xO°-. '>c .^^^ A^^ . •^A V^ o_ s>^^' )>" ^ v^ C- \'' * <^'' :' '<'' "* ■;^^ --". '^: '; ^^A / ■^o 0^ ■-^^ v^^ ■ <. ^'^^. ^^^ ■^^^ xO°< > ^ ,^'"» -0- O^ s ,, ^ .^' -^- ^^ ■\ ^^ ^. ■^ •\ O c> 0^- ^A ^A •r^ xO ^r. ■-■- ■'■■ : o-^ -o. \' * %..^' >:^^^i^ ■"^0^ / -% .\^ -i< ,^ -V' <^^^^. /:■ ^y- V^^ x° o^ c'^ A^ 7 O O O ^'^^■ ^vV . ^ ' « •^A V^^ xO^x. ^^ -^ -X' >0 c \0 O, .x^^^■•^ oN' <> V o'^' '■':.. ^^ V •/>- ■x^^' '^^ C^O^ '^^' ■V "^.< .<^ '^^ v^- c-o^ ^. .-^^ ',UO0. Cljromcle of a 'Border €:ottjn HI8T0EY OF EYE WESTCHESTER COUNTY, NEW YORK 1660-1870 INCLUDING HARRISON AND THE WHITE PLAINS TILL 1788 BY CHARLES W. BAIED ILLUSTRATED BY ABRAM HOSIER ;0*3£Cp^ C :t87i^ NEW YORK ANSON D. F. RANDOLPH AND COMPANY No. 770 BROAnwAY 1871 Entered according to Act of Congress, in the j'ear 1871, by Charles \V. Baikd, in the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. RIYERSIDE, CAMBRIDGE: RKINTED BY H. O. HOUGHTON AND COMPANY. PREFACE. rriHIS book has grown out of a discourse prepared in the J- year 1865, when the two hundredth anniversary of the organ- ization of the town of Rye occurred. The following letter, re- ceived soon after its delivery, may serve to account in a measure for the present publication : — Rye, December 8, 1865. Rev. Charles W. Baird : Dear Sir, — The undersigned, appreciating highly the very inter- esting discourse delivered by you on Thanksgiving Day, and believing that the valuable liistorical information which by much careful labor and research you have collected, pertaining not only to the Presbyte- rian Church of Rye, but to the town itself, from its earliest settlement two hundred years ago, ought to be preserved, and will be prized by many in our community besides ourselves, respectfully solicit the man- uscript for publication, with such notes or appendix as you may deem necessary. Affectionately and truly yours, William Mathe^vs, Geo. S. Murfey, John Palmer, J. H. T. Cockey, a. p. Cumjiings, G. D. Cragin, D. G. Eaton, A. W. Parsons, Jr., W. H. Parsons, John Greacen, Jr., James H. Parsons, W. P. Van Ricnsselaee, Jasper E. Corning, C. V. Anderson, A. "W. Parsons, E. P. Whittemore, a. p. Carpenter, Jno. E. Parsons, E. P. Berrian, E. M. Clark, Jos. L. Roberts. The wish to comply with this flattering request, led me to pur- sue an investicration which had been commenced without a look beyond the occasion in question. This investigation has occupied many, of the leisure hours of the last six years ; and the result is a book much larger, certainly, than hearers or speaker contem- plated when the request was made. To the author, at least, the subject has appeared to justify this bestowal of time and pains. As a frontier settlement of New Eng- land, as a 'border town,' and as part of the ' neutral ground,' Rye possesses some distinctive claims to historical notice. The customs and adventures of the early settlers, their proprietary system, their IV PREFACE. political and religious differences ; the fortunes of the inhabitants under the colonial government, and during the Revolution ; the planting and growth of our ancient congregations, have seemed worthy of a full and exact recital. Apart, moreover, from details of purely local interest, several topics have fallen within the au- thor's plan, which invited research, and which have not, to his knowledge, been elucidated fully elsewhere, at least in Avorks ac- cessible to most readers. Some of these are treated in the chap- ters on ' Mails and Modes of Travel,' ' The Proprietors,' ' Harri- son's Purchase,' ' The Boundary Dispute,' ' The Boston Road,' ' The Poor,' ' Schools,' ' Slavery,' ' The Indians,' ' The Parish and Vestry of Rye,' in the chapters relating to the Revolution, and in the part devoted to an account of the churches. It is not claimed that this treatment is exhaustive ; but it is hoped that some light has been thrown upon the subjects. These and otlier matters are treated in separate chapters, and under a threefold arrangement, — 'The Town,' 'The Churches,' and 'The Families,' — with less regard to the order of time than to the connection of topics. An Index of dates, at the end of the volume, will be found useful for this reason.^ The material for this ' chronicle ' has been derived chiefly from the records of the town itself, those of the ancient ' Parish of Rye,' and those of Westchester County ; from the manuscripts in the State Departments of New York and Connecticut, and the histor- ical collections published by order of the legislatures of these States ; from the ' American Archives,' edited by Colonel Force, and the newspapers of the colonial period and the Revolution. A fuller mention of authorities would be unnecessary, inasmuch as abundant reference is made to them throughout the volume. It is with pleasure, however, that I acknowledge here the help re- ceived in the prosecution of this work from persons as well as from books. To Dr. O'Callaghan, State Librarian of New York, I am indebted not only for facilities in the examination of doc- uments in his care, but also for information and for suggestions most kindly given, and exceedingly useful. My obligations to Mr. Charles J. Hoadly, Librarian of the State Library, Hartford, Con- necticut ; to Mr. George H. Moore, Librarian of the New York Historical Society ; and to Mr. Henry B. Dawson, Editor of the ' Historical Magazine,' are similarly great. And my thanks are likewise due to Colonel Thomas F. DeVoe, of New York, for 1 In this Index, some inadvertencies that occur in the body of the work, with refer- ence to dates, have been corrected. PREFACE. V the contribution of several interesting items ; and to Mr. F. Saun- ders, of the Astor Library, and Mr. Samuel U. Berrian, Brook- lyn, for much friendly aid. Mr. Bolton's invaluable history of our county,^ contains with much other information gathered by diligent research, a number of extracts from the first volume of our town records. This vol- ume is now lost ; and the extracts referred to are all that remain to us of its contents. Mr. Bolton's ecclesiastical work ^ has been of still greater service to rae. In the correspondence of the mis- sionaries of the Gospel Propagation Society, I have found much of my material for an account of our churches before the Revolution. The labor of writing the history of a single town has enabled me to appreciate the patience, industry, and fidelity of our county his- torian. He has earned the thanks of every resident of Westches- ter County, and especially of any who may follow in the path where he has led as a pioneer. A considerable amount of information, supplementary to that de- rived from the sources mentioned, has been gained from local tra- ditions, personal recollections, and family records. The facts thus obtained have been available particularly for the third part of the book — the notices of Families. These notices, however, embody chiefly the facts gathered from our toivn records^ relative to the set- tlers of Rye and their descendants. The list is designed to include every inhabitant named in our annals, from 1660 to 1800. Among the illustrations of this volume, I am happy to be able to give a map, copied from the original charts of the United States Coast Survey. As these charts extend to a distance of five or six miles from the shore, nearly the whole town of Rye is in- cluded. Tiie remaining part, with the adjoining town of Harrison, is represented in the small map accompanying it, copied by permis- sion of the publishers, Messrs. Beers, Ellis, and Soule, from the ' Atlas of New York and Vicinity.' With the hope that this humble chronicle may be found toler- ably complete and accurate,^ I submit it to my fellow townsmen, 1 A Ilislonj of the County of Westchester, from its First Settlement to the Present Time. By Robert Bolton, Jr. [now Eev. Robert Bolton]. New York, 1848. In two volumes 8vo. I am <;lad to learn that Mr. Bolton is engaged in prejjaring a re- vised and enlarged edition of this work, which has long been out of print. - History of the Protestant Episcopal Church, in the County of Westchester. By Rob- ert Bolton, A.M. New York, 1855. In one volume 8vo. ^ With all the care of author and printer, a few inaccuracies are noticed, besides those already referred to. Page 61, lines 15, 16, for ' a large portion,' read 'a por- tion.' Page 290, line 40, for ' John Lane,' read ' George Lane.' Page 305, line 18, vi PREFACE. and especially to those whose desire for its preparation, so kindly expressed at the outset, has been my motive and encouragement in the work. Tup Manse, Eye, April I, 1871. for ' country,' read ' county.' Page 347, line 1, for ' William,' read ' Charles.' Tage 406, line 27, for ' Josej)!! Budd,' read ' Underhill Budd.' Page 419, line .39, for ' sons,' read 'grandsons.' Page 432, line 8, for 'Peter Disbrow,' read 'John Disbrow.' In Chapter XXX VII., the account of the action of the people, October 6, 1727, — given on page 327, — should follow the letter of the trustees of Yale College, page 325. CO]^TENTS. THE TOWN. CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION. A Border Town, 1. — Area, 2. — The Dutch in America, 3. — Westchester County, 4. — The Wilderness, 5. — The Old Westchester Path, 6. CHAPTER n. THE INDIAN PURCHASES. Clearings near the Coast, 8. — First Purchase on Peningo Neck, 9. — Manus- sing Island, 10. — Second Purchase on Peningo Neck, 11. — Apawamis, or Budd's Neck, 12. — The West Neck, 14. — Land above Westchester Path, 15. — Valuation of Lands, 16. — Extent of the Town, 17. — Vague Con- ceptions of the Country, 18. CHAPTER in. THE ISLAND. Gaining a Foothold, 19. — The Outlook, 20. — Planters of Hastings, 21. — Puritans, 22. — No Outlaws, 23. — Orders from Hartford, 24. — Letter to the General Court, 25. — Transfer of Lands to the Planters, 26. CHAPTER IV. BUILDING THE VILLAGE. Improvements on the Main, 27. —Burying Hill, 28. — The Old Town, 29.— Mill on Blind Brook Creek, 29. — Rye, 30. — Hastings and Rye conjoined, 30. — Removing to the Main, 31. — The Town Plot, 32. — The Town Field, 32. — The Plains, 32. — Home-lots, 33. — The Parsonage, 34. — Ab- sorption of Home-lots, 35. — Hastings in Sussex, England, 35. — Rye in Sussex, England, 36. — Derivation of the Name, 37. CHAPTER V. MR. JOHN budd's IMPROVEMENTS. Differences at Rye, 38. — Unwelcome Neighbors, 39. — The General Court interferes, 40. — Intentions of the Court, 40. — Differences composed, 41. — Jurisdiction of the Town, 41. viii CONTENTS. CHAPTER VI. PERILS OF THE WILDERNESS. Troublous Times, 42. — King Philip's War, 43. — Tidings of Disaster, 44. — Fortifyino- the Town, 44. — Arrival of a Sufferei', 45. — The Dutch again, 45. — Mr. Banks and Monsieur Colve, 4G. — Rye supplicates for Help, 47. — Burning of Schenectady, 47. — Jacob Pierce, 48. — The Old Fort, 49. CHAPTER Vn. MOVIXG OUT INTO THE WOODS. Ten Acres not enough, 50. — Lands in the Field, 51. — The Long Swamp, 52. — Wolf-pit Ridge, 52. — Barton's Neck, 53. — The Settlement still compact, 54. — Byram Ridge, 55. — Lame Will, 55. — Eauketaupacuson, 56. — Second Purchase from Maramaking, 57. — Free use of Lands, 59. — Division of Will's Purchases, 59. — Projjrietors, 60. — The 'Layers out,' 60. — Brush Ridge, 60. — Branch Ridge, 61. CHAPTER VHL TOWN MATTERS IN OLDEN TIMES. Town Offices, 62. — The Records, 63. — Admission of Freeholders, 63. — ' Lists of Persons and Estates,' 64, — Tow;i Meetings, 65. — Licenses and Grants of Land, 66. — Sheep Pasture, 67. — Trustees, 6 7. — The Commis- sioner, 68. — Litigation, 68. — The Stocks and the Whipping-post, 69. — Petition for a Patent from the Crown, 69. — Patent granted, 70. — Con- troversy about Manussing Island, 70. CHAPTER IX. MAILS ; NEWSPAPERS ; MODES OF TRAVEL. Travel on Horseback, 71. — Despatch of Letters, 72. — Monthly Post to Bos- ton, 72. — Journey of Madam Knight, 73. — Weekly Post to Boston, 74. — Adveriisements of Olden Time, 75. — First Stage-coach between New York and Boston, 7 7. — Stage to Rye, 77. — Communication by Water, 78. — Ferry to Oyster Bay, 78. — The House at the Feny, 79. — Market Sloops, 80. CHAPTER X. THE EIGHTEEN PROPRIETORS. Proprietary System, 81. — First Proprietors, 82. — Increase of Members, 83. — 'The Eighteen,' 84. — Transactions, 85. —Dissolution, 87. CHAPTER XL RYE IN CONNECTICUT. — THE TOWN AND THE GENERAL COURT. Connecticut Towns, 88. — Going up to Hartford, 89. — Orders of the General Court, 90. — Rye ceded to New York, 92. — Applies to be received back, 92. — Request granted, 93. — ' Rie Pattent,' 93. — Deputies to the General Court, 95. CONTENTS. ix CHAPTER XIT. iiarhison's purchase. Our Inhabitants bond fide Settlers, 9G. — Lavish Grants of Land, 97. — Harri- son's Pretensions, 97. — Vain Remonstrances, 99. — Rye secedes, 100. — A Visit from Colonel Heathcote, 100. — Patentees of the Purchase, 102. — Division of the Purchase, 103. — Brown's Point, 103. — Settlement of the Purchase, 104. CHAPTER XIH. THE BOUXDARY DISPUTE. I've concerned in the Dispute, 105. — Irregular Course of the Boundary Line, 106. — Differences with the Dutch, 107. — Agreement of Connecticut with the Duke of York's Commissioners, 108. — A Blind Treaty, 109. — New Settlement of the Bounds, 110. — Rye excluded. 111. — Dissatisfaction at Rye, 111. — Governor Dongan summons the Inhabitants to submit, 112. — Rye revolts, 113. — Feuds and Dissensions, 114. — An Armed Livasion, 115. — Governor Fletcher's Proclamation, 116. — Recriminations, 1 1 7. — The Town yields, 118. — A Border Fray in 1718, 119. — Collecting the Minis- ter's Rates, 120. — Boundary between Rye and Greenwich, 121. — Attempts to settle the Boundary, 122. — Meeting of Commissioners at Rye, 123. — The Old Surveys imperfect, 124. — A'New Survey, 125. — Differences among the Commissioners, 126. — The Boundary Line not settled, 127. CHAPTER XIV. MANNERS AND CUSTOMS. Housekeeping in the Olden Time, 128. — Primitive Houses, 129. — Price of Labor and Provisions, 129. — The Train-band of Rye, 130. — Investiture 'by Turf and Twig,' 132. CHAPTER XV. OLD NAMES AND PLACES. Indian Names, 133. — Names conferred by the Settlers, 134. — Localities alono- the Coast, 134. — Brooks, 135. — Ridges, 136. — Meadows, 136. — Swamps, 137. — Family Names, 137. CHAPTER XVI. THE BOSTON ROAD. The Old "Westchester Path, 138. — County Road laid out, 138. — Road from Plantation to Plantation, 139. — Highway from New York to Connecticut established, 140. — Gates across the Road, 141, — Doleful Accounts of our Roads, 142. — Turnpike Company, 143. — Changes in the Road, 143. CHAPTER XVH. THE VILLAGE INN. The Square House, 145. — 'A Noted Tavern,' 146. — An Illustrious Gui.st, 147. — Lafoyette at Penfield's, 148. —Madam Knight at Rye, 149.— Wm Sicklin's, 150. — Drinking Habits, 151. X CONTENTS. CHAPTER XVIII. THE WHITE PLAINS. Quaroppas, 152. — Indian Treaty, 153. — Mr. Richbell's Claim, 153. — Colonel Heathcote's Claim, 154. — Early Surveys, 156. — Road to the White Plains laid out, 15G. — Apportionment of Lands, 157. — Settlement, 157. — Pres- byterian Church, 158. — Removal of the County Courts, 158. CHAPTER XIX. OCCUPATIONS ; THE POOR. Hereditary Pursuits, 159. — Millers, 159. — ' Mariners,' 160. — The Oyster Fishery, 160. — Farming in Olden Time, IGl. — Washington's Description, 162. — The Town Poor, 163. — Vagrancy, 164. CHAPTER XX. PHYSICIANS AND LAWYERS. Sending to Stamford, 165. — Dr. Devaney, 165. — Dr. Worden, 166. — Dr. Bowness, 166. — Dr. Alleson, 166. — Dr. John Smith, 166. — Dr. William Hooker Smith, 166. — Dr. Hugeford, 167. — Dr. Bailey, 167. — Dr. Daton, 167. — Dr. R. Graham, 168. — Dr. Willet, 168, — Dr. John A. Graham, 168. — Dr. Downing, 168.— Inoculation at Rye, 168. — Dr. Haviland, 169. — Dr. Sanford, 169. — Dr. Rockwell, 1 70. — Dr. Rogers, 1 70. — Dr. McDon- ald, 170. — Dr. E. Belcher, 171. — Dr. E. R. Belcher, 171.— Dr. Willson. 171. — Dr. Close, 171. — Present Practitioners, 171, 172. — Lawyers, 172. CHAPTER XXL SCHOOLS. School Laws of Connecticut, 173. — Efforts to procure a Schoolmaster, 173. — A School-house to be built, 173. — The Gospel Pi'Ojiagation Society's School- master at Rye, 174. — Sunday-school at Rye, 175. — Mr. Avery's Advertise- ment, 176. — George Harris, 177. — School-house on Rye Neck, 177. — At Saw Pit, 177. — On Regent Street, 178. — Education in Olden Times, 178. — Common School System, 178. — School Districts, 179. CHAPTER XXIL SLAVERY IN RYE. Introduced by the Dutch, 181. — Increased Number of Slaves, 182. — Treat- ment of Refractory Slaves, 183. — Fears of Insurrection, 183. — Mr. Den- ham's Slave Primus, 184. — Slaves landed at Rye, 184. — Religious In- struction, 185. — Manumission of Slaves, 186. — Negro Population, 187. — Action of the Friends in Harrison, 187. CHAPTER XXIII. THE INDIANS. Their Condition when the Country was first settled, 189. — Regulations of the Colony of Connecticut concerning them, 190. — A Decaying People, 191. — Visits to the Beach, 192. — Their Powwows, 193. — Relics along our Shores, 193. — Mohegan Villages, 193. — Indian Mortars, 194. CONTENTS. xi CHAPTER XXIV. CEMETEKIES. Burying-ground by Blind Brook, 195. — Family Burial-places, 197. — Brun- dige, Bloomer, Kniffin, Merritt, 197. — Lyon, Tlieall, Purdy, Budd, Haight, Anderson, Gedney, 198. — Burial-place of the Rectors of Christ Church, • 198. — Interments near the Church, 198. — Jay Cemetery, 199. — Union Cemetery, 199. — Colored Cemetery, 199. CHAPTER XXV. TAXES AND IMPOSTS. Taxation in Connecticut, 200. — In New York, 200. — Under Governor Corn- bury, 201. — Expedition against Canada, 203. — Bills of Credit, 204. — The Excise, 205. — Contest of the Assembly with the Governors, 206. CHAPTER XXVI. A HUNDRED YEARS AGO. — RYE IN 1770-1771. Fire at Rye, 207. — Notabilities of the Town, 208. — Major Brown, Roger Park, Philemon Halsted, Josiah Purdy, 208. — Jonathan KniiTen, 209. — Mr. Peter Jay, 209. — Captain Purdy, Charles Theall, David Haight, Judge Thomas, the Wetmores, 210. — Fair at Rye, 211. — Rye Ferry, 212. — Rye Beach, 213. — Emigration to Canada, 213. CHAPTER XXVII. THE REVOLUTION. The Neutral Ground, 215. — Policy of Great Britain, 216. — Claims of the Colonists, 216. — The Stamp Act, 217. — Popular Uncertainty, 218. — Pat- riotic Meeting at Rye, 219. — Protestation of Loyalty, 220. — Counter Dec- larations, 221. — The Crisis arrives, 222. — Companies formed, 223. — Pas- sage of Troops, 224. — The Tories grow defiant, 225.— Plot for the Capture of Judge Thomas, 226. — Spiking of Cannon near King's Bridge, 226. — Committee of Safety, 228. — Arrest of Disaffected Persons, 229. — Arrival of the British Fleet, 230. —The Militia called out, 231. CHAPTER XXVHI. THE REVOLUTION. "Washington abandons New York, 232. — Retreats to the White Plains, 232. — Engagement at Mamaroneck, 233. — Battle of the White Plains, 234. — Affair near Horton's Pond, 236. — Burning of the Court House and Church, 239. — Foraging Parties, 239. — The King's Troops at Rye, 240. — Mr. Avery's Death, 240. — Cow Boys and Skinners, 241. — British Force encamped on Sniffcn's Hill, 242. — American Force at Saw Pit, 243. — Brit- ish Fleet in the Sound, 244. — The Queen's Rangers, 245. — The Inhabit- ants plundered, 246. — Thomas Kniflfen's Adventure, 246. — Sniffen's Hill, 247. — Washington encamjDcd at the White Plains, 247. — French Troops near Saw Pit, 249. xii CONTENTS. CHAPTER XXIX. THE REVOLUTION. General Heath at King Street, 248. — Loyalists of Eye, 249. — Severities in- flicted upon them, 250. — Sufferings in Westchester County, 251. — Capture of Judge Thomas, 252. — ^ Murder of Jonathan Kniffen's Daughter, 252. — The Whale-boat Service, 253. — Operations on the Sound, 254. — Repri- sals, 255. — Seizure of Colonel Thomas Thomas at Rye Woods, 256. — Incident near Merritt's Tavern, 257. — Engagements at Sherwood's Bridge and Byram Bridge, 258. — Frequent Incursions, 259. — Lawless Characters, 260." — Shubael Merritt, 260. — Local Incidents and Traditions, 261. — Dr. Dwight's Description of the Neutral Ground, 262. CHAPTER XXX. AFTER THE WAR. Families coming Home, 264. — Departure of Loyalists, 264. — Return of the Soldiers, 265. — Town Meeting, 265-. — Quitrent, 266. — Division of the Town, 266. CHAPTER XXXI. THE VILLAGE OF SAW PIT. Origin of the Name, 267. — Location of Old Buildings, 268. — The Haunted House, 270. THE CHURCHES. CHAPTER XXXH. WITHOUT A MINISTER. Disadvantages of a 'Border Town,' 271. — Religious Views of the Early Set- tlers, 272. — Lay Preachers, 273. — Orders of the General Coui-t, 274. — Land appropriated for the Ministry, 275. CHAPTER XXXin. EARLY MINISTRY. Rev. Eliphalet Jones, 276. — Rev. Peter Prudden, 277. — Rev. Thomas Den- ham, 278. — The Parsonage, 279. — Place of Meeting, 279. — Rev. John Woodbridge, 280. — Rev. Nathanael Bowers, 281. — A ' Meeting-house ' to be built, 282. — Tax for building the Church, 283. — The Minister's Rate, 284. — Mr. Denham's Antecedents, 285. CHAPTER XXXIV. PARISH AND VESTRY OF RYE. Early Provision for the Ministry, 287. — Liberty of Conscience secured, 288. — Scheme to introduce an ' Established Church,' 288. — The Act for set- tling a Ministry, 289. — Governor Fletcher's Manoeuvres, 290. — Election of Churchwardens and Vestrymen, 291. — Mischievous Effects of the Act, 292. CONTENTS. xiii CHAPTER XXXV. ECCLESIASTICAL LANDS. The Parson's Point, 294. — Land in the Town Field, 295. — Survey of the Glebe, 296. — Trial concerning the Parsonage Lot, 297. — The Home-lot by Blind Brook, 298. — The Spot ascertained, 300. — Mr. Jenney's Garden, 301.— New Glebe on the West Side of Blind Brook, 302. — The Rectory Grounds, 303. CHAPTER XXXVI. GRACE CHURCH BEFORE THE REVOLUTION. Colonel Heathcote, 305. — Rev. Thomas Pritchard, 306. — Rev. George Muir- son, 306. — Building the Church, 307. — Unforeseen Delays, 308. — Mr. Muirson's Ministry, 309. — Rev. Christopher Bridge, 310. — Number of Communicants, 311. — Harmony in the Parish, 312. — Rev. Robert Jenney, 313. — Rev. James Wetmore, 314. — Mr. Wetmore's Ministry, 315. — Rev. Ebenezer Punderson, 315. — The Parish Church incorporated, 316. — Rev. Ephraim Avery, 316. — His Sufferings, 317. — Character of the Early Rec- tors, 318. CHAPTER XXXVH. PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH BEFORE THE REVOLUTION. Relative Numbers, 320. — Attempt to take Possession of the Church, 321. — Rev. Stephen Buckingham, 321. — Rev. John Walton, 322. — Memorial to the Connecticut Government, 323. — Petition refused, 324. — The Trustees of Yale College interpose, 325. — Request renewed, 326. — The General Assembly grants it, 32 7. — Collections throughout the Colony for Churches at Rye and the White Plains, 327. — Building Spot, 328. — The Churches built, 328. — Rev. Edmund Ward, 329. — Vacancy, 330. — Rev. John Smith, 330. — A Contrast, 331. — Mr. Smith's Ministry, 333. — Presbytery of Dutchess County, 335. CHAPTER XXXVHL PROTESTANT EPISCOPAL CHURCH SINCE THE REVOLUTION. Rev. Richard C. Moore, 337. — The Church rebuilt, 338. — Rev. David Foote, 338. — Rev. John J. Sands, 339. — Name of the Church changed, 339. — Rev. George Ogilvie, 340. — Rev. Samuel Haskell, 340. — Rev. Evan Rogers, 340. — Ml'. Haskell returns, 341. — Congregations of Rye and the White Plains separate, 341. — Rev. William Thompson, 341. — Rev. John M. Forbes, 342. — Rev. W. M. Carmichael, 342. — Rev. Peter S. Chauncey, 342. — Rev. Edward C. Bull, 342. — New Church, 342. — Rev. John C. White, 343. —Rev. Reese F. Alsop, 343. — The Church destroyed by Fire, 343. — Rebuilt, 343. — Description, 343. CHAPTER XXXIX. PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH SINCE THE REVOLUTION. Influence of Dr. Lewis, 345. — The Church rebuilt, 345. — Incorporated, 346. — Members, 346. — Feebleness of the Congregation, 347. — The Church alienated, 347. — Repossessed, 348. — Reorganization, 348. — Rev. W. H. XIV CONTENTS. Whittemore, 348. — Rev. David Remington, 349. — Rev. Thomas Payne, 350. — Rev. John H. Hunter, 350. — Rev. James R. Davenport, 350. — Rev. Edward D. Bryan, 350. — Mr. Ebenezer Clarke, 351. — New Church, 352. — Description, 353. CHAPTER XL. METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH OF RYE. Methodism introduced, 354. — Mr. Ezekiel Halsted, 355. — Early Ministry, 356. — Church built, 357. — Revivals, 357. — Later Ministry, 358. CHAPTER XLL THE FRIENDS. From Flushing, 360. — Settlers of Harrison, 361. — Purchase Meeting-house, 362. — Rapid spread, 363. — Separation, 364. — Present State, 365. CHAPTER XLIL CHURCHES OP PORT CHESTER. Religious Destitution, 366. — Occasional Services, 366. — Presbyterian Church, 367. — Methodist Episcopal Church, 369. — Protestant Episcopal Church, 370, — Baptist Church, 371. — Roman Catholic Church, 371. LATER TOWN HISTORY. CHAPTER XLIH. RYE. Act constituting the Present Town, 372. — Survivoi's of the Revolution, 372. — General Thomas and Robert Kennedy, 373. — Population of Rye at Different Pei'iods, 373. — Joseph Bonaparte, 374. — Growth and Luprovement, 374. — Thirty Years Ago, 374. — Academy, 375. — New Haven Railroad, 375. — Captain's Island, 375-377. CHAPTER XLIV. PORT CHESTER. Progress in Trade and Manufactures, 378. — Mr. Jared Peck, 378. — Mills, 379. — Episode of the Last War, 379. — Lafayette's Visit, 380. — Steam Navigation of the Sound, 380. — Steamboats at Rye Port, 381. — Port Ches- ter vice Saw Pit, 381. — Incorporation of the Village, 381. — Limits defined, 381. — Census of 1870, 382. — Institutions, 382. CHAPTER XLV. THE AVAR FOR THE UNION. Public Meeting, 384. — Union Defence Committee, 385. — Companies formed, 386. — Provision for Families of Soldiers, 387. — Roll of Honor, 387-391. CONTENTS. XV CHAPTER XLVI. CONCLUSION. A Great Settlement,' 392. — The Prophecy fulfilling, 392. — Our Advan- tages, 392. — Blessings of Peace, 393. FAMILIES OF RYE. I. THE EARLY SETTLERS 1660 TO 1700 AND THEIR DESCENDANTS. Ailing, Applebe, Banks, 395. — Barton, Basset, Bloomer, 396. — Boyd, 397. — Bowers, Brondige, 398. — Brown, 399. — Biidd, 403. — Bullock, 406.— Church, Cleve, Collyer, Coe, 407. — Cofl'el, Disbrow, 408. — Denham, Frost, 409. — Galpin, 410. — Garnsey, Hart, Hyat, 411. — Hoyt, 412. — Hopping, Horton, 413. — Hudson, Jackson, Jeiferies, 415. — Jee, Jenkins, Knap, KniiTen, 416. — Lancaster, Lane, 420. — Linch, Lockwood, Lounsbery, 421. — Lyon, 422. — Merritt, 426. — Miller, 428. — Odell, 429. — Ogden, 430. — Parle, 431. — Pearce, 433. — Purdy, 434. — Roberts, Robisson, Rockwell, 440. — Sherwood, 441. — Smith, Selleck, Statham, Stephens, Stoakham, 443. — Strang, 444. — Studwell, 446. — Theall, 447. — Thomas, Thorne, Traves, Underhill, 448. — Vowles, Walters, 449. — Wascot, Wood, Wood- bridge, Wright, Young, 450. IL LATER INHABITANTS 1700 TO 1800 — AND THEIR DESCENDANTS. Abrahams, Adee, 451. — Anderson, Andrews, Armor, Armstrong, Ascough, Adams, Akerly, Baker, Bumpos, Bayly, Barkei-, 452. — Barnes, Barrel, Bates, Bell, Besly, Bloodgood, Blakeman, Bii-d, 453. — Birdsall, Bishop, Bowne, Bridge, Brush, Burns, Burrell, Burchum, Bush, 454. — Carle, Cai-ey, Carhartt, Carpenter, 455. — Cavalear, Chatterton, Cheeseman, Clapp, 457. Cleator, Cole, Coon, Cornell, Cornwall, 458. — Covertt, Crampton, Crawford, Cromwell, 459. — Crooker, Cue, Dusenbery, 461. — Daniels, Deall, Delhing- ham, Demilt, Dickinson, Dixon, Dow, Dodge, Doutty, Doughty, Eisenhart, 462. — Elsworth, Embree, Esmond, Eustace, Farrington, Faucouier, Feenas, Ferris, Field, 463. — Flamman, Flood, Foreman, Fitzgerald, Fowler, 465. — Franklin, French, Gale, Gandal, Gibson, Gilchrist, Glover, Gorum, Graham, 466. — Graham, Green, Griffin, Guion, 467. — Gedney, 468. — Haddon, Hains, 471. — Haight, 472. — Hawkshurst, Hare, Harris, Harrison, Hatfield, 473. — Halsted, 474. — Haviland, 475. — Hawkins, Hays, Haywood, Hill, Hitt, Hubbs, Hosier, Howel, Hugford, Hicks, Hutchings, Huson, Hunt, 477. — Hunter, Ireland, Jacobs, Jagger, 478. — Jay, 479. — Janes, Kennedy, King, La Count, Lamson, Lawrence, Lewis, Man, McCollum, Marsh, Marselis, Mar- vin, 486. — Mollinex, Morrill, Morris, Morgan, Maynard, Muirson, Murray, McDonald, Moore, Mott, Neally, Newman, Nichols, Oakley, Owen, Pauton, Palmer, Peck, Pederick, Peet, Pine, 487. — Parker, Pinkney, Proboy, Pro- voost, 488. — Quimby, Quintard, Rickey, Ritchie, Reynolds, Robinson, Rogers, Roll, Roosevelt, Rusforth, Rusten, Ray, Sackett, Sawyer, Schofield, Scott, Seaman, 489. — Saler, Secor, Sears, Setton, Sexton, Seymour, Shaw, XVI CONTENTS. Slater, Smith, 490. — Stevenson, 491. — Stringliam, Sutton, Talledy, Tay- lor, Tebowes, Thacker, Thomas, 492. — Thompson, Tilford, 493. — Titus, Tompkins, Totten, Tredwell, Turner, Varnell, Vail, Vickers, Virdine, Wal- ton, 494. — Warner, Weeden, Weeks, Wetmore, 495. — Weissenfels, Wil- cox, Willis, Willett, 496. — Willson, 497. — Wilson, 498. — Willy, Woolsey, Worden, Yeomans, 499. Clark, 499. APPENDIX. PAGE I. Records of Streets and Highways 501 II. Royal Patents 515 1. Patent for Peningo Neck 515 2. Patent for Budd's Neck 520 3. Patent for Harrison's Purchase ....... 524 4. Patent for the White Plains 526 HI. Town Ofhcers 530 INDEXES. Index of Dates 535 Index of Persons . 546 General Index 556 ILLUSTRATIONS. PAGE 1. Map — Northern Coast of Long Island Sound, from Delancey Point to Calves Island : including the Towns of Mamaeoneck AND Rye (U. S. Coast Survey). 2. Map — Towns of Harrison and Eye (Facing title-page). 3. Diagram — Peningo, Apawamis, Manussing 1 4. Fac-Simile — Declaration of the Inhabitants of Manussing Island, July 26, 1662 Fncitig page 23 5. Rye in Sussex, England 27 6. Land-Gate, Rye, England 37 7. The Old Fort 42 8. Old Fort, Gable End 49 9. Strang's Tavern 71 10. Diagram — The Boundary Line 105 11. Great Stone by the Wading-Place 133 12. Haviland's, or Penfield House 145 13. Diagram — The White Plains in 1721 152 14. Rye Beach 189 15. Rye Ferry 207 16. Sniffen's Hill 215 17. Byram Bridge 248 18. Map — The Town of Rye in 1779. By Robert Erskinc, F. R. S., Geog- rapher to Army of U. S. From tlic Original in New York Historical Society Facing page 256 19. Halsted House 271 20. Diagram — Parsonage Lot 300 21. The Jay Cejietery, Rye 479 HISTORY OF RYE. CHAPTER r. INTRODUCTION. 1609-1660. ' These settling themselves down would in a short time completely dislodge the un- fortunate Nederlanders ; elbowing them out of those rich bottoms and fertile valleys in which our Dutch yeomanry are so famous for nestling themselves. For it is noto- rious that wherever these shrewd men of the east get a footing, the honest Dutch- men do gradually disappear.' — Irving's History of New York, ch. ii. WILLS 2?PURC1IA3Z AMONG the numerous points of land jutting into Long Island Sound, and forming the lesser indentations of its north- ern shore, is one that may be said to mark the limit of the State of New York. From the jagged rocks that terminate this point, a tract of land nowhere more than two miles wide stretches northward about nine miles to a sharp angle upon the Connecticut border. This little territory, called by the Indians Peningo, with the island of Manussing on the east, and a part of the neighboring shore on the west, constitutes the' town of Rye. Lying thus on the confines of two States, whose boundaries from the out- set were but ill-defined, and remained for nearly a century in dis- pute, its history might in a measure be forecast. Throughout the "^ INTRODUCTION. earlier and forming part of that history, this was ' debatable ground ' — a fact very perceptibly bearing on the social and especially on the religious character of the community seated here. The territory of this town was formerly much larger than that just described. It comprehended also the present towns of Harri- son and the White Plains, until after the Revolution. These in- deed were the choicest portions of the land originally acquired. The narrow tract along Byram River and the Sound was first occupied by the settlers for convenience and security, because nearer and more accessible to the older plantations of Connecticut. As soon as they could safely do so, they removed from the shore, where the surface is rocky and broken, to the more fertile inland ridges and plains. From this inequality of surface, however, the scenery of the town takes its varied beauty, and gains attraction as a place of suburban resort and residence. In the south and southwest, towards the Sound and bordering upon it, the land is generally level. Near the Episcopal Church rises a rocky ridge extending northward, and dividing the town in two nearly equal parts. This ridge gradually Avidens into a plateau of undulating surface, one fourth to three foui'ths of a mile wide, sloping on the northeast to the Byram River, and on the west to Blind Brook. Another ridge begins at the lower end of Peningo Neck, or Brown's Point, and gradually rises toward Grace Church Street, where it breaks into a succession of hills that extend to the village of Port Chester. Along the shore of the Sound the rocks ^ rise compactly, forming low bluffs, or are broken into large, irregular masses. Similar masses of coarse granite, below the Beach, form ' clumps ' or islands, curiously worn and perforated by the action of the water, and bearing names Avhich Avere given them by the settlers, or by passing mariners, in remote times. ^ The date of the settlement carries us back more than two hun- dred years, to the time when tlie Dutch were still in possession of the province they called ' New Netherland.' Half a century had 1 These rocks, like those of the entire county, do not differ essentially from the gran- itic rocks of New England. They are ' crystalline, stratified generally, and metamor- phic ; principall}' gneiss, mica schist, mica slate, syenite, steatite, silieions conglom- erate. There are no calcareous dejiosits. The gneiss not unfrcquently loses its stratification and becomes granite, or losing its feldspar, becomes mica schist. From the almost uniform dip of these rocks, and from the absence of fossils, we may safely refer them to the azoic, age.' ^ Bar Rock is the clump which at low tide is connected with the Beach by a sand- THE DUTCH IN AMERICA. 3 elapsed since these shores were discovered by Hendrick Hudson. In virtue of that discovery, Holland claimed a vast domain, reach- ing from the ' Fresh ' or Connecticut River to the ' South ' River, or Delaware, and extending to the great lakes and the Saint Law- rence on the north, an area now covered by three States and part of a fourth. But her hold on these possessions was feeble and relax- ing. The progress of the colony had been slow. Little had been • done toward the occupation of this expanse. Small towns, scarcely more than hamlets, had risen under shelter of the forts on the island of Manhattan, and near the present site of the city of Albany. Five or six villages were scattered on the south end of Long Island. A few ph^ntations were to be seen along the banks of the North or ' Maurice ' River. Some show of a purpose to defend these possessions was made, by keeping up a military post at Hartfoi'd, on the extreme eastern frontier, and by the conquest of the Swedish settlements on the Delaware, at the south. But the policy of the Dutch government was not favorable to a co- lonial system. Though anxious to enrich herself by foreign com- merce, Holland was slow to extend protection to distant depend- encies, or pledge herself to their defence. These settlements were usually left to be cared for and controlled by individual or associ- ated enterprise. Thus a board of merchants at Amsterdam, known as the West India Company, had obtained the exclusive right of trade with the western world, and the sole privilege of ffrantino- lands to those who mio-lit choose to remove thither. This Company ruled with a high hand over the traders and farmers of New Netherland. Occasional efforts were made to encourage emi- gration ; but the inducements were not strong. The Company's object was evidently not so much to reclaim the wilderness, as to drive a profitable business with its savage inhabitants.^ Settle- bar. On the i?outh side of this clump, the rock is strangely honcj'combed in every direction. Humphrei/s Bock is the next clump south of Bar Rock, and is very similar in appearance. Black Tom lies east of Parsonage Point. W7-ack Cltimp, southeast of Pine Island, is so called from the fact that many vessels have heen wrecked at this point. It is said that not long before the Revolution, a ship came ashore on this clump, having been abandoned by the crew. Two or three men living in the neighborhood went on board, and from that time were well supplied with money. 1 ' We have neglected to populate the land ; or, to speak more plainly and truly, we have, out of regard for our own profit, wished to scrape all the fat into one or more pots and thus secure the trade, and neglect population.' — Vertoocjh von Niew Neder- landand, etc., 1650. (Representation from New Netherland, concerning the Situation, Fruitfulness, and Poor Condition of the same. Translated from the Dutch by Henry C. Murphy : New York, 1854.) 4 INTRODUCTION. ments were made with a principal view to the monopoly of the fur traffic ; and New Amsterdam itself was little more than a trading post. The emigrants who had been tempted across the sea chiefly by hopes of immediate gain, had little of the energy and public spirit of their New England neighbors, who had crossed it in search of an asylum from oppression, and an inheritance of free- dom for their children. Westchester County,^ as early as this period of the Dutch occupation, was already a scene of historic interest. For here the troubles of the Dutch with tlie Indian tribes of the interior com- menced. And here beo-an those difficulties with the English, wdiich, though less sanguinary, foreboded much more clearly the termination of their rule. This region was as yet almost an unbroken wilderness. Except along the seaboard, no settlement had been effected by either Dutch or English. 2 A vast, limitless waste, teeming with vague perils, formed the background of some sparse settlements along the shores of the Sound. Deep forests, pierced by paths known only to the red man, stretched from the Hudson to the Connecticut.^ These forests consisted chiefly of oaks of various kinds, which, together with the walnut, chestnut, beech, and other trees, grew to a height that amazed European eyes. Many of them were loaded with vines, whose profusion is noticed by early travellers.'* 1 The name was not bestowed until the year 1683, when the Province of New York was divided into twelve counties. AVestchester County covers an area of 480 square miles, or 307,200 acres. 2 The former a])pear to have explored it to some extent along the seaboard. ' The country on the East River, between Greenwich and the island Manhattans,' wrote a Hollander in 1650, 'is for the most part covered with trees, but yet flat and suitable land, with numerous streams and valleys, right good soil for grain, together with fresh hay and meadow lands.' (' Information respecting Land in Ncav Nctherland ' : Documents rel. to Colonial History of New York, i. 366 ) '^ ' The English have noAv (in 1650) a village called Stamford, within six miles of the North River [«. e., Dutch miles, equal to four English miles each], from whence it could be travelled now in a summer's day to the North River and back, if the Indian path were only known.' {Representation from New Netherland, etc., p. 29.) * Van der Donck, Varazzano, and others. ' I have seen,' says Dominie Mcgapoliensis, 'many pieces of land where vine stood by vine, and grew very luxuriant, climbing up above the largest and loftiest trees, and although they were not cultivated, the grapes were as good and as sweet as in Holland.' (Short Account of the Maquaas, 1644.) Such doubtless was the character of the forest scenery here. In 1670, ten years after tiie settlement of Rye, we find mention of a ' place commonly called the Vineyard,' on Budd's Neck. Eleven years later, the ' Vineyard Farm,' on the same neck, is named. (Town Records, vol. B. pp. 34, 49.) Forty years ago there was a spot on Mr. B. Mead's farm, in the same region, noted for the profusion of these vines, overrunning the trees and covering the ground. THE WILDERNESS. 5 ' Almost the whole land is full of them,' they write, ' as well the wild woods as the mowing lands and flats ; but they grow jirinci- pally near and upon the banks of the brooks and streams.' Some portions of the country were cleared of underbrush, and presented the appearance of beautiful groves. This was owing to the Indian , custom of setting fire, in the autumn, to the tall grass, for the pur- pose of starting their game from the thickets. Elsewhere these fires had completely destroyed the heavier timber, producing tracts of meadow land, a pleasant relief from the sombre shades of the forest. But much of the woodland was marshy, and densely cov- ered with a rank growth of bush and shrub. Extensive swamps overspread the valleys and lower plains, through which the brooks and streams, then much fuller than at present, made their devious way. Occasionally, however, there were traces of a rude cultivation. Near the rivers, and especially along the inlets of the Sound, por- tions of the land had long been appropriated by the Indians for their corn-fields and gardens. There are probably not a few spots on our Westchester farms, upon Avhich the red man's toil was expended before the coming of the white settler, who found his labors greatly lightened by the partial preparation of the ground, and who gladly availed himself of the Indian clearings, which were generally effected where the soil was the richest and the location the most favorable. The country lying between the Hudson and the Byram rivers was claimed by a part of the Mohegan tribe. Various independent families of this tribe had their villages here, and roamed through the surrounding forests in pursuit of game. These villages were most numerous along the shores of the Sound. There the supplies of fish upon which the hunter depended, especially in the winter season, to eke out the scanty subsistence derived from the chase, could be obtained in its waters, and in those of the streams that empty into them. A Mohegan village stood near the beach. The level grounds along the shores of the creek north of the present vil- lage of Milton, were cultivated as Indian fields. Here and there clusters of wigwams occurred on the western bank of the creek, overlooking the salt meadows through which the Mockquams winds to the Sound. Some families too, it would appear, had their homes on Manussing Island, off the eastern shore of the neck. The interior of the country retained all its primitive wildness. Much of it, we have said, was overspread by swamjis. One of these extended through the valley, once perhaps the basin of a 6 INTRODUCTION. lake, or the bed of a river, between Rye and Port Chester. An- other, which the beaver frequented, stretched along the valley of the Apawamis. Through the woods adjoining this stream, the hunter followed his prey ; ^ and near by, an Indian path, obliquely cutting this tract of land at its widest part, formed the rude thor- oughfare connecting the native settlements, which was early desig- nated by the English as ' The old Westchester Path.' ^ ^ Indian arrow-heads have been found here in great abiindance. '■^ ' The old "Westchester Path ' was originally an Indian trail, that led from Manhattan island to a ' wading place ' not far from the mouth of Byram River, and thence through the ijresent town of Greenwich, perhaps to Stamford and beyond. It was used by the Dutch and English, from the very first occupation of the country ; and long before any towns or plantations appeai'ed along its course, it formed a line of travel between New York and New England. Eor this reason it was probably that the earliest settle- ments were made upon this line. Motives of convenience and safety would induce the settler to fix uj^on a spot not remote from the only thoroughfare as yet-existing through the forest. Accordingly we find that the original purchases of land were in many cases bounded by this path, as a well-known landmark, familiar alike to the red man and the white. Many of the old farms in this town and in the adjoining towns, are described in deeds still extant as bounded by ' the old Westchester Path.' It is now the dividing line between the towns of Eye and Harrison. The first allusion to this path that we have found occurs in the year 1661. Five years later, it is already s])oken of as ' y*-' now known and common path coming up from Westchester.' Owing to such frequent reference in grants and deeds, the precise location of por- tions of the road has been preserved. Its course was long denoted like other bound- aries in early times, by means of ' marked trees ; ' and there are maps on record, exhibiting these landmarks, and showing the direction of the road. It is curious to see how long even such rude and perishable monuments may serve their i)ur- pose. Some years ago it became necessary to ascertain more exactly the boundary between the towns of Rye and Harrison. A party of sevei'al of the 'oldest inhab- itants ' was made up, to accompany the surveyor, and assist him by their recollections in finding the marks indicated by the old maps and deeds. They had little difficulty in doing this, along the greater part of the way ; though the young sajjlings' and ' staddles ' marked a half century earlier and more, had like themselves grown to a green old age. At length, however, the party came to a stand. The ' white oak stump ' which was designated as the next way mark could not be found. After some deliber- ation it was suggested that they should pi'oceed to the extreme end of their survey, and then measure back to the last point ascertained ; and at the given distance they discovered, by digging under-ground, the mouldering remains of a ' white oak stump' whose testimony completed the chain of evidence required. The Westchester Path in this town has been disused, probably for a hundred years past, except in some few places, and as a way of communication between one farm and another. There is no pi'oof indeed that it was at any time a graded road, travelled by wagons or stages. Such conveyances were scarcely known in those early days. Eor generations the bridle-path and the ' cart-way ' were the only kind of road known or needed. The ' marked trees ' which formerly indicated its course, are now replaced by small granite posts, denoting the boundary line of the towns of Rye and Harrison. By means of this boundarj^ we may trace the old path for about three miles from the vicinity of Mamaroneck River to a point on the bank of Blind Brook, near the house lately Mr. Allen P. Carpenter's. Beyond this, its course is not certainly knowu. I am inclined to believe that the Ridge Road is the continuation of the old Westchester Path, at least for some distance. WESTCHESTER PATH. 7 This seems probable from the fact that it begins where that path, so far as it can now be traced, ends ; and pursues for awhile the same northeasterly direction. Indeed there is a tradition, which confirms this view, that the Rido-e Road is the oldest thor- oughfare in these parts. Bearing more to the eastward, perhaps, from a point above the Catholic Cemetery, the path ran to the wading-place, where Byram bridge now crosses the river, and thence followed apparently the course of the present post- road through the town of Greenwich. It is mentioned as a boundary in several ancient deeds of that town. CHAPTER II. THE INDIAN PURCHASES. 1660-1662. ' They are gone, With their old forests wide and deep ; And we have huilt our homes upon Fiehls where their generations sleep.' Bryant. IT was in the last days of the Dutch rule on this continent, that a little company of New England men, from the neighboring town of Greenwich, ventured to establish themselves here. They came to plant another of those settlements by means of which, it is well known, the Connecticut colonists had resolved to encroach on the territory beyond them ; ' crowding out the Dutch,' whom they affected to regard as mere intruders. The spot these settlers had chosen was, in their own language, ' a small tract of land lying betwixt Greenwich and Westchester.' It was one of those ' necks ' to which the Indian natives were so partial, on account of the facilities afforded them for fishing, and where they were accustomed to make their more permanent homes. Here stood the villages of several Mohegan fatuilies, and near by, undoubtedly, lay their gardens and corn-fields. These were much more exten- sive than we have been accustomed to suppose. There is evidence that a considerable part of the land along the shores of the Sound had been cleared And partially cultivated by the Indians, before the white race obtained possession of it. These clearings were made in the rude way so often practised by our Western pioneers, — through the agency of fire. But they greatly assisted the labors of the white settler in his improvement of the soil. Early writers inform us that the lands thus cleared Avere at once taken up. ' Those who first arrived,' says one, ' found lands all pre- pared, abandoned by the savages who here cultivated their fields. Those who have come since have cleared the lands for themselves in the forests.' ^ This was particularly the case near the coast. 1 ' lis ont trouve quelques terres toutes propres que les sauvages avoient autreffois FIRST PURCHASE ON PENINGO NECK. 9 in ancient historian of Guilford, Connecticut, states that in that 3wn ' some of the Points of Land adjoining the Sea were all lear'd by the native Indians ;' and that ' for a great many years :ie planters were chiefly confin'd to tlie Lands cleared by the In- ians near the Sea.'^ From the well-known custom of the settlers 3 avail themselves of these localities, as Avell as from the abundance f Lidian remains in this neio;hl)orhood, we iudcre that Penino;o reck, and especially Manussing Island, had been thus in a meas- re prepared for them. In all probability they found these shores omparatively denuded pf the forest, and portions of the land under tolerable degree of cultivation. The original purchasers of this place were three in number : *eter Disbrow, John Coe, and Thomas S.tedwell. A fourth, John )udd, was associated with them in some of their purchases, and averal others joined them in the actual settlement of the place ; ut the earliest negotiations appear to have been conducted in be- alf of the three persons we have named. They were all resi- ents of Greenwich at the time when the first Indian treaty was igned. Their leader was Peter Disbrow, a young, intelligent, slf-reliant man, who seems to have enjoyed the thorough confi- ence and esteem of his associates. His name invariably heads the st of the proprietors. Whenever there was a treaty to be formed, r a declaration to be made, Disbrow's services were required, ind from two of these documents, which are in his handwriting, ^e are led to conceive very fivorably of the mental and moral haracter of the man. On the tliird day of January, 1660, we find Peter Disbrow^ in reaty with the Indians of Peningo Neck for the purchase of that ract of land. What negotiations had preceded this transaction, nd what were the terms of sale, we do not know. The deed of his purchase has long since disappeared. It was lost during the fetime of Disbrow himself.'-^ reparees oil ils sement du bled et de ravoinc .... Les premiers venus y ont ■ouve des terres toutes propres desertees autrefois par les sauvages qui y faisoient !urs champs. Ceux qui sont venus depuis ont defriche dans les bois.' — Novian Bel- ■um: an Account of New Netherland in 1643-44. By Rev. Father Isaac Joques, of le Society of Jesus. New York: privately printed, 1862. (Astor Library.) 1 History of Guilford, Conn., a fragment, by Rev. Thomas Ruggles, 1769. Printed om the original manuscript in The Historical Magazine (Henry B. Dawson, Editor), ol. v., 2d series, pp. 225-233. 2 Town Records, vol. B. We have however an account of this purchase written 3me sixty years later, that embodies facts relative to it which had doubtless been reserved by tradition. The petition of the people of Rye in 1720 for a patent from lie Crown, recounts the measures by which they had acquired possession of their 10 THE INDIAN PURCHASES. It is singular that tliis purchase should have been made in mid- winter, and — so far as appears — by Peter Disbrow alone. Was he the first to visit and explore these shores ? We have no means of knowing where, and under what circumstances, on that Janu- ary day in 1660, the bargain took place. Not unlikely, it may have been at the Indian villao-e that stood near the lower end of the Beach. Here, perhaps, ' Coko the Indian,' and others whose less pronounceable names are affixed to the ancient deeds, gathered about the white man, and received his coveted gifts of wampum and articles of clothing. This First Purchase on Peningo Neck comprised the lower part of the present town of Rye, on the east side of Blind Brook. From the extreme end of the peninsula proper, or Brown's Point, as it has long been called, this territory extended north as far as the present village of Port Chester. A line of marked trees from east to west was the boundary of this tract, beginning a little below Park's Mill, where a branch of Blind Brook empties into that stream, and running in a southeasterly direction to Byram River. Nearly six months elapsed before any further step was taken by our planters. They had no intention of settling, as yet, on the land thus acquired upon the main. But east of Peningo Neck, separated from it only by a narrow channel, lay an island about a mile in length, called by the Indians Manussing. This island ap- pears not to have been included in the first purchase. It offered manifest advantages for the commencement of the plantation. On the twenty-ninth day of June, 1660, Peter Disbrow, with John Coe and Thomas Stedwell, concluded a treaty with the Indian proprietors for the purchase of this island. The deed is as fol- lows : — ' Be it knowen vnto all men whom it may concern both Indians and English that we Shanarockvvell sagamore, Maowhobo and Cokensekoo have sold unto Peter Disbro, John Coo, Thomas Studwell, all living at this present at Grenwige, to say a certain parcel of land the parcel of land lands, as follows : ' One Peter Disbrow many yeai-es since by authority from the Colony of Connecticut (under whose Government the Township of Rye then lay), on the third of January 1660 purchased from the then Native Indian Proprietors a Cer- taine Tract of Land lyeing on the maine between a sertaine place then called Rahon- aness to the East and to the West Chester Path to the North and up to a River then called Moaquanes to the West That is to say all the Land lyeing betweene the afore- said Two Rivers then called Penningoe extending from the said Path to the North and South to the Sea or Sound.' i 1 Land Papers, Secretary of State's Office, Albany : vol. vii. p. 171- SECOND PURCHASE. 11 ich these Indians above mentioned have sold is called in the Indian me Manusing Island, and is near nnto the main land which is called the Indian name Peningo. This said island we above mentioned e here by virtue of this bill doe sell all our right and title unto John »o, Peter Disbro, Thomas Studwell, quietly to injoy from any molesta- n of us or any other Indians to them and to their heirs, assigns and ecutors for ever, and farther we have given unto Peter Disbro John »o and Thomas Studwell feed for their cattle upon the main called the Indians Peningo and what timbers or trees that is for their e and not to be molested by us or other Indians : and we doe hereby knowledge to have received full satisfaction for this purchase of land ove mentioned to say we have received eight cotes and seven shirts :ene fathom of wompone which is the full satisfaction for the parcel land above mentioned and for the witness we have hereto set our nds. Ipawahun Shanarockwell Akamapoic Aranaque wonanao cokow ToPOGOXE Wawatanman Matishes Cokinseco Richard Maowbert quaraiko.' The sixth name may have been that of an interpreter, whose rvices would very likely be needed in the transaction. By these two treaties, our settlers acquired the lo\yer half of the esent territory of the town, between Blind Brook and the Sound Byram River ; together with the adjoining island of Manussing. early a year after, they bought the land lying farther north, itween the same streams. This included considerably more than e present territory of the town. The deed of the pjirchase is ,ted May 22, 16(51 : — ' Be it known to all men whom it may concern both English and In- ans that I Cokoe and Marrmeukhong and Affawauwone and Nahti- eman and Shocoke and Wauwhowarnt do acknowledge to have sold Peter Disbrow, his heirs and assigns, a certain tract of land lying tween Byram River and the Blind Brook, which tract of land is unded as followeth, viz., with the river called in Enghsh Byram ver beginning at the mouth of the above said river on the east and e bounds of Hasting on the south and southwest to the marked trees, d northward up to the marked trees ; which may contain six or seven iles from the sea along the said Byram River side northward, and so )m the said river cross the neck northwest and west to the river called e Blind Brook, bounded northward with marked trees which leads twn to a little brook which runs into the Blind Brook. The which 12 THE INDIAN PURCHASES. tract of land I Cokoe and the above said Indians our fellows, heirs and assigns, do here promise and make good to the said Peter Disbrow, his heirs or assigns, peaceable and quiet possession for ever without any molestation either from Dutch, Indians or English. We the above said Indians have also sold this tract of land above mentioned with all the trees, grass, springs and minerals, with feed range and timber north- ward twenty English miles above the said purchase of land ; and do acknowledge to have received full satisfaction for the said land. In witness hereof we the above said Indians have set to our hands this present day and date above written. MARR:\rEUKHONG his mark Affawauwone his mark Nahtimeman his mark Cokoe his mark ' These tliree purchases completed the territory of Rye on tlie east side of Blind Brook. Indeed, they took in also a part of the town of Greenwich — the tract of land between tlie present State line and Byram River. And we shall see that the claims of Rye to this tract, founded uj)on the Indian purchase just related, gave rise to not a little trouble in the subsequent relations of the two towns. Our planters next turned their attention to the lands lying io6st of Blind Brook — a much more extensive and important field. Eastward, they could not hope to extend their limits further than the bounds of the neighboring town of Greenwich, a member of tlie same colony with themselves. But westward, there were no rights which they considered themselves bound to respect, inter- posing a barrier to their spread into the unknown and limitless forest waste. And unquestionably, it was in this direction that they chiefly hoped to secure a wide and valuable domain. Accord- ingly, within a little more than a year after the last pui'chase east of Blind Brook, they had bought from the Indians the lands on the west side of that stream, extending to Mamaroneck River, and indefinitely beyond. Upon these purchases, the town of Rye subsequently founded its claim to the territory now known as Rye Neck, and to the present townsiiips of Harrison, and the White Plains. In these transactions John Budd takes the lead, instead of Pe- ter Disbrow. His first treaty with the Indians is dated Novem- ber 8th, 1661, when he bought the tract of land called by the In- dians Apawamis, and by the white men Budd's Neck. This .tract was bounded on the east by Blind Brook, and on the west by the little stream whose Indian name was Pockcotessewake, since known APAWAMIS OR BUDD'S NECK. 13 as Stony Brook, or Beaver Meadow Brook. Northward, it ex- tended as far as the Westchester Path, and southward to the sea. The land thus described constitutes now the southwestern part of the town. It has always formed a part of the territory of Rye. But, unlike the former purchases, it was claimed by a single pro- prietor, and for a period of nearly sixty years, was held under a distinct patent. ' To all Christian people, Tngains and others whom it may concern, that we whose names are hereunto subscribed, living upon Hudson's river, in America, That we Shanarocke, sagamore, and Rackceate, Napockheast, Tawwheare, Nanderwhere, Tomepawcon, Rawmaquaie, Puwaytahem, Mawmawytom, Howhoranes, Cockkeneco, Tawwayco, Attoemacke, Heattomeas, all Ingains, for divers good causes and con- siderations us hereunto moving, have fully and absolutely bargained and doe for ever sell unto John Budd, senior, of South hole, his heires, executors, &c., all our real right, tittell and interest we or eather of us have in one track of land lying on the mayn, called Apawammeis, buted and bounded on the east with Mockquams river, and on the south with the sea against Long Island, . and on the west with Pockco- tesswake river, and at the north up to the marke trees nyeer Westches- ter path, all the lands, trees to fell at his pleasure, with all the grounds and meadow grounds and planting grounds, moynes and minerals, springs and rivers or what else lying or being within the said track of land, and also range, feeding and grasse for cattell, twenty English miles northward into the country, and trees to fell at his or their pleasure, and to their proper use and improvements of the said John Budd, his heirs, executors, &c., for ever to enjoy, possess and keepe as their real right, as also peaceably to inherite the sayd track of land with all thereone, and we the before named Ingains doe acknowledge and confesse to have re- ceived in hand of the said John Budd, the juste sum of eightie pounds sterling in full satisfaction for the aforesaid land with all the limits, bounds and privileges with hegrece and regrece,^ without lett or molestation of any one. Now for the more true and reall enjoyment and possession of the said John Budd his heirs, &c., we doe jointly and severally, us and either of us, or any by or under us, for ever assign and make over by virtue of this our deed and bill of sale, disclayme any further right in the sayd tract of land from the day of the date hereof, and all and each of us do promise to put the said John Budd or his into quiet, peaceable possession, and him to keep and defend and mayntaine against all person or persons whatsoever that shall directly or indirectly lay any clayme or former grant, or shall trouble or molest the said John Budd or his, be they English or Dutch, or Ingains, or whatsoever. We the aforenamed Ingains doe engage ourselves, heirs, executors, &c., to 1 Egress and regress. 14 THE INDIAN PURCHASES. make good this our obligations as aforesaid. I Shanarocke, Rackeate, Mepockheast, Tawwaheare, Nanderwhere, Tomepawcon, Rawmaquaie, Pawwaytahem, Mawmawytom, Hovvhoranes, Cockkeneco, Tawwayen, Attoemacke, Heattomees, Iiave hereunto set our hands at time and times, and we doe approve of each of our hands to this deed to be good and firm. Witness this our hands this day, being the 8th of No- vember, 1661. Signed, sealed and delivered. Thojias Revell The mark of Shanorocke John Coe Nanderwhere Thomas Close Mepockheast Humphrey Hughes Hoavhoranes Rawmaquaie Rackeate Pawwaytahem cockenseco ' A second deed, executed a few days after the date of the above, related to the islands in tlie Sound, near the territory thus pur- chased. These were Hen and Pine islands, and the Scotch Caps. ' Know all men whom this may concern, that I Shenerock, sachem, have bargained sold and delivered unto John Budd the islands lying south from the neck of land the sayd John Budd bought of me and other In- gains, and have received full satisfaction of Thomas Close for the said John's use, and doe warrant the sale above written in the presence of Thomas Close and William Jones. The mark of Shenorock, sachem. Shenorock Witnesse Thomas Close William Jones his marke ' This transaction was followed, in a few days, by the purchase of the West Neck, or the tract of land adjoining Budd's Neck proj)er, and lying betw^een Stony Brook and Mamaroneck River. ' 11 month, twelfth day, 1661. ' Know all men whom this may concern, that I Shenorock, Rawmaqua, Rackeatt, Pawwaytahan, Mawmatoe, Ilowins, have bargained sold and delivered unto John Budd a neck of land, bounded by a neck of land he bought of me and other Ingans on the south, and with Merreniack river on the west, and with marked trees to the north, with twenty miles for feeding ground for cattle with all the woods, trees, manrodes, meadows and rivers and have received full satisfaction in coats and three score faddom of wompom of Thomas Close for the said John's use, and to engage myself to warrant the sale thereof against all men, English, Dutch and Ingans, and for the faithful performance hereof, I LAND ABOVE WESTCHESTER PATH. 15 have set my hand in the presence of Thomas Close and William Jones, the day and year above written. The mark of Shenerocke Witnesse Thomas Close Rawmaqua his mark William Jones his marcke Hownis Pram his mark Razi his mark ' The last of these purchases was made in the following summer, — on the second day of June, 1662, — by John Budd in company with the other three purchasers. It is the first occasion upon which these four names appear together. The settlers now bought the tract of land ahove the Westchester Path, and west of Blind Brook, or directly north of Budd's Neck. This was the territory of the present tow^n of Harrison ; and the following deed exhibits the claim of the proprietors of Rye to that tract, w^hich was Avrested from them forty years later : ' Know all men whom this may concern that we Peter Disbrow, John Coe and Thomas Studwell and John Budd have bargained and bought and paid for to the satisfaction of Showannorocot and Roksohtohkor and Powataham and other Indians whose names are underwritten a certain tract of land above Westchester Path to the marked trees bounded with the above said river Blind brook ; which tract of land with all the privileges of wood, trees, grass, springs, mines and minerals, to the said Peter Disbrow, John Coe, Thomas Studwell, to them and their heirs for ever ; with warrants against all persons, English, Dutch, or Indians. To this bargain and sale we the above said Indians do bind ourselves, heirs and assigns to the above said Peter Disbrow, John and the rest above said, to them, their heirs and assigns for ever ; as witness our hands this present day and date, June the 2 : 16G2. Showannorocot his mark Romkque his mark ' To complete our series of Indian deeds, we here give the follow- ing, which is a confirmation of the last grant, for the land above "Westchester Path. Four years after the sale of this land to Budd and his three associates, the Indians confirm the tract to Budd alone, as included in the grant which they had already made to him individually, November 8, 1661, of a tract of land extend- ing ' northward into the country ' sixteen miles from West- chester Path. Thus by three distinct grants from the Indians, our early settlers were secured in the possession of the territory, wdiich was afterwards given to Harrison and his associates. It is not surprising that they should have felt this to be a most oppressive act, nor that they should have resisted its execution to their ut- most ability. 16 THE INDIAN rUIlCHASES. ' To all Christian people, Indians and others Avhom it may concern that we whose names are hereunto subscribed living upon Hudson's river in America, Shonarocke, sagamore, and Romackqua and Pathung, whereas we have formerly sold a tract of land unto M'" John Bud senr., bounded on the sea on the sowth, on the north by Westchester path, and the name of the tract of land is commonly called Apauamiss, and whereas we have sold unto the sayd M'' John Budd twenty English miles northwardes from the above sayd tract of land which is called by Apauamis, the above sayd twenty English miles we doe acknowledge that we have sold unto M"^ John Budd for range, for feed, for timber, for graseing, to him and his heirs for ever, and now we doe acknowl- edge that we have bargained, sold and delivered, we and every one of us, from our heirs, executors or assynes jointly and severally unto John Budd, his heirs, executors or assigns, a track of land lying within the compass of the above sayd twenty English miles, bounded on the south by Westchester nath, and on the east by the Blind brook, and on the west by Mamarranack river, and the north bounds is sixteen Eng- lish miles from Westchester jiath up into the country, for which land we received already in hand a certain sum, to the value of twenty pounds sterling, for the above sayd track of land, for which land we are fully satisfied by the sayd John Budd, for the above sayd track of land, for the which we doe acknowledge we have bargained, sold and delivered unto John Budd and his heirs for ever, with warrantie against all men, English, Dutch and Indians, and doe give him full i30ssessioii, and promise so to keep him, to the which bargain and agreement we have hereunto 'set our hands this day, being the 29 of April, 1G66. Witness, Joseph Horton The marke of Shanarocke Witness, John Rawls The markes of Romackqua Sachems both The mark of Coco the Indian The mark of Pathung ' ^ The valuation at which our settlers bought their lands from the Indians, deserves attention here. It lias often been represented that such purchases Avere made at a merely nominal price : a few old coats and worthless trinkets. The deeds we have quoted show that this is far from being true of the purchases at Rye. The clothing given was indeed no trifle in those days. The ' eight coats and seven shirts ' which formed part of the payment in the purchase of Manussing Island, had a considerable value in the eyes of the planters. But in addition to these, they gave ' fifteen fathom of wampone,' or about four pounds ten shillings sterling.