that  office  before,  in, 
and  after  the  war.  He  also  served  many  years  as  a 
Supervisor  of  the  old  town  of  Mamakating.  In  the 
commencement  of  the  war  he  was  one  of  the  Commit- 
tee of  Safety.  He  was  the  greatest  supporter  of  religi- 
ous worship  in  the  Mahackamack  congregation.  He 
was  tender  and  humane  to  his  wife,children  and  slaves, 
and  provided  a  very  plentiful  living  for  all  of  them,  in 
respect  to   diet  and  the  necessities  of  life,  even  to  ex- 


130  HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK. 

cess.  He  had  a  strong  memory  and  retained  much  of 
what  had  transpired  throughout  this  valley  from  here 
to  Kingston. 

Depuy  was  a  heavy  load  on  a  horse  and  had  about 
as  good  luck  as  Alexander  the  Great  had  in  obtaining 
a  suitable  riding  horse  for  him.  This  great  conqueror 
had  one  to  carry  him  safely  in  his  great  battles  and 
extensive  conquests,  and  De  Puy  had  one  which  car- 
ried hm  safely  for  many  years  and  on  many  bad  roads 
until  age  rendered  him  unable  to  continue  his  services. 
The  former  built  a  city  and  named  it  Bucephala,  after 
the  name  of  his  great  war  horse  "  Bucephalus,"  and 
the  latter  continued  to  feed  and  nourish  his  horse  as 
long  as  it  lived,  and  even  sometimes  with  bread.  I 
happened  to  come  to  his  house  at  one  time  just  after  he 
had  given  his  horse  some  bread.  He  then  told  me  that 
this  horse  had  never  fallen  with  him  in  all  his  travels. 
He  related  to  me  that  at  a  certain  time  he  and  some 
other  gentlemen  went  on  a  very  rough,  stony  road 
along  Basha's  Kill  in  great  haste  to  arrive  in  time  at  a 
certain  meeting  ;  that  some  of  the  horses  did  often 
stumble,  and  in  one  or  two  instances  fell,  and  that  his 
horse  traveled  over  it  without  making  a  single  blunder. 
All  his  travels  on  this  horse  must  have  amounted  to 
some  thousands  of  miles  distance.  About  one  half  of 
his  farm  was  between  one  and  two  miles  distant  from 
his  house,  and  whenever  his  laborers  worked  on  those 
lands  he  generally  went  to  them  on  this  horse  once  or 
twice  a  day.  He  had  to  go  every  year  twice  or  oftener 
to  Esopus,  50  miles  distant,  to  perform  his  official 
duties  and  to  many  other  places  where  his  civil  and 
church  offices  called  him.  The  horse  was  strongly 
built  for  carrying,  had  a  slow,  easy  pace,  and  was  very 


HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK.  131 

kind.  The  continual  exercise  De  Puy  had  on  his 
horse  and  sometimes  in  the  wagon  and  sleigh  for  do- 
ing his  business  at  the  mill,  stores,  blacksmitli'^s,  &c., 
had  a  tendency  to  keep  him  healthy,  yet  he  had  a 
few  short,  hard  sicknessess,  but  continued  to  live  to  a 
good  old  age,  and  in  the  last  part  of  his  life  sold  the 
part  of  his  farm  which  he  had  retained  and  was  re- 
moved by  his  sons  to  the  town  of  Owasco,  where,  and 
in  that  part  of  New  York,  all  his  sons  and  daughters, 
excepting  two,  had  previously  settled^  and  there  his 
mortal  life  was  ended. 

Philip  Swartwout  Was  a.  large,  strong  man,  upwards 
of  six  feet  in  stature,  portly  and  likely.  Captain  Cud- 
deback,  who  had  seen  General  Washington  at  Fort 
Montgomery,  said  he  had  never  seen  a  man  who  re- 
sembled Washington  as  much  as  Esquire  Swartwout ; 
the  features  of  his  face,  his  eyes,  forehead,  size  and 
form  of  his  body,  all  he  said,  had  a  great  resemblance 
to  those  of  Washington. 

Swartwout  in  his  business  transactions  was  very  per- 
severing and  honest.  In  his  public  acts  he  was  also 
honest  and  persevering  to  obtain  the  objects  of  jus- 
tice between  individuals,  and  also  to  promote  the  wel- 
fare of  the  public.  He  was  a  Justice  of  the  Peace  of 
the  former  county  of  Ulster  before  the  Eevolutionary 
War  commenced,  and  in  its  commencement  became 
one  of  the  Committee  of  Safety.  After  the  decease  of 
his  father,  August  21st,  1756,  he  became  heir  to  his 
estate,  which  consisted  of  a  good  farm,  but  was  so 
much  encumbered  by  the  debts  of  his  father,  that  he 
concluded  to  let  the  creditors  take  it.  These  were 
relatives  of  his,  who  resided  at  Rochester,  in  Ulster 
county.     They  advised   Swartwout   to  take   the   farm 


132  HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK. 

and  they  would' give  him  his  own  time  to  pay  the  debts, 

4n  consequence  of  which  he   obligated  liimself  to  pay 

,the   debts  and   took  the  farm.     His  oldest  boys   must 

.have  been  about  10  or  12  years  old  at  tliis  time.     He 

had  one  man  slave  and  an  insane  man  lived  with   him, 

who  remained   in    the    family  during   life.     With    this 

Jielp  he  commenced  to  work   the   farm,  and,  after  his 

son  James  became  old  enough  to  learn  th6  blacksmith 

trade,  he  built  a  shop,  got  a  blacksmithj  who,  together 

with  James,  pursued   that   business,  and   the   father, 

with  his  other  sons  and  slave,, worked  the  farm  and 

made  money  last,  so  that  he  paid  all  his  debts,  and  had 

money  standing  out  at  interest  when    the  war   com- 

rmenced. 

^     Swartwout,  as  well  as  Depuy,  was  a  great  supporter 
of  religious  worship,^  and   paid  a  strict  attention  to  the 
preaching  of  the  gospeL 
/     Anthon}r  Van  Etten,  Esquire,  was  from  .  Rochester 
/  or  its  vicinity,  where  he  had  received  a  good  educa- 
^  tion  for  his  time.     His  vifeage  and  bodily  form  and  size 
'     were  said  to  have  resembled  his  youngest  son  Anthony 
.Yan  Etten,  who  was  a  man  of  about  5  feet  10  inches 
4tature,  and  about  160  lbs.  weight.     He  was   a   black- 
smith   by  trade    and    became,    married    to    Hannah 
Decker,  daughter  of  Thomas  Decker,  in  1750,  and  ob- 
tained from   him  a  piece  of  land,  on  which  he  built  a 
house  and  shop,  and  entered  into  the  business  of  his 
trade,  and  got  an  apprentice  to  assist  him.     He  soon 
received  a  great  amount  of  work  from  the  farmers  and 
made  money  fast.     He   built  the  stone  house  in  which 
,his  son,  Captain  Henry  Van  Etten,  formerly  lived,  and. 
-as  he  became  enabled,  bought  land  and  obtained  the 
old  Van  Etten- farm,,  which  consisted  of   some  of  the 


HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK.  133 

best  land  in  tliis  town.  He  and  Esq.  Swartwont,  who 
were  contemporary,  both  commenced  business  with 
small  means,  and  became  the  most  thriving  business 
men  in  this  town.  Van  Etten  became  a  Justice  of  the 
Peace  of  the  old  county  of  Orange  at  an  early  period 
of  his  residence  in  this  town,  in  which  he  officiated  to 
the  end  of  his  life  in  1778.  His  widow  survived  him 
many  years.  She  was  a  short,  strong  woman  of  a  good 
constitution,  an  affectionate  mother  and  agreeable, 
neighbor,  sociable  and  much  addicted  to  humorous 
conversation,  and  often  told  funny  occurrences  of 
former  times.  * 

Cornelius  Van  Inwegen  was  a  man  of  about  5  feet  8 
inches  stature,  and  about  170  or  180  pounds  weight. 
In  his  boyhood,  after  he  was  able  to  handle  a  gun,  he 

*  Anthony  Van  Etten,  was  a  son  of  Jacob  Van  Etten,  and  Antie 
Westbrook,  who  were  married  at  Kingston,  Ulster  county,  New  York, 
April  22d,  1719,  they  both  being  residents  of  that  county  at  the  time. 
They  had  a  large  family  and  came  with  them  to  the  Delaware  valley 
about  1730,  taking  up  a  residence  at  Namenoch,  opposite  the  island  in  the 
Delaware  now  so  called,  on  the  New  Jersey  side.  Their  oldest  daughter* 
Magdelena,  married  Rev.  Johan.  Casp.  Fryenmuth.  From  their  sons  are 
descended  the  various  Van  Etten  families  of  Orange  county,  N.  Y.,  Pike 
county,  Pa.,  and  Sussex  county,  N.  J. 

Anthony  was  born  about  1726  at  Napenoch,  Ulster  county,  arid  bap- 
tized at  Kingston  Ref.  D.  Church,  June  12,  1726,  At  the  time  of  his  mar- 
riage, August  3d,  1750,  he  resided  at  Namenoch,  but  thereafter  with  his 
wife  located  in  what  is  now  the  town  of  Deerpark. 

The  baptismal  records  of  the'Maghachemech  Church  furnish  the  names 
of  most  of  their  large  family  of  children  as  follows  : 

Thomas,  bap.  Sept.  8,  1751  ;  Antie,  bap.  Jan.  14,  1753  ;  Janneke,  bap. 
April  28,  1754  ;  Margarieta,  bap.  Feb.  13,  1756  ;  Levi,  bap.  Feb.  12,  1758  ; 
Alida,  bap.  Aug.  19,  1759  ;  Hendricus,  bap.  June  14,  1761  ;  Blandina, 
bap.  Sept.  4,  1763;  Maria,  bap.  Nov.  11,  1765;  Thomas,  bap.  Oct.  16, 
1768;   Jacob,  1774  ;    Anthony,  bap.  Oct.  29,  1780. 

Of  their  sons,  Levi  married  Grannetje  Westbrook,  and  from  them  are 
descended  most  of  the  families  now  in  Deerpark.  Anthony,  Jr.,  married 
Jemmia  Cuddeback,  and  located  in  central  New  York.        A.  V.  E.,  Jr. 


I 


134  HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK. 

became  very  fond  of  hunting,  and  he  and  Capt.  Cud- 
deback,  when  boys,  generally  hunted  together,  and 
both  became  well  skilled  therein  ;  which  the  latter 
partially  quit  when  he  arrived  to  manhood,  but  Yan 
InWdgen  continued  to  follow  it  through  life  and  killed 
more  deer,  bears,  and  other  wild  animals  and  wild 
fowls,  than  any  other  individual  of  this  town  ever  did 
since  he  became  a  hunter.  No  family  in  the  neighbor- 
hood enjoyed  as  plentiful  a  supply  of  the  best  of  wild 
meats  as  his  family,  and,  being  liberal  therewith,  he 
often  contributed  some  to  my  father's  family  and  to 
Capt.  Cuddeback's,  who  were  his  nearest  neighbors. 
The  numerous  skins  of  deers  which  he  acquired  were 
valuable  for  himself  and  family,  and  for  all  his  neigh- 
bors. In  his  time  the  men  and  boys  all  wore  short 
leather  breeches  of  deerskin,  and  some  of  the  men  had 
leather  coats  to  put  on  in  dry  weather  to  perform  rough 
and  dirty  w^ork,  and  in  the  latter  part  of  his  life  some 
individuals  wore  leather  frocks  in  which  to  perform 
such  work.  Moccasins  of  deerskin  leather  were  also 
much  worn  in  winter.  Deerskin  leather  was  valuable 
for  the  inhabitants  of  this  town  in  the  time  of  the  war, 
in  consequence  of  the  inconvenience  of  manufacturing 
cloth  during  that  time.  In  those  cheap  times,  when 
rye  and  corn  were  only  four  shillings  a  bushel,  a  good 
buckskin  was  allowed  to  be  worth  from  twenty  shillings 
to  three  dollars  before  dressed. 

Now,  these  characters,  which  differed  very  widely, 
were  all  necessary  for  the  general  welfare  of  the  com- 
munity. ■  The  other  inhabitants  of  the  second  gener- 
ation, and  their  contemporaries  in  the  loAver  neighbor- 
hood as  well  as  those  mentioned,  were  useful  members 
of    society,   and    each    did    more    or   less    contribute 


HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK.  135 

towards  the  welfare  of  otliers.  They  were  generally 
an  industrious,  honest,  prudent  and  economizing  peo- 
ple, who  obtained  their  living  by  the  sweat  of  their 
brow,  and  had  to  manage  their  business  suitable  to 
their  circumstances  and  means  of  procuring  a  liveli- 
hood. 

Men  in  a  state  of  nature,  like  the  wild  animals,  gen- 
erally live  on  the  spontaneous  productions  of  the  earth, 
and  each  has  to  procure  its  own  food  after  the  parent's 
help  becomes  unnecessary.  The  first  settlers  here  were 
nearly  in  the  same  self-procuring  situation,  and  only 
had  a  few  manufactured  implements  in  advance  of  the 
naked-handed  Indians. 

By  the  introduction  of  scientific  knowledge  men  have 
become  dependent  on  each  other,  and  thereby  enabled 
advantageously  to  cultivate  the  earth  and  provide  for 
a  very  numerous  population,  and  also  create  enjoy- 
ments far  beyond  what  the  unimproved  races  of  man- 
kind can  realize.  The  numerous  branches  of  mechan- 
ical and  scientific  works  and  occupations  employ 
millions  of  people,  who  obtain  a  living  thereby.  Each 
of  these  produce  materials  and  literary  works  whereby 
others  become  interested,  all  of  which  create  an  exten- 
sive social  intercourse  which  reaches  all  the  civilized 
and  manufacturing  nations  of  the  earth  ;  and,  even  in 
a  small  degree,  some  of  the  unimproved  races  of  man- 
kind. 

All  this  beautiful  order  among  men,  for  which  they 
are  formed,  suitable  in  body  and  mind,  if  the  same 
could  be  sustained  without  imposition  and  unerring 
conduct  in  all  respects,  might  render  man  very  happy, 
but  destruction  has  been  the  fate  of  the  ancient  civi- 
lized nations  who  had,  in  a  greater  or  less  degree,  be- 


136  HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK. 

come  an  improved  and  scientific  people,  and  good 
reasons  must  have  existed  for  producing  this  extin- 
guishment. 

In  the  year  1792,  I  was  constable  and  collector  of 
the  old  town  of  Mamakating,  in  Ulster  county,  which 
then  extended  from  the  old  county  line  near  the  pres- 
ent dwelHng  liouse  of  Philip  Swartwout,  Esquire,  and 
son,  about  20  miles  northeasterly,  and  from  Shawan- 
gunk  Kill  northwesterly  about  forty-five  miles  to  or 
beyond  Cochecton,  and  included  part  of  the  present 
towns  of  Deerpark,  Mount  Hope,  Mamakating,  Forest- 
burgh,  Lumberland  and  Cochecton.  The  town  was 
divided  into  two  collector's  districts, of  which  mine  was 
the  largest,  and  the  amount  of  tax  I  had  to  collect 
was  £15  Os.  6d.,  (137.56). 

The  highest  taxpayer  on  the  list  was  Esquire 
Depuy,  whose  tax  was  seven  shillings,  ten  pence, 
one  farthing,  and  the  whole  number  of  persons  taxed 
in  my  district,  45  miles  long  and  part  of  it  about  12 
miles  wide,  was  182.  From  this  neighborhood  to  Co- 
checton, (40  miles  distant)  there  was  only  a  foot  path 
through  the  woods  on  which  I  traveled  on  foot  and 
carried  a  knapsack,  in  consequence  of  the  scarcity  of 
horse  feed  and  provisions  along  it.  Eafting  masts, 
spars,  logs,  and  a  few  boards  had  previously  com- 
menced. The  timber  at  that  time  was  principally  got 
from  the  sides  of  the  mountains  and  hills  bordering  on 
the  river,  under  great  disadvantages,  for  want  of  teams 
and  a  road,  until  one  was  made  with  the  Stata  funds 
from  the  residence  or  grist  mill  of  Captain  William 
Rose  to  Cochecton,  about  the  year  1803.  After  this 
the  lumber  business  increased  rapidly  and  became  very 
great,  whereby  the   inhabitants    of   this  town  became 


HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK.  137 

greatly  beuefitted,botli  by  the  market  it  made  for  their 
produce  and  the  money  some  individuals  made  by  that 
business.  At  the  close  of  the  war  Orange.  County  was 
very  thinly  settled,  and  most  of  the  land  unimproved. 
Low  as  the  taxes  were  in  1792,  I  found  several  un- 
able to  pay  a  few  pence,  and  therebj^  lost  about  the 
amount  of  my  fees. 


GREAT   CHANGES   IN  AGRICULTURE,  MANU- 
FACTURES, TRAVEL  AND  IMPROVE- 
MENTS OF  EVERY  KIND. 

AVe  of  the  third  generation  of  the  first  four  families 
and  our  contemporaries  in  the  lower  neighborhood, 
have 'passed  through  a  period  of  time  in  which  greater 
improvements  have  been  made  in  our  country  than 
ever  has  been  made  within  such  a  space  of  time  in  any 
country.  Its  equa],  probably,  will  never  again  occur  ; 
yet  we  know  not  to  what  state  of  improvement  men 
will  amve. 

The  arts  and  sciences  have  been  stretched  far  beyond 
their  former  bounds,  and  gigantic  and  minor  produc- 
tions have  been  brought  to  view  by  the  labor  and  in- 
genuity our  countrymen  have  displaj^ed,  and  great  are 
the  benefits  mankind  have  derived  from  their  labors. 

Some  rulers  of  nations  and  great  generals  of  ancient 
times  have  been  highly  honored  for  acts  of  murder  and 
plunder  to  aggrandize  themselves,  who,  instead  of  ren- 
dering benefits,  were  a  nuisance  in  the  world.  Not  so 
with  our  scientific  men.  They  crave  not  the  loud  ap- 
plause of  the  multitude,  but  their  general  welfare  and 
their  labors  have  created  benefits   far  beyond  what  we 


138  HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK. 

can  calculate,  and  all  are  more  or  less  benefitted  from 
the  results  of  their  labors. 