^ 1 Col. Bee. of Conn., vol. i. (MS.) p. 334. - Wampum, or wampumpeag, Mas tlic Indian currency. It consisted of cylindrical pieces of shells, a quarter of an inch long, and in diameter less than a pipe-stem, drilled lengthwise so as to be strung upon a thread. For the most part, it was made out of the shell of the hard clam ; that made out of the blue part or heart of the shell EXTENT OF THE TOWN. 17 What were the terms of the first purchase on Peningo Neck, we do not knoAv ; nor do we learn what the ' full satisfaction ' acknowl- edged for the second purchase was. But it appears that Mr. Budd paid for the land which he bought on the west side of Blind Brook, the value of about one hundred and twenty pounds. Pre- suming that the lands on the east side cost our settlers about as much more, we find that they must have expended nearly or quite two hundred and fifty pounds in their Indian purchases. These facts certainly confirm the statements of Dr. Trumbull, relative to the expenses borne by the early settlers of Connecticut. Their lands, he says, ' though really worth nothing at that time, cost the planters very considerable sums, besides the purchase of their pat- ents, and the right of preemption. In purchasing the lands and making settlements in a wilderness, the first planters of Connecti- cut expended great estates.'' ^ We have anticipated the course of events, in the history of our settlement, in order to complete our account of these Indian pur- chases. They occupied, it appears, a period of two years and a half. Meantime, the three purchasers, who were living at Green- wich wiien the first two treaties were made, had come down with some others to the little island of Manussing, near the mouth of Byram River, and were already preparing to cross over to tlie main. The account of this settlement vve reserve for another chapter. Elsewhere, too, we shall consider the relation in which John Budd stood to the other colonists, and that of his claims to theirs. But it may be remarked here, that by the several pur- chases now recorded, the founders of this town acquired the title to a very considerable territory. The southern part of it alone comprised the tract of land between Byram River and Mamaroneck River, while to the north it extended twenty miles, and to the northwest an indefinite distance. These boundaries, so far as they were stated with any degree of clearness, included, besides the area now covered by the towns of Rye and Harrison, much of the towns of North Castle and Bedford in New York, and of having the highest value. Wampum, or sewan, as the Dutch called it, continued long to be a part of the currency among the whites as vv^ell as the Indians, ' and was even paid in the Sunday collections in the churches.' The value of this currency was determined by law, and was subject to occasional changes. At this period, wampum was reckoned at one farthing per bead or shell. (Palfrey, History of New Eni/land, vol. i. p. 31.) The shell being a quarter of an inch long, 288 shells, making a fathom, would be worth 6s. The Indians who frequented the shores of the Sound were noted for the manufac- ture of wampum. 1 History of Connecticut, by Benj. Trumbull, D. U., vol. i. p. 117. 2 18 ' THE INDIAN PURCHASES. Greenwich in Connecticut : whilst in a northwesterly direction, the territory claimed was absolutely without a fixed limit. Indeed, we shall see that as the frontier town of Connecticut, Rye long cherished pretensions to the whole region beyond, as far as the Hudson. It is not surprising that our settlers should have enter- tained very vague conceptions upon this subject. Except along the seaboard, the country was almost utterly unknown. The vast wilderness that spread down to the very border of their fields upon the coast, remained for years a mystery and a terror to the few settlers who had ventured upon its outskirts. CHAPTER III. THE ISLAND. lGGO-1664. ' Look seaward thence, and naught shall meet thine eye But fairy isles, like paintings on the sky, And waters glittering in the glare of noon. Or touched with silver by the stars and moon.' ' Towai'ds that smiling shore Bear we our household gods, to fix for evermore.' PiNKNEY. npHESE dealings with the natives for the purchase of their lands -*~ were still in progress, when the settlement on Manussnig Island was commenced. The precise date we are unable to fix, but it must have been in the summer or the fall of the year 1660. Disbrow and his companions, it will be remembered, were ' all living at Greenwich ' when they concluded their treaty with the Indians for the purchase of the island. This was on the twenty- ninth day of June, 1660. But the next deed, — that for the pur- chase of the nortliern part of Peningo Neck, — dated May 22, 1661, mentions ' the bounds of Hastino; on the south,' showino; that the lands previously bought had received a name, and implying that they were already occupied. It is unlikely, indeed, that the set- tlers would delay their coming, after securing the site which they judged to be favorable for the purpose ; and accordingly we pre- sume that they arrived in July or August, 1660. They came un- doubtedly in boats. It was but an hour's sail, and they could thus transport their famihes and household goods much more readily than by the Indian paths through the forest, and across the ford from Penino-o Neck. It is easy to see why this spot should have been chosen. Here the settlers would be almost in sight of Greenwich, whither they could speedily retreat if molested. They were not likely to be noticed by the Dutch, though their island lay within the line des- ignated by the last treaty. From their savage neighbors they would be comparatively safe. And here, while exploring the ad- 20 THE ISLAND jacent shores, and completing their purchases of land, they could quietly gain a foothold, and wait for accessions to their numbers. But apart from these considerations, the planters could scarcely have lighted on a more inviting spf)t, had they sailed along the coast as far as the Manhattoes. Their island was about a mile long. It lay on the eastern side of Peningo Neck, only separated from it by a narrow creek. Westward, a broad expanse of sedge land, or salt meadow — much valued by the early settlers as yield- ing food for their cattle — intervened, almost hiding this channel in its winding course, and seemino; to connect the island with the main. On the other side, toward the sea, a wide beach bordered its entire length. An Indian village had formerly stood on the southern part of the island ; perhaps some of the deserted wigwams yet remained ; and the upland, like the salt meadows, presented that appearance of cultivation, which, as we have seen, drew the white man to tlie places that had been improved in some measure by the natives before his coming. Looking southward, our planters had in prospect an almost un- broken wilderness. The only spot between them and New Am- sterdam, where Europeans had yet attempted to establish them- selves, was a point of land, ten miles below, known to the Dutch as Ann's Hook. Here, eighteen years before, the famous Mother Hutchinson had been slain by the Indians, in one of their risings upon the Dutch. This point had since been bought by Thomas Pell of Fairfield, who was now endeavoring under authority of Connecticut to form a settlement there, in spite of Governor Stuy- vesant's remonstrances. Across the Sound, which is here about five miles wide, the shores of Long Island were already in great part possessed by the English. Hempstead,^ just opposite; Oyster Bay and Huntington, to the east, had been settled some years be- fore ; the first with the consent of the Dutch themselves, the other two under patent from the New Haven Colony. It was at Hemp- stead Harbor, directly across the Sound, that the dividing line, agreed upon in 1650, between the Dutch possessions on Long Island and those of the Enghsh, terminated. Manussing Island ^ comprises about one hundred acres of upland 1 The most distant point of land to be seen from Manussing Island, looking up the Sound, is Eaton's Neck. West of this point is Huntington Bay. Oyster Bay is the next inlet ; and nearer still is Hempstead Harbor. ■^ Traces of several dwellings have been found on the southern part of the island, where they appear to have formed a cluster, a few rods apart. The summer-house on Mr. Wm. P. Van Rensselaer's grounds, indicates about the spot where this little village stood. Thirty or forty years ago, the walls of a small stone house were still PLANTERS OF HASTINGS. 21 with as manv more of sedge or salt meadow. The first business, of the settlers was to apportion tlie land among themselves, and erect some temporary habitations. A home-lot of two or three acres was assigned to each. These lots were probably contiguous to each other, and the houses built upon them soon presented the appearance of a small village. The first houses built were noth- ing better than log-cabins. The timber Avas cut on Peningo Neck. More comfortable dwellings soon replaced these ; the materials being brought down from the older settlements. The island village took the name of Hastings. There is no reason to doubt that it was so called after the famous seaport on the British Channel. And it is fair to infer that some one at least of the settlers came from Hastings in Sussex, England.^ Part of the mainland received this appellation, together with the island. ' The bounds of Hastings,' extended, we have seen, about as far north, on Peningo Neck, as the present village of Port Chester. But some time elapsed before any improvements were attempted in this direc- tion. For two or three years certainly, the planters confined them- selves to their insular home. The three purchasers of the island, Disbrow, Coe, and Studwell, were soon joined by other adventurers, if indeed they were not accompanied by them at the outset. The following are the names of all the planters of whom we have any record, as be- longing to the island settlement: — Peter Disbrow, Richard Vowles, Thomas Applebe, John Coe, Samuel Ailing, Philip Galpin, Thomas Studwell, Robert Hudson, George Clere, John Budd, John Brondish, John Jackson, William Odell, Frederick Harminson, Walter Lancaster. Two other names, which are undecipherable, stand connected with these, making seventeen in all. The last three do not ap- to be seen at this end of the island, — perhaps a part of the ancient house of Richard Vowles. 1 Old names were given to new places, in these early days, for reasons very different from those which have produced the absurd nomenclatui-e of many of our modern towns. The feeling which prompted this custom is touchingly expressed in the pre- amble of an act conferring the name of New London, in the year 1657 : ' Whereas it hath bene a commendable practice of y« inhabitants of all the Collonies of these parts that as this Countrey hath its denomination from our dear natiue Countrey of England, and thence is called New England, soc the planters in their first setling of most new Plantations haue giuen names to those Plantations of some Citties and Townes in England, thereby intending to keep up and leaue to posterity the memoriall of seuerall places of note there, as Boston, Hartford, Windsor, York, Ipswitch, Brantree Exeter, — This Court,' etc. (Public Records of the Coloni/ of Coiin., pviov to 1665; p. 313.) 22 THE ISLAND. pear until the third year of the settlement. Tiie others may not miprobabiy have been associated with it from the first. Eight of these names are permanently connected with the his- tory of our settlement. We shall have occasion, further on, to trace the descent of several of the oldest families of the town from these persons. The other seven, in the list given above, were but transient members of the plantation. Tiieir names soon disappear from its records. Of Samuel AlHng, Thomas Applebe, and Fred- erick Harminson, we know scarcely anything. Robert Hudson was living at Rye some years later. George Clere remained long enough to obtain a home-lot in the new village, on the main. John Jackson and Walter Lancaster removed to the town of East Ches- ter, New York, of which place the latter became one of the pro- prietors and leading men. It may be interesting just here to pause and consider who these men were, and with what views they had come to this spot. With perhaps one exception, they were Englishmen by birth, and doubt- less also Puritans in faith. They were, most of them, the sons of men who had sought refuge on these siiores, among the ear- liest companies of emigrants to New England. Tiiere are grounds for believing that they were men capable of appreciating the ben- efits and obligations of civil freedom. Some of them at least, as we shall see, were men of religious principle and conviction. It is not unreasonable to suppose that they were in sympathy with the great movement which brouirht the Pilo;rims to this hem- isphere, a movement influenced, as we believe, by the highest motives that ever led to the founding of a state. It is far from true, that all who came out with the early colonists of New Eng- land were men of this stamp. Unworthy and disorderly char- acters appear to have thrust themselves among them from the first. But there is presumptive evidence that the founders of this planta- tion were of a different class. The earliest document that has come down to us from these times, gives us certainly a very favorable impression of the planters. It is a declaration of their purposes and desires, drawn up about two years after the commencement of the enterprise. A word should be said here as to the occasion of this document. The Restoration had just occurred in Great Britain. On the accession of Charles the Second to the throne, it was expected that the American Colonies Avould profess their allegiance in the usual form of an address and petition. The colonies were somewhat slow to do this. Connecticut, however, was the first to offer these professions of ^^^ O^ >*.■> 4 ^ ^ U 1* I *ait^ "^i* ^««2^-.f>^^ '-%'.i ■>4 V^^v^jv^ ^^' TT" g^^^v"*^* .^-^' THE SETTLERS NO OUTLAWS. 23 submission. The address of the General Court at Hartford to tlie King was ordered to be drawn up on the 14th of March, 1661.^ It had probably come to the knowledge of the settlers at Hastings. They unite in expressing their concurrence in tliat address. And they also take the opportunity to define their true position, as those Avho, though dwellincr in the wilderness, ' remote from other places,' are loath to be viewed as outlaws. And while proclaiming their reverence for constituted authority, they reserve their rights of conscience and private judgment. They will yield subjection only to ' wholesome laws, that are just and righteous, according to God and our capableness to receive,' ' Hasting, July 26 1662 ' Know all men whom this may concern that [we the] inhabitants of Minnussing Island whose n[ames are herej vnder writtne, do declare vnto all the true [th] we came not hither to live withovt goverment as pr[etended,] and therfore doe proclayme Charles the Second ovr lawful lord and king: and doe voluntaryly submit our selves and all ovr lands that we have bought of the Ensjlish and Indians : vnder his gratious protection : and do expect according to his gratious declara- tion : unto all his subjects which we are and desiore to be subject to all his holsom lawes that are jvst and Righteous according to God and our capableness to receive : where unto we doe subscribe. PeTKR DiSBROW, John Coe, ' The mark of The mark of Thomas Stedwill, Samuell Alling, The mark of William Odelle. The n)ark of Robert Hutsone, .ToHN Brondish, The mark of Frederick Harminsone, The mark of Thomas Aplebe.'^ It would appear from the language of this document that some suspicion had been cast upon the enterprise. The motive of these planters in going beyond the limits of previous settlements had been impugned. Hence their declaration that they 'came not hither to live without government.' There is evidence, too, that they felt themselves in danger from lawless and disorderly men, who were but too ready to join a new adventure. For at the same 1 Public Records of the Colony of Connecticut, 1636-1665, p. 361. 2 For the fac-simile of this dociiment which is here presented, I am indebted to Mr. Bolton, who made a careful tracing of the original. The volume that contained it is unfortunately lost. * * * * * * * * * * * * ^^ 24 THE ISLAND. time with the above statement, our settlers drew up the following compact, wliicli they signed in the same manner : — ' We do agree that for our land bought on the mayn land, called in the Indian Peningoe, and in English the Biaram land, lying between the aforesaid Biaram river and the Blind brook, bounded east and west with these two rivers, and on the north with Westchester path, and on the south with the sea, for a plantation, and the name of the town to be called Hastings. ' And now lastly we have jointly agreed that he that will subscribe to these orders, here is land for him, and he that cloth refuse to subscribe hereunto we have no land for him. Hastings, July 26, 1662. The planters hands to these orders. ****** Robert Hutson, **#*#:)(: .loHN Brondish, Samuel Allin, Frederick Harminson, Thomas Applebe. 'August 11, 1662. These orders made by the purchasers of the land with our names. Peter Disbrow, John Coe, Thomas Stedwell, William Odell.' While thus endeavoring to maintain good order in tiieir little commonwealth, our settlers were anxious, as they had good reason to be, about their political situation. Great uneasiness was now felt throughout New England, regarding the designs of Great Britain. The king, whose restoration the colonies reluctantly proclaimed, was thought to be not a little inclined to curtail the liberties of his subjects across the sea, and to repress the spirit of independence for wliich they were already becoming noted. Con- necticut, however, by the skilful management of its agent, the celebrated John Winthrop, had obtained a royal charter confer- ring most valuable privileges : constituting that colony, in fact, a self-governing state, and reaffirming its claims to a wide extent of territory. The news of this success spread joy throughout the colony. The General Court at Hartford hastened to apprise the towns, and require their submission to the new order of tilings. Notice even was sent, to Governor Stuyvesant's great displeasure, as far as Oostdorp, or Westchester Village in New Netherland, where Connecticut men had settled some years before under grants from the Dutch. The Hartford government informed them that by the terms of the new charter they were included in the colon}^ limits; and enjoined upon them, 'at their peril,' to send deputies to the next meeting of the Court. Perhaps it was the LETTER TO THE GENERAL COURT. 25 very same messenger, riding ' post-haste ' to the Dutch village, who turned aside from his course along the Westchester Path, as he reached Peningo Neck, and came down to the little island settlement with the good news of the charter. At all events, a message of like import reached the inhabitants of Hastings ; and they gladly took steps to place themselves at once under the pro- tection of the Colony, and seek the rights and privileges of a fully constituted town. A meeting was called, and Richard Vowles was chosen to go to Fairfield, and there be qualified as constable for the plantation. Shortly after, the settlers addressed the following letter to the General Court : — 'From Hasting the 1 mth 26: 1663. 'Much Honnored Sires, — Wee the inhabitance of the towne of Hasting whose names are heer vnder writne : being seted upon a small tract of land lying betwixt Grinwich and "Westchester : which land wee have bought with our money : the which : wee understand doth lye within your patant : and where as you have allredy required our sub- iection i as his niaiesties subiects, which we did willingly and red- ily inibrace and according to your desiour : we sent a man to Fairfield who have there takne the oathe of a Constable : we have now made choyse of our nayghbar John Bud for a deputi and sent him up to your Corte to act for us as hee shall see good : it is our desiour : to have [some] settled way of goverment amongst us : and therfore we do crave so much favor at the hands of the honnorable Cort: that whether they do make us a constable or aney other ofFesere that they would give him povr to grant a warrant in case of need because we be som what remote from other places : thus leaving it to yovr wise and judicious consideration we remayn yours to command : Peter Disbrow Richard Ffowles George Clere Philip Galpine John Coe _ William Odell John Brondig John Jagson Thomas Stedwell This is ouer desier his mark In the name of Walter Lancaster the Rest. his mark.' The modest request of the men of Hastings was granted, after 26 THE ISLAND. some delay. At tlie session of the General Conrt in Hartford, on the eighth of October, 1663, — ' Ln* John Bud ' makes his appearance, and ' is appoynted Commissioner for the Town of Hastings, and is inuested witli Magistraticall power within the limits of that Town.' Moreover, ' Rich : Vowles is appoynted Constable for the Town of Hast- ings, and Mr. Bud is to give him his oath.' Connecticut at the same time reasserted its claim to the terri- tory west of this place, the General Court declaring that ' all the land between West Chester and Stamford doth belong to tlie Col- ony of Connecticut.' Budd and Vowles had both been admitted, the year before, to the privileges of freemen ; the former as an inhabitant of South- old, and the latter as an inhabitant of Greenwich. Perhaps Hast- ings, which had not yet been recognized as a plantation, was at that date considered to lie within the bounds of the latter town. Our little village now rejoiced in something like a well-ordered social state. It had a magistrate ' commissionated to grant war- rants,' and also in case of need ' to marry persons.' ^ It had a grave and discreet constable, Avith full power to apprehend . . . ' Such as are ouertaken with drinke, swejiring, Sabboath break- ing, slighting of the ordinances, lying, vagrant persons, or any other that shall offend in any of these.' With these safeguards and immunities, our settlers remained for another year or two upon their island. Meanwhile, howeyer, cer- tain changes had been going on, betokening the removal of some, at least, of the inhabitants from the island to the main. On the twenty-eighth of April, 1663, the four purchasers — Disbrow, Coe, Studwell, and Budd — by a deed of sale conveyed tlie island, to- gether with the land on the main, to the following planters : Sam- uel Allen, Richard Fowles, Philip Galpin, Thomas Applebe, Wil- liam Odell, John Brondig, and John Coe. According to the terms of this transfer, the planters were to pay forty shillings a lot, in cattle or corn, between the above date and the month of January ensuing.^ 1 Public Records, etc., 1678-1689, p. 5. 2 Rye Records, vol. A., quoted by Bolton, History of Westchester County, vol. ii. p. 19. The second of these names Mr. Bolton gives as Richai'd Lowe. As no such name occurs in any of our records now extant, I judge the above to be the correct reading. CHAPTER IV. BUILDING THE VILLAGE. 1665-1672. ' And now begins the toil The first loud axe alarms the forest's shade ; And there the first tree falls, and falling wide, With spreading arras that tear their downward way, Strips the adjacent branches. ' Now marks each laborer his future home.' J. B. Reed, The New Pastoral. rr^WO or three years passed over the island settlement, before -*- an attempt was made to occupy the opposite shores. It is not unlikely that the settlers meanwhile began to appropriate some part of their purchase on the Neck, dividing it into allotments, and per- T>.ye in Sussex, England. haps beginning to clear and improve the soil. They continued however to make the island their home. There is a tradition that in those early times the farmer would spend the day in toil on his rough plantation, and then at sundown return, for safety from wild beasts and savages, to the village across the creek. But about the year 1664, the colony was joined by several new 5i» BUILDING THE VILLAGE. families. The names of Thomas and Hacliahah Browne, George Lane, George KnifFen, Stephen Sherwood, and Timothy Knap, first appear about this time in our Chronicle. Their coming may have been due to an event which had long been anticipated and eagerly desired. In September, 1664, New Amsterdam was surrendered to the English, who soon made themselves masters of the entire province. This circumstance might lead some to seek a home here, who would hesitate to do so while the Dutch still claimed the soil. The new settlers brought considerable strength to the little colony. Thomas and Hachaliah Browne are known to have been men of substance ; and so perhaps were their associates. There was no room for them, however, on the island. Fourteen or fifteen families already occupied its narrow limits ; and indeed it no longer seemed necessary or desirable that the settlement should confine itself to this spot. It was now strong enough to push into the wilderness. The new-comers, therefore, were appointed their home-lots on the coast. But they appear to have settled as near as possible to their comrades. The first houses were built at no great distance from the ford, at the southern end of Manussing Island. Hachaliah Browne — according to a family tradition — built his first house on. the bank which overlooks the Beach, in a field now belonging to the heirs of the late Newberry Halsted. Others settled near by. ' Burying Hill,' ^ an elevated point of land beautifully situated at the eastern extremity of the Beach, was doubtless occupied very early as a building spot.^ These houses formed a suburb, so to speak, of the village on the island. They were probably slight and rude habitations, — ' log-cabins,' — of which every trace has 1 ' Burying Hill ' is supposed to have derived its name from the fact that the In- dians anciently used it as a burial-place. 2 This conjecture is favored by the following deed. The persons who appear as proprietors of Burying Hill in 1715, had probably acquired the rights of early settlers, who had home-lots there : — 'June 29, 1715. ' We whose names are hereunder written do freely and voluntarily give to Roger Park and his heirs for ever all our right title and interest of or to a certain parcell of land commonly called the burying hill situated and lying at the northerly end of the flats or horse-race. R. Brundige Sam''. Kniffin Fr. Purdy Jo. Purdy Charlotte Strang Nathan Kniffin Daniel Streing Robert Bloomer Peter Disbrow.' The original is in the possession of the Brown family at Rye. THE OLD TOWN AND THE MILL. 29 long since disappeared. But the fact of such a settlement on the coast was long retained in memory. The inhabitants of Rye used to speak of ' Tlie Old Town,' meaning the island, together with the neighboring shore. And the road leading to the Beach was anciently known as 'v* highway that goeth to y** Old Town Plat.' One of the first buildings erected on the mainland, was undoubt- edly the mill. It stood at the head of the creek, or the n^outh of Blind Brook, on the opposite side of Peningo Neck, and witiiin half a mile of the Beach. Mr. John Budd was the proprietor; and no doubt the inhabitants of Hastings felt themselves gi-eatly in- debted to him for its establishment. A grist-mill was indeed an important institution in a new settlement. The Indian corn upon which the white man, like his savage predecessors, depended chiefly for food, must needs be ground into meal by some readier appliance than the stone pestle and the mortar. Hence great anxiety was always shown for the ei'ection and support of the mill. Special grants and privileges were often conferred on the proprietor. He was generally regarded as a leading member of the community. And the mill itself was likely to be the nucleus of the starting settlement. The settlers would naturally prefer those locations which were of easy access to it. This would be the case es- pecially while the means of transportation continued to be very rude, and the highways were mere paths through the forest, or among the stumps and decaying trunks of recent clearings. Mr. Budd built his mill on the west side of Blind Brook Creek, at a point where it would be convenient for the inhabitants of Pen- ingo Neck, whilst yet it stood on his own tract of land, known as Apawamis, or Budd's Neck. The spot is still pointed out. It is on the south side of the bridge over which the cross-road from Milton to the post-road passes. Part of the dam, indeed, still remains, and forms the road-bed ; and within the recollection of persons now living, traces of the mill itself were to be seen.^ This was probably the first building erected on the mainland. Hither the ' men of Hastings ' came from their island village, while all around was still a wilderness. And hither their descendants for several o-enerations continued to resort. Thus by the year 1665 there had sprung up two infant settle- J 1 Mr. James Purdy, an old inhabitant of Milton, informs me that a veritable mill- stone of this ancient mill was taken many years ago by Philemon Halsted, and placed as a door-step at an entrance of his new house then building. It is still to be seen there. 30 BUILDING THE VILLAGE. ments within ' the bounds of Hastings : ' the one on the island, the otlier on the shore of Peningo Neck, stretching across to Blind Brook. Tiie latter, we find, had begun to be known by the name of Rye. It is supposed that this name was given in honor of two prominent members of the colony, — Thomas and Hachaliah Browne. They were the sons of Mr. Thomas Browne, a gentle- man of good family, from Rye in Sussex County, England, who removed to this country in 1632, and settled at Cambridge, Massa- chusetts. It is curious that the names of two neighboring seaports on the English coast, Rye and Hastings, should have been thus bestowed on this place. But the more famous of the two desig- nations was to give way to the humbler. On the 11th of May, 1665, the General Court of Connecticut passed an act, merging these settlements under the name which the town has borne ever since. The act is as follows : — ' It is ordered that the Villages of Hastings and Rye shall be for the future conioyned and make one Plantation ; and that it shall be called by the appellation of Rye.' ^ At the following session of the General Court, inquiry was made about the state and prospects of the new town. Perhaps the magistrates had their doubts as to the expediency of admitting a settlement so remote and so little known. ' Mr. Lawes and Lt. Richard Olmsted are desired and appointed to view the lands apperteineing to Hastings and Rye, to see what there is that may be sutable for a plantation and to make returne to the Court the next session.' No report of this committee appears on record. But it was prob- ably favorable, since Rye was now enrolled on the list of persons and estates as a town paying its proportion of the public charge. Within the next five or six years, the village on Manussing Island ceased to be. Most of the planters who had remained there till now, came over and united with their new associates in building upon the present site of the village. They appear to have acted harmoniously in this, with but a single exception : Philip Galpin, one of the early settlers of Hastings, did not choose to remove from the island ; and preferring to remain, he felt sorely aggrieved that his neighbors should leave him behind. So he petitioned the General Court at Hartford, that they might be restrained from 1 Public Records of the Colony of Connecticut, X&f^b-l&'S. Edited by J. Hammond Trumbull: p. 15. REMOVING TO THE MAIN. 31 taking tliis step. The magistrates took action upon tlie case on the 11th of May, 1671 : — ' This Court haueing heard and considered the petition of Philip Gal- ping, as allso what return L"'- Richard Olinstead and Mr. Holly haue made to the Court concerning the aflfayres of Rye, they cannot see that the sayd Galping is oppressed by their retnoue as is alledged ; but doe aduise the sayd Galping to comply vv* his neighboures and remoue with them. Yet if he remaynes his dwelling where he is, he is aduised to take care of damnifying his neighboures.' ^ A few planters, it appears, remained, notwithstanding the gen- eral migration. In 1668, John Coe sold to Stephen Sherwood his ' lionse and housing and home-lot, upon the north end of Manus- ing Island.' ^ The Goes, Sherwoods, and Vowles were the princi- pal owners in 1707, when Jonathan Vowles conveyed his share of lands in tliat locality to his son-in-law, Roger Park. As late as the year 1720, the island had a population sufficiently large to claim the right to erect a pound. For at the Court of Sessions in Westcliester, that year, it was * ordered, that y^ freeholders and in- habitants of Manussen Island within y^ township of Rye may erect a Pound upon said Island, and receive such dues and Perquisites as are due to other pounds in y^ County, and y' Joseph Sherwood be pounder for this year, and to choose another j^early by v^ free- holders of y" said Island as they shall see best.' ^ About the mid- dle of the last century, the families of Fowler, Carpenter, Dusen- berry, and Haviland appear as the owners. The village of Rye was now rising upon its present site amid the forest on Peningo Neck ; and here we may describe it as it appeared a little less than two hundred years ago. The new town plot lay at the upper end of the Neck, along the eastern bank of Blind Brook. Our Milton Road — once perhaps an Indian path lead- ing down from the old Westchester Path to the lower part of the Neck — was the village street, on either side of which the home- lots of the settlers were laid out. The Field Fence Avas the north- ern boundary of the village. This enclosure began where Grace Church now begins, and stretched across the Neck from Blind Brook to the mill-pond, near the present residence of James H. Titus, Esq. Somewhere, probably, in the neighborhood of the old 1 Public Records of the Colony of Connecticut,^. 149. It is not stated whei'e they removed from ; but there can be no doubt that the reference is to the removal from Manussing IsLand. Galpin afterM'ards lived in Rye ' near the Field Gate.' In 1682 he bought from John Budd a tract of land on ' the neck called Opquamis.' '^ Eye Records. '■^ lltcuids of Courts of Sessions, etc., in Liber B., Records "Westchester County. 32 BUILDING THE VILLAGE. district school-house, north of the Episcopal Church, was the Field Gate, of which we find frequent mention. The home-lots, Avhich commenced here, were generally of two or three acres each. Some are represented as to size and position by the grounds of Messrs. Bell, Ennis, Budd, and others, near the Episcopal Church. They extended down the street as far as the road leading to the Beach. The lots on the west side ran across to Blind Brook ; those on the east side reached back to the ' town field.' The Town Field was the tract of land in the rear of the home- lots on the east side of the Milton Road. It comprised the whole space between Grace Church Street on the north and Milton ^ on the south. This area is now covered by the lands of Messrs. Greacen, Anderson, Downing, and others. Here was the com- mon pasture ground of the early inhabitants, where the cattle, bearing their owners' respective marks, were permitted to run at large during part of the year. Some of the settlers, however, had their meadow lots within this tract ; and in after years the whole of the Town Field was by degrees apportioned among the pro- prietors, till nothing remained of the ' commons.' A part of the town plot was known in early times as ' The Plains.' This name belonged to the level grounds bordering on Blind Brook, at the upper end of the village, and extending from the present stone bridge to the neighborhood of the railway sta- tion. It is not unlikely that this tract may Have been originally cleared and improved by the Indians, thus offering a favorable spot for the site of the new plantation. Such clearings, we know, were considered by the settlers of other towns as very desirable for the purpose ; and they were wont to designate them by the same appellation. ^ The home-lots on the Plains appear to have been held as the choicest part of the village grounds. They fronted on the street, or Milton Road, and ran back to the brook ; the post-road, which now passes through the village, not having been opened as yet. 1 In 1714 ' there were brought before the Court ' of Sessions at Westchester, certain ' articles of agreement concluded by the Proprietors of the Neck of land in the town- ship of Kye, which is separated from the town field by the fence that reacheth froi!' Kniffin's Cove to the Mill Creek.' — (County Records, White Plains, vol. D., p. 40.) Kniffin's Cove is the ancient name of an inlet on the eastern side of the Neck, in the rear of Kev. W. H. Bidwell's residence. 2 This was the case at Norwich and Guilford, and elsewhere. ' What is now calH the Great plain, ' writes the old historian of Guilford already quoted, ' this with Some of the Points of Land adjoyning the Sea were all Clear*^ by the Native Indians, were Rich & fertile, and by the Skill and Industry of the Inhabitants afforded Quickly a Comfortable Sustinance for themselves and ftimilies.' (Hist. Magazine, v. 231.) HOME-LOTS. 33 Along tliis street, which was nothing more than a patliwav, barely practicable for the ox-team, the only vehicle in use, a dwelling might be seen, in the year 1670, rising here and there among the trees that yet remained of the primeval forest. It stood with gable end close upon the road, and huge chimney pro- jecting at the rear, — a long, narrow building, entered from the side. These houses, however, were not mere temporary struc- tures, as those on Manussing Island had doubtless been, but solid buildings of wood or stone, some of which have lasted till our day. The timber used was hewn by dint of hard labor from the neighboring forest ; the boards and ?hingles brought from the older settlements, as there was yet no saw-mill here. For the houses built of stone, abundant material was at hand in the coarse granite of the region, and in the great heaps of oyster and clam shells which the Indians had left in many places, and which the early settlers found very convenient for maldno- lime.^ Each dwellinsi: generally contained two rooms on the ground floor, a kitchen and a ' best room,' with sleeping apartments in the loft. By the help of the town records, and a few remaining vestiges of olden time, we may form some idea of the village as it was consti- tuted nearly two centuries ago. A little way back from the lower end of the street, at the head of the creek, stood the mill, of which we have already spoken. Mr. John Budd was now dead, but his son-in-law, Lieutenant Joseph Horton, was the proprietor, and a very important person he was. His house stood near by, and in the same vicinity were the houses of George Lane, Jacob Pearce, Robert Bloomer, and others. Higher up the street, on the left iuind, along the bank of the brook or creek, lived William Odell, John Ogden, Jonathan Vowles, John Budd, junior, and George Kniffin. Traces of some of these houses have been seen by per- sons still living. On the corner of the road leading to the Beach was the house of Timothy Knap. Beyond, on a knoll directly south of the old Clark mansion, stood the homestead of the Pu.rdy family. The late residence of Hachaliah Brown is belie vecTlo occupy the spot where his ancestor of the same name settled when he removed from the ' old town.' Opposite the Episcopal 1 ' All the early accounts,' says the editor of Xoi'inn Behjium, ' speak of the immense accumulation of oyster and clam shells, and their use for lime.' (Page 46.) Mr. John F. Watson, the author of Historic Tales of Olden Time (New York, 1832), mentions the fact, upon the testimony of an old resident of the city then living, that ' they used to hurn lime from oyster shells in the Park commons.' (Page 99.) 3 3i BUILDING THE VILLAGE. Church, on the site of the old hou?e now owned by Mr. Daniel Budd, was the dwelling of John Boyd. The church itself stands on the southeast corner of ' Mr. Collier's lot.' The old stone tavern, lately removed, known as Van Sick- lin's, was undoubtedly built at a very early day. There is reason to believe that it was for a time the homestead of Peter Disbrow. Mr. Isaac Denham, son of the first minister of Rye, lived here afterwards. The piece of ground upon which this house stood is perhaps the only one of the original ' town-lots,' the size and shape of which can be distinctly traced. It measured two acres and a half when bought in 1868 by the Methodist Episcopal congregation. The ' Rectory grounds' adjoining, cover the space occupied by two of the home-lots. Several of them were included in what has been known as the Kingsland Place, now owned principally by Jasper E. Corning, Esq., and the Presbyterian Church. During the first few years, our settlers continued to cluster in this tolerably compact village, and their improvements were limited to the territory thus defined. Outside the Field Fence, all was yet a wilderness of woods and swamps, secured indeed by pur- chase from the savage, but waiting to be appropriated and cleared. It was not long, however, before some houses were built a little way beyond this boundary, — outside of the Field Gate. Where the Penfield House, as it Avas formerly called, — owned lately by Mr. D. H. Mead, — stands now, Peter Brown, a son of the first Hachaliah Brown, lived. On the opposite corner, the property of the late William Smith, was ' George Lane's old house-lot.' Above this, in the block bounded by the post-road and the Pur- chase Road, were the home-lots of John Banks, John Brondifje, Joseph Purdy, and others. And nearly opposite the Park Insti- tute, stood the homestead of Thomas Merritt, senior, mentioned as early as 1688. There was one house that deserves special mention, and the locality of which is well ascertained. This was the Parsonage, or minister's house. It occupied the southeast corner of the par- sonage lot, a piece of land ^comprising between three and four acres, on Blind Brook, south of the house owned by the late David H. Mead. Here Mr. Thomas Denham was living at the time of which we speak. There was no church as yet. The little con- gregation met in private dwellings, notably in that of Timothy Knap, to whom the town awarded forty shillings, in 1682, 'for the ABSORPTION OF HOME-LOTS. 35 liberty of his house to meet in, and for beating of the drum, for the time past.' ^ Much of the land within the village limits was of course vacant as yet. Only a small portion had been divided among the settlers, while the rest remained unimproved and awaited a future par- tition. Some of the ' home-lots ' had been assigned to persons who left the settlement at an early day. These were bought up by others ; and thus began the process of absorption which in time brought these lands on Peningo Neck into the possession of a com- paratively small number of persons. The process indeed was a very rapid one. It had been taking place in the other towns of Connecticut, to the great displeasure of the magistrates, who passed a law, in 1650, to arrest the 'great abuse ' then creeping in, ' of buying and purchasing Home Lotts and laying them together, by means whereof,' they said, ' great depopulations are likely to follow.' Every person owning such a plot, not yet built upon, was ordered, within twelve months, to ' erect a howse there, fitt for an inhabitant to dwell in.' ^ This measure had probably little effect. In Rye, at least, as the country became open for settle- ment, and the population spread out into the wilderness, the minute subdivisions of the lands first occupied disappeared. A few farms comprised what had been a mosaic of petty allotments, the earlier ownership of which was almost forgotten. Thus the titles to most of the property in this region go back to the Browns, the Halsteds, the Parks, and others, who are commonly supposed to have purchased their lands directly from the Indians. The curious system of proprietorship, about which we shall speak soon, has passed completely out of mind. Hastings and Rye, whose names were successively, besto.wed upon this place, are two neighboring- towns on the southeast coast of England, both of great antiq- uity, and both numbered among the Cinque Ports, or five privileged seaport towns on that coast. Hastings lies in a valley which forms a beautiful amphitheatre, sheltered on every side except the south, by lofty hills. Southward, this valley gradually expands to the sea. The town consists chiefly of two parallel streets rimning nearly north and south, and separated by a small stream called the Bourne, which empties into the sea. Hast- ings formerly had the advantage of a good harbor, formed by a wooden pier project- ing in a southeasterly direction from the shore. About the year 1558, this pier was destroyed by a violent storm, and the town, which before had a considerable trade, lost its commercial importance. It now depends chiefly on its fisheries ; on boat-build- ing, for which the people of Hastings are noted; and on its advantages as a resort for sea-bathing, and a favorable abode for invalids. The sheltered position of the 1 Town Records, vol. A. (now lost) p. 53. Quoted by Mr. Bolton, History of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the County of Westchester, p. 134, note. '^ Public Records of Connecticut, vol. i. p. 562. 36 BUILDING THE VILLAGE. town, ami the nianv i)lcasaiit walks and riilos in its vicinity, render it very attractive to visitors. In 18()1, Hastings had twenty-three thousand iniiabitants. On a liigh rocky clili' west of the town, there arc extensive remains of a very an- cient castle. Here probably stood a Uonian i'ortrcss, before the days of tlie Danish pirates, who used to land at this jilaee for plunder. As early as the reign of King Athelstan, a. d. 925 to 940, Hastings was a town of sufficient importance to have a mint, and was considered the chief of the Cinque Torts. These towns enjoyed peculiar privileges, on condition of providing during war a certain number of ships at their own expense. Hastings, with Rye, was required to furnish twenty-one ships, each manned by twenty-one able seamen. The famous battle of Hastings, fought October 14, 10G6, took place about seven miles northwest from this town, on the site of the present town of Battle. Here William the Conipieror, in fulfilment, it is said, of a vow made on the night previous to that conllict, built an abbey. This building, at the dissolution of the monasteries in the sixteenth century, was sold to Sir Anthony Browne, the ancestor of the Montagu family, whose descendants resided here till the beginning of the eighteenth century. RvE is situated ten miles east from Hastings, on a rocky eminence near the mouth of the river Rother. Anciently, this hill must have been surrounded by the sea. In the course of centuries the waters receded from its base, leaving extensive flats or marshes, first on the north or land side of the town, and ultimately on all sides. This process was aided by artificial means, embankments being made from time to time for the purpose of excluding the waters, until now Rye stands at a distance of a mile and a half from the shore. At the Toot of this clifi', on the sands which the receding waters had already left bare, a cluster of fishermen's huts had I'onnd room, in the time of Edward the Confessor. That king, about the middle of the eleventh century, gave Winchelsca and Rye to the abbot and monks of Fecamp, a snuiU sea- port on the ojiposite coast of Normandy in France. Henry III. resumed the posses- sion of these towns in 1246. Some time before this date. Rye had been admitted to the same privileges as the Cinque Ports, besides which it was especially distinguished by the title of ' the ancimt town of Rye.' Rye was strongly fortified during the reign of Edward III., and part of the walls still remain. Of three gates by which the town was entered, but one is left. This is the north or land gate, consisting of a Gothic arch, guarded on each side by a round tower. This town has been the scene of numerous incursions and assaults by foreign foes, as well as of some singular visitations of Providence. In 893, the Danes, with a fleet of two hundred and fifty sail, landed near Rye, in one of their descents upon the coast. In 1377, it was taken by the French, who landed from five vessels, and after plundering the place, set it on fire. It was again burned by the French in the reigu of Honry VI., when all the ancient records and charters of the town are said to have perished. In 1287, a tem])est which overwhelmed the neighboring town of Old Wiiu'helsea, ])roduced a considerable change in the situation of Rye. The river Rother had hitherto emptied into the sea at Romncy, east of this point. But now, being choked up there, it opened for itself a new channel, close to the town of Rye. In the sixteenth century, its harbor, which had been gradually filling up, was restored by the violence of an extraordinary tempest, and still further improved by another. The commercial prosperity of Rye, howevei", has long since departed. A canal, cut through the sands for a distance of a mile and a half, permits vessels of small tonnage to come up to the quay ; but the trade of Rye is now inconsiderable. Its principal objects of interest are, St. Mary's Church, built before the year 1509, and said to be one of the largest parish churches in the kingdom ; and Ypres Castle, a strong scpiare pile, Mith a round tower at each corner, built for the defence of the town, but now used as a prison. There are many old houses, some of which, built of wood, are believed to be nearly four hundred years old. A hundred years ago, it is said, no dwelling-house in Rye was of brick or stone. As late as the close of the sixteenth century, the whole country HASTINGS AND RYE, ENGLAND. 37 around for miles was a forest; the exportation of timber was the principal business of the |)lacc; so that in 1591 ' a man was ordered to depart the town of Rye for execut- inj^ the profession of a husbandman, that place not being fit for such an artificer.' Like other old English towns, Rvc has preserved in memory, if not in use, many an- cient usages which, to an American especially, appear vciy curious. Its ' Customal ' or code of usages, is long and specific. One of these, relating to the admission of persons to rights of franchise, somewhat resembles the early practice of our own town. ' When any man, a stranger, came into the port of Rye, and dwelt there for a year and a day (being of good character, and desiring the franchise), he might go to the playne common court, praying for the same, when it was awarded what he was to pay; which being paid, he took the freeman's oath, and was duly enrolled.' The 'train band of Rye,' was the company of militia belonging to the town. Both the name and the institution were maintained by our early settlers. 'Rye Ferry' was anciently the means of communication between the town and a locality known as Cadborough Cliff. We shall sec that our settlers had their Rye Ferry at an early day. The salt marshes abounding along these shores might well remind those of our early settlers who came from that locality, of their 'ancient town.' The Romney Marsh, which lies east of Rye, comprises forty-four thousand acres. This tract is now secured against the sea by an immense embankment, and constitutes a rich sheep pasture. Rye in 18.51 had eight thousand five hundred inhabitants. With Winchelsea, it sends one member to the House of Commons.' Rye probably takes its name from the Latin word ' ripn' — the bank of a stream, through the French ' rye ' — the sea-shore. A small hamlet by this name existed on the coast of Normandy, near Bayeux, in the time of William the Conqueror, who on one occasion, in his youth, sought refuge there from his insurgent barons.'^ 1 History and Antiquities of the Ancient Town and Port of Rye, in the County of Sussex. By William Ilolloway, London: 1847. One vol. 8vo : pp.616. 2 Sir Francis Palgrave, History of Normandy and England. Land Gate, ¥>ye, England. CHAPTER V. MR. JOHN BUDD's IMPROVEMENTS. THE earliest notices of Rye that liave come clown to us, con- tain allusions to some serious difficulty among the people. The very act by which the town was constituted, May 11, 1665, refers to this subject. ' Mr. Gold, Mr. Lawes, and John Banks, or any two of them, are desired and appointed to take paines to goe down to settle and issue such differences as may be disturbeing to y*^ inhabitants of those Villages of Hastings and Rye.' ^ , There is a hint, soon after, that these troubles may have arisen out of some controversy about lands. October 12, 1665, ' Mr. Lawes and Lt. Richard Olmsted are desired and appointed to view the lands apperteineing to Hastings and Rye, to see what there is that may be sutable for a plantation and to make returne to the Court the next session.' ^ Three years pass, and these divisions are still unhealed. The inhabitants of Rye and one Richard Bullard have petitioned the General Court to interpose. October 8, 1668, ' This Courte sees cause to desire and appoynt L"' Rich*^ Olmsteed, Mr. Tho : Fitch and Mr. John Holly to goe to Rye speedily, to heare and labour to issue and compose such differences as are amongst them respect- ing land or other matters, and make returne of what they shall doe, vnder their hands to the next Court.' ^ What were these differences ? One miciht imairine from such frequent orders respecting the new town, that its inhabitants were ' all by the ears,' in some quarrel that threatened to break up the little settlement. But fortunately, we have the petition which explains the whole matter, and shows that these repeated orders related to one lengthened dispute. The following, dated October 2, 1668, is — ' The humble petition of the inhabitants of the town of Rye, to the Right Honorable the Governor and the rest of the gentlemen of the General Court at Hartford. 1 Public Records of Connecticut, vol. ii. p. 16. 2 Ibid. p. 25. ■ 3 /5j-j^_ p. 96. UNWELCOME NEIGHBOKS. 39 ' May it please your Honor, with the gentlemen of the General Courte, to understand that about four years since, that John Budd did present a jiaper with several names to it, of inhabitants on his neck or island, so called and patented. It was for the settling of himself and children ; on which w'e conceived had it been performed it had done noe great injiu-y to the towne ; but he noe ways pretended it, as doth agree, but hath and doth dayley let it and settle people upon it, ex- treamely prejuditiall to the towne, without the towne's approbation, which wee humbly conceave may be our injury if not speedily pre- vented ; Doe humbly request that neck of land may be delivered up to the town, we paying him by Indian purchases with interest, he abat- ing for what land he hath sold, if not prejuditiall to the towne. And them that are prejuditiall, may be removed, and that you would be pleased to depute two or three persones w'hom you shall think meet, to come and settell amongst us with what speed may be. Soe we rest your humble petitioners.-' Peter Disbroav, William "Woodhull,^ Robert Bloomer, Richard Vowles,^ Johx Broxdig, Stephen Sherwood, Timothy Knapp, Thomas Browne, Gkorge Lane.' The origin of this difficulty with Mr. Budd has been related in a previous chapter. About the time when he engaged with Dis- brow, Coe, and Studwell in the purchase of PeningO Neck, he bouglit from the Indians a tract of land on the opposite side of Blind Brook, which was subsequently known as Budd's Neck. Tills transaction seems to have been not altogether pleasing to his companipns. Perhaps they were somewhat disappointed to find that he proposed to hold these lands in his own right. The other purchases had been made by the associates in common ; or Avhen effected by one alone, had been transferred to the body of proprie- tors. Perhaj)s it was expected that like Disbrow, Mr. Budd would regard himself as an agent simply, and retain only his share of the purchase. No breach, however, occurred for a few years. In 1663, the in- habitants of Hastings made choice of their ' nayghbar John Bud ' to go up to Hartford and urge their claim to be taken under the colony's care. In 1664, he was chosen as their deputy to the General Court. But a new grievance arose when tiiis neighbor began to dispose of portions of liis land without the consent of the town. The planters were exceedingly jealous of their right to 1 Tliis document is given as above by Mr. Bolton. History of Westchester County, vol. ii. p. 38. I have not learned where the original is to. be found. - Kichard Coules, in Bolton, an evident misprint. 3 One of the variations of the name Odell. 40 MR. JOHN BUDD'S IMPROVEMENTS. admit or reject strangers who came among tliem. The new set- tlers on Bncld's Neck were in close proximity to tlie village, and indeed they seeili to have considered themselves as within the limits of the town of Rye. Yet they had never been formally admitted to the privileges of freeholders.^ We are not told how the visit of Messrs, Law and Olmstead resulted, nor what success they met with in the endeavor to ' com- pose ' these differences. But either their efforts were ineffectual, or a new controversy arose ; for in May, 1671, a large committee — ' Capt" Nathan Gold, Mr. Tho : Fitch, Mr. Holly, L°* Richard Olmstead, and Mr. John Burr ' — are appointed. ' They, or any three of them, are desired to repayre to the sayd Rye as soone as may be, and to endeavoure a comfortable composure and issue of such differences as are among the people there,' and also to aid them in procuring a minister to settle among them.^ And finally, all these efforts failing apparently, more stringent measures are adopted. October 14th, 1672, the Court ' order that Mr. Bird [Budd] and those of Rye that have impropriated the lands of Rye to themselves shall appeare at the Generall Court in May next, to make appeare their right, for then the Court intends to setle those lands according to righteousness, that so a plantation may be en- couraged, and plantation worke may go forward to better sattisfac- tion than formerly.' ^ The person thus summoned to Hartford was John liud(\,jmuor ; his father having died in 1670. We do not learn how the con- troversy was ended, for the minutes of the next General Court contain no mention of the case. The following order, however, seems to bear upon it, and implies that the matter was considered and determined at that meeting : — ' This Court orders that all grants of land made to any perticuler 1 Some of these transfers of land, complained of by the people of Rye, are on record. In 1665, 'John Bndd of Rye in the jurisdiction of Connecticut in New England,' sells to John Morgan and John Concklin of Flushing in the county of Yorkshire, Long Island, a certain tract of land in Rye. (County Records, vol. B. p. 101.) Samuel Linds was another purchaser. In 1670, ' shortly before his death,' Mr. Budd sold another tract to one Jonathan SeVeck : and in the same year another to John Thomas. (Rye Records, vol. B. pp. 9, 34, 150.) These are all transient names. On the other hand most of the lands conveyed by Mr. Budd to his family appear to have been held permanently. John Ogden, Joseph Horton, and Christopher Youngs, his sons-in-law, with John Budd, junior, each had a tract of land on Budd's Neck. ^ Public Records of Connecticut, vol. ii. p. 150. 3 Ibid. p. 187. DIFFERENCES COMPOSED. 41 person, not yet taken up and layd out, shall be taken up in one intire peice, in a comely form, except by special! liberty from this Court ; and that all former grants that are or shall be layd out by order shall be sufficiently bownded, and so mayntayned as to preuent all future trouble.' ^ The decision of the Court, wliatever it may have been, seems to have terminated the dispute relative to Budd's Neck. That territory was incorporated into the town of Rye, while the claims of Mr. Budd as proprietor were allowed. There is no evidence that a distinct patent for the tract was obtained from Connecticut. And it was not until the year 1720 that Joseph Budd, grandson of the first purchaser, obtained a patent for his lands from the government of the province of New York. After the settlement of the dispute concerning Budd's Neck, the jurisdiction of the town appears to have been unquestioned. Local officers were sometimes appointed specifically for the ' east side of Blind Brook,' and the ' west side.' And in the year 1700 we meet with the following record : — 'At a towne meeting held in rye august the 2, the towne in ienerall doth grant unto the inhabitaince of the neck of appoquamas the Liberty to haiie a pound and pounders and fence viewers.' 1 Public Records of the Colony of Connecticut, vol. ii. p. 200. The Old Fort. CHAPTER VI. PERILS OF THE WILDERNESS. 1669-1689. OUR little town was founded in troublous times. It is not easy for us to realize now the anxieties and fears that must have occupied the minds of its early settlers ; nor to credit them with the degree of courage and resolution which they showed in establish- ing themselves here amid such discouragements. Let us briefly notice the events that, within the first thirty years of the settle- ment, brought alarm and even suffering to the firesides of these pioneers. The Indians dwelling along the shores of the Sound proved from the first to be pacific and friendly toward the settler ; and our inhabitants probably felt little aj)prehension from them until the outbreak of war, in the year 1675. But in that year, King Philip, of Mount Hope, a chief of the Pokanokets, succeeded in uniting the tribes of Massachusetts and Rhode Island in a desperate effort to exterminate the English. The conflict lasted about two years, and it did not actually spread into the territory of Connecticut, yet every town in that colony shared in the anxieties and sorrows pro- duced bv the fearful struggle. KING PHILIP'S WAR. 43 Tlie news of tlie outbreak reached ovir town early in July, 1675. On the third or fourth of that month, we may suppose, the towns- men — Joseph Horton, Thomas Brown, and John Brondige — called the inhabitants together, and read to them the following let- ter, just received from the Governor and Council of the colony : — ' HAKTFOiti), July 1, 1675. ' Hon"" Sirs : "VYe have received intelligence by letters post from Ston- ington and New London that the Indians are up in arms in Plimoth and in the Narrogancett Country, that they have assaulted the English, slayn about tliirty, burnt some houses, and still are engaging the Indians rownd about by sending locks of some English they have slayn, from one place to another. The people of Stonington and New London send for ayd ; and accordingly we purpose to send them forty-two men to-morrow ; and have given order to the sevei'al plantations here to put them in a posture of defence speedily ; and these lines are to move yourselves forthwith to see that the same care be taken in your parts for your security ; and that all plantations have notice hereof, both Guil- ford and so on to Bye, that they also be compleat in their arms, with amnumition according to law. Here is inclosed coppys of some letters we have received from Stonington, &c. Please to peruse them, and hasten the posting of the letter to Governor Andross.' ^ The scene of the conflict soon removed from Rhode Island and Plymouth to the central and western parts of Massachusetts. By the first of September, all the towns along the Connecticut River were in danger. Deerfield and Hadley had been attacked, and Northfield, the uppermost settlement on the river, was abandoned by its inhabitants. On the ninth of that month, the commissioners of the three colonies now united met at Boston for the first time after the formation of the confederacy. They agreed to prosecute the war vigorously, and ordered ' that there be forthwith raised a thousand soldiers, whereof five hundred to be dragoons or troopers with long arms.' Of this force, Connecticut was to supply three hundred and fifteen men. Rye probably furnished its quota of seven or eight,^ who joined the Connecticut corps under brave Major Treat. In the latter part of this month, tidings came from the army of the sad affair of September 18th, between Deerfield and Hadley. A party sent to convey provisions to the latter place had been sur- 1 Public Records of Connecticut, vol. ii. p. 332. 2 The militia of Connecticut, in 1675, amounted to 2,250 men, according to Trum- bull, who reckons the population of the colony from these figures, supposing every fifth man to have been a soldier. In 1677, Rye contained thirty-eight persons owning real estate, or about two hundred inhabitants in all. 44 PERILS OF THE WILDERNESS. prised by a band of seven or eiglit hundred Indians, and almost the whole had been slain. Reinforcements arrived too late, and these too would have been cut off, but for the timely arrival of Ga]itain Treat, with one hundred and sixty English and friendly Mohegans, who put the enemy to flight.^ Every week now brings tidings of alarm and disaster to our settlers. On the tenth of October, a messenger rides through the town, with a despatch from Governor Andros of New York to the avithorities at Hartford, bearing the superscription, ' To be forth- with posted up to the Courte, — post, haste, post, night and day.' He stops only to give the warning, that ' an Indian has told, under pretence of friendship, that there is an extraordinary Confederacy between all your neighbouring Indians and eastward (in which your pretending friends to be included) and designed this light moone to attack Hartford itself and some other places this way as far as Greenwich.' At the same time comes the report that Springfield has been attacked and partly burned, by Indians with whom the ])lanters had always lived on the most friendly terms. Distrust and anxiety prevail in every settlement. No Indian is allowed to approach the towns, and a strict watch is kept night and day. The first Wednesday of every month is observed, by public appointment, as ' a day of humiliation and prayer in view of these alarms and troubles.' ^ In the winter campaign that followed, the Connecticut force suf- fered more than any others. Forty men, out of three hundred, were killed, and as many more were wounded in the attack upon the Narrangansett fort, December 19.^ As the bitter and anx- ious season wore on, tidings came to our inhabitants of the ravag- ing and burning of town after town, in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Although Connecticut continued to be spared, the fears of its inhabitants were unquelled, and suspicion still prevailed as to the fidelity of the neighboring tribes of Indians. It was during this period of danger, — on the fifth of March, 1676, — that the town of Rye adopted the following action : — ' Thomas Lyon and Thomas Brown are appointed to choose a house or place to be fortified for the safety of the town. Also the young men who come into the fortification, and remain dm-ing the troubles 1 TnimbiiU's History of Connecticut, i. 334. 2 Colonial liecords of Connecticut, vol. ii. 355. ^ I have surmised that among those who went from Rj-e, to join the expedition, was John Purdy, and that he lost his life in this or some subsequent engagement. The time of his death, and the manner in which it is referred to in various places in the town records, appear to me to ftivor this conjecture. THE DUTCH AGAIN. 45 are to have an equal proportion of the undivided lands ; provided they be such as the town approve.' ^ A few weeks after this date, the severity of the conflict began to abate, and in tlie course of the following summer it was brought to a close. The exhausting efteets of this savage war, however, were loner felt. Though Connecticut had suffered little in com- parison with the other colonies, yet every settlement within its borders shared in the burdens which the struggle involved. ' About a seventh part of the whole militia,' says Dr. Trumbull, ' was out upon constant service, besides the volunteers. A large ))roportion was obliged to watch and guard the towns at home. The particular towns were necessitated to fortify themselves with an inclosure of palisades, and to prepare and fortify particular dwellings for garrison houses, which might, in the best manner, command the respective towns ; and to which the aged people, women, and children might repair and be in safety in the time of danger. For three years after the war commenced, the inhabit- ants ])aid eleven pence on the pound, exclusive of all town and parisli taxes. After the war was finished, they had a considerable debt to discharge.' ^ Just after the close of King Philip's War, there came to Rye one who had actually participated in the sufferings which the con- flict involved, to settle among the people as their first pastor. In October, 1677, the General Court at Hartford, hearing ' that Mr. Thomas Denham is likely to settle at Rye as minister there,' granted him the sum of ten pounds, to be paid out of the town rate for that year, ' for his incouragement to setle there, and in regard of his late /otss by the ivar.'' ^ Two years before the outbreak of King Philip's War, the in- habitants of Rye had been alarmed by danger from another quar- ter. England was at war with Holland ; and the colonies had good reason to fear that the Dutch would embrace the opportu- nity to attempt the recovery of their North American ])ossessions. On the thirtieth of July, 1673, a fleet of twelve Dutch vessels ap- peared in the bay of New York, and landed a force of eight hun- dred men. The town was surrendered to them with little show 1 Kye Records, vol. i. p. 73 (ijuoted by Mr. Bolton, Histonj of Westchester Countij, vol. ii. pp. 4G, 47). - Historij of Connecticut, \. 351. The disbursements for the war, by the three colonies, were estimated at more than one hundred thousand pounds. The portion raised by Connecticut was over twenty-two thousand pounds. (Palfrey's Histonj of New England, iii. 216, 217, note-) ^Records of the Colony of Connecticut, edited by J. H. Trumbull, vol. ii. p. 321. 46 PERILS OF THE WILDERNESS. of resistance, and in a few days Albany, and most of what was formerly New Netherland, came again under the dominion of Holland. The towns on Long Island were summoned to submit, and those nearest to New York did so without objection. The others were threatened with hostilities if they held out. For sev- eral weeks the inhabitants of both shores Avere kept in uneasiness by the appearance of a number of small Dutch vessels cruising along the Sound, and occasionally capturing ships belonging to the English. Connecticut, after sending remonstrances to the Dutch commander at New York, which were received with coolness and indifference, made preparations for war. The several towns of the colony were ordered to provide means of defence. Rye, as a border town, was all alive to the danger. It was ex- pressly excused from the requirement to raise men and arms for the emergency, on account of its ' being near ' ^ to the enemy. But doubtless every able-bodied man was on duty here. The adjoining town, Mamaroneck, had submitted to the Dutch. Four of the in- habitants had gone down to New York to present themselves be- fore the commander, and give in their adhesion to his government. Two of them, John Basset and Henry Disbrow,^ had been ap- pointed magistrates of the town under the new order of things. The people of Rye appear to have remained firm. One of their leading men, Mr. John Banks, took a prominent part in the events that followed. On the twenty-first of October the General Court sent him from Hartford to New York with a letter to tiie Dutch commander, Monsieur Anthony Colve, protesting against his course. Nearly a month elapsed before Mr. Banks' return. He informs the Council that Monsieur Colve, who had detained him under restraint fifteen days, ' is a man of resolute spirit and passionate. He is in expectation of strength from foreign parts, upon Avhose arrival he seems to be resolved to subdue under his obedience what he can. He saith he knows not but he may have Hartford before long.' A few days after Mr. Banks' return, news comes by a post from the town of Rye. Five vessels — supposed to be the Snow, and four ketches in company with her, — passed by here on Saturday, on their way westward. Two men were sent from Rye to Frog- morton's Point, ' to gayne a more certain knowledge ' of the mat- ter. They report that they well preceived one of the vessels to be a vessel of about eight guns, which they concluded to be the 1 Public Records of Connecticut, vol. ii. p. 209. 2 New York Colonial MSS., vol. ii. p. 655. The names are given as John Biisset and Henry Pisbrow. BURNING OF SCHENECTADY. 47 ship Snou\ having four ketches under her command, to whicli at that point she made signs to come up to her ; and they came under her lee, and suddenly sailed away toward New York. One Loveall, a Frenchman, who came from Yorke, as he relates, Mon- day last, affirms that the Snoio had arrived there, hringing in four ketches, — prizes, — but what they were, and where taken, he knows not.' ^ All through that fall and winter, our people must have felt great uneasiness reo-ardins the desio;;ns of their unwel- come Dutch neighbors at New York. In December, Rye united with Stamford and Greenwich in supplicating the General Court in Boston for help. Till now, they say, they have kept silent, expecting that forces would come ' against this open declared en- emy.' But the long delay renders them fearful that this project has been laid aside. Should this be, they declare, ' we shall be much endangered if not ruined, if 3-our honours do not by some speedy means relieve us: for we are frontiers, and most likely assaulted in the first place.' This war-cloud was soon dispelled by the return of peace be- tween England and the United Provinces. In June of the fol- lowing year the Dutch evacuated New York, and all other places which they had regained in America, in accordance with the treaty which had been signed. The people of Rye could at least con- gratulate themselves that they were not to belong to the territories of Holland ; though the arrival of Major Andros, at New York, but a few weeks after, gave them new cause for apprehension, in view of the claims which, as we have already seen, were now set up by a new master, the Duke of York. , Another wave of political trouble reached our town in the year 1689. It is strange that this feeble and obscure settlement in the western world could feel the remote effects of the great contests and rivalries that were agitating Europe. But doubtless every colonist of Connecticut, in the seventeenth century, had shared in the apprehensions that were caused by the policy of France. The designs of the French upon Canada and the valley of the Missis- sippi, and the progress of their plans for the occupation of so large a part of the continent, were topics of village and house- hold debate. But in 1689 France declared war against England. One of the earliest measures of this war, which lasted nine years, Avas an attempt to conquer the province of New York. In the dead of winter, a i)arty of Frenchmen and Indians fell upon the village of Schenectady, and surprised its defenceless inhabitants in 1 Recordg of the Colony of Connecticut, vol. ii. p. 565 (Appendix). 48 PERILS OF THE WILDERNESS. their midnight slumbers. Sixty persons were cruelly put to death, and the rest fled in terror, half naked, to Albany. The New England colonies were called upon to raise a force to repel the invasion of the province. Connecticut was especially active in this expedition ; and among the volunteers that joined it Avere a number of the inhabitants of Rye. In a ' list of soldiers for y*' Expedition of Albany,' who left Fort William on the second of April, 1689, occur the names of Jacob Pearce, Richard Walters, Jonas Stevens, and John Bassett, all ' of Rye ; ' together with others that are not so designated, but whom we recognize as persons from this town : John Boyd, Philip Travis, Philip Galpin.^ The weather was extremely severe when our soldiers set out for Albany, Captain Milborne received word as they were starting, that he must bring ' as many duffels as he could get.' ' Yesterday evening,' wrote the aldermen, ' the soldiers tormented us consider- ably for blankets, as it was very cold. We went everywhere and could not find any. Blankets are not to be had here.' ^ Whether from exposure or some other cause, one at least of the soldiers from Rye lost his life in this expedition. ' The inventory of Jacob Pierce's Estate (deceased) who dyed intestate at Albany, 1689,' is entered on our county records.^ An interesting memento of these troublous times in the early settlement, has lately disappeared from our village. The ancient stone house, known as ' Van Sicklin's,' was undoubtedly the ' fortified place ' referred to in 1676. Many a visitor of Rye will remember the pride with which its denizens were accustomed to call attention to their single historic edifice — the ' old Indian fort,' with its round window in the gable end, said to have been the port-hole through which a beleaguered garrison had poured forth its volleys upon the enemy. It is true, our informants would differ as to the persons thus besieged — some sujiposing that the aborigines themselves had built the fort for their own protection, and others that the white settlers made their retreat within these massive walls. The simple truth, however, appears to be that this house was fortified during the Indian troubles, as a precaution acrainst an emero-encv which never occurred. The Indians in this 1 Documenfari/ History of New York, vol. ii. ])p. 12-15. Their pay was to be 25s. per month, which was paid partly in stores, as appears from the list : ' Jacob Paers [Pearce], of Rye; 9s. in money. Richard Walters, of Rye; 9s. in money, and 10s. in duffels [blankets]. Jonas Stevens, of Rye: 1 pr. shoes, and 1 piece of eight, and 9s. in money, and 12s. (yd. in duffels. John Barsett [Basset], of Rye ; 1 pr. shoes and 9s. in money.' - Documentari/ Histonj of New York, vol. ii. p. 198. ^ Vol. B. p. 18.3. THE OLD INDIAN FORT. 49 region, as we have seen, did not rise, like those of Rhode Island and Massachusetts. The building, neyertheless, stood associated "with tiie dangers and apprehensions that called for its provision. It was torn down in October, 1868, the Methodist Episcopal congre- gation having bought the place for a parsonage. In the process of removal a circumstance confirming the old accounts of this house was ascertained. An inner wall, evidently built after the original construction, was found, extending as high as the beams of the roof. This agrees with the language of the act by which the town in 1676 appointed men ' to choose a house or place to he fortified for the safety of the town.' The Van Sicklin house was a curious specimen of the substan- tial structures of tiie olden time. The walls, as above intimated, were hollow, and of great thickness. The beams supporting the floors measured eight inches square ; all the wood used was oak, hewn with the axe ; the rafters were ' tenoned into plate ' without the use of nails ; and the timber supporting the mantel in each of the two rooms on the ground floor was twelve feet and a half long, and fourteen by nineteen inches thick. The old fort stood directly south of the present Methodist parsonage, and con- siderably nearer to the road. It measured twenty-four feet in width and forty in length. The ' stoop ' and door-way in front, or at the gable end on the street, were of modern addition. The main entrance, anciently, was at the south side. Old Fort, Gable End. CHAPTER VII. MOVING OUT INTO THE WOODS. 1670-1720. ' Partes fecit in ripa, neseio qiiolenorum jugerum.' Cicero, Ep. ad Atticum. "VTEXT to the cultivation of tlieir little plantations on Peiiingo -^^ Neck, — their ' home-lots ' on the village street, and ' meadow- lots ' in the ' Field,' — our first settlers seem to have been chiefly concerned about the occuj)ation of the wilderness beyond them. This, for a number of years, was the great interest of the young community. Its members were tillers of the soil. Their ambition was to possess ample and productive farms. And though the al- lotments of land made to each at the outset might suffice for im- mediate use, probably none of them thought ' ten acres enough,' as a permanent investment. Hence, if we may judge from the rec- ords, an important theme, in 'town meetings' and by the fireside, was the disposal of the forest lands. Getting new grants fi'om the Indians ; marking and laying ont the latest acquisitions of swamp and salt meadow and woodland ; settling the bounds of each pro- prietor's share; exchanging one allotment for another, — these appear to have been the most notable doings of those days. ' The former inhabitants,' wrote a resident of Rye, some sixty years after the settlement of the town, ' possessed better estates than their children now. Their estates lay much in unimproved lands, — all which belonged to a few men, and are now sold or divided among their children. I can't learn that they raised much, if anything, for the market, but what they trafficked with was cliiefly wood and cattle.' How should we like to have a view of our village patriarchs, two hundred years ago, in council with some grave sachems of the tribes that yet lingered in the depths of the forest farther north, when they came down to smoke the pipe of peace with Peter Dis- brow and William Odell, and the rest — perhajis on the village green, the place ' where they usually train,' or at George Lane's SWAMP LOTS. 51 liouse, wliere meetings were generally held ! And to see the little band of ' layers ont,' with stout John Brondige or Deliverance Brown at their head, sallying forth after an Indian guide, to ex- plore a tract of land just purchased, ' above the first branch of Blind Brook,' or following the Indian path where North Street now runs, to Quaroppus, ' which the English call The White Plaines.' Failing of this, however, we can at least give some account of the process by which this region in which we dwell was converted from a wilderness into a fruitful field, and show what for a succes- sion of years were the transactions of leading importance in the town. The first treaties with the Indians, in 1660 and the following year, had secured to the planters all the lands between Byram River and Blind Brook, for a distance of ' six or seven miles from the sea.' It seems to have been necessary afterward to repeat the purchase of certain portions of this tract by separate treaties. But the lower part, or that which was properly called Peningo, was held by virtue of the earliest deeds, and was occupied at once, and apparently without interference. For the first twenty years, — or from 1660 to 1680, — our settlers appear to have confined them- selves to this part of their land. All the improvements made within that time were limited to Peningo Neck, or as it was sometimes called, The Purchase of the Eighteen. This, we have already seen, was the tract south of Westchester Path, or the mouth ot Byram River. These were ' the bounds of Hastings,' afterwards known as THE FIRST PURCHASE ON PENINGO NECK. And within this tract the first divisions appear to have related to the lands ' in the Field.'' Here new home-lots, of two or three acres each, and new ' meadow lots,' of ten acres each, were dis- tributed among the proprietors out of the common lands ' within the fence,' wliich, as we have seen, ran from Blind Brook to the nearest inlet of the Sound, along the present line of Grace Church Street. In a short time, each settler had come to own several such allotments, — only one of which, we may suppose, was as yet built upon or cultivated, while the rest were reserved for his children, or for future disposal. Thus John Brondige owned in 1680, a ' piece of salt meadow' of three acres, a 'neck lot' of four acres, a ' share of fresh meadow,' a ' part of Hassock Meadow,' a ' great lot,' a ' swamp lot,' and four different 'house lots.' ^ 1 Town Records, vol. B. p. 6. 62 MOVING OUT INTO THE WOODS. There was, very early, a division of lands in the ' Long Swamp.' This was the low ground lying back of those town-lots which were situated on the east side of tlie ' street ' or Milton Road. It ran through part of the present farms of Messrs. Halsted, Greacen, and Anderson. Not unlikely, these were the very first lands dis- tributed, after the apportionment of home and meadow lots. It is well known that the early settlers had a strong partiality for these rich lowlands.^ They required little improvement, and could readily be made to produce the rank meadow grass, which was needed for the cattle. In fact, these lands were held in higher value than the uplands, which are now in so much better esteem, but where the soil was lighter, and more difticult of cultivation, being heavily timbered, and often encumbered with rock. It must be remembered that at that day there was much more of wet marshy land In this region than now. With the clearing of forests, and the decrease of streams, the swamps have greatly diminished, and in most places wholly disappeared. Somewhere about the year 1670, there was a division of the lands on ' Wolf-pit Ridge ' or Plain. This name was after- ward changed to Pulpit Plain. It designated the high lands on the road to Port Chester, embraced at present in the estates of Dr. J. T. Tuttle and Mr. J. M. Ives. The lands beyond this re- mained undivided till 1702. In that year there was a division of ' building lots lying by the country road below the Steep Hollow.' This was the name given to the beautiful glen that lies on the north side of the road to Port Chester, and which forms the eastern boundary of the property of Mr. Quintard. In 1G78, the first division of lands on the north side of what is now Grace Church Street occurred. These were called the Hassock Meadow lots, and consisted of about ten acres each. In this division, George Kniffin received an allotment of land wlii^'h has continued in the possession of his descendants down to the present day.^ The division of lands on ' Barton's Neck ' began about the year 1678. This was an im])ortant part of the territory comprehended in the first purchase on Peningo Neck. The name, however, is en- 1 ' The Trees grow but thin in most places, and very little underwood. In the Woods groweth plentifully a course sort of Grass, which is so proving that it soon makes the Cattcl and Horses fat in the Summer, but the Hay being course, which is chiefly gotten on the fresh Marshes, the Cattel loseth tlieir Flesh in the Winter, except we give them Corn.' (Good Order established in Pennsylvania and New Jersey; printed 1685. Dawson's Historical Magazine: New York, vol. vi. p. 265.) - The description fixes it upon the precise spot where Jonathan and Samuel Sniffin now live. It is ' bounded southward and westward with a highway which is marked out, and northward and eastward with the uj^ijer Hassocky meadow.' (Town Rccoj'ds, vol. B. p. 12.) BARTON'S NECK. 53 tirely obsolete, and we sliall need to go into some details to convev an idea of its location. Barton's Neck, then, comprised all the lands now bordering on Grace Clinrch Street, north of the road leading to Manussing Island, as far as the brook and inlet above Dr. Sands' house, near to Port Chester. It included, therefore, the lands now owned by Messrs. Titus and Brooks, the Provost estate and others, ending with what is now Lyon's Point. The ivestern boundary of this tract was Hassock Meadow Brook, — now an insignificant rill, but then doubtless a much more considerable stream. This brook takes its rise in the valley behind the house of Mr. Jonathan Sniffin. It flows in a northeasterly direction, till it joins another rivulet, which the early settlers called Gu7ui Brooh} The source of Gunn Brook is on the land of Dr. Tuttle, near the street crossing to the Ridge Road.'"^ It runs through the grounds of Mr. Webb and Dr. Sands, and empties into the cove alread}^ mentioned, known anciently as Grunn Brook Cove. In early times, the lands drained by these streams were mere swamps, partly covered perhaps with pools of standing water. It is not diffi- cult to suppose, what we infer from the frequent mention of these two brooks, that they were much larger than now.^ Barton's Neck was a tract about a mile long. It lay just out- side of the ' Field Fence,' along the shore of the Sound. This made it a very desirable section of land. In the first division, as in some subsequent ones, each proprietor of Peningo Neck received a share in this tract. The first occurred about or before the year 1678 ; and the shares appear to have been of six or eight acres each. In later divisions they seem to have been larger. New allotments were made from time to time down to the year 1723, when the last of which we find mention occurred. It may be said that the first farms in Rye had their origin here. The al- lotments were on a larger scale than those ' in the field,' and were so arranged that each proprietor came in due time to have a con- siderable portion of land, not in scattered parcels as before, but in contiguous parts. The same process of absorption, however, which 1 Perhaps a man's name, — an early settler. Abel Gunn was at Derby, 1682. Con- necticut Records, iii. 98, and elsewhere. The word is always written Gunn. , 2 There was a ' small plain' known as early as 1685 by the name of Gunn Brook Plain, which I judge to have been the land now bordered by the above roads, or the northeastern corner of Dr. Tuttle's estate. See Town Eecords, vol. B. pp. 48» 56, 59, 71. * ' Within the limits of human recollection,' say the authors of the Natural History of New York, ' changes of the same nature have been going on. Small lakes are gradually drained by the deepening of their outlets, or filled up by the accumula- tion of sediments.' {Nat. Hist., vol. xii. p. 359.) 54 MOVING OUT INTO THE WOODS. was going on in the Field, took place eventually on Barton's Neck. Some of the proprietors bought out the claims of others, and be- came the principal owners of the lands. Chief among these was John Merrit, who by the end of the century had acquired most of the upper part of Barton's Neck, and from whom this part re- ceived the name it bore for perhaps a hundred years, of Merrit's Pomt. The Sherwoods, Goes, and Ogdens also owned large por- tions of land here. Grace Church Street was not laid out through this tract until the beginning of the next century. There was a path or ' drift-way ' leading to the lots before this. But in 1701 the town appointed Jonathan Vowles, John Merrit, Sr., and Deliverance Brown, Sr., ' to mark the road upon Barton's Neck, and the highway down unto the salt water' [^'. e. the cove already spoken of ] ; ' that is to say, to mark out a good sufficient road and highway to the best of their discretion.' This undoubtedly was Grace Church Street, a name, however, which we do not meet with until the year 1736.^ The lower part of this street, below the corner of the road leading to Manussing Island, originated as we have already seen, in a path along the line of the Field Fence. Thus by the year 1680 there seems to have been a tolerably thorough distribution of the lands embraced in the first purchase on Peningo Neck. Considerable spaces indeed were left of ' com- mon or undivided land ' between the allotments. But as the num- ber of settlers had now increased to forty-nine or fifty, there must have been some impatience to reach farther into the unoccupied forests that lay north of their present bounds. Doubtless a feeling of insecurity had thus far held them back. The recollections of ' King Philip's War ' were yet fresh in their minds. The policy of New England settlers in those days of uneasiness was to keep to- gether as much as possible for mutual defence. They were slow to remove their families into the depths of the wilderness, however anxious they might be to own and subdue it. In flict it does not appear that the population of this place had as yet spread fi\r from the spot of the first settlement. Their dwellings were still con- veniently near to each other, on ' the street,' or ' the Plains,' — not further off at all events than ' Wolf-pit Ridge ' at the northern end of the village, or the old mill at the south. So it continued to be, probably, until the early part of the next century. ' Their man- ner of living,' says the writer already quoted, in 1728, ' was at first 1 The first mention of it, corrupted to Gracious Street, is in a deed from Joseph Sherwood to Joseph Bloomer (Records, vol. C. p. 136) for thirty-five acres of land. BYRAM RIDGE. 55 somewliat 7no)'e compact than it is now ; for as they increase, they move out into the woods, and settle where they can get good farms.' The next step tending toward this result, was the improvement of some of the lands comj)rised in the SECOND PURCHASE ON PENINGO NECK. It will be remembered that our settlers in 1661 bought lands from the Indians, north of the bounds of Hastings, or the first purchase. This tract lay between Blind Brook and Byram River, extending back into the country six or seven miles from the Sound. Until the year 1678, however, no part of this tract seems to have been appropriated. And even then, the only lands laid out were those along the eastern line or Byram River. This region became known as Byram Ridge. About the time we have mentioned, a distribution of land occurred hei-e, allotments of eighteen acres each being made to the proprietors, along the western side of Byram River, beginning apparently at the lower end of King Street, in the present village of Port Chester. These lots stretched across the colony line, being bounded on the east by the river. King Street is first alluded to in 1681, as a road recently laid out through this tract. Hitlier in the course of time many of the settlers removed, to what they evidently consid- ered the most eligible part of the domain as yet occupied. Here new distributions were made in subsequent years, one of which occurred in 1699; until the whole of this beautiful ridge, as far as the northern boundary of the town, Avas divided up. About the time these lands on Byram Ridge were first divided, a fresh bargain was made with the Indians for the purchase of the adjoining tract on the west. This was really included in the bounds of the second purchase. But it appears to have been claimed as the pecuhar property of a chief whose demands the settlers found it expedient to satisfy. Hence the acquisition of the territory which now constitutes the northern part of the town of Rye, or all that portion of it which lies above the present village of Port Chester. This our settlers were long accustomed to call — LAME will's purchase. Lame Will, or Limping Will, was the very familiar name by which a certain Indian was known in the white settlements. His veritable name was Maramaking. He was one of the chiefs with 56 MOVING OUT INTO THE WOODS. whom the treaty of 1661 had been made, for the lands above ' the bounds of Hastings.' But he seems to have become displeased with his bargain. This was no uncommon occurrence in dealings with the natives. Their ideas of proprietorship were notoriously imperfect ; and the settlers of New England often found it necessary, in order to pacify them, to repeat the purchase of the very same lands. ^ So it was at Rye. Our planters in 1680 actually bought again, in two separate tracts, the whole territory to which they were already entitled under the treaty of 1661. In the fall of the year 1680, Robert Bloomer and others, in behalf of the Proprietors of Peningo Neck, bought of Maramak- incT or Lame Will a certain tract of land ' called by the Indians Eaukecaupacuson and by the English name the Hogg penn ridge.' ^ ' To all Christian peopelle to whom these shall com greeting know yee that I Marramaking Commonly called by the English Will have for a valuabelle consideration by me allradi Recaifed of Robart blomer haccaliah Brown and thomas merit alinated and sould unto them the said Rob* blomer, Haccaliah brown and thomas merit them their heires executars administratars or asignes a certain trackt of Land Lyeing by a brooke commonly called blind brook which tract of Land is called by the Indians Eauketaupacuson bounded as followeth beginning at the southermost end which is betwene the above said brook and a branch thereof and from thence to the great swomp at the oulld marked tree which is now new marked with these Letters R B H T M and from thence by marked trees to a small Runn which Runns into the above said brook and there is marked with a mark the which tract of Land is called by the English name the hoggpenn Ridge to have and to howlld the above said trackt of land for ever and I the said Maramaking alice Will doe bind by sellfe my heires execators and administratars firmly by these presents to warrant and make good the abo\e said salle unto the above said Robart blomer, Brown and merit their heirs ex- ceutars administrators or asignes without any Lett hindrance niolista- tion or trouble from or by any person or persons whatsoever that shall from or after the date hereof make or lay any claim or claims theare unto In witnes here of I have set to my hand this 4"^ Day of Septem- ber in the yere 1680. Witnes the mark of Couko The mark of Maramaking the mark of Owrowwoahak alis Will John ogden John Stokham 1 Palfrey's History of New England, vol. i. p. 605. 2 Town Records, vol. B. p. xiii. LAME WILL'S PURCHASE. 57 'Maramaking alise Will hath acknliged this bill of salle before nie in Rye this 28 of noveniber 1680. "Joseph Horton Comissoner ' Know all men by these presents that wee Robert Blomer, Hacaliah Brown and thomas merit doe asigne over all our Right titel and Intrust of this within written bill of salle to the propriatars of peningo neck, as witness our hands this second day of march in the year sixtene hundred eighti one wee three above said Reserving our equall portions with the other propriatars above said. Delivered in presence Of us Johx Gee Robart Blomer His marke Joseph Gallpen Hackaliah brown THOMAS MERIT.' Lame Will's Purchase commenced at a point wliere the ' branch ' of Blind Brook joins the main stream. From thence the southern boundary ran eastward to ' the old marked trees ' at ' the Great Swamp.' ^ Northward, it extended along Blind Brook to certain other marked trees, where the line now divides the town of Rye from that of North Castle.^ This was Lame Will's tract, and a very valuable one it was. But either the old Indian flew again from his bargain, or he was anxious to effect a more extensive sale of lands under his sway. For a few weeks later, November 28, 1680, we find the town appointing Peter Disbrow, together with the three men previously sent, ' for to go with the Indians to view some land lying between the Blind brook and Byram river, and to make a thorow bargain with them if they shall see it best.' ^ Nearly a year elapsed befoi*e the contract was concluded. The second purchase from Maramaking was effected on the 8th of October, 1681. For the valuable consideration of '■three coats received,' Lame AVill sold to the inhabitants of Rye a tract of land ' between Byram river and the Blind brook ' or ' Honge ; ' * apparently lying north of tjie preceding purchase, and within tiie present limits of North Castle. 1 The Great Swamp extended over a considerable part of the region bonnded on the east by King Street and on the west by the Ridge Road, north of the present Roman Catholic Cemetery. In 1705, Delivei'ance Brown sold to George Kniffin four or five acres of swamp land, bounded west or northwesterly ' by a branch of Blind Brook that runs out of the (jreat Swamp commonly so called.' (Town Records, vol. C. p. 27.5.) '•^ In the papers relating to the patent of the town of Rye in 1720, it appears that the territory for which that patent was sought and granted, was coextensive with Will's Purchase. •* Rye Records, vol. A. Bolton's History of Westchester County, ii. 24. •* Town Records, vol. B. p. xv. The name Honge may have been applied to the upper part of Blind Brook, or to the branch already referred to. The Indians, it is well known, often had various names for the same stream. 58 MOVING OUT INTO THE WOODS. ' Know all Christian People to whom these shall com greting know ye that I maramaking Comanly called by the english will have for a valuabell Consideration by the inhabitance of the towne of Rye allradi Resaived namely, three cotse In hand of the inhabitants of Rye by me Resaived I Maramaking doe acknolidg that I have aLinated covinanted soulld and deLivil'ed unto them the inhabitants of Rye to them theare heirs Execetars administratars or asignes a sartain tract of Land Liing betwene Biram river and the blind brooke or honge : acording as it is allradi marked by the Indians and bounded : : to have and holld the above said trackt of Land for ever : and I the said maramaking or else Will doe bind my sellfe my heires execetars and administratars firmly by these presents to warant and make good the above said salle unto the above named Inhabitants of Rye to them thaii-e heires execetars asignes or administratars without any Let hin- drance moListation or trouble from or by any person or persons what so ever that shall from or after the date here of make or Lay any claim or claims theare unto In witness here of I have set to my hand this 8"^ of Octobar in the yere 1681 Witness the mark of Wessaconow The marke of maramaking the mark of Coavwoavs or elce will the mark of pummetum Joshua Knap Jacob pairs ' Marmaking or else will hath acknowliged this bill of salle before me in Rye this 8 of October 1681 Joseph horton Comissioner. 'Recorded decern 20-1682.' The lands comprised in Will's purchases, along Blind Brook, do not appear to liave been divided and improved until long after those on Byram Ridge. There was a manifest reluctance still to spread into the interior, and a strong preference for tlie neighbor- hood of the shore and river, especially in the direction of the older Connecticut settlements. We liave good reason to believe that those lands were mostly appropriated, and many of them cleared and partly cultivated, before much advance was made into the forests lying immediately to tiie north.^ Tiveyity years after the first division on Byram Ridge, we find the following entry in the town records : — ' At a town meeting in Rye, February 14, 1699-1700, the town hath made choice of Lieutenant Horton, Benjamin Horton, Joseph Purdy, Justice Brown, Sergeant Merritt, and John Stoakham, [who] are to sur- vey and lay out the three Purchases of land ; that is to say, the White Plaines' purchase, and Lame Will's two purchases ; and the town doth i Town and rroprietor's-Mceting Book, No. C. p. 6. FREE USE OF LANDS. 59 give them full power to call out such person or persons whom they shall see cause to have occasion of.' ^ Nothing however seems to have been done under this order. Will's Purchase was not actually laid out till ten years later. But meanwhile the town made a liberal offer of the free use of lands to any that would take them : — ' At a town meeting in Rye, January the last day, 1 699-1700, the town doth agree and give liberty that any person living in the said town that wants land to work upon, may take up lands and improve them the space of ten years, anywhere in the town bounds, provided it be not prejudicial to the said town or any particular person therein ; and to return it to the said town again ; provided they keep and maintain good sutficient fence about the lands they shall so take up during the space often years aforesaid ; and Hachaliah Brown, and George Lane, senior, are appointed to make out the lands to any person that shall take them up as aforesaid.' ^ Under this act, lands were taken by several individuals in the yet undivided tract of Will's Purchase. Robert Bloomer, in 1701, took five acres, ' lying on the lower end of the Hogpen Ridge, being near the lower falls of Blind brook.' ^ Here was located the mill long known by his name. In 1707, ' the town granted unto Robert Bloomer jun. the stream of Blind brook at the falls of the said brook, to erect a mill or mills, with this proviso, that the said Bloomer does accomplish the said mill within the space of ten years ; but if not, the stream to return unto the town again.' * In 1708, the town appointed a committee ' to search the records concerning Will's two purchases, and to bring their report in to the next town meeting.' ^ And in the following year the first division took place. ' This 11th day of April, 1709," the lots laid out in Will's purchases, were drawn for.' The division was on a liberal scale. Eacl^ allotment was of thirty-eight acres. February 18, 1711, ' the second division of lots laid out in Lame Will's two purchases ' occurred. These were situated higher up, and on the - Town and Proprietors'-Meeting Book, No. C. p. 6. " Ibid. p. 10. a Ibid. p. 14. * Ibid. No G. p. 22. ^ Ibid. p. 32. At the same meeting, the town granted to Timothy Knapp, who ap- parently had taken lands nnder the act of 1699, ' that he shall have his proportion of land in Will's two purchases on the lower end of Hachaliah Browne's wolf-pit ridge — when it shall be laid out.' ^ Rye Records, vol. B. p. 162, 60 MOVING OUT INTO THE WOODS. east side of the colony line.^ A tliird drauglit of seven-acre lots followed.^ The proprietors of Will's purchases numbered thirty-four.^ The list comprises the names of nearly all the proprietors of Pen- ingo Neck, who were evidently interested in both these acquisi- tions,* But the companies were quite distinct ; and there were several of the proprietors of the more recent purchases who had no rights among those of the former. Occasionally, it seems, they met together to consult upon matters of common interest. Thus, — ' At a meeting held in Rye by the Proprietors of the Neck of Ape- quamas and Peningo Neck and the purchasers of the White Plaines and Will's purchasers, June the 15th, 1715, Justice Browne, David Ogden, Justice John Hoyt, Richard Ogden, Samuel Purdy, George Lane, jr., are chosen to take the care and the whole management of surveying the town's bounds of their lands to the best of their discretion, and to call out any person or persons in managing of the same.' ^ At each division of lands, the shares were distributed by lot, the numbers commencing at the upper end of the portion divided and proceeding downward. The ' layers out ' of these lands appear to have had a laborious and responsible task. Their surveys were of course of a very gen- eral kind. The number of acres in the tract and in each allot- ment were rudely determined by the eye or by guess ; not by any exact measurement. But it must have been rough work to do this, in the wild forests and the tangled swamps, where as yet no path had been made. Some of the settlers were evidently regarded as peculiarly fitted for this business, and as eminently to be trusted. Isaac Denham, John Brondige, and the Justices^ Deliverance Brown and Joseph Purdy, were repeatedly chosen.^ The ' lay- ers out ' received as their compensation an additional appropria- tion of land. In the division of the White Plains purchase, this amounted to one hundred and ten acres. '^ There was a tract of land adjoining the lower part of ' Will's first purchase,' but not included in it, which was held by the pro- prietors of Peningo Neck. This was the tract between Blind Brook and the Ridge Road, south of the road to Park's mill. The lower portion of this tract was called Brush Ridge, and the upper 1 Rye Records, vol. B. p. 160 (back). ^^ Rye Records, vol. B. p. G6 (back.) 3 Ibid. vol. B. p. 162. * Records of Town Mcetinos, p. 15. 6 Records of Town Meetings, p. 15. 6 Records, vol. B. pp. ix., xxii., 80. 7 Records, p. xiv. RIDGES ALONG BLIND BROOK. 61 part Branch Ridge. The lots on Brush Ridge were divided about the same time that the first division of Will's Purchase oc- curred. The allotments were of eight acres each.^ Those on Branch Ridge, a continuation of the same tract, laid out in 1713, were of five acres each.^ A considerable part of the land on these ridges was bought up, a few years after the divisions, by Samuel Brown, 'bachelor,' — a son of Deliverance Brown. He thus came into possession of a farm of over one hundred acres, upon which he lived, as it seems, in his lone bachelorhood ; for he desig- nates himself as ' Samuel Brown of Brushie Ridge.' ^ The beauti- ful slope upon which these lands were located, — the eastern bank of Blind Brook and its branch, — is now a part of the fai'ms of Messrs. Wilson, Minuse, Park, and others. The changes in the ownership of ' Will's first purchase ' have been fewer, probably, than in any other part of the town. A large portion of it which came at an early day into the possession of the Brown family is now the property of S. K. Satterlee, Esq. Repre- sentatives of the JSIerritt. Studwell, Shervyood, and other ancient families of Rye, are still among the owners of the upper portion of this tract. 1 Records, vol. B. p. 20. - Records, vol. C. p. 93, etc. Town-meeting Book, No. G. p. 20. ^ The pains taken in those days to spell badly, have an ilhistration in this name, which became corrupted from Brush to ' Brushshey's ' Ridge. Records, C. 99. i CHAPTER Vlir. TOWN MATTERS IN OLDEN TIMES. 'Each state must have its policies. Even the wild outlaw, in his forest walk, Keeps yet some touch of civil discipline.' rriOWN offices, in the olden time, were posts of honor and rewards JL of merit. The good people of Rye appear to have had enough of these in th.eir gift to gi atify any reasonable number of aspirants. About the year 1700, when there were sixty persons paying county rates, we find them making choice of the following officers : a Supervisor ; five Townsmen or Selectmen ; a Constable ; a Town Clerk or Recorder ; two Assessors ; two Listers ; two Pounders ; two Fence-viewers ; three Sheep-masters ; and a Collector. With a Justice of the Peace, besides two Deputies to the General Court^ and any number of ' layers out ' of public lands and roads, to say nothing of the captain, lieutenants, ensigns, and sergeants, of the ' train-bands ;' there seems to have been official business of some sort or other, for nearly every member of the little commonwealth. The town clerk was perhaps the most important of these vil- lage worthies. Certainly his office was of the most permanent tenure. Only two persons filled it during the first three quarters of a century. John Brondige was probably chosen to this office in the early days of the settlement. We find mention of him as town clerk in 1678. He remained in office probably till the time of his death, in 1697, and was succeeded by Samuel Lane, who was town clerk until 1736. Our most valuable records, there- fore, are in the writing of these two men. The town clerk, besides keeping a record of the proceedings at the town meetings, was required to enter in a book provided for the purpose a statement of the bounds and dimensions of every man's land. Each grant, sale, or mortgage of land must likewise be thus recorded, in order to be of force. ^ These records for the town of Rye were kept, prior to the Revolution, in three folio 1 Public Records of Connecticut, vol. i. p. 552. THE RECORDS. 63 volumes, wliicli are still preserved, in tolerably good condition. Our most important records, however, are those of the town meet- ings. These were kept, unfortunately, not in bound volumes, but in books composed of forty or fifty leaves perhaps, rudely stitched together, and in material and aspect suggestive of the times when writing-paper was scarce and poor. The oldest of these records have within a few years past disappeared. They related to the doings of the first thirty or thirty -five years, — from the foundation of the town to the year 1697. Mr. Bolton, however, who had access to these documents when preparing his county and ecclesi- astical histories, has preserved many interesting facts which he gathered from them. Some accounts of town matters are also interspersed among the land records which fill the bound volumes. Here, too, the Indian deeds for all the territory purchased by the proprietors and the town are carefully engrossed,^ At the first town meetings, the number of freeholders was per- haps twenty-five or thirty. Eighteen of these were proprietors, and had exclusive control of the common lands w-ithin the first purchase on Peningo Neck. All other lands not yet distributed belonged to the ' town in general,' or the whole body of inhabit- ants qualified to vote. These also possessed the right to admit or exclude new-comers into the settlement. All the plantations at that day were very careful to exercise this right. '■^ Our lost records are said to contain some curious examples of the mode in which the village fathers received applicants for the privileges of citizenship among them. The following extract, which occurs in the land records, illustrates the action of the proprietors and the town respectively, in making grants to new members : - - ^ At a toion-meeting hehl in Rye November the 2-3,1686, Benjamin Collyer hath by grant from the proprietors of Peningo neck a certain house lot which was formerly Thomas Jefferies. . . . And the town doth further give and grant unto Benjamin Collyer a privilege of all 1 One of our oldest documents is the Brander's Book, or Record of Ear-marks. This recoi'd was kept in conformity with an act passed b}' the General Court of Connecticut, in 1686, entitled ' An Act for preventing of fraud concerning horses.' It required that a place should be assigned in each plantation where horses should be branded; and that a brander should be appointed, who should 'make, and keep the true record of all such horse kind whh shall be presented to them . . . entering the same in one book to each plantation.' A solemn oath to be taken by the bi-ander, was prescribed. (Public Records of Connecticut, vol. iii. p. 205.) The Brander's Book at Rye consists of a volume of leaves stitched together (pp. 1-24), the entries run- ning from 1715 to 1796. The first scA'cn pages are in Samuel Lane's writing. Earlier marks are scattered over the town records. ^ 2 The General Court ordered that' Intruders into Plantations ' should be put in the stocks. [Public Records of Connecticut, vol. ii. p. 66.) 64 TOWN MATTERS IN OLDEN TIMES. out lands undivided which belongeth to the town in general, proportion- ally to an estate of fifty pound.' ' The value liere put upon an estate at Rye appears to have been the usual estimate of the property of a freeholder. The following statement shows the population, and the estimated property of the inhabitants for the time during which the town was subject to Connecticut. It is made up from the ' Lists of Persons and Es- tates ' kept by the General Court : — Persons. Ct. Rec. Estates. 1665 252 ii. 28 £1211 00 00 1666 32 ii. 49 1547 10 00 1667 36 ii. 72 1721 00 00 1668 45 ii. 94 2174 00 00 1669 50 ii. 117 2403 10 00 1670 41 ii. 137 1950 12 00 1671 42 ii. 160 1979 15 00 1672 43 ii. 186 2031 00 00 1673 37 ii. 210 1767 05 00 1674 41 ii. 236 1944 00 00 1675 40 ii. 264 1909 01 00 1676 32 ii. 290 1591 00 00 1677 38 ii. 320 1789 00 00 1678 44 iii. 17 2122 00 00 1679 48 iii. 36 2361 00 00 1680 49 iii. 67 2274 00 00 1681 50 iii. 86 . 2415 00 00 1682 50 iii. 106 2612 00 00 1683 47 iii. 126 2339 00 00 1698 56 iv. 265 3136 18 00 1699 60 iv. 297 3306 00 00 1 Town Records, vol. B. p. 3. - From 1665 to 1675, the number of 'persons 'is not given in the Public Records of the colony, though the list is entitled a list both of 'Persons ' and of 'Estates.' The figures therefore in tlie first column, for those ten years are conjectural ; but they are based on the proportioTi of .£48 to ;£50 to an estate, which is that observed in the complete lists for the subsequent years. From 1676 to 1683, and in 1698 and 1699, the lists contain the number of persons also. The average value of an estate in the years 1676-83, is about ^48 ; in 1698-99, it rises to £50. The fluctuation in the population of the place is noticeable and significant. It rose to. fifty ' persons ' within five years from the settlement, and then decreased ; the lowest figures being reached in 1673 and 1676. These were the years of the Dutch invasion and of King Philip's War. See Chapter VI. Reference is made in the third coliunn of the above table to the Public Records of Connecticut, which have been published in four volumes from 1635 to 1706. TOWI:^ MEETINGS. 65 The ' persons ' here enumerated were male inhabitants of adult ao-e, payini^ taxes upon an estate of fifty pounds each. Ministers of the Gospel, deputies to the General Court, and some others, were exem})ted. The foregoing figures may be taken to repre- sent approximately the number o^ families in the town. The town meeting of those days Avas a very different affair from that of our times. Besides electing officers, the inhabitants had a great variety of matters to talk over and determine. We give some examples, without attempting to classify the subjects. The prevention of damages by cattle was an important matter to be considered. Frequent orders were given concerning the building and repair of fences. ' At a town meeting held March, 1672, it was agreed that the first of April following should be taxed of all persons and young cattle and horses, unless it be such as are wrought, and that they henceforward should goe out on the first of April, and whatever person hath not his fence up by that time shall forfeit five shillings a rod.' ^ The town not only hel thed right to receive or exclude inhabit- ants, but it also regulated the disposal of lands belonging to per- sons removing from the town. ' All lands within the township,' the law required, ' shall be tendered to sale to the town before any other sale be made of them to any other than the inhabitants of that towne where they ly.' ^ The object of this provision was, of course, to prevent unsuitable persons from acquiring rights in the town by such purchase. On the fifteenth of December, 1689, a bounty of fifteen shillings, was ordered to be raised by a town rate, for the killing of wolves.^ One mode of destroying these animals was by entrapping them in wolf-pits. Several of these existed in this neighborhood. The ridoe overlooking; the villaore, where Park Institute now stands, was known as early as 1690 by the name of Wolf-pit Ridge or Plain. Persons were appointed at town meetings, to look after the boundaries of public lands. These were preserved, in a very rude and imperfect manner, by means of marked trees. From time to 1 Fuller regulations were enacted at a later day. At a town meeting held June 3d, 170G, it was ordered that all division fences should be made four feet and a half liigh, ' being of pine Rayles well and substantially erected.' Walls or hedges, or any other partition judged sufficient by the fence-yiewers, were to be considered equivalent to such a i'encc. It appears from this act that individuals were allowed to inclose por tions of land for pastui'e in the common field 2 Public Records of Connecticut, vol. iii. p. 187. ** Town Records, vol. A., quoted by Bolton, History of Westchester Countij, ii. 23. Q6 TOWN MATTERS IN OLDEN TIMES. time the marks required to be renewed. As early as 1680 we read of the ' old marked trees.' As there were several such divid- ing lines that ran across the tract between Blind Brook and Byram River, and separated the several purchases from each other, it must have been no easy task to trace them and keep them up. In 1733, Samuel Purdy, Robert Bloomer, and Daniel Purdy were appointed a committee ' to regulate and renew the bound marks of lots in Will's Purchase, to the eastward of the colony line, begin- ning at Thomas Sutton's land and going northward along said line.' ^ This southern limit of Will's second purchase is the present boundary of the town of Rye in that direction. Public lands were sometimes given away by the town. Not however in the lavish way in which they were often disposed of by other towns ; but generally in small parcels and on particular occa- sions. Indeed, the town as such does not appear to have had much land to give away, so long as the proprietary bodies existed and kept the management of their large possessions in their own hands. The town gave permission for the opening of taverns, erecting of mills, etc. March 3, 1696. ' Samuel Lane and Joseph Lyon, are, or either of them [is] permitted to build a fulling or grist mill upon Blind brook, above the town, provided they choose their location in three weeks, and build the fulling mill in three years.' ' March 2i, 1697-8, Joseph Horton is chosen by the towne of Ry to keep a house of entertainment for travlers for the year insuing.' ' At a town meeting held in Rye March the .5th day 1705 the town hath given and granted unto Sanuiel Hunt of Rye the streame of Memoranuck river at the fiills of the said river above Humphery Underhills to erect and bould a grist mill or mills upon the said streme and the said Samuel Hunt is to grind the towns cornn for the fourteenth part and the said Samuel Hunt is to bould the said mill or mills within the space of two years from the date hereof. And if the said Samuel Hunt shall at any time [fail] to keep the said mill in repair fit to grind above two years together then the said streme is to return to the town again.' April 16, 1712, 'the towne hath by a voat granted unto Richard Ogdin the priviledge of the strem in Byram river between the lower going over and the country rode to erect and bould a mill or mills provided the said Ogdin doe bould a mill or mill [dam] in the space of one year from the date hereof.' The regulations concerning sheep and cattle were very frequent and particular. 1 Rye Records, vol. B. p. 143. TRUSTEES. 67 ' At a meeting lield by the inhabitants of Peningo Neck in Rye, February 24, 1703-4,' sheep masters are chosen ' to agree with a shej)hercl and to take care of the flocks to let them out if any pre- sents to liircthem and to take care of the rams and to take care for yards for the flock when tliey are not let out.' Rams are not to be let loose on the commons from August 15 to November 5. In 1708 the proprietors agree to lay out a new sheep pasture, con- sisting of all the lands yet undivided below a line from the branch of Blind Brook to Gunn Brook. In 1714 the town orders tliat ' no sheep between Memoronuck river and Byram river shall have liberty for the year ensuing to goe upon the commons or upon any land belonging to any particular man unfenced from the flrst of May till the last of October but what shall be put under the care of a she[)herd or shepherds which shall be chosen by the said towne ; and every particular man Avhose sheep shall goe on the commons or upon unfenced lands as above said shall pay his pro- portion unto the shepherd or shepherds which shall be hiered as above said according to the number of his sheep.' Where the town meetings were held we do not learn, luitil the year 1738, when it is mentioned that the meeting took place ' at the school house near the Church in Rye.' The probability is that tliis had been the place of meeting for some previous years. As early as 1708, notice of a special meeting of the town was given by ' a warrant from a Justice of the Peace sett upon a signe post nere the Church four days before the meeting.' The Selectmen presided on these occasions. • At a lawful town meeting held in Rye, April 1, 1713, the tdwn hath past a voat that the townsmen hath and shall have for the futer liberty and full power to ])utt all towne voats to voat 'in all townings to the best of their descretion, only the choice of the towne men the justices are apointed to put to voat.' As early as 1705, the town chose Trustees or Overseers of the town, whose functions are thus described : — ' To take care of the towns Lands and intrests rights privijedges in Land in the towns bounds of Rye and to doe their indeavour in defend- ing the said towns rights and interests in Lands belonging to the said township of Rye and likewise to keep and secure our possession of our township in Lands by all lawful! means and ways whatever they can devise or [execute] in Law whatsoever from time to time as occasion shall require against any parson or parsons whatsoever claiming any right title or intrest against the towns intrest or any part thereof and the towne doth give these trustees over overseers full power to raise mony 68 TOWN MATTERS IN OLDEN TIMES. in the said town as they shall have occasion in pursueance of their trust from time to time to sell or mortgage undivided Lands or other ways as they shall see best within their said year.' T]ie charges that might arise the town agreed to ' disburse by equall proportion, and alsoe to have equall proportion of Lands thereby recovered.' This action was evidently taken in view of the serious encroach- ments upon its territory wliicli tlie town had ah'eady suffered, and the danger of farther losses unless vigorous efforts should be put forth to maintain its rights. Justice was administered by a magistrate, known at first as the Commissioner. In 1697—98, the General Court of Connecticut substituted for this office that of Justice of the Peace. Tiiese functionaries were alike appointed by the government. They were invested ' with magistraticall power within the limits of the respective Townes where they lived ; ' and were impowered ' with the Selectmen of the town, or any two of them, to hear and deter- mine any action that should be presented before them for tryall to the value of forty shillings.' The first Commissioner appointed for Hastings at Rye, in 1663 and 1664, was Mr. John Bndd. He was followed by Lieut. Joseph Horton, in 1678. And in 1698, pending the return of the town to Connecticut, the General Court appointed to the office of Justice of the Peace, then newly created, Mr. Deliverance Brown, who was continued in office by the pro- vincial government of New York, and remained justice till the year 1716.^ It is said that the early settlers of New England towns were fond of litigation. ' A case in court was, with some men, little more than a customary part of the year's business.' Ryt?, we presume, was not free from this weakness. Such at least is our impression, upon opening the earliest extant volume of records. The first half dozen pages of this book are taken up Avith records of' executions.' Several suits are referred to, of the date of 1678 and after. These suits were tried at the County Court at Fair- field. Execution is granted to sundry persons, and levied by 1 The nature of tliis office, and its powers untler tlie provincial government, are thus described by William Smith, the liistorian of the province : ' Justices of the peace are appointed by commission from the governors .... Beside tlieir ordinary powers, they are by acts of Assembly enabled to hold courts for the determination of small causes of five pounds and under ; but the parties are privileged, if they choose it with a jury. They have also a jurisdiction with respect to crimes under tlie degree of grand larceny. Any three of them, one being of the quorum, may try the criminal without a jury, and inflict punishments not extending to life or limb.' — History of New York, vol. i. p. 369, App. PETITION FOR LETTERS PATENT. 69 Lieut. Joseph Horton or by the constable. Robert Bloomer appears as defendant in most of these cases, but in his turn enters a com- plaint for defamation. It was not all peace and harmony, we infer, in the small community on Peningo Neck. We are sorry to say also that an occasional entry upon our records makes known the connubial infelicities that prevailed in some dwellings ; the community is warned in set terms not to ' sell, barter or trade, directly or indirectly ' witli the wife of the sio;ner. These entries are probably copies of notices that had been duly posted to be read by the little public in the usual place. For the punishment of trivial offences, they had the stocks and the ivhip ping -post. Our notices of these interesting objects are scanty, but sufficient. The town in 1739 and two subsequent years elected a ' public whipper.' Thomas Rickey and Samuel Bumpas were the pei'sons chosen to this office. They do not appear to have distinguished themselves in any other capacity. Of the stocks, mention is made but seldom. In the records of the Vestry of Rye, we find the following item, under the date of Marcii 6, 1770 : — ' Allowed, To John Doughty for fees of putting in j* Stocks, 6 shillings.' The supervisor of tlie county in 1772 ordered an extra charge upon the town of Rye ' for Capt. Merritt's building stocks, and the money to be paid to Merritt.' ^ In the year 1720, the inhabitants of Rye took steps to procure a patent for their lands from the British crown. It appears that they had delayed to seek such a benefit until then, though twenty years had now elapsed since their unwilling return to the province of New York. We might infer from this delay that the people were not yet wholly reconciled to their lot, or at least that some of them were indisposed to ask for a charter from the New York gov- ernment, inasmuch as they already held one from Connecticut. However this may be, the formal action of the town was not taken until a few persons, apparently without the general consent, under- took to write to the Governor and Council on the subject." 'The Humble Petition of Daniell Purdy Son of John Purdy deceased Samuell Brown and Benjamin Brown Inhabitants of the Township of Rye in the County of West Chester in behalfe of themselves and diverse other Inhabitants of the said Township of Rye,' is dated 1 Proceedings of the Board of Supervisors of the County of Westchester for the years 1772 to 1787 ; published with the Proceedings of the Board for 1869, p. 7- 70 TOWN MATTERS IN OLDEN TIMES. June 20tli, 1720.^ They ask for letters patent for the tract of land lying between Blind Brook and the colony line, from the southern extremity of Peningo Neck to ' the Antient marked Trees of Limping Will's purchase.' The Governor and Council very properly referred this petition to the people of Rye at large ; directing Joseph Budd, then super- visor, to ' call a town meeting of the inhabitants,' for the purpose of ascertaining their v^'ishes on the subject. This meeting took place early in July, and Mr. Budd reports, ' New York y'' 14th July, 1720, to the Hon. Peter Schuyler,' etc., ' in Council,' that the inhabitants of Rye ' unanimously have noe objection against Granting the said Lands to the said Petitioners, but only that the same cannot be Granted to them by the Express Limitts and Boundaries as pticularly Described by the said Petition by reason it would Interfere with Lands already Granted to other persons.' They suggest a somewhat different description, e. g.^ ' beginning at a certaine Rock lyeing on a point of Land c-^ known by the name of Town Neck point '....' together with a certaine Island Included known by the name of Monussing Island lyeing about Twenty Rodes from the maine Land.' ^ No little stir was caused in Rye by these measures relative to the patent. An old controversy which had been slumbering for some years, regarding the ownership of the southern part of Manussing Island, was revived. Samuel Odell, who claimed it, against Roger Park, remonstrated against the granting of a patent that should fail to secure him in his rights to that property.^ Depositions of various parties were taken on the subject before the Council. The Surveyor-general, Cadwallader Colden, surveyed the tract, exclu- sive of the island, and made his report August 11, 1720. And finally, July 28, the gentlemen of the Council to whom the petition of Rye had been referred, reported favorably upon it. Letters patent were issued August 11th, 1720, to Daniel Purdy and Samuel and Benjamin Brown, for themselves and the other inhabitants of Rye, exclusive of Budd's Neck, that tract being held by another patent granted the month before.* 1 Land Papers, in the office of the Secretary of State, Albany: vol. vii. p. 171. ' To the honorable Peter Schuyler y" President of his Majesties Councill of the Province of New York and Territories thereon depending in America in Counsill.' '^ Land Papers, etc., vol. vii. p. 190. ^ Land Papers, etc., vol. viii. p. 5. * Both of these patents will be found in the Appendi.x. ■■:h^ ^ a' fs A' J5* StratiK's Tavern. CHAPTER IX. MAILS ; NEWSPAPERS ; MODES OF TRAVEL. 1672-1812. ' This folio of four pages ■ Inquisitive attention.' that holds The Tank. SITUATED so near the seaboard, and within thirty miles of the city, Rye has enjoyed from the earHest times whatever facilities existed for public communication. But it is difficult to conceive how rude and inconvenient these must have been, until a comparatively recent date. For at least fifty years after the foun- dation of the town, all travel by land was performed on horseback. Deputies rode their hired horses np to the sessions of the General Court. It was seldom, however, that the inhabitants ventured so far as Hartford, except on public duty. Their journeys were gen- erally short, and limited to the neighboring towns of Greenwich and Stamford. The sympathies and interests of the people then turned eastward — not as now toward New York. In 1672, the government of Connecticut established a schedule of prices, to be paid to persons who should be employed for the 72 MAILS, NEWSPAPERS, MODES OF TRAVEL. conveyance of letters and otlier missives in the service of the colony. This was done in view of the great extravagance of people tims employed, ' by profnse spending at the ordinaries and other ])]aces on the road upon the country's account, and also by great delays on journeys.' According to the schedule, the charge was to be as follows, from the first of May to the middle of Octo- ber : ' From Rye to Hartford, the horses hyer twelve shillings, the man and expences twenty shillings ; all is one pound twelve shil- lings.' From October to April, the charge was to be eight pence more ' for every night they lye out.' ^ Postal communication between New York and Boston was first established in the year 1672, during the administration of Colonel Lovelace, the second English governor of the province. The fol- lowino; order shows what facilities were thus afforded : — ' A Proclamacion for a Post to goe Monthly from this City to Boston and back againe. ' Whereas it is thought convenient and necessary in obedience to his Sacred Ma'ties Commands, who enjoynes all his subjects in the distinct Colonyes, to enter into a strict allyance and Correspondency with each other, as likewise for the advancem* of Negotiation, Trade and Civill Commerce, and for a more speedy Intelligence and Dispatch of Af- fayres, That a Messenger or Post bee authorized to sett forth from this Citty of New Yorke monthly, and thence to travail to Boston, from whence within that Month hee shall returne againe to this Citty. These are therefore to give notice to all persons concerned. That on the first' day of January next, the Messenger appointed shall proceed on his journey to Boston : If any therefore have any Letters or small portable Goods to bee conveyed to Hartford, Connecticut, Boston, or any other parts in the Road, they shall be carefully delivered according to the Directions by a sworne Messenger and Post who is purposely imployed in that AfFayre ; In the Interim those that bee disposed to send Letters, lett them bring them to the Secretary's Office, where in a Lockt Box they shall be preserved till the Messenger calls for them ; All persons paying the Post before the Bagg be seal'd up. Dated at New Yorke this lO"'^ day of December 1672. By order of y'^ Governor.' ^ According to the instructions to the post or messenger, dated January 22, 1672-3, he was to apply to the governors, especially Governor Winthrop of Connecticut, for ' the best direction how to forme the best Post Road ; ' to establish places on the road where to leave the way-letters, and ' to mark some Trees that shall direct Passengers the best way, and to fix certain Houses for your sev- 1 Public Records of the Coloni/ of Connecticut, 1665-78, pp. 242, 244. - Communicated by Dr. O'Callaglian. JOURNEY OF MADAM KNIGHT. 