We  have  been  spectators  of  the  great  changes  men- 
tioned and  have  seen  the  time  when  tlie  red  men  were 
yet  among  us,  and  were  often  refreshed  and  cheered 
by  their  white  neighbors  with  sometliing  to  eat  and  a 
drink  of  ci  ler  ;  and  the  time,  when  they  disappeared 
and  a  great  revolution  commenced,  and  the  effects  of 
the  war  it  created,  the  restoration  of  peace  and  the 
times  when  the  constitutions  of  the  several  States,  and 
of  the  United  States,  were,  from  time  to  time,  formed 
and  become  established,  9.nd  the  effects  of  the  laws 
which  have  from  time  to  time  been  passed  under  those 
constitutions,  and  the  great  benefits  which  have  re- 
sulted therefrom  ;  also  the  career  of  our  first  and 
greatest  statesmen,  who  exerted  their  powers  for  the 
good  of  their  country. 

And  here  let  us  not  forget  that  in  the  days  of  our 
boyhood  we  have  seen  the  time  in  which  the  military 
forces  of  our  country,  under  great  sufferings  and  priva- 
tions, nobly  sustained  their  country's  cause  to  obtain 
an  independent  government,  and  have  been  spectators 
of  its  achievement  and  the  great  results  which  have 
emanated  therefrom  ;  in  respect  to  which  I  will  here 
give  a  very  faint  view  of  what  has  transpired  in  rela- 
tion to  the  improvements  our  countrymen  have  made 
during  the  time  of  our  life's  journey,  to  wit  : 

We  have  seen  the  time  of  the  commencement  of  the 
printing  of  newspapers  in  this  part  of  our  country  after 
the  war  ended,  and  the  rapid  increase  and  vast  extent 
to  which  that  important  business  has  arrived,  whereby 
every  citizen  with  small  means  can  now  have  informa- 
tion of  the  acts  of  our  legislatures  and   more   than  he 


HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK.  139 

can  read  of  what  continually  transpires  both  in   our 
own  and  other  countries. 

•  We  have  seen  the  time  when  schools  were  in  their 
infancy  in  this  part  of  our  country,  their  progress  and 
the  vast  extent  to  which  they  became  multiplied,  even 
so  that  almost  every  citizen  of  this  State,  and  generally 
of  the  other  states,  has  the  opportunity  of  having  his 
children  educated  according  to  and  even  beyond  his 
pecuniary  means.  We  have  seen  the  time  when  there 
was  not  a  minister  of  the  gospel,  lawyer  or  physician, 
within  20  miles  distance  from  our  present  town,  and 
have  seen  the  continual  increase  of  those  professional 
men  until  every  toAvn  in  our  county  had  more  or  less 
of  them,  and  the  increase  of  education,  so  that  it 
reached  nearly  all  the  citizens,  few  of  whom  do  not 
acquire  enough  to  read  and  write,  and  a  very  great 
proportion  liave  reached  the  higher  branches  of  learn- 
ing, and  become  fitted  for  all  the  different  business 
transactions  of  our  country. 

We  have  been  spectators  of  the  time  when  all  trans- 
portation on  the  Hudson  river  was  done  in  vessels, 
whose  speed  depended  on  the  winds  which  impelled 
them,  and  of  the  time  when  the  ingenuity  of  Fulton, 
with  the  help  of  Chancellor  Livingston,  produced  a 
steamboat  wherewith  the  Hudson  river  was  navigated, 
and,  when  thereafter  others  from  time  to  time  were 
built,  until  all  the  navigable  waters  with  such  boats 
in  our  country  were  therewith  navigated,  and  even  the 
Atlantic  Ocean  crossed  to  and  from  England  and  other 
places,  and  the  time  when  other  machineries  began  to 
be  impelled  by  steam  power  and  their  increase  until 
thousands  got  into  operation. 

We  have  been  travelers    on  the    early   rough  and 


140  HISTOEY     OP     DEEEPARK. 

stony  roads  in  Orange  County  and  have  seen  the  first 
construction  of  turnpikes  in  our  county,  and  the  great 
improvement  of  our  highways,  and  at  Last  have  beheld 
the  gigantic  works  of  canals  and  railroads,  on  which 
the  value  of  millions  of  property  is  annually  trans- 
ported to  and  from  all  parts  of  our  country,  and  thous- 
ands of  people  are  continually  enjoying  the  easy  and 
speedy  travel  thereby  furnished. 

We  have  been  co-operators  with  our  respective  parents 
in  producing  all  the  articles  of  food  and  raiment  for 
our  own  subsistence,  and  when  we  wanted  a  few  arti- 
cles we  could  not  make,  sujh  as  salt,  iron,  (fee,  we  had 
to  travel  to  the  store  of  Nathaniel  Owen,  22  miles  dis- 
tant or  to  the  store  of  Cornelius  Wynkoop,  40  miles 
distant,  to  procure  the  same.  After  this  the  ingenuity 
of  some  of  our  citizens  produced  machinery  for  manu- 
facturing all  the  cloth  we  w^anted  for  our  use  with  much 
less  cost  and  labor  than  what  we  could  formerly  manu- 
facture the  same  ;  and  these  are  now  so  abundantly 
transported  into  all  parts  of  our  countrj,  that  our  little 
town  of  Deerpark  now  has  more  stores  in  it  than  the 
whole  county  of  Orange  had  at  the  close  of  the  Revo- 
lutionary War,  and  probably  as  many  as  there  were  in 
both  tlie  counties  of  Orange  and  Ulster.  These  goods, 
by  an  exchange  of  commodities  for  the  same,  can  now 
be  procured  so  much  easier  than  formerly  that  our 
former  apparatus  for  manufacturing  flax,  wool  and 
cotton  into  cloth  has  become  useless.  And  these  stores 
now  contain  such  a  variety  of  articles,  that  as  a  cer- 
tain  man  once  said    "  Many  necessaries  unnecessary. 

W^e  have  taken  wheat,  rye  and  corn  to  New  Windsor 
and  Newburgh  when  these  were  very  small  places  and 
when  Goshen  was  a  very  small  village, and  have  passed 


HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK.  141 


through  the  time  in  which  all  the  other  villages  in 
Orange  County  had  their  origin  and  growth  and  in 
.  which  the  whole  couiitrj  west  of  the  valley  in  which 
we  reside,  has  become  numerously  populated  through- 
out its  present  settled  parts,  in  which  many  handsome 
and  magnificent  villages  and  cities  Jiave  been  built  and 
now  adorn  those  parts  which,  in  our  early  days,were  a 
vast  wilderness. 

We  have  seen  the  time  when  news  traveled  from  the 
printing  presses  to.  us  on  horseback,  and  when  the 
same  became  conveyed  in  light  one  and  two  horse 
wagons,  and  in  progressing,  stage  wagons  and  steam 
boats  became  the  swiftest  carrier  of  news,  and  after  the 
meridian  of  our  lives  the  swiftest  traveler  ever  before 
known  came  into  operation,  in  which  news,  passen- 
gers and  different  commodities  were  conveyed  to  and 
from  distant  parts  of  our  country,  and  in  the  last  part 
of  our  life's  journey  originated  the  wonderful  discovery 
of  giving  instantaneous  information  of  any  matter  or 
occurrence  for  any  distance  to  which  telegraph  wires 
can  be  extended. 

We  have  been  farmers  and  inured  to  all  the  different 
kinds  of  labor  thereunto  appertaining.  We  have  in 
early  life  ploughed  with  wooden  ploughs,  to  which  a 
wrought  share  and  coulter  were  fastened,  sowed  all 
our  grain  by  hand,  harrowed  the  ground  with  square 
iron  teeth  harrows,  cut  all  our  grain  with  scythe  and 
cradle,  threshed  all  our  grain  with  hand  flails,  mowed 
all  our  grass  with  scythes,  and  raked  our  hay  together 
with  hand  rakes,  and  commenced  tillage  when  the  soil 
of  our  river  lands  was  reduced  to  its  lowest  state  of 
nutrition  since  the  time  their  cultivation  was  first  com- 


142  HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK. 

menced.  In  progressing  from  the  beginning  of  our 
business  transactions,  we  became  plougliers  with  patent 
ploughs,  constructed  of  wood  and  iron  castings,  on 
which  many  improvements  were,  from  time  to  time, 
made  and  have  passed  through  tlie  time  of  the  intro- 
duction of  different  kinds  of  cultivators  to  cultivate 
ploughed  ground,  and  of  sowing  machines,  reaping 
machines,  threshing  machines  of  different  kinds,  and 
different  kinds  of  horse  power  to  impel  the  same,  mow- 
ing machines  to  cut  grass,  and  different  kinds  of  horse 
rakes  to  gather  hay,  and  different  kinds  of  corn  shell- 
ers.  cutting  benches,  churning  machines,  &c.,  &g.  We 
have  observed  a  slow  improvement  of  the  lands  in  this 
town,  which  commenced  about  the  year  1810,  and  pro- 
gressed very  slow  at  first,  but  increased  in  rapidity 
until  the  present  time,  1858,  and  lands  in  this  town 
now  produce  about  double  what  they  did  in  their  low- 
est state  of  cultivation.  We  have  seen  the  time  when 
society  here  was  in  the  lowest  and  most  degraded  state 
in  which  it  has  ever  been  in  this  valley,  and  have  seen 
its  rise  and  progress  from  that  state  to  its  present  good 
and  moral  behavior. 

Now  all  these  works,  which  are  of  inestimable  bene- 
fit, are  only  a  small  part  of  the  discoveries  and  im- 
provements made  by  our  countrymen  in  our  time  of 
life.  We  do  not  claim  to  have  stood  alone  as  observ- 
ers, not  that  other  countries  have  been  idlers  in  respect 
to  inventions  and  improvements,  but  that  all  our  con- 
temporaries, both  in  our  own  and  other  countries, 
have  passed  through  a  period  of  time  which  has  pro- 
duced greater  and  more  wonderful  discoveries  than 
that  of  any  other  like  term  of  years. 

Our  travel  on  this  great  highway  of  research  is  yet 


HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK.  143 

rapidly  advancing,  and  to  what  extent  men  will  arrive 
is  best  known  to  the  Great  Architect  who  fills  the  uni- 
verse with  his  works. 

In  consequence  of  the  improvements  mentioned  and 
the  great  prosperity  of  our  country,  we  also  became 
spectators  of  their  results  in  our  manner  of  living,  and 
although  we  have  comparatively  with  others  remained 
in  humble  walks  of  life,  yet  we  have  made  great  strides 
from  our  early  habits,  which,  in  the  days  of  our  youth, 
were  governed  by  destitution  and  want  of  means  to 
expand  and  gratify  our  desires.  The  greatest  com- 
plaint, however,  in  those  anterior  times,  was  the  bur- 
den of  labor  which  all  had  to  endure  with  greater  or 
less  perseverance,  much  of  which  has  now  been  done 
away  with  by  means  of  machinery. 

Some  years  after  the  war  ended  the  inhabitants  of 
this  town  began  to  make  money,  and  were  enabled  to 
live  in  a  different  style  from  that  of  their  former  habits, 
and  articles  of  fancy  were  introduced!  The  acquisi- 
tion of  these  progressed  slow  at  first  but  increased  as 
people  advanced  in  property  and  became  enabled  to 
procure  the  objects  of  their  desires,  and  the  different 
luxuries  thus  introduced  among  us  have  continued  to 
become  more  numerous  until  the  present  time. 

By  contrasting  the  manner  of  living  of  our  parents 
with  that  of  the  present  time, we  behold  the  vast  change 
made  in  a  term  of  about  half  a  century.  When  our 
manner  of  living  became  changed  diseases  began  to 
afflict  us,  and.  these,  as  well  as  our  habits  of  life,  have 
continued  to  increase,  which,  together  with  the  great 
addition   of   our  population,   now  generates   diseases 


144  HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK. 

which  give   employment  to  the  physicians  who  reside 
among  us. 


SCAKCITY  OF  PHYSICIANS  IN  FORMER  TIMES. 

The  services  of  men  of  their  profession  rarely  reached 
this  valley  in  former  times.  At  Goshen  was  one  or 
more  regular  physicians  in  the  time  of  the  war,  and  in 
the  State  of  New  Jersey,  about  20  miles  distant  from 
this  neighborhood,  was  another.  The  latter  sometimes 
attended  Peter  Gumaer,  my  grandfather,  who  was 
stricken  with  palsy  near  the  time  the  war  commenced, 
and  he  and  Doctor  Sweezy,  from  Goshen,  attended  to 
heal  the  wounds  which  Cornelius  Svvartwout  received 
when  the  Indians  invaded  this  neighborhood. 

In  the  latter  part  of  the  war,  and  for  some  years 
after  it  ended,  there  lived  an  old  man  by  the  name  of 
Bennet,  on  the  east  side  of  Shawangunk  mountain  in 
the  present  town  of  Mount  Hope,  who  in  his  youth  had 
studied  medicine,  but  abandoned  it  before  he  became 
qualified  to  practice.  He,  however,  was  sometimes 
called  on  to  attend  the  sick.  He  was  poor  and  kept 
no  drugs  or  medicines,  but  when  called  on  would  go 
and  see  what  the  ailment  of  the  sick  person  was,  and 
then  go  out  and  collect  such  roots  and  herbs  as  he 
judged  best  to  cure  the  disease,  which  he  used  accord- 
ing to  the  dictates  of  his  judgment.  After  people  in 
our  neighborhood  began  to  be  afflicted  Avith  diseases, 
and  when  it  was  considered  necessary  to  have  the 
attendance  of  a  physician,  this  Doctor  Bennet  was 
employed  ;  and  he  generally  was  quite  successful  in 
his  practice.     He  several  times  cured  a  young  man  of 


HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK.  145 

colic,  to  which  he  was  subject.  This  he  performed  by 
j]jiving  him  an  emetic,  and  after  it  had  operated  he  gave 
him  a  pliysic. 

It  appears  that  the  constitutions  of  people  become 
adapted  to  the  climate  in  which  the}^  reside,  and  to 
such  habits  of  life  as  they  from  generation  to  genera- 
tion continue  to  pursue,  and  a  change  of  these  will 
affect  persons  more  or  less.  This  is  evident  from  what 
is  known  in  relation  to  the  different  races  of  mankind, 
some  of  whom  live  very  different  from  others,  and  the 
exchange  of  some,  whose  food  differs  very  widely, 
would  be  mortal  to  many  of  one  or  both  of  those  races 
who  should  make  the  exchange. 

Eight  of  us,  all  descendants  of  the  four  families, 
now  all  residents  of  the  lower  neighborhood,  excepting 
myself,  remain  yet  travelers  on  the  last  part  of  life's 
journe}^  towards  that  change  which  all  flesh  has  to  un- 
dergo to  answer  the  purposes  of  the  Creator. 


BIRDS,  REPTILES  AND   ANIMALS. 

Among  all  the  changes  mentioned,  some  of  us  have 
been  spectators  of  nearly  an  extinction  of  birds  in  our 
valley  and  its  vicinity,  many  different  kinds  of  which 
formerly  visited  us  in  the  spring  of  the  year  and  con- 
tinued with  us  during  the  summer  and  a  part  of  the 
fall  months.  Their  active  flights  from  place  to  place 
and  from  tree  to  tree,  and  their  musical  voices  of  dif- 
ferent sounds  enlivened  and  cheered  our  lonely  valley. 
These  all  had  to  be  active  to  gratify  their  cravings  of 
what  was  necessary  to  sustain  life.  Some  wandered 
along  streams  of    water  to  procure  their  food  ;  some 


146  HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK. 

hovered  liigli  in  the  air  of  the  atmosphere,  from  which 
they  surveyed  the  lands  and  waters  below  them  to  dis- 
cover the  objects  they  craved  for  food,  from  which  ele- 
vation the  hawk  would  sometimes  dart  swiftly  down- 
ward among  a  flock  of  birds  and  catch  and  make  a 
prey  of  one  of  them,  as  well  as  of  his  objects  on  the 
ground.  The  fish-hawk  hovered  over  the  waters,  the 
cliicken-hawk  over  the  landscapes  to  entrap  their  prey. 
The  owl  made  his  excursions  in  the  night  to  seek  his 
food,  and  each  of  the  different  tribes  of  birds  possessed 
its  own  means  of  obtaining  a  living.  Many  of  the 
worms  and  insects  on  the  ground,  and  of  those  small 
insects  which  impregnated  the  air  of  the  atmosphere, 
became  a  prey  of  birds. 

Among  the  different  tribes  of  birds  which  visited  us 
were  the  following,  to  wit  :  Blackbirds  of  different 
kinds,  crows,  robins,  swallows  of  different  kinds,  night- 
ingales, snipe  of  different  kinds,  killdeers,  cranes  of 
different  kinds,  hawks  of  different  kinds,  owls  of  dif- 
ferent kinds,  turtle  doves,  whippoorwills,wrens  of  dif- 
ferent kinds,  bluebirds,  partridges,  quails,  wood-peck- 
ers, eagles,  snow  birds,  and  a  few  other  kinds. 

The  pleasing  enjoyments  of  all  species  of  birds  are 
evidences  of  the  goodness  of  their  Creator  ;  and  the 
adaptation  of  all  kinds  of  living  creatures  whatever  to 
their  respective  modes  of  life,  are  evidences  of  a  pre- 
existing plan  for  the  formation  of  each,  and  the  man- 
ner in  which  each  shall  be  furnished  and  receive  what- 
ever is  necessary  for  its  preservation  during  life. 

Snakes  have  also  become  nearly  extinguished  in  this 
valley  within  the  last  half  century,  previous  to  which 
there  were  yet  some  rattlesnakes,  pilots,  blacksnakes, 
sissing  adders,  gartersnakes,  greensnakes,  and  milk- 


HISTOKY     OF     DEERPARK.  147 

snakes,  and  toads  and  frogs  are  not  as  numerous  now 
as  in  former  times. 

Now,  altliougli  some  of  these  reptiles  may  appear  to 
us  as  unnecessar}^  nuisances,  yet  they  undoubtedly 
have  answered  certain  good  purposes  in  their  sphere 
of  being.  A  few  persons  of  this  neighborhood  have 
suffered  from  the  bites  of  poisonous  snakes,  but  reme- 
dies were  here  known  in  former  times  which  saved  the 
lives  of  those  who  were  bitten.  Their  number  within 
my  knowledge  was  six. 

There  was  a  singular  occurrence  in  Rochester,  in 
Ulster  county,  in  former  times,  to  wit  :  At  an  early 
period  of  the  settlement  of  that  place,  a  certain  man 
in  time  of  harvest  in  going  with  a  wagon,  with  shelv- 
ings  on  it,  to  fetch  a  load  of  grain,  and,  passing  near  a 
rattlesnake  in  the  grain  field,  stopped  his  team,  and, 
with  a  fork  which  had  a  very  long  handle,  wherewith 
as  he  stood  in  the  wagon  he  reached  the  snake  and 
began  to  tease  it  and  soon  saw  that  it  began  to  swell, 
and  being  anxious  to  see  to  what  size  it  would  expand 
itself,  he  continued  to  tease  it  until  its  body  became 
swollen  to  a  very  large  size,  when  it  made  a  spring  and 
passed  over  wagon  and  shelvings  without  touching  any 
of  it  and  came  down  on  the  ground  on  the  other  side 
of  the  wagon,  and,  in  passing  over  it,  the  man  very 
narrowly  escaped  being  bitten  in  his  face  by  the  snake 
as  he  stood  in  the  wagon.  Such  an  occurrence  was  a 
good  warning  against  trying  such  experiments. 

Another  occurrence  of  anterior  times  will  show  the 
effect  of  hunger,  in  the  last  stage  of  life,  of  a  certain 
hawk. 

At  a  certain  time  when  Gerardus  Yan  Inwegen  and 
Abraham  Cuddeback  were  catching  pigeons  with  a  net. 


148  HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK. 

a  liawk  came  and  lit  on  a  fence  near  them,  and  contin- 
ued there  watching  the  pigeons  until  they  had  made 
some  hauls  ;  and  all  the  ado  they  made  to  spring  the 
net,  run  to  it,  kill  and  carry  the  pigeons,  &g.,  did  not 
scare  the  hawk  so  as  to  drive  him  from  his  place,  but 
from  his  action  appeared  to  want  a  pigeon.  This 
caused  Van  Inwegen  to  try  the  following  experiment 
te  catch  him.  He  took  a  pigeon  in  his  hand  and  held 
it  at  arm's  length  before  him  towards  the  hawk,  and 
walked  slowly  towards  him,  and  when  the  pigeon  got 
within  his  reach  he  took  hold  of  it  to  eat.  it,  when  Van 
Inwegen  caught  the  hawk  and  found  him  to  be  old  and 
starved,  and  had  become  unable  to  procure  his  food. 

Different  opinions  have  existed  in  relation  to  the 
government  of  the  actions  of  animals,  birds  and  other 
creatures.  In  respect  to  which,  it  is  difficult  in  many 
cases  to  determine  whether  certain  of  their  actions  are 
governed  by  the  dictates  of  mind,  to  answer  certain 
purposes,  or  by  an  impression  on  their  natures  to  cause 
their  actions  without  design.  The  cravings  of  food 
and  other  bodily  desires  emanate  from  the  nature  cre- 
ated in  their  bodies.  The  way  and  manner  of  each 
species  to  procure  its  food  are  dictates  of  the  mind,  in 
which  some,  if  not  all,  display  as  much  tact  and  cor- 
rectness to  obtain  their  objects  as  the  mind  of  man 
could  direct  in  their  respective  bodily  capacities.  The 
fear  of  an  enemy,  or  of  danger  from  any  cause,  is  a 
dictate  of  the  mind  and  affects  the  body,  and  both  will 
unite  their  efforts  to  defend  or  escape  the  danger  the 
means  of  which  the  mind  directs,  and  the  body  per- 
forms accordingly  thereto. 

The  fox,  the  ground-hog  and  some  other  creatures 
dig  holes  in  the  ground,  sometimes  under  and  between 


HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK.  149 

rocks,  iu  wliicli  to  hide  and  escape  from  being  caught 
by  an  enemy,  and  for  a  safe  place  to  rest  and  sleep. 
The  squirrels  will  seek  places  in  liollow  trees  for  their 
safety.  The  bears,  which  were  here  in  former  times, 
when  cold  weather  commenced  in  November  or  De- 
cember retired  from  the  open  woods  into  those  which 
were  thickly  timbered  with  hemlock,  and  there  sought 
and  made  places  under  rocks  and  roots  of  trees  in 
which  to  lay  up  all  winter,  and  continued  in  their 
respective  places  without  eating  all  winter  and  re- 
mained fat.  Hunters  from  this  neighborhood  some- 
times went  therein  former  times, in  February  or  March 
when  warm  weather  commenced,  and  found  them  with 
their  dogs,  and  killed  them  in  their  holes,  in  which 
some  were  confined  by  the  frost  of  the  ground  and 
were  fat. 

The  beaver  performs  the  greatest  work  of  the  animal 
species,which  comprehends  a  more  extensive  source  of 
enjoyments  than  what  any  other  creatures  have 
achieved,  all  of  which  appears  to  be  a  preconcerted 
plan  of  their  own  to  obtain  the  results  of  their  labors, 
but  still  may  be,  as  some  have  thought,  an  instinct  of 
their  natures  to  do  it  without  design.  A  company  of 
beavers  will  unite,  select  the  best  placa  to  build  a  dam 
across  a  stream  of  water  where  they  can  overflow  the 
greatest  extent  of  ground  by  damming  the  stream,  and 
the  company  will  all  engage  in  the  work  cutting  down 
brush  and  saplings  with  their  teeth  and  bringing  the 
same  to  the  place  selected  for  a  dam,  and  there 
place  them  in  the  stream  so  as  to  form  a  dam, 
for  which  they  make  use  of  mud,  clay  and  ground, 
to  intermix  with  the  brush,  so  as  to  confine  in  the 
dam   both   brush,  ground,  <fec.,  and   also   to   make   it 


150  HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK. 

tight.  After  this  work  is  all  completed,  a  male  and 
female  will  Uuite  and  dig  a  hole  in  the  side  of  a  bank, 
which  the  water  will  not  overflow  in  times  of  freshets, 
and  commence  to  dig  it  under  water  and  raise  gradu- 
ally until  the}' get  into  dry  ground  above  the  surface 
level  of  the  water  in  times  of  freshets,  where  they 
make  a  place  in  which  to  lay,  repose  and  sleep  in 
safety,  where  wolves,  dogs  and  enemies  of  every  kind 
cannot  find  them.  The  pond  also  becomes  a  safe  place 
for  them,  in  which  they  can  have  their  sportive  exer- 
cises and  furnish  them  with  food.  Tliere  was  in  an- 
cient times  a  beaver-dam  in  this  town  near  the  bridge 
across  Basha's  kill, on  the  land  of  Abraham  Ouddeback, 
Esq.,  which  dammed  the  water  so  as  to  overflow  a  large 
tract  of  bog  meadow  land  above  the  bridge.  There 
also  was  a  beaver-dam  across  the  Old  Dam  Brook,  on 
the  land  of  Abraham  J.  Ouddeback,  Esq.,  which  also 
overflowed  a  tract  of  swamp  and  bog  meadow  land. 
There  undoubtedly  have  been  others  in  ancient  times 
in  this  town.  These  were  the  two  best  places  in  this 
part  of  tlie  town  for  Beaver  dams,  and  were  on  streams 
not  subject  to  freeze  much. 

It  appears  evident  that  the  genius  and  natural  ac- 
tivity of  s6me  animals  and  birds  is  greater  than  that 
of  others,  and  that  all  possess  thought,  memory,  dis- 
cernment, and  many  of  the  passions  and  afiections  like 
those  of  human  beings  ;  and  have  a  degree  of  speech 
in  which,  by  articulate  sounds,  they  can  inform  each 
other  of  danger  from  an  enemy,  of  the  finding  of  food, 
calling  each  other  to  come  and  partake  of  it,  or  for- 
bidding it  ;  and  no  doubt  a  great  part  of  the  different 
species  of  animals  and  birds,  especially  the  latter,  have 
more  of  an  extensive  language,  to  communicate  to  and 


HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK.  151 

with  each  of  their  respective  ti-ibes,  than  what  man 
can  discover.  When  a  man  happens  to  come  nnawares 
near  to  a  partridge  with  young  ones,  she  will  give  im- 
mediate warning  to  her  brood  to  run  and  hide,  and  if 
the  man  pursues  them,  or  comes  near  to  them,  she  will 
approach  to  him  and  flutter  as  though  she  was  unable 
to  get  out  of  his  wa}',  to  entice  the  man  to  follow  her, 
but  will  keep  at  such  a  distance  from  him  that  he  can- 
not catch  her  ;  aud  in  this  manner  she  will  lead  the 
man  away  from  her  young  in  pursuit  of  herself,  until 
he  leaves  them  and  her  fear  ceases,  when  she  will  re- 
turn to  the  brood,  call  them  to  her,  and  attend  to  them 
in  her  usual  way.  Other  birds  also  have  their  ways 
and  means  of  causing  their  young  ones  to  run  and  hide 
for  fear  of  an  enemy,  and  to  entice  him  away  from  the 
place  where  the  young  chickens  are  hid.  All  ani- 
mals will  save  and  defend  their  young  offspring  to  the 
utmost  of  their  power,  in  which  they  generally  make 
use  of  the  best  means  they  possess. 


FOURTH    GENERATION. 

The  fourth  and  a  part  of  the  fifth  generations,  de- 
scendants from  four  of  the  first  settlers  in  the  Peen- 
pack  neighborhood,  are  now  on  the  stage  of  action,  and 
those  who  have  remained  in  Deerpark  now  own  nearly 
all  the  valuable  land  for  agricultural  purposes  in  it ; 
and,  like  their  grandfathers,  have  generally  stuck  to 
the  soil  for  their  living.  Yet  a  part  of  these  two  gen- 
erations are  now  in  other  pursuits  of  life,  embracing  a 
great  part  of  all  the  occupations  which  are  followed  in 
this  part  of  our  country.    The  former  generally  became 


152  HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK. 

transactors  of  business  between  the  years  1810  and 
1830.  These,  and  their  cotemporaries  in  our  country, 
are  within  reach  of  nearly  all  the  acquisitions  which 
have  been  mentioned,  and  can  procure  such  portions 
thereof  as  their  means  and  abilities  will  admit,  and 
which  furnishes  them  with  a  vast  amount  of  enjoyment 
of  which  their  ancestry  were  destitute,  and  also  are  a 
source  of  many  evils  which  they  escaped  by  not  hav- 
ing the- means  of  their  production.  Now,  in  conse- 
quence of  those  changes,  it  requires  more  circumspec- 
tion now  than  in  former  times  to  travel  life's  journey, 
from  the  existence  of  many  by-roads,  the  worst  of 
which  are  sometimes  most  enticing  ;  and  these  have 
obscured  our  way  through  life,  and  created  difficulties 
in  selecting  the  best  course  for  the  enjoyment  of  our 
additional  acquisitions,  without  burdening  ourselves 
with  the  evils  which  emanate  from  an  erroneous 
choice. 

When  men  become  enabled  to  have  a  great  variety 
of  food  and  drink  it  bcomes  necessary  to  know  which 
are  of  a  healthy  character  and  which  are  pernicious 
thereto,  so  as  to  enable  them  to  make  a  choice  for  its 
preservation  in  cases  where  that  becomes  the  object, 
in  preference  to  risking  future  evil  consequences.  So 
also  when  men  are  enabled  to  have  all  the  desirable 
enjoyments  of  ease  and  comfortable  dwellings,  it  is 
necessary  for  them  to  know  how  to  occupy  these  with- 
out injuring  their  health,  and  also  to  have  a  knowledge 
of  whatever  has  a  tendency  to  promote  or  impair  it. 
Much  information  relative  thereto  can  be  acquired 
from  the  writings  of  those  who  have  studied  and  prac- 
ticed the  art  of  healing  and  preserving  health. 

Doctor  Fowler  of  the  city  of  New  York  has  for  some 


HISTORY     OF     DEERPAIIK.  153 

years  published  a  monthly  water  cure  jourual,  in 
which  he  has  treated  extensively  of  the  effects  of  water 
in  curing  diseases  and  preserving  health,  by  using  it 
in  a  proper  manner  to  answer  its  different  purposes. 
He  has  also  treate  1  on  the  bad  effects  of  some  of 
the  habits  of  the  people  of  our  country  and 
the  consequences  thereof.  He  also  from  time  to 
time  published  a  variety  of  articles  relative 
to  the  causes  of  diseases  and  means  of  avoiding 
the  same,  &c.  Doctor  Nichols  and  wife,  Mary  S.  Gove 
Nichols,  formerly  of  the  city  of  New  York  and  after- 
wards residents  of  Cincinnatti,  also  published  a  similar 
monthly  journal  for  a  few  years.  From  such  works 
much  interesting  matter  for  the  benefit  of  mankind  can 
be  acquired,  and  more  than  people  generally  are  will- 
ing to  practice. 

The  physicians,  by  much  study  and  practice,  liave 
become  very  skillful  in  overcoming  and  curing  dis- 
ease, and  more  dependence  is  now  had  on  their  ser- 
vices for  prolonging  life  than  on  any  other  means  for 
that  purpose. 

Important  as  the  preservation  of  health  is  to  man- 
kind, few  appear  to  be  willing  to  use  means  for  pre- 
serving it,  some  of  which  are  irksome  and  others  coun- 
teract the  cravings  of  nature.  These  latter  differ  widely 
in  persons,  and  consequently  are  easier  overcome  by 
some  than  others.  Many  men  of  strong  constitutions, 
in  healthy  employments,  have  little  need  of  being 
strictly  temperate,  or  to  use  extraordinary  means  to 
preserve  health. 

The  three  first  verses  of  the  XXIII  chapter  of  the 
Proverbs  of  Solomon  are  very  applicable  in  respect  to 


154  HISTOEY     OF     DEERPARK. 

making  choice  of  a  great  variety  of  food  and  drink 
sucli  as  Killers  of  liis  time  furnished. 

Now  as  man  is  composed  of  both  body  and  a  com- 
prehensive and  intelligent  mind,  which  latter  is  subject 
to  pleasure  and  pain,  happiness  and  misery,  it  is  nec- 
essary to  use  our  best  means  for  the  welfare  of  both  ; 
and  as  a  large  field  is  opened  by  the  acquisitions 
mentioned,  for  the  enjoyment  of  the  mind  as  well  as 
of  the  body,  and  also  a  large  field  for  speculative  ob- 
jects, many  of  which  are  of  a  pernicious  character,  it 
becomes  necessary  to  select  such  as  will  promote  hap- 
piness and  to  shun  those  which  are  attended  with 
dangerous  consequences,  both  in  respeut  to  suffering 
corporeal  punishment  and  the  torments  of  a  guilty  con- 
science. 

The  most  perfect  course  of  life  creates  the  easiest 
journey,  but  a  perfect  guidance  in  all  respects  is  be- 
yond the  comprehension  of  man,  and  would  not  be 
fully  pursued  even  if  understood.  Our  country  is  tilled 
with  preachers  to  expound  the  laws  of  God  and  dic- 
tate the  walks  of  life,  yet  men  err  to  such  a  degree 
from  a  perfect  life  as  to  make  it  necessary  to  have 
many  codes  of  civil  law,  and  a  great  number  of  civil 
officers  versed  therein  to  prevent  imposition  and  sus- 
tain the  rights  of  man. 

A  perfect  life  of  the  mass  of  men  in  all  respects 
would  create  the  greatest  happiness.  It  has  been 
prophesied  that  a  time  will  arrive  when  men  will  be- 
come blessed  with  a  happy  state  of  existence,  when 
wars  will  cease  and  peace  prevail.  In  respect  of 
which,  if  we  take  a  view  of  what  has  transpired  in  the 
world,  it  appears  that  mankind  have  made  a  great 
advance    since    the    commencement  of   our   historical 


HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK.  155 

revelations  from  a  rude  and  barbarous  state  towards 
that  of  civilization,  and  from  the  numerous,  cruel  and 
terrible  warfares  of  ancient  times  to  a  greater  preva- 
lence of  peace  and  much  less  cruelty  in  warfare.  Yet 
the  world  of  mankind  still  remains  at  a  vast  distance 
from  such  a  happy  state  as  might  exist  if  all  men  were 
disposed  to  act  for  the  welfare  of  all,  and  had  discern- 
ment to  use  the  best  means  for  obtaining  it.  But  we 
still  remain  fallible  in  both  those  respects,  and  if  ever 
we  are  to  have  the  enjoyment  of  such  a  ha,ppy  state  it 
must  be  yet  far  in  advance,  and  it  probably  is  best  to 
progress  slowly  and  become  fitted  by  degrees  for  such 
a  change. 


RELIGIOUS   WOESHIP. 

I  have  understood  that  there  were  religious  reading 
meetings  in  the  Peenpack  neighborhood  before  the 
Rev.  Fryenmoet  commenced  his  ministerial  services. 

When  measures  were  first  taken  by  the  inhabitants 
along  the  Neversink  and  Delaware  rivers,  for  a  dis- 
tance of  about  45  or  50  miles  down  the  same,  to  pro- 
cure a  preacher  for  the  people  throughout  that  distance, 
there  was  not  a  man  in  its  vicinity  qualified  to  preach 
the  Gospel,  and,  in  consequence  of  this  district  then 
being  sparsely  inliabited,the  people  united  and  formed 
four  congregations,  to  procure  the  services  of  one 
preacher,  and  agreed  with  John  Casparus  Fryenmoet, 
a  young  man  from  Switzerland  who  had  previously 
studied  for  the  ministry,  to  furnish  him  with  money  to 
go  to  Amsterdam  in  Holland,  finish  his  education  and 
become  ordained,  after  which  he  was  to  serve  them  as 


156  HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK. 

their  preacher.  The  sum  they  gave  hiin  for  that  pur- 
pose was  £125  12s.  6cl.,  equal  to  $314.06.  He  went, 
obtained  his  education  and  became  authorized  to 
preach  the  gospel,  returned  and  commenced  to  preach 
for  the  four  congregations  in  June  1741  ;  but  no 
agreement  had  yet  been  made  in  relation  to  his  salary 
and  otlier  matters  which  were  necessary  to  be  agreed 
on,  and  before  any  agreement  was  made  Fryenmoet 
received  a  call  from  Rochester.  It  appears,  however, 
that  he  declined  that  call,  and  an  agreement  was  en- 
tered into  between  him  and  the  church  ofl&cers  of 
Minisink  and  Mahackemeck  congregations,  the  7th  of 
January,  1742,  whereby  it  was  stipulated  that  each  of 
those  congregations  should' pay  Fryenmoet  £20,  equal 
to  $50.  A  like  sum  paid  by  each  of  the  other  congre- 
gations made  the  amount  of  his  salary  $200  ;  besides 
this  he  was  to  have  100  skipple  of  oats  for  horse  feed, 
of  which  each  congregation  was  to  furnish  25  skipple. 
In  February,  1745,  the  four  congregations  agreed  to 
pay  each  £17  10s.  for  the  purpose  of  building  a  house 
for  Fryenmoet. 