73 erall Stages both to bait and lodge at.' The messenger was to allow persons who desired it to travel in his eompanv and to afford them the best help in his power. He was to provide himself with 'a spare horse, a Horn, and good Portmantles.' Such was the mode of travel and despatch for the next thirty years. Madam Knight's account of her journey from Boston to New York, and back, in 1704, agrees precisely with this descrip- tion. It appears that she availed herself when she could of the company and protection of the messenger riding post. The fol- lowing extract gives us a life-like view of the good lady and her conductor : — 'Tuesday, October y^ third, about 8 in the morning, I with the Post proceeded forward . . . and about 2, afternoon, arrived at the Post's second stage, where the western Post met hini and exchanged Letters. . . . Having here discharged the Ordinary for self and Guide, as I understood was the custom, about 3, afternoon, went on with my third Guide, who rode very hard : and having crossed Providence ferry, we come to a River which they generally ride through. But I dare not venture ; so the Post got a lad and Canoe to carry me to the other side, and he rid through and led my horse. . . . Rewarding my sculler, again mounted and made the best of my way forward. The Road here was very even and y'' day pleasant, it being now near Sunset. But the Post told me we had near 14 miles to ride to the next Stage, where we were to lodge. I asked him of the rest of the Road, foreseeing we must travel in the night. He told me there was a bad River we were to ride through, which was so very fierce a horse could sometimes hardly stem it : but it was narrow, and we should soon be over.' Late at night, the traveller after all these adventures ' was roused from her pleasing imagi- nations by the Post's sounding his horn, which assured me he was arrived at the stage where we were to lodoe : and that musick was then most nnisical and agreeable to me.' In the same year that this memorable journey was performed, the governor of tiie province of New York wrote home, ' The post that goes through this place, goes eastward as far as Boston, but westward he goes no further than Philadelj)hia : and there is no other post upon all this continent.' ^ As late as the year 1750, letters were carried in this same way by messengers riding on horseback from stage to stage,^ and there was but one mail each week for Boston and the intermediate 1 Lettei- of Lord Bellomont, in Documents rel. to Colonial History of New York, vol. iv. p. 1113. - On the twenty-fourth of January, 1755, the Post informed the public that ' he was obliged before he left Albany, to send his Horse upon the ice over to the opposite 74 MAILS, NEWSPAPERS, MODES OF TRAVEL. places. Iiuleetl, from the following notices it would seem that these accommodations were even diminished during the winter season : — 'March 26, 1750. The Boston and Philadelphia Posts set out on Monday next, at the usual Hours, to perform their Stages Weekly.' ' Dec. 3, 1750. The Posts set out To-morrow to perform their Stages once a Fortnight during the Winter Season.' ^ On the third of February, 1755, Alexander Golden, postmaster of New York, issues the following notice : — ' It being found very inconvenient to persons concei'n'd in Trade that the Post from New York to New England, has heretofore set out but once a fortnight during the Winter Season : the Stages are now alter'd, by orders of the Post Master General ; ^ and the New England Post is henceforth to go once a week the year round, whereby correspondence may be carried on and answers obtained to letters between New York and Boston in two weeks, which us'd in the Winter to require four weeks. But to obtain this good end it is necessary, on account of the Badness of the Ways and Weather in Winter, to dispatch the Post some Hours sooner from New York : Notice is therefore hereby given that he begins his Weekly Stage on Monday next, being the 10 instant, and will be dispatched precisely at Nine o'clock in the morning, on that day, and every Monday following.' ^ The trusty messenger who made his weekly transit through the village of Rye, must have been very familiar to the inhabitants,^ A goodly number of them, doubtless, awaited his arrival at Haviland's inn, to receive not only their letters, but also the city shore; and that in the afternoon of the same day, the weather being extremely moderate and giving, he was obliged to cross in a Ferry boat, the ice having broke away,' etc. — New York Gazette and WeelJi/ Post-Boy. 1 Neiv York Gazette. 2 Benjamin Franklin, who had been appointed to this oihce two years before, and was vigorously endeavoring to improve and extend the postal system of the colonies. Five years later he surprised the people with a proposition to run stage wagons to carry the mail from Philadelphia to Boston, once a week, starting from each city on Monday morning, and arriving at the end of the route by Saturday night. Franklin was removed from this office in 1774. ^ New York Gazette and Post-Boij. Communicated, with several other items in this chapter, by Col. Thomas F. De Voe. * 'Lately died at Stratford, of a Fever, Deacon Thomas Peet, in the 62 year of his age. He was employed as a Post-Rider between New York and Saybrook, for the lastS2 yearn of his life, in which station he gave general satisfaction.' — New York Mercury, October 27, 1760. ' Run away, from Ebenezer Hurd, of Stratford, the old post-rider, which has rode post 47 years, from New York to Saybrook, a negro man about 25 years of age . . . Five dollars reward. Ebenezer Hurd.' — Supplement to the New York Gazette and Weekiy Mercury, April 10, 1775. ADVERTISEMENTS OF OLDEN TIME. 75 papers fresli from tlie press — the ' Gazette,' the "' Journal,' the ' Post-Boy,' the ' Mercury ' — some or all of which had eager and interested readers at Rye.^ Besides the public post employed by the government, there were post-riders in the service of the newspapers. In 1762, the 'New York Gazette and Weekly Post-Boy' of March 18, boasts that its messenger ' brought the Boston papers a week later than the other ])ost, wdio came in the Night before ' with letters for the governor, though he had been ' hinder'd by the Snow, which in some places was prodigiously deep.' The post not only carried the papers, but also received subscriptions for them ; and delin- quents were occasionally reminded of their duty to pay their sub- scriptions in this way. Our good people not only read the papers, but advertised in them occasionally. Here are some Rye advertisements of the olden time : — 'Oct. 23, 1749. W" BuRTUs, Hat-Maker, Now living at Harrison's Purchase, in Rye, carries on the Hatter's Trade there, and makes and sells as good Hats as any in the Province, for ready Money, or short Credit. Wm. Burtds.' 'July 3, 1775. Stolen out of the pasture from the subscriber at Rye the 21st June 1775, a sorrel mare, about 14 hands high, a natural trotter, marked with a ball face, her main hanging on the near side, four year old. Any person that will apprehend the thief and mare, so tliat the owner can have his mare again, shall be paid the sum of five pounds, and for the mare only three pounds paid by ine. William Lyon.' 'July 1, 1771. Capt. Abraham Bush, of Rye, in the province of New York, on a voyage from the eastward, bound home, coming out of Milford harbour, in Connecticut, Sunday morning the 14th day of last April, about three hours after his departure, saw (above half sound over towards Long Island) a wreck .... which he brought into Rye har- bour. Any person proving his property in said scow and boom, by applying to said Bush, in Rye, may have them again, paying him for his trouble and the charge he hath been put to. Abraham Bush.' ' March 21, 1774. For sale at public vendue, on the premises 1st April, a house and lot of land in Rye, situated by the water side, very convenient for a boatman or merchandizing or any water business : the lot containing ten acres, a nice orchard and some meadow land. The 1 The New York Gazette was the first newspaper issued in New York, commencing October 23d, 1725. The New York Weekly Journal was published from 1733 to 1752. The New York Gazette and Weekly Post Boy was first issued in 1743. 76 MAILS, NEWSPAPERS, MODES OF TRAVEL. house is large with five rooms upon a floor. On the premises are also a barn, store house and clock. Apply to Ezekiel Piaster, [Halsted ?] or Jonathan Budd.' Advertisements of stolen goods, at Rye, are frequent, the in- jured parties sometimes indulging themselves in the expression of their suspicions as to the persons who have committed the theft, naming and describing them. 'July 14, 17G0. Last Thursday (July 10) night the wash-house of Timothy Wetmore, of Rye, was broken open and stole out of the wash- tub, three linnen shirts .... a considerable number of linnen cam- brick and lawn handkerchiefs and caps, a parcel of child's clothes, and sundry other articles too tedious to mention. It is supposed they Avere taken by Moll Rogers, and that she has or will make towards New York. ' Whoever will apprehend the thief, that the person may be bro't to justice, shall have 8 dollars reward, paid by the subscriber. ' This wretch has been a general plunderer and disturber of the repose of the honest people of this province, particularly the country, for a long course of time, and has actually been in the hands of the authority time after time, and yet is as daring as ever in her villainy. Timothy Wetmore.' ^ Mr. Timothy Wetmore lived in the house now occupied by his granddaughter, Mrs. Buckley. His brother, Mr. James Wetmore, who proclaims his losses in the following advertisement, lived at the time in the ' Square House,' now owned by the family of Mr. D. M. Mead : — 'March 01, 17G3. Stolen out of the house of James Wetmore, at Rye, on the IGth inst., in the night, by Mary Harrington, an Irish woman, three silver watches, and sundry other small articles. One of the watches is French make, and winds up on the dial plate : the second is an old-flishion'd frosted dial plate: the other is a common China dial plate. A reward of five dollars will be paid &c. by James Wetmoue.'^ It Avas not until 1772, just a hundred years after tlie establish- ment of Governor Lovelace's post system, that a better mode of travel Avas introduced. In that year, the first stage-eoaeh^ began to run between Ncav York and Boston. The following advertisement appeared in Holt's ' New York Journal' of July 9 : — 1 N. Y. Mercuri/. 2 N. Y. Gazette and [Vrckh/ Post-Boi/. ^ It is difficult to belicA-e that until the date here mentioned, mo public conveyance of the kind existed on this route. Such however is the foct. Between New York and Philadelphia, staj,^es had been running for some years. TRAVEL BETWEEN NEW YORK AND BOSTON. 77 New-York, 2^/1 June 1772. THE STAGE COACH BETWEEN NEW-YORK AND BOSTON, WHICH for the firft Time fats out this Day from Mr. Fowler's Tavern, (formerly kept by Mr. Stout) at Frefh Water, in New- York, will continue to go the Courfe between Bofton and New-York, fo as to be at each ofthofe Places once a Fortnight, coming in on Satur- day Evening and fetting out to Return, by the Way of Hartford, on ]Monday Morning. The Price to Paffengers, will be 4d. New-York or 3d. lawful Money per Mile, and Baggage at a reafonable Rate. Gentlemen and Ladies who choofe to encourage this ufeful, new, and expenfive Undertaking, may depend upon good Ufage, and that the Coach will always put up at Houfes on the Road where the beft Entertainment is pro- vided. The Stage Coaches will next Trip arrive at New- York and Bofton, on Saturday the nth of July, and will fet out from thence to Hartford on Monday the 13th, meeting at Hartford on Wednefday the 15th, where, alttr ftaying a Week, they will fet out again on Wednefday the 23d for New- York and Boston, where they will arrive on Satur- day the 25th, and fet out to return on Monday the 27th, &c. If on Trial the Subfcribers find Encouragement, they will perform the Stage once a Week only altering the Day of fetling out from New-York and Bofton to Thurfday in- ftead of Monday Morning. 28 — JONATHAN and NICHOLAS BROWN. This appears to have been tlie comtnencement of travel by pub- lic conveyance between New York and Boston. In 1787, the stages made three trips every week in summer, and two in winter. They set out from Hall's Tavern, No. 49 Courtlandt Street, on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings, arriving at Boston in six days. The fare was four pence a mile.^ In 1787, there was a stage every other day from New York to Rye, and the following advertisement, which appeared in the ' New York Journal,' intimates that such a special conveyance to this place had been running before : — September 27, 1787. 'Stagk. — The subscriber informs the public, and his friends in particular, that he now runs the Stage from this to Rye, which Mr. Hail formerly run : which stage starts from Mr. (David) Osborn's at Peck Slip, No. 136 (138 Water Street) on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, at five o'clock in the morning, and returns on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, at six o'clock in the evening. As the subscriber has furnished himself with a very convenient new Waggon, and good horses, for the jiurpose, he flatters himself, that he shall be able to give those Gentlemen and Ladies, who i3lease to favor him with their custom, universal satisfaction. 1 Frank's New York Directon/ for 1787 (the first published in that city). 78 MAILS, NEWSPAPERS, MODES OF TRAVEL. ' N. B. The subscriber likewise keeps a very genteel Coach, with a good pair of horses, to Lett : likewise, Horses and Chairs, and saddle horses. Any orders, left with Mr. Osborn, at Peck Slip, or at his stable, Cortlandt-street, will be immediately attended to, by the public's most humble servant, Obadiah Wright. ' New York, Sept. 27, 1787.' But the inhabitants of Rye had other means of communicating with the outside world, and they probably depended more upon water communication than upon that by land. The earliest men- tion of a dock or wharf at this place occurs under the date of 1679, when the town granted to John Ogden ' forty-eight or fifty acres of land by the water side at the Fishing Rock, for the purpose of buildintT a house and wharf. The inhabitants of Peningo neck to have wharfage free.' ^ A great event for Rye was the establishment of Vi ferry in 1739 betMeen this town and Oyster Bay, Long Island. The charter issued in that year for this purpose, sets forth that ' the principal freeholders and proprietors of the lands in the two patents called Budd's Neck and Penning's Neck ' have made application for it.^ The inhabitants generally seem to have taken a deep interest in the enterprise. Messrs. John Budd, Hachaliah Brown, and Jona- than Brown Avere at the head of it. The list of subscribers toward the expense of obtaining the patent, embraces twenty-six names. ^ Those who thus contributed were to ' enjoy a share of the privileges and emoluments of the ferry in propoition to the sums' subscribed. A meeting of the shareholders was appointed to be held annually, ' at some convenient place near the Church,' on the first Tuesday in April, when a committee was to be chosen, 1 Bolton's Ilisto)-)/ of Westcliesfer County, ii. ' Francis Purtly's landing' is mentioned in i in 1718. (Town Meeting Book, No. G.) 2 Rye Records, vol. C. pp. 130-.32, 178-81. ^ The list is as follows : — Samuel Purdy, .£.3 00 Tho^ Howel, Samuel Brown, .£3 00 David Knittin, James Wetmore, £3 00 Henry Strang, The same, in trust for Dan'l Purdy, Esq Lavinia, daughter of Joseph Galpin, Henry Strange, £1 10 Thomas Lyon, Monmouth Hart, £1 10 Samuel Wilson, Sam' Crompton, £0 3 9 Benj. Kniffin, Andrew Merrit £1 10 Jonathan Horton John Coe, , 93. a return for the division of vacant lands £0 11 3 Roger Park, £1 10 £0 1.5 Peter Tatlon, £0 15 £1 10 Joseph Sutton, £0 07 6 .£3 00 Edward Palmer, £0 15 £1 10 Rohert Palmer, £0 15 £3 00 Hach. Brown, jr. £1 06 3 £3 00 Gilbert Bloomer, £3 00 £0 11 3 Ebenezer Knithn £1 10 ,£0 15 Sam' Graves, jr. £0 15 £0 07 6 FERRY TO OYSTER BAY, LONG ISLAND. 79 who should lease the ferry, and take charge of the profits that might accrue.^ This ferry continued in use till the latter part of the century. In 1786, Mr. Isaac Brown, of Rje, purchased the rights of the proprietors of Rye ferry .^ A map of Rye in 1797, shows the ' house at the Ferry,' near the mouth of Byram River. This house, about a century ago, was kept by a German who after- wards attained some distinction as an officer in the Revolutionary War. Frederick De Weissenfels advertises in the ' New York Mercury ' of April 30, 1759, concerning the FEURY CALLED KYE-FERRY, TO OYSTER BAY ON LONG ISLAND. ' This is to give Notice, to all Travellers and Strangers, that at the place called Rye-Ferry, in the County of Westchester, and Province of New York, is a good regular and constant Ferry kept, from the above- mentioned Place to Oyster-bay, on Long Island, where there is good entertainment for Travellers : And by the subscriber hereof is also to be sold all sorts of Dry-goods, as Broad-Cloths, German Serges, Rat- teens, Half-thicks, Pennistons, Forrest-Cloth, mill'd Uruggets, Bomba- zeens, Flannels of divers colours, Shalloons, Silverets, Burdoas, Irish- stuffs, Camblets, Everlastings, Worsted Damasks, Velvets, Tafflities, Persians, 3-4 and yd-wide Garlix, Irish Linnens, Checks, INIillenets, Pistol and Tandem Lavins, Silesias, Ozenbrigs, Calicoes, Ribbands, Fans, Gloves, Necklaces, and other Dry-Goods too, tedious to mention, as also an Assortment of Jron-mongery, Paint, Window Glass, Looking Glasses,' Swords, Hangers, Guns, Powder and Shot, Nails, Lead, as also good West-India Rum, Molasses, Sugar, Cotton &c. by " Frederick De Weissenfels.' ' Rye Ferry ' must have been a place of frequent rer-ort for the inhabitants of Rye, to justify the keejiing of such an assortment of goods. At the beginning of the present century, the ordinary and favor- ite mode of travelling to New York and back was by sloop. Sev- eral market sloops ran regularly between this place and the city. Some of them started from ' Saw Pit,' now Port Chester ; others from Milton, and others still from Rye Neck, "^here Avas a dock below Milton, at Kniffin's Cove, and one known as Jonathan ^ Tlic tariff of prices for ferriage is curious. These are some of the items : For one persoti, Is. 6c?. Man and horse, 3s. Wagon, cart or carriage, 7s. 6d. Horned cattle over two years old, 2s. : under, Is. Fitch of bacon, or piece of smoked beef, \d. Frying pan or warming pan, 2ain, and cultivate the soil, and live by it, and establish homes for their children. Their land was owned in common till it could be parcelled out to advantage in equal shares, and in such quantities as might be speedily improved. This was the uniform ])olicy of the New England colonist. Rye, the last town of Connecticut, well represents, as to the spirit and the method of its settlement, the previous plantations of that colony. But it was quite otherwise in the province of New York, to which our planters soon found themselves unwillingly annexed. The little stream of Blind Brook separated them from a region in which land speculation was as rife as it has ever been in the ' far West.' Under the rule of the Dutch, vast domains had been given away to wealthy merchants or gentry. ^ One of these estates had passed into the hands of Frederick Phillips, who now owned the whole of the western part of Westchester County south of Croton River, between the Hudson and the Bronx. The English governors of New York were quite as generous as their Dutch predecessors in giving away the public lands. Grants were made to individuals who succeeded in gaining their favor, of tracts that covered in many places from fifty to one hundred thousand acres, and in more than one instance, it is said, of as many as a million acres. Colonel Fletcher and Lord Cornbury * 1 The charter of the West India Company, in 1629, provided that whoever would within five years plant a colony of fifty souls above fifteen years old, was to become Lord of the Manor, or Patron, and should possess in absolute property the lands he might so colonize. These lands might extend sixteen miles in length, or if they lay along a river, eight miles upon each bank, and as far into the interior as circum- stances might require. LAVISH GRANTS OF LAND. 97 were especially distinguished for the lavish way in which they squandered the property of the crown — not without suspicion of interested motives. So carelessly were the patents for these grants bestowed, that not unfrequently they intrenched upon the bounda ries of lands previously taken up, or completely absorbed them. The people of Rye were sufferers to a considerable extent from this abuse. Their principal troubles related to the tract of land since known as Harrison's Purchase. This tract was situated above Westchester Path, between Blind Brook and Alamaroneck River, and extended as far north as Rye Pond. It was, we have seen, one of the earliest purchases of the settlers of Rye. On the second of June, 1662, Peter Disbrow and his companions bought from certain Indians a territory ' above Westchester Path.' Four years later, John Budd bought a more extensive tract, including this, and reaching to a distance of sixteen miles north of West- chester Path. But like most other inland purchases of our settlers, these lands had remained hitherto unimproved. Meantime, an individual named John Harrison, in the year 1695, disregarding these claims, bargained with an Indian who professed to be ' the true owner and proprietor,' for the purchase of the territory north of Westchester Path. In the same year, Colonel Fletcher, the provincial governor of New York, gave an order for the survey of Harrison's Purchase ; and shortly after, a patent was granted by the British government to Harrison and certain others whom he had associated with him, for the whole of this tract. By this summary measure, the people of Rye were despoiled of a most important part of their rightful possessions. It was a loss felt by each proprietor, for each had an interest in the undivided lands, to tlie distribution of which he looked forward as a provision for his children. The only show of reason for this act of spoMa- tion was in the fact that the inhabitants of Rye w'ere as yet with- out a patent for their lands under the government of New York. In 1685, Governor Dongan had issued a proclamation to the in- habitants of Rye and Bedford, requiring them to appear before him and prove their title to the lands upon which they were seated. This summons, it appears, had not been obeyed. Tiie sympathies of the people were with the colony from which they came, and to which they yet hoped permanently to belong. Their rights besides had been amply recognized bv Connecticut, and they doubtless saw no propriety in the requirement to obtain a patent from New York. But nothing" could iustifV the arbitrarv measure bv which these 98 HARRISON'S PURCHASE. lands were wrested from the town. It was an act simply worthy of its perpetrator — one of the most unscrupulous of the bad men who with few exceptions were sent to fill the place of provincial governor of New York. Colonel Fletcher was notorious for the extravagance with which he disposed of the public lands. ^ His course in this I'espect was so flagrant that his successor in office ap- plied to the British government for power to annul all the grants which he had made. ' They are so extravagant,' writes Lord ]5ellomont, 'that the province can never be peopled.' ^ ' There are many complaints,' he reports, ' against them, many people being violently stripped of their lands by these grants, supported by the favour of former governors.' The people of Rye, when they heard of Harrison's design, doubtless used every means within their reach to prevent its ex- ecution. One of their number, the grandson of the original pur- chaser of Budd's Neck, was especially earnest in opposing the grant, on the ground that it conflicted with the rights acquired by his ancestor. Harrison's petition to the Council represented that he had bought ' a tract of vacant and unappropriated, uncultivated land in y^ County of Westchester, bounded on the north by Rye Pond, on the east by Blind brook, on the west by Mamaroneck river, and on the south by the land of Joseph Budd.' ' At a Council held at his Majesty's fort in New York the 13th of Feb- ruary, 1695-96,' Harrison's petition was referred to the Attorney- General, Major Austin Graham, Surveyor-General, Justice Tlieale, Joseph Purdy and Joseph Horton, or any three of them, ' to in- quire into the manner of circumstances of said land, and make re- port.' Their report, dated February 17th, states that ' Humphrey Underbill appeared in behalf of Jose])h Budd, son and heir to John Budd deceased, and |)roduced an Indian Grant dated December 8, 1661, alleging that the same did contain the lands mentioned.' 1 ' The most extraordinary favors of former governors,' wrote Cadwallader Golden, surveyor-general of the province, in 1732, 'were but petty grants in comparison of his. He was a generous man, and gave the king's lands by parcels of upwards of one hundred thousand acres to a man, and to some particular favorites four or five times that quantity. But the king was not pleased with him, as I am told, and he was recalled in disgrace. This lavishing away of lands probably was one reason.' (Report on the State of the Lands in the Province of New York : Documoitari/ His- tonj of New IWk, vol. i. p. 380.) ' Lord Bellomont to Secretary Popple, July 7, 1698 : Documents relating to the Colonial History of New York, vol. iv. p. 327. In a subsequent letter to the Lords of the Admiralty, he instances some of them, — ' to let your Lordships see that man's fraud to the Crown. To Mr. Godfrey Dellius, a grant of land 86 miles in length, 20 and some say 2.5 miles in breadth. To Col. Bayard a grant of about 40 miles long and 30 miles broad,' etc. (New York Colonial MSS., vok iv. p. 780.) VAIN REMONSTRANCES. 99 Tiie committee found tlie deed to contain a description of ' a tract of land called Apawanis, bounded on the east by Mackquam River, on the south by the sea against Long Island, on the west by Poce- cottsewack River, and on the north by marked trees near West- chester Path ; together with range for feeding and range for cattle, and to fell trees twenty miles north.' This land, they say, is altogether disclaimed by Harrison ; the tract purchased by him lying north of said marked trees. Underhill was asked whether he had any other objection to advance, and replied that he had at home an Indian deed which justified Budd's claim to the soil for sixteen miles north of the marked trees; but he did not bring it along with him, for it was old and spoiled, being dated in 1666 ; but he had a copy of the deed, which he gave to Colonel Heathcote, who left it before the Governor and Council. The committee could not examine this paper, but humbly referred the matter to the Council.^ The document which Underhill thus unfortunately failed to pro- duce was undoubtedly the deed of April 29th, 1666, by which Shanarocke and others conveyed a tract between Blind Brook and Mamaroneck River, extending ' sixteen English miles from West- chester Path up into the country.' And it was also, as wa have seen, to all appearance the same tract which, four years earlier, June 2, 1662, the purchasers of Peningo Neck, Disbrow, Coe, and Studwell, had bought together with Budd. Both parties, the in- habitants of Rye in general and the proprietor of Budd's Neck, were now to lose a territory for which, had they claimed it jointly and without dispute among themselves, they could certainly have made a stronger plea. As it was, no regard seems to have been ]xiiil by the Council to either claim. The lands were granted to Harrison, and the people of Rye 'revolted' back to Connecticut. The individuals to whom this grant was made, were William Nicolls, David Jamison, Ebenezer Wilson,''^ John Harrison,^ and Sanuiel Haight. Nicolls was a member of Colonel Fletcher's Council ; Jamison was clerk of the Council ; Wilson was sheriff of tlie city of New York, and a prominent merchant. All these men stood high in the governor's favor, and were largely concerned in 1 County Records at White Plains, vol. B. pp. 259-261. 2 The patent for Harrison's Purchase, as given by Mr. Bolton {Histonj of Wcst-- chester County, vol. i. pp. 249-251), reads Ebenezer Williams — vuidoubtedly a clerical error. The name is Wilson in the partition deed as entered in the Records of the town of Rye, vol. D. pp. 280-283, and in the patent itself; see Appendix. '■^ In his petition for a patent, he signs his name John Harrijson. Little is known about him. Mr. Bolton supposes him to he the son of John Harrison of Newtown, L. I., in 1655 — father of John and Samuel. 100 HARRISON'S PURCHASE. tlie land grants which lie made.i Of course the humble formers of Penincro Neck had no influence to weioh against the interests of a company so powerfully manned. Under this grievance, the town of Rye seceded. It renounced the authority of the provincial government, and returned to the colony of Connecticut. We do not greatly Avonder at the seces- sion. The provocation was great and the temptation strong. It is more surprising that the Connecticut government should have received the rebellious town. But there was much bitter feeling just at this time between the two colonies, growing out of the un- settled state of the question as to their boundaries. We shall see in the next chapter what passed between the colonial governments relative to this' secession. Meanwhile, for four years Rye was a part of Connecticut. From 1G97 to 1700, inclusive, the iniiabitants designated themselves as living in Rye, 'in the county of Fairfield, in the colony of Connecticut.'^ They apjilied to the General Court at Hartford for the settlement of any matters in dispute, and the Court seems to have considered and disposed of such applica- tions precisely as in the case of any town east of Byram River.^ We have a curious account of the state of feeling among the good people of Rye during this interval. It occurs in a letter of Colonel Heatlicote, written after a visit to Rye, the object of which was to persuade the malcontents to submit with a good grace. Colonel Heathcote writes to the Governor and Council : — ' Westchestek, Fehy 10, 1G96-97. ' Gkntlemen, — I had long ere this given you an account of my Rye Expedition, had I not at my coming- here been kept Prisoner a Port- night or three weeks by reason of the weather and a nimble distemper ; .... from which so soon as I was disengaged I proceeded and called a meeting of y" Inhabitants, taking particular care to have the Ring- leaders sunnnonsed ; and enquired of them the reason of the Revolt. They told me that the grant to Harrison and his associates was so great an Injury to 'em that their town was nothing without it, and that they 1 Jiiniison is stated to have been ' first in Col. Fletclier's confidence and favour, above all others, and enriched himself by the grants of land sold by Col. Fletcher, he having a share for brokerage.' (Documents, etc.. Colonial History of New York, vol. iv. p. 400.) He afterwards became ChiefLJustice of New Jersey, and later, Attorney- General of New York. Nicols, a man of great influence and highly connected, was an ardent supporter of Fletcher. Captain Ebenezer Wilson was a prominent merchant of New York, sheriff of the city at the time, and afterwards mayor. {Doc- imevU, etc., vol. iv. pp. 377, 5.55 ; 25 seq. ; 769,783, etc.) ^ Some twenty deeds on record, within these years, arc thus dated. Those entered immediately before and after are dated ' in the county of AVestchester and province of New York.' ■ (Town Records, vol. B. pp. 72-168.) 3 See the action on the bounds of Rye and Greenwich, given in the next chajjter. A VISIT FROM COLONEL HEATHCOTE. 101 had as good lose all as that ; and a great Deal of Stuff to that effect. I asked them why they did not take out a Patent ^ when it was tendered them. They said they never heard that they could have one. I told them that their argument might pass with such as knew nothing of y^ matter, but that I knew better ; for that to my certain knowledge they might have had a patent had they not rejected it ; and that it was so far from being done in haste or in the Dark, that not a boy in the whole Town nor almost in the County but must have heard of it ; and that I must always be a witness against them, not only of the many messages they have had from the Government about it, but likewise from myself. At which they began to be divided amongst themselves, some saying It was true, others that those the Crown had employed had proved false to 'em. After a great Deal of time spent in argument on this and other subjects, I endeavoured to make them sensible of y'' risque they run in this affair. But they seemed Deaf to all I could say, arguing that the Government of Connectiticut had taken them under their Protection, and shewed me a blind sort of a Paper from under Kemblell's'^ hand to y* effect. When I found I could do no good with the herd, I talked sep- arately w"^ some of y" Hottest of 'em ; which seemed to take some Im- pression ; and I desired them to talk with their neighbours, and lett me know their minds against I came y* way again, that I might be able to serve them before it was run so far that it would be out of my Power. ' I told them as to the last purchase, wherein I was concerned, if that gave them any dissatisfaction, I would not only quit my claim, but use my interest in getting them any part of it they should desire. Their answer was, they valued not that ; it was Harrison's patent that was their ruin. ' I intend, God willing, before my return to Yorke, to throw one Jour- ney more away upon them, tho' I despair of Successe therein. How- ever my utmost Endeavours shall not be wanting therein. I am, Gen- tlemen, in much sincerity, your most obed' and affect''' serv' Caleb Hkathcote.' ^ 1 The granting of patents was a fiivorite mode of raising money with the provin- cial governors of New York. New England men ever regarded it as a most unjust exaction. Sir Edmund Andros, who was made governor of New Yorlc and New England in 1688-89 declared, on arriving here, that the titles of the colonists to their lands were of no value at all. Indian deeds, he said, were no better than the scratch of a bear's paw. ' Not the fairest purchases and the most ample conveyances from the natives,' remarks Trumbull, ' no dangers, disbursements, nor labours, in cultivat- ing a wilderness, and turning it into orchards, gardens, aijd pleasant fields, no grants by charter, nor by legislatures constituted by them, no declarations of pretending kings, nor of his then present majesty, were pleas of any validity or consideration with Sir Edmund and his minions. The purchasers and cultivators, after fifty and sixty years' improvement, were obliged to take out patents for their estates. Tor these, in some instances, a fee of fifty pounds was demanded. Writs of intrusion were issued against pei'sons of principal character who would not submit to such impositions, and their lands were patented to others.' (History of Connecticut, i. 373.) 2 /. e., Kiinberly's ; see page 94. "^ N. Y. Col. MSS., Albany : vol. xli. p. 36. 102 HARRISON'S PURCHASE. The inhabitants of Rye obtained no redress. For four years they enjoyed tlie happiness of belongincv once more to tlie ' land of steady habits.' And then in 1700, the king's order in Council placed them back within the jurisdiction they had renounced, ' forever thereafter to be and remain under the government of the Province of New York.' The people acquiesced in this decision ; and the following action of the town is the record of the last protest made against an unrighteous procedure to which they were obliged in the end to submit: — 'At a lawful towne meeting held in Rye, September the 29, 1701, Deliverance Krowne, senior, is chosen to goe down to New York to make the town's aggrievances knowne unto the Governor and Council, and alsoe to make inquiry concerning the Claim that John Harrison makes to our Lands, and to use what methods he shall see good for securing the towne's interest.' ^ ' At a lawful towne meeting held in Rye, February 1702-3, the towne hath by a major vote chosen Capt. Theale and George Lane, senior, and Isaac Denham, to forewarne any person or persons that shall lay out any Lands within the towne bounds without the towne's approbation or order: that is to say, within the township of Rye.' - The purchase was owned in common by the five patentees, who soon divided it up among themselves in equal shares.^ Harrison ^ Town and Proprietors' Meeting Book, No. C. p. 20. • 2 Ibid. p. 13. ^ The following- advertisement appeared in the New York Gazette and Weekly Mer- cury, Monday, March 18, 1771 : — ' If any Person has in liis keeping the Partition Deed that was made between the Patentees of Harrison's Purchasfi, in the County of Westchester, and will notify where he may be applied to, by a Letter to the Printer hereof, he will afford a great Pleasure to the Proprietors, and may expect a handsome Reward for his Trouble. The Patentees were Harrison, NicoUs, Haight, Wilson, and William Jamison. The Deed must have been made about the Year 1700, and is likely to be among some old Papers about Flushing, on Long Island.' The deed appears to have come to light hereupon with very little delay — an eai'ly proof of the advantage of newspaper advertisement — for on the twenty-eighth of June, 1771, the recovei'cd document was admitted to be recorded, and Ave have it in full in the Records of the town of Rye, vol. D. pp. 280-283. It sets forth that the tract of land in question was bought by John Harrison in 1695, with funds belonging to his four associates equally with himself, and that the purchase was made in their behalf also ' in a joint and equal right and interest, and not otherwise,' to be held by the fiA^e purchasers 'as tenants in common, without any right, claim or dcmaijd of survivor- ship by reason of joint tenancy upon the death of all or any of the said parties.' The deed is dated November 10, 1700, and is signed by W. Nicols, Ebenezer Wilson, David .Jamison, Samuel Haight, and -John Harrison. The following statement is prefixed to Harrison's signature : — 'This may satisfy whom it may concerne that I underwritten doth assign over all my right, title and interest of this deed to Major William Lawrence, his heii's and assigns forever; as witness my hand this twenty-third day of May, 1702. John Hakrison.' DIVISION OF THE PURCHASE. 103 sold his interest to William Lawrence in 1702; Nicols and Wilson probably parted with theirs soon after. The only one of the orig- inal ])atentees who retained his portion was Samuel Haight, the ancestor of a prominent flimily of the town, in whose possession it remained until a comparatively recent day. Samuel Haight, like Harrison himself and Lawrence, was a native of Flushing, Long Island. He belonged to the Society of Friends. Indeed, nearly all the settlers of this purchase came from Flushing and other towns of Long Island ;i and most of these were of the same religious persuasion.^ It appears to have been from the first a ' Quaker ' settlement, and from the fact that one of the original patentees was a leading member of that body, we are led to believe that such w^as designed to be the character of the enterprise from the first. A ' Friends' meeting house ' existed here as early as the year 1727. A few of the inhabitants of Rye bought lands in this sec- tion, but in no such numbers as removed to the White Plains and other purchases.'^ Brown's Point, now a part of the town of Harrison, but border- ing on White Plains, appears to have been held at first as a tract 1 ' John Harrisox, late of Flushing in Queen's County,' and ' Samuel Haight of Flushing-,' are thus named in the partition dc^d above referred to. In 1750, Samuel Harrison, supposed to be a brother of John, was living in the purchase. (Rye Records, C. 2.55.) William Lawrence, 'of Flushing,' is mentioned (Records, C- 118.) The following persons, who were early settlers in the purchase, are also known to have come from the same place: William Fowler (Records, B. 180, C. 45), William Marsh {Ibid. C. 118), William Thorxe (Ibid.), Henry Franklin (Ibid. C. 255, 261), Anthony Field (Bolton, History of Westchester Count]/, i. 259). Thomas Tredwell and John Thomas were from Hempstead, L. I. So, proba- bly, was Richard Seaman. (Rye Records, D. 148.) Thomas was the son of a missionary of the Church of England settled in that town. Samuel Cheeseman was from Oyster Bay [Ibid. C. 14), Thomas Carpenter, ' of the island of Nassau,' probably from the same town [Ibid. T). 149). - ' The Humble Petition of Samuel Haight, John Way and Robert Field on behalf of themselves and the rest of the Freeholders of Queen's County of the persuasion and profession of the people called Quakers,' was addressed to Governor Nanfan, of New York, October 3d, 1701. They complain that in a late election of representa- tives in Queen's County, they and others were interrupted of their right and priv- ilege of voting by the justices. (Documentari/ Ilistori/ of New York, vol. iii. 1007.) The Society of Friends had numerous adherents in the towns of Long Island. Lists given in the Documentary Histon/ of New York, vol. iii. pp. 1027-30, contain several of the names above given. Compare also Thompson's History of Long Island, vol. ii. p. 68, seq. ^ Roger Park, of Rye, had acquired lands in Harrison's Purchase, which are owned by some of the name at the present day, as early as 1740. (Records, C. 170.) Rev. James Wetmore owned a farm in the lower part of the purchase. William Horton owned lands on 'Brown's point,' near St. Mary's Pond, in 1757. (Ibid. D. 116, 178.) Gill)ert Bloomer owned in 1743 a farm which he then sold to Thomas Carpenter, situated wliere Mr. Charles Park has latelv bought. 104 HARRISON'S PURCHASE. distinct from either purchase. The principal proprietors in the lower part of this tract were Obadiah and David, sons of Joseph Purdy, who owned lands situated here at the time of his death in 1709. Home-lots of fifteen acres each were owned here in 1725, by John Haight, Caleb Hyat, Abraham Miller, Francis La Count, and others. In 1749, Daniel Cornell sold his house and 130 acres on Brown's Point 'near Mamaroneck River,' to Daniel Merritt. In 1739, Walter Williams sold eighty acres at the same place to Eliezur Yeomans. In 1752, David Purdy sold sixty-six acres ' on Brown's Point near the White Plains ' to Michael Chatterton ; bounded west by John Morton's mill-pond, and east by Mamaro- neck River. In 1757, William Hooker Smith, oldest son of the Rev. John Smith, of Rye, owned land on Brown's Point, and in 1769, Thomas Smith, his younger brother, bought a house and thirteen acres of land, besinnino- at the bridge across the Causewav Brook, and lying between the brook and the road to John Mor- ton's mill. Here, in a house which is still standing. Dr. Smith passed the last years of his life. Harrison's Purchase was first settled about the year 1724. The earliest transfers of land in this tract are of that date, and the first local officers for this part of the town were appointed then. We find Samuel Field chosen as ' surveyor for haryesns pattne ' in 1724, and ' sheep-master ' in 1725 ; and Roger Park, chosen as 'pounder' in 1729. Until the Revolution, the inhabitants of the purchase participated with those of Rye in the transaction of town btisiness, without any other distinction than that of having their own officers for the discharge of these local functions. In 1773 the board of supervisors for Westchester County refused to recognize a supervisor for Harrison, as distinct from the town of Rye.^ Har- rison also formed one of the six precincts of the parish of Rye, under the semi-ecclesiastical system of which we shall speak in an- other chapter. Elsewhere we shall also give an account of the Society of Friends in the purchase, and of various interesting oc- currences within this part of the town during the Revolution. It only remains for us to add here, that Harrison was organized as a separate township on the seventh of March, 1788. 1 Proceedings of the Board of Supei'visors of the County of Westchester for 1869; Appendix, pp. 9, 10. CHAPTER XIII. THE BOUNDARY DISPUTE. 1650-1870. mass: IT has been the fortune of the town of Rye to be con- cerned from the first in a bound- ary dispute which has been pronounced ' one of the most remarkable on record.' ^ This controversy has referred to the Hue separating the Dutch terri- tory of New Netherland, after- ward the British province of New York, from the colony of Connecticut. The differences that arose in this connection w^ere a fruitful source of un- easiness and strife to our inhab- itants for a period of seventy years and more. This prac- tical inconvenience ceased in the year 1731, when the line was at length virtually fixed where it is now considered to be. But, strictly speaking, the question is an open one even yet. Strange to say, after a lapse of two hundred years, the boundary between New York and Con- 1 Report of the Commissioners appointed to ascertain the Boundar}^ between the States of New York and Connecticut, April 9, 1856. Senate Document No. 165. Report of the Commissioners to ascertain and settle the Boundary Line between the States of New York and Connecticut. Transmitted to the Legislature February 8, 1861. Albany: 1861. From these two documents chiefly the account here given of the controversy has l)een prepared. I have availed myself particularly of the historical sketch pre- fixed to the report of 1856, using the language as well as the facts where conven- ient. Other authorities will be referred to. LONG ISLAND 106 THE BOUNDARY DISPUTE. iiecticut remains unsettled in 1870 ; nor is there any immediate prospect of its determination. Every school-boy has noticed the singular zigzag course of this boundary line, as it approaches the shore of the Sound. Instead of proceeding directly southward, in continuation of the line (K I) wliich forms the western boundary of Massachusetts, it diverges, at a distance of sixteen miles from the coast, to a southeasterly course, and runs for nearly seven miles in a straight line (I H) toward the Sound. Next, it strikes off at a right angle with this course, and runs for fifteen miles parallel with the Sound (H D) toward the Hudson River. At length it turns again to the southeast, and completes its way to the Sound (D C) in the same direction with the first deviating line. By this erratic course, five towns and part of a sixth, which would otherwise fall within the territory of New York, are cut off and inclosed within the limits of Connecticut. Greenwich, Stamford, Darien, New Canaan, Norwalk, and a part of Wilton, are the favored towns, while R,ye just falls short of being thus included with them in that goodly land. This peculiarity of our border — as noticeable as the famous ' Pan-handle ' of Virginia — has its explanation in the history of the boundary dispute. It is a memorial not only of long and angry controversies which have been waged with reference to this line, but of the ignorance and uncertainty which in early times prevailed regarding the o-eography of the country, and in a great measure oc- casioned the whole trouble. It reminds us how utterly in the dark, respecting the form and character of the land we inhabit, were those who laid claim to its possession but a couple of centuries ago. ' The sources and directions of the Nile or Niger,' it has been truly said, 'have not in the present century been more shrouded in mys- tery, or given rise to more absurd conjectures, than attached ' in those days ' to the St. Lawrence, the Connecticut, the Hudson, and the Delaware rivers.' The differences relative to this boundary question began, as we have said, in the times of the Dutch. We have already seen how conflicting were their claims and those of the neighboring English. Massachusetts and Connecticut professed a right to the whole ter- ritory beyond them, westward to the Pacific Ocean. Holland ad- vanced a counter claim to the domain of the colonies, eastward to the Connecticut River, if not to Cape Cod. The first proposal to adjust these differences came from Peter Stuyvesant, in the year 1650. His conference with the Eno;lish at Hartford resulted in an agreement on various matters in dispute, one of which was DIFFERENCES IVITH THE DUTCH. 107 the vexed question of the boundary. It was resolved tliat the hue should ' begin at the west side of Greenwich bay, being about four miles from Stamford, and so run a northerly line twenty miles up into the country, and after as it shall be agreed by the two govern- ments of the Dutch and of New Haven, provided the said line come not within ten miles of Hudson river.' This agreement, which seems to have been entered into by the Dutch in perfect good faith, never acquired the force of law, as it was not sanctioned by the governments at home. The English practically disregarded it in their subsequent steps to plant settle- ments along the coast, even beyond the specified line. A second conference took place thirteen years after, on the thirteenth of October, 1663. The correspondence on this subject, preserved in the archives at Hartford, is very curious. The proposition made by Connecticut ' to the AjTents of the Dutch Governor that came from the Man- hadoes ' was, among other things, ' That West Cliester and all y*^ people and lands Between that & Stamford shall belong to this Colony of Connecticutt till it be other wise issued.' Governor Stuyvesant's agents refused this proposal, but made another, as fol- lows : ' Westchester with the land & people to Stamford shall Abide under the Government of Connectecute tell the tyme that the bounds and limits betwixt the Abovesaid Collonij and the pro- vince of new Netherlands shall be Determined heare [by our mu- tual Accord or by persons mutually chosen, margin] or by his Royal Majesty of england and the high and mighty lords the estates of the vnited provinces.' ^ The Dutch, however, soon vanished from the scene; and now began a conflict of claims amono; the Eno-lish themselves. On the twenty-third of April, 1662, King Charles II. by that famous char- ter, afterward so remarkably preserved, granted to the colony of Connecticut a territory described as follows : — ' All that part of our dominion in America bounded on the east by Narraganset River, commonly called Naragonsit Bay, where the said river falleth into the sea, and on the north by the line of the Massachu- setts plantation, and on the south by the sea ; and in longitude as the line of the Massachusetts colony, running from east to west; that is to say, from the said Narraganset Bay on the east to the South Sea on the west part ; with the islands thereto adjoining, ' etc. This grant not only covered the territory formerly in dispute with the Dutch, but included also the greater part of that claimed 1 Colonial Boxxndaries Hartford (MS.), vol. ii. doc. 4. 108 THE BOUNDARY DISPUTE. by the Dutch on the Hudson River, leaving them only a few miles at the mouth of that stream. The remainder of the Dutch territory King Charles conveyed to his brother the Duke of York and Albany, on the twenty-fourth of March, 1663. The charter setting forth this conveyance gives him that part of the continent east of Massachusetts now comprised in the province of New Brunswick and the State of Maine, — with some variations of the boundaries, — and also the whole of Long Island, ' together with all the river called Hudson river, and the land from the west side of the Connecticut river to the east side of Delaware bay.' Comparing the two charters with the map of the country before us, we perceive at once that the king bestowed upon his brother not only the lands held and occupied by the Dutch, to which he had no shadow of a claim, but also the greater part of what by a solemn charter he had only a few months before granted and guar- anteed to the colony of Connecticut ! The Duke of York at once prepared to take possession of his royal brother's magnificent gift ; and for that purpose sent out an armed force under the command of Colonel Richard Nicolls, to whom the city of New Amsterdam was surrendered on the seventh of September, 1664. The whole of New Netherland became sub- ject to his government on the twelfth of the next month. The administration of the province devolved upon Colonel Nicolls, who also held in conjunction with three officers under his command the power to settle questions respecting the contested boundaries of the patent. Though the charter of Connecticut was of earlier execution, and consequently of greater authority than the patent to the Duke of York, the inhabitants of that colony naturally felt considerable alarm at his Majesty's disregard of their rights, and in view of the advent of so powerful a claimant to their lands. Accordingly the General Assembly of the colony' hastened to appoint delegates to accompany their governor to New York, for the purpose of con- gratulating the duke's commissioners, and settling the boundary with them. On the twenty-eighth of October, 1664, these delegates met the commissioners, and without any difficulty agreed upon a settlement of the boundary between the province and the colony. It was un- derstood that the limit should be fixed at a distance of twenty miles east of the Hudson River, running parallel Avith that stream north- ward from Long Island Sound. An agreement to this effijct was A BLIND TREATY. 109 written out, but did not receive the signatures of the parties. The treaty actually signed a few weeks later, described an entirely dif- ferent line. According to this, it was ordered and declared ' that y*" Creeke or ryver called Momoronock w*^"* is reported to be about thirteen myles to y* East of West Chester and a lyne drawne from y* East point or Syde where y" fresh water falls into y" Salt, at high water marke North North west to y* line of y^ Massachusetts, be Y* westerne bounds of y" said Colony of Connecticutt.' Little did the commissioners who agreed to this arrangement imagine whitlier a boundary thus projected would carry them. Manifestly, they supposed that a line drawn in a direction north- northwest from the mouth of Mamaroneck River, which was said to be about twenty miles east of the Hudson, would continue at tiie same distance from the river till it should reach the Massachusetts border. So far from this, however, a look at the map will show that such a line (A B) must intersect the Hudson near West Point, and even cut off a large tract of land on the other side of that river, be- fore reaching the southern boundary of Massachusetts, which at that time it was claimed ran across the continent to the sea ! Whether it was the design of the delegates from Connecticut to mislead in this matter or not, they certainly made the most of their advantao-e, and soon extended their settlements to the banks of the Hudson. The people of Rye were particularly interested in this construc- tion of the comj)act. Their town liad been organized under the jurisdiction of Connecticut ; and as the remotest settlement of that colony, its territory would of course reach to the extreme western boundary, wherever that might be fixed. A survey made about the year 1680 showed the inhabitants what a wide extent of coun- try they could now legally claim. It appears that they actually tried to enforce this claim. Some inhabitants of Rye — who they were we do not know — attempted about this time to occupy and settle the lands along the Hudson, which fell within the line traced from tlie mouth of Mamaroneck River. Meeting with opposition in this attempt, they complain to the legislature of Connecticut, who gravely present the matter to the governor of New York as a grievance that requires redress. The letter stating these facts is dated Hartford, May 11, 1682. ' May it please your Hon'' ', write the magistrates, ' We your friends and neighbours the Governor and General Assembly of his Majesty's Colony of Connecticut ' having ' at our present session had information and complaint made unto us that sundry persons under your jurisdiction, and particularly Mr. Frederick Phillips, 110 THE BOUNDARY DISPUTE. have erected, and lately and are erectino- certain niills and other edifices, and makino- improvements of" land, within the limits of" the township of Rye, and in the bounds of this his Majesty's Colony of Connecticut, near unto Hudson's river, alleging to such as have questioned with them thereabout, that they do it in virtue of a patent or patents- or other allowances, from the Governor of his Hiohuess ' Territory of Xew York. And not only so, but some of the said imjirovers do give out threatening speeches, that if any of our Colony's cattle shall come there, that they will not suffer our people peaceably to have tliem away ; aiul also that others of your jurisdiction are purchasing or have purchased large tracts of land on the east side of Hudson's River, within our limits, from the In- dians, in order to planting there.' The magistrates remind his honor of the terms of settlement in 1664, and inclose a co])y of the agreement, which they would not doubt he will desire to hold, as they do, inviolable. Connecticut, however, was not really prepared to insist on the advanta'Te given her by the careless wording of a hastily written treaty. On the arrival of a new governor in New York in the following year, delegates were sent from Hartford to congratulate him and assure liim of the friendly disposition of the colony. They were empowered at the same time to treat with him for a new set- tlement of the bounds upon the best terms to be obtained. An agreement was soon reached. On the twenty-fourth of Novem- ber, 1683, the articles were concluded between Governor Dongari. and Council and the governor and delegates of Connecticut, by which the dividing line of their respective territories was placed very nearly where it has remained ever since. It was agreed on both sides that the line should run as originally intended, about twenty miles east of the Hudson River. But it became evident that to follow this measurement rigidly would be to inflict a serious injury upon Connecticut. Under the terms of her charter, she had long before planted several towns beyond the limits thus defined. It was therefore conceded that these five towns should remain a part of Connecticut ; the boundary being so traced as to exclude them from the province of New York, though by so doing it must be made to approach considerably nearer to the Hud- son than the distance agreed upon for its general course. Indeed the nearest of these towns — Greenwich — is actually within eight miles of tiie Hudson, at its northwestern corner. As an offset, however, to the tract thus surrendered (C D O N), New York was to gain an ' equivalent tract' from Connecticut. A strip of land RYE EXCLUDED. Ill along the boundary, north of" the excepted towns, was to be meas- ured off', just wide enough to embrace as many acres — 61,440 — as they contained ; and this tract (E C K H), lying beyond the required distance of twenty miles, was to belong to New York. It measured two miles in width and over fifty miles in length, and was afterwards known very apj)ropriately as ' The Oblong.' And thus the zigzag course of our frontier line is explained. In pursuance, then, of this agreement, the boundaiy was to be- gin at the mouth of Byram River, a small stream dividing the towns of Rye and Greenwich, at a point about thirty miles from the city of New York. This river was to be followed as far as the head of tide water, or about a mile and a half from the Sound, to a certain ' wading-place,' where the common road crossed the stream. Here a rock known as ' the Great Stone at the Wading Place,' was to be a boundary mark. From this point the line was to run north- northwest till it should reach a point eight miles from the Sound. A line twelve miles in length was then to be measured, running eastward, parallel to the general course of the Sound. From its termination, another line of eight miles was to be traced, again running north-northwest. Thence, and for the remainder of its course, the boundary was to run parallel to the Hudson River, in a northerly direction to the Massachusetts hue, at a distance of twenty miles, besides the equivalent tract. DISSATISFACTION AT RYE. This arrangement was of course highly pleasing to the towns that found themselves comprehended within the limits of the col- onv to which they had hitherto been attached, and toward which all their sympathies inclined. But Rye and Bedford were as heartily attached to Connecticut as any of these ; and it was with deep sorrow that they saw themselves shut out from their sister plantations. The government of Connecticut seem to have an- ticipated some dissatisfaction from this quarter. On their return from the conference in New York about the boundary, the governor and his assistants wrote to the selectmen of Rye, acquainting them with the residts of the conference. ' Fairfield, December 3, 1G83. 'Loving Friends, — We had purposed in our passage to York to have called upon you, but the badness of the weather, and taking our passage by water, we missed the opportunity of seeing you in our going thither and in our return. And therefore we take this first opportunity to acquaint you that altho' we were loath to have parted with you, and 112 THE BOUNDARY DISPUTE. would have been glad to have continued you in this government, yet the providence of God hath so disposed, that by our agi-eement with Governor Dongan we were forced to part with you, and could not help it By the agreement with the Governor Dongan, the west bounds of our Colony is now Byram river ; and it runs as the river till it comes to the road, and from thence it runs north-northwest till it hath run eight miles from the east point of said Byram River. Gentle- men, we do request you to be satisfied and content with this change, and to carry it suitably to the Government inider which you are now stated, and apply yourselves to the honourable Governor, who is a noble gentleman, and will do what you shall desire in a regular manner to promote your welfare. Which with best respects is all the needful from your assured friends, Robert Treat, Governor. ' These for Lt. Joseph Ilorton Nathan Gold, the selectmen of the town of Rye. John Allyn, Assistants.' It must liave been a stirring time at Rye when this letter, con- veying perhaps the first intimation of the accomplisliecl change, was read in ' town meeting.' Hard things were doubtless said of their Connecticut friends, who so readily consented to part with tliem ; and harder yet of their undesired lieges at New York. Some earnest remonstrances too were not improbably sent up to tlie Gen- eral Court. But the course of matters could not be arrested now. On the eighth of May in tlie following year, the legislature of Con- necticut formally approved of tlie agreement made by the commis- sioners ; and in accordance with its terms appointed a surveyor and certain others to attend to tlie laying out of the line. These, with Governor Dongan's officers, met at Stamford in the following Oc- tober, and ])erformed their duties, ascertaining the amount of land conceded to Connecticut, as nearer than twenty miles to the Hud- son River. Their survey terminated, however, with the line drawn parallel to the Sound as far as a point twenty miles from the river. Beyond this, they simply indicated what they supposed would be the extent of the oblong to be laid out as an ' equivalent tract.' The ])eoj)le of Rye were soon sternly summoned to make submis- sion to their new masters. We have a proclamation from Gov- ernor Dongan which implies that "they had shown some reluctance to do this. Its tone certainly was not calculated to conciliate them, nor to justify the good opinion wliicli the magistrates had expressed of this ' noble gentleman.' ' Whereas I am given to understand that the inhabitants of Rye and Bedford are possessed of certain lands of which they seem to have no RYE REVOLTS. IIP, right and legal title, these are therefore to authorize and empower j-ou to warn all the inhabitants of Rye and Bedford aforesaid to be and appear before me and the Council on the second [or] third day in Oc- tober next ensuing the date hereof, to show what right and title they have to their rights and possessions ; otherwise to be proceeded against according to law. And you are to make return thereof to me, and for so doing this shall be your warrant. ' Given &c., this fourth day of June, 1G85. ' ThO : DONGAN. 'To Benj. Collier, High Sheriff for the County of Westchester.' This summons was not obeyed. The people doubtless felt that it was a grievous wi'ong to question the validity of their claims to the lands they held. These had been acquired in a manner rec- ognized by the Connecticut laws as valid and sufficient, — by pur- chase from the Indians and actual possession. Tliey iiad held them for a quarter of a century under the Hartford government. It was manifestly unjust that they should be required to seek a new title to them, risking their' forfeiture, and submitting to fresh expense and trouble. The magistrates of Connecticut had been especially careful to secure the relinquished towns in their former rights. The delegates who treated with Governor Dongan relative to the boundary, were instructed, ' If you grant any part of the lands within any of the townships of the Colony, you are to en- deavour to preserve tliose lands to the gown's proprieties, thouo-h as to jurisdiction they belong to his Highness.' There was there- fore at least a tacit understanding that the rights of the inhabitants should be recognized under the one government as they had been under the other. ^ RYE REVOLTS. But besides, in tlieir unwillingness to submit to the new order of things, the inliabitants took courage from the fact that the agree- ment by which they were set off to Now York did not receive the sanction of the authorities at home. And for want of this ratifica- tion, the towns of Rye and Bedford now boldly declared the ar- rangement to be null and void, and asserted their independence of New York and allegiance to Connecticut. In this position, they were not, of course, without the sympathy, and quite probably the secret countenance of Connecticut, whose magistrates doubtless 1 The state of perplexity in which the minds of men were kept about this time, is illustrated by the language of a deed given 1682 by John Budd of Southold, ' in the limits of New York in New England.' Book B., County Reeoi-d.s, p. 156. 114 THE BOUNDARY DISPUTE. lioped that they might yet retain these unwillingly ceded towns. For ten years disaffection had smouldered ; the authority of the province was practically ignored ; taxes were paid but irregularly to either government ; and whenever possible, matters in contro- versy were carried up to Hartford, and Hartford magistrates came down to perform their functions at Rye. These were troublous times in the town. Feuds and dissensions among themselves added to the perplexity of the inhabitants. Some of them, it would appear, sided with the province in the controversy ; and hence doubtless some of the actions for defamation and other proofs of disturbance which we find on record about this time. At length, the circumstance which has been stated in a previous chapter, led to the breaking forth of this spirit of discontent into actual rebel- lion. In 1695, John Harrison, of Flushing, on Long Island, ap- plied to the governor of New York for a patent of lands which he had purchased from an Indian who claimed to be their proprietor. These lands were a part of the town of Rye, and had been pur- chased long before by some of its proprietors. Governor Fletcher granted them to Harrison and his associates, wholly setting at nouo'ht the just claims of the people of Rye. Upon this added crrievance, they revolted. On the nineteenth of January, 1697, Rye, with Bedford, applied to the General Court of Connecticut to be taken back under its care, and was received.^ The Governor and Council lost no time in acquainting the gov- ernment of New York with their action. On the same day that Rve and Bedford were received, they wrote to Colonel Fletcher, giving the reast)ns for their procedure,^ and closing with the exj)res- sion of a benignant hope that his excellency ' will manifest such a compliance with his Maiesties dispose in the premises, as shall be 1 See note at the end of this chapter. 2 The letter is dated Hartford, January 19, 1696-7. ' The inhabitants of Rie and of the phintation of Bedford applying themselves to us by their Messengers and asserting that their respective towneships are included within the Limits of our Char- ter and earnestly desiring that they may inioy the priviledges and protection of our Charter Governm' We being sensible of our obligation to preserve the extent of our Charter Governmt according to the Grant of his late Males''* Charles the Second and to protect all the kings subiccts that lie within our limits by the due administra- tion of Justice to them according to our Established laws, and finding upon Serious Consideration tliat both by the terms of our Charter and also by the act of liis said M'^'^ Comissioners . . .a North North line from Momoronock Kiver . . . should be the dividing line between the province of New York, and this Colonic .... and there doth not appear anything that doth vacate the said act of his said Majesties Comissioners .... doe therefore see Cause to own the iiihabitants of the said town to be his maiesties Subiects under the gover'"' of our Corporation.' AN AI^VIED mVASION. 115 consistent with tlie preservation of tlie peace and properties of his maiesties cjood subiects.' j It does not appear tliat Governor Fletcher made any replv to this communication. Doubtless he waited for instructions from England. But meanwhile an event occurred Avhicli i)recii)itated his action. The eighth of April, 1697, Avas a memorable day at Rye. Mr. Benjamin Collier, high sheriff of the county, liad come to the town, to superintend a meeting for the choice of a member of Assembly. Notice had been duly given to the freeholders of such election, under a writ from the Council at New York. The meeting was to be held ' in the heart of the town, in the place where thev usu- ally tiaine.' But to the sheriff's vexation, 'after all the pains he has taken to warne them,' not nioi'e than sixteen or seventeen men make their appearance. The meeting however is opened, the clerk of the county in person reading the king's writ, which he does without much interruption ; when ' up comes Major Sellick of Standford with about fifty Dragones whom he called his life ijuard, with their arms presented, and demanded my business,' relates the sheriff. ' Whereupon I replied. By virtue of his Majesty's writ I came there ; and gave the writ to the Clerk again, who read it in person to the said Major Sellick and his life guard as he called them. For the writ being fully executed and the choice made, Major Sellick fell into hard words, and said he came there to pro- tect the Inhabitants of Rye under their government of Connecti- cut ; the which I denied, and said was within my Bailywick. But after much banter he invited us into a house and withdrew himself from his Company, and did acknowledge his Excellency to be their Captain General ; and so I left him.' ^ Major Sellick's raid, however, caused great excitement at the seat of government. The Assembly of the province being in ses- sion at Albany, the governor addresses them in a message, appris- ing them of the defection of Rye and Bedford, and announcing the fact of an armed invasion at the former place. On the fourteenth inst., only six days after the occurrence, the representatives replv. They ' conceive that the late appearance of Major Sellick with a Troop of Dragoons armed to disturb the Sheriff in the execution of His Majesty's writ for the election of a member of Assembly, and to the terror of His Majesty's subjects there assembled for the service at the said town,' is ' a forcible invasion of His Majesty's 1 Letter of Bciijaiiiin Collier, High Sheriff of Westchester County: New Yoi'k Colony MSS., xli. 56. 