It  appears  from  the  church  records  that  John  Cas- 
parus  Fryenmuth,  born  in  Switzerland,  with  Eleanor 
Van  Etten,  born  in  Nytsfield,  were  married  with  a  li- 
cense from  Governor  Morris,  in  New  Jersey,  by  Jus- 
tice Abraham  Van  Camp,  the  23d  of  July,  1742.  The 
church  records  contain  the  rules  and  regulations  of 
the  church  made  at  different  times,  which,  in  some  re- 
spects, were  different  from  those  of  the  present  time, 
among  which  were  the  two  following,  to  wit  :  Church 
Wardens  before  officiating  had  to  bind  themselves  in 
writing  to  remain  subject  to  the  Classis  of  Amsterdam. 
Persons  intending  to  be   married  had  to  make  out  a 


HISTORY     OP     DEERPARK.  157 

certificate  of  their  intended  marriage  and  deliver  it  to 
the  minister,  who  for  tliree  successive  Sundays,  at  the 
close  of  service,  read  the  certificate  and  at  the  same 
time  gave  notice  that  if  any  legal  objections  to  the 
marriage  existed,  they  should  be  made  in  due  time  and 
place. 

This  last  continued  to  be  practiced  during  Van  Ben- 
schoten's  services. 

These  records  are  in  the  Holland  Dutch  tongue.  It 
appears  that  Fryenmoet's  services  ended  in  1755 
when  his  services  became  impracticable  in  conse- 
quence of  the  French  war,  whereby  this  frontier  set- 
tlement became  much  exposed  to  Indian  warfare,  and 
he  removed  to  Kinderhook,  N.  Y.,  where  he  preached 
for  21  years  and  where  he  died  in  1778.  He  was  re- 
presented as  a  man  of  short  stature,  handsome  and 
eloquent. 

One  hundred  and  ten  communicant  members  were 
received  into  the  church  whilst  Fryenmoet  officiated, 
within  the  congregations  of  Minisink  and  Mahacke- 
meck,  about  36  of  whom  resided  in  the  present  town  of 
Deerpark.  Of  the  latter  the  following  from  time  to 
time  alternately  served  as  mejibers  of  the  Mahacke- 
meck  consistory  : 

Jacobus  Swartwout  Anthony  Van  Etten, 

Thomas  Decker,  Johaunis   Westbrook, 

Johannis  Decker,  Solomon  Koykendall, 

Gerardus  Van  Inwegen,  Josias  Cole, 

Peter  Gumaer,  Benjamin  Depuy, 

William  Cole,  Philip  Swartwout, 

Peter  Kuykendall. 

In  the  year  1760  the  Rev.  Thomas  Romej'n  com- 
menced his    ministerial  services  for  the  congregations 


158  HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK. 

mentioned,  and  continued  until  the  year  1772,  during 
which  time  a  general  attendance  was  given  to  his 
preaching,  and  reading  meetings  were  had  and  at- 
tended also  on  those  Sundays  when  there  was  no 
preaching  in  this  congregation.  This  practice  contin- 
ued during  the  time  oi  the  successive  ministers,  until 
preaching  was  had  every  Sunday  in  our  church.  (Mr. 
Romeyn  on  leaving  here  settled  in  Canghnawaga, 
Montgomery  County,  N.  Y.,  where  after  21  years  of 
ministerial  labor  he  died  in  1794.) 

Within  the  time  of  Romeyn's  services  a  schism  oc- 
curred in  the  Dutch  church,  in  consequence  of  the 
subordinate  state  of  the  church  to  the  Classsis  of  Am- 
sterdam, in  Holland,  in  respect  to  ordaining  ministers 
there,  &g.,  which  having  become  burdensome  to  many 
who  had  to  go  there  to  become  authorized  to  preach 
the  gospel,  measures  were  taken  to  have  a  Classis  es- 
tablished in  this  country  for  that  purpose.  This  cre- 
ated two  parties,  one  of  which,  termed  Conferentie,was 
in  favor  of  continuing  according  to  former  practice, 
and  the  other,  termed  Coetus,  were  advocates  of  a 
Classis  formed  in  this  country  to  examine  and  ordain 
men  to  preach  the  gospel.  Of  the  former,  Romeyn  was 
a  moderate  adherent,  probably  in  consequence  of  his 
ordination  in  Holland,  yet  the  people  of  his  congrega- 
tions generally  attended  to  his  preaching  and  were  not 
as  violent  partisans  as  many  people  were  in  some  other 
parts  of  our  countiy  ;  and  it  is  probable  his  services 
would  have  continued,  if  a  few  of  the  most  influential 
ruling  members  of  his  church,  who  were  of  the  Coetus 
party,  had  not  projected  means  to  end  his  services  in 
the  year  mentioned. 

From  this  time,  a  term  of   thirteen  years    elapsed  in 


HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK.  150 

which  these  congregations  had  no  regular  preacher, 
but  probably  had  a  few  supplies  before  the  Revolu- 
tionary War  commenced,  during  its  continuance,  and 
after  it  ended. 

In  the  year  1785  the  Rev.  Elias  Van  Benschoten  en- 
tered on  his  ministerial  services  for  the  three  congrega- 
tions of  Mahackemeck,  Minisink  and  Walpack,  in  each 
of  which  he  preached  every  third  Sunday,  in  both  the 
Dutch  and  English  languages  and  generally  performed 
half  in  each  tongue  ;  and  required  of  the  young  peo- 
ple as  their  duty,  to  commit  to  memory  in  the  English 
tongue  the  Heidelberg  catechism,  in  such  portions  as 
he  directed  to  be  answered  at  each  time  of  his  preach- 
ing in  the  congregation,  either  on  the  same  Sunday  or 
on  one  of  the  days  of  the  same  week,  at  which  time  he 
gave  explanations  of  that  portion  of  the  catechism.  He 
retired  in  1795,  *  and  removed  to  a  farm  or  tract  of 
land  he  had  purchased,  situated  east  of  the  Shawan- 
gunk  mountain,in  the  northerly  part  of  New  Jersey,  on 
which  he  made  great  improvements  and  granted  it  to 
Mr.  Cooper,  a  nephew  of  his  by  marriage,  subject  to 
payment  by  installments,  and  his  money  he  bestowed 
for  educating  youths  for  the  ministry,  <fec.  ($17,000 
given  to  the  General  Synod  of  Reformed  Dutch  Church 
for  this  purpose  in  1814.) 

Van  Benschoten  was  a  man  well  calculated  for  the 
rudeness  of  the  time  in  which  he  officiated  in  those 
congregations. 

After  Van  Benschoten's  services  were  ended,  a  term 


*  Mr.  V.  B.  moved  to  his  farm  in  the  Clove  near  Deckertown,  N.  J., 
in  1792,  where  he  preached  to  the  church  organized  under  his  ministry. 
He  likewise  preached  occasionally  to  the  churches  in  this  valley  until 
1799.     He  died  at  the  Clove  in  1815. 


160  HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK. 

of  about  four  years  elapsed  before  another  regular 
preacher  served  this  congregation.  In,  or  about  the 
winter  of  1803  and  1801,  the  Rev.  John  Demarest 
commenced  his  services  for  the  congregations  men- 
tioned and  performed  one-half  of  his  preaching  in 
the  Dutch  tongue,  and  the  other  half  in  English.  He 
continued  until  about  the  year  1806.  *  After  this  a 
term  of  about  ten  or  eleven  years  elapsed  in  which  no 
regular  preacher  officiated  in  this  congregation,  but 
supplies  were  sometimes  had. 

On  the  25th  of  January,  1817,  the  Rev.  Cornelius 
C.  Elting  was  installed  pastor  of  the  two  congregations, 
Mahackemeck  and  Minisink,  and  performed  his  ser- 
vices in  the  English  laoguage.  He  died  the  21th  of 
October,  1843.t 

All  religious  services  have  since  been  performed  in 
the  English  tongue  in  our  congregation.  Within  the 
term  of  his  services  a  new  church  was  built  in  Port 
Jervis,  after  which  the  name  of  "  Mahackemeck 
Church  "  was  altered  by  an  act  of  the  Legislature,  in 
1838,  to  that  of  "  The  Reformed  Dutch  Church  of 
Deerpark."  The  materials  of  the  old  church  were  re- 
moved after  the  new  one  was  finished,  and  the  spot 
where  the  first  and  second  churches  had  stood  during 
a  term  of  about  one  century,  from  the  time  the  first 
was  erected  until  the  last  was  taken  down,  became 
vacant,  and  the  ancient  and  latter  occupants  who  for- 
merly repaired  to  it  for  the  Avorship  of  their  Creator 
now  generally  sleep  in  their  graves. 

On  the  29th  of   February,  1844,  the    Rev.  George  P. 

*    Mr.  Demarest  died  in  New  York  city  in  1837. 

t  Mr.  Elting  is  the  only  minister  of  this  Church  who  has  died  during 
the  pastorate  of  the  Church. 


HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK.  161 

Van  Wyck  was  ordained  and  installed  pastor  of  the 
Keforined.  Dutch  Church  of  Deerpark,  unconnected 
with  the  congregation  of  'Minisink,  and  his  services 
were  generally  had  every  Sunday  in  this  church,  which 
he  continued  until  in  May,  1852.*  On  February  22d, 
1853,  the  Rev.  Hiram  Slauson  was  installed  pastor,and 
continued  his  services  until  in  October  1857. t 

In  the  year  1853  the  church  edifice  at  Cuddeback- 
ville  was  built  at  a'  cost  of  $2,500,  principally  borne  by 
the  inhabitants  of  that  place  and  its  vicinity.  A  church 
was  organized  March  12th,  1854,(by  a  committee  of  the 
Classis  of  Orange)  consisting  of  thirteen  members, 
twelve  of  whom  were  received  from  the  Reformed 
Dutch  Church  of  Deerpark,  and  one  from  the  Episco- 
pal Church  of  Middletown.  The  Rev.  Henry  Morris 
was  installed  as  the  first  pastor  of  this  church  the 
third  Tuesday  of  September,  1855.  X 

On  the  first  Sabbath  in  February,  1858,  the  Rev. 
Samuel  W.  Mills  commenced  his  pastoral  services  for 
the  Dutch  Reformed  Church  at  Port  Jervis;* 

As  we  now  generally  have  preaching  every  Sabbath, 
our  reading  meetings  have  been  discontinued.  The 
exercises  of  those  meetings  were  prayer  by  one  of  the 
communicant  members,  and  singing  before  and  after 
reading  a  sermon  from  a  book  of  sermons. 

The  greatest  supporters  of  those  meetings  were  Ben- 
jamin Depuy,  Esq.,  within  his  time  of  action,  and  af- 
terwards Joel  Wiiitlock.     In  the  early  part  of  Depuy's 

*  Mr.  Van  Wyck  is  now  (1889)  living  at  Washington,  D.  C. 
t    Mr.  Slauson  is  still  (1889)  living  at  Whitehall,  N.  Y. 

X  Mr.  Morris  remained  pastor  of  this  Church  until  1861  when  he  re 
moved  to  Port  Jervis,  and  subsequently,  in  1867,  to  Binghamton,  N.  Y., 
where  he  died,  in  i88i,  at  78  years  of  age. 

*  Mr.  Mills  continued  pastor  until  Nov.  1871. 


162  HISTOEY     OF     DEERPARK. 

life  he,  and  sometimes  Jacob  K.  Dewitt,  performed  the 
reading  in  Dutch,  but  in  the  latter  part  of  his  life  and 
afterwards  it  was  done  in  the  English  language  and 
continued  to  be  done  in  that  tongue. 

Since  the  construction  of  the  Delaware  and  Hudson 
canal  and  the  New  York  and  Erie  railroad  this  town 
has  received  an  additional  population,  who  have  built 
up  the  large  and  flourishing  village  of  Port  Jervis. 
These  are  from  different  parts  of  our  country  and 
from  different  countries  in  Europe  and  are  of  different 
religious  denominations. 

The  greatest  proportion  of  these  are  of  English  ori- 
gin, and  some  of  them  are  the  most  opulent  in  it.  This 
village,  commenced  about  the  year  1828,  now  contains 
six  churches,  all  of  which  are  generally  occupied  every 
Sunday  for  religious  worship,  to  wit  :  A  Dutch  Re- 
formed as  mentioned,  and  a  Baptist,  Methodist,  Pres- 
byterian, Episcopalian  and  a  Roman  Catholic, 
(and  now  in  1890  a  German  Lutheran).  The 
different  opinions  of  men  in  religion  and  politics  have 
always  had  a  tendency  to  create  enmity  ;  but  as  men 
have  become  enlightened,  those  causes  have  gradually 
ceased  to  have  such  violent  effects  as  in  former  times, 
especially  in  religion.  The  members'  of  the  different 
denominations  in  our  town  now  harmonize  in  their 
business  transactions,  and  their  different  opinions  in 
religion  do  not  effect  their  social  intercourse  in  other 
respects.  But  in  politics  we  must  always  expect  to 
have  times  of  great  contention,  if  we  continue  to  have 
the  liberty  of  speaking  our  respective  sentiments,  for 
people  will  always  disagree,  both  honestly  and  dis- 
honestly in  respect  to  certain  matters  which  will,  from 
time  to  time  be  introduced    for  legislative  action   and 


HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK.  163 

determination  ;  and  our  inability  to  judge  correctly  in 
relation  to  all  the  numerous  matters  which  will  con- 
tinually occur  for  such  decision,  together  with  many 
selfish  views,  will  always  cause  strife  in  our  political 
affairs,  and  these  will  continue  to  have  a  great  effect  in 
opening  the  eyes  of  the  people  in  relation  to  our  po- 
litical matters. 

In  religion  it  is  probable  that  the  different  denomi- 
nations will  generally  continue  to  become  freed  from 
that  enmity  Avhich  formerly  existed  in  consequence  of 
their  religious  opinions,  the  folly  of  which  is  now  ap- 
parent to  the  best  informed  part  of  mankind.  The 
use  of  force  and  arms  in  former  times  to  compel  men 
to  unite  or  keep  united  with  certain  religious  sects,- 
had  a  tendency  to  produce  hyprocisy,  for  sdlf  preser- 
vation, but  not  to  alter  men's  opinions.  Convincing 
proofs  are  the  only  means  to  alter  erroneous  opinions, 
but  the  great  evil  of  ancient  times  consisted  in  organ- 
izing men  to  answer  selfish  purposes  by  religious  and 
political  subjugation  ;  the  most  numerous  and  power- 
ful of  each  of  these  becoming  united,  created  a  power 
to  tyranize  over  their  opposers. 

The  acts  of  men  which  have  emanated  from  the 
influence  of  serving  God  have  been  directed  in  many 
difterent  ways,  some  of  which  have  been  very  erro- 
neous and  contrary  to  the  spirit  of  Christianity,  al- 
though transacted  by  its  professors.  Such  have  been 
all  the  instigators  of  wars  for  selfish  purposes,  without 
a  just  cause,  and  all  unjust  impositions  for  whatever 
objects. 

Within  the  present  century  much  has  been  done  to 
enlighten  mankind  and  improve  their  condition,  and 
we  are  under  great  obligations  of   gratitude  to   all  the 


164  HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK. 

- 

scientific  men  of  our  country  for  tlie  vast  improve- 
ment and  discoveries  they  liave  made  witliin  my  own 
time  of  life,  most  of  which  has  been  done  by  descen- 
dants of  English  origin,  whose  ancestors  generally 
came  into  this  country  poor,  to  enjoy  liberty  in  the 
wilds  of  the  Eastern  states,  where  they  had  to  suffer 
the  hardships  of  procuring  a  livelihood  in  a  wilderness 
country,  among  the  hazards  of  being  exterminated  by 
the  numerous  Indians  who  inhabited  it.  Now,  not- 
withstanding their  privations  and  all  the  hazards  which 
attended  their  situations,  they  persevered,  improved 
the  countr}^  wherever  they  settled,  defended  themselvei 
against  Indian  hostilities,  and,  as  soon  as  practicable, 
introduced  religious  worship,  literature  and  the  study 
of  the  arts,  and  sciences,  and  became  the  most  enlight- 
ened people  in  our  country. 

Many  of  their  descendants  have  emigrated  into  the 
different  States  of  the  Union,  and,  wherever  they  have 
located,  they  have  generall}'  introduced  religion,  liter- 
ture,  and  the  study  of  the  arts  and  sciences.  They 
occupy  the  greatest  part  of  the  most  important  stations 
of  life  in  our  country,  and  we  are  indebted  to  them  for 
a  vast  amount  of  improvements,  and  for  many  manu- 
facturing establishments  in  different  parts  of  our  coun- 
try. Ill  religion  they  do  not  all  unite.  Their  spirit  of 
liberty  generally  dictates  the  individuals  to  join  such 
Christian  dejiomination  as  they  respectively  prefer,  in 
consequence  of  which  they  have  become  divided  gen- 
erally among  the  different  Christian  denominations  in 
our  country.  These  different  opinions  in  religious 
sentiments  generally  create  no  enmity  between  the 
most  enlightened  professors,  who  so  differ  in  opinion 
where  no    apprehensions  of   evil   consequences   exist, 


HISTOKY     OF     DEERPARK.  165 

but  indications  of  these  have  not  become  wholly  ex- 
tinguished, and  may  or  may  not  prove  an  injury  to  the 
welfare  of  our  country. 


ADMINISTRATION   OF  JUSTICE. 

For  about  60  or  70  years  the  inhabitants  of  that 
part  of  the  present  town  of  Deerpark,  which  formerly 
was  in  the  town  of  Mamakating  in  Ulster  County,  had 
no  nearer  Justice  of  the  Peace  than  in  Rochester,  in 
the  same  County,  which  was  about  35  or  40  miles  dis- 
tant from  the  Peenpack  .  neighborhood  ;  and  the  ser- 
vices of  that  officer  were  unnecessary  for  the  inhabi- 
tants of  that  neighborhood  du.iing  that  time,  in  which 
they  had  the  honesty  and  prudence  to  adjust  all  mat- 
ters relating  to  their  mutual  dealings.  And  the  inhab- 
itants of  the  lower  neighborhood,  who  were  in  the 
County  of  Orange,  and  had  settled  there  about  20 
years  after  the  settlement  was  made  at  Peenpack,  must 
have  resided  there  about  40  or  50  years  before  any 
Justice  officiated  in  that  neighborhood. 

I  presume  that  Jacobus  (James)  Van  Auken  was  the 
first  Justice  of  the  Peace  in  the  present  town  of  Deer- 
park,  and  that  he  received  his  office  from  the  authori- 
ties of  the  State  of  New  Jersey  before  the  line  between 
the  States  became  settled.  He  resided  in  the  lower 
neighborhood.  It  was  said  that  he  was  entirely  illit- 
erate, and  that  the  wife  of  his  son  Daniel  Van  Auken, 
Leah  Kittle,  had  been  educated  and  could  read  and 
write,  and  did  the  same  for  her   father-in-law  when    it 


166  HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK. 

became  necessary  for  transacting  his  official  business, 
in  consequence  of  which  she  received  the  name  of 
Justice  in  his  time  of  life. 

Benjamin  Depuy  and  Philip  Swartwout,  Esquires, 
officiated  as  Justices  of  the  Peace  for  the  County  of 
Ulster  before  the  Revolutionary  War  commenced,  and 
Anthony  Yan  Etten  and  Solomon  Kuykendall,Esquires, 
officiated  as  Justices  of  the  Peace  for  the  County  of 
Orange,  also  before  the  commencement  of  the  war,how 
long  previous  thereto  I  cannot  determine,  but  think 
they  must  have  come  into  office  after  the  French  war 
ended  and  before  the  year  1770.  After  the  decease  of 
Swartwout,  Yan  Auken  and  Yan  Etten,which  occurred, 
as  has  been  mentioned,  in  the  time  of  the  war,  Har- 
manus  Yan  Inwegen  became  a  Justice  of  the  Peace  of 
the  County  of  Ulster  and  Levi  Yan  Etten  of  Orange 
County.  The  former  was  a  resident  of  the  old  town  of 
Mamakating,  and  the  latter  of  the  former  town  of  Min- 
isink.  Afterwards  Peter  G.  Cuddeback  became  a  Jus- 
tice of  the  Peace  of  Ulster  County,  and  officiated  until 
he  removed  to  Cayuga  County. 

After  this  time  several  individuals  held  the  office  in 
succession  for  the  County  of  Orange,  which  became  so 
altered,  together  with  an  alteration  of  the  towns,  as  to 
include  the  present  town  of  Deerpark  in  which  Cudde- 
back resided.  When  the  first  and  second  churches  of 
Mahackemeck  congregation  were  built,  a  bench  with  a 
roof  over  it  was  made  in  each  of  those  churches  for  a 
seat  of  such  magistrates  in  time  of  divine  service.* 
When  those  civil  officers  were  first  introduced  into  this 
part  of   our  country  they  were    more   highly  esteemed 

*  This  was  very  common  in  the  Dutch  Churches  in  this  country  at 
that  time. 


HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK.  167 

than  at  present,  though  it  did  not  require  as  good 
abilities  and  as  much  law  knowledge  to  discharge  their 
duties  honorably  in  former  times  as  at  present,  in  con- 
sequence of  the  gre^t  increase  of  their  business  and  a 
more  general  diffusion  of  law  knowledge,  also  by  hav- 
ing become  familiarized  among  the  people  in  a  much 
greater  degree  than  formerly. 

The  descendants  of  the  first  settlers  in  the  two 
neighborhoods  mentioned  have  generally  settled  all 
their  mutual  dealings  without  the  process  of  law,which 
has  so  continued  to  the  present  time  ;  and  before  the 
Revolution  the  Justices  must  have  had  only  a  mere 
trifle  of  business.  After  the  war  ended  law  prosecu- 
tions and  trials  began,  and  their  increase  a  few  years 
thereafter  made  a  great  addition  of  business  for  the 
resident  Justices  in  the  towns  mentioned,  which  rap- 
idly augmented  until  the  County  of  Sullivan  was 
formed  and  became  established  out  of  a  part  of  the  old 
County  of  Ulster,  and  a  part  of  the  latter  added  to  the 
old  County  of  Orange,  which  transferred  a  great 
amount  of  law  business  from  the  present  County  of 
Ulster  into  the  County  of  Sullivan. 

After  the  Reuolutionary  War,  the  large  forests  of 
wild  lands  then  in  Ulster  County  contained  a  great 
amount  of  valuable  pine,  oak  and  hemlock  timber, 
both  near  the  Delaware  river  and  for  some 
miles  distant  from  it.  This  valuable  property  became 
an  object  of  enterprise  for  people  to  get  and  con- 
vey to  market,  first  generally  in  the  form  of  logs. 
Few  owners  of  the  land  were  in  this  part  of 
the  country,  w^hich  gave  people  the  opportunity  to 
get  it  where  they  saw  fit,  but  as  the  business  extended 
owners  were  found  and  many  people  became  engaged 


168  HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK. 

in  manufacturing  the  timber  into  boards,  scantling,&c., 
and  into  hewed  timber,  staves  and  shingles  for  mar- 
ket. Among  these  quite  a  great  proportion  of  the 
residents  in  the  former  and  present  towns  of  Deerpark 
engaged,  in  which  some  did  a  small  business,  others 
on  a  medium  scale,  and  some  to  a  very  great  extent.; 
This,  with  few  exceptions,  was  done  on  a  credit  sys- 
tem, by  running  in  debt  to  merchants  and  farmers  for 
the  necessary  supplies  the  individuals  wanted  for  their 
business,  which  generally  was  made  payable  every  en- 
suing spring  and  fall,  at  which  time  the  lumber  was 
run  down  the  river  to  market.  In  progressing  in  this 
manner  many  disappointments  occurred  which  caused 
failures  in  making  payments  according  to  agreements, 
in  consequence  of  disasters  on  the  river,  unsteady 
prices  of  lumber  and  oi  the  produce  necessary  for  that 
business,  wages,  <fec.,  and  many  other  causes  of  failures 
contributed  to  make  business  for  justices,  and  con- 
stables of  the  old  County  of  Ulster,  who  resided  in  the 
iormer  town  of  Mamakating.  As  early  as  1792  when  I 
was  constable  and  a  resident  of  that  town,  I  had  to 
travel  several  times  a  distance  of  between  15  and  40 
iniles  to  serve  processes  for  recovery  of  debts  from 
persons  who  resided .  along  the  river  between  Pond 
Eddy  and  Cochecton,  and  who  were  in  poor  circum- 
stances to  pay  debts.  These  lumbered  under  great 
disadvantages  in  getting  round-  timber  from  the  moun- 
tains bordering  on  the  river,  which  business  they  had 
commenced  after  the  war  ended. 
,  After  the  war  terminated,  boards  and  other  sawed 
timber  were  much  wanted  for  building  purposes  within 
the  present  town  of  Deerpark,  where  the  enemy  had 
burned   the   buildings  of   the    inhabitants,   and   these 


HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK.  IG*.) 

materials  were  not  manufactured  in  this  vicinity  at 
that  time.  It  became  necessary  to  buikl  saw  mills  to 
furnish  those  articles,  and  three  men,  Capt.  Abraham 
Cuddeback,  Benjamin  Cuddeback  and  Capt.  Abraham 
Westfal],  built  a  saw  mill  on  a  brook  at  that  time 
termed  Bush-kill,  at  or  near  the  present  tanning  estab- 
lishment of  Mr.  O.  B.  Wheeler,  near  the  bridge  across 
the  Neversink  river  on  the  Mount  Ho])e  and  Lumber- 
land  turnpike  ;  and  three  other  men,  Benjamin  Depuy, 
Esq.,  Elias  Gumaer  and  Samuel  Depuy,  built  a  saw 
mill  on  the  present  premises  of  Abraham  Cuddeback, 
Esq.,  on  the  same  brook  on  which  his  present  saw  mill 
stands. 

Near  the  Bush -kill  saw  mill  at  that  time  was  much 
piue  timber,  and  that  mill  continued  to  do  considera- 
ble business  for  several  years,  and  the  same,  and  a  few 
•other  mills  west  of  it,  manufactured  the  greatest  part 
of  the  boards  formerly  used  for  the  buildings  in  Orange 
County,  and  the  shingles  for  roofing  the  same  were 
generally  made  in  the  vicinity  of  those  mills.  All  of 
which,  during  a  certain  period  of  time,  made  a  great 
business,  and  some  addition  to  that  of  our  Justice's 
courts  originated  from  it. 

A  great  trading  intercourse  generally  creates  many 
causes  of  contention  and  fills  our  courts  with  a  great 
amount  of  business,  all  of  wliich  has  its  bad  and  good 
effects,  and  while  some  bear  the  burdens  of  contention 
others  receive  the  benefit  of  transacting  the  necessary 
business  for  adjusting  matters  of  dispute.  All  the 
consequences  resulting  from  such  an  intercourse  of 
mankind,  have  a  tendency  to  enlighten  them,  and, 
according  to  the  old  saying  "  It's  an  ill  wind  that 
blows  nobody  any  good." 


ANTERIOK  PRICES   OF  LIVE   STOCK,  GRAIN 

AND  OTHER  FARMERS'  PRODUCE, 

WAGES,   &C. 

For  many  years  tlie  prices  of  those  productions, 
wages,  &c.,  were  about  stationary.  At  what  time  oi: 
times  these  were  established  is  uncertain,  but  I  pre- 
sume it  must  have  been  as  early  as  1740,  when  the 
same  became  regulated  according  to  the  discretion  of 
the  people  throughout  this  valley  or  by  the  Esopus 
merchant,  and  continued  until  about  the  year  1790. 
The  farmers  generally  paid  mechanics  and  laborers 
with  the  produce  of  their  farms,  and  the  latter  paid 
what  they  bought  of  the  former  in  labor,  and  very 
little  money  was  in  circulation  among  them. 


CURRENCY  AND  MEASURES. 

Previous  to  the  Revolutionary  War,  and  for  a  few 
years  after  it  ended,  the  currency  in  circulation  here 
was  that  of  the  Colony  of  New  York,  afterwards  termed 


HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK.  171 

State  of  New  York,  which  was   calculated   in  pounds, 
shillings,  pence  and  farthings. 

1  pound  was  20   shillings $2.50 

1  shilling  was  12  pence    , 12^ 

1  penny  was  4  farthings 01  1-25 

The  grain  measure  was  a  skipple,  and  hekl  3  pecks. 
The  cloth  measure  was  an  ell,  f  of  a  yard  long. 

For  brevity,  the  prices  annexed  to  the  following  ar- 
ticles, wages,  &c.,  is  in  our  present  currency,  and  the 
measures  are  those  now  in  use. 

LIVE     STOCK. 

Horses,  from  about $20.00  to  $50.00 

Cows,         "         "      7.50  to    12.50 

Sheep,       "         "    1.00  to      1.50 

GRAIN.  . 

Wheat,  per  bushel $0.75 

Eye,  per  bushel 50 

Corn,  per  bushel 50 

Buckwheat,  per  bushel .31 

MEAT. 

Beef,  per   cwt. $2.50 

Pork,  per  cwt 4.00 

CLOTHS. 

For  man's  every  day  wear    hnen,  unbleached,  per 

yard $0.44 

For   man's   every  day  wear   linen,  bleached,   per 

yard 50 

Finer  qualities  for  Sunday  wear  at  higher  prices, 

linsey-woolsey,  fulled  and  colored 1.00 


172  HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK. 

UnfuUed  plain  colored  linsey-woolsey  for  woman's 

wear 75 

These  cloths  were  all  woven   five-quarters  of   a  yard 
wide. 

FLAX. 

Unhatcheled,  per   lb $0.09 

Tow,  per  lb ■ 06 

WAGES. 

For  labor  on  a  farm,  per  year,  from. .  .  $50.00  to  $75.00 
For  labor  on  a 'farm,  per  month,  from..  5.00  to  7.50 
For  labor   on  a   farm,  per   day,  except 

in  harvest  and  haying,  from 25  to      .37^ 

Per  day  for  cradling  grain $0.62^ 

Per  day  for  mowing  grass 50 

Baking  and  binding  after  a  cradler.  . 62^ 

Baking  only  after  a  cradler 25 

Binding  after  a  cradler 37^1^ 

Cutting   timber   and   splitting   it  into   rails,  per 

.  hundred 37^ 

Splitting  rails,  per  hundred 18f 

Crackling  or  breaking  flax  per  hundred  handfulls.     .12^ 

Swingling  flax  per  lb.  about 03 

Spinning  it  for    common  wear   per   lb.  (women's 

work) 121 

Weaving  linen  for  every  day  wear  per  yard  about.     .04 
Linsey-Woolsey  per  yard  about 07 

carpenter's   work. 

Per  day  from $0.50  to  $0.72 

For  making  the  woodwork  of  a  wagon. .......  .$25.00 

Of  a  lumber  sleigh 1.50 


HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK.  173 

Of    a  plow 1.00 

Of  a  faDning  mill.  . , 12.50 

mason's  work. 
Per   day  from.  . $0.50  to  $0.75 

The  sums  paid  for  the  mason  and  carpenter's  work 
of  the  dwelling  house  of  Peter  Gumaer,  done  about  the 
year  1753, will  show  how  clieap  those  mechanics  worked 
at  that  time. 

The  house  was  45  by  40  feet  on  the  ground,  with  a 
cellar  under  the  same,  divided  into  four  cellar  rooms 
and  four  dwelling  rooms.  The  walls  were  of  stone, 
masoned  with  clay  mortar  and  were  about  two  feet 
thick,  pointed  outside  of  the  house  and  inside  of  the 
cellar  rooms  with  lime  and  sand  mortar,  and  plastered 
inside  of  the  rooms  and  chamber  with  mortar  of  lime, 
&c.  The  mason  work  of  this  house  was  done  by  three 
masons,  by  the  job,  for  =£30,  equal  to  $75  ;  and  the 
carpenter's  Avork  was  also  done  by  the  job,  by  a  Mr. 
Wells,  for  the  like  sum  of  £30,  equal' to  $75. 

To  show  how  cheap  these  mechanics  worked,  I  have 
thought  proper  to  give  a  further  description  of  this 
house,  being  as  follows,  to  wit  :  The  two  side  walls 
were  about  20  feet  high  from  the  bottom  of  the  cellar 
to  the  plates,  and  the  two  end  walls  were  about  28  feet 
high.  The  two  walls,  which  divided  the  cellar  and 
dwelling  house  each  into  lour  apartments,  were  about 
16  feet  high  from  the  bottom  of  the  cellar  to  the  cham- 
ber floor.  Tlie  two  chimneys,  with  the  supporting 
walls  in  the  cellar  and  forming  the  fire-places,  were 
about  40  feet  high  from  the  bottom  of  the  cellar  to 
their  tops, and  were  each  about  10  x  6  feet  square  above 
the  upper  floor,  from  which  they  were  tapering  towards 


174  HISTORY     OP     DEERPARK. 

the  top  of  the  roof,  and  above  it  were  about  4  or  5  feet 
square. 

The  carpenter's  work  consisted  of  hewing,  fitting  and 
laying  the  cellar  beams,  which  were  about  one  foot 
square,  and  reached  from  the  outside  to  the  inside 
walls,  also  hewing,  planing  and  laying  the  beams  of 
the  upper  floor,  which  were  of  pitcii  pine  timber  and 
about  14  X 10  inches  square,  also  hewing  and  planing 
the  plates  on  which  the  roof  rested,  also  hewing  the 
rafters,  which  were  about  8x6  inches  square  at  the 
lower  ends  and  about  5  inches  square  at  the  top  end 
and  those  on  the  sides  were  about  32  feet  long,  and 
those  on  the  two  other  sides,  or  ends,  were  about  26 
feet  long,  and  each  pair  of  the  long  rafters  contained 
a  girth  of  about  25  feet  long  and  about  8x6  inches 
square.  The  lath  on  which  the  shingles  were  nailed 
were  of  split  timber,  hewed  IJ  inch  thick  and  about  5 
inches  wide,  the  shingles  were  of  white  pine  timber  3 
feet  long  and  1  inch  thick  at  the  butt  end,  shaved  to 
near  an  edge  at  the  other  end  ;  the  lower  and  upper 
floors  were  of  pitch  pine  boards,  1^  inch  thick  planed 
on  the  side  within  the  rooms. 

The  house  contained  7  inside  panel  doors,  four  out- 
side framed  doors,  and  four  cellar  batten  doors,  five 
windows,  which  contained  each  24  panes  of  glass,  and 
panel  window  shutters  to  each  window,  four  small 
windows  above  the  outside  doors  and  eight  small 
chamber  and  cellar  windows,  and  a  large  closet  each 
side  of  one  of  the  fire  places.  These  two  jobs  were 
paid  in  money,  which  was  of  much  more  value  at  that 
time  than  at  present. 

Few  country  dwelling  houses  contain  as  great  a 
weight  of  materials  as  were  put  into  this  building.     It 


HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK.  175 

lasted  until  the  year  1823,  and,  with  a  little  repairing 
and  a  new  roof,  might  have  stood  and  been  a  good 
house  until  the  present  time.  It  contained  all  its  first 
materials  except  a  small  repair  of  the  floors  before 
each  fire  place,  and  rebuilding  the  east  wall,  from 
which  the  pointing  had  been  washed  by  northeast 
storms  of  rain  and  caused  it  to  fall.  The  lower  and 
upper  floors,  and  the  two  end  roofs,  were  yet  water 
tight  when  the  house  was  taken  down.  The  roofs  on 
the  north  and  south  sides  had  become  leaky,  and  more 
on  the  north  than  south  side.  The  two  end  roofs  were 
very  steep,  and  those  on  the  sides  were  somewhat 
steeper  than  roofs  of  the  present  time. 

BUSINESS   TRANSACTIONS   OF   OUR    ANCES- 
TORS. 

As  there  has  been  a  great  change  in  the  business 
transactions  of  people  in  this  part  of  the  country  gen- 
erally within  the  last  half  century,  I  have  thought 
proper  to  give  a  more  particular  statement  in  relation 
to  that  of  the  inhabitants  formerly  of  our  present  town, 
than  what  has  been  mentioned  in  the  preceding  part 
of  this  work. 

Commencing  with  the  ending  and  beginning  of  the 
year,  I  will  in  the  first  instance  narrate  the  manner  in 
which  Christmas  and  New  Year's  days  were  kept. 


CHRISTMAS  AND  NEW  YEAR'S. 

The  day  preceding  Christmas,  preparations  were 
made  to  enjoy  some  good  diets  on  that  and  the  next 
succeeding  day,  by  baking  cakes,  boiling  doughnuts, 
&c.,  on  which  to  feast,  especially  the  second  Christmas 


176  HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK. 

day,  when  neighbors  visited  each  other  and  partook  of 
the  good  victuals  previously  and  this  day  provided.^ 
Formerly  two  days  were  kept  as  Christmas,  and  two 
days  as  New  Year's  throughout  our  valley.  The  first 
Christmas  day  was  kept  holy  and  reverential  as  Sun- 
day, and  the  second  as  mentioned,  on  the  evening  of 
which  the  young  people  generally  had  a  dance.  The 
day  previous  to  New  Year's,  the  same  preparations 
were  made  for  both  New  Year's  days,  and  early  in  the 
morning  of  the  first  day,  at  or  before  break  of  day,  a 
few  individuals  would  be  out  in  one  part  of  the  neigh- 
borhood and  salute  a  near  neighbor  with  tlie  firing  of 
guns  by  his  door,  which  awakening  the  inmates  they 
speedily  arose  out  of  their  beds,  and,  on  meeting  their 
visitors,  they  mutually  greeted  each  other  with  the 
wish  of  a  Happy  New  Year,  after  wliicli  a  treat  of 
cider  was  given  and  sometimes  other  liquor  after  it 
became  used,  and  some  cakes,  doughnuts  and  apples 
were  distributed  among  them.  Here  they  were  joined 
by  one  or  a  few  of  this  family  and  proceeded  to  the 
next  neighbor,  where  the  same  routine  was  gone 
through  and  generally  one  or  a  feAv  individuals  were 
added  at  each  house,  and  by  this  means  quite  a  com- 
pany was  formed  by  passing  through  the  neighbor- 
hood. In  my  time  these  proceedings  began  to  be 
disapproved,  and  gradually  ceased  until  they  became 
abandoned.  In  all  other  respects,the  first  and  second 
New  Year's  days  were  kept  in  the  same  manner  as  the 
second  Christmas  day. 