116 THE BOUNDARY DISPUTE. riglit and dominion of this His Majesty's Province.' They are ' hnnibly of opinion, that the inhabitants of the said towns of Rye and Bedford ought not to continue in their defection, without in- curring the Pains and Penalties established by law upon such as rebel against His Majesty's Government.' They therefore petition the governor to ' address his proclamation requiring the inhabitants of the said towns to return unto their faith and allegiance at a cei'- tain day ; and assure them of His Majesty's grace and pardon upon that condition, — otherwise that they may be proceeded against as the law directs.' They would also have his excellency to repre- sent unto the government of Connecticut 'the great evil they commit by protecting such of His Majesty's subjects that have revolted ; ' how they have thereby ' lessened the strength of His Majesty's government here — being a frontier province — and by that means given great advantage to His Majesty's declared ene- mies the French. And if they have any right or claim in the law to those towns of Rye and Bedfoid, that they may api)ly unto His Majesty, who is the sole Judge of extent and limits of his domin- ions in America, and submit the same unto his royal determina- tion ; and not by force of arms enter upon His Majesty's Domin- ions, to the evil example of those disaffected to His Majesty's govei'nment, and the disuniting of strength of His Majesty's sub- jects, now necessary to be employed against His Majesty's enemies the French.' Governor Fletcher issued his proclamation in all haste, on the next day, requiring the towns to return to their allegiance ;i and 1 One of the original handbills is preserved in the State Library at Hartford, — the only copy known to exist. It reads as follows : — ' By His Excellency ' Collonel Benjamin Fletcher Captain General and Governor in Chief of His Majellie's Pi'ovince of New York &c. ' A PROCLAMATION ' Whereas sundry of the Inhabitants of the Towns of Rye and Bedford in the County of Westchester, in the Province of A^ezu York, have made Defeflion from their Alle- giance to His moft Excellent Majelty, in the Government of this Province (to evade the paying of their Taxes and Arrearages) and have applyed themfelves to the Gov- ernment of CojiJtecticut Collony for Protection. By which means the strength of the Province is much leffened, the Peace and Safety of His Majellies good Government difturbed, the Fronteers weakened, and great Advantages given to the common Enemy, the French of Canada, in this time of actual War. And the said Persons have thereby incurr'd the Penalty of the Law. ' It being Resolved, by Advice of His Majefties Council and Reprefentatives of this Province convened in Gen'l Affembly, to Reduce the said Lihabitants, who have made this Defection to their Duty. Neverthelefs I have, by and with the advice and consent of His Majefties Council of this Province, publilhed this my Proclamation RECRIMINATIONS. 117 sliortly after addressed his complaints to Connecticut.^ That col- ony replied ])i'oniptly, disclaiming any intention to use violent measures, but referrincr the whole matter to the kincr, who, they declared, had never annexed those towns to New York.^ May 10th, New York retorts, treating the reasons of Connecticut as mere subterfuges, and. complaining that she makes a disturl)ance in time of war, assuring her at the same time that New York will use all lawful means to reduce these people to obedience. ^ May 19th, Connecticut rejoins. Her Governor and Assembly consider the arguments of New York weak and unsatisfactory, and are therefore determined to protect these people.* May 31st, Gov- ernor Fletcher and his Council find 'just fault ' with Connecticut ' for using such a style,' and declare that Connecticut gave up these towns by arrangement in 1683, and made no claim to them for twelve years or more. New York is therefore determined to pur- sue her duty.^ Here the correspondence rests, in consequence of the recall of Governor Fletcher to England. In A]u-il of the next year his successor Lord Bellomont arrives, and Connecticut sends a dele- gation to congratulate him. Lord Bellomont soon writes, express- ing his thanks and good-will tow^ard the colony, but denying their reasons for countenancing the towns of Rye and Bedford in their revolt. He also incloses a letter from the Lords Commissioners of Trade on the subject.^ In reply, the government of Connecti- cut profess the kindest and most friendly feelings toward his ex- cellency, but cannot answer concerning these towns until Governor Winthrop shall return from England.' Nearly two years more elapsed before this controversy was ended and I do hereby require the Inhabitants of the Town of Rye and Bedford in the said County, to return unto tlae Faith and Allegiance &c. ' Given at Fort William Henry the 15th day of April, Annoque Domini 1697. ' God save the King.' 1 Colonial Boundaries (MS.) Hartford, vol. ii. doe. 142. The governor ignores the real grievances of the town of Rye, and lays their defection to the desire to escape the payment of taxes. ' Their remissness and neglect in the paym' of their taxes of late has made the arrearages amount to a considerable sume much wanted to answer the security of the frontiers (which is a defence to your collony) and to pay the soldiers there to avoid which pay' they have made application to you for protection,' etc. 2 Ihid. doc. 144. ^ Ihid. 145. * Ibid. 146. 'Our design is not (neither will it end in) any weakening of your province or withholding any arrearages of taxes that may be due from that small peo- ple ; but it is the protection of the king's people committed to our charge.' * Ihid. doe. 147. ^ Ibid. doc. 148 ^ Ibid. doc. 149. 118 Tin-: r.oiJNDAUY dispute. by the royal decree. On tlie twenty-ninth of March, 1700, King Wilhatn III. approved and confirmed the agreement of 1G83 and 1684, whereby Rye and Bedford were included in New York. And on the tenth day of October following, the General Court at Hartford released Bedford and Rje from all allegiance.^ Their revolt therefore had lasted nearly four years. At Rye, matters had gone on meanwhile pretty smoothly, the inhabitants holding their town meetings as usual, choosing their officers, and attending to the division and improvement of lands. Good Deliv- erance Brown, with Captain Joseph Thcall, had been their justices before the separation, and retained their office for years after. They with the constables, Robert Bloomer and Caleb Ilyat, and the townsmen, at the head of whom was Hachaliah Thrown, kept good order in the little settlement. Mr. Nathaniel l^owers was the worthy pastor of the parish during this period ; at the close of which, however, j^erhaps unwilling to leave the colony of Con- necticut, he accepted a call to Greenwich. It was during these years that the inhabitants showed a greater diligence in tlieir ecclesiastical matters. Now they appoint committees for carrying on the work of building a 'meeting house — thirty feet square' and 'a towne house for the use of the ministry — to be thirtv foot in length, and twenty foot in breadth, and two-story in height, and a lean-to joining to it.' Now also they choose men to lay out land for a ' parsonage, not exceeding forty acres, and so to remain a parsonage,' or glebe. The rates are gathered for the salary of the pastor, and an outstanding debt to the former minister, Mr. Wood- bridge, is settled, without a trial at law, of which there has been some prospect. Altogether, the town presents during this space of time the aspect of a well-ordered New England village, and so would have continued to do doubtless, could the ])eople have had their way. Nevertlieless, it appears that they yielded without denuir to the final decision of their case by ' the Crown.' So testifies Deliver- ance Brown, who has occasion very soon to ])etition the governor in their behalf for relief from oppressive taxation. His 'humble petition in the behalf of the inhabitants of the Town of Rye in the 1 PuhUc Records of Connecticut, vol. iv. p. 3.3.5. October, 1700. ' This Assembly re- ceiving an ex))rcssc from his Majestic that the line between New York Province and this Colonic be as the settlement or concession by onr commissioners made November the 23, 1683, doc order tliat a signification thereof be sent to the inhabitants of Rye and Bedford, signed by the Secretary, that they are freed from duty to tin's govern- ment, and tliat tiiey are under the government of New York.' A BORDER FRAY IN 1718. 110 County of Westchester in tliis Province," is dated New York, De- cember the lOtli, 1701. The worthy justice had come to town upon a dithcult errand. 'At a hiwt'ul town meeting held in Rye. September the '20th, 1701,' he was chosen ' to goe down to New York to make the town's aggrievances known unto the Governor and Council : and also to make Inquiry concerning the Claim that John Plarrison makes to our Lands, and to use what methods he shall see good for securing the town's interests.' ^ Poor success seems to have attended the latter part of this mission, as we have seen in the matter of Harrison's Purchase. The other ' grievance ' he thus relates: 'The Justices of the Peace of the County of Westchester have lately sent their orders to y*" said Town for the assessing and levying severall Taxes laid on the Inhabitants of this Province during the time of the unhappy Separation of the said Town from this Province: the whicli amount to considerable sums of money.' The inhabitants therefore ordered him to lay before their honors the following statement : ' That upon the first notice of His Majesty re-annexing them to this province they did heartily and readily return under the Government thereof, and are resolved with their lives and fortunes to serve His Majesty in the same. But so it is, that the Justices of the Peace of the County of West- chester, none whereof belong to the Town of Rye, have from time to time during the said separation been very partial in assessing the quotas of the town ; when at the same time their representa- tives in General Assembly had the quotas of the County often les- sened by reason of the separation aforesaid, and so had a benefit thereby, and another by levying such a part as they pleased on the town. Your petitioner,' he continues, ' is also instructed to acquaint your Honours, that the Inhabitants of the Town of Rye as good and liege subjects to y" Kings Majesty, are willing and ready as much as lyes in their power to ]iay all such rates, taxes and other charges imposed by the l^aws of this Government, as shall appear to be their just due.' He ends by asking that the assessing and levying of the taxes may not be insisted on until a more equal apportionment shall be made ; and promises that then the quota shall be collected ami ])aid with all exjx'dition.^ A BORDER FRAY IN 1718. No further claim ui)on the territory of Rye was made by Con- necticut, nor do the people appear to have renewed their attempt 1 Town ArectiiifrBook, Xo. C. p. 20. - New York Colonial MSS., vol. xlv. p. 38. 1-0 TIffi BOUNDARY DISPUTE. to join that colony. Yet for thirty years more, till the comple- tion of the boundary survey in 1731, there was an unsettled feeling among them relative to their jiolitical state. Some petty annoy- ances resulted from this condition of things, an instance of which occurred in 1718. Samuel Mills, the constable of Greenwich, went to the house of one of the inhabitants of Rye, living close upon the Connecticut line, and demanded of him the rates due to the minis- ter of the parish of Horseneck. Upon his refusal, the constable and his assistant 'took him into safe custody, and put him under keepers, in order to be committed to gaol, there to lye, till said Rates and charges were paid.' Elated by success, the constable was pro- ceeding to the neighbors' houses on the same errand, when, as he relates, ' There did meet us one John Clap, Elias Clap, Benjamin Clap, and Thomas Sutton, all with clubs in their hands ; . . . . and John Clap asked me where I was agoing ; and I said. To your house and your neighbours' houses ; and he and the other three run across the lots to his house and shut to the doors, and told me if I came in they would knock me in the head; and then I went from them, and was coming home, about a quarter of a mile from the Colony line and within the township of Greenwich ; and there came up to me Adam Ireland, Thomas Sutton, John Clap, Elias Clap, Benjamin Clap, all of the Government of Connecticut, and Thomas Daniels, now of Rye, late of Connecticut, William Fowler, and Strange and Green, all of Rye, near neighbours to said Daniels, with sundry others ; and said Ireland asked. Where is the constable of Greenwich ? and said he had a warrant to take me prisoner. Then the said company soon laid hands upon the deponent, and by force and violence pulled him off' from his horse, threw away his constable's staff, and carried him and the collector before Justice Budd of Rye, and there were obliged to give bond of three hundi'ed pounds, for their appearance at the Court to be held at Westchester on the first Tuesday of June next.' Evidently constable Mills was somewhat astray as to the limits of his jurisdiction. He represents the families whom he visited as ' living west of the west bounds of the township of Greenwich, and east of the dividing line between this government and the govern- ment of New York.' This very confused idea of the metes and bounds of tlie two territories was probably shared by many. The fact is that there had long been [)ending between Rye and Green- wich a boundary question upon a small scale, like that waged by the two governments to which they belonged. Their respective limits were very indefinitely traced as yet. Tlie early records of BOUNDARY BETWEEN RYE AND GREENWICH. 121 our town show this. Thus at a town meeting liehl April 1, 1699, u committee was appointed 'to agree with Greenwich men to run thi' ])reamhU' Hne.' At a similar meeting lield November 1, 1707, Tiiomas Merrit, DeHverance Brown, senior, and Robert Bloomer were chosen a committee to agree with Greenwicli men to settle and run the line between the town of Greenwich and the town of Rve.i In 1722 the inhal)itants of Rye near Byram River again complain that they are assessed by the government of Connecticut ; some of them, who have not given in an estimate of their estates, have been assessed four times the value of the lands ; others have been imprisoned, and have had their goods distrained.^ In May, 1717, the inhabitants of Rye petitioned the General Court at Hartford to appoint persons to settle the disputed bound- ary between their town and Greenwich.^ The court summoned the inhabitants of Greenwich to attend their next session, and ' sho-sv reason why the petition of Rye shall not be granted.' ■* At that session the following action took place : ' Upon the Petition of the town of Rye contra the town of Greenwich, Resolved by this Assembly that the bound between them is already well settled, and that a parralell line with the line dividing between Stanford and Greenwich beginning a quarter of a mile above the great stone lying in the path by Byram river according to their Pattents given in 1696 and in 1697 and by each party rested in to this time shall remain to be construed and understood to be a good and sufficient Partition of the Cofiion Lands mentioned in the return of the Comittee in 1673.' ^ Not even this decision, however, seems to have terminated the dispute. But the constable's mistake, though not unnatural, caused a deal of trouble. Another mimic war had been enacted in our little town of Rve, and the report thei'eof spread alarm and indignation, reaching even to the In'gh powers at Fort William. Thomas Daniels of the tow^i of Rye hastens to New York and there makes his deposition before the worshipful Council. Governor Hunter lost no time in transmitting to Connecticut a copy of these complaints from Rye. In his letter to Governor Saltonstall, he expresses his hope that there has been some mistake in the matter, as otherwise he must regard it as ' the most extraor- 1 Town Meeting Book, No. C. p. 4 ; No. G. p. 23. Records of Town Meetings, p. 33. 2 Colonial Boundaries (MS.) Hartfoi'd, vol. ii. doc. 155. '^ Petition of Rye about the line, May, 1717 ; Towns and Lands (MS.) Hartford, vol. iii. doe. 106. * Towns and Lands (MS.) Hartford, vol. iii. doc. 108. 6 Ibid, doc, 109. 122 THE BOUNDARY DISPUTE. dinary method of procedure in disputes about boundaries between two provinces under the same Sovereign, that has been hitlierto known. ' You see,' he adds, ' the necessity of your having a law passed previous to the running the line, in your Colony as has been done in this, declaring the line wdiich shall be so run to be forever here- after the true division line betwixt the two. The minute that is done, I shall appoint Commissaries and Surveyors who shall in conjunction with such as you shall appoint, forthwith set about it to prevent all future disputes. We have hitherto,' concludes the good-natured governor, 'at least during my time, lived together in good and friendly correspondence, and I hope nothing can inter- vene that shall be able to break it off.' ^ This episode at Rye may have had some effect in hastening the movement for the settling of the boundary line. In October of the same year, 1718, commissioners appointed by the two gov- ernments met at Rye, but failed to agree upon a method of ])roce- dure. The commissioners from New^ York refused to o;o on, be- cause those from Connecticut were not empowered to complete the line, and bind their government to its adoption. In 1719, Connecticut appointed new commissioners with larger jiowers ; but still without pledging itself that the survey should be final. New York, meanwhile, without taking any notice of this action, passed what was termed ' a probationary act.' It provided for the ap- pointment of commissioners on the part of that province, in con- junction with others from Connecticut. These were to run all the lines in accordance with the agreement and survey of 1683 and 1684. But if no commissioners should be sent from Connecticut duly empowered, those from New York w^ere authorized to go on alone, taking every precaution to do justice to both provinces, and to conform to the agreement and former survey ; and the line so run was to remain forever as the boundary. This act was made conditional on the royal approbation. Four years elapsed before this proposition was responded to. At length, in October 1723, the General Assembly of Connecticut appointed commissioners with full powers, as requested by New York. A meeting was arranged to be held at Rye on the fourth of February, 1724. But tedious negotiations followed, and it was 1 New York Colonial MSS. (Albany), vol. Ixi. doc. 11. A few cbws after, he writes to ask of Governor Saltonstall a true statement of the matter, adding, ' I have no great faith in the representations of these men.' Colonial Boundaries (MS.) Hart- ford, vol. iii. doc. 154. MEETING OF COIVEVIISSIONERS AT RYE. 123 not till April, 1725, that the commissioners met here. Their first business was to agree upon the mode in which the survey should be made. This accomplished, they entered upon tlieir work, start- ing at 'the great stone at the wading-place' which had been des- ignated as the point of beginning, forty-one years before. Their survey was extended as far as that of 1684, to 'the Duke's trees,' at the northwest angle of the town of Greenwich, Avhere three white oak trees liad been marked as the termination of the former survey. Here the work was suspended for want of funds ; and it was not resumed until the spring of 1731. The survey was then completed to the Massachusetts line; the 'equivalent tract ' or ' Oblong ' was measured, and set oflp to New York ; and the line dividing the province of New York from the colony of Connecticut was designated by monuments at intervals of two miles. This survey was ratified by both governments, and terminated all local differences and contentions respecting the boundary. The town of Rye especially felt the benefit of the decision. During much of the time that this controAcrsy had been waging, it was even doubtful to which territory the town belonged. And to the very last, its eastern limits remained uncertain, to the great annoy- ance and perplexity of the increasing population in that quarter. In 1729 the town appointed a committee ' to meet Greenwich men concerning running the preamble line between Rve and Greenwich, and to act in that matter to the best of their discretion.' ^ This boundary question has always been regarded with particu- lar interest by our inhabitants. For generations it must have been a theme of frequent discussion. Old men among us tell of the care that was taken in their boyhood to keep up the knowledge of its exact course. One of them remembers being taken, when a boy, to ' the great rock at the wading-place ' and led along the traditionary line for some distance, in order that he might be ac- quainted with it ; and though he denies any such experience in his own case, he testifies that it was usual to administer to some of the rising generation a sound flogging on the occasion, to insure their lasting remembrance of the localities pointed out. Whoever chooses to seek it may find the Great Rock, among other rude boulders, at the northeastern end of the brido;e crossing the Byram River. The boundary line strikes across from this point to King Street, and follows the course of that road for about two miles. At the distance of five miles from the wading-place, it crosses Blind Brook near the head of that stream, at an angle 1 Records of Town Meetings (Rye), p. 33. 124 THE BOUNDARY DISPUTE. which terminates the territorv of this town. The famous ' Duke's trees ' are al)out two miles nortli of this point. Since the year 1781, there lias been no dispute as to this part of tlie boundary line, nor indeed respecting the first tliirty miles of its course. Nor was it extensively known until within a few years, that any part of it remained indefinite. The first ])ublic intima- tion of any difference was given by the legislature of Connecticut in 1855. It then appeared that in the process of time doubts and uncertainties had arisen as to a considerable portion of the line. These resulted in part from the imperfect character of the surveys made so long ago, and in part from the temporary nature of the marks which had been used to designate the lines. A century and a quarter had elapsed; the troublous years of the Revolution had intervened ; the country had been gradually filled up and set- tled ; and in consequence, on some portions of the line all trace of the lines formerly established had vanished. ' Ranges of marked tx'ees had long since disappeared. Many of the heaps of stone originally erected had been scattered. Traditions were found in- consistent and contradictory, varying the line in places to a con- siderable extent. Along the whole distance the greatest uncer- tainty existed, and a distrust and want of confidence in all the supposed lines rather than a disposition to contend for any. Resi- dents near the border refrained from voting in either State ; while officers of justice and collectors of revenue from both hesitated to exercise their authority up to any clearly defined limit. These circumstances were taken advantage of by those who desired to evade the payment of taxes or the severity of the law.' In view of these facts, the General Assembly of Connecticut, in May, 1855, took steps to have the true position of the boundary line ascertained by means of a new survey and the erection of new monuments. Commissioners were a))pointed, to meet others from the State of New York, for the performance of the work. This proposition was submitted to the legislature of New York by the governor on the twenty-fifth of January, 1856, and received its promj)t concurrence. Commissioners were appointed as proposed ; and on the twenty-fifth of June in the same year they entered upon their duties. Mr. C. W. Wentz, of Albany, an engineer of established repu- tation, began the survey of the line, by direction of the joint commission. The line was run without question or difference of opinion, from ' the great stone at the wading-place ' on Byram River, to the ' Duke's trees ' at the northwest corner of the town of A NEW SURVEY. 123 Greenwich ; thence on tlie line parallel to the Sound to the Wil- ton aniile, and thence to the Ridgefield angle. Thus far it would aj)|)ear that the commissioners Avere agreed. But with regard to the line from the Ilidgefield angle northerly to the monument at tlie southwest corner of the State of Massachusetts, a controversy arose. The commissioners from Connecticut were for adopting a straight line between these two extreme points, fifty-three miles apart. They urged this course on the ground that the old monu- ments and marks upon the intervening line were generally re- moved, and the original line could not be traced with any certainty by reference to them. The commissioners from New Yoi'k, on the other hand, insisted that their duty was simply to ' ascertain ' the boundary as originally defined. They believed that most of the boundary marks could be found and identified, and tliat where they should fail to find them, other evidences of their original loca- tion might be discovered that would be sufficient. In this diversity of views the parties could scarcely fiiil to be confirmed by the fact which a survey of the ground revealed. It was found that the line originally traced was not straight, but in- clined considerably to the east of a direct line. This appeared suf- ficiently from the monuments that remained, and that were incon- testable marks of the ancient boundary. It was also seen, that by abandoning the original line and adopting a straight one in its place, the State of New York would lose, and the State of Con- necticut would gain a tract of about two thousand eight hundred acres and between two and three hundred inhabitants, who had always been residents of New^ York. The commissioners on both sides adhered to their i-espective opinions in this debate, and no agreement could be reached. In August, 1859, new commissioners were appointed on the part of each State. These gentlemen had their first conference at Port Chester, on the thirteenth of September in that year. The same difference of views manifested itself at once in the commissioners' minds. They agreed, however, as a preliminary step, to make an effort to trace out the true position of the original line of 1731. And on the twentieth of September, the two parties, each with a competent engineer, met again at Port Chester. After examining the localities at the mouth of Byram Hiver, they decided, as there would probably be no difference about the line between the ' great stone ' and the Ridgefield angle, to proceed to that point, and ex- plore the line from thence to the south line of Massachusetts. This was done. Monuments were found without difficultv that enabled 126 THE BOUNDARY DISPUTE. the commissioners to verify the ancient line. Some of the marks were wanting, but where this was the case, satisfactorv evidence of their original position was obtained from the location of line fences or from tradition. No space of more than eight miles intervened between the monuments found standing. The line was not found to be straight. The greatest divergence from a direct course proved to be ten chains and twenty-six links^. This irregularity was owing to the fact that in the survey of 1731, the line was not run directly from ])()iut to ))oint, but monuments to mark it were placed at the end of perpendiculars, run from the west line of the Oblong over surfaces often very uneven, and by a compass subject to constant variations, owing to the mineral dejiosits along its course. Notwithstanding the fact, however, which thus became apparent, that the original line could be accurately traced, the Connecticut commissioners adhered substantially to the position which their predecessors had taken. A straight line must be run, regardless of all existing monuments. As this, in the judgment of the com- missioners from New York, would be to establish an entirely new line instead of ascertaining the old one, the proposition was re- fused, and the conferences of the commission were ended for the time. Tiie last step taken in this matter occurred in 1860. On the third of April in that year, the legislature of New York passed an act, empowering the commissioners formerly appointed ' to sur- vey and mark with suitable monuments ' the ' line between the two States, as fixed by the survey of 1731.' They were to give due notice of their purpose to the commissioners of Coimecticut, invit- ing them to join in the duties imposed upon them. But in case of their refusal or neglect to do so, they were to proceed alone, and perform the work assigned. The commissioners of New York, actino- under these instructions, held several conferences with those of Connecticut. But the latter adhered inflexibly to the principle that the boundary to be esitablished must be a straight line. The commissioners from New York therefore pursued the course en- joined upon them. They fixed and marked the boundary line between the two States, placing monuments along its course at in- tervals of one mile, from the Massachusetts line to the mouth of Byram River. This work was undertaken on the eighth of June, 1860, and was completed in the autumn of that year. Since that time, nothing has been done to settle the ' vexed ques- tion ' of our boundary. The line indicated by new marks and monuments is recognized by New York, but not by Connecticut. BOUNDARY LINE NOT SETTLED. 127 Tt is to be hoped that some definite agreement may be reached be- fore the lapse of a third century over this singular dispute. Rkvolt oi' Kye axd Bkdford. — The patent granted by Connecticut to the town of Kyc upon its return to that colony in 1097, has been given, pp. 93-94. The following record of the action taken with reference to those towns, shows the precise grounds u])on which the Connecticut government based its decision in this case : — •At a Meeting of the Govornf and Councill held at Hartford Jan^ y* 19"^ 1G90 : ' Thomas !Srerritt and Deliverance Brown in behalfe of the Plantation of Rie : And Zechariah Roberts in bchalfc of the Plantation of Bedford Petitioning this Councill that the Plantations of Bedford and Rie might be owned as included within tlie Charters of this Colonic. And enioy the protection of the Governi* and Lawes of this Cor])()ration. The Councill considering that the said Plantations arc included within the Charter granted by his Royal Maj'''^ Charles the Second to this Corpora- tion, And also further Confirmed to this Territory by the Settlemt of the dividing line between this Colonic and the province of Newyork by the Solemne act of Com- mission*'" for that end Coinisio^ated nnder the broad seal of England by his said ilajestic. And assented to by Comiss'oners appointed by this Corporation, which settlement bears date Novemb'" y* 30"> 1664 : And was approved and Rattificd by his said Majestic as appears by his Majesties letters bearing date Aprill the 10*'': 1666 : And since the said Settlement whereby the said dividing Line was stated, And this ter- ritory so farre extended Westward as to include the said Plantations. No act doth appear whereby the said Plantations might be alienated from this Territory and be- come part or i)arcell of the neighbouring province : And the inhabitants of the said Plantation Claiming their right to and Interest in the Govement privilcdges and protec- tion, of this Corporation, and being willing to submit thereunto. The Councill doe therefore soe Cause and judg themselves obliged to own the said Plantations to belong to this Territory and to receive the inhabitants thereof under their Goverm* and protection. And doe hereby order that Pattents shall be granted to them for their Respective townships. And that they shall enioy all other priviledgcs in CoTiion with other his Maje*'"''* Subjects in this Corporation Acknowledging themselves obliged to submitt to his Majesties wise and iust determination in the matter appearing in our Charter and the Settlm* aforesaid. ' JIartf"' Jan>' y^' 21-*' : 1696 : A true Copic ' Test. Eleazar Kimberly SecreW (Endorsed :) " A Copy of the Act of tlie Councill in refference to the Town of Rye: 1696 'i 1 Colonial Boundaries (MS.) Hartford, vol. ii. doc. 138. CHAPTER XIV. MANNERS AND CUSTOMS. 1680. ' In a jilainc babbit, according to the maner of a pooi'e wildernesse people.' Address of Connecticut to Charles IT., 1683. HOUSEKEEPING in Rye in the olden time did not require a great variety of furniture. Each room, even the kitchen and the parlor, or 'best room,' was generally supplied with a bed. Beside this, a table or two, a cupboard and some chests, consti- tuted the heavier articles of ' household stuff.' Of chairs there were few, sometimes none. Philip Galpin's house, in 1684, boasted of three benches ; and rude stools, and the invariable coffer or chest, served our early inhabitants for seats. The cupboard displayed the choicer eating utensils of the family. They were of pewter ; the dishes in ordinary use were of wood. The value set upon these articles appears from old inventories and from wills, where they rank with important legacies. Richard Lounsbery, in 1690, leaves to his wife ' her bed and some small re- versions of Pewter ; ' and to his daughter Mary ' two Great Char- gers of Pewter, two pewter platters next to them, two lesser Plat- ters, and a flaggon, and a cow.' Peter Disbrow's widow, in 1688, relinquishes her thirds in favor of her sons Peter and John, who promise her a certain yearly allowance, ' only her wearing clothes with her bed and what belonged to it, and her pewter — those to remain to her, and to be at her disposal.' The apparel of our settlers was mostly of domestic manufacture. Samuel Hoit's wardrobe, in 1684, contained ' one pair of serge trowsers, one pair of linen trowsers, one ould serge coat lined,' and ' one Kersye Coat.' Serge and kersey were woolen materials of different texture. Leather garments were much worn at this period. Deerskin and bucks'kin, raccoon and fox.skins, wolf and bearskins, were much used for this ]Hirpose. ' Indian stockings,' or moccasins, were worn to some extent instead of shoes. The household linen with other valuables were stored away in PRIMITIVE HOUSES. 129 tlie great ' chests,' three or four of which appear to have been owned by every family. These were the only receptacles which the housewife had at her command for such domestic treasures. In these chests, also, important papers and other treasures were preserved. Sometimes a neighbor would intrust his valuables to be locked up with the family goods. Nathaniel Sherwood testifies, November 1, 1704, that some years ago he had charge of a deed from Richard Ogden to John Wilson ; but having ' lost the key of his chest, he did desir them to Secure it other where, but they neg- lecting that he cannot now tell what is be come of it.' ^ Few luxuries were to be found in these dwellings. The floors were generally bare. ' One rugg ' is mentioned in the inventory of John Hoy t's estate, in 1684 ; also ' one carpet or curtain,^ — a hanging for the parlor wall, perhaps, — and 'one cushion case.' Feather beds and chaffe beds, feather pillows and bolsters, are specially noted. The ' warming-pan ' was considered indispensable to comfort. Every house possessed a loom ; a shop for weaving, frequently built of stone, would be found on nearly every farm. A huge fire-place, ten or twelve feet wide, and half as many in depth, occupied one side of the kitchen.^ The ' cross-cut saw ' of the early settler was needed, to prepare the great logs which were rolled into this cavernous de])th. ' In the kitchen, the high wooden settle was never absent — now used as a screen, and now receding to tlie wall. Tliis was the principal sitting-room of the family. Blocks in the chimney-corners were used for childreii's seats ; the settle kept off the air from the door ; a tin candlestick with a long back was suspended on a nail over the mantel. As fears of the Indians died away, and weapons of warfare were less used, occasionally a musket might be seen suspended transversely from beam to beam. A small open recess for books was usually seen on one side of the fire-place, a little below the ceiling. The family Bible was never wanting. It occupied a conspicuous station upon the best table, and though much used, was well preserved.' ^ Labor was well paid in early times, at least that of the tvhite man. In 1680, a day laborer in Connecticut had two shillings, and sometimes two shillings and sixpence per day. Provisions were cheap. Wheat sold at four shillings a bushel ; peas at three 1 Town Meeting Book, G. p. 4. ■■^ Old peojjle tell us of these fire-places, where as children they would ensconce themselves, sitting; on each end of an enormous log ; and where they could ' look up and see the stars ' through the vast chimney overhead. ^ History of Norwich, by Miss F. M. Caulkins, pp. 76, 77.. 9 130 MANNERS AND CUSTOMS. shillings ; Indian corn at two shillings and sixpence ; ' Porck ' at threepence per pound ; ' Beif at twopence half-penny ; butter at sixpence.^ In 1681, Humphrey Underhill engages to pay seven hundred pounds for the Vineyard Farm at Rye ; payment to be made in provisions at the following rates : Beef at twopence and one far- thing a pound ; pork at threepence, one farthing ; winter wheat at five shillings, and. summer wheat at four shillings sixpence the bushel ; Indian corn at two sliillings sixpence the bushel.^ In 1700, the town orders Mr. Bowers's salary to be paid ' in specie as followeth ; Wheat at five shillings per bushel ; Indian Corn two shillings sixpence p" bushel, and all other provisions pay equivalent.' ^ The week-day life of our early settler was one of hard and nn- remittincr toil. No ' eio;ht hours' labor ' law would have suited his ideas or agreed with the requirements of his ])osition. His acres of forest land must be cleared and fenced, his meadow and upland lots be tilled by his own strong arms, aided perhaps by those of his stalwart boys. Not less busy were the wife and the daughters, upon whom devolved not only the cares that now rest upon the humblest of their sex, but also the labor of preparing, through every stage of manufacture and adjustment, the coarse but substantial gar- ments of the entii-e family. The ' TRAYN BAND of Rye ' is mentioned in the Colony Records of 1667. This was the militia company of the town, such as every settlement in Connecticut was required to maintain.^ It consisted of all male persons between sixteen and sixty years of age, ministers and magistrates only excepted. The officers of the train- band were a captain, a lieutenant, an ensign, and four sergeants. Not fewer than sixty-four, and not more than two hundred men, might constitute such a company. The arms of the private sol- diers wei'e pikes, mviskets, and swords. These they provided, if able, for themselves. The muskets had matchlocks, or firelocks, and to each there was a pair of ' bandoleers,' or pouches for powder and bullets, and a stick, called a rest, for use in taking aim. The pikes were poles, with a spear at the end, fourteen feet in length.^ For defensive armor, corselets were worn, and coats quilted with 1 Public Records of Connecticut, vol. iii. p. 300. ^ Uyg Records, vol. B. p. 49. 8 Town Meeting Book, C. p. 8. * Palfiey, History of New Evglavd, vol. ii. p. 49, note. '" Public Records of Connecticut, vol. ii. p. 45. THE TRAIN-BAND OF RYE. 131 cotton. It does not appear that any uniformity was attempted in dress. ' Trainings ' took place six times a year. I'hese were great occasions, and were usually solemnized by prayer. The time of meeting was eight o'clock in the morning. No man could be ab- sent unless excused, without incurring a heavy fine. Ministers, as well as magistrates, were exempted from training ; but they too, with every other male person above sixteen years of age, were required to ' bee allwayes provided with, and haue in readiness by tliem, halfe a ponnd of Powder, two pound of shott, and two fathom of Match.' ^ Good Mr. Denham, at Rye, had his ' mus- quett ' and his ' two-edged sword,' which he could doubtless make use of, upon occasion. ' A pair of shot moulds,' is an item of frequent occurrence in lists of household effects. Convenient to the spot where these martial exercises took place, stood the village stocks. For here, in full view of the concourse, unhappy culprits were sometimes put, as a punishment peculiarly severe. Thus persons found guilty of cursing and sw^earing, Avere fined ten shillings, and were condemned ' to sit in the Stocks two bowers the next Trayneing day.' ^ In Rye, there was a place ' in the heart of the towne, where thev usually traine.' ^ This we conjecture to have been where the flag- staff now stands, at the junction of the post-road and the road to the purchase. Here, perhaps, in 1G97, ' Major Sellick, of Stand ford, with about fifty Dragones whom he called his life guard,' made his appearance, ready to defend the town against the author- ity of New York, from which it had revolted. The train-band of Rye does not seem to have been completely officered for a number of years. Joseph Horton is confirmed in 1667 as ' lieutenant to the trayn band.' The flict is, our town did not number persons enough, until near the close of the cen- tury, to entitle it to have a company under the law. ' Captain Jo- seph Horton' is first heard of in 1690. Captain Theall, who is mentioned about the same time, had been ' the chief military ofiS- cer for the train-band ' of Bedford, and hence probably retained his title after coming to this place. The train-band was held to be a most important means of pub- lic security in every town. Rye, from its remoteness and its feeble condition, must have depended peculiarly upon this defence. ^ Public Records of Connecticut, vol. ii. p. 544. ■•^ fhi'd. vol. i. p. 50. 3 New York Colonial MSS-, vol. xli. p. 56. 132 MANNERS AND CUSTOMS. In 1673, when there was a prospect of collision with the Dutch, who regained possession of New York for a short period, ' Rye, being near^ to the enemy's position, was '■excused'' from sending its quota, to foi'm a company of five hundred dragoons, who were to be drawn from the train-bands of the several towns for the pro- tection of any threatened part.^ Our early settlers had doubtless brought with them many old- world customs which are little known to us. One of these they observed in the conveyance of lands : it was called the investiture 'by turf and twig.' This was a relic of feudal times. It con- sisted in the delivery of a turf, a stone, a branch, or some other object, as a symbol of the transfer of the soil. Anciently, this had been practised by the feudal lord, in conferring a fief upon his vas- sal.^ We find it observed on Manussing Island in 1693, with all formality, and on Budd's Neck as late as 1768. In a dispute be- tween Samuel Odel and the heirs of Jonathan Vowles, about the ' southernmost part ' of that island, John Frost testified that in 1693 he w^ent by request of Vowles to the said island, ' where he did see Jonatlian Vowles upon the said southernmost part of said Island, (being in a manner Divided from y^ other part of said Isl- and by a Sand Beach,) cutt a Turfe upon the same as also Cutt a Stick or Twigg thereon ; and tlie said Jonatlian Vowles did then and there deliver the said Turfe and Twigg to the said Samuel Odel, who desired this Deponent to take notice that Jonathan Vowles did putt him in full and peaceable possession.'-^ ^ Public Records of Connecticut, vol. ii. p. 207. 2 Hallam, Middle Ages, vol. i. p. 170. 3 Lund Papers in Secretary of State's Office, Albany, vol. iii. p. 4. f^4^<^ ''f'^^^iWMj-T'^^''^ Great Stone by the Wading-place. CHAPTER XV. OLD NAMES AND PLACES. rriHE quaint nomenclature of our early settlers is rapidly passing J- out of mind. Many of the names traced on our ancient records have become quite obsolete, and will be as novel to the descendants of those who used them as to those of us who dwell in places that know them no more. Yet it may be presumed that some interest will be felt in the effort to recall, and as far as possi- ble to locate them. The Indian names, Peningo,^ Apawamis,^ Manussing,'^ Honge, 1 Not Poningo, as Mr. Bolton {History of Westchester) writes it, doubtless misled by the resemblanee of the letters e and o in the ancient style of writing. This name occurs several hundred times in our records, and usually as spelt in the text. Some- times it is written Peninggoe, and occasionally, in later times, Penning's Neck. Of course the derivation of the word from Ponus, the title of an Indian chief living at Stamford in 1640, becomes improbable. We have, however, no other to suggest. ^ Van'ously spelt: Apawammeis (Ind. deed 1661 : Colonial Records of Connect- icut, i. MS. 334) ; Epauquammes (John Budd's will, 1669 : Indexes of Southold, L. I.) ; Epawamos (deed J. Budd, 1678, B. 9); Opquamis (deed J. Budd, 1682, B. 55) ; Apawquammis (Budd's patent, 1720: Book Patents, Alb."No. 8, p. 375). 3 ' Of two words meaning Island,' says Dr. Trumbull, ' Munnohan, or, rejecting the formative, Munnoii (Abnaki, menahan ; Delaware, inenateij ; Chippewa, minis, a diminutive) is the more common, but is rarely, if ever, found in composition.' ' Long Island was Menatey or Manati, "the Island" to the Delawarcs, Minsi, and other neighboring tribes. Any smaller island was menatan (Mass. rnnnnohhan) tiie indefinite form, or menates (Mass. munnises, manisses), the diminutive. Campanius mentions .... 134 OLD NAMES AND PLACES. Eaukecaupacuson, Qnaroppas, Pockeotcssen, Mamaroneck, Mock- quams, or Moaquanes, Annonck, were carefully retained by the early settlers in their deeds, but most of them were never used. The Armonck was already known as Byram River, the Mock- quams as Blind Brook, when they came here. Eaukecaupacuson soon yielded to 'Lame Will's Purchase,' and 'Rye Woods,' Pockeotessen was called Stony Brook. Ajiawamis became Budd's Neck, and later Rye Neck. Qnaroppas was replaced by 'The White Plavnes.' Only Peningo, Manussing, and Mamaroneck remain in common use. It must be confessed that the aboriginal desio-nations had little of beauty or euphony to recommend them. Homely as they were, the Anglo-Saxon names of these locali- ties "were certainly more convenient. We begin our list where the settlers began when they crossed from Manussing Island to the main shore. ' The Flats,^ and the ' Horse-race,' w^ere ancient names for our beautiful beach. ' Burying Hill ' was the point of land which terminates it on the east — now the site of a hotel. The channel or creek between the island and the main shore has always been known as ' The Gut.'' ' Rye Ferry,'' the ancient landing-place, was north of the present steamboat landing, at the end of a lane on the Provoost estate. The late residence of Mr. Jacobs was known as ' The House by the Ferry.' ' Fishing Roch,^ mentioned as early as 1699, and also called Ogden's Dock, is on Fox Island, at the mouth of Byram River. ' Chevalier,'' or ' Cavalier s Rock'' is within sight, just below the steamboat landing. " Manataaming or Manaates, a place settled by the Dutch, who built there a clever little town, which went on increasing every day," now called New York. New York Island was sometimes spoken of as " the island," Manate, Manhatte ; sometimes as " an island," Manathan, Menatan, Manhatan ; more accurately, as " the small island," Manhaates, Manattes, and " the Manados " of the Dutch. The island Indians col- lectively were called Manhattans ; those of the small island, Manhatesen. . . . Manisses or Monasses, as Block Island was called, is another form of the diminutive, from viunnoh ; and Manhasset, otherwise written Munhansick, a name of Shelter Island, is the same diminutive with the locative affix, munna-es-et. So is " Manusses " or " Mennewies," an island near Rye, N. Y., now written (with the southern form of the locative) Mamissiwj-' [The Composition of Indian Geographical Names, illustrated from the Algonkin Languages. By J. Hammond Trumbull. Hartford, 1870 : pp. 22, 23.) The earliest and usual form of this name in our records is that which Dr. Trum- bull gives as tlic correct one — Manussing. There are, however, some twenty varia- tions, the most extreme of which ai'e Mounsons, Mounsting, Man, and Nassau, ' Nursin ' Island was common fifty years ago. ' Minncwies ' or ' Minnewits ' was an early name of City Island I find no evidence that Manussing Island was ever so called. OLD NAMES AND PLACES. 135 ' Fox Island ' was ' commonly so called ' as earlv as 1699. ' Goose Island ' is to be sought not very far from Fox Island, about half a mile up the Byram River, and directly opposite Lyon's Dock, at the termination of the road across Lyon's Point. ' Negro Point ' is the name of a locality on the west side of Byram River, just below Lyon's Dock. It was formerly indicated by a rock which ' has been blown off, but may yet be found at low water a few feet outside the dock.' ^ The ' Wadlng-jjJace ' across Byram River was at the point where the bridge now crosses that river. Here, on the Connecti- cut side, close to th^e northeastern corner of the bridge, is the ' Great Stone by the Wading-place,' which has been a boundary mark for two centuries past. There was another wading-place used in former days, about where the New Haven Railroad crosses the river. This was called the ' lower going over.'' It is so designated in our town records in 1711. This came to be pro- nounced the ' Loginover^ a corruption that was familiar to the inhabitants fifty or seventy-five .years ago. The '•Scotch Caps'' are the rugged masses of rock that lie off the tapering point of land known as Brown's or Wainwright's Point. They received this name from the first settlers, who also called the southern part of the peninsula itself the ' Scotch Cap Neck,^ or ' Ox-pasture Neck.' ' Parsonage Point ' is the next projection from Peningo Neck on the east. It is the site of the residence of Mr. Van Wagenen. ' Kniffins Cove ' is a small inlet of the Sound, on the lower part of Mr. Underbill Halsted's land, in the rear of Mr. Bidwell's house. Here there was anciently a ' Avarehouse ' and a dock. ' Ware's Cove ' or Reynolds'' Cove, is below this, opposite the north end of Pine Island. This island contains about eight acres, and lies within a few rods of the shore. '•Galpin's Cove'' was on Budd's Neck, below '-Bullock's Landing,'' at the foot of Mr. Genin's land. We have on record the names of several brooks which are represented at the present day only by very insignificant rills. There can be no doubt that they were more deserving of the name when the forests and the swamps were here to feed and shelter them. Besides Blind Brook and Stony Brook, there was Bound Brook, Gunn Brook, Hassock Meadow Brook, Horseneck Brook, Rattlesnake Brook, Blind Brook Branch, Crooked Gutter, ^ Survey of road and landing, Negro Point, in Port Chester, 1852; Town Records, 1815 to 1859, p. 336. 136 OLD NAMES AND PLACES. and Causeway Brook. ^ These were noted boundary marks in other days ; and in our fall freshets they sometimes approach tlieir former volume. ' Before these fields were shorn and tilled, Full to the hrim our rivers flowed ; The melody of waters filled The vast and boundless wood.' Our ancient inhabitants had names for the hills and slopes upon which their most eligible lands were situated. Some of these we have not succeeded in locating. Who can tell us where to find ' Walks' Ridge,' 'Raccoon Ridge,' or ' Taffy s Plain ' ? ' Tom Jeff'er's Hill ' we have identified as the elevation upon which the Epis- copal Church stands. There are more permanent names, how- ever, which can be assigned without much danger of mistake. In the beautiful valley of the upper Blind Brook, we have ' Branch Ridge,' and ' Brush Ridge.' These names were given to the east- ern slope, along which the present Ridge Street proceeds as far as the road to Park's mill, and perhaps some distance beyond. Above this the same street runs over ' Hog-pen Ridge,' by which elegant term the settlers, as early as 1682, were pleased to designate some of their choicest lands.^ ' Byram Ridge ' Avas the tract of land on the west side of Byram River, from the jiuiction of Ridge and King streets, or thereabouts, down to the neighborhood of the present village of Port Chester. '■ Wolf -pit Ridge' or '■Pulpit Plain,' has already been described as the high ground north of Rye, upon which our district school, academy, and seminary are now situated. A modern name for the same region — itself more more than a century old, however — is ''the Cedars' '• Steep Hollow ' was the name of a beautiful glen on the prop- erty of Mr. Quintard. It was so called as early as the year 1700. The ' Upper ' and ' Lower Hassocky Meadows ' ^ lie in the valley between Grace Church Street and the post-road, through which 1 Bound Brook was perhaps the rivulet flowing through Dr. Cockcy's land. Guun Brook begins on Dr. Tuttle's land, and joins Hassocky Meadow Brook, which takes its rise near Mr. Jonathan Snifiiu's. Rattlesnake Brook flows through Mr. Brevoort's laud, from a spring known as Cold Spring on Dr. Jay's land. Horseneck Brook flows into the creek of the same name on Mr. S. L. Mitchill's land. 2 * Itt is ordered [March 1641] thatt all those thatt have hoggs shall drive them from the plantation about 5 miles from the townc, and haunt them forth abroade, nevcrthelessc every one is to endeavour to secure their corne by sufficient fences.' New Haven Colony Records, vol. i. p. 52. ^ This has been considered an Indian word. Mr. Bolton [IliMory of Westchester County, ii. 16) and Mr. Mead {History of Greenwich, Conn.) mention ' Haseco,' as one of the aboriginal names of Eye and Greenwich. Our records speak of ' hassock ' and OLD NAMES AND PLACES. 137 tlie railroad passes from Rye to Port Chester. ' Sniffins Hill ' is the rounded eminence since known as Bloomer's Hill, above Port Chester, upon wliich a house has lately been built. ' Barton s Neck ' is the ancient name of the tract through which Grace Church Street runs, from the neighborhood of the road to MaTuissiiio; Island, as far as the entrance to Port Chester. ' Satv Plt^ tlie ancient name of that village, occurs for the first time in 1732. Before that date we find mention of the ' Saw-log jSwamp.^ ' Men-itfs Point ' is now known as Lyon's Point. The swamps, now happily disappeared, had each its peculiar designation. The ' Long Swamp ' lay back of the liome-lots, in the Town Field, east of the Milton Road and Grace Church Street. The ' Great Swamp,^ lay north of the present Roman Catholic Cemetery, and east of Ridge Street. ' Beaver Swamp ' was in the valley of Stony Brook, where the Union Cemetery is situated. ' Timothg's Swamj)-,' named perhaps after the old constable of Rye, Timothy Knap, was a part of the ' Saw-log Sivamp.^ Sundry persons or f;xmilies bestowed their names upon certain localities. The land between Recent Street and Kino; Street, from the post-road to Purchase Avenue, was long known and is still remembered as ' Kniffifi's land.^ The extreme eastern part of the Town Field, bordered by Grace Church Street and the road to Kirby's mill, was anciently ' Coe's land,'' since ' Bird's land.' * Bloomer's Island ' is a tract of a few acres in the old Town Field near the creek or Sound, the Avaters of which surround it at high tide. ' Bullock'' s Meadow ' was a part of the farm now owned by Mr. Stevens. ' hassocky ' meadows in varioixs localities ; in one place the language is ' fresh or hassocky meadow.' The word is obviously English. Wright's Provincial Diction- ary defines Hassock, '1. A reed or rush, a tuft of rushes .... 3. Anything grow- ing tiiick and wild. Sussex.' CHAPTER XVI. THE BOSTON ROAD. ' Yon rugged I'oad which like a stream Bursts through the shadow}' forest to the west.' The New Pastoral. IN a local histoiy, some notices of the principal roads witliin the limits of the town will not be out of place. To the inhabitant this record will possess a certain interest, for it relates to our most enduring monuments of the past. The travelled highway, which retains the course of some ancient forest path, first worn it may be by the Indian hunter, then used by the early settlers, and grad- ually improved with the progress of the community, is often the link that most visibly connects the present with by-gone times. But a wider interest belongs to the (jister, August 28, 1824. MADAM KNIGHT AT RYE. 149 chosen by the towne of Ry to keep :i house of entertainment for trav- lors for the year insuing.' ' Lieutenant Josepli Horton, we liave seen, Avas a leadino; inhabit- ant at that (lay. He lived on Rve Neck, and tlie liouse here referred to is supposed to liave stood on the site or in the neigh- borhood of the old 'mill which has lately been renovated, opposite the Iiouse of Mr. Jonathan H. Gedney. In the village itself, ' Strang's tavern ' was the ancient public house. A portion of the original building is still standing, on tlie southeast corner of the post-road and Rectory Street. ^ Madam Knight of Boston gives an amusing description of* her entertainment at this inn, in the course of her journey on horse- back in 1704 from that city to New York : — ' From Norowalk we hasted towards Rye, walking and leading our liorses neer a mile together, up a prodigios high hill ; and so riding till about nine at night ; and there arrived and took up our lodgings at an ordinary, w*^'^ a French family kept. Here being very hungry, I desired a fricasee, w* the Frenchman undertakeing mannaged so contrary to my notion of cookery, that I hastned to bed superless : being shewd the way up a pair of stairs w*^^ had such a narrow pas- sage that I had ahnost stopt by the bulk of my body. But arriv- ing at my apartment found it to be a little Lento chamber, furnisht amongst other rubbish with a high bedd and a low one, a long table, a bench, and a bottomless chair. '. . . My poor bones complained bitterly^ not being used to such lodgings ; and so did the man who was with us ; and poor I made but one grone, which was from the time I went to bed to the time I riss, which was about three in the morning. Setting up by the fire till light, and having discharged our ordinary, w'^'' was as dear as if we had had far better fare, we took our leave of Monsier, and about seven in the morn came to New Rochell, a French town, where we had a good breakfast, and in the strength of that, about an how'r before sunsett, got to York.' The Frenchman of whom Madam Knight speaks was undoubt- edly Daniel L'Estrange, or Strang, as the name soon came to be written — a French Protestant refugee who had removed to this country a few years before. His death occurred two years after Madam Knight's visit. The village inn was kept by his widow for several years. ' Strang's Tavern ' was a place of note long after this. On a map of Budd's Neck in the year 1720, the bridge over Blind 1 Town and Proprietors' Meeting Book, No. C. p. 5. 2 A view of this liouse, taken before the recent alterations, will be found on page 71 . 150 THE VILLAGE INN. Brook is denoted the Kincr's Bridge ' nere Strano;e.' The Jus- tices and Vestry of Rye held their meetings here as early as 1734, and the town meetings may not improbably have been held here at a much earlier day. The old house was still a place of public entertainment thirty years ago, and was kept by a lineal descend- ant of the first ' Daniel L'Estrange.' It remained unaltered until within two or three years past, the ' lean-to ' chamber which Madam Knight occupied being quite distinguishable. Another noted inn was the old stone house known of late years as ' Van Sicklin's.' In the early days of the settlement, this building, as already stated, was a fort or place of defence. After- wards it became the dwelling of Mr. Isaac Denham, son of the first settled minister of Rye, and one of the Avealthiest and most influential persons of his day. Mr. Denham died in 1723, and in 1728 his executors sold his house and home lot to ' Francis Doughty, junior, of Flushing.' The 'New York Gazette ' of June 20, 1748, contains the following advertisement : — FRANCIS DOUGHTY, who kept the Kings- Bridge, is now removed to the Sign of tlie SUN in Rye, where all Gentlemen, Travellers, and Others, may depend on good Entertainment for themselves and Horfes. Mr. Doughty, like his predecessors Horton and Strang, was a justice of the peace for the town of Rye. The Justices and Ves- try met at his house from 1730 to 1734, and again at the same place from 1770 to 1776, when his son John Doughty kept the tavern. Another John Doughty, grandson of Francis, succeeded to the dignities and emoluments of the office, which seems to have descended from father to son as a matter of course. A map of the town in 1797, represents ' Doughty's ' house as still known by that name. An old lady of our acquaintance remembers well attending balls and parties, as a young girl, at John Doughty's, whicli was a favorite and quite respectable place of resort early in the present century. Under the old Connecticut laws, the regulations with regard to public houses were very strict. By the code of laws adopted in that colony in 1639, no innkeeper was allowed to sell ' more than lialf a pint of wine at one time to be drunk,' or to permit any guest 'to continue tippling above half an hour, or after nine o'clock at night.' ^ 1 Colonial Records of Connecticut, edited by J. H. Trumbull, vol. i. p. 509. DRINKING HABITS. 151 The earliest reference to the sale of liquor in this town occurs under the date of April 17, 1789, when David Doughty was ' permitted to sell spirituous liquors Avithout paying excise.' April 14, 1797, ' Samuel Travis was permitted to keep a Tav- ern in the House which David Doughty formerly occupied — the Town to refund back money he shall pay for a permit for the same.' ^ Of the drinking habits of our early settlers, we have other traces besides the maintenance of so many public houses. Even those who brought with them something of the rigidity of Puritan man- ners, had their drinking cups and tankards at hand.'^ But there is reason to believe that they exercised a comparative moderation in the use of spirituous liquors. At a later day, we hear much of the prevalence of drunkenness in this community. The Rev. Mr. Muirson writes, in 1707, ' Swearing and drinking and Sabbath- breaking ' are the vices that are ' chiefly predominant.' ^ And Mr. Wetmore, schoolmaster at Rye, complains in 1765, that ' many of our people are too much addicted to the taverns.'* 1 Records of Town Meetings. 2 The inventory of the estate of John Hoyt, 1684, mentions, among his scanty effects, ' one quart pot, two pint pots, one gill pot, one drinking cup, one old quart pot, one tunnil.' (County Records, vol. A. p. 80.) The last will and testament of Francis Brown, 1685, requires that his wife shall ' pay Captain Silleck for the cider I bought of him this last fell, [outj of the gear, and take in my bill.' Rye Records, vol. B. p. v. (end.) ^ Bolton's History of the Protestant Episcopal Church in Westchester County, p. 181. * Ibid. p. 312. ' To the dissenting meeting, taverns, and slothfulness on the Lord's day,' is Mr. Wetmore's mournful language. The custom of furnishing liquor at funerals prevailed here a hundred years ago, as appears from the following entry in the Vestry-book of the parish : ' March 13, 1759. To Ebenezer Kniffin, for half a Gallon Rum for y'' Burying of Patrick Holo- day.' CHAPTER XVIIL THE WHITE PLAINS. 1683-1788. rr^HE tract of land known to the natives as Quaroppas, and JL called by our settlers ' The White Plains,' was purchased by them from the Indians in the year 1683. The treaty was as fol- lows ; — 'To all Christian peopell to horn these presence shall com greting Know yee that we Shaphani, Cockinseko Orewapuni Kewetoahon, Koa- wanoh Paatck Shiphattash Korehwewous panawok nie- niishott pesekanoh oromah- qah pathunck hohoreis so- tonge wonawaking owhora- was nosband : : have for a valuabell sum of mony to us In hand paid by the towne of Rye that are inhabitance bargained Covinanted alin- ated and souUd unto the Inhabitance of the above said town of Rye A sartain tract of land Lying within the town bounds of Rye Bounded as followeth on the north east with mamarinek River and on the South- weast with a branch of the said River and marked trees till it corns to brunckes River and then to Runn by brunckes River till it Comes to the head of the whit plaines soe called and by marked trees from thence till it comes to the uppermost branch of marrinneck River which trackt of Land is commonly called by the English the whit plaines and called by the Indians Quaroppas which said tract of Land wee the above said shapham Cockinceeko orewopum kewetoakon koawanoh moahalice and The White Plains in 1721. INDIAN TREATY. 153 the Kest of the above said endians have souUd as above said unto the In- habitance of the said towne of Rye them theire heires Execatars admin- istratars or asignes for ever and Doe hereby bind our selves our heires exectars Adininistratars and asignes unto the Inhabitance of the above said towne of Rye them theire heires Execatars administratars or asignes that they may att all times from and after the date hereof peasably and quieatly poses occupy and injoy the above said tract of land free from all former bargaines salles morgages or other incombrances what so ever and all soe to warrant and make good the above said salle against any parson or parsons what so ever that shall or will make or lay any claime or claimes theare unto and In teastimony there of wee have caused this bill of salle to be made and here unto haue sett our hands and sealles this two and twentieth of November one thousand six hun- dred Eighty three. Sealed signed and delivered the marke of in the presents of us shapham CORNEILASS COKENSEKO his marke This bill of salle is orowapam Joshua Kxap acknowledged by the kewetoham the marke of granters to be their ackt koawanoh MOTEPEATEHON and deed before me in moahpoatch John Odell Rye the day and yere patthunk his mark aboue written hohornis Joseph Horton sotonge Comissioner. owhorawas ORAMAPUAH ' But the inliabitants of Rye were met at once by an opposing claimant in the person of Mr. Jolin Riclibell, of Mamaroneck. This gentleman, a native of England, had bought of the Indians in 1660, about the same time that Disbrow effected the purchase of Peningo Neck, the lands adjoining the town of Rye on the west. His right to tliese lands was confirmed in 1662 by the au- thorities of New Netherland ; and in 1668 by the government of New York. Mr. Richbell's patent gave him possession of the ' tlu'ee necks ' bounded on the east by Mamaroneck River, and on the west by Stony Brook ; together with the land lying north of these bounds, ' twenty miles into the woods.' The claim thus set up conflicted manifestly with the pretensions of the settlers of Rye. As the border town of Connecticut, they conceived that their bounds extended westward as far as the western line of that colony. This, we have seen, was ' a line drawn from the east side of Momor- onock river, north north west to the line of Massachusetts.' But negotiations were now pending between Connecticut and New 154 THE WHITE PLAINS. York for a more satisfactory settlement of that boundary ; and on tlie twenty-eighth of November, 1683, the two governments agreed upon a line, to begin at the mouth of By ram River. Meanwhile, doubtless anticii)ating this decision, the inhabitants of Rye, on the twenty-second of November, only six days before the date of that agreement, concluded a treaty with the Indian proprietors of the White Plains for the purchase of that tract. They describe it as ' lying ivithin the totvn hounds of Rye.' A week later the descrip- tion would have been incorrect. Long after this, however, we may observe by the way, the peo- ple of Rye clung to the indefinite right which the earlier boundary treaties gave them. ' The old colony line ' running from Mamar- oneck River, so as to include the White Plains Purchase and a good deal more, was often referred to in their deeds and town acts as the western limit of Rye. It was difficult for them to come down from the large ideas with which their forefathers had com- menced the settlement, to the consciousness of their very moderate importance. Mr. Richbell Avas not inclined to yield his claims upon a territory which he had now held for twenty-three years. On the twelfth of March, 1684, he petitioned the governor. Colonel Dongan, on the subject: ' Haveing a Desire to dispose of some Quantity of said Land which is Called the White Plaines,' and which was compre- hended in his patent, ' to severall Persons to settle thereon with themselves and familyes,' he is ' wholly obstructed and hindered by Rye men^ who have ' made a great Disturbance amongst them and Pretends a right to the same.' He cannot therefore dispose of any part of these lands until the governor ' will be pleased to grant an Order to clear the same.' ^ This complaint came before the Council at Fort James on the seventeenth of March ; and the inhabitants of Rye, or some to be deputed by them for that purpose, were summoned to show cause at the next Court of Assize in Westchester County, why the said lands do not of right belong and appertain to Mr. John Richbell.