After  these  festivities  were  past,  the  people  resumed 
their  business,  which  was  very  urgent  at  this  time  of 
the  year,  in  which,  before  my  time,  it  was  said  there 
generally  was    good    sleighing   and   they  had    to  do  a 


HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK.  177 

great  amount  of  teaming  in  the  winter  season  while 
sleighing  continued,  to  get  their  wheat  to  market,  their 
fire  wood,  post  and  rail  timber  drawn,  and  much  other 
work  which  teams  had  to  perform.  Wheat,  in  the  first 
instance,  had  to  be  taken  between  50  and  60  miles 
distance  from  our  present  town  to  market,  afterwards 
between  40  and  50  miles. 

As  the  days  are  short  in  winter,  the  people  before 
my  time  occupied  a  part  of  the  night  after  dark  in  the 
evening  and  in  the  morning  before  dayliglit,f or  thresh- 
ing and  cleaning  wheat,  and  also  for  taking  it  to  mar- 
ket. The  great  amount  of  fire  wood,  post  and  rail 
timber,  which  had  to  be  provided  in  the  winter  season, 
also  made  much  winter  work.  After  sleiohina  ended, 
post  and  rail  timber  had  to  be  split,  the  posts  holed 
and  rails  sharpened,  and,  as'soon  as  the  frost  was  out 
of  the  ground,  new  fences  were  made  of  these  and  the 
old  fences  were  repaired.  In  1770  and  afterwards,  a 
great  amount  of  fuel  and  fencing  timber  was  used  in 
consequence  of  the  large  fires  farmers  kept  up  in  their 
sitting  rooms  and  kitchens,  the  smallness  and  scat- 
tered situation  to  which  farms  had  become  reduced  at 
that  time, and  the  necessity  of  dividing  them  into  small 
lots  for  pasturing  purposes. 

In  March  and  April,  the  flax  which  had  not  been 
previously  dressed,  was  in  these  months  all  crackled 
and  swingled,  rope  yarn  spun,  and  ropes  made  for 
halters,  traces,  lines  and  other  uses.  Each  farmer  in 
these  months  prepared  his  hides  for  tanning,  procured 
white  oak  bark,and  laid  down  the  hides,  together  with 
the  bark  and  water,  in  trouglis,to  be  tanned  during  the 
warm  season.  The  linen  for  summer  wear  was  princi- 
pally woven  in  these  months  bj'  the    men,  the   manure 


178  HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK. 

drawn  from  the  barnyards  and  stables,  and  flax  seed 
and  oats  sowed. 

In  May,  the  corn-ground  was  ploughed  and  planted, 
and  ploughing  for  buckwheat  was  done  for  the  first 
time. 

In  June,the  corn  was  hoed  twice,  for  which  it  was 
prepared  by  plowing  each  time  between  the  rows  one 
way,  so  that  much  had  to  be  done  with  the  hoe,  and 
the  ploughing  for  summer  fallow  was  also  commenced, 
and  at  an  early  day  of  the  settlement  sometimes  fin- 
ished in  this  month. 

In  July  the  harvesting  and  gathering  of  winter 
grain  and  oats,  and  the  pulling  of  flax  was  all  done. 

In  August,  after  meadows  were  made,  the  grass  was 
cut  and  gathered  for  fodder,  flax  taken  up  and  brought 
into  barns,  and  a  second  ploughing  for  wheat  was 
principally  done  in  this  month.  (It  was  customary 
with  the  ancient  people  to  plough  three  times  for 
wheat  and  twice  for  rye). 

In  September  the  plowing  for  seed  and  sowing  win- 
ter grain  was  commenced,  and  was  continued  during 
the  month  of  October  and  beginning  of  November. 
Cider  was  from  time  to  time  made  during  these  three 
months.  The  topping  of  corn,  by  cutting  off  the  stalks 
above  the  ears  for  fodder,was  done  in  September  until 
the  time  of  the  Revolutionary  War,  after  which  this 
practice  was  abandoned  and  the  cutting  up  of  corn 
near  the  ground  and  setting  it  up  in  small  shocks  be- 
came a  general  practice,  in  which,  improvements  in 
performing  the  work,  and  time  and  manner  of  doing 
the  same,  have  from  time  to  time  been  made.  Until 
the  time  of  the  Revolutionary  War,  and  during  that 
war,  the  ears  of  corn  on  the  stalks,  standing  out  in  the 


HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK.  179 

field  after  becoming  dry,  were  pulled  from  the  stalks 
and  thrown  into  small  heaps  between  the  rows,  from 
which  they  were  taken  with  a  wagon  into  the  barn 
where  they  were  husked,  sometimes  by  means  of  one 
or  more  husking  frolics,  but  more  generally  by  the 
family  only.  In  these  months  and  beginning  of  De- 
cember, flax  was  rotted,  and  some  of  it  dressed  for 
winter  spinning,  and  rope  yarn  was  spun,  and  ropes 
made  for  cow-ropes,  halters,  traces,  lines  and  other 
purposes  for  winter  use. 

In  November,  winter  apples,  and  the  few  potatoes, 
turnips  and  other  roots  raised  in  those  times,  were 
brought  into  the  cellar  ;  and  the  killing  and  putting 
up  of  pork  and  beef  was  done  in  the  latter  part  of  this 
month  and  beginning  of  December.  The  manufactur- 
ing of  leather,  which  each  farmer  had  tanned  during 
the  season,  was  done  at  this  time  and  made  into  shoes, 
(generally  by  a  member  of  the  family),  also  the  weav- 
ing of  linsey-woolsey  and  woolen  check  for  winter 
wear,  and  the  dressing  of  some  flax  for  v/inter  spin- 
ning. In  November,each  farmer  generally  took  a  load 
of  wheat  and  flax  seed  to  market,  for  procuring  salt, 
pepper,  iron  and  other  articles. 

The  women,  as  well  as  the  men,  had  also  to  perform 
a  great  amount  of  labor.  Besides  their  ordinary 
housework,  they  had  to  spin  the  yarn  for  all  their 
clothing,  hatched  their  flax,  and  card  their  wool, 
bleach  all  their  linen  lor  shirts  and  some  other  uses, 
make  all  the  wearing  apparel  of  both  men  and  women, 
and  did  all  the  knitting  of  stockings  and  mittens,which 
amounted  to  more  than  double  the  knitting  now  done 
for  a  family,  which  had  become  necessary  in  conse- 
quence of  the  fashion  of  men  in  former   times  wearing 


180  HISTOKY     OF     DEERPARK. 

short  breeches,  which  also  made  it  necessary  for  them 
to  wear  over  stockings. 

All  those  necessary  occupations  made  a  great 
amount  of  business  for  our  ancestors,  and  furnished 
them  Avith  a  very  plentiful  supply  of  the  necessaries  of 
life.  They  had  very  little  help  besides  that  of  a  few 
slaves,  which  generally  did  not  amount  to  more  than 
a  man  and  a  woman  slave  to  a  family,  exclusive  of 
children  and  old  people  not  able  to  do  much.  The 
inhabitants  were  generally  farmers,  and  few  laborers 
could  be  obtained  by  them. 


CHAEACTERISTICS. 

The  characteristics  of  each  individual  by -a  marriage 
union  becoming  changed  in  their  children,  form  char- 
acters differing,  in  some  degree,  from  tliose  of  each 
parent,which,  being  continued  from  generation  to  gen- 
eration, gradually  extinguish  those  of  the  original 
parents  ;  but  to  what  extent  of  time  or  how  many 
generations  would  have  to  succeed  each  other  before 
these  would  all  become  extinguished  the  writer  cannot 
determine;  By  bringing  into  calculation  the  first 
pioneers  as  the  first  generation,the  sixth,  and  a  part  of 
the  fifth  and  seventh,  are  now,  in  1861,  on  the  stage  of 
action.  In  many  individuals  of  the  fifth  and  sixth 
generations  are  yet  remains  of  the  characteristics  of 
their  respective,  most  anterior  parentage.  These  are 
more  prominent  in  some  of  the  descendants  than  in 
others,  and  also  have  been  inherited  in  a  greater  de- 
gree in  some  families  than  in  others,  and  certain    pre- 


HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK.  181 

dominating  characteristics  of  an  anterior  ancestor  have 
been  the  most  prevalent  in  the  line  of  their  descent. 


CHARACTERS  OF  SOME  OF  THE    FIRST  SET- 
TLERS. 

Very  little  is  now  known  respecting  the  seven  first 
pioneers.  I  imagine  that  they  had  all  been  in  com- 
fortable circumstances  of  life,and  had  become  reduced 
so  that  they  were  in  want  of  means  for  a  livelihood, 
and  became  associated  to  obtain  possession  of  some 
good  land  which  they  were  not  able  to  purchase  in  the 
settled  part  of  the  country,  and  had  to  venture  to  emi- 
grate into  its  wdlds  which  remained  unsettled  by  white 
people  but  was  inhabited  by  Indians,  who  at  that 
time  were  thought  to  be  a  more  savage  and  cruel  peo- 
ple than  what  they  in  reality  were. 

The  three ;  Swartwouts,  we  have  reason  to  presume, 
were  best  calculated  for  this  enterprise,  and  that  their 
companions  must  have  had  much  reliance  on  them  for 
protection.  Not  only  were  they  possessed  of  superior 
capacities  in  respect  of  body  and  spirit  for  adventurous 
undertakings,  but  also  were  a  very  social,  jocose,  hum- 
orous and  witty  people,  well  calculated  to  become 
easily  familiarized  with  strangers  and  court  friendship, 
which  first  qualities  were  necessary  to  intimidate  the 
Indians,  and  the  latter  to  court  and  maintain  friend- 
ship with  them.  Tliey  were  an  easy  people  and  made 
no  great  exertions  to  acquire  property  by  means  of 
hard  labor,  but   provided  for  a  good   living.     Some  of 


182  HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK. 

these  characteristics  have  become  much  changed  in 
the  descendants  of  those  who  remained  in  this  vicinity, 
and  some  of  them  have  been  inherited  to  the  present 
time.  The  Swartwout  character  became  much  changed 
by  the  union  of  Major  Swartwout  with  the  daughter  of 
the  first  Peter  Gumaer,  wliose  only  surviving  son, 
Philip  Swartwout,  became  the  greatest  business  man 
of  his  time  in  this  neighborhood.  He  also  was  more 
sedate  and  economical  than  his  ancestors  ;  in  other 
respects  he  had  inherited  the  Swartwout  character.  A 
great  degree  of  these  existed  in  the  two  succeeding 
generations,  and  have  not  become  extinguished  in  the 
sixth. 

Caudebec  and  Guimar,  reduced  from  a  state  of  afflu- 
ence to  that  of  indigence,  differed  widely  to  meet  such 
a  change  and  undertake  the  task  of  manual  labor  for 
a  living  which  became  necessary  after  they  landed  in 
this  country,  and  was  undertaken  by  them,  but,  as  they 
were  not  able  to  perform  as  much  as  men  habituated 
to  it,  they  received  only  low  wages.  Caudebec,  being 
dissatisfied,  told  Guimar  that  he  would  not  work  for 
such  low  wages  ;  Guimar  replied  that  they  had  to  do 
something  for  a  living,and,  as  they  could  not  do  much, 
they  could  not  expect  much,  and  that  while  they  la- 
bored thej^  had  their  living,  if  no  more.  At  the  insti- 
gation of  Caudebec,  they  went  from  the  State  in  which 
they  first  landed  into  the  State  of  New  York,  and  he, 
having  been  habituated  to  a  trading  business,  became 
introduced  into  the  family  of  Benjamin  Provost,  who 
also  were  in  such  business,  and  was  married  to  one  of 
his  daughters.  Guimar,  in  the  meantime,  undertook 
the  busiaess  of  cleaning  flax  by  the  pound,  for  which 
he  received  wages  according  to  what  he   did,  and   also 


HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK.  183 

became  married  to  a  daughter  (as  has  been  supposed) 
of   a  Deyo. 

After  these  two  individuals  became  settled  in  our 
present  town,  the  same  difference  continued  to  exist  in 
relation  to  their  business  transactions.  Guimar,  with 
the  help  of  his  daughters,  two  slaves  he  bought  or  had 
of  his  father-in-law,  and  one  son,  (his  youngest  child), 
became  the  greatest  farmer  in  this  town.  He  was  very 
persevering  in  his  business  transactions,  and  severe  to 
compel  his  slaves,  also  his  daughters  and  son,  to  do 
all  the  labor  they  could  perform.  The  daughters,  five 
in  number,  although  of  delicate  constitutions,  did  all 
the  housework  and  manufacturing  of  all  their  clothing, 
also  a  part  of  the  work  on  the  farm  and  taking  wheat 
to  market.  He,  himself,  dressed  all  his  flax,  to  which 
business  he  had  become  habituated  before  he  settled 
on  his  farm,  which  was  about  all  the  farmer's  work  he 
could  do.  He  also  was  severe  to  enforce  the  moral 
and  religious  duties  of  his  children.  His  descendants 
have,  from  generation  to  generation,  very  generally 
inherited  his  persevering  business  character  to  the 
present  time  ;  in  other  respects  many  of  his  character- 
istics have  become  extinguished. 

Caudebec  was  the  reverse  of  Guimar  in  respect  to 
his  business  transactions,  and  more  tender  towards  his 
children.  He  had  much  of  a  speculative  disposition, 
and  aimed  at  getting  a  living  by  easier  means  than 
that  of  steady  manual  labor,  and  this  probably  was  the 
view  of  the  seven  first  settlers  and  cause  of  their  emi- 
gration to  get  possession  of  land  where  w^ild  animals, 
fowls  and  fishes  abounded,  which,  together  with  the 
cultivation  of  small  portions  of  such  land,  would  fur- 
nish means  for  an  easy  life  and  a  better  living,  in  re- 
spect of  eatables,  than  Avhat  we  can  now  enjoy. 


184  HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK. 

After  those  individuals  became  located  in  our  pres- 
ent town,  it  was  necessary  for  tliem  to  procure  a  title 
for  the  land  they  wanted  to  occupy,  and  it  appears 
that  they  selected  Caudebec,  as  the  most  proper  per- 
son, to  send  to  the  Governor  and  procure  a  patent  for 
as  many  acres  of  land  as  would  cover  what  they  wanted 
to  occupy. 

After  one  of  the  Swartwouts,  Caudebec  and  Gui- 
mar  became  owners  of  the  patent  right,  they  had  to 
contend  for  the  possession  of  a  great  part  of  the  land 
they  claimed  and  had  in  their  possession,  and  it  was 
necessary  for  them  to  devise  means  to  counteract  those 
who  wanted  to  dispossess  them.  Caudebec,  who  was 
of  a  contemplative  mind,  must  have  been  well  calcu- 
lated to  assist  in  forming  plans  for  that  purpose,  and  I 
have  understood  that  he,  and  certain  individuals  of  his 
own  family,  officiated  in  some  of  those  which  were  very 
important. 

After  his  daughters  became  married,  he  devised 
means  for  their  livelihood,  by  inducing  the  husbands 
of  three  of  them,  Abraham  Louw,  Evert  Hornbeck  and 
Harmanus  Van  Gordon,  to  locate  on  the  east  side  of 
the  Delaware  river,  in  the  State  of  New  Jersey,  oppo- 
site Shipikunk  Island  ;  and  also  his  son  James  and 
two  of  his  brothers-in-law  to  do  the  same,  and  each  of 
them  take  possession  of  as  much  land  on  the  island  as 
was  necessary  for  a  livelihood  for  his  respective  family. 
This  island  was  a  body  of  very  good  river  land,  and 
the  first  possessor  of  any  part  of  it  had  a  right  to  hold 
what  he  had  in  possession  without  paying  for  it.  It 
was  termed  King's  land,  and  to  remain  unsold  by  his 
Majesty  or  Government.  Other  islands  in  that  river 
were  in  the  same  situation, and  the  husband  of  another 


HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK.  185 


of  his  da  lighters,  Westfall,  located  himself  on  the  same 
side  of  the  river,  opposite  Miiiisink  Island,  and  took 
possession  of  a  part  of  that  island. 

From  all  of  which  we  must  infer  that  he  was  a  man 
well  calculated  to  overcome  difficulties,  and  had  a  pen- 
etrating mind.  He  was  characterized  as  a  sensible 
man.  He  had  been  educated,but  to  what  extent  is  not 
known.  He  had  told  his  family  that  he  had  been  a 
great  reader  before  he  left  his  country,  and  that  he 
regretted  that  his  children  did  not  have  the  opportun- 
ity to  become  educated.  He  instructed  them  in  moral 
and  religious  duties,  and  was  very  tenacious  of  their 
characters.  At  a  certain  time  two  of  his  daughters 
told  him  that  certain  persons  had  made  a  scandalous 
report  respecting  them.  He  asked  if  it  was  true  what 
they  had  said.  They  replied  no,  it  was  all  lies. 
"  Well,"  said  he,  "  maintain  good  characters  and  let 
them  talk  ;   they  will  get  ashamed  of  their  lies." 