^ The dispute appears to have remained unsettled. Mr. Richbell died soon after this, and the greater part of his lands, including all the northern portion, came into the possession of the Hon. Caleb Heathcote. In 1701 Colonel Heathcote obtained a confirmation of his rights to the Richbell estate by purchasing again from the In- dians the ' necks ' formerly known as East and Great Neck, now 1 Land Papers, Albany, vol. ii. p. 30. 2 Council Minutes, Albany, No. V. 47. (Quoted by Mr. Bolton, Histonj of West- chester Comtij, vol. i, p. 291.) CLAIMS OF RICHBELL AND HEATHCOTE. 155 called Orienta and Larchmont, with tlie lands lying north of them along Mamaroneck River to its source, and across to the Bronx.^ This tract included the Avhole of the present town of Scarsdale, for which Colonel Heathcote immediately obtained letters patent from the British crown, securing to him that territory, and constitut- ing the ' lordship ' or manor of Scarsdale. But his Indian grants included also the whole of the White Plams^ which the inhabitants of Rye had purchased from the Indians in 1683, and where some of them were already settled, though no division of the lands had yet been made. This new encroachment on their limits occurred just at the close of their unsuccessful attempt to return to the col- ony of Connecticut. Having failed to recover the lands appro- priated by Harrison, the people of Rye probably had little hope of resisting these claims. Colonel Heathcote, however, seems to have been disposed to treat them Avith great fairness. In the charter which he obtained for his lands, exception was made of ' y'= land called White Plains, which is in dispute between y^ said Caleb Heathcote and some of y^ inhabitants of y*' town of Rye.' To that land the patent gives him no further title than he already pos- sesses. The following action of the inhabitants refers to this mat-' ter : — ' At a meeting held by the Properities of the White Plains purchase, Febevveary the 24, 1701-2, Hacaliah Browne and Deliverance Browne, and Huinphery Underbill, Thomas Merit sener, Isaac Denharn, John Stokham and Benjamin Horton are chosen a Committy in the be- half of the above said Proprietors to agree with Coll. Heatcoote con- sarning the runing of a line between said Coll. Heatcoote's patent and said White Plains purchase as they shall see good ; and what line shall be mutually agreed upon betweene the said Commity and Coll. Heat- coote, the said Properities do ingage for themselves and their heirs and successors to stand and abide by forever ; and what else the said Com- mitie mutually agrees upon shall be held good by them and their asso- ciates for ever.' ^ The controversy was still pending in 1702, wdien ' the Rev. Mr. Christopher Bridge, Mr. Hacaliah Browne, Ensign John Horton, Capt. Joseph Bude, and Mr. John Hoytt are chosen to treat with the Honrble Conl. Caleb Hathcut about the White Plaine pur- chase, and to make returne to the Proprietors of their treat upon what termes the Hon. Coll. Hathcut will agree with them to acquit all his claime of the above said White Plaine purchase.' ^ 1 Bolton, History of Westchester County, vol. i. p. 293. 2 Town and Proprietors' Book, No. C. p. 20. ^ Records of Town Meetings, p. 9. 156 THE WHITE PLAINS. At the time of Colonel Heathcote's death, wliicli occurred about four years later, this question was still unsettled, but it does not appear that any claim upon these lands Avas made by the heirs to his estate. Owing doubtless to these uncertainties and differences, the White Plains Purchase remained undivided for many years. Occasionally, from 1683 to 1715, we find in the town records entries like the followino;, which show that the inhabitants had their eyes upon this precious inheritance, and meant to keep it for future distri- bution : — April 12, 1694, ' Hachaliah Brown and Thomas Merrit are ap- pointed to go with the Indians and renew the marks of the White Plains purchase, agreeing with the Indians as reasonably as they can.' 1 April 1, 1699, ' John Lyon and Isaac Denham are chosen to laye out a rode to the White Playnes, begining at the head of Capt. Theall's land, and so to run to the caseaway [causeway ?] brook.' April 17, 1699, ' The town hath past an act that the Rode shall continue ... up to the White Playnes where John Lyon and Isaac Denham have marked it out, and the said Road to be 3 Rods in breadth.' February 14, 1699-1700, Lieutenant Horton and others ' are to survay and lay out the three purchases of land, that is to saye, the White Plains purchase, and Lame Will's two purchases.' April 27, 1708, the town ' chose Ensign Budd in the room of Captain Horton [deceased] to lay out lands in the White Plains purchase and Will's two purchases, according to the town's acts.' ^ Finally, ' at a meeting held in Rye by the Proprietors of the White Plaines purchase, Febeuery the 11, 1714-15,' Captain Joseph Budd, Ensign John Horton, Mr. John Hoyt, Samuel Purdy, Caleb Hiat, and George Lane, junior, 'are chosen to rectify all mistakes that has been formerly made by the former layers out of the White Plaines purchase, and also has power to add or diminish the just and true proportion of all the lotments of land which is in dispute to be above or under the true proportion, and to lay out propor- siable all the remaining part of the abovesaid purchase ; and when so done to make return to the said pi*oprietors.' ^ This committee appear to have completed their work in the year 1720. The lands divided were apportioned to forty-one proprie- 1 Records, vol. A. (Bolton, History of Westchester County, vol. ii. p. 340.) '^ Town Meeting Books, C. and G. 8 Records of Town Meetings, p. 9. APPORTIONMENT OF LANDS. 157 tors,^ ail of -vvlioni were inliabitants of the town of Rye. It is not known what number of acres were contained in tliis division, which was soon followed by others.^ Nor do we know positively how far the lands thus divided were actually appropriated to the persons named. But in the following year, 1721, certain individ- uals who had already settled upon lands in White Plains, obtained from the British government a patent for themselves and their associates, for the whole tract of four thousand four hundred and thirty-five acres. These persons were Joseph Biidd, John Hoit, Caleb Hoit, Humphrey Underbill, Joseph Purdy, George Lane, Daniel Lane, Moses Knap, John Horton, David Horton, Jonathan Lynch, Peter Hatfield, James Travis, Isaac Covert, Benjamin Brown, John Turner, David Ogden, and William Yeomans, Several of them were actual settlers. The diagram at the head of this chapter shows the location of their lands and houses. It is copied from the map accompanying a survey of the tract made before the granting of the patent.^ The settlement at the White Plains drew largely on the strength of the community at Rye. Several of its most enterprising inhab- itants removed thither about this time. Some branches of nearlv 1 The list is given by Mr. Bolton, who found it in the first volume of the Rye Rec- ords, now lost, to which he had access. (Hist. Westchester County, vol. ii. p. 341.) Joseph Horton, Caleb Hiat, Isaac Dciihani, Samuel Hoyt, Francis Purdy, Timothy Knap, Deliverance Brown, Jacob Pcarse, Geo. Lane, Tlios. Brown, John Frost, Peter Brown, Peter Disbrow, John Mcrrit, Geo. Kniftin, Joseph Purdy, Bcnj. Horton, Isaac Odell, Joseph Galpin, Jolm Hoyt, Joseph Budd, Philip Galpin, R'd Lounsbery, John Galpin, John Horton, Joseph Horton, Henry Disbrow, Garret Travis, John Stoakham, Jonathan Fowler, Richard Walter, Andrew Coe, Thos. Jeffrey, Isaac Sherwood, Jos. Sherwood, Francis Brown, Wm. Odell, Jonas Sherwood, Thos. Lyon, John Brondig, Hachaliah Brown. -The 'ffth or last division of the Wliitc Plains purchase' is mentioned in 17.51. Records, C. 267. ^ The references in the diagram are explained as follows in the original drawing : — ' A, Caleb Hyat's. B, Joseph Purdy's. C, Humphrey Underbill's. D, Sam' Mer- ritt's. E, Sam' Hunt's. F, Sam' Hunt's Mill. G, Sami Hoit's. H, John Hoit's. I, George Lane's. K, Dan' Brundige's. L, James Travis. M, Moses Knap's. N, John Hyat's. O, Dan^ Lane's. P, Sam' Horton's. Q, Christ"^ Yeomans. R, An- thony Miller's. S and T, Dan^ Brundige's Bound Trees. U, Beginning of Mr. Bridge's Patent. V, Y*^ Bound Tree Ijetwcen Mr. Bridge and Sam' Hunt. W, Ye Bound Tree between Humphrey Underbill and Sam' Hunt a, Y'= road to Ma- maroneck. b, Road to East Chester, c, Road up to y^ woods, d. Road to Hudson's Ferry, c. Road to Mr. Phillips' Mills, f, Ro;uI to Bedford., g, Road to California Patent [st'c]. h, Road to Ryo. i, Road to Budd's Neck.' 158 THE WHITE PLAINS. all the ancient families established themselves there, and indeed those families are now represented there more numerously than in the parent settlement. There was a Presbyterian church at the White Plains as early as the year 1727. It stood on or near the site of the present edi- fice. The land — three quarters of an acre — upon which it was built, appears to have been a part of the farm of the Rev. John Walton, the first minister who officiated here.^ In 1730 a ' high- way was laid out in the White Plains, beginning at the street near y* Meeting house, running four rods wide by marked trees till it comes to the Bi'idge over Bronckes' river near John Garritson's.' ^ In 1759 the county courts were removed from Westchester to the White Plains, and a building for their accommodation was erected on the site of what is now called the old Court House. Of the memorable scenes that occurred here during the Revolu- tion, we shall speak in the proper place. After the war, in 1788, the White Plains became a town distinct from Rye, of whicli it had till then formed a part. i Eye Records, vol. D. p. 188. 2 Record of Highways, White Phiins, )3. 32 CHAPTER XIX. OCCUPATIONS : THE POOR. ' The spinsters, corders, fullers, weavers.' King Henry VIIT. OUR ancient inhabitants were wont to call themselves, for the most part, by the humble but honest name of 'yeomen.' They were farmers, living frugally upon the produce of the soil. Most of their wants were supplied by domestic industry ; and what they purchased was commonly procured in the Avay of barter. ' They trafficked chiefly,' we are told, in ' wood and cattle.' By the middle of the last century, however, we find quite a variety of trades carried on in Rye : such as those of wheelwrights, cordwainers, carpenters, saddlers, tailors, hatters, weavers, rope makers, and the like. We are not to suppose that the persons so designated were emploj'ed exclusively in these occupations. They were generally farmers, who joined some kind of handicraft to their ordinary business, particularly in winter. The weaver's or wheelwright's shop was no unusual appendage to a farm-house a century ago. As in all old-time rural places, these occupations were very gen- erally pursued by the same families age after age. In one branch of an ancient family, for instance, the designation ' house-car- penter ' occurs through as many as four successive generations. Another family is said almost to have covered the lower part of Budd's Neck with its ' rope-walks.' And others of our inhabitants, even to the present day, show a long transmitted fondness for the fisherman's goodly craft, which their remote ancestors followed along the same shoals and shores. Rye, from early times, rejoiced in a considerable number of millers. Our numerous streams afforded excellent facilities for mills. Of these we find fifteen or twenty in operation before the period of the Revolution. The first established were grist-mills. John Budd's, afterwards known as Lyon's mill, on Blind Brook Creek, was built some time before the year 1669. Not long after, perhaps, the mill on the opposite side of Rye Neck was built by 160 OCCUPATIONS: THE POOR. the same proprietor on Mamaroneck River. In 1G96, Samuel Lane and Joseph Lyon received permission from the town to build a mill on BHnd Brook, — the location of which is supposed to be that now occupied by Park's mill. This was long known as Bloom- er's mill : and tliere were at least two others, above it, on the same stream. What is now known as Davenport's mill, near the outlet of Stony Brook, was owned in the latter part of the last century by Justice Gilbert Bloomer ; and that now known as Van Amringe's was formerly Deall's mill.^ In 1705, Samuel Hunt had leave to build a grist-mill on Mamaroneck River at the falls above Henry Underhill's. He must build within two years, and ' grind the town's corn for the 14th part.' In 1711, Richard Ogdeu was allowed to build a mill on Byram River, ' between the loiver going over and the country road.' Peter Brown's fulling-mill stood in 1731 in the rear of the late ' Penfield House,' — now owned by the family of the late D. H. Mead. Kirby's mill was built about a hundred years ago, by one Wright Frost. Colonel Thomas' mill is indicated on our revolutionary chart of 1779 : it stood near the cross road from Harrison post-office to King Street. Kennedy's mill is marked on a map of Rye in 1798. No early mention is made of saw-mills at Rye. The first settlers built their houses without the aid of this useful instrument. Not only the beams, but even the planks and shingles, were hewn and shaped by hand. But beside these various employments, our inhabitants had abun- dant opportunities of making or eking out a livelihood by ' follow- ing the water.' The title ' mariner ' soon appears as an occasional substitute for 'yeoman.' Within a few years after the settlement of the town, there were several docks or landino-s alono; our shore. From these, small fishing craft put out into the Sound, and before long a few sloops or barges sailed to Oyster Bay and to New York. A century ago, most of the families composing the little village of Saw Pit derived their support from these pursuits. So too did many of those living on the lower part of Rye Neck. This famil- iarity with the water prepared them to engage actively, as they did, in expeditions of various kinds upon the Sound during the Revolutionary War. A hundred years ago, the oyster fishery had become quite an important business at Rye. In 1753, much excitement was caused 1 This mill, however, is not as ancient as it is generally supposed to be. Permis- sion to build a dam across tlie mouth of the creek known as ' Horseneck creek,' was granted by an act of legislature about the year 1790. FARMING IN OLDEN TIME. 101 bv a ' great destruction of our oysters in Byram river.' Certain ])ersons were 'getting great Quantities with Rakes, to Burn into Lyme.' A town meeting was called, and the inhabitants 'agreed and voted that no person or persons sliall hereafter during the said year presume to take and destroy said oysters,' under penalty of a fine of forty shillings for each offence. Half of this sum was to go to the com])lHinant, and the other half to the [wor. This act was confirmed yearly until the time of the Re volution. ^ The 'New York Gazette' of July 3,. lT6t3, records the sad end of one of our Rye fishermen. ' On Tuesday evening, about eight o'clock, one Godfrey Fh\ynes, who followed the business of Lobster Catching for this Market, and has a family in Rye — went into the water to swim near Burling's Slip; but not appearing again, his son, a young man about 21, and another man, went in search of him, and found his hand above water, holding the edge of the boat, his body and head under water: but he was entirely dead. They tried all methods that could be thought of to recover him, but in vain. From the time he went into the water till he was taken out was less than six minutes. The Coroner's inquest brought in their verdict — Accidental Death.' Besides the market sloops that sailetl from Saw Pit, Rye, and Rye Neck to New York, there were some larger vessels belonging here, and sailing to distant ports. Mention is made in 1774 of a ' Wlialing Sloop belonging to Mamaroneck.' Li 1771, Captain Abraham Bush, of Rye, advertises that ' on a voyage from the eastward, coming out of Milford -harbour,' he discovered a scow and boom which he rescued and brought into port.^ The same Captain Bush, on the twenty-sixth of September, 1785, ' was cast awav and drowned with all his crew, consisting of five persons, including himself,' in a violent hurricane that occurred off" the coast of North Carolina.^ As to the farming of olden times, though deficient in modern improvements, it possessed some advantages by no means to be despised. The sturdy yeomen of the Purchase and Byram Ridge seem not unusually to have been blest with numerous sons, con- tent to follow the plough over their paternal acres, and not yet 1 The last entry in the Town Records before the Revolution relates to the recent discovery of ' a Bed of young Oysters on the East side of the old Colony line joining to Mamaroneck Harbour lying Between Gilbert Budd's Neck and Hog Island.' 2 Hugh Gaine's New York Gazette and The Weekly Mercury, Monday, July 1, 1771. " Family Record in the possession of Mr. A. Theall. 11 162 OCCUPATIONS: THE POOR. possessed by tlie longino- for city life. Land was plentiful and cheap, and the suil fresh and productive. 'A Good Farm in the ToAvn of Rye,' is advertised in the 'New York Weekly Post-Boy' of March 5, 1743. It consists of 'a good house and barn, an orchard of five acres, with nearly three hundred apple-trees : about eighty acres of ploughed land : near fifteen acres of English Meadow, and about fifty acres of land yet untilled.' We have a graphic description of the farms and the farming in this region, as they appeared in 1789, from the pen of General Washing- ton. Writing at Mrs. Haviland's, in Rye, he speaks of the land he had passed through during the day, as ' strong, well covered Avith grass and a luxuriant crop of Indian Corn intermixed with Pom- pions (whicii were yet ungathered i) in the field. We met four droves of Beef Cattle for the New York Market (about thirty in a drove) some of which Avere very fine — also a flock of Sheep for the same place. We scarcely passed a farm house that did not abound in Geese. Their Cattle seemed to be of a good quality, and their hoo-s large, but rather long lesged. No dwellino; house is seen without a Stone or Brick Chimney, and rarely any without a shingled roof — generally the sides are of shingles also. The farms are very close together, and separated, as one enclosure after another also is, by fences of stone, which are indeed easily made, as the country is immensely stoney.'^ The stone walls here spoken of had but lately taken the j)lace of the rail fences which prevailed throughout this region before the Revolution. During the war these had all been consumed as fuel, and the whole country at the close of that period lay open and waste. In the great abundance of timber in eaily times, farmers made little use of stone for walls. The rock that cropped out of the soil in their fields was generally undisturbed, while smaller stones were gathered in cairn-like heaps, out of the j)lough- man's way. The Poor. — Under the Connecticut laws, the poor were 'to be relieved by the townes where they live, every towne providing for theire own poore : and so for impotent pei'sons. There is seldom any want releife, because labour is deare .... and provisions cheap.' ^ 1 The date of this entry is October 15th. '^ Diary of Wanliivgton, from the Jirst da// of October, 1789, to the tenth dai/ of Marrh, 1790. New York, 18.58 : pp. 19,20. ^ Answers to Queries of the I'rivy Couneil, July 15, 1680 : Pul.lic !!< cords of Con- necticut, vol. iii. p. 300. THE TOWN POOR. 163 Tlie Vestrv of Rve, about wiioai Ave sliall have moi'e to say liereafter, liad ainono; other cares tlie charge of the town poor. Tliis was made their duty by the Act of 1693, 'for Settling a Min- istry ' in the province of New York ; which provided for the main- tenance of tlie minister, and also of the poor, in each of the parishes constituted by that law. The sum required for both pur- poses was to be raised by a tax on the inhabitants ; the justices and vestrymen being required to lay the tax, which the constable was to collect. Nothing is said, however, of any appropriation for this purpose at Rye until the year 1725, when the Vestry agreed that there should be raised, besides the money ' for y* Minister,' the sum of eight pounds ' for y® Poor.' This moderate amount appears to have sufficed for several years. But in time the duties of the Vestry accumulate. Bills come in for the boarding of pauj)ers; for medical attendance ; for funeral expenses, including the usual allowance of ' Rum ' ; for transporting vagrants to other parishes. These items biing up the sum required to forty or fifty pounds sometimes, and even to ninety or one hundred. Just before the Revolution, we find introduced in Rye the cus- tom of putting up tlie poor at auction. Before this, they had been taken in to boartl witli families, whose bills, if ayiproved, were paid by the Vestry, i^ut in 1775, ' the Justices and Vestry agreed that the poor of the ]nirish should be sett at vaudne to the Lowest bid- der, and that the Clark of the vestry put ])ublic advertizement for the same.' And next year '])ursuaiit to the advei tizement for the sale of the poor of the ))arish of Rye, the poor was at vandue sold ' at the house of John Doughty (lately Van Sicklin's). The four or five paupers thus disposed of were bidden oflF at various prices, from six to twelve pounds each ; and notice was given that ' who- ever takes them or any of them are to find him, her or them with comfortable Clothes, Meat, Washing and Lodging, and return them as well clothed as they receive ihem.' This transaction, however, was not as barbarous as it appears. The sale was simply a contract with parties who engaged to support the poor at the least expense to the Vestry, and the sums named represent the amounts they were willing to take for their board. ^ The parochial system ceased at the time of the Revolution, and the Vestry of Rye became a defunct institution. After the war, the care of the poor devolved in this county as elsewhere upon the county oflficers. In 1784, the board of supervisors had ' a ^ Eec'ords of the Vestry. 164 OCCUPATIONS: THE POOR. settlement with the late Church wanlens and other persons con- cerned of the late Parish of Rye, for the arrears due for support- ing the poor, within the same.' They found that the sum of X397 2s. Id. was due to the said parish. The money for this purpose was ordered to be levied from the several towns and precincts within the bounds of the late parish.' Tiie care of the poor in olden times involved some preventive measures which have a quaint look to inodern eyes. In 1716, Jonathan Haight of Rye informs the Court of Sessions at West- chester, that ' one Thomas Wright, an orphan in that town, hath no certain Place of Abode there, but lives like a Vagabond and at a loose end, and will undoubtedly come to Ruine unless this Court take some speedy and effectual care for y** prevention thereof.'^ Persons in a destitute condition who belonged to other places were summarily removed thither by the town officers. Worthy John Doughty, constable of Rye just before the Revolution, appears to have been kept busy in this way. The supervisors in 1773 allow his charges 'for transporting of one Deborough Con sundry times, and her child ; and also for transporting Christian Fulday alias Christian Torner, XI 5s. 6c?.' Some other provisions, which are still carried out under the poor laws of England, were in force here for the prevention of pauperism. * 1 Proceedings of the Board of Supervisors, 1869: Appendix, pp. 33, 46. - County Records, Wliite Plains, vol. D. p. 68. CHAPTER XX. PHYSICIANS AND LAWYERS. 1724-1870. I) YE appears to have been witliout a resident physician for the ^ first sixty years. Judging from the accounts we read of the medical profession in those days the loss may not have been very serious. 'During the greater part of the colonial period,' that profession is said to have been ' totally unregulated. Quacks, said a colonial historian, abound like locusts in Egypt.' ^ Our people probably depended for medical aid, as they did for many other conveniences, on the neighboring town of Stamford. At Stamford there were professors of the healing art as early as the beginning of the last century. Twelve miles were quite a distance to ' send for the doctor,' but the circuits of old-time phy- sicians extended often to even greater lengths. Mrs. Sarah Bates, *■ a useful and skilful ' female practitioner of Stamford, was one of ' several ancient dames of the town, in whose hands,' says Mr. Huntington, ' for the lirst hundred years, probably, was most of the medical practice known here.'^ A letter of hers, dated July 30, 1690, to a patient in Rye, lies before me.^ Dr. Devaney is the first physician whose name is on record here. It occurs in the Vestry Book, under the date of 1724. His charcre of <£8 195. for attendance on 'a poor man that dved 1 Discourse of De Witt Clinton, quoted in The Bland Papers, p. 19, from The Independent Reflector. - History of Stamford, Conn., by Rev. E. B. Huntington : pp. 360, 361. ^ This letter is in the possession of Dr. D. J. Sands, Port Chester. AYe give it as a curiosity : — ' Loveing freind my respects to you : I am sorry for your present sicknes I am not well [enough] to come to you upon your desire which I should be ready to doe if [I] were well : if god please I shall direct as I have sent you a potion of pills : take as soonc as y^ messenger returns in a litle honey : and if your vomiting still follow you: take about half a gil of brandy if you can git it two spoonfuls of salit oylc two sponfuls of lofc sugar nutmeg : mix it together and drinkc it aply mint with rum or brandy to his stomocke : this I know hath been found good in ye like distemp' . . . Sarah Bates. 'Stanford: .•iO'^ Julv : 1690.' 166 PHYSICIANS AND LAWYERS. sit Joseph Horton's house,' is the only mention made of him or of Ills services. Dr. WoRDEN is the next on our list. He practised in Rye about the year 1738. The only person of this name then living here, so far as we have learned, was one Valentine Worden, who in 1742 resided on King Street. Dr. Worden appears in the Ves- try records under circumstances which many of his professional hrethren can appreciate. One Margaret Stringham, daughter of Peter Stringham, was his patient. Slie was sick and lame, and was chargeal)le to the parish. After some months' attendance from him she was removed to Bedford, to 'be placed conveniently where Dr. Ayers, who takes care of her, may readily attend her.' Next year .she is carried to Long Island to be put under the care of Dr. Joseph Hinchman, who in due time brings a bill of <£30 for his services against the Vestr}', and upon their refusal to pay it as ' unreasonable,' sues them and recovers costs and damages. Whether the patient derived any benefit from this change of phy- sicians we do not learn. Dr. William Bowness ^ practised here in 1789, and Dr. William Alleson in 1747. Nothing furthei- is known of either. Dr. John Smith was a practising ]iliysician at Rye in 1747. This was the Rev. John Smith, for nearly thirty years pastor of the Presbyterian Church of Rye and the White Plains. He was settled here in 1742, and died in 1771. According to some of his descendants, Dr. Smith was distinguished for his medical skill, particularly in tlie treatmeiit of the insane. His recipes are said to have been kept in the fiimily and followed with great success long after his death. The recoids of the Vestry of Rye contain the following notices of his practice : — 'January 12, 1747. To Mr. John Smith for Doctering Widdow Merritt in y" long [lung] feavour £1. 0. 0.' ' January 9, 1749. The Justices and Vestrymen present do order the Church wardens to pay out of the Money now raised for the Poor, .... to Dr. John Smith for Doctering Francis Parker £5. 0. if Cured by the first day of May nexte: if then not cured then to have but £3. 10. 0.' 'January 15, 17e50-ol. The Justices' order payment ' to Dr. John Smith for Doctoring a sick woman at Benjamin Brown £l. 2. 0.' Dr. William Hooker Smith is mentioned frequently from 1763 to 1771. He was the oldest son of Dr. John Smith, and 1 'March the 23dl763, Allowed to the Executors of Dr. William Bowness, etc., X8 0. 0.' (Vestry Book, p. L55.J) BEFORE THE UEVOLITION. 1G7 appears to have practised witli his father, and to have succeeded him at Rye. Dr. William H. Smith entered the American army as snro;eon at the outbreak of the Revolution, and remained in the service until the close of the war. He appears to have discharged the duties of his office with credit, serving for several years as the only officer of tlie medical staff at the post to which he was assigned. Dr. Peter IIugeford practised in Rye as early as the year 1753, and continued until near the commencement of the Revolu- tion. He is last mentioned in 1772. He resided in the town of Courtland, and was probably, says Dr. Fisher, ' the first regular physician in the northwestern portion of Westchester County. He was an Englishman by birth and education, and was unques- tionably an accomplished medical practitioner. He "was certaiidy a gentleman of the decided Enghsh stamp, as .can be seen by his full-length portrait which now hangs in an ancient parlor of his granddaughter, Mrs. Betsey Field, a widow of over eighty years, residing near the village of Peekskill. Dr. Hugeford had manv students of medicine. Being a royalist, he retired to the British army when war was declared. His fine farm of two luuidred acres was confiscated, and subsequently given by government to John Paulding, for his services as one of the three distinguished captors of Major Andre, the British spy. Dr. Hugeford was probably the most accomplished physician of his day in this country.' ^ Dr. Nicholas Bailey practised medicine in Rye for a number of years previous to the Revolution. He is first mentioned in 1758. He lived about a mile above the village of New Rochelle, where his house, which is indicated on the map of 1779, was still standing a few years ago. He had an extensive practice, as I learn from Dr. Albert Smith, at the time that his father. Dr. Matson Smith, came to New Rochelle in 1777 ; he died two or three years after. Dr. Bailey was of French Huguenot extrac- tion. The name was originally Besley. Dr. David Daton practised medicine here about the year 1768. He was a resident of Newcastle, however, and his name occurs for several years j)revious to the Revolution as supervisor of that town. Once it is written Dayton^ which is probably the more correct spelling. 1 Biographical Sketches of the Distinguished Phi/siciaiis of Westchester County, N. Y.> being the Annual Address before the Westchester County Medical Society, June 1, 1858. By George J. Fisher, A. M., M. D. New York, 1861 : p. 52. lo8 PHYSICIANS AND LAWYERS. Dr. Robert Graham practised here in 1771 and in 1775. Dr. WiLLET was a ])ractising j)hysician in Harrison's Purchase, where he resided about the time of tlie Revolution. Dr. John Augustus Graham resided at the same period in the vilhige of" the White Phiins, and was a leading patriot. His name appears veiy often in tlie records of the Committee of Safety for Westchester County. Dr. Nathaniel Downing resided here in 1763. His name occurs in connection with a subject which was just then agitating our community in common with othei's, that o^ Inoculation. This method of preventing the contagion of small-pox — by introducing into the system a minute portion of the virus, and thus communi- cating the disease in a mild and comparatively harmless form — was extensively used a hundred years ago. It awakened, however, the liveliest fears of the ignorant everywhere ; and in some places inoculation was absolutely forbidden, and physicians performing it were rendered liable to severe penalties. In Rye, it appears to have been ])ermitted under certain regulations, which betray the same prejudices juid misapprehensions that prevailed elsewhere. April 4, 1763, James Wetmore, in Rye, on the post-road, ' acquaints all persons that are disposed to be inoculated, that tiiey may be well accommodated' at his house, 'where constant attend- ance will be given by Doctor Nathaniel Downing (as he boards at said house) who has inoculated a Number of persons there that have had the Small Pox uncommonly light.' ^ September 23, 1763, ' The pleasant situated house at Rye Ferry, where inoculation was carried on last fill and Winter with great success,' is advertised as ' now provided with genteel accommodations, for all those who are inclined to be inoculated for the Small Pox the ensuing season at a very moderate price : and as the greatest care and attention will be given by the Doctors and Nurses, provided for the patients ; it is hoped that the usual success and encouragement will be con- tinued.' ^ But the inhabitants watched these proceedings with an evil eye. Their alarm and displeasure found vent before long ' at a lawful town meeting ' which was held at the school-house in Rye, April 2, 1765. They think it — ' Nesecery that wharas sum persons have in said town in their own houses tacken pereons from other places into their familes and sum of the Inhabitents of said town and their hath ben anocelated with the Small pox whereby it hath put maney of the Inhabitents in fear of 1 New York Gazette. - New York Gazette and Weekhj Post-Boy. INOCULATION. 169 cetching of the same whereby the said town's people as well as straglers could not pass about their lawfuU accasions, to do their Buisness for Remedy whereof it is anacted by a vote in said town meting that no person or persons shall after the day of the date hereof tacke into their houses or funlly any person or suffer them to be inocleted in their said houses or nurse the same unless it shall be in such houses as any two of his maiestyes Justices of the peace and the Supervisor of said town shall thinck it a Convenant place and from a publick Road and not nigh to naighbours under the penelty of five j)ound Eacli person or persons as shall be inocalated and that in Case any docter or phision or other person or percons Shall assume to Inocalate unless at such places as said justices and Supervisor of said town shall premitt such docter phercion or other person so offending shall pay the sum of forty shil- lings for each percon or persons they shall Inocalate with the Smoall Pox and the fines and forfitiu-es arising here from sliall be Recovered in a Siimmorey way Before aney one of his maiestyes justices peace who upon proof to awoard Execution there on the one half to the Com- playnor that shall sue for the same and the other half to the poor of said town. The above was tiiis day unamously voted at said meeting as Icnv for the year Ensuing.' ^ Dr. EuENEZER Haviland was livino; at Rye in 1766, and ap- pears to have had an extensive practice. He entered the army upon the outbreak of the Revolution, and served througli the greater part of the war as a surgeon. He died at Wallingford, Conn., about tlie close of the war. The Journal of the Provincial Congress of New York contains the following: 'August 4, 1775, A Certificate of D"" John Jones and D' Bard was read and filled. Those gentlemen thereby cer- tify that tliey have examined D"" Ebenezer Haviland, respecting his knowledge of Physick and Surgery, and that they find him very competently qualified to act as Surgeon of a Regiment.' Upon this recommendation, he was appointed ' Surgeon to the Fourth Regiment of the Troops raised in this Colony.' ^ Since the Revolution, Rye has been favored with the services of a number of able and successful physicians. For the following account of them I am chiefly indebted to my esteemed friend Dr. J. D. Sands, now the oldest practitioner in this town. Dr. Clark Sanford, a native of Vermont, commenced the practice of medicine in the town of Greenwich, near the Connecti- cut State line, about the year 1790. As a large part of his practice 1 Town Records. ^ American Archives, fourth series, vol. ii p. 1817. 170 PHYSICIANS AND LAWYERS. was in tlie town of Rye, he may be properly mentioned as one of the physicians of this place. Dr. Sanford was noted for his skill in the treatment of a fearful epidemic known as the ' Winter Fever,' which prevailed extensively from 1812 to 1815. He was widely known to the profession as one of the fii-st who manufac- tured j^ulverized Peruvian bark. This preparation was sold under the name of ' Sanford's Bark.' He had a mill at Glenville for grindino- drugs, one of the first establishments of the kind in the country. Dr. Sanford was an eccentric man and a great smoker, usually to be seen with his pipe in his mouth. He died about the year 1820, aged over sixty years, leaving three sons, — Josephus, John, and Henry, — and two daughters. Dr. Benjamin Rockwell commenced practice in Saw Pit, now Port Chester, about the year 1809. He was born in Lewisboro or South Salem, N. Y., about the year 1786, and was a son of Judge Natlian Rockwell of that place. Dr. Rockwell practised medicine here for twelve or fifteen years, and was regarded as a very skilful physician. He removed to the city of New York, and died there a few years ago. He had a son William, who was also a jdiysician. Dr. David Rogers, after practising for many years in Fairfield, Conn., removed to the town of Rye about the year 1808. He remained here until the time of his death. He was the father of Dr. David Roger?, junior, who commenced practice in Mamaroneck before the year 1800, and removed about 1820 to the city of New York, where he died about the year 1844, aged nearly seventy. Dr. David Rogers, junior, had two sons, also physicians — Drs. David L. and James Rogers, — of New York.^ Dr. Charles McDonald settled in the village of Saw Pit in 1808. He was already past the meridian of life. In his younger days he had served in his professional capacity in the army of the Revolution, and was a warm and devoted patriot. His professional career in this town covered a period of about a third of a century, and was highly creditable for its skill and success. He was a portly man, weighing not less than two hundred and fifty pounds. His countenance always wore a genial smile, and he was the ])ar- ticular favorite of the juvenile portion of the community. Dr. McDonald died, respected and beloved Jjy a large circle of friends, September 12, 1841, aged eighty-two years. These old men, observes Dr. Sands, have all passed away with- out leaving any written memorial of their early history, education, 1 Biographical Sketches, etc., by Dr. Fislier. LATER PRACTITIONERS. 171 or prorcssioiial career; a fact generally true of country j)ractition- ers ; the fatigue incident to their profession, together with other inevitable duties, leaving them little time to record the progress orthe results of their experience. Hence what they learn, and what they learn to discard, is lost when they cease from their labors. Dr. Ei.iSHA Belcher, a native of Preston, now Lebanon, Conn., joined the Continental Army, and was stationed as surgeon at Greenwich, where he continued to practise medicine until within a year of his death. He died, December 1825, in his sixty-ninth year. He was eminent in his profession. Most of his practice was in this county. He had two sons, both physicians, one of whom — Dr. EusHA R. Belcher, settled in Saw Pit in 1816, and en- gaged partly in the exercise of his profession and partly in mer- cantile pursuits. He remained here about four years, and then removed to New York, where he practised medicine up to the time of his death, which occurred some four or five years ago. Dr. James Willson was a graduate of the College of Physicians- and Surgeons in the city of New York. He practised in the city for some years, and removed to Rye about the year 1825. He was a man of fine professional education, marked and decided in char- acter, and successful in practice. He died in 1862. Dr. Thomas Close was a native of Greenwich, Conn. He commenced the practice of medicine in Port Chester about the year 1830. He was much esteemed as a physician. He removed to Brooklyn in 1862. Dr. William Stillman Stanley is a graduate of Brown Uni- versity, Providence, R. I., and received the degree of M. D. from that institution in 1828. He became a resident of Mamaroneck in that year, and in 1837 removed to Rye Neck, where he has since resided. Dr. D. Jerome Sands graduated at the College of Physicians and Surgeons in the city of New York in 1840. Soon after he came to Port Chester, ajul has practised here ever since. Dr. John H. T. Cockey is a native of Maryland, and gradu- ated at the University of Maryland in 1832. He engaged in the practice of medicine first in Frederick County, INId., then in Litch- field County, Conn. ; and after practising in New York for four years, came to Rye in May, 1855. Dr. Seth Stephen Lounspery graduated in 1861 at the Col- lege of Physicians and Surgeons in the city of New York. He 172 PHYSICIANS AND LAWYERS. commenced practice in the city, and in 18G2 entered tlie army as Assistant-Surgeon of the 170th Regiviient N. Y. Volunteers. He was promoted to be Surgeon of the 156th N. Y. V., remained till the close of the war, and was mustered out of service in August, 1865. He commenced practice in October, 1865, in connection with Dr. Wm. S. Stanley, at Rye Neck. Dr. Edward F. Mathews graduated at the College of Physi- cians and Surgeons, and commenced practice in Port Chester, his present location, in 1856. Dr. Norton J. Sands graduated at the same institution in 1868, and is now engaged in the practice of liis {profession in Port Chester. Dr. Granville C. Brown, homoeopathic physician, is a gradu- ate of the New York Homoeopathic Medical College, 186^ ; he commenced j)ractice in Port Chester in 1866. Dr. Matthew McCollum, a practitioner of the same school of medicine, graduated at the same institution in 1863, and came to Port Chester in 1869. The legal profession was not largely represented in eai-ly times in the town of Rye. The single name of Timothy Wetmore appears as that of an attorney-at-law living in this place before the Revolution. Mr. Wetmore was licensed Ai)ril 26, 1770.^ He was the son of the Rev. James Wetmore, and held a position of commanding influence in this community. Jonathan F. Vickers, who taught school at ' Saw Pit' for some years toward the close of the last century, was familiarly known as * lawyer' Vickers, and was engaged to some extent in the practice of the law. Daniel Haight, Esq., attorney and counsellor-at-law in Port Chester, was admitted at the bar in 1850, and has pnrsued his pro- fession in this town since that time. Amherst Wight, junior, Esq., was admitted at the New York bar in 1849, and came to Port Chester to reside therein 1859. His father, Amherst Wight, Esq., is one of the oldest members of the bar in New York, having been admitted to practice in that city in 1816. He is still, though eighty years of years, in active busi- ness, going daily to his office in New York from Port Chester. Mr. Wight was born in Bellingham, Mass., where his father and grandfather lived and died. He came to this place in 1862. 1 Information communicated by Dr. O'Callaghaa. CHAPTER XXI. SCHOOLS. UNDER tlie old Connecticut laws, every town of fifty house- holders was required to 'appoint one within tlieir Towne to teacli all such children as shall resort to him, to write and read.' The wages of this teacher were to be paid either by the parents or by the inhabitants in general. When any town should have increased to the number of one hundred householders or families, ' they shall sett vp a Grammer Schoole.' The instruction im- parted at this school must be such as would fit youths for the university. These provisions were made to the intent — in the quaint language of the times — ' that Learning may not be buried in the Grave of our Forefathers.' ^ As the population of Rye scarcely reached the lowest of these fio;ures while the town belonged to Connecticut, these recrulations were never enforced here. If anything was done for the educa- tion of the young, it was by voluntary effort. The first mention of this matter that we find, however, implies that the peoi)le had not been very successful in such endeavors. At a meeting of the town held April 22, 1690, ' Captain Horton, Joseph Theall, and John Brondige, are chosen to procure a min- ister, and if possible a schoolmaster.^ Nothing more appears on the subject till January 29,1711, when ' at a meeting held by the Proprietors of Peningo Neck, the said Proprietors agree by a vote to build a schoole house upon their owne charge and to sett the said house nere Tom Jeffers hill ^ below Joseph Kniffens. Sarg' Merrit, Richard Ogden and George KuiH'en is chosen to stake out the oround where the said school liouse shall be sett and allso to mark out a quater of an acre of Land to be ioining to the said schoole house to lye for a garden for 1 Public Record's of Connecticut, vol. ii. pp. 554, 555. '^ 'Tom Jeffers Hill ' jirobabiy took its name from one Thomas Jcfferies, an early settler. November 22, 1686, the town gave to Benjamin Collyer a eertaiii house-lot. wliicli was formerly Thomas Jetferies'. There are grounds for believing that this site is identical with that occu])ied until within twenty or thirty years by the district school-house in Rye, in front of the Episcopal Church. 174 SCHOOLS. tlie use of tlic sclioole master as the said Proprietors shall see cause.' It was also agreed that ' any pt-rson or persons that ■will bear his or theire proj)ortion of moneys in building the sehoole house shall have an equail privilege of the bald house for schooling with the Proprietors.'^ There were other schools about this time in diflPerent parts of the town, of which we know but little, and that little not greatly in their favor. In 1716, one Elizabeth Shaw appeal's befi>re the Court of Sessions at Westchester, and complains that 'a travelling woman who came out of y" Jerseys, who kejjt school at several places in Rye parish, hath left with her a child eleven months old, for which she desires ixdief i'rom the parish.' '^ ' As to schools,' writes the Rev. James Wetmore in 1728, ' there are several poor ones in diffei'ent jiarts of the ])arish. Where a luimber of families live near together, they hire a man and woman at a cheap rate, subscribing every one what they will allow. Some masters get X20 per annum and their diet : but there is no public provision at all for a school in tiiis parish.'^ There was no respect in w hich Rye lost so much by its annexa- tion to New Yoi'k as in the matter of common school education. Connecticut, like Massachusetts, showed from the first great care for the instruction of the voung. Hartford established a town school as early as 1642, and in 1643 a vote was passed that *• the town shall pay for the schoohng of the poor.' In 1670, it was said that one fourth of the annual reveiuie of the colony was laiil out in maintaining free schools. In New York, no provision was made for a general s}stem of education before the Rev()lution. Whatever was done for this interest was done by individuals or by religious bodies. The society in England for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, supported a schoolmaster at R}e for a great many years. This was done originally at the instance of the Honorable Caleb Heathcote, who was active in establishing a school here about the year 1706. In 1707, Mr. Joseph Cleator* began teach- 1 Town Records. 2 County Records (White Plains), vol. I), p. 68. 8 Bolton, History of the Prot. Episc. Church in Westchester County, p. 250. * At a meeting held April 27, 1708, 'the town granted nrito Mr. Cleator ten acres of land in the White Plains purchase; that is to say, if any of the said Cleator's family come over, then the said land is to be the said Cleator's proper right, and if not, to remain to the school.' (Town Meeting Book, No. G. p. 32.) Mr. Cleator lived at one time in a house that stood south of the present Methodist Episcopal parsonage. (Rye Records, vol. D. p. 88.) SUNDAY-SCHOOL AT RYE. 175 ing and continued to keep a school until his deatli, whicli occtirred in 1732. For the last eight or ten years of his life, however, he was blind, and could only give instruction in the catechism. ' While he had his sight,' says Mr. Wetmore, ' they tell me lie kept a constant and good school.' In 1714 a Mr. Huddlestone was also engaged in teaching, under the Society's care, in some part of the paiish of Rye. The ])arish, it shouFd be said, included Bedford and Mamaroneck as well as the town of Rye ; and the town itself comprised Harrison and the White Plains as well as its present territory. From 1734 to 1745 Mr. Flint D wight taught school under the same auspices at the White Plains. At Rye, Mr. Cleator was suc- ceeded in 1733 by Mr. Samuel Pnrdy,^ who continued in charge till 1749, when he removed to the White Plains, where he died in 1753. Timothy Wetmore, a son of the Rev. James Wetmore, succeeded him at Rye, and taught the school till 1769. His brother James, after a short interval, took charge of it, but gave it up at the outbreak of the Revolution, being an active supporter of, the British cause.''^ The number of children attending the Society's school at differ- ent periods is stated as follows : — In 1719, Mr. Cleator taught 50 pupils. In 1739, Mr. Purdy taught 41 ; Mr. Dwight 46. In 1776, Mr. Wetmore's school numbered 71. The Society's schoolmasters at Rye acted as readers or assist- ants to its missionaries who were stationed here. They appear to have been humble but zealous and laborious men. Under one of them, Mr. Huddlestone, Rye may be said to have possessed a StDidui/school twenty years before the birth of Robert Raikes, the sujjposed founder of that useful institution. In 1714, we find that ' on the morning of the Lord's days, not only his own scholars, but several of the young jieople of the town, of both sexes, come wil- lingly to be informed.' ^ » 1 Mr. Samuel Piu-tly was justice of the peace in Rye for more than thirty years, and was a man highly respected. His ' home lot of five acres,' wiiich he conveyed in ir.'JS to his two sons Samuel and Caleb, comprised the present rectory n;rounds. (Rye Records, vol. D. p. 88.) ^ The facts here piven relative to the Gospel Propagation Society's schoolmasters at Rye, are gleaned from Mr. Bolton's ecclesiastical history of the county, passim. ^ The common impression, however, that the Sunday-school originated with Robert Raikes about the year 1781 is a mistaken one. The germ of this institution apjjcared at the Refurmation in every one of the great Evangelical Churches. Luther founded a Sunday-school at Wittenberg in 1527. Calvin, in 1.541, published his Catechism, divided into portions for each Lord's day, when the children were to be instructed and catechized in the afternoon Knox, in 1560, carried out the same system in Scotland. 176 SCIIO(3LS. This school was probably held in the buiKlino; mentioned first in 1738 as 'the school-house near tiie Church.' It stood close upon the cross-road, and a few rods back from the post-road, in front of the Episcopal Church in the village. Here, as we have already seen, the town meetings were held for forty years or more. As to the kind of instruction given, we learn from a distinguished visitor who spent a night at Rye in 1774, ' They have a school for writing and cyphering, but no grammar school.'^ The year after John Adams's visit the Rev. Mr. Avery, minister of the Episcopal Church in this place, announced his purpose to establish a school of a superior kind. His advertisement ai)i)eared in the 'New York Mercury,' of April 3, 1775: — ' Eye, 13 ifavch, 1775. ' TO THE PUBLIC. ' Epliraim Avery, A. M.. Rector of the Parish of Rye — Intends opening a school the 18th day of April next, at his liouse in Rye ; any gentlemen in city or country, that will favour him with the care and instruction of their children, may depend upon the utmost dilligence and attention. lie will teach the reading of English properly ; writing, arithmetic, the Latin and Greek languages, geography, surveying, tri. 180, 181. ■•^ In the neighborhood of a spring on Mr. Thomas Peck's grounds, it is said tliat two Indian families lived, perhaps not long before the Revolution. East of this spot, a field of twelve or fourteen acres was once pointed out to me by Mr. Josiah Purd\-, as ' the Gammon Lot,' so called when he was a boy, because an Indian who claimed to own the land sold it to a white man for a leg of bacon. 192 THE INDIANS. their uninclosed lands for more tlian a whole century after the set- tlements began.' ^ The twenty families of whom Mr. Mulrson speaks Avere reduced by the year 1720 to 'four or five ; ' 'families,' writes Mr. Bridge, ' of Indians that often abide in this parish, but are frequently re- moving, almost every month or six weeks.' ^ After this date, we hear little more of Indians at Rye, except, shameful to say, as slaves. In 1724, Mr. Jenney reports, ' There are a few negro and Indian slaves in my parish, but no free infidels ' or heathen.^ In 1734, Mr. Wetmore mentions the baptism of ' one adult, an Indian slave.' ^ In our town records there is a copy of a decision of the Court of Sessions held at Rye, September 22, 1761, when one Freelove, an Indian woman, an apprentice to Dennis Hicks of the Manor of Phili])sburgh was brought before the court. ' It appearing upon oath to us,' say the magistrates, 'that the said Dennis hath beaten his said apprentice Freelove, and otherwise abused her, we do therefore discharge the said Freelove from her apprenticeship, and do hereby under our respective hands and seals pronounce and declare that the said Freelove is discharged from being any longer an apprentice to her said master.' ^ Tradition states that in old times a band of Indians used to visit Eye once a year, resorting to the Beach, where they had a ' frolic ' which lasted several days. According to my informant, they ap- proached the village from the north, rushing down the road with a whoop which could be heard by the whole neighborhood. It is possible that their visit to the Beach had some connection with ' Burying Hill,' where former generations of red men are sup- posed to have been interred. Another place which they frequented, as late certainly as the middle of the last century,^ was a spot on Grace Church Street, at 1 Ilistory of Connecticut, by Benjamin Trumbull, D. D., vol. i. p. 117. 2 Bolton, History, etc., p. 196. ^ Ibid. p. 228. * Ibid. p. 264. ^ Records, B. xii. The Proceedings of the Board of Supervisors for 1773 contain the following charge ; — 'John Doughty, Constable of- Rye, for Transporting Mary Gordon and child, and William Francis, an Indian, 9s. 6d.' 6 About 1744, says Dunlap, ' the Indians, still residing in the lower parts of the State, at particular seasons of the year came to the city, and rook up their residence ' — in the neighborhood of a wind-mill which then stood between what is now called Liberty Street and Courtlandt Street — 'until they had disposed of their peltry, their brooms and shovels, trays and baskets. Dr. Abecl says, I have seen, in 1744, and TRADITIONS AND RELICS. 193 the corner of tlie road now called Kirby Avenue, and nearly in front of" the jiresent residence of Mr. James M. Titus. Here, says one of our oldest inhabitants, a troop of Indians would come every year and spend the night in a powwow, during which their cries and yells would keep the whole neighborhood awake and in terror for their lives. These drunken frolics, however, are said not to have been attended by any serious consequences. The next day the savages would go quietly back into the country, and be heard of no more for months.^ Many interesting relics of the Indian race have been found along our shores. Heaps of clam-shells, as usual, indicate the spots where their villages or solitary wigwams stood. These occur in great abundance on Manussing Island, on Parsonage Point, in the vicinity of the Beach, and near Blind Bi-ook^ and the creek into which it empties. Indian graves have also been frequently discovered. ' The former existence of Indian habitations on the great neck of Poningo,' says Mr. Bolton, ' is amply proved by the number of hunting and warlike weapons found in that neigh- borhood. The site of the principal Mohegan village was on or near Parsonage Point. In the same vicinity is situated Burying Hill, their place of sepulture. The reinains of six Indians were afterwards, , several Indian canoes comedown the East and North Rivers, and land tlieir cargoes in the basin near the long bridge,' at the foot of Broad Street. ' They took up their residence in tlie yard and store-house of Adolph Phillips ; there they generally made up their baskets and brooms, as they could better bring the rough ma- terial witii them than the ready-made articles. When the Indians came from Long Island, they brought with them a quantity of dried clams, strung on sea-grass, or straw, which they sold, or kept for their own use, besides the flesh of animals, etc. Clam.s and oysters, and other fish, must have formed the principal food, together with squashes and pumpkins, of the natives of the lower part of the State.' (Histonj of the New Netherlands, Province of Neio York, and State of New York, etc., in two vols. By William Dunlap. New York, 1839 : vol. i. p. 353.) 1 Mrs. Kirby, widow of David Kirby, who related these facts to me, had them from her grandmother, Mrs. James Bird, then a young married woman, living where the cottage on the northeast corner of Kirby Avenue and Grace Church Street stands. Mrs. Bird used to say that she had often sat up all night with her infant in her arms, her husband being away at sea, prepared to fly for refuge to one of the neighbors, should her house be attacked. '^ On the property of Dr. J. H. T. Cockey the remains of seven or eight human skeletons were discovered in a sand-bank in 1 855. A great quantity of oyster and clam- shells were found. In clearing out a spring on the same land an Indian pestle came to light. Among other implements, a spear-head si.K inches in length, and of unusually ])crfect form, was found. Several bodies were discovered in 1867, near the opposite hank of the creek, in the garden attached to one of Mr. Mathews's houses. Tlie pos- ture, as elsewhere, showed that they were the bodies of Indians. 13 194 THE INDIANS. discovered on excavating the present foundations for Newberry Halsted's residence.'^ Manussiiig Island was undoubtedly the site of an Indian village. A few years ago some laborers, excavating the ground on the east side of Mr. Van Rensselaer's garden, uncovered the skeleton of a bod}'^ wliich had been buried in the manner customary with the Indians, in a slanting or sitting posture. The remains were of extraordinary size, and in a very perfect state ; but when exposed to the air soon crumbled to dust. In July, 1870, I went Avith Mr. Underhill Halsted to examine the traditionary sites of the Indian villages on Peningo Neck. The chief of these was in a field about seventy-five rods south of the road to Rye Beach. Here, about two hundred feet from high- water mark, there is a spring which is said to be unfailing. Near it is a flat rock, around which the soil for the extent of half an acre abounds in fragments of shells. The supposition that this was an abode of the Indians is favored by tlie situation of the spot, its exposure to the south, and proximity to the Beach. It is based moreover upon the statements of old men, who have had it from their fathers. ' Samp Mortar Rock,' near by, is pointed out as the place where the Indian women used to pound tiieir corn. It is on the south side of a clump of rocks, near what is known as ' Steep Rock,' at the south end of the Beach, on a line with the north side of Mr. Cornell's lane. Here are the remains of a circular basin cut in the rock, two feet and a half in diametei-, and about as deep. One side of this basin is still perfect, but on the other the rock has been worn or broken away.^ Another ' Indian mortar,' more j)erfect but smaller, is to be seen on the shore of a cove called ' Ware's Cove,' on Mr. Gideon Rey- nolds' land, opposite the north end of Pine Island. Another spot, believed to have been the site of an Indian vil- lage, is in a field in the rear of Mr. Underlnll Halsted's house. And a third, where still more abundant traces have been found, is in the neighborhood of ' Bullock's Landing' and ' Galpin's Cove,' on the opposite side of the creek, upon Mr. Genin's grounds. 1 Iliston/ of Westchester Counti/, vol. ii. p. 17. 2 Mr. Halsted had in his possession, forty-two years ago, an Indian pestle, two feet and a half in length, and about three inches thick. It had been carefully preserved in his family for a long time. CHAPTER XXIV. CEMETERIES. fi ' Where heaves the turf in many a mouldering heap, Each in liis narrow ceil forever laid, The rude forefathers of the handet sleep.' npHE visitor on his way to our Beacli may notice at the turn of -*- the road above Milton, the little burying-ground by Blind Brook ; not as differing from other country grave-yards in its aspect of seclusion and neglect, but for the quiet beauty of the scene in whicli it lies. Just here the outlet of the stream, whose meander- ings have proceeded through the low meadow lands, becomes visi- ble toward the south, and the waters of the Sound appear beyond the higher banks that skirt the creek. It is a spot well chosen for its suggestions of rest and of hereafter. The oldest legible inscription in this cemetery is to be found on a tombstone near the entrance. It reads thus : — ' Here Lyeth the Body of ^ Nkhemiah "Webb, Son to the Rev'^ Mr. Joseph Webb of Fairfield Who Dyed at Rye April y" 24 1722 in the 28*'> Year . . . .' The preservation of this epitaph for so long a time is doubtless due to the fact that the face of the tombstone has become much inclined, so as to be sheltered from the weather. There are many time-worn slabs around it that are probably much less ancient, but their records cannot be deciphered. The oldest inscriptions that are legible on other graves in the Blind Brook Cemetery, are these : — ' In Memory of M^ Elisha Budd, who died Sept. y^ 21^' 1765 in the 60tli year of his age.' ' In Memory of M" Anne Budd, wife of Mr. Elisha Budd, who died Dec. Gth, 1700.' ' Mr. Joseph Lyon, who died Feb. 21, 1761, in the 84th year of his age.' ' Sarah Lyon, wife of Joseph Lyon, died Jan. 26, 1769.' 196 CEMETERIES. ' In Memory of Godfrey Ilains who departed this Life July 22, 1768, aged 93 years.' ' In Memory of Anne wife of Godfrey Hains who departed this Life Feb-^ 19, 1758, aged 68 years.' ' In Memory of Jonathan Brown, who deceased June 15, 1768, aged 62 years.' Four tombstones in tliis grave-yard bear the name of Ezekiel Halsted : — ' In Memory of Ezekiel Halsted who Deseased in Rye 30"" October 1757 in the 49th year of his Age.' ' In Memory of Ezekiel Halsted who departed this life Feb*^ 20"^ 1805 in the 67* year of his Age.' ' Sacred to the Memory of Ezekiel Halsted who died April 18 1829 aged 68 years 2 months and 13 days.' ' Sacred to the memory of Ezekiel Halsted jr. who died August 26, 1828, aged 41 years and 13 days. Having been a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church 22 years.' One of the tombs in this cemetery was erected — * In Memory of Martha wife of D"" David Rogers and daughter of the Rev'* Charles Teiinent, who died April 12, 1813, aged 62 years.' Two of the rectors of Christ Church lie buried here. Their graves are near the entrance of the grave-yard. The Reverend Evan Rogers, who died January 25, 1809, in his forty-second year ; and the Reverend William Thompson, who died August 26, 1830. The earliest mention of this burying-ground in our Town Rec- ords, occurs in a deed dated 1753. It speaks of ' y* boring [bury- ing] place in Rye neck,' opposite a certain tiact of land on the west side of the mill creek, which Samuel Purdy conveyed to his sons, Samuel and Caleb.^ In 1761, ' Jonathan Brown iuner is aloud ' [allowedj by the town ' the priviledge of pastring the Buring yard upon the Con- ditions that he mackes a Geat and Cuts the Brush and Keeps it Clear.' ^ This permission was renewed yearly until 1770. It seems likely that the Blind Brook Cemetery was laid out about the year 1750. An aged person has informed me that the land was given to the town for this purpose by Josejih Lyon, who lies buried here, and who died in 1761. The fact that older inscriptions, like that of Mr. Webb, are to be found, may be ac- counted for by the supposition that bodies were removed to this 1 Town Records, vol. D. p. 88. 2 Records of Town Meetings, April 7, 1761. FAMILY BURIAL PLACES. 197 place from other localities, after the opening of a common buryintr- ground. For it is quite certain that in early times the practice of main- taining private or family places of interment prevailed here, as it did elsewhere. Fifteen or twenty of these cemeteries are still to be seen, and many others have doubtless been obliterated in the course of manifold changes and improvements. The earliest allusion in our records to a family bur3'ing-ground is in a deed of 1741, from Joshua Brundige to Gilbert Bloomer, conveying his house and farm of thirty acres, on the corner of the Ridge Road and the road to Bloomer's mill. This property is now ow^ned by Mr. Thomas Lyon. The deed in question excepts and reserves — ' The liberty of a burying place at the southwesterly corner of said premises for the burying of my family, where some persons are already buried.' ^ This plot was to be two rods square. It lies on the north side of the road, nearly opposite Park's mill, and contains a number of graves, with dilapidated head-stones, upon most of which only here and there a letter can be made out. One half-buried slab bears the inscription : — 'R. B. 1771.' This was probably Robert Bloomer, the third of that name, who lived in this neighborhood about the year 1765. Members of the Merrit family are known to have been buried here, and many others. One well-preserved inscription is — ' In memory of Nathaniel Brown, who departed this life April lO"* 1801 in the 70''' year of his age.' The burial-place of a portion of the Kniffin family was a plot of ground by the road-side, on the land now owned by Mr. Quin- tai'd. This property, a century ago, belonged to Jonathan KnifRn. A few vears since some graves could be distino-uished from the road at the top of the hill south of Mr. Quintard's gate. They have been removed in order to the si'adino- of the land. The principal place of interment of the Merritt family was on Lyon's Point, now^ a part of Port Chester. This spot is on the north side of the street across the point, and near the bridge. Only the more recent names and dates in this cemetery are now 1 Town Records, vol. C. p. 208; vol. D. pp. 130, 161. li^S CEMETERIES. decipherable. The tomb of Jolin Merritt, who died in 1759, is the oldest of those that can be read. The cemeteries of the Lyon family are situated on Byram Point, and in the neighborhood of Byram Bridge. The Theall burying-ground is on the property of Mr. Abra- ham Theall. The PiTRDY flunily have a burying-ground on the western bank of Blind Brook Ci'eek, opposite the public cemetery. This is prob- ably one of the oldest places of interment iji Rye. It contains many antique memorials of past generations ; but the imperfect records of their names have been worn away by time, and none prior to the present century are now legible. The principal burying-ground of the BuDn family is said to be situated near the shore of the creek, on the Jay property, which they formerly owned. Some members of this family are interred in a small plot of ground on the farm of Mr. J. Griffin, North Street. This spot is on the west side of the road, a short distance from the Mamaroneck River. There are several family burial-places on King Street. Mem- bers of the Haight, Merritt, Anderson, and other families, are interred here. Another branch of the Anderson family have a burying-ground in Harrison, on the cross-road to White Plains. The small cemetery on the west side of Blind Brook, opposite Christ Church in Rye, is well known as the spot where several of the rectors of that church lie buried. This, however, as we have already seen, was not one of the more ancient places of sepulture in the town, having been set apart for the purpose probably about the year 1760. Previous to that time, the rectors who died while in charge of this parish were buried underneath the church. The Gedney burying-place is near Mamaroneck, on the west side of the river. It contains the graves of some of the oldest in- habitants of this town. Here lies Eleazar Gedney, the ancestor, we presume, of tha^t family in Rye, ' born in Boston Goverment,' and deceased October 27, 1722. Interments were formerly made, it is said, to some extent in the grounds adjacent to the Episcopal Church. Mr. Bolton gives an inscription ' taken from a tombstone found in the wall on the west side of the church,' to the memory of ' Mrs. Martha Marven, late consort of Mr. Lewis Marven, of Rye,' who died February 5, 1767, in her thirty-ninth year. It is not probable that many per- sons were buried here, as the nature of the soil would render it unsuitable for this use. THE UNION CEMETERY. 