His  character,  in  relation  to  what  has  been  men- 
tioned respecting  his  mental  ability,has  been  inherited 
from  generation  to  generation  by  some  of  his  descend- 
ants (who  remained  in  this  town)  to  the  present  time. 
The  bodily  capacities  of  his  sons,  in  respect  of  size, 
strength  and  agility,  I  consider  to  have  been  inherited 
from  his  wife,whicli,  although  much  rediiced  from  that 
of  those  ancients,  is  still  superior  in  some  of  the  de- 
scendants of  the  present  time  to  that  of  the  generality 
of  men.  Some  of  those  ancients,  in  our  neighborhood, 
were  a  very  talkative  people  and  uncommonly  fond  of 
conversation,  in  which  they  embraced  a  great  variety 
of  topics  in  relation  to  what  had  transpired  in  this 
valley  for  a  distance  of  sixty  or  seventy  miles,  and    in- 


186  HISTOEY     OF     DEERPARK. 

eluded  a  great  many  remarks  in  relation  to  the  con- 
duct of  tlie  people  of  those  times  and  much  argumen- 
tation on  different  subjects.  I  have  sat  many  ai  long 
winter  evening,  and  many  an  liour  in  the  daytime,  to 
hear  the  conversations  and  arguments  of  a  few  of  the 
individuals  of  the  second  generation.  These  propen- 
sities, which  were  inherent  in  this  family,  have  become 
much  changed  in  their  descendants  of  the  present 
time.  Many  of  these  communications,  remarks  and 
arguments  were  entertaining  and  instructive,  and  had 
a  tendency  to  induce  good  morality,  of  which  they 
possessed  more  in  principle  than  in  language.  I  will 
here  introduce  one  good  remark,  which  one  of  them 
made  in  the  presence  of  myself  and  a  few  others,which 
was  that,  "  The  first  of  anything  from  which  trouble 
accrued  was  the  cause  of  all  the  evil  consequences 
which  originated  from  the  same." 

In  bodily  size,  strength  and  agility,  there  was  a 
great  similarity  between  the  Swartwouts  and  Cudde- 
backs,  but  those  I  have  known  differed  in  visage.  It 
was  said  that  some  of  the  ancients  were  superior  in 
personal  beauty  and  natural  mental  abilities  to  their 
descendants.  This  information  I' have  had  from  dif- 
ferent sources.  The  first  time  I  saw  Nathaniel  Owen, 
who  kept  a  store  and  tavern  many  years  ago,  about 
two  miles  east  of  the  Wallkill,  on  the  road  to  New 
Windsor  and  Newburgh,  he  told  me  that  he  had  been 
acquainted  with  the  old  people  in  our  two  neighbor- 
hoods, and  that  he  liad  never  been  in  a  place  where 
there  was  so  great  a  proportion  of  portly,  handsome 
men  as  were  in  those  neighborhoods,  which  he  con- 
sidered as  remarkable  for  such  a  by-place  as   this  was 


HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK.  187 

at  that  time.  He  named  Major  Swartwout,  tlie  second 
Peter  Gumaer,  William  Cuddeback,  Johannis  (John) 
Westbrook  and  the  first  Peter  Kuykendall  as  the  most 
superior  in  those  respects,  and  that  their  children 
generally  were  inferior  to  them,  not  only  in  bodily 
capacity,  but  also  in  natural  mental  ability.  The 
ancient  Swartwouts,  Cuddebacks  and  Gumaers  had 
black, curly  hair  and  generally  blue  eyes  and  fair  skin. 
The  first  Yan  Inwegen  had  red  hair,  his  son  Gerardus 
had  black,  curly  hair  and  his  children   had  black  hair. 

Harmanus  Van  Inwegen's  character  has  been  repre- 
sented in  this  work  as  a  bold  and  fearless  man,  which 
is  about  all  that  is  now  known  respecting  him.  This 
was  well  known  by  Anthony  Swartwout,  Jacob  Cudde- 
back and  the  first  Peter  Gumaer,  before  they  procured 
him  to  locate  in  their  little  neighborhood  for  their  as- 
sistance in  defending  the  premises  they  claimed.  His 
co-operation  with  them  was  important  for  all  these 
four  individuals,  for  he,  as  well  as  the  others  had  be- 
come interested  therein  by  having  a  portion  of  the  land 
granted  to  him  by  the  others,  and  as  the  saying  is 
"  He  became  a  great  spoke  in  the  wheel"  to  maintain 
their  possessions.  He  was  always  honored  by  his 
companions  for  his  bravery  and  help  in  their  struggles. 
He  and  they  continued  to  live  near  neighbors  in 
friendship  and  harmony  until  death  ended    their  lives. 

Van  Inwegen  had  only  one  son  (Gerardus)  and  one 
daughter  (Jane).  Gerardus  lived  a  very  near  neigh- 
bor to  my  father,  and  I  was  familiarly  acquainted  with 
him  in  his  old  age  for  several  years  previous  to  his 
death.  I  did  also  sometimes  see  his  sister  ;  they  were 
both  small  and  very   lean    in   flesh   during  the  time  I 


188  HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK. 

knew  them,  and  their  skin  was  much  wrinkled,  (which 
latter  denoted  they  had  been  more  fleshy  in  earlier 
life)  they  appeared  to  b6  more  healthy  and  were  smart 
for  their  ages.  Gerard  us  retained  his  health  until  old 
age  ended  his  life,  and  after  his  death  it  was  said  of 
him  that  he  died  a  natural  death,  of  old  age,  without 
sickness. 

The  characteristics  of  the  father  and  son  of  this 
family  have  not  been  generally  inherited  by  the  child- 
ren and  grand-children.  It  has  been  said  that  Corne- 
lius Van  Inwegen,  eTr.,  father  of  Moses  Van  Inwegen, 
resembled  and  took  more  after  his  great-grandf other, 
Harmanus  Van  Inwegen,  than  any  other  individual  of 
all  his  descendants.  Moses,  his  son,  has  some  resem- 
blance to  his  father,  but  I  consider  him  to  take  more 
after  the  ancient  DeWitt  family  than  tliatof  any  otlier. 
There  were  certain  traits  of  character  which  some  of 
the  children  and  grand-children  of  Gerard  us  inherited 
from  him,  but  generally  thej  took  more  after  other 
families  from  whom  they  were  also  descendants. 

Many  of  the  ancient  characteristics  of  both  the 
Swartwouts  and  Cuddebacks  still  remain  in  their  de- 
scendants, but  I  consider  James  D.  Swartwout  as 
possessing  those  of  the  ancient  Swartwout  family  in  a 
superior  degree  ;  Col.  Peter  Cuddeback  as  having  the 
greatest  resemblance  to  the  ancient  Cuddeback  family; 
Abraham  Cuddeback,  son  of  Col.  William  A.  Cudde- 
back, Avhen  in  prime  of  life,  appeared  to  have  more  of 
the  character  of  his  grandfather,  Capt.  Cuddeback, 
than  any  other  of  the  descendants  of  the  latter;  James 
Devens,  Esq.,  grandson  of  the  second  Peter  Gumaer, 
had  some  resemblance  of  his  grandfather.  But  all 
these    differed  in    some   respects    from    the    originals. 


HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK.  189 

Benjamin  Hornbeck,  a  grandson  of   Capt.  Cudcleback, 
had  much  of  the  penetrating  mind  of   his  grandfather. 


EMIGRATION  FROM  THIS  TOWN. 

Enumeration  of  families  who  were  in  this  town  dur- 
ing the  time  of  the  Revolutionary  War,  and  of  those 
who  removed  out  of  it  after  the  war  ended,  and  of 
tliose  who  now,  in  1861,  remain  in  it  of  those  descend- 
ants of  those  ancientSj  including  marriage  connections. 

First  of  those  of  the  upper  or  Peenpack  neighbor- 
hood, two  of  whom,  DeWitt  and  Terwilliger,  were  no 
descendants  of  the  first  four  families. 

The  names  of  the  heads  of  tliose  families  were  the 
following,  to  wit  : 

Capt.  Jacob  R.  DeWitt,    Capt.  Abraham  Cuddeback, 
Benjamin  Depuy,  Esq.,     Benjamin  Cuddeback, 
Abraham  Cuddeback,       Jacob  D.  Guraaer, 
Elias  Gumaer,  Harmauus  Van  Inwegen,Esq., 

Cornelius  Van  Inwegen,  Philip  Swartwout,  Esq., 
John  Wallace,  Peter  Gumaer, 

Mattliew  Terwilliger,  Ezekiel  Gumaer, 
Capt.  Abraham  Westfall. 
Of  these,  their  children,  grand-children,  and  great- 
grand-children  wlio  had  formed  marriage  connections, 
and  together  with  these  had  become  families,  the  fol- 
lowing number  have,  from  time  to  time,  removed  from 
this  neighborhood,  to  wit  : 


190  HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK. 


No.  of  family 


OQ 


Name.  g^g    ?^'2^ 


B  Bid  g^lg^ 

=^^      'is' 
I  1?^ 

Jacob  R.  De  Witt 8  4  0 

Benjamin  Depuy 7  2  0 

Abraham  Cuddeback 3  1  0 

Elias  Gumaer 7  0  0. 

Cornelius  Van  Inwegen 6  3  2 

John  Wallace 3  0  0 

MattheAv  Terwilliger 4  0  0 

Capf  Cuddeback , 4  8  5 

Benjamin  Cuddeback 4  14  0 

Jacob  D.  Gumaer 6  1  2 

Harmanus  Van  Inwegen 3  15  0 

Philip  Swartwout 3  3  0 

Peter  Gumaer 3  1  0 

Ezekial  Gumaer   . 0  1  0 

Abraham  Westfall 10  0 

62     53       9~~ 
624-53+9=124. 

This  emigration  amounts  to  124  families  and  now, 
in  1861,  there  remain  30  within  the  former  limits  of 
the  neighborhood  ;  gives  the  amount  of  154  families  of 
descendants  of  the  men  named  arid  have  formed 
families  by  connected  marriages.  These  had  their 
living  during  the  time  they  remained  in  this  place 
from  the  productions  of  the  small  patent  of  1200  acres 
of  land,  and  although  it  had  become  reduced  to  a  low 


HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK.  191 

state  of  cultivation, more  of  its  productions  have  been 
transferred  to  other  people  than  would  have  supported 
another  such  a  number  of  families.  Emigration  com- 
menced about  the  3^ear  1790  and  has  continued  to  the 
present  time.  The  families  first  mentioned  of,  DeWitt, 
Depuy,  Cuddeback,  Gumaer,  Van  Inwegen  and  Wal- 
lace, settled  on  the  military  lands  in  the  state  of  New 
York  at  Onondaga  and  at  the  Owasco  and  Skaiieateles 
Lakes  at  an  early  period  of  the  settlement  of  those 
lands,  and  some  were  among  the  first  pioneers  of  the 
same  where  they  all  procured  lands  and  became  far- 
mers in  very  comfortable  circumstances,  and  many  of 
their  descendants,  like  their  forefathers,  have  also  sold 
their  farms  and'  removed  into  the  western  states  to 
advance  their  interest  for  the  benefit  of  their  children. 
The  other  families  have  removed  in  all  directions  from 
this  neighborhood  at  greater  and  less  distances  from 
it,  but  generally  into  the  western  part  of  this  state  and 
into  Pennsylvania  and  diiferent  other  states. 

Of  the  four  first  families,  who  remained  permanent 
residents  in  this  neigliborhood,t\velve  children  became 
married  to  non-residents  of  the  same  and  founded 
twelve  families,  two  of  which  settled  in  the  lower 
neighborhood  and  were  among  the  first  settlers  in  it, 
five  in  the  State  of  New  Jersey,  four  in  Rochester  and 
its  vicinity  in  Ulster  County,  and  one  in  Orange 
County,  east  of  Shawangunk  mountain.  The  other 
children  of  those  ancients  were  seven  in  number,  and 
formed  only  six  families.  These  remained  in  the 
neighborhood  until  abuut  the  year  1790.  From  this  it 
appears  that  only  half  as  many  families  of  the  first 
descendants  remained  in  it  as  what  moved  out  of  it,  or 
settled  in  other  places. 


192  HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK. 


Now,  if  the  12  families  meiitiomJ  luul  boconio  set- 
tled and  remained  in  the  neighborhood,  together  with 
the  other  six,  and  increased  and  emigrated,  in  the  same 
proportion  of  the  latter,  the  amount,  after  deducting 
those  of  DeWitt  and  Terwilliger  numbering  1(),  would 
now  be  324  emigrated, and  90  of  ]n'esent  residcMits,  and 
the  whole  amount  411  families. 


INCllEASE  OF  POPULATION. 

As  no  accurate  calculation  can  be  made  of  the  whole 
number  of  families  descended  from  tlie  first  four  per- 
manent residents  in  this  neighborhood,  I  have  adopttnl 
a  rule  for  obtaining  the  number  of  those  now  in  exist- 
ence as  near  as  the  same  can  probably  b(^  arrived  at 
without  actual  enumeration,  by  getting  a  ratio  of  in- 
crease of  the  lirst,  second,  and  as  much  of  the  third, 
generation  as  I  can  ascertain  ;  also  tlie  whole  nund)er 
of  these  from  the  time  of  the  commencement  of  the 
first  to  the  present  time,  in    nuinner   following,  to  wit  : 

The  first  four  families  had  an  increase  of  18,  and 
these  had  an  increase  of  6()  families,  and  27  of  the 
latter  had  an  increase  of  129.  This  enumeration  is 
made  from  a  knowledge  I  have  in  relation  to  those 
ancients.  Of  these,  however,  there  were  two  families 
of  the  second  generation  whom  I  could  not  determine, 
but  have  estimated  them  at  the  same  average  rate  of 
increase  as  that  of  the  others,  and  the  remaining  39 
are  estimated  to  have  produced  an  ecpial  proportion  of 
population,  according  to  their  number,  as  that  of  the 
27,  which  latter  giving  an  amount  of  129, the  remaining 
39  will  give  an  amount  of   18(5,  and  both  these  amount 


HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK.  11)3 

to  315  families  of   the  third   generation.     The  average 
increase  of  each  of  these  per  family  is  as  follows  : 

First         4  give  a  ratio   of 4^ 

Second  18      "         "         '' 3f 

Third      66      ''         "         " U 

4 

These  being  compounded  give  an  average  ratio  of 
about  4^  families  to  one.  Now  a  greater  proportion  of 
the  fourth  and  fifth  generations  have  died  younger 
than  of  the  three  first,  in  consequence  of  which  I 
have  reduced  the  increase  of  the  tAvo  former  to  that  of 
a  ratio  of  three  per  family,  being  about  one-third 
lower  than  those  enumerated.  This  is  a  ^^reat  change 
for  the  term  in  which  the  alteration  has  occurred  ; 
still,  the  latter  is  about  the  same  rate  of  increase  as 
that  of  the  United  States  since  the  year  1790  to  the 
present  time.  In  respect  of  foreign  access  of  popula- 
tion the  proportion  wliich  the  former  has  acquired  by 
intermarriages  cannot  differ  much  from  that  which  the 
latter  has  acquired  by  immigration  from  Europe  and 
by  the  importation  of  Africans  to  enslave  them. 

The  year  1700  I  contemplate  to  be  about  the  med- 
ium point  of  time  between  the  births  of  the  oldest 
and  the  youngest  children  of  the  first  four  fami- 
lies, from  which  to  the  present  time  is  161  years 
and  reaches  on  an  average  about  the  beginning  of  the 
sixth  generation  and  leaves  two  unascertained  whose 
increase  on  a  ratio  of  3  is  as  follows,  to  wit  :  315X3  = 
945X3=2835  families  of  the  present  fifth  generation  ; 
and  exclusive  of  these  there  must  now  be  a  great  pro- 
portion of  the  fourth  generation  in  existence,  and  that 
the  whole  of  the  present  families  of  descendants  men- 


194 


HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK. 


tioned  cannot  be  less  than  3200  now  on  the  stage  of 
action.  The  greatest  part  of  these  are  now  widely  dis- 
persed into  different  parts  of  our  country. 

The  five  generations  have  had  their  growth  within  a 
term  of  161  years,  which  gives  an  average  of  32  years 
for  each. 


LOWEK    NEIGHBORHOOD. 

Enumeration  of  families  in  the  time  of  the  Revolu- 
tionary War,  embracing  the  head  of  each  family,  to 
wit  : 


Decker. 


Jacob  Schoonover, 
Moses  Cortright, 
Abraham  Van  Auken, 
Johannis  Westbrook, 
Johannis  Decker, 
Major  John  Decker, 
Sylvester  Cortright, 
Anthony  Van  Etten,  Esq., 
Levi  Van  Etten, 


Jacobus  Van  Fliet, 
Daniel  Van  Auken, 
Solomon  Kuykendall. 
Simeon  Westfall, 
Wilhelmus  Cole, 
Peter  Cuykendall, 
Martinus  Decker, 
Samuel  Caskey, 
Jacobus  Davis, 


Of  these  families,  their  children  and  grand-children, 
the  following  number  of  families  have  removed  out  of 
this  town: 


HISTORY     OF     DEEEPARK.  195 


o  ^      go 


Names.  ti:  p      ^^ 


P--  ^'       2  p 


r   (/2  I 

Decker 2 

Jacob  Sclioonover. 1 

Moses    Cortright 1 

Abraham  Van  Auken 3 

John  Westbrook 2 

John   Decker , 3 

Maj.  John  Decker 3  6 

Sylvester  Cortright 2 

Anthony  Van  Etten,  Esq 6  3 

Levi  Van  Etten 1  4 

James  Van  Fliet 1  4 

Daniel  Van  Auken 11  5 

Solomon    Kuykendall's    heir   or    devisee, 

James  Van  Fliet,  Jr 3 

Simon  Westfall 4 

Wilhelmus  Cole 3 

Peter  Kuykendall 4  4 

Martin  Decker 2 

Samuel    Caskey 1 

James  Davis .  .' 6  1 


56      30 


There  may  have  been  a  few  other  families  who  have 
removed  out  of  the  town  whom  I  have  not  known. 

Of  the  descendants  of  those  ancients,  there  now  re- 
main, as  near  as  I  can  ascertain,  about  5  families  in 
this  neighborhood. 


196  HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK. 

These  numbers,  56+30+5=91  families. 

There  now  are  about  20  families  in  this  neighbor- 
hood who  are  of  the  anterior  emigration  from  the 
upper  neighborhood  and  are  included  in  in  its  calcula- 
tions. 

The  following  is  a  calculation  of  the  number  of  fam- 
ilies of   each  generation  of  the    lower  neighborhood, 
to  wit  : 
1st   generation    which  was   contemporary  with   the 

second  of  this  upper  neighborhood 20 

2d 91 

3rd,  at  an  increase  of  three  families  to    one 273 

4th,  at  the  same  rate  of  increase 819 

The  two  last  273+819=  1,092  families.  To  this  last 
number  add  the  3,000  of  the  upper  neighborhood  and 
the  amount  is  4,092. 

There  are  two  of  these  prior  generations  who,  by 
deaths,  may  fall  short  of  these  numbers  mentioned, but 
I  contemplate  that  as  great  an  addition  of  families 
exists  of  the  succeeding  generation  of  each  neighbor- 
hood as  will  amount  to  such  loss,  and  that  there  now 
are  at  least  4,000  families  in  existence  of  descendants 
in  some  degree  of  the  ancients  mentioned. 


THOMAS  WHITE. 

This  man's  services  have  been  of  greater  benefit  and 
advantage  to  the  third  generation  of  descendants  of 
our  neighborhood  than  those  of  any  other  individual,in 
consequence  of  which  he  ought  to  be  held  in  remem- 
brance by  our  descendants,  and  he,  together  with  our- 


HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK.  197 

selves,  become  incorporated  in  our  history  as  the  first 
important  originator  of  education  in  it.  In  justice  to 
the  merits  of  Mr.  White  in  res]:)ect  of  myself,  I  will 
here  state  that  hy  means  of  his  services  I  have  become 
enabled  to  write  this  history  and  exhibit  to  its  readers 
the  information  it  contains  ;  and  in  addition  thereto 
the  enjoyment  of  other  sources  oF  knowledge  for  which 
and  all  other  blessings  we  have  reason  to  be  thankful, 
not  only  to  tlie  individual  from  whom  we  derived  the 
same  but  also  to  that  Being  who  is  the  originator  of 
all  our  enjoyments. 

The  benefits  we  (who  were  of  the  generation  men- 
tioned) have  derived  from  him,  consisted  in  the  litera- 
ture he  taught  us  in  our  childhood  and  youth  at  short 
different  periods  of  time  in  the  schools  he  kept  in  our 
neighborhood,  whereby  we  generally  received  such  a 
portion  of  education  as  enabled  each  of  us  to  trans- 
act his  own  ordinary  business  in  relation  to  his  deal- 
ings with  others,  which,  in  onr  time,  had  become  more 
necessary  than  what  it  was  in  the  days  of  our  fore- 
fathers, most  of  whom  kept  no  written  memoranda 
of  their  dealings  with  each  other,  which  in  their  time 
(during  about  ninety  years)  was  unnecessary  for  the 
greatest  part  of  them.  In  addition  to  these  benefits 
we  became  more  enlightened  and  enabled  to  acquire 
additional  knowledge  and  information  by  reading,  &c. 
Mr.  White  and  his  wife  Elizabeth,  came  to  this 
neighborhood  in  the  autumn  of  1776  (as  near  as  I  can 
ascertain)  to  serve  its  inhabitants  as  a  schoolmaster  and 
they  became  residents  in  my  father's  house  together 
with  his  own  family,  and  taught  school  in  one  of  its 
rooms  during  the  ensuing  winter,  and  probably  until 
some  of  thei^eighbors  moved  into  it  and  the  construe- 


198  HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK. 

tion  of  a  fort  commenced,  and  notwithstanding  the 
danger  to  which  the  inhabitants  of  our  town  became 
exposed  by  the  invasion  of  the  Indians,  he  continued 
to  live  in  the  house  during  a  great  part  of  the  war,and 
was  in  it  at  the  time  wlien  the  fort  was  attacked. 

When  the  enemy  came  in  sight,  he  told  Capt.  Cud- 
deback  that  he  was  a  King's  man,  but  would  stand  by 
him  to  help  defend  the  fort  against  those  savages  to 
the  utmost  of  his  power.  (He  was  a  warm  friend  of 
his  native  country  and  its  laws).  Mr.  White  was  in 
the  fort  during  the  hard  winter  in  the  time  of  the  war, 
and  kept  a  diary  from  which  he  ascertained  that  no 
water  had  dropped  from  the  roof  of  the  house  during 
a  term  of  forty  days  in  that  winter. 

I  will  here,  before  proceeding  further  with  the  his- 
tory of  Mr.  White,  narrate  how  the  inmates  of  the  fort 
managed  to  sustain  themselves  during  the  winter. 
When  the  Indians  burnt  the  houses  of  the  neighbors, 
many  of  thd  pots  were  damaged  by  these  fires.  Tliese 
were  used  for  keeping  small  fires  in  them  in  different 
parts  of  the  fort  house.  Two  large  fires  were  generally 
kept  up  in  the  two  front  rooms,  and  a  fire  in  a  stove  in 
another,  and  in  the  other  room  a  pot  with  hot  coals, 
supplied  fiom  the  fire  places,  was  kept  up  to  warm  the 
room  for  a  dwelling  of  some  of  the  oldest  women.  On 
the  chamber,  against  the  sides  of  the  chimneys,  pots 
with  fire  were  kept,  supplied  with  hot  coals  from  the 
fire  places,  and  also  with  chips  and  small  pieces  of 
wood. 

In  the  northwest  corner  of  the  cliamber,a  small  room 
was  partitioned  off  for  a  dwelling  of  Mr.  White  and  his 
wife,  so  that  in  Avinter  time  they  were  out  of  the  great 
bustle  of  those  who  were  in  the  house.    A«pot  with  fire 


HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK.  199 


ill  it  was  also  kept  in  his  room,  and  sometimes  a  small 
fire  was  kept  in  one  of  tlie  foremost  cellar  rooms  for  a 
few  soldiers.  After  the  snow  became  too  deep  to  get 
wood  from  where  it  was  previously  got,  the  men  first 
broke  a  road  to  a  large  hickory  tree,  which  stood  in  a 
field,  under  cultivation,  of  Benjamin  Cuddeback,  at 
about  one-quarter  of  a  mile  distant  from  the  fort.  This 
was  cut  up  and  brought  to  it.  The  butt  log,  about 
three  feet  thick  in  diameter,  was  cut  tlirough  and 
served  for  a  log  in  each  fire  place.  The  next  log  con- 
tained all  the  knots  of  its  large  limbs,  and  could  not  be 
cut  through  nor  split  with  powder,  and  rem  lined  there 
until  it  became  rotten,  long  after  the  war  ended.  Next 
a  road  was  broke  through  the  snow  about  the  same 
distance  of  the  first  road,  to  the  Neversink  riv.8r,whicli 
(in  ordinary  winters  generally  remained  open  from  the 
mouth  of  Bashas-kill  to  the  Delaware  river,  about  ten 
miles  distant)  was  all  frozen  over  with  strong  ice,  so 
that  teams  could  pass  on  it. 

Along  the  east  bank  of  the  river,  trees  were  cut,  so 
as  to  fall  on  the  ice, and  thereby  the  men  were  enabled 
to  get  a  plentiful  supply  of  woo  1.  In  passing  to  and 
from  the  river,a  spring  brook  had  to  be  crossed,  which 
in  other  winters  generally  remains  open  at  the  place 
where  it  was  crossed  that  winter  on  strong  ice.  Much 
snow  blew  into  the  brook  and  coalesced  with  the  water, 
and  all  froze  together  and  formed  thick,  strong  ice,  so 
that  teams  passed  over  it  during  the  coldest  weather  in 
that  winter. 

I  v^dll  here  resume  my  history  in  relation  to  Mr. 
White.  A  few  years  before  he  came  into  the  neigh- 
borhood, a  school  house  had  been  built  in  its  central 
part,  about  twenty-five  rods  southwest  of  Capt.  Cudde- 


200  HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK. 

back's  residence.  Mr.Tliomas  Kyte  had  been  employed 
to  teach  school  in  this  house,  but,  in  consequence  of 
much  other  business,  the  school  was  much  neglected 
and  very  little  education  was  acquired  by  those  he 
taught,  and  after  he  quit,  the  neighborhood  luckily 
obtained  a  good  teacher  by  employing  Mr. White.  He 
had  emigrated  into  this  country  from  England  where 
he  had  received  his  education,  and  also  acquired  the 
trade  of  manufacturing  ropes.  He  said  that  every 
youth  in  England  (when  he  was  there)  had  to  learn  a 
trade,  even  the  King's  son,  who  was  expected  to  be- 
come heir  to  the  Crown,  had  to  learn  a  trade,  and  that 
the  King,  who  reigned  when  he  was  there,  had  been 
taught  the  trade  of  weaving  silk. 

Mr.  White  was  a  small,  liglit-built  man,  very  active 
and  quick  to  perform  the  business  he  transacted.  The 
action  of  his  mind  was  also  quick,  and  more  suitable 
for  acquiring  a  great  amount  of  superficial  knowledge 
than  to  penetrate  and  make  deep  researches  into  sci- 
ences which  are  difficult  to  be  understood,  for  which  a 
bright  mind  of  slow  action  is  more  suitable.  He  was 
also  a  man  of  uncommon  perseverance  to  transact  the 
business  of  his  trade,  the  teaching  of  his. schools,  &c,, 
and,  whenever  he  was  not  employed  in  either  of  these, 
he  was  generally  engaged  in  reading  or  writing  which 
he  would  pursue  to  a  very  late  hour  in  the  night  ;  and 
early  in  the  morning,  at  or  before  break  o!  day,  would 
be  up  out  of  bed,  assist  his  wife  to  get  breakfast, 
and  resume  his  business.  He  was  very  fond  of  asso- 
ciation and  delighted  to  give  and  receive  information, 
which  induced  him  to  write  a  great  many  letters  to  his 
distant  friends  and  acquaintances,in  Avhich  he  was  very 


HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK.  201 

expert  and  never  at  a  loss  for  matter  to  make  out  a 
long  letter,  whenever  lie  felt  inclined  to  do  it. 

I  conclude  that  Mr.  White  had  been  taught  in  one 
of  the  best  of  common  schools  in  England,  and  in  a 
very  perfect  mannei-  as  far  as  he  had  progressed.  He 
was  a  very  eloquent  reader,  and  could  perform  the 
same  with  an  air  suitable  to  the  nature  of  the  subject 
on  which  the  reading  treated.  I  have  always  consid- 
ered him  to  have  been  equal  to  the  best  of  readers  I 
have  ever  heard.  He  was  also  very  perfect  in  orthog- 
raphy ;  arithmetic  he  did  not  understand  as  well  as 
some  other  teachers  we  have  had  since  his  time.  He 
said  he  had  passed  through  the  greatest  part  of  Dill- 
worth's  arithmetic  at  school,  but  had  forgotten  some 
of  the  rules  in  the ,  latter  part  of  his  assistant,  which 
contained  more  arithmetic  matter  than  the  books  now 
generally  used  in  our  common  schools.  He  had  some 
knowledge  of  the  Greek  and  Latin  languages,  and  as 
much  of  the  French"  tongue  as  enabled  him  to  inter- 
pret the  French  words  which  were  interspersed  in 
different  parts  of  a  book  I  read  in  school  the  last  year 
he  taught  in  our  neighborhood,  and,  by  much  reading, 
he  had  acquired  an  extensive  knowledge  of  the  Eng- 
lish tongue.  He  said  that  when  at  home  in  his  coun- 
try (which  he  always  called  his  home)  he  had  free 
access  to  a  library  of  books,  and  'that  he  had  read 
many  of  them  on  different  subjects,  whereby  he'  had 
received  the  greatest  part  of  his  historical  and  other 
information  of  different  kinds. 

After  his  last  year's  service  in  our  neighborhood  he 
retired  to  the  east  side  of  Shawangunk  mountain,  into 
a  neighborhood  of  his  former  residence,where  he  con- 
tinued a  few  years.     During  this  time,  and  one  or  two 


202  HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK. 

years  previous  to  it,  Moses  DeWitt,  a  son  of  Capt. 
Jacob  Rutsen  DeWitt,  a  resident  of  this  neighborhood 
who  had,  in  his  youth,  become  the  best  scholar  in  Mr. 
"White's  school,  anrl  afterwards  received  a  small  addi- 
tion thereto,  became  well  qualified  for  a  surveyor,  and 
was  employed  as  an  under-surveyor,  Avhen  he  was 
about  twenty-one  years  of  age,  to  run  the  line  between 
the  States  of  New  York  and  Pennsylvania,  and  after- 
wards to  survey  some  Government  lands  at,  and  in  the 
vicinity  of,  Tioga  Point,  and  thereafter  he  and  Maj. 
Hardenbergh  obtained  the  whole  business  of  survey- 
ing the  military  lands  in  this  State.  While  DeWitt 
was  occupied  in  that  business  he  concluded  to  locate 
in  the  County  of  Tioga,  and  induced  Mr.  White  to 
move  into  it.  The  latter,  after  becoming  a  resident  in 
it,  became  its  County  Clerk.  Mr.  DeWitt's  miod  be- 
came changed  in  respect  to  locating  himself,  and  he 
settled  in  the  County  of  Onondaga.  After  Mr.  White's 
term  of  service  as  County  Clerk  ended,  he  removed  to 
the  residence  of  Mr.  DeWitt,  whose  health  had  become 
impaired  by  exposure  in  the  pursuit  of  his  business  of 
surveying,  and  his  constitution  continued  to  debilitate 
until  he  was  taken  with  a  severe  sickness,  which,  after 
a  short  duration,  ended  his  days  at  the  age  of  about 
twenty-seven  years,  at  which  time  he  had  acquired  an 
estate,  in  wild  lands, worth  about  ten  thousand  pounds, 
New  York  currency.  During  the  time  he  was  confined 
to  his  bed,  Mr.  White  was  his  affectionate  and  faithful 
attendant,  but  his  services  did  not  avail  to  prolong 
life, and  all  hopes  of  enjoying  the  remainder  of  his  life, 
together  with  his  friend,  were  ended. 

After  a  short  stay  he  removed  from  the  place,  which 
had  become  a   melancholy  situation   to   him,  into   the 


HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK.  203 

County  of  Orange  and  bought  a  small  farm  in  the 
westerly  part  of  the  town  of  AVallkill,  in  the  neighbor- 
hood where  his  former  friends  and  acquaintances, 
Elijah  and  Elislia  Reeve,  Esqs.,  Erastus  Mapes,  H(  ze- 
kiah  Woodward,  Alsop  Vail  and  others,  lived,  where 
he  not  only  became  so  situated  as  to  enjoy  the  happi- 
ness of  associating  with  them,  but  also  had  access, 
whenever  desirable,  to  his  friends  and  acquaintances 
in  his  former  neighborhood  on  the  west  side  of  Shaw- 
angunk  mountain.  Mr.  White  had  no  children  nor 
any  relatives  in  this  country  to  attract  his  affections  ; 
these,  consequently,  became  more  strongly  directed 
towards  those  individuals  who  were  the  most  agreeable 
to  him.  He  remained  in  the  neighborhood  of  his  resi- 
dence until  death  ended  his  mortal  life,  and,  after  his 
decease,  was  buried  in  the  graveyard  at  the  Presby- 
terian church  near  Otisville.  In  and  •  by  his  last  will 
he  made  several  small  bequ^ests  to  his  friends,  as  me- 
morials of  his  friendship  towards  them.  He  also 
directed  the  sum  of  six  hundred  and  twenty  dollars,  of 
the  avails  of  his  estate,  to  be  kept  at  interest,  payable 
annually,  for  the  purpose  of  paying  for  preaching  one 
sermon  in  each  one  of  four  different  Congregations, 
annually,  forever,  one  of  which  was  the  Dutch  Re- 
formed Congregation  now  in  Deerpark,  (formerly  Ma- 
hackemeck  Congregation),  which  appears  in  and  by 
the  will  to  have  been  intended  for  the  inhabitants  of 
Peenpack,  to  whom  he  had  become  much  attached 
during  the  different  periods  of  time  he  resided  in  it, 
and  consequently  also  for  the  benefit  of  their  descend- 
ants.*    He  also  bequeathed  a  few  other  small  legacies 

*    The  other  three  Churehes  were  the  Congregational   Church  at  Mid- 
dletown,  and  the  Episcopal  and  Presbyterian  Churches  in  Goshen. 


204  HISTORY     OF     DEERPARK. 

to  his  best  friends  in  the  neighborhood  of  his  hist  res- 
idence. 

The  characteristics  of  Mr.  White  exhibited  indica- 
tions of  his  having  been  descended  from  a  respectable 
family  in  his  native  country.  He  possessed  very  hon- 
orable and  honest  principles,  also  those  of  morality 
and  piety,  which  were  apparent  in  his  transactions  and 
walks  of  life,  and  also  in  the  doctrines  he  generally 
advanced  when  those  qualifications  became  a  subject 
of  discourse. 


THE  END. 


CONTENTS. 

Preface.  7 

Introduction.  9 
Statement   by  Committee    on    PuVjlication  with 

sketch  of  the  Author.  ^  13 

Geographical  Formation  of  Yalley 19 

Game,  Fowls,  Fisli,    Fruit,  &c 22 

Indians 24 

Manufacture  of  Implements  of  Iron  and  Steel .  .  27 
First  Settlers — Who  they  were  and  whence  they 

cam« 30 

Ancient  Families  of  Peenpack 41 

Ancient  Families  of  Lower  Neighborhood 68 

Longevity  of   First  and  Second  Generations ...  78 

Lower  Neighborhood 85 

Population  of  Peenpack,  Manner  of  Living,  &c., 

during  Kevolutionary  War  and  later 8G 

Forts  in  Peenpack  and  Occupants 8G 

Forts  in  Lower  Neighborhood,  with  some  of  the 

Occurrences  during  the  War 89 

Habits  and  Manner  of  Living 96 

Use  of  Cider  and  Spirits 101 

Use  of  Spirits  at  Funerals  and  Weddings 102 

Treating  Visitors 104 

No  Drunkards   among  Them  for  One    Hundred 

Years ; 107 

Physical  Strength  of   First  Generation 110 

*  The  statement  by  the  Committee  on  Publication  which  appears 
on  pages  13-17  should  have  preceded  both  the  Preface  and  Intro- 
duction. By  an  oversight  not  discovered  until  too  late  for  correction 
it  became  displaced  and  appears  out  of  its  proper  order. 


Page. 

Some  Prominent  Characters  —  Major  James 
Swartwout,  William  Cuddeback,  Peter 
Gumaer,  Gerardiis  Van  Inwegen,  Samuel 
Swartwout,  Capt.  Abraham  Cuddeback, 
Benjamin  Depuy,  Philip  Swartwout,  An- 
thony Van   Etten,  Cornelius  Van  Inwegen.       114 

Minisink  Battle 127 

Great    Changes    in   Agriculture,   Manufacture, 

Travel  and  Improvements  of  Every  Kind . .       137 

Scarcity  of  Physicians  in  Former  Times 144 

Birds,  Reptiles  and  Animals 145 

Health,  Food,  ifec 152 

Religious  Worship — Organization  of  Reformed 

Dutch  Church  and  its  Ministers 155 

Administration    of    Justice — First    Justice    of 

Peace 165 

Prices  of  Stock,  Grain,  &c.,  formerly.  .  ." 170 

Currency  and  Measures 170 

Wages 172 

Cost  of  Building  a  House 173 

Business    Transactions    and    Employments    of 

Ancestors 175 

Christmas  and  New  Year's — Two  days  devoted 

to  each 175 

Characteristics  of   some  of  First   Settlers   and 

their  descendants 180-1 

Emigration  from  Town  of  Deerpark 189 

Increase  of  Population 192 

Thomas  White o  39; ^^^ 


^1> 


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