199 One of the most beautiful and interesting localities in Rye is the cemetery of the Jay family, on their estate. To this spot, in 1807, the remains of various members of that family were removed from their vault in New York. Here a monument stands ' to the mem- ory of John Jay.' The burying-ground known as The Union Cemetery of Rye, originated in 1887. In that year, James Barker and David Brooks, of Rye, bought from Benjamin Mead three acres of land, which they gave to the authorities of Christ Church, Rye, ' with a view to secure to the said Church a suitable burial place.' This gift included the front part of the ground on North Street or the White Plains Road. In conveying this property to the church, the donors stipulated that certain plots should be reserved as burial-i)laces for the ministers of the three churches of Rye, and their families ; and also that two strips on the eastern and western sides of the ground should be appropriated as a public cemetery.^ In January, 1855, the trustees of the Methodist Episcopal Cburch of Rye bought eight acres contiguous to this tract ; and in 1864— 68, they added more than six acres, making fourteen and a quarter in all. The grounds thus owned by the two congregations have been graded, inclosed, and laid out uniformly, with no visible sepa- ration between them ; and they form one of the most beautiful cemeteries in this part of the country. To this spot many of our families have brought the remains of relatives buried in other localities ; and here, too, many a stranger is borne from the city. Among these graves, one that M'ill long be visited with interest is that of Alice B. Havens, whose home for the last few years of her short life was in a pleasant cottage on Rye Neck. Her monument, a cross, has tiie inscription : — ' Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.' To tiie southwest of the Union Cemetery lies the ' Colored Cemetery ; ' a plot of one acre, the title of which is vested in the Trustees of Public Lands. In olden times the colored people of Rye had a place of interment in the Town Field, on the property now owned by Mr. Anderson ; and another on Budd's Neck, nearly opposite the house of Mr. Benjamin Mead. The latter spot is no longer recognizable as a place of sepulture, having been for years ploughed over with the surrounding field. The former contains a number of humble, unchronicled graves. 1 ' A copy of the Deed of the New Cemetery,' etc. CHAPTER XXV. TAXES AND IMPOSTS. 1704-1725. rpHE revolt of Rye and Bedford from New York in 1697 has -'- been represented as a step taken to avoid the payment of taxes. We have already seen that this was by no means the only nor in- deed the chief reason for that step. In the case of this town at least it was due, more than to any other cause, to the oppressive course of the Governor and Council, in alienating from the inhabitants of Rye a large part of their public lands. But the dread of excessive taxation may well have quickened the people's desire to escape from the government of the province. Under the laws of Connecticut, they had felt no inconvenience in this respect. With a frugal and honest administration, the public charges were light. Each man was taxed according to his ability, and each had a voice in the regulation of public affiiirs. When transferred against their wishes to New York, from 1683 to 16H7, the inhabitants learned somethino; of the exactions to which that province was subject from rapacious and unprincipled rulers. Under Dongan, Nicolson, and Fletcher, they might in a measure anticipate the way in which public business would be conducted by a succession almost unbroken of worthless or incompetent men.^ The refractory towns were brought back just in time to come under the sway of one of the worst of these. Lord Cornbury. Of this individual it has been said that he ' did more to brino; diso-race upon the administration of the province than all his predecessors together.' ' We never had,' wrote William Smith, 'a governor so univei'sally detested, nor any who so richly deserved the public abhorrence.' ^ Part of this odium was incurred by a shameless appropriation of the public funds. As one of the towns taxed 1 'We know,' writes an Englishman in our own day, 'how our American colonies were governed 100 years ago. Their highest posts were a refuge for the needy hangers-on or decayed footmen of great noblemen. There was no person so slow or base as might not hope to be appointed an American governor, if he happened to possess a patron in high station.' (London Press, June 28, 1856.) 2 Histort/ of New York, vol. i. p. 194. A NOBLE Pi:CULATOR. 201 for liis benefit, Rye has some interest in the history of these spoha- tions. In the office of the Connty Clerk at White Plains there is a manuscript volume entitled ' The New Receipt Book.' Its con- tents are tolerably dry reading ; for they consist of nothing more than the acquittances of county and other treasurers for sums paid to them by the town collectors early in the last century. Some of these receipts, however, are significant enough when collated with certain historic fiicts. And by way of illustrating the state of public affixirs in which our town was concerned during the period preceding the Revolution, we propose to take a text for some historic reminiscences from this once ' New,' now old, ' Re- ceipt Book.' ' Rec"* of Jofeph Budd Coll"- of Rye in Weft-Chefler County y" Sum of two pounds on account of y" ;^i8oo Tax witnefs my hand this 18"^ March 1703-4 Thomas Byerley Coir *New York May y<^ 21 1703 ' Rec'^ of Jofeph Budd y^ fuine of twenty pounds feaventeen fliillings ninepence of y*^ eighteen hundred pounds Tax for y^ town of Rye I fay rec'^ p Tho : Wenham.' 'New York, Decemb^ 10''', 1703 ' Rec'' from Jofeph Budd CoIP of Rye in y"^ County of Weft-Chefter in full of both payments for y'^ ^2000 Tax y*^ fum of twenty one pound ten fliillings witness my hand Thom^ Byerley CoW ' Lord Corn bury, ' a reckless adventurer, profligate and unprinci- pled, who had fled from England to escape the demands of his creditors,' came to New York in May, 1702. He was, however, a near kinsman of Queen Anne, who had just succeeded to the British throne ; and he was received by her subjects in America with demonstrations of loyal respect. Shortly after his arrival, he made an address to the Assembly which greatly pleased them ; and at his recommendation they made several grants of money for various purposes. The sum of XI, 800 was voted for the sup- port of one hundred and eighty men to defend the frontiers. Another appropriation was made to fortify the harbor of New York. And as a special token of their regard, the Assembly voted £2,000 as a present to their new governor, to defray the expenses of his voyage. Lord Cornbury must have been delighted with the easy citi- zens among whom he had come to dwell. He took the <£ 2,000 awarded to him as a present, and the other appropriations too. 202 TAXES AND IMPOSTS. All went into liis own private purse. The fortifications were not commenced ; and as war, though proclaimed by England against France and Spain, had not yet broken out on the frontiers of Can- ada, the province continued in a state of peace. But Rye, like the other towns, paid its quota of the £2,000 and the .£1,800 tax. It was not made up without difficulty, we may well suppose. The town cannot have numbered many more than sixty fami- lies. Here were £44 to be raised for special purposes? besides the regular county tax, which that year was £25 10s. This Avas a heavy burden. Several town meetings were held with reference to it. The first meeting called was in view of the £1,800 tax. ' Ordered that the affeffors of the town of Rye doe call a towne meeting to affefs their proportion in what the faid towne fhall agree upon to their fatisfadlion in the eighteen hundred pounds which is 144 pounds for this county. ' February the 18 day 1702-3. by order Beniamin Collier C/ar/c.' ' At a lawful! towne meeting held in Rye Feb. 21, 1702-3, the towne doth agree to raife this affeffment as followeth that is to fay that every man that hath a fon or more than one 16 years old and not rateable efteate to make up twelve pounds for himfelf and fon or fons that is under his command fliall be affeffed fo as to make the value of each a perfon accordingly and alfo every perfon that is free from his parent whether forgerans [sojourners?] or other that hath not 12 pounds rateable efteate in the lift Ihall likewife be affeffed twelve pounds for the raifmg of all the rates for this year infuing.' ^ 1 Town and Proprietors' Meeting Book, No. 3 or C. p. 23. The following action was taken a few months later. What the assessment referred to included, does not appear. But the rate list is curious in itself, and deserves a place here. / ' At a lawfull towne meeting held in Rye April the 2 day 1703, the towne hath agreed to raise the assessment for this year insuing as followeth Pounds all cristaine male persons from 16 yeai's old and upwards per head 12 00 00 all Lands and medow improved per eaker 00 10 00 all pasture land clered within fence 00 06 00 all wood Land pasture within fence 00 03 00 an ox per head 03 00 00 a cowe 02 00 00 a 3 year old 02 00 00 a 2 year old ' 01 10 00 a horse 03 00 00 a mare 02 00 00 swine at 00 06 00 sheepe 00 03 00 all slaves from 16 years old and upwards 12 00 00 all mills at 30 00 00 ' BILLS OF CREDIT. 203 'New York Dccemb^^ loth 1703 * Rec'> from Jofcph Budd ColF of Rye in y-^ County of Weft-Chefter being y*^ portion due from faid Town on y" ;^i5oo Tax y* fum of four pounds nine fliillings having allowed himfelf y* nine pences as dire6led in faid A61 witnefs my hand Thom* Byerley Coir ' Whoii the Assembly next met, in 1703, tlie governor had new demands to make. War Avas now imminent, and the necessity of prejxiration for defence was apparent to all. The Assembly voted an approj)riati()n of XI, 500 for the erection of two batteries at the Narrows. They took care, however, to stipulate that the money must be used for no other purpose whatever. The amount was raised ; but Lord Cornbury paid no regard to the condition. lie used it for his own personal expenses, and declined to account to the Assembly. Indignant at such treatment, they declared that they would in future make no appropriations until a person of their own choice should be appointed to receive and disburse the mon- eys raised. This sum of XI, 500 was levied in a peculiar manner. A poll- tax was imposed, and according to the terms of the act it was graduated as follows : Every member of the Council was to pay forty shillings ; an Assembly man, twenty shillings ; a lawyer in practice, twenty shillings ; every man wearing a periwig, five shillings and sixpence ; a bachelor of twenty-five years and up- wards, two shillings and threepence ; every freeman between the age of sixteen and sixty, ninepence ; the owners of slaves, for each one shilling. ' New York June 20, 1723. Rec*^ from Sam' Wilfon Coll'' of Rey in Weft-Chefter County y" fum of £1^- ^3- 3y< purfuant an A61 of Affem- bly for raiftng y'' quantity of ;^3ooo oz. Plate for the effedtual fuiking & cancelling bills of credit to that value I fay rec*^ by me A D Peyster Ju"' Treasurer' 'New York June 20 1723. Rec*^ from Sam" Wilfon Coll" of Rey in Weft Chefter County sixteen fliillings and seven pence tax and for y® treafurer's falary five pence being upon y* Arrears of y^ two Expedi- tion taxes I fay rec^ by me A D Peyster Ju' Treasurer ' Lord Cornburv was succeeded as governor of New York in 1708 by Lord Lovelace, who died within five months after his arrival. The government devolved, until a new appointment, upon Major Ingoldsby, who had been lieutenant-governor under Lovelace. During his short administration, an expedition was 204 TAXES AND IMPOSTS. gotten up against Canada. A certain Colonel Vetch, who had been in Canada, projected the enterprise. His plans were ap- proved by the ministry. The New England colonies were per- suaded to join. The design was to penetrate into Canada by way of Lake Cliamplain. Though the province was greatly impover- ished, the Assembly entered heartily into the plan. ' It was at this juncture,' says Smith, 'that our first act for issuing bills of credit was passed — an expedient without which we could not have contributed to the expedition, the treasury being then totally ex- hausted.' There were high anticipations of success. A body of four hundred and eighty-seven men, besides independent compa- nies, was sent to Albany and thence to the ' wood creek.' Three forts were built there ; one hundred bateaux and as many birch canoes were constructed, and six hundred Indians were main- tained. This force remained encamped throughout the summer, but broke up in the fall without effecting anything. The whole enterprise fell through, and the expense to the province amounted to .£20,000. This sum was not raised until many years after. The receipts which we have quoted above are dated June 20, 1723, when, as it seems, measures were taken for ' sinking and cancel- ling ' the bills of credit which had been issued for the amount. * New York, June 13 : 17 15. Then Receiv'd of Samuel Hunt Col- lecto"" of Rye by y"* Hands of Jofiah Hunt Efq"" for y*" Town of Rey in VVeft-Chefter County y^ fum of five Pounds nine fhillings and two pence halfpenny and for y*" Treafurer's falary two fliillings and nine- pence halfpenny being on y" firfl Paym't of y*^ ;^io,ooo Tax w*^'' was Payable the Lafl Day of May 17 14, I fay Received by me A. D Peyster, Treasia'er.' The next English govei*nor, Robert Hunter, Avas a better man than most of those who had been sent over to rule the province. But though personally liked, he was regarded with much of the distrust that the people had learned to feel toward the agents of a government jealous of their liberties. Between the Assembly and himself a bitter controversy was waged as to the public revenues. They would make no appropriations for the support of the govern- ment except year by year. The public debt, however, had increased to such a degree as to demand some action. A whole session of the Assembly was devoted to its consideration. ' In- credible were the nunibers of the public creditors : new demands were made every day. Their amount was nearly .£28,000.' To THE EXCISE. 205 pay tills laroje sum, recourse was had again to the circulation of bills of credit. The receipt given above has reference to the first payment on this charge. Ten payments were made in all, the last of which was made by ' Jonathan Haight, collector of Rye,' in July, 1723, amounting to £14 6s. 9d. 'New York 12 yanv 1715-16 ' Then Rec'' of j\r Jofeph Budd Commiff"- of Wcfl-Chefter County for letting y" Accys [Excise] y* Sum of fixteen pounds two fhillings and twopence farthing being in full of laft Years Accys w*^'' was feaven- teen pound eighteen lliillings and ninepence three farthing I fay rec** as above by niee A D : Peyster treasurer ' ' New York 12 June 1722. Received from M"" John Stevenfon for ace' of M' Jofeph Budd Deceafed late Commiff of Weftchefter County y*" Sume of thirty pounds three fhillings and eight pence, being on account of y" Excife beginning from primo November 1720 to primo November 1721 I fay received by me A D Pevster Jun'' treasurer ' The quarrel between the Assembly and the governor continued ; the latter insisting on the appropriation of a permanent revenue, the former refusing to grant money for a longer period than a year. In 1715 Governor Hunter achieved a partial victory over the poj)ular branch of the government. He prevailed on the Assembly to grant a revenue for a term of three years. This measure made the administration, for the time being, independent of the people, an object which the English governors kept in view with unswerving pertinacity. At the same session the Assembly passed ' an Excise bill on strong liquors,' which continued in force until the Revolution, and which Avas said in 1762 to bring into the public treasury an annual sum of about one thousand pounds. Mr. Joseph Budd of Rye, the patentee of Budd's Neck, and grandson of the original purchaser of that tract, was commis- sioner of the excise for the county of Westchester. ' New York 2 April 1723 Received from Benjamin Heaviland ColP of Ry in Wefl-Chefter County y" fum of nine pounds feven fhillings and one penny purfuant an a6l of y* General Affembly of this Prov- ince entituled an act for Raifing y^ sum of five hundred pounds to Encourage and promote a trade with y^ remote Nations of Indians and for fecuring y* five Nations in his M'""' Intrefl As alfo y* fum of three hundred and twenty pounds three ihilling two pence farthing advanced by y" feveral perfons therein named for repairing y" fortifica"^ on y* Frontiers I fay received by me A D Peyster ju'' Treas^ ^ 206 TAXES AND IMPOSTS. Governor Burnet, wlio succeeded Hunter, was by far the best of the governors assigned to tliis province. And the measures referred to in the above receipt are among the most honorable of his administration. ' Of all our governors, none,' says the histo- rian WilHani Smith, 'had such extensive and just views of our Indian affairs. He gave attention to this subject from tlie first, endeavoring to alarm the fears of the Assembly in view of the daily advances of the French, their possessing the main passes, seducing our Indian allies,' etc. To counteract their influence, he recommended the establishment of trading-posts along the northern frontier ; a measure tliat led to the opening of the fur traffic, which became a source of such vast wealth to the city and the State of New York. The appropriation of five hundred pounds above referred to, was another measure procured by this sagacious governor. We have not room to continue our extracts from the ' New Receij)t Book,' nor to extend our notices of old provincial times.^ The contest of which we have had glimpses, between the Assem- bly or the people and the British governors, was waged from time to time until within a few years of the Revolution ; the governors seeking to control the public revenues, the people, more and more watchful against all attempts to curtail their liberties, persisting in their refusal. ^ A jji-evious payment of .£4 4s. 2(Z on this tax is acknowledged in 1722. 2 In tlic single year 1725, Rye paid .£8 19s. 6d. on the first payment, and £8 IBs. Od. on the second payment of ' the 5330 Ounces of Plate tax.' Also £16 I6s. 4c?. on the tirst payment of 'the £6630 tax.' The county rate paid for the same year was £13 19.S. Od. In all £48 12s. lOd. From 1721 to 1724 the town paid in addition to other taxes £43 19s. 4>acf. in five instalments, 'toward huilding a Court house and Gaol [at Westchester] for the County of Westchester.' The county rate was generally much higher than the above. In 1721 it amounted to £62 6s. [))id. Rye Ferrj-. House by tUe Ferry. CHAPTER XXVI. A HUNDRED YEARS AGO. RYE IN 1770-71. ABOUT One of the Clock in the Morning of Sun- day the firft of April Inflant, the Dwelling Iloufe of Major Hachaliah Brown in Rye, took Fire, and burnt down ; the Family being afleep, before they awaked the Fire was fo advanced, that their Lives were en- dangered, and had not Time to fave but a very few Arti- cles above Stairs, and a Part of the Goods below. Major Brown had the Misfortune to have his Houfe, and almoft all his Furniture burnt about ten Years ago ; at which Time his Lofs was judged to be upwards of One Thoufand Pounds. Altho' his fecond Lofs is not fo great as the firft, being about Five Hundred Pounds, a Circuniflance attending it makes it more melancholly, viz. His fuppofing, and there being little or no Reafon to doubt, its being fet on Fire by fome wicked Perfon, who feemed to have a particular Malice at the Major, the Fire being fet to the Corner of the Houfe where he flept ; but had not the Smoke awoke him as it did, his two Sons and two Grand Children, and a young Woman in the Chamber, who were all in a found Sleep in that 208 A HUNDRED YEARS AGO. dead Time of Night, and witli fome Difificulty, awaked by him, in a k\v Minuets must have all periflied in the flames, with a Number of Servants. It is a dreadful Confideration not only to him, but to the Neighbour- hood, that there fhou'd be a Perfon in it, undifcovered, fo utterly loft to all Humanity, as to be guilty of an Attempt to deftroy not only the Eflate but the lives of Men, Women and innocent Children.-^ This sad event was undoubtedly the great theme of comment for months in our village a hundred years ago. Major Brown's house stood on the site of the house where his grandson, the late Hachaliali Brown, died in 1861. The present building, now the residence of 0. V. Anderson, Esq., is said to have been erected four years after the fire — in 1774. Roger Park was one of the notabilities of tliis place a century ago. His farm of two liundred and forty acres lay north of Major Brown's, in the old Town Field. Part of it is now owned by Mr. Greacen, and a portion of his house is still standing in the rear of Mr. Greacens residence. Mrs. Park was a daughter of John Dis- brow, and brought her husband a considerable fortune. She is said to have owned one of the only two carriages — it was a two- wheeled chaise — tliat had yet been seen in Rye. Next to these gentlemen, perhaps the largest proprietor on Peningo Neck at this time, was Philemon Halsted. He lived in the house which is still standing on the corner of the Milton Road and tiie road to the Beach, and owned the farm on both sides of the latter road, now the Newberry Halsted estate. His nephew Ezekiel, wdio had lately sold tin's property to Philemon, bought in 1771 the land further south, now Mr. George L. Cornell's and Mr. Underbill Halsted's. South of this, the greater part of the Neck was owned by David Brown, third son of Hach- aliali. The little village of Milton had not yet sprung up. Lyon's mill had probably ceased to exist, and not more than two or three houses stood along the creek beloAv. Sloops landed on the oppo- site side of the Neck from the present dock, at ' Kniffin's Cove,' where there was still a dock, and where formerly there had been a ' warehouse ' or store. Another large proprietor, JosiAH Purdy, had now been dead some years. His son, Seth Purdy, liad succeeded to liis estate. He owned the lands on both sides of the post-road, above the vil- 1 The New York Journal, or the General Advertiser. Printed nnd published by John Holt, near the Exchange, Thursday, April 19, 1770. THE JAY MANSION. 209 lage, from ' tlio Cedars ' to Blind Brook. Josiali Purdy's house stood a few rods nortli of the Park Institute, close upon the road. J()>'ATUAN KNIFFI^l's farm in 1770 bordered upon the post- road above Regent Street, and extended northward to Purchase Avenue. Regent Street was then called ' Kniffin's lane.' It led to his house, which stood on the west side of the lane, opposite Mrs. A. Sherwood's barn ; the old well still remains. This farm included the land now owned by Mr. Quintard. It was Jonathan Kniffin's daughter who was so cruelly murdered on the highway near Rye, in 1777. Mr. Peter Jay was living at this time on the estate which he had bought twenty-five years before, at Rye, from John Budd's grandson. The Jay mansion stood nearly on the site of the present house. It was a long, low building, but one room deep, and eighty feet in width, having attained this size by repeated additions to suit the Avants of a numerous family. Here John Jay, now a young man of twenty-five, had spent his childhood ; going from this pleasant home when eight years old to school at New Rochelle, and when fourteen to King's College, in New York. He was now a rising young lawyer in the city, having been ad- mitted to the bar two years before, in 1768. John was the eighth of ten children. Two of these, an older brother and sister, were blind, having been deprived of their sight by the small-pox. It was for the benefit of these children that Mr. Jay had removed to the country. Here Peter and his blind sister spent their days. She died in 1791 ;i her brother in 1813, Wiien Dr. Dwight visited Rye in IblO he saw this gentleman, of whom, in his pub- lished Travels, he has given a most interesting account.^ Some of our aged people retain vivid recollections of the wonderful in- genuity and sagacity which he displayed, notwithstandino- his blindness. Mr. Jay, the father, must have exerted a inarked influence in our little community. He is said to have been a man of sincere and fervent piety, of cheerful temper and warm affections, and of 1 The followiiif^ appeared in the New York Daihj Advertiser, September 9, 1791 : ' On Sunday evening last (Sept. 4.), departed this life, in the 54th year of her age, at her brother Peter Jay's seat at Rye, Miss Anne M. Jay, a Lady whose excellent nnderstanding, and uniform beneficence and piety rendered her very estimable. Altho' she enjoyed a handsome income, far beyond her wants, and was frugal ; yet she never added to her estate, but constantly employed the residue in doing good. Among other legacies dictated by humanity and benevolence, she has beciucathed one hundred pounds to the Episcopal Church at Eye.' ■■^ Travels in Neiu England and New York, by Timothy Dwight, S. T. D., LL. I). New Haven, 1822 : vol. iii. p. 487. J4 210 A HUNDRED YEARS AGO. strong good sense ; ' a slirewd observer and admirable judge of men ; resolute, persevering, and prudent ; an affectionate father, a kind master, but governing all under his control with mild but absolute sway.' Mrs. Jay was a lady of cultivated mind. ' Mild and affectionate, she took delight in the duties as well as the pleasures of domestic life ; while a cheerful resignation to the will of Providence, during many years of sickness and suffering, bore witness to the strength of her religious faith.' ^ The upper part of Budd's Neck was owned, a century ago, chiefly by the Purdys and Thealls. Captain Joshua Purdy lived in the house now owned by Mr. William Purdy. He was highly esteemed by his fellow-townsmen. Like many of them, he adhered to the government side in the great struggle which soon followed ; and in 1776 was a prisoner at the White Plains. The chairman of the Committee of Safety wrote, August 20, recom- mending his release, as 'a man of influence, toward whom lenity would be advisable,' though he had ' never been friendly to the American cause.' '^ Mr. Purdy lived until near the close of the last century. At his funeral, the brief eulogy was pronounced over him, ' A kind husband, a faithful master, a father to the poor, a pillar to the Church.' Charles Theall was living at the time in the house now Mr. B. Mead's, where probably his grandfather. Captain Joseph Theall, had lived eighty years before, Charles owned a farm said to have measured ' a mile square.' This he divided, before his death eight years later, among his four sons. Gilbert, the eldest, was living on the west side of the brook, opposite the house where Mr. Corning resides. North of his farm lay the new ])arsonage land, a part of the late Rev. James Wetmore's farm, which he had left eleven years earlier for this use. James Wetmore, his son, lived north of this, where Mrs. Buckley lives; and Timothy Wetmore, now a leading man in Rye, lived in the old Square House. In Harrison's Pi'ecinct, as it was called, on the border of Budd's Neck, Mr. David Haight, one of the largest proprietors, was liv- ing in 1770. His house stood, its gable close to the road-side, on North Street, by the gate to Mr. Josiah Macy's place. He was now almost seventy, and lived to be nearly a hundred years old. In the northern part of the town, Judge Thomas was the most prominent personage. His estate in 'Rye Woods' was large, 1 The Life of John Jay, by liis son, William Jay. In two volumes. New York, 1833 : vol. i. pp. K), 11. ■^ American Archires, fourth series, vol. i. p. 1524. YEARLY FAIR AT RYE. 211 and fiiniislicd \vith a goodly number of slaves. His eldest son, John Thomas, junior, was at this time supervisor of the town, as well as justice of the peace, and farmer of the excise for the county. The dwelling of Judge Thomas — from which a few years after the venerable proprietor was to be dragged by a party of British troops, to die in prison in New York — was a home of comfort and hospitality. This family, with the Jays in the lower part of the town, held a commanding position among the inhabit- ants of Rye. Both families espoused the patriotic side in the con- test of the Revolution ; and during the earlier years of the war, at least, their influence was greatly felt in its behalf. Among the topics of village talk in 1770, perhaps the chief was the plan for establishing a Fair at Rye. We have a striking proof of the change that a century has wrought in men and manners, in the interest which this scheme awakened. An old English cus- tom, of which we know scarcely anything at present, was so highly aj)preciated by the Browns and Halsteds, the Parks and Purdys of those days, that they joined with many others in a petition on the subject, addressed, ' To his Excellency the Right Hon*^'" John Earl of Dunmore, Commander in Chief in and over the Province of New York.' This petition purports to come from ' a great Num- ber of the Princi[)al and other Inhabitants in the Town of Rye ; ' and it 'humbly shows' that by an act of the Assembly passed many years before, Rye had been declared entitled to the benefit of holding a fair once in every year. It was to be held in the month of October, and the object was 'for selling of all Country Produce and other effects whatsoever.' The inhabitants represent that they have never before ap])lied to have the fair held, as they had a right ; ' but now, believing the keeping of a Fair as afore- said in said Town of Rye would be of general service to said Town,' they humbly pray his Excellency that he ' would please to appoint Doctor Ebenezer Haviland of said Rye to be Gov- ernor, and to have fid! power according to said Act of Assembly, to keep and hold a Fair in said Rye in the month of October next.' This petition was signed by fifty-seven inhabitants, and was duly presented to Governor Dunmore in April, 1771. His Excellency graciously appointed Dr. Haviland to be governor of such a fair, to be kept at Rye on the second Tuesday in October, yearly, and to end the Friday next following, being in all four days, and no longer. The act to which the petitioners referred was passed in 1692, 212 A HUNDRED YEARS AGO. and was entitled ' an act for settlino; Faii-s and Markets in each respective City and County throughout the province.' It provided that in the county of Westchester there sliould he held and kept two fairs yearly ; the one in the town of Westchester on the sec- ond Tuesday in May, and the other at Rye on the second Tues- day in October. Sucii fairs liad been iiekl from time immemorial in England, as in other countries : indeed thev are still maintained to some extent. We do not know how far the English custom was carried out here ; but there is reason to suppose that a con- siderable amount of traffic was carried on at these times. A hundred years have wrought great changes in the outward appearance of our town. But in the character of the population, their manners and customs, their habits, ideas, and convictions, a far greater change has taken place. A century ago the inhab- itants of Rye had few interests that reached beyond the limits of their own town. Most of them, probably, had .never extended their travels further than the city of New York. The first stage- coach had not as yet made its appearance on our ])ost-road upon its way to Boston, though doubtless the proposal to run such a vehicle next year was already the talk of the neighborhood. Rye Ferry was still in operation. The road leading to it past Strang's tavern, and up the hill by the church, was more frequented than any other. Oyster Bay and other towns on Long Island were in easy and frequent communication by this route. ' Friends ' from Harrison, and other farmers from King Street and the Plains, made use of it not unfrequently ; and the store kept at the House by the Ferry seems to have been the resort of their wives and daughters as well, in piirsuit of ' Calicoes, Ribbands, Fans, Gloves, Necklaces, Looking Glasses,' etc., which were kept there for sale. A century ao;o, Rye Beach was a favorite resort for pleasui-e- seekers of a different class from those who mostly congregate there at present. A New York paper of April 6th, 1775, contains the following item of news: — 'On the nth day of March laft, there came on, before Peter Guion, Efq ; at Befley's Tavern, at New Rochelle, a trial about a dif- puted Horfe race that had been run on Rye Flats ; one of the parties demanded a Jury, and the Juftice accordingly iffued a Procefs for the Purpofe — A number of the inhab- FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. 213 itants were fummoned and appeared, but unanimoufly refufed to be fworn, declaring, that as Horfe racing was contrary to the AfTociation of the Congrefs, they would never ferve as Jurors in any fuch caufe, and that if the Juflice thought proper to commit them, they would go to gaol. — In fliort, the Juflice was obliged to try the caufe himfelf.' ^ A hundred years ago the events of the French and Indian War were fresh in the recollection of our people. That struggle had closed only ten years before. A number of persons from this town had served in it. The muster-rolls of companies raised in Westchester County in 1758 and 1759,^ contain the names of thirty-four or thirty-five men wiiose ' place of birth ' was Rye.^ Most of these were very young men, some of them mere boys. Un- doubtedly, many others went from this town in the course of that w^ar ; but the muster-rolls for the earlier campaigns do not specify the place where the recruits belonged. Not a few of the returned soldiers afterwards settled in the neighborhood of Lake Champlain and Lake George. The conquest of Canada in 1760 was followed by a considerable emigration, encouraged by the large grants of land which the government made to parties applying for them. Among these applicants were some eighty families, mostly from Westchester County, New York. Dr. William Hooker Smith, son of the venerable Presbyterian minister of Rye, was among the leaders of the enterprise ; and several others were from Rye.^ How many of these petitioners actually removed 'to the northern frontier,' we do not know ; but it is a matter of tradition that sev- eral families from this town emigrated 'after the French war' to 1 Holt's New York Journal, April 6, 177.5. The Continental Congress had dis- countenanced horse-racing and gambling, witli other practices conducive to extrava- gance and dissipation. 2 Communicated by Dr. O'Callaghan. 3 These were Ezekiel Brundage, aged 27 ; Abr. Lyon, 22 ; Jonath. Merrit, 23 ; Ezckiel Merrit, 23; Arnold Slaughter, 17; John Taylor, junior, 21 ; Thomas Tay- lor, 21 ; Sam. Lane, 22 ; Peter Rickey, 28 : Arthur Veal, 20 ; Isaac Brigg, 19 ; Silas Sherwood, 36 ; Jos. Dickens, 19 ; Jon. Loundsbur}-, 20 ; Val. Loundsbury, 21 ; Jas. Que, junior, 31 ; Jacob Rock, 23 ; John Budd, 27 ; Thos. Daniels, 29 ; Abr. Height, 17; Peter Dusenberry, 19; Reuben Lane, 16; Nath. Hair, 17; Tlios. Paldin, 20 ; Jer. Rickcr, 28; Caleb Sherwood, 19; Jos. Haight, 20; Elisha Merrit, 18; Cato Thomas, 21 ; Jon. Merrit, 48; Peter Merrit, 19; David Kuiffen, 44; Jos. Williams, 18 ; Amos Quarters, 16 ; Jos. Merrit, 24. * Petition of Wni. Hooker Smith and others for a grant of 51,000 acres near Lake Champlain, March 5, 1760. (Land Papers in Office of Secretary of State, Albany, vol. XV. p. 163.) •214 A HUNDRED YEARS AGO. that region. An old inhabitant I'emembers hearing in his youth that ' a good many went from Rye as recruits at the time of tlie Frencli war, and afterwards settled about Lake Champlain.' He tells me also that when a boy he once accompanied a relative upon a journey on horseback, ' all the way up to Warren County,' to obtain the interest upon certain mortgages which he held on prop- erty there. The French War constituted a memorable period in the history of our land. It brought upon the colonies a burden of debt which would seem to be one of tiie heaviest calamities that a new and poor country could experience. And the very exertions put forth by the Americans to carry on that war, and to meet their liabilities for its support, led the British government to impose still heavier burdens on a people whose resources appeared to be so great. But this contest also taught the colonies a most salutary and indis- pensable lesson. It inured many of our people to the scenes, and gave many of them some knowledge of the science of warfare, which proved invaluable to them in a time of need, now near at liand. JaM^v f CHAPTER XXVII. THE REVOLUTION. 1774-1776. ' Tlic hearts Of all his people shall revolt from him, And kiss the lips of unacquainted change.' King John. rflHE rcvolntioiiary history of Rye deserves to be written. Not J- a few events of interest occurred here and in the region round about. At several periods in the course of the war this place was occupied by British or American forces, while at other times it lay between the opposing armies encamped ' above ' or ' below.' And from the fact of its proximity to New York, and its position on the highway to Connecticut, Rye was exposed through- out the wliole war to inconveniences of which we can but faintly conceive at the present day. It is well known that no part of our country suffered more dur- ing the Revolution than the southern portion of Westchester County: 'the Neutral Ground, as it was called, but subjected,' says Mr. Irving, ' from its vicinity to the city, to be foraged by the royal forces, and plundered and insulted by refugees and 216 THE REVOLUTION. tories.' ' No region,' he adds, ' was more harried and trampled down by friend and foe,' tlian tliis debatable ground.^ These troublous times ought to be remembered. Perhaps it is within the narrow scope of a local history, giving particulars for which the general historian cannot find room, that we may gain some of the most definite views of those hardships which were a part of the ' great sum ' with which our fathers obtained their freedom. The policy of England with reference to the American colonies had long been of a nature to produce uneasiness in the minds of the more intelligent classes. The English who came hither were from the first unwillino- to be considered as havino; lost any of the rights they had possessed at home. One of the privileges regard- ing which they were most tenacious, was that of taking part in framing the laws by which they were to be governed. It was held at an early day that ' no law of England ought to be binding ' upon the peojile of the colonies ' without their own consent ; ' and as they were not allowed a representation in the British Parliament, they claimed that all enactments of Parliament for the colonies were without force until assented to by the colonial Assemblies. This claim was especially insisted upon in regard to measures for their taxation. Money, according to the American view, could not be raised on English subjects without their consent. ' The sole right,' declared the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1764, ' of giving and granting the money of the people of that province, was vested in them as their legal representatives.' ^ Little account, however, was made in England of the pretensions of the colonists to an equality of rights as subjects of the crown. It became necessary to increase the revenue of the kingdom ; and the British ministry determined to do this by means of a tax on the people of America. The French War had left the colonies heavily burdened. Their Assemblies had voted the large sums of money, as well as the large forces of men, required to carry it on. In 1762 the* public debt of New York was £300,000 and the population of the province w^as taxed X40,000 per annum to dis- charge it ; yet the Assembly granted a new appropriation de- manded by England for the support of the army.'^ But the gov- 1 Life of Washin(/ton, vol. iv. p. 10. '■* History of the Rise, Progress, and Establishment of the Independence of the United States of America. In four volumes. By William Gordon, J). D. London, 1788: vol. i. p. 148. 3 History of the New Netherlands, Province of New York, and State of New Yoi'k, to the Adoption of the Federal Constitution. In two volumes. By William Dunla]). New York, 1839 : vol. i. p. 408. THE STAIMP ACT. 217 ernmeiit was not satisfied with the wi]Hno;ncss of the colonies to tax themselves. The power of Great Britain to tax them without their consent, must be asserted and maintained.^ In March, 1765, Parliament passed the Stamp Act. This law, which provided for the raising of a revenue in the colonies by requiring the use of paper bearing a government stamp for every legal or commercial instrument in Avriting, ])roduced so much disturbance, and awak- ened so much opposition both in England and in America, that it was repealed the next year. But the determination to tax the Americans was by no means abandoned. In 1767 a bill was passed imposing dnties upon tea and certain other articles imported from Great Britain into the colonies. This law, more directly than any other measure, led to the outbreak of the Revolution. A passive resistance was offered throughout the country, to the designs of the government, by an agreement of the people not to import the articles n])on which this tax had been laid. The first meeting held for the purpose of entering into such an agreement took place in Boston, October 28, 1767, and was followed by similar meetings in the towns of Connecticut and in New York. The firmness and self-denial witli which these resolutions were very generally carried out, tended greatly to increase a spirit of self-reliance and independence in the popular mind. Other measures of the British government excited the colonists to more violent resistance. The Stamp Act, which was received with riotous demonstrations in various places, had been accom- panied b}'' another bill quite as offensive, which remained in force when the former act was repealed. This bill obliged the several Assemblies of the provinces to provide quarters for the British trooi)s maintained in America, and to furnish them with sundry supplies, at the expense of each province. New York refused to make any appropriation for this purpose ; and Parliament, to pun- ish the refractory colonists, passed a law depriving the province of New York of all powers of legislation until its orders should have been complied with. This was an infringement of their liberties which greatly alarmed the colonists. About the same time, their irritation was increased by the stringent measures taken with a view to the enforcement of the revenue laws. Under the oppressive and arbitrary system of duties which had been estab- lished, smugslino; had come to be considered as a matter of course. The colonists, denied all participation in the making of laws which affected their interests, thought it no wrong to evade those which 1 Dimlap's History of New York, vol. i. p. 408. 218 THE REVOLUTION. were manifestly unreasonable and injurious. The attempt at this moment to enforce them led to repeated disturbances, especially in Boston and New York. These various acts of the British gov- ernment tended to one result, which every deed of violence and bloodshed hastened — the union of the colonies in a pronounced opposition to the control of the mother country. We can imagine with what interest the news of public events at this period must have been received by the inhabitants of Rye. The doings of Parliament ; the meetings of the Colonial Congress ; the proceedings of the ' sons of Liberty ; ' the outrages of the British soldiery; the risings of the exasperated people, — these and other tidings came from week to week to our quiet neighborhood, in the columns of the small weekly gazettes, whose dingy pages now wear such an old-fashioned look to us as we open their treas- ured files, but which to them were so full of fresh and lively import. Of course the progress of affairs was watched with various feelings. There were warm partisans of the British cause at Rye ; and there were also those who earnestly espoused the people's side. The prevailing mood, however, was one of uncertainty. Most of the inhabitants stood as yet in doubt with reference to the growing dispute. Many, whilst they disapproved of the ' ministerial ' policy, and regretted the acts which were exciting so much opposition, looked with even more displeasure upon the course pursued by the majority. The thought of resistance to law, and revolt from the mother country, was abhorrent to their minds.^ In 1774 the first recorded action of our inhabitants took place, at a patriotic meeting held on the tenth of August. The occasion of this meeting was the closing of the port of Boston. The British government persisting in the determination to tax the colonies, the people had now combined very generally to resist taxation by pledging themselves not only to refrain from buying or selling the taxed article of tea, but also as far as possible to prevent its importation. The fiimous ' tea-])arty ' occurred in Boston on the sixteenth of December, 1773 ; and in punishment of that daring act the government declared the port of Boston to be closed. Upon this, public meetings were held throughout the colonies, renewing the agreement against the use of tea, and ex- pressing sympathy with the people of that town. Such a meeting 1 The hard case of one of our inhabitants may illustrate a bewilderment which must have prevailed in many minds. In July, 1776, 'Alexander Stewart, manner, late of Dundee in ISTorth Britain, at present of Rye in Westchester Count}^' having been drafted as one of the militia of that county, claims exemption as a subject of the King of Great Britain. 'He is exempted- — but is taken into custody as such.' [American Archives, 4th series, vol. i. p. 1456.) rATKIOTIC MEETING AT RYE. 219 was held in New York on the evening of July 6th, 1774 ; and on the tenth of August, — ' The Freeholders and Inhabitants of the township of Rye ' met and ' made choice of John Thomas jun., Esq., James Ilorton jun., Esq., Robert Bloomer, Zeno Carpenter, and Ebenezer Ilavilaiid, for a Com- mittee to consult and determine with the Conunittees of the 'other Towns and Districts in the County of Westchester, upon the Expedi- ency of sending one or more Delegates to the Congress to be held in Philadelphia on the first Day of September next. The Committee after making Choice of Ebenezer Haviland, Chairman, expressed their Sentiments and Resolutions in the following Manner, which were unanimously approved of: — ' This Meeting being greatly alarmed at the late Proceedings of the British Parliament, in order to raise a Revenue in America, and con- sidering their late most cruel, unjust, and unwarrantable Act for block- ing up the Port of Boston, having a direct Tendency to deprive a free People of their most valuable Rights and Privileges, an Introduction to subjugate the Inhabitants of the English Colonies, and render them Vassals to the British House of Commons, ' Rksolvk first. That they think it their greatest Happiness to live under the illustrious House of Hanover, and that they Avill stedfistly and uniformly bear true and faithful Allegiance to his Majesty King George the Third, under the Enjoyments of their constitutional Rights and Privileges, as fellow Subjects with those in England. ' Skcond. That we conceive it a fundamental Part of the British Constitution, that no Man shall be taxed but by his own Consent, or that of his Representative in Parliament ; and as we are by no Means represented, we consider all Acts of Parliament imposing Taxes on the Colonies, an undue exertion of Power, and subversive of one of the most valuable Privileges of the English Constitution. ' TniUD. That it is the O^iinion of this Meeting, that the Act of Parliament for shutting up the Port of Boston, and divesting some of the Inhabitants of private Property, is a most unparalelled, rigorous and unjust Piece of Cruelty and Despotism. ' Fourth. That Unanimity and firmness of Measures in the Colonies, are the most effectual Means to secure the invaded Rights and Privi- leges of America, and to avoid the impending Ruin which now threatens this once happy Country. ' Fifth. That the most effectual Mode of redressing our Grievances, will be by General Congress of Delegates from the different Colonies, and that we are willing to abide by such Measures as they in their Wisdom shall think most conducive upon such an important Occasion. ' By Order of the Committee, Ebenezer Haviland, Chairman.'^ 1 New York Gazette and the Weekly Memury, Monday, August 15, 1774. The 220 THE REVOLUTION. We do not learn wliere this meetino; was held in Rye, nor how numerously it was attended. Possibly it took place at Dr. Havi- land's, the ' noted tavern,' wliich was the favorite resort of our citizens in those days ; the small green in front of which would offer them a convenient place of concourse. But the action of this meeting made no small stir among the people of Rye. Opinions were divided as to the wisdom of the resolutions passed. They were moderate enough certainly, but there was danger lest tliey might be misunderstood. To prevent this, a paper was gotten up, six weeks after the meeting of August 10th, and signed by a large proportion of the inhabitants, whose names appear attached to it in Rivington's ' New York Gazetteer ' of October 18th, 1774 : — ' Rye, September 24, 1774. ' We the subscribers, freeholders and inhabitants of the town of Rye, in the County of Westchester, being much concerned with the unhappy situation of public affairs think it our duty to our King and country to declare, that we have not been concerned in any resolutions entered into, or measures taken, with regard to the disputes at present subsist- ing with the mother country : we also testify our dislike to many hot and furious proceedings, in consequence of said disputes, which we think are more likely to ruin this once happy country, than remove grievances, if any there are. ' We also declare our great desire and full resolution to live and die peaceable subjects to our gracious sovereign King George the third, and his laws.' ^ same paper contains the following item: 'We hear from Harrison's Purchase, in Westchester County, that on the 2nd Instant, the Inhahitants of that I'rccinct met, enter'd into spirited Kesolves, which include a Non-importation Agreement, and are similar to those of the other Colonies.' 1 (Signed) Isaaj Gidney, Daniel Erwin, Philemon Halsted, Ahraham Wetmore, Roger Park, James Biidd, John Collum, Eoger Kniffen, Thomas Kniften, Henry Bird, John Hawkins, Gilbert Merritt Esq"^, Kobert Merrit, Andrew Merrit, John Carhart, Roger Merrit, Archibald Tilford, Israel Seaman, Isaac Anderson, Adam Seaman, William Hall, John Willis, Rievers Morrel, Capt. Abraham Bush, Nehe- miah' Sherwood, Abraham Miller, Andrew Lion, William Crocker, Jonathan Kniffen, James Jamison, Andrew Carhart, John Buvelot, Thomas Brown, Seth Purdy, Gil- bert Thaell, Gilbert Thaell Jun>", Dishbury Park, Isaac Brown, Joseph Merrit Jun'', Major James Horton, Peter Florence, Jonathan Gedncy, Nathaniel Sniffen, William Armstrong, John Guion, Sol. Gidney, James Hains, Elijah Hains, Bartholomew Hains, Thomas Thaell, John Affrey, Gilbert Hains, Dennis Lary, Hack. Purdy, Joshua Purdy, Roger Purdy, Charles Thaell Esqr, James Wetmore, Gilbert Brun- didge, John Kniffen, William Brown, Joseph Clark, John Park, Joseph Purdy, James Gedney, Joshiia^edney, Jonathan Budd, James Purdy, Ebenezer Brown, Ebenezer Brown Jun"", John Adee, John Slater, Henry Slater, Nathaniel Purdy, Benjamin Kniffen, Andrew Kniffen, Joseph Wilson, Nehemiah Wilson, Thomas Wilson, Ben- jamin Wilson, Gilbert Morris Jun'', Timothy Wetmore Esq"", James Hart. COUNTER-DECLARATIONS. 221 This publication only increased tlie trouble. Some of tlie signers seem to have been jgrrievously distui-bed at the sight of their own names in print. Forthwith the following explanatory statement appears, emanating from fifteen of the number : — ' Rye, Ocloher 17, 1774.1 ' We the subscribers, having been suddenly and unwarily drawn in to sign a certain paper published in Mr. Rivingtons Gazetteer, of the 13th instant; and being now, after mature deliberation, fully convinced that we acted preposterously, and without adverting properly to the matter in dispute between the mother country and her Colonies, are therefore sorry that we ever had any concern in said paper, and we do by these presents utterly disclaim every part thereof, except our expression of loyalty to the King, and obedience to the constitutional laws of the Realm.' - Mr. Timothy Wetmore, a son of the late rector of Rye, and a man of considerable influence in the jjlace, explained his views in a statement of his own shortly after : — THE DICCLARATION OF LOYALTY, SEPT. 24- ' The above paper like many others, being liable to nn'sconstruclion and having been understood by many to import a recognition of a right in the Parliament of Great Britain to bind America in all cases what- soever, and to signify that the Colonies laboured under no grievances, which is not the sense I meant to convey — I think it my duty to ex- plain my sentiments upon the subject, and thereby prevent future mis- takes — It is my opinion that the Parliament have no right to tax America, tho' they have a right to regulate the Trade of the empire — I am further of opinion, that several acts of Parliament are grievances, and that the execution of them ought to be opposed in such manner as may be consistent with the duty of a subject to our sovereign : tho' I cannot help expressing my disapprobation of many violent proceedino-g in some of the colonies. Dated the S'* of November 1774. Timothy Wetmore.' The next appearance in print is that of a furious patriot of Rye, who issues an address, of which we give a part in spite of its coarse- ness, as a samj)le of the violence of the times: — ' Amei-icana, No. 1. To the Knaves and Fools in the Town of Bye, and first to the Fools. — What in the world could have put it in your heads, that it was better to have your faces blacked and be Negroes and 1 American Archives, fourth series, voh i. p. 803. - (Si<;iic(l) Ahruliain Miller, Wilhnm Crooker, James Jameson, Andrew Carehart, John Buflot, William Brown, 'Gilhert Brundigc, Israel Seaman, John Willis, Adam Seaman, Andrew Lyon, Gilhert Merritt, John Carehart, John Slater, Isaac Anderson. 222 THE REVOLUTION. beasts of hnrden for -people in England, than to live and die liiathy with the British cause. The American ti'oops reached Rye on the same evening; and by the loyalist account which we have of the matter, ' showed their resentment ' toward the tor}' sympathizers 'by plundering their houses, driving off their cattle, taking away their grain, and imprisoning some of them.' Among the rest, Mr. Avery was a sufferer, and lost his cattle, horses, etc. Two days later he was found dead in the neighbor- hood of his house. ' Many people,' writes Mr. Seabury, from New York, to the Secretary of the Gospel Propagation Society in England, ' are very confident that he was murdered by the rebels. Others suppose that his late repeated losses and disappointments, 1 ' We have just received intelligence,' writes Colonel Harrison, Washington's secretary at White Plains, November 3, 'from General Parsons, who is still stationed with his brigade at the Saw-Pits, that a large body of the enemy have advanced within a mile of him. He is on his march to meet 'cm, and requested some troops to he sent to maintain the lines he has thrown up.' (Ameiican Archives, fifth series, vol. iii. p. 493.) THE COW BOYS AND SKINNERS. 241 the insults and tlircats of the rebels, and the absence of his best friends, who had the day before gone off for fear of the rebels, drove him into a state of desperation too severe for his strength of mind He has left five or six helpless orphans, I fear in great distress; indeed, I know not what is to become of them; I have only heard that the rebels had humanity enough to permit them to be carried to Mr. Avery's friends at Norwalk in Connecticut.' ^ This melancholy incident gives us a glimpse of a state of things which was now commencing, and was to last throughout the dreary years of the Revolutionary War : the inhabitants, accord- ing as they had espoused the one cause or the other, leaving the place with all haste upon the approach of the enemy's forces, or remaining to suffer abuse and depredation. These injuries were not inflicted solely by the regular troops of either side. Lawless bands of marauders — Cow Boys and Skin- ners-^ infested the ' Neutral Ground,' ravaging the whole country between the British and American lines, a region some thirty miles in extent, embracing nearly the whole of Westchester County. ' The party called Cow-hoys were mostly refugees belonging to the British side, and engaged in plundering the people near the lines of their cattle, and driving them to New York. Their vocation suggested their name. The Skinners generally professed attachment to the Amer- ican cause, and lived chiefly within the American lines ; but they were of easy virtue, and were really more detested by the Americans than their avowed enemies the Cow-boys. They were treacherous, rapacious, and often brutal. One day they would be engaged in broils and skirmishes with the Cow-boys ; the next day they would be in league with them in plundering their own friends as well as enemies. Often a sham skirmish would take place between them near the British lines ; the Skinners were always victorious, and then they would go boldly into the interior with their booty, pretending it had been captured from the enemy while attempting to smuggle it across the lines. The proceeds of sales were divided between the parties. The inhabitants of the Neutral Ground were sure to be plundered and abused by the one party or the other. If they took the oath of fidelity to the Amer- ican cause, the Cow-boys were sure to plunder them. If they did not, the Skinners would call them tories, seize their property, and have it confiscated by the State.' ^ Fifteen or twenty years ago, there were some aged persons with us who could recollect the opening scenes of the Revolution. 1 History of the Prot. Episc. Church in the County of Westchester, by Kobert Bolton, pp. 322, 323. ■■^ Pictorial Ficld-Book of the Rerdution, by Benson J. Lossing : vol. ii. p. 185, note. IG 242 THE REVOLUTION. •They liave now all passed away ; but many incidents are still re- membered, which they were accustomed to relate, in the long winter evenings, of those eventful times. One such account I am per- mitted to give, as it was taken down shortlj^ before her death by the daughters of an excellent lady who lived to enter upon her ninety-fourth year. ' Mother was a school-girl between nine and ten years old at the beginning of the war. She well remembers running all the way home from school one morning, when it was announced that the British army were encamped upon SnifFen's Hill, within a mile of her father's house. A part of the army came up by the way of the White Plains, and were most of the day marching down to join those on the hill. In the mean time a large party of Hessians left the camp to plunder the neigh- borhood, and coming to her father's, robbed the house of all the meat, bread, butter, milk, and cheese, even taking one from the press ; drove away the cattle, and killed the poultry, a hog and a cow, from which they cut such pieces as they liked, and left the rest unskinned. Her mother made a cake" of a little flour they left, and cooked a piece of the cow for dinner. The Hessians took the horses to carry away their plunder ; but by going to some of the officers whom he knew at the camp, her father recovered them as well as his cattle. While the army were marching down [to New York, after leaving Sniffen's Hill], some of the soldiers would leave their ranks, and run in for food, but seeing how stripped and frightened they were, would say there were others coming much worse than the Hessians. ' Her father was sometimes abused and beaten for his money, but being a remarkably peaceable man, did not fare as badly as many others. At one time when they were striking him with their guns, so that the blood ran down his face, mother's sister S. stood before him, and holding up her arms to ward off the blows, was very much bruised herself Her mother once met a band of plunderers in the road, who demanded her money, searched her pockets, and used abusive language, but let her pass without further molestation. On several other occa- sions she met with similar treatment. ' While the British had possession of New York and the neighbor- hood, the inhabitants of this vicinity were said to live " between the lines." Those who joined the British were called the " lower party," or " refugees," and those who favored the American cause, the " upper party." Among the militia of the latter, the very lowest class bore the name of " Skinners," and the inhabitants living between the lines often suffered exceedingly from the depredations of both the refugees and the Skinners, who would frequently rob their defenceless neighbors of all the money, food, and clothing they could find, or could extort from them by wanton cruelty. Mother says that some of the neighbors used to AMERICAN FORCE AT SAW PIT. 243 disguise themselves by blackening their faces and then go from house to house, robbing, stealing and abusing the inmates. They came to her father's house one night, and as they were breaking down the front door, grandmother dared them to come in. They swore they would shoot her if she did not leave the entry, thrusting their guns through the sidelights ; but she replied, Fire if you dare, I know you! ' This grandmother seems to liave been one of the model * women of tlie Revolution,' higli-spirited and determined as any soldier. One of the lesser inconveniences to which our farmers were exposed in those days was the necessity of entertaining the officers quartered upon them. These were generally of the Amer- ican army, and this family, at least, appear to have been fortunate in the character of their guests. Tlie following incident is given, as an instance of tlie good lady's independent way : — ' Among the officers quartered at her father's, mother well remem- bers General Schuyler and his suite ; but they did not stay long. One morning the General sent a servant for her mother's tea-kettle ; but her reply, that when she and her family should have done using it, he might have it, gave great offence.' Rye was still protected in a measure by the presence of some American troops. General Parsons^ was at Saw Pit, early in November, with a portion of his brigade.^ He had a post, also, ' near the head of Rye Pond,' October 29th, securing the com- munications of the army at tlie White Plains, in that direction.^ A month later, in December, 1776, General Wooster, command- ing the Connecticut militia, had his headquarters at ' the Saw- pitts.'* Complaint, however, was niade that some of his men dis- 1 Brigadier-General Samuel Iloldcn Parsons, of Connecticut, was a distinguished officer, who served through the war. Washington's secretary. Colonel Harrison, pronounced him, in 1776, ' a very judicious and good officer.' He died November 17, 1789, being drowned in the Ohio, near Pittsburg. (Records of the Revolutionary War, by W. T. R. Satlell. New York, 18.58: p. 534.) '^ The return of General S. H. Parsons's brigade is made November 3, 1776. Colonels Prcscott, with 211 men fit for duty; Tyler, 231; Huntington, 136; Ward, 176; MTntosh, 259 ; Carpenter, 130; Cogswell, 287; Major Rogers, 108; Lieut.- Colonels Throop, 104 ; Horsford, 106; Smith, 62. Total, 1,810 fit for duty, besides 708 sick, etc. The whole brigade numbers 3,192 men. Major Zabdiel Rogers, at Saw P(';, November 1, 1776, makes a return of his command. He has ten companies; total, rank and file, 172 men, of whom 53 are sick. The same day, Washington's secretary sends to the President of Congress a letter just received from General S. H. Parsons ' who is stationed near the Saw Pits' complaining of a ' most scandalous' practice of 'desertion and return home,' by which ' the number of our troops is every day decreasing.' {American Archives, fifth series, vol. iii. pp. 475, 493, 499.) » Ibid. vol. ii. p. 1285. * December 11, Governor Trumbull writes, 'Major General Wooster is now at Saw-Pits, with about 750 men from this State.' 244 THE EE VOLUTION. tressed tlie inhabitants of Westcliester County even ' more than the very enemy themselves : taking off with them our stock, household furniture, and even our farming utensils.' It is to be hoped that such grievances were not frequent. But it appears that these Connecticut troops thought themselves bound to act only for the defence of their own State. ' General Wooster,' say the inhabitants, ' affords us no assistance, and we have been in- formed that some of his officers have said that they would not defend this State, and that if the enemy should make their appear- ance, they would retreat to the borders of Connecticut, and there make a stand.' ^ This statement receives some confirmation from the incident of November 3d, already related. December 8th, 1776, General Wooster wrote from Saw Pit to the President of Congress : ' On the 5th inst. a fleet of about eighty transports and eight large ships of war anchored off New London, and were there on the 6th, being the last accounts from them. They passed this place on the 4th, in the evening. I learn from deserters from Long Island, who left the fleet, that they had about 8,000 men on board, — a bad situation for our eastern people, and not a general officer in that part of the country ; but I hope Providence will work deliverance for us.' ^ Ill-used as they thought themselves, however, our inhabitants fared worse before long, when these forces were removed from their neighborhood, and they were left entirely exposed to the incursions of the enemy. This occurred early in 1777. The time of service of many of the Connecticut troops, who hitherto had protected the border, now expired. November 3d, General Washington, while at the White Plains, had ordered the dis- charge of the light horse under Major Backus, of whom he spoke in high praise. ' Their conduct,' he said, ' has been extremely good, and the services they have rendered of great advantage to their country.' ^ February 17, 1777, General Wooster wrote from Rye Neck, that a regiment of volunteers from Connecticut was to be discharged on the twenty-second, when he would be left with not more than eight hundred men in his department.'* A few weeks later, the country was deprived of the services of this excellent man, who died May 2, 1777, in consequence of 1 Journals of the Provincial Congress, etc., of New York, vol. ii. p. 259 ; Petition of the Committee for Westchester County to the Convention for relief, December 23, 1776. '■^ American Archives, fifth series, vol. iii. p. 1129. 3 Ibid. p. 484. * Journals of the Provincial Congress, etc., vol. i. p. 816. THE QUEEN'S RANGERS. 245 wounds received during the expedition of the British to destroy the magazines at Danbury, Connecticut.^ One of tlie principal terrors to the inliabitants of tlie Neutral Ground, at this period, was the body of troops known as ' The Queen's Rangers.' We have noticed their first visit to our neigh- borhood, at Mamaroneck, just before the battle of the White Plains. After that battle, when the lower part of the county lay open to the incursions of the enemy, they soon became the scourge of the population. The Rangers were a partisan corps, raised originally in Connecticut and the vicinity of New York, and numbering about five hundred men, all Americans and loyalists. At this time they were commanded by one Robert Rogers, of New Hamp- shire, ' one of the most odious of all Americans of note ' who had enlisted under the royal standard. As early as December 12, 1776, the inhabitants of Westchester County complain bitterly to the Convention, through Judge Thomas, Frederick Jay and others, of their exposure and suffering from this source. They are in con- tinual danger of being made prisoners, and having their farms and habitations plundered by Robert Rogers's party. These men make daily excursions in divers parts of said county, taking with them by force of arms many good inhabitants ; also their stock, grain, and everything else that falls in their way, and laying waste and destroying all that they cannot take with them. ' The suffer- ing inhabitants of Westchester County are ravaged without restraint or remorse.' ^ The presence of an American force at Saw Pit^ did not prevent the enemy from making an occasional dash into this neighborhood. 'Between thirty and forty Head of fat Cattle belonging to the * David Wooster, born in Stratford, Conn., March 2, 1710, graduated at Yale College, 1738, served in the expedition against Louisbnrg, 1745, and in the French War, 1756 to 17G3. He was engaged in mercantile pursuits till May, 1775, when he planned the expedition from Connecticut to capture Fort Ticonderoga. He was ap- pointed one of eight brigadier-generals by Congress, June 22, 1775, being third in rank. During the campaign of 1776 he was principally employed in Canada. On his return home he was appointed first major-general of the militia of his State, and during the whole winter, 1776-77, he was employed in protecting that State against the enemy. 2 Journals of the Provincial Congress, etc., vol. i. p. 749. ** It may have been about this time that the following incident occurred : Several American soldiers, gathered at ' Simmons' [Silvanus Seaman's] tavern,' in Saw Pit, were bantering one Jabez Hobby, a ' tory ' ; one of them asked him Avhat the letters U. S. A. on his military cap, meant. 'Useless, Scandalous, Army,' answered Hobby : whereupon the enraged patriots took him and hung him by the neck to a tree near by. He was taken down before life became extinct, and lived for some years after the war. His brother Hezekiah Hobby was a whig. (Communicated by Seth Lyon.) 246 THE REVOLUTION. Rebel Army, were drove into this City last Tuesday,' says Gaine's 'New York Gazette,' of March 31, 1777, 'from Rye, in Connecti- cut.' ' Last Snnday week, Colonel James De Lancey, with 60 of his West Chester Light horse, went from King's Bridge to the White Plains, where they took from the Rebels forty-four Barrels of Flour and two Ox Teams, near one hundred Head of Black Cattle, and 3 hundred Fat Sheep and Hogs ; on this Service Mr. Purdy, a very res))ectable Inhabitant of West Chester County, was killed; there were also Five Horses shot by the Rebels.'^ On one of these occasions, Thomas KnifFen, a lad of fourteen or fifteen, was passing through ' Steep Hollow,' ^ between Rye and Saw Pit, driving his father's cows home from pasture. As he ap- proached the post-road, a party ' from below ' came along the road, and took him prisoner, making him drive the cows down to New York island, where he remained in camp with them for several weeks. By this time the cattle had been butchered, and his cap- tors set forth on a new marauding tour, taking him with them as guide. They took their course northward in the direction of the White Plains, but finding little spoil, crossed over into the town of Rye, and concealed themselves in the Great Swamp which still existed, between Regent and Ridge streets. Kniffen was ordered to go to some of the neighboring houses and find out where they could obtain food. He went to the house of Caleb Snifibn, on the old road near Mr. Peyton's, told the family what his errand was, and who were hiding in the swamp, and then starting across the fields toward the American lines, ran for his life to Byram Bridge, where he went into camp, and told his story, and enlisted in the army. Just then whale-boats were being fitted out for service on the Sound. Knift'en enjiao-ed as a whale-boat man, and served through the war in this capacity. He cruised most of the time along the coast from ' Horseneck ' to Throg's Point, making occasional dashes across to Long Island, or annoying the British boats and vessels in the Sound.^ In this sort of warfare, not a few of our inhabitants were likewise engaijed : but little is known at present of their exploits. ' Sniffen's Hill,' according to our old inhabitants, was the place where an American force encamped in Rye, at various times 1 Gaine's New Yorrk Gazette and the Weekly Mei-cwy, October 13, 1777. 2 The ravine on the south side of Mr. Quintard's property, terminating at the post- road, below Port Chester. 3 Thomas KnifiPen was the grandfather of Jonathan Sniffen, of Rye, from whom I have these particulars. SNIFFEN'S HILL. 247 in the course of the war.^ Tlie more modern name of this locality is ' Bloomer's Ilill.' It overlooks the village of Port Chester, formerly Saw Pit, and commands an extensive view of the sur- rounding country. This is the only spot, in the lower part of our town, which I have been able to identify as permanently occupied by the troops of either side. Here, I am led to think, the Con- necticut troops were encamped from the early part of October, 1776, till the following spring. The commanding officers date their letters sometimes from Saw Pit and sometimes from ' Rye Neck.' The latter name was commonly given at that time to Peningo Neck, rather than to the portion of the town which lies west of it toward Mamaroneck. Probably the same spot was meant by both designations. In the summer of the year 1778, Washington was again for several weeks at the White Plains. The British, after the battle of Monmoutli, had retreated to New York, and the Americans, from their former post on the hills of Westchester, awaited further movements on the enemy's part. During tin's pei'iod a detach- ment of French troops, it is said, was stationed near Saw Pit. The spot pointed out as their camping ground is on the west side of King Street, opposite the Misses Merrit's house. 1 See vignette, p. 215. ■"■ \ M. S .-^ ■:! B^'ram Bridge. CHAPTER XXIX. THE REVOLUTION. 1777-1783. IN the northern part of our town, an American force had been stationed, as we have seen, ' near the head of Rye Pond,' in October, 1776, wliile the army was still at the White Plains. In January, 1777, General Heath, who was at Peekskill with his division, received orders from Washington, then in New Jersey, to move down with a considerable force toward New York, as if he had a design on the city. This was after the attack on Prince- ton ; and the object of the proposed manoeuvre was, to compel the enemy to withdraw their forces from New Jersey for the defence of New York. Heath's journal relates the movements of his troops in this neighborhood as follows : — ^ Jan. 8th, 1777. — General Parsons went down to King-street. ^Jan. 13th. — Our General [Heath himself] moved to the Southward, and reached North-Castle just before sunset. 'lith. — Our General moved to King-street to 3fr. Clap's — about 3,000 militia had arrived, and Gen. Lincoln's division marched to Tarrytown on this day. '15^/^. — The Connecticut volunteers marched from King-street to New Rochelle, and Gen. Scott's brigade to Stephen Ward's. Plenty LOYALISTS OF RYE. 249 of provisions now arriving. A deserter came in from the enemy, and gave an account of their situation and numbers. * llth. — At night the three divisions began to move towards Kings- bridge — Gen. Lincoln's from Tarry town, on the Albany road ; Gen- erals AYooster and Parsons from New Rochelle and P^ast Chester, and Gen. Scott's in the centre from below White Plains.' 2Wi. — These operations were ended, and the troops fell back. It was ' considered a very hazardous expedition,' the more remarkable because -performed entirely by inexperienced militia.' January Mst. — A cordon of troops was formed from Dobb's Ferry to Mamaroneck. ' February \st. — Foraging being now the object, a large number of teams were sent out towards INIamaroneck, and upwards of eighty loads of forage were brought off.' On the third, and again on the eighth, ' another grand forage ' took place.^ A number of loyalists from Rye and Mamaroneck were now with the British army in New York or on Long Island, while their families remained here, within the American lines. General Wooster announced his intention to require these families immedi- ately to remove from the place and ' go below,' unless the men should return and pledge themselves to stay quietly at home, in which case they should be protected, and should not be disturbed nor imprisoned.^ Measures of this character were doubtless neces- sary, though in many cases they must have caused much suffering. Commissioners were now appointed, with authority to ' seize the personal property of such of the late inhabitants of Westchester County as have gone over to the enemy, and dispose of it at pub- lic sale.' 3 We soon hear complaints of ' over-zeal ' on the part of 1 Memoirs of Major- Genei-al Heath, written by himself. Published according to Act of Congress. Boston, 1798 : pp. 100 seq. Tlie movement failed to accomplish the object proposed. 2 Gaine's New York Gazette, Monday, February 17, 1777. ' Tlie Copy of an intercepted Letter from a Rebel Officer to a Person in Long- Island. 'Head-Quarters, January 3, 1777. Sir At the Eeq=' of Yr Friends You have here Present'd an Invitation of Your Returning Home. The General has ordered all the Wives and Families in Rye and Marrinack whose Husbancfs or Males are at New York or Long Island immediately to Move to New York or the Island, Unless their Husbands or Males will Return Home and if they Return home, the General Prom- ises Protection which I Here Inclose to Gether with Your Parole which You must Sign and upon Your signing it the General on his Part Promises that he will Protect You as long as a brave People inspired with a Love of Liberty is able to Protect You, You Nead not Fear any Danger of being Moved or imprisoned for You have the Gen- erals Honnor Pledge, Signed By order of Major Genl Wooster Stephen K. Bradley Aid De Camp.' * Journals of the Provincial Congress, etc., vol. i. p. 811. 250 THE EEVOLUTION. the agents tlius empowered. The Committee of Safety, upon rep- resentations made by General Putnam, remonstrate with the com- missioners for sequestration. ' We are sorry to hear that many of tlie women and children of tories gone over to the enemy are in a suffering condition Several complaints have been made to us that many families have been stripped of almost everything, even of a little pasture and hay for a cow, and in some instances, not left a cow itself, by which means they are reduced to almost a starving condition.' Laro-e families where there are small children have been left without the means of subsistence. ' It was not the sense of Convention to deprive such families of the necessaries of life.' The commissioners are cautioned to proceed with less harsh- ness. ^ Soon after the withdrawal of the American army from New York, great numbers of poor persons were sent into Westchester County from the poor-house of that city and from elsewhere.^ Rye, Mamaroneck, and New Rochelle are the places appointed for their reception.^ Judge Thomas has distributed them as well as he could in the several districts of the county. Among the ac- counts sent in to the Committee of Safety for the support of these indigent people, is that of Ezekiel Halsted, who has provided for fifty-one of them. The sum of <£21 16s. 4c?. is allowed him for this service. The presence of so many helpless persons must have added to the trials of our inhabitants already overburdened. The sufferings of the people in the lower part of Westchester County now attract much attention, and excite deep sympathy. ' Unless it is the intention of the State to abandon this quarter to the enemy,' writes William Duer, Esq., chairman of the Com- mittee of Convention, ' and to sacrifice those who have stood firm in their country's cause in the worst of times, a proper force must be sent immediately unto the lower parts of this county, under command of active and vigilant officers.' General Wooster is still at Rye Neck, February 17, 1777, but a regiment from Connecti- 1 Journals of the Provincial Congress, etc., vol. i. pp. 812, 813 ; vol. ii. p. 218. 2 The Vestry of the city of New York, May 30, 1776, represent to the Provincial Congress, that there are about four hundred poor in the almshouse and adjoining buildings — blind and lame, helpless, children, and old people, etc. They ask for £5,000 or other relief. [American Archives, fourth series, vol. vi. p. 627.) August 2.5, the Convention took action relative to the support of the indigent persons who must be driven from their abodes; they are to be quartered upon the inhabitants, at vari- ous places, who are to be paid moderate prices for their support. One thousand pounds are appropriated to remove these people out of the city of New York. (Ibid. pp. 1539-1541.) ^ Some were sent also to New Windsor, in Ulster County. {Ibid. p. 1545.) SUFFERINGS IN WESTCHESTER COUNTY. 251 cut is to be discharged on tlie twenty- second, when he will not have more than eight hundred men in this department, ' a number very insufficient for the purpose of protecting or maintaining the allegiance of this county, and particularly of securing the iihportant article of forage.' The frequent calls for the services of the militia have greatly distressed the inhabitants of Westchester County ; taken the husbandmen from their occupations ; and prevented them from threshing and manufacturing their wheat. Colonel Humphreys is directed, March 3, to proceed with all the men he has raised immediately to Westchester County, for the protection of the well affected ; and if the troops prove insufficient, volun- teers are to be raised, not exceeding three hundred in number. The Provincial Congress appoints a committee of three to devise ways and means for the permanent defence of the inhabitants from the ravages of the enemy. ^ Little was done for them, however, save to express sympathy and to promise help. Indeed, it was not the design of the Amer- ican leaders to keep a strong militarj- force in this neighborhood for the protection of the inhabitants of the Neutral Ground. Wash- ington himself, we learn, at an earlier stage of the war, held that upon grounds of military expediency the whole southern part of Westchester Count}^ ought to have been desolated, and the army stationed in the Highlands west of the Hudson.^ At present, the chief anxiety of the leaders Avas to remove from this region the forage and other stores which might otherwise fall into the hands of the enemy. A number of teamsters were employed, in the spring of 1777, for this purpose, as well as for the removal of ' well-affected inhabitants.' Among these teamsters we recognize the names of Daniel Horton, Stephen Field, John Cromwell, and others, of Rye. Every week now brings reports of inroads by parties from the British lines, penetrating far into the interior of the county : — ' We have daily accounts of cattle being stole and drove downwards to support our cruel, merciless and inveterate enemies, by our more than savage neighbours, the tories, who have of late become so insult- ing as to hiss at men passing ; and several have been fired at in the road. Isaac Oakley, at the Plains, has been robbed of thirty-six head of cattle.' ^ 1 Journals of the Provincial Congress, etc., vol. i. pp. 808, 81 G, 821. 2 Irviwfs Life of Washington, vol. ii. p. 372. American Archives, fifth series, vol. ii. p. 921. ' Letter of Israel Honeywell, junior, Philip's Manor, March 28, 1777. (Journals of the Provincial Congress, etc., vol. i. p. 856.) 252 THE REVOLUTION. In one of these raids, tlie enemy succeeded in effectincr tlie cap- ture of a person Avliom they had long been seekino; to take, Judge Thomas, of this town. On Sunday mornino;, March the 22(1, 1777, a party of British troops seized him at his house in ' Rye Woods,' and carried him to New York, where he was committed to })rison. The site of this liouse is on the west side of King Street, about four miles from tlie village of Port Chester, and a little beyond the residence of Daniel Brooks, Esq. The kitchen attached to it is still standing, at the end of a short lane. A Mr. Miller was taken at the same time with Judge Thomas; probably William Miller, who was deputy chairman of the Committee of Safety for West- chester County, of which Thomas was chairman. Tradition re- ports that a certain Hachaliah Carhart, an officer in the British service, belonging to De Lancy's corps of refugees, was one of the company wlio made this capture. He was well acquainted with Miller, and was like him a member of the Society of Friends. It is said that when the band surrounded the house, Carhart called out to his old acquaintance, Friend Miller, dost thou not know ihe ? The question was repeated three times, and finally the answer came, I knew thee once, but I know thee no more.^ Judge Thomas died in New York soon after his arrest, and was buried in Trinity churchyard.''^ He had long been prominent as a public man, and was particularly obnoxious to the enemy on account of the active part he took in the early events of the Revolution. A sad affair occurred at Rye just after this. We quote the ac- count of it which appeared in Gaine's ' New York Gazette,' which had now become a tory organ, April 14, 1777 : — ' Some Days ago the Daughter of Mr. Jonathan Kniffin of Rye in Connecticut, was murdered by a Party of Rebels near or upon Budd's Neck. She was carrying some Cloaths to her Father, in Company of two Men who had the Charge of a Herd of Cattle. They were fired upon by the Rebels from behind a Stone-Wall. The poor young woman received a Ball in her Head, of which she instantly died. The Men escaped unhurt. They plundered her dead Body of its Cloalhs, cut one of her Fingers almost off in order to take a Ring, and left the Corpse most indecently exposed in the Highway. Such are the Advo- cates of this cursed Rebellion ! , Yet the Officer (so called) who com- manded the Party, and is said to be a Colonel among the Rebels, glo- ried in the Exploit, and swore it was better to kill one Woman than two Men, adding moreover, that he would put both Man and Woman ^ Information from Mr. Nehemiali Purdy, King Street. 2 Bolton's History of Westchester Count}/, vol. i. p. 255. THE WHALE-BOAT SERVICE. 253 to death, who should presume to cultivate their Farms or their Gardens in the Neighbourhood of Rye in this Spring.' ^ This account differs in several particulars from tliat which has been preserved by tradition. Tlie perpetrators of tlie outrage, it is said, were not American soldiers, but a party of three ' Cow Boys,' whose names are well remembered. They lived in this vicinity,^ and were fit specimens of the class of vile and lawless men to which they belonged. The murder is said to have occurred, not on Budd's Neck, but on the post-road a short distance above the village of Rye, near the entrance to Mr. Hunt's late residence. Jonathan Kniffin lived on Regent Street. His daughter was the sister of Andrew Lyon's wife. Her father, it is said, was a ' tory,' and had gone to Now York, where he was taken witli the small- pox, and eventually died. The daughter, hearing of his sickness, started to go to New York on horseback, but was waylaid and killed in the manner which has been described. The following item of news appeared in Gaine's 'New York Gazette ' of Monday, February 17, 1777 : — ' A few Evenings ago, four Boats full of Men came over from Rye to the opposite Shore on Long Island, and carried off a Sloop laden with Poultry and other Things for the New York Market. The Fan was so thick, that the Guard, which is constantly kept upon the Shore, did not perceive them. One Man was taken in the Sloop.' This is one of the earliest notices of a kind of Avarfare which w-as now beginning to assume considerable importance. Small boats, resembling those used by whalers, about thirty feet long, and propelled with oars, from four to twenty in number, were fitted up in the harbors along the northern shore of the Sound, and em- ployed in harassing the enemy in various ways. They would dart across the Sound, under cover of the night, and run into the inlets of the Long Island shore, landing near the house of a tory family, sometimes to plunder and sometimes to take prisoners. Small British vessels, cruising in the Sound, were occasionally captured by these nimble privateers. Market sloops, loaded with provisions for the British army in New York, were their favorite prey. Great quantities of forage and other stores belonging to the enemy were destroyed by these parties. The newspapers from 1777 to the close of the war contain numberless accounts of these exploits, which were a source of no little uneasiness and inconvenience to 1 One of them in West Street, another in the Purchase. 254 THE REVdLUTION. the British army, while they spread consternation among tlie loy- alists of the snrrounding country, and served greatly to cheer the spirits of the friends of the country. Notices like the following api)ear almost every week : — ' Oct. 20, 1777. — Yesterday Sen' night, a Whale Boat, with about ten Men, from Byram River, went into Hempstead Harbour, Long Island, and took out a Wood Boat, carried her into the Sound, and was return- ing for two others that lay there ready loaded, but a few of the Militia getting together, prevented their Design from being put in Execution, and obliged them to row off with speed.' '■May 4, 1778. — Last Monday Evening two Row-Gallies and an armed Vessel crossed from Connecticut to Lloyd's Neck, on Long Island, where a Party of loyal Refugees were cutting Wood, who, upon being attacked by the Rebels, retreated to a House, in which they defended themselves with great Bravery and Resolution upwards of six Hours : but their Ammunition being expended, they were obliged to submit to superior Force. Next Morning the Rebels carried their Prisoners, 18 in Number, over to Connecticut. The House in which the Refugees fought and surrendered, is perforated in many Places by the shot of the Rebels.^ ' May 18. — Other parties have been over to Long Island. Thirteen Boats have been taken within twenty Days.^ ' May 25. — Sunday Evening the 16th inst., with Up-sun, a Boat from Connecticut, with a Number of Men and a 4 Pounder, came to Sand's Point, on the North side of Long Island, and stripped a Boat that lay there of all her Sails and Rigging, and went off unmolested.* '•June 29. — Last Wednesday a Number of whale Boats well manned, from Connecticut, convoyed by the Wild Cat Galley, and a little Sloop, formerly the Raven's Tender, made their Appearance at Lloyd's Neck, in order to harrass his Majesty's Wood Cutters at that Place, and soon took a Boat then going out of the Harbour, which they endeavoured to carry off, but they were immediately pursued and attacked by a Num- ber of Boats from the Ships, when the Wild Cat, the Raven's Tender, and the Wood Boat were taken, as also some of the Whale Boats. Thirty Men were made prisoners, and two killed, without any Loss on our side.^ ' Seft. 7. — A (jreal ahtndance of armed Whale Boats are cruising in many parts of the Sound, and '^is feared will much interrupt our Market Boats.^ Jan. 1779. — 'Three Whale Boats that came over from Connecticut to plunder the inhabitants of Long Island last Week, were taken as 1 Gaine's New York Gazette, October 20, 1777. - Ibid. May 4, 1778. 3 Ibid. May 18, 1778. * Jbid. May 25. & Ibid. June 29. ^ Ibid. September 7. MARAUDING PARTIES ON THE SOUND. 255 soon as they landed, by a Party of the King's Troops that were in the Neighbourhood, and were brought to town last Thursday.' ^ ' June 30. — Yesterday morning about one o'clock a Party of Rebels from Connecticut landed on Long Island, surprized and carried off Mr. Abraham Walton, Dr. Brooks, and eight more very respectable and loyal inhabitants from Musketo Cove.^ ' July y. — Last Thursday night a party of about thirty Rebels came over from Connecticut in three whale Boats to Cow Neck, Long Island; they plundered the house of Mr. Stephen Thorne of many valuable ar- ticles, and at the same time part of them surrounded the house of Mr. Edward Thorne, his son, which they likewise rifled ; fortunately both these gentlemen were that night abroad, which prevented them from being carried into captivity. In the house of Mr. Edward Thorne they found Captain Lewis M'Donald, a gentleman banished by the rebel leg- islatures from Bedford, West Chester county ; him they robbed of such effects as their demagogues had permitted him to bring with him.'^ These extracts, to whicli we might add many, suffice to show wliat were the dangers as well as the successes of tlie whale-boat service. It had now become an organized system, under military authority, and conducted in harmony with the general plans of the war. It was pursued witli tlie greatest activity in the years 1780 and 1781. Whale-boats from Connecticut were constantly plying the waters of the Sound, and landing at Setauket, Sniitlitown, Huntington, Hempstead ; on Lloyd's Neck, Cow Neck, Sand's Point ; in Oyster Bay, in Mosquito Cove, and other localities along the northern shore of Long Island. We have seen that some of these parties were from Rye and Byram River. Many others doubtless wei*e from the same neighborhood, for in the newspapers of the day, Rye was generally designated as ' in Connecticut.' Some of our inhabitants were engaged during the war in these expeditions, and the scenes of many of them were in full view of our shores. Operations of this nature were not confined to the American side. The loyalist refus'^es on Long Island would often retaliate upon their active assailants by similar whale-boat expeditions, starting from tlie opposite shore, and landing at Fairfield, Stam- ford, and other points in Connecticut, and in Westchester County. Many a night, doubtless, after some bold foray across the water, did our inhabitants keep watch for the arrival of the enemy's boats upon Rye Neck or in Byram harbor. 1 Gaine's New York Gazette, January 11, 1779. 2 Ibid. July 5, 1779. 3 md. 256 THE REVOLUTION. But tlieir clangers from tliis source were insignificant compared with those that threatened them on other sides. ' The greater part of this county ' was in 1778 ' ahnost entirely undefended, exposed to the incursions of the enemy.' It was infested too Avitli villains *who daily commit murders, robberies, and other outrages.' The situation of affairs is truly deplorable. ' Unless measures are im- mediately taken for the defence and security' of this region, ' many of the inhabitants will be obliged to move off.' ^ Foraging parties of the enemy continued to scour the country. Among the most dreaded of these were the Queen's Rangers, now commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Simcoe. On Wednesday, Oc- tober 7, 1778, they visited this place, and captured, on King Street, ' six Hiiht dragoons beloneine; to Seldon's Reeiment,' at the same time burning a store with a considerable quantity of merchandise.^ But on Friday, November 13, a more important seizure took place. The house of Colonel Thomas, at ' Rye Woods,' was again sur- prised, this time by a party of the Rangers under Simcoe. Colonel Thomas, the son of Judge Thomas, who had been captured in the same way the year before, was like his father very active and fear- less in his support of the American cause, and was bitterly hated by the enemy. A circumstantial account of his capture is given in Simcoe's ' Military Journal.' The Rangers marched all night, and surrounded the house by daybreak. Colonel Thomas had not for some time passed the night at home, but now as the British troops were reported to have gone into winter quarters, thought himself comparatively safe. As the party approached the house, a shot was fired from a window, killing a man by Simcoe's side. The house was immediately forced, and the person who fired the shot was killed. This person, as we learn from local tradition, was James Brundage, a son of Gilbert Brundage, of Rye ; a young man of fine character and high promise, whose cruel death was long vividly remembered here. He was killed ' while on his knees, begging for his life.' Thomas Carpenter, another young man who was also in the house at the time, came near losing his life, being stabbed in many places by the soldiers' bayonets, while hidden under a bed.^ Colonel Thomas leaped out of a window, and came near escaping, but was taken by one of the hussars. The British cavalry proceeded to the American picket, about a mile further, 1 Journah of the Provincial Congress, etc., vol. i. p. 1107. 2 Gaine's New York Gazette, October 12, 1778. ^ The step-mother of James Brundage lived to the age of eighty-six years, and died in 1823 at the house of Aaron Field, King Sti-eet. I have these facts from her nieces. A NOTABLE INCIDENT. 257 hoping to surprise a party of liglit horse who were stationed there. But the sound of musketry had alarmed tliem, and after firiup; their carbines, and woiniding one of tlie enemy's officers, they re- treated. Colonel Thomas was taken to General Tryon, who was then at ' Ward's house ' in East Chester, and who ' Avas much pleased at this mischievous partizan's being taken.' ^ The spot occupied by the American force whose picket guard Simcoe had hoped to surprise, was probably ' at the head of King Street, near Rye-pond.' Here, three regiments of General Par- sons's brigade had been posted on the twenty-third of October, 1776, a few days before the battle of the White Plains. General Heath writes from King Street in the following February. Early in 1780, there were ' near 300 Continental Troops stationed at a Place called King Street, their Advance Guard being at the House of John Crom, near the Quaker Meeting House, in Harrison's Purchase.' This was John Crormvell, whose homestead is still standing, ' on the south-east side of Rye Pond, on the road lead- ing from the Purchase to North Castle.' The main body of these troops was probably encamped near the intersection of King Street and the road running east from the meeting-house. It was near Merritt's tavern, at the upper part of King Street, that one of the most notable incidents of the war occurred, on Sunday, December 2d, 1781. Captain Sackett was stationed here in command of ' the New York levies near Harrison purchase.' A party of De Lancey's loyal refugee cavalry, commanded by Cap- tain Kipp, making an incursion as far as King Street, fell in with Captain Sackett, who had gone a short distance from his men, and took him prisoner, together with an ensign and a private. The command of tlie American party then devolved on Lieutenant Mosher, who retreated with them to a spot near Merritt's tavern, where he ' formed his Men in a solid Body, with fixed Bayonets.' They were ordered not to fire a shot, but to receive the enemy's chariie in silence, until further instructions. At the first charo;e, the tory officer, finding himself repulsed, called to Mosher to sur- render, or he would cut his party to pieces. Mosher's reply was one of defiance ; and another charo-e was made and sustained in the same manner. But after the third attack, the Americans were ordered to fire on the retiring troops, which they did with terrible effect, killing one man and dangerously wounding eight others, 1 ^l Journal of the Operations of the Queen's Rangers, from 1777 to the Conclusion of the late American War. By Lieutenant-Colonel Simcoe. New York : Bartlett and Wel- ford, 1844. . 17 258 THE REVOLUTION. among them Captain Kipp. Two of the British officers had their horses killed under them. ' Mosher^s men, taking advantage of the discomfiture of their assailants, escaped to a neighboring piece of woods, not having a man even wounded. This is said to have been the most astonishing feat, on the part of both the officers and men, that was enacted during the whole war. General Wash- ington often s])oke of the affivir, and it was reported all over Europe, to show the utility of the bayonet, and that a small party of infantry thus armed may successfully resist a strong body of cavalry.' ^ Several engagements took place in 1779 and 1780 below this point, at Sherwood's Bridge (Glenville) and at Byram Bridge. On Thursday night, February 27, 1779, a small party sent from the American lines at Horseneck or Greenwich towards New York, discovered a British force at New Rochelle, advancing toward Rye. The party, composed of a captain and thirty men, retired before them vmdiscovered as far as Rye Neck ; but here, as it was growing light, the enemy perceived and attacked them. They defended themselves as best they could, but were soon defeated by superior numbers, and several were killed. The party now scattered; some of them were driven by the enemy from the post-road down into Milton,^ where they managed to keep away from their pursuers, crossing the heads of the creeks, and hiding in the swamps ; while others made their way to Saw Pit, where they took advantage of an elevated piece of ground, and made some stand ; but the superior force of the enemy compelled them to retire over Byram Bridge, which they took up, and by this means were enabled to reach Horse- neck in safety. The British troops, consisting of several regiments, a body of dragoons, and a detachment of artillery, were on their way to Greenwich, for the purpose of destroying the salt Avorks at that place. This they accomplished, while General Putnam, who had observed their approach, went to Stamford to collect a body of militia and other troops which were there. Upon his return, the enemy retreated, and ' got over Byram river before dusk, the rebels,' by a tory paper's account, ' annoying the rear Avith a con- siderable fire.' ^ According to Putnam's report, a number of pris- 1 History of Greenwich, Conn., by D. M. Mead, pp. 179-181. Hugh Gaine's iVe^t; York Gazette and Weekly Mercury, Monday, December 10, 1781. ^ So states Mr. Mead, in his History of the Town of Greenivich ( p. 166), probably on traditional authority, as the fact is not mentioned in Putnam's account. ^ Gaine's New York Gazette, March 3, 1779. A party of militia, it is said, num- bering one hundred and fifty or two hundred, occupied the brow of the hill on the right of the road, east of Byram Bridije, where they were protected by some rocks or boulders. From this vantage-ground they fired down upon the British soldiery as they crossed the bridge, and killed several. (Local tradition.) FREQUENT INCURSIONS. 259 oners were taken, and two of the enemy's bastairs must have been the pastor's study as well as the family ' living room.' Here good Mr. Denham had his ' Library of Bookes,' the treasures perhaps which he had saved with the utmost pains in his ' late loss by the war : ' particu- larly prized among which were his ' Commentary upon the Revela- lations,' and his ' Epistle upon the Romans.' And here, doubtless, suspended from the walls, were the trusty weapons of the pioneer pastor, his ' musquett,' and his ' longe Gunn,' and his ' two-edcred sword.' Not far from the parsonage house, on the opposite side of the post-road, was the house of Timothy Knapp, Avhere, for want of a church, the little community were accustomed to meet on Sabbath days for public worship. They were called to the meetino- by the sound of the drum.* The service began early, and lasted several hours. Evening meetings were unknown. The Sabbath was observed from sunset to sunset. The ordinance of the Lord's Supi)er was rarely celebrated, but baptism was administered very generally.^ Mr. Denham's ministry ended about the year 1684. He re- moved to Bedford, and became pastor of the church in that place. 1 Other grants of land seem to have been made to Mr. Denham, which did not so descend. In 1683, Peter Disbrow sokl to Stephen Sherwood a tract in the field at Rye, with the following reservation : ' It is to be noted that the said Stephen is not to take possession of a bit of salt meadow lying in this above said land until the decease of Mr. Thomas Denham.' (Records, vol. B. p. 53.) ■•^ ' The house-lot having the house at the south-east corner, contains a little above two acres.' (Letter of Rev. Mr. Jenney, Dec. 15, 1722 ; Bolton, History of the Prot. Episc. Church, p. 221.) » Ibid. pp. 205, 229, 245. * Ibid. p. 134, note. '^ ' The greatest part of them,' says Mr. Bridge, ' were baptized before the Church [of England] was settled here.' (Ibid. p. 196.) Several of the ' Dissenters' as he calls them, 'are serious people.' ' Some still Presbyterians or Independents in their judgment, but are persons well disposed and willing to partake of the Sacrament in what way they can, rather than not at all.' 280 EARLY MINISTRY. ^ He died tliere in 1688, at the age of sixty-seven years.i Various allusions to liim in our records lead us to believe that his memory was cherished by the people here with peculiar veneration. The Rev. John Woodbridge succeeded Mr. Denhani as pastor of" Rye in 1684. He appears to have })reached here for several years, with interruptions, during which the place was without a minister. In 1690 and 1698, persons were appointed to procure one ; and in 1697 a committee was chosen ' to discourse [with] Mr. Woodbridge concerning his settling amongst vis.' - AVe know 1 His will is on record in the office of the County Clerk .it White Tlains. (Vol. B. p. 184.) We give it in full as a. curious memento of this our first minister. '■Mai/ the 2. 221. * Ibid. p. 222. ' I have taken all possible care to prevent my successor from the like oppositions,' etc. 6 Ibid. p. 221. LOT IN THE TOWN FIELD. 297 former rector liad experienced grew in strength. ' Tlie Dissenters,' writes Mr. Wetmore, September 29th, 1748, ' are now endeavour- ing to get into their possession the small glebe belonging to our Church, which is scarcely worth the charge of a lawsuit ; yet I have commenced a suit to defend it, which I believe the wealthiest of my parishioners will not assist me with a farthing to support.' The Societv's Secrotarv, in the followino; June, wrote at Mr. Wetmore's suggestion to the churchwardens and Vestry, express- ing tlie Society's concern upon hearing that the church and par- sonage were very much out of repair, ' and that even the possession of the glebe is disputed against ' their ' very worthy pastor.' They are urged to give orders for the full repair of the buildings, and to ' defend Mr. Wetmore in the maintenance of all his just rights,' as they desire his longer continuance among them. On the ninth of October, 1749, Mr. Wetmore informs the Secretary, — ' The tryal Avith the Dissenters, concerning the parsonage lot, is to be the 24th of this month, according to notice of tryal given. The lot is of no great vahie, being but seven and a half acres, yet I have thought it my duty not to give it up without tryal, altho' I am threat- ened by the same persons to have an ejectment served upon nie for the poor house and two acres of land upon which I live, unless I will agree to some terms whereby the Presbyterians may have a share of what was anciently designed for a parsonage ; but as there is no more than two small lots, (which have been long in the possession of the Church,) T think to show no concession unless obliged to it.' We have no account of the result of this lawsuit. It appears to have been brought by the Presbyterian congregation, for the ])urpose of recovering at least a part of the old ecclesiastical lands. They claimed, it seems, that this property was theirs originally, having been appropriated by the early settlers for the use of a ministry of their persuasion, and that it had been so enjoyed for a number of years. They asked for a division of the lands — con- senting that the parish church should retain the minister's house and home-lot, if the parsonage lot or glebe were surrendered to them. This plea would have met with little consideration from the governor of the province, who lost no opportunity to assert the exclusive claims of the Church of England as by law established, to all such property in the province. But before a civil court, it was more likely to be heard. At least one case of this kind had already come before the courts. In 1727, the Presbyterians of Jamaica, L. I., after great expense, by due course of law 298 ECCLESIASTICAL LANDS. recovered tlieir cliurcli, parsonage, and lands, whicli had been wrested from tliem many years before.^ At Hempstead, the Rev. Mr. Jenney, who went to that ])lace in 1726 from Rye, was ' often threatened with an ejectment ' from the chnrch property, which had been seized about tlie same time in a similar way ; ' tiie Presbyterians ' pleading ' from tlie purchase having been made by them, before any church was settled here, and from t^heir min- isters having been long in possession of it, that it belongs to them.' 2 It does not appear that they ever carried these threats into execution. Thirty years after the seizure. Governor Cosby gave the church and parsonage at Hempstead, by royal charter, to those who detained them from the lawful owners.^ Soon after tlie date of tlie trial, as mentioned by Mr. VVetmore, we find that the land in question had passed out of the hands of the ' rector, churchwardens and vestry of the parish of Rye,' and was held by certain individuals, most of whom were members of •the Presbyterian congregation, and who were presumably the trustees of that body. On the fourteenth of April, 1753 — three years and a half from the time of the trial — these persons sold to Roger Park, junior, of Rye, a ' certain tract of land .... con- taining seven acres and a half, it being the lot commonly called the Parsonage LotV ^ This tract is now included in the farm owned by John Greacen, Esq., of Rye, who bought it from the descendant of Roger Park in 1863. No subsequent allusion to the trial occurs in Mr. Wetmore's published correspondence, nor is any mention made of the ' parsonage lot ' in question as a part of the church lands, by the succeeding rectors, or in the parish books. A new 'glebe ' was afterwards secured to the church after this trial, through the efforts of Mr. Wetuiore, in place, it is to be supposed, of the land which had been lost. 3. The third tract appropriated by the town for the minister's use, was the ' home-lot ' in the village. This contained between two and three acres, and lay ' by the Blind brook.' The site seems to have been chosen previous to the year 1675, when the Rev. Peter Prudden commenced his labors at Rye. Probably it was set apart at the same time with the ' parsonage lot ' in the 1 Thompson's Histonj of Lour/ Island, vol. ii. p. 107. Macdonald's liistort) of the Presbjiterian Church, Jamaica, pp. 148, 149. '^ Thompson's Histon/ of Long Island, vol. ii. p. 30, note. 2 Webster's History of the Presbyterian Church, p. 88. * Deeds in the possession of Mr. Greacen, Eye. The grantors are Benjamin Brown, Cornelius Flaman, Jonathan Brown, Ebcnezer Kniffen, Joseph Knitfen, Tlionias Lyon, Samuel Brown, Ezekiel Halsted, and Gilbert Bloomer, all of Eye. HOME-LOT BY BLIND BROOK. 299 Field — when tlie villao-e Avas first laid out. Here the minister's house was built, before a settled pastor had been obtained ; and here Mr. Denham, JNIr. Woodbridge, and Mr. Bowers lived before the arrival of the English missionaries. The house-lot was a part of the property claimed by the rectors by virtue of their induc- tion. Mr. Pritchard preached here, in the ' town-house ' as it was called ; and so probably did Mr. Muirson, until the building of the church in 1706. Mr. Bridge, the next rector, found ui)on his arrival ' a small parsonage house,' with three acres of land ; ' the house so much decayed that it was scarce habitable.' His suc- cessor, Mr. Jenney, obtained a survey of this lot,^ as he did of the larger glebe in the Town Field. By that time — in 1722 — the house, which stood at the southeast corner of the lot, and was built of timber, was ' so much out of repair that nothing but the frame stands good.' Mr. Wetmore describes the parsonage, in 1728, as ' a small, old house with three acres of land lying near the church.' The house, he adds, ' was first built by the town for a Presbyterian minister, before there was a clnu'ch in town, but never any particular settlement of it upon any. When a minister o£ the Church came, and they had no Presbyterian minister, the house was put into his possession and enjoyed successively with the glebe by the minister of tlie Church ; but the Presbyterian party threatening to give ti'ouble about it in Mr. Jenney's time, he procured a survey of it for the Church, and got it entered upon the public records of the province. He also repaired the house, which was almost fallen down, being neglected by Mr. Bridge, who thought it not worth repairing.' ^ Mr. Wetmore himself, though he owned a lai'ge farm in the immediate vicinity, continued to occupy the parsonage house, wdiich he ' enlarged and repaired ' at his own charge. ' It is now grown so old and decayed,' however, he writes in 1748, ' that it is 1 The survey quoted on page 296 continues as follows : — 'Another ])arcel called the Home Lot in which the Town house or Parsonage house stands, Beginiug at a heap of stones near the said house and runs thence north nine degrees forty five minutes cast three chains Thence north twelve degrees west four chains fifty links to stones near Peter Brown's house. Thence South eighty seven degrees west four chains to a Maple by Blind Brook Then along the said Brook South eight degrees east five chains fifty' links and South seventeen degrees west one chain fifty four links and thence from the Brook South eighty six degrees east four chains twenty links to the stones where we began. Containing two acres three roods and thirty six Poles. Given under my hand this twenty fourth day of September in the ninth year of his Majesties Keign Anno Dom. 1722. Cadwall.\der Golden Surv^' Gen^.' 2 Bolton, History of the Prot. Episc. Church in Westchester County, pp. 245, 246. 300 ECCLESIASTICAL LANDS. scarce worth repairing.' At tlie instance of the Gospel Propaga- tion Society, the people appear to have done something toward the improvement of the building. The next rector, Mr. Punderson, * expressed his satisfaction with the parsonage house and lot.' He had probably removed to the new dwelling and glebe which Mr. Wetmore had secured for his successors, on the west side of Blind Brook. I have been curious to ascertain the exact spot where so many of the old ministers of Rye, of both denominations, lived. Fortu- nately, Mr. Jenney's survey of the lot, in 1722, has enabled me to do this with much precision. I find that it occupied the grounds now owned by Mr. Halsted, Miss Bush, and Mr. Thomas Peck, between the post-road and Blind Brook, in the village. The dia- gram here given is a copy of that which accompanies the survey obtained by Mr. Jenney, Peter Brown's house, men- tioned in the surveyor's description, is the lot lately owned by Mr. D. H. Mead.^ The lot is described as lying south of that house and east of BHnd Brook. When the turnpike road was laid out in 1800 through the village of Rye, it deviated slightly at this point" from the line of the old Boston Road, approach- ing nearer to Blind Brook, and thus cut- ting off a portion of the parsonage lot, which formerly extended quite across the present road. The negotiations of the Vestry on this subject with the Turnpike Company, show us how these matters were conducted in the days when land was cheap and time moved slowly. January 16, 1802, it is stated to the Vestry tliat ' the Glebe Lands belonging to this Cliurch have been dam- aged by the new Turnpike.' May 21, 1803, the Vestry resolve 1 In 1738, the executors of Peter Brown sold his ' lot with house and mill erected thereon,' bounded on the south ' by the parsonage and Blind brook ; on the west by Blind brook ; on the east by the highway into Harrison's purchase ; and on the north by land of Samuel Lane.' (Town Records, vol. C. p. 146.) This lot of five acres had formerly belonged to Jacob Pierce, Avhose widow Mary, then wife of Isaac Den- ham, sold it in 1695 to Peter Brown. (Records, vol. B. p. 67.) The minister's lot mentioned in 1675 lay 'south of Jacob Pierce's' (not Jacob Bridge's, as Mr. Bolton gives the name — undoubtedly by a clerical error). Peter Brown's house was subse- quently bought by Mr. Wetmore. Its ownership can thus be traced with scarcely a break from the foundation of the town to the present day. MR. JENNEY'S GARDEN. 301 to go and view tlie land intended to make a part of the Turnpike road, which will cut off parts of the parsonage land. On the same day it was ' resolved, that the real value of the land belong- ing to the parsonage as marked out and intended for the Turnpike road to come, is sixty-two dollars and fifty cents ; and that the clerk shall give notice of this resolution immediately to John Peter Delancey, President of the Turnpike Corporation.' August 9, 1803, Mr. Nathanael Penfield is authorized to receive said sum and give a receipt in full.^ South of this lot by the brook, there was a narrow stri]) of land lying between the brook and the Boston Road, which was event- ually incorporated with the parsonage land. On the fifth of March, 1679, the town of Rye had granted to the Rev. Mr. Den- ham ' fifty poles of land lying before his door, toward the brook.' This tract became the property of Isaac Denham, son of the min- ister, upon his father's death ; and in 1723, he conveyed it by gift to the Rev. Mr. Jenney, then rector of the parish church. ' There is a small present,' writes Mr. Jenney, July 1st, ' made to our church, by Mr. Isaac Denham, of this place, of a piece of land containing about fifty square rods, lying before the front of the parsonage house, which though a small spot is of great use to the house ; and the donor shows himself on all occasions a hearty promoter of the Church's interest. He is a constant attendant at the ordinances and a communicant. He hath given me a deed of gift for the land, and possession, according to the forms of law, for my use and my successors, the ministers of Rye.' ^ This deed is on record at White Plains. It describes the land conveyed as lying south of the parsonage lot, and between the highway and Blind Brook. It extended as far down as the junction of Rectory Street, as it is now called, with the post-road. ' 3lr. Jannis [Jen- ney's] garden ' is designated in 1723 as opposite the path that * now leads from y'^ Church into the Country Road.' ^ This property remained in the possession of the Episcopal Church of Rye until comparatively recent times. An old inhab- itant, Mr. Josiah Purdy, remembers the house, which was still standing when he was a boy, about the beginning of this century, near the site of the present residence of Miss Bush. It was then quite dilapidated, but was still known as the ' old parsonage.' After the Revolution all the parsonage lands were, for a while, 1 Records of the VestiT of Christ Church, Rye. 2 Bolton, History of the Prof. Episc. Church, etc., p. 226. ^ Entering of Highways, etc., in County Clerk's Office, White Plains, p. 7. 302 ECCLESIASTICAL LANDS. hired out to various ])ersons for a small rent. May 2d, 1785, ' Mrs. Tamar Haviland hired the Land called the Old Parsenige this year for fifty five shillings, she to put it in fence and to be allovv'd for fencing.' June 14, 1792, tlie Vestry resolved ' that some repairs be made on the old glebe House so as to make it teivdnti\.h\e for a 7/ear or two.'' It does not appear, however, that it was ever again occupied. The parsonage lot, however, remained intact until about forty years ago. In 1837, Mr. David H. Mead already owned the lower part, which he occupied as a garden. In that year, the rector and Vestry of Christ Church conveyed to Mr. William Smith a piece of land fifty-five feet wide, lying north of Mr. Mead's garden, and in 1847 they sold the remainder of the tract, then estimated to contain four acres. These wei'e all the lands originally given by the town for the support of the ministry in Rye. The parish church, however, some time before the Revolution, acquired another and much more valuable glebe, situated, not on Peningo Neck, but upon the west side of Blind Brook, opposite the village. This occurred, we have said, a few years subsequent to the lawsuit, and, as there is reason to believe, in consequence of the loss of the old parsonage land in the Field. The first allusion we find to this property is contained in the Abstracts of the Gospel Propagation Society's proceedings for 1759. They state : — ' The Rev. Mr. Wetmore, the Society's missionary at Rye in the Col- ony of New York, has the pleasure of acquainting the Society by his letter, dated April 7th, 1759, that a very worthy person, a native of England [St. George Talbot, Esq.] but now living in New York, has .put into his hands £600 of that currency, of which he reserves to him- self the interest during his life, and hath left by his will £400 more to be added to it after his death, to purchase a convenient glebe for the use of the Society's missionary at Rye, for ever.' Mr. Wetmore himself lived but a little more than a year after this time, but from his will, dated August 6th, 1759, it appears that he had made provision for the accomplishment of Mr. Tal- bot's design, by setting apart a portion of his own fai*m for the purpose of a glebe. His farm lay chiefly on the west side of Blind Brook, including lands which lately belonged to Mr. James Hal- sted and Mr. D. H. Mead. In his will,i Mr. Wetmore mentions 1 Surrogate's Office, New York, lib. xxiv. 125, 126. THE NEW GLEBE. 303 ' the land I have sequestered for a glebe, which at tlie upper end by the stone fence is to be half the width of my lot.' ^ A deed of the year 1768, relating to some pr()})erty north of tiiis, mentions 'the neiv Parsonage sequestered by the Reverend James Wetinore,' and speaks of it as lying across the brook from ' the old Parson- age.' It contained about twenty acres. A small plot of ground, in this new glebe, was devoted to the purpose of a burial-place for the rectors of the parish church. ]Mr. Wetmore himself was the first whose remains Avere laid here, those of his predecessors who died at Rye having been interred beneath the church. The graves of several of the later rectors occupy this plot, which lies directly opposite the rear of Mr. Dan- iel Strang's store. A few rods south of the burying-ground, on the other side of a small knoll, there was formerly a house, which probably stood on the glebe at the time when Mr. Wetmore owned it, as there is no record of its erection by the j)arish. If so, it of-'course became the property of the parish when the land was set apart for a glebe ; and after the Revolution it was occupied, for a Avhile, both as a parsonage house and as a place of worship. Some persons who were yet living a few years ago could remember crossing the brook, when children, to attend divine service here, and one old inhabitant who is still with us, Mr. Josiah Purdy, aged eighty-five, remembers seeing the building destroyed by fire in the year 1794. The impression, however, that this house ' across the brook ' was the ancient rectory of Rye, is certainly a mistaken one. The ' old parsonage ' is the spot of chief interest in the history of our churches before the Revolution. The Vestry of Christ Church retained possession of the glebe sequestered by Mr. Wetmore, until the year 1846, when they sold it. After the fire of 1794, the Vestry purchased the Rectory GROUNDS now owned by Christ Church, for the sum of four hun- dred pounds. This beautiful tract of land was then in the posses- sion of Mr. Isaac Doughty, a son of John, and grandson of Francis, 1 From the connection it is evident that the parsonage land across the brook is in- tended. ' I give and bequeath to m}' loving sou Timothy that house, barn and im- provements, bought of Mr. Jacobs, lying in the town of Rye, witli all the land on the west side of the road which formerly belonged to Peter Brown ; and also that part of my land bought of Joseph Haight, on the icest side of Blind Brook, running from said brook north-westerly to the stone fence that now runs cross my land near Abra- ham Brundige's, and to extend southcrhj to the land I have sequestered for a glebe,' etc. The word ' southerly ' is misprinted ' northerly ' in the will as given by Mr. Bolton, History of the Prot. Episc. Church, etc., pp. 289, 290. 304 THE REVOLUTION. who, kept the tavern in tlie old stone house lately known as Van Sicklin's. The rectory grounds, containing four acres, were an- ciently a part of the village plot, known as ' The Plains.' Here, as we saw in a former chapter, were some of the choicest ' home- lots ' of the first settlers. Two such lots, perhaps, were included within the space now occupied by these grounds. They had been joined in one by the middle of the last century, when Samuel Purdy, schoolmaster of Rye, in 1753 sold his home-lot for one hundred and seventy pounds to his sons Samuel and Caleb. It was bounded on the north by the street leading from the post- road towards the church : on the east bv the street leadino- towards Lyon's mill ; on the south by Francis Doughty's home-lot ; and on the west by the post-road. This describes the present property of the church, which was conveyed^ by deed in 1794 from Isaac Doughty, in fee-simple, without any restrictions or conditions. There is no evidence that it had ever before constituted a part of the glebe. The rectory stood, until within a few years, near the post-road, toward the northern line of the grounds. Christ Church owns also the narrow strip of land directly oppo- site the rectory grounds, between the post-road and the brook. In 1832, the trustees of the town of Rye conveyed to the wardens and Vestry for thirty-seven dollars, the tract containing one rood, ' beginning at the south side of the road leading across the brook to tlie parsonage land, near a poplar tree adjoining the turnpike road, thence south by the turnpike road twenty nine degrees west three chains fifty links, thence west to the brook,' etc. The large willow-tree which stands upon this piece of ground is said to have been planted by the Rev. Evan Rogers, who was rector from 1801 to 1809. Of the parsonage lands now^wned by the other village congre- gations, we shall speak elsewhere. They have been acquired much more recently, and form no part of the old ecclesiastical lands. These we have described at large because so little has been known, hitherto, of their history and location. CHAPTER XXXVI. THE CHURCHES : GRACE CHURCH BEFORE THE REVOLUTION. 1705-1776. ri^HE Honorable Caleb Heathcote was living in Mamaroneck, ^ near Rye, early in the last century. He had removed from England to this country about the year 1692. He held at differ- ent times several important j)Ositions under the government of the province ; and by his wealth, and rank, and personal merits, became one of the leading men of his day. In the county of Westchester, especially, where he resided most of the time. Colonel Heathcote's influence was very great. There was probably no one who ap- proached him in the esteem of our rustic population. He owned a vast landed estate in the neighborhood, which had been consti- tuted by royal charter a ' lordship or manor,' under the name of the Manor of Scarsdale, besides a considerable tract of land within the town of Mamaroneck. He took an active part in the affairs of the county, and was the earnest advocate of various measures for the public good. To Colonel Heathcote, undoubtedly, more than to any one else, is due the credit of having founded and fostered the Church of England in this country, and particularly at Rye. He was a devoted member of that church, and gave the whole weight of his influence to its promotion here. At his instance, the Societv in England ' for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts,', formed in 1701, sent one of its first missionaries to officiate at Rye. The Act of 1693, it will be remembered, had provided that two ministers should be maintained in the county of Westchester, one of whom was to have the care of Rye, Mamaroneck, and Bedford. The governor of the province claimed the right to induct a minister into this charge, upon his being called by the Vestry and churchwardens of the parish. And as the people of Rye had lately chosen Colonel Heathcote himself to be one of their church- 20 306 GRACE CHURCH BEFORE THE REVOLUTION. Avardens, — the other being Captain Joseph Theall, — there was no difficulty in the way of settling any minister whom the Society might send to this field. In April, 1704, the Rev. Thomas Pritchard, A. M., arrived in New York, having been appointed by the Bishop of London and sent by the Gospel Propagation Society, to officiate in the parish of Rye. Governor Cornbury forthwith issued his mandate for Mr. Pritchard's induction ; and in May the new minister entered upon his duties. He soon proved, however, to be an unsuitable person, and remained but a few months.^ His successor, who may be regarded as the first rector of Rye, was the REV. GEORGE MUIRSON, A. M. Mr. Muirson was a native of Scotland, and came to this country in 1703, as a schoolmaster of the Gospel Propagation Society. While laboring in this capacity he won the esteem and affection of manv persons, and was soon sent back to England strongly rec- ommended as a candidate for orders. He returned to New York in the summer of 1705, having received ordination from the Bishop of London ; and on the thirty-first of July, Governor Cornbury signed the m.andate for his induction as ' Rector of the Parish Church of Rye, Mamerenock and Bedford.' The ' Parish Church,' however, was yet in the future. Our people had been accustomed to worship in the ' town-house,' dur- ing the ministry of their former pastors, as well as when supplied by the neighboring ministers of Connecticut while without a pastor. The ' meeting-house ' which they had talked of building in 1697, was not yet completed, if indeed begun. Mr. Muirson's first work was to gather a congregation ; for the people were all ' Dissenters,' ' who never were in a Church of England congrega- tion before.' He soon reports a very large attendance of ' constant hearers,' many of whom he has been enabled to admit into the church by baptism. In May, 1706, he writes, — ' I have baptized about two hundred, young and old, but most adult persons, and am in hopes of initiating many more into the Church of Christ, after 1 have examined, taught, and find them qualified. This is a large parish ; the towns are far distant ; the people were some Quak- ers, some Anabaptists, but chiefly Presbyterians and Independents ; they were violently set against our Church, but now, blessed be God, 1 Bolton, Church History, pp. 137-146, 156. Mr. Pritchard, it seems, stayed at New Rochelle, and scarcely visited Rye at all. MR. MUIRSON. 307 they comply heartily, for I have now above forty communicants, and only six when I first administered that holy sacrament.' ^ The Society was certainly fortunate in the selection of its first missionary at Rye. Mr. Muirson was a man of amiable and genial nature, well qualified to ingratiate himself among the people. He had also 'a very hai)py way of delivery ' in the pulpit; making little use of his notes in preaching, a rare practice among the clergy of the Established Church in those times, and ' extremely taking,' says Colonel Heathcote, with his hearers in these parts. ' For argument,' he adds, ' few of his years exceed him.' ^ The new rector was all activity, catechising on week-days in the remote towns, preaching at Bedford every fourth Sunday, and soon undertaking missionary work in Connecticut colony, where he met Avith great encouragement. At Rye he is constant in parochial work. ' Catechising .... and frequent visiting is of great service, and I am sure I have made twice more proselytes by proceeding after that method, than by public preaching.' His ' congregations are ver}' great ; ' the people ' seem to like the ways of the Church very well, but, as in all other places, there are some stubborn, ill-natured persons among 'em,' whom nevertheless he hopes in time to bring over to a better opinion. ' By the aid and assistance of y" good Colonel Heathcote,' Mr. jVIuirson soon persuaded the people to engage anew in the effort to build a house of worship. This was to be done by the act of the town of Rye.^ Our records contain a full account of the initia- tory steps in the matter, which we give as follows : — ' At a Lawfull town meeting held in Rye September the 26, 1705, Coll. Heathcote apears at this meeting and declears that in casse that this town of Rye doe goe on in boulding of a Church that he will give towards boulding the same all the nails for shingling of the rouf and for the church doors and making of windows shutt with all the hooks and hinges thereunto belonging. Caleb Heathcote. ' At this above said meeting the towne hath agreed by voat to bould a church for the worship of God. ' 'Tis voated and agreed that this above said church shall be boult thirty three foots within the said church to be boult four square. ' At this above said meeting the town hath by a voat agreed to bould the walls of the said church with stones and to be 16 foots in height above ground up to the pleats. ^ Bolton, History of the Prot. Episc. Church in the Counttj of Westchester, pp. 151, 166. ^ Ibid. p. 159. 3 Ibid. "Tis only the town of Rye, and not the parish which hath built it.' (Let- ter of Col. Heathcote, Dec. 18, 1707, in Bolton, p. 178.) 308 GRACE CHURCH BEFORE THE REVOLUTION. ' At this above said meeting the town hath agreed by a voat to put in Cap. Ilorton Jus. Purdy Isaac Denham and Saniuell Lane with the townsmen to have the management and the oversight of boulding the above said Churcli. ' At the above said meeting the town hatli by a voat agreed to sett this above said Church at the east end of the Lot which was formerly M"" Collers in the street.' ^ At a subsequent meeting, a tax was laid upon the inhabitants, to raise fumls for tliis purpose. Februai'y 18, 1706, it was agreed that ' all inale persons from sixteen years and upward be assessed at twelve pound per head in all charges for the building of a Church.' ' Liberty is given for to get stone and timber upon any particular men's land, provided you get not within a fence, for the building of a Church.' ^ The people did not show as great alacrity in assuming some other burdens. The parsonage was old, and sadly in need of repairs. This, they thought, was the proper business of the ]iarish, and not of the town. At a meeting held February 25th, 1706, they agreed ' that the pariah of Rye shall repeare the towne house fit for a minister to Live in and to keep the said house in rej)eare for the use of the niinistree.' ^ Six years after this, we read that ' the town hath past a voat that they will not repeare the house which Mr. Bridge now dwells in.' ^ This seems to have been a cause of frequent conten- ition between the town and the rectors.^ We shall see Avhat the dispute led to in the end. The church ' will be finished next spring,' writes Mr. Muirson, November 21, 1705, to the Society's Secretary in London : ' so that we shall want pulpit cloaths and furniture for y'' communion table.' The work, however, did not go on so fast. In April, some preparations had been made by carting stone, and most of the tim- ber had been brought. In October, the stone-work was finished and the building covered. ' But the winter approaching and the people being extremely poor and having exhausted what little money they had on what is done already, we cannot proceed any further this fall,' writes Mr. Muirson, ' but hope next year to finish all, with a steeple, Avliich when completed will make a large 1 Towr. Meeting Book, No. G., p. 10. '^ Ibid. p. 13. 3 Ibid. p. 17. * Records of Town Meetings, p. 4. 6 ' There is no care taken to preserve the house in good repair We cannot hope that where the Dissenters so much prevail, any persons wonld be chosen who would repair either the church or the house, so that if I will live in the house I must keep it in repair myself.' (Rev. R. Jenney, 1724. Bolton, Church Histon/, p. 229. See also pp. 246, 279.) THE PARISH CHURCH BUH.T. 309 and beautiful Buildlnn;.' It is fifty feet long and thirty-six feet wide, and twenty feet high — ' a very fine church,' writes Colonel Morris, in 1708. But the sanguine hopes entertained for its speedy completion were sadly disappointed. Indeed, neither Mr. Muirson nor his successor lived to see it finished. Eleven years later — in 1717 — Mr. Bridge reports, ' In the year 1706, some extraordi- nary methods were used to induce the town to raise a tax for build- ing a Church, and they raised a handsome outside, and covered and glazed it, but found nothing done to the inside, not so much as a floor laid. When I had for a year or two preached upon the ground, I got subscriptions for about ,£50, among the inhabitants towards finishing the inside.' ^ And in 1722, Mr. Jenney states, ' The Church, though built in Mr. Muirson's time, is not yet fin- ished ; the roof decays, but if not quickly fitted up, is not likely to stand long.' It was finished about the year 1727.^ This building was placed where Christ Church in our village now stands. As usual then, it stood 'in the street' — at the junction of Grace Church Street and what is now called Rectory Street. It was known as Grace Church in 1736,^ and probably many years before. This, however, was not a corporate name, but one in popular use. The legal designation was ' The Parish Church of Rye.' * Mr. Muirson's ministry was short. He died Tuesday, October 12th, 1708, but a little more than three years from the commence- ment of his labors in Rye. He was only thirty-three years of age ; and it appears highly i)robable that his course w\as shortened by the fatigues and privations he underwent while here. ' He was a very industrious and successful missionary,' says Colonel Heathcote, his brother-in-law, ' and had it pleased God to have preserved his life, would have been able to have given a wonderful account of his labours. By his constant journeys in the service of the Church, and the necessary supjjly of his family, he expended every farthing he got here and of the Society.' ^ His removal was a great loss to the people of Rye. A large proportion of them had been drawn by his efforts, and those of Colonel Heathcote, to attend upon his ministry. ' Though they 1 Bolton, History of the Prot. Episc. Church, pp. 151-205. 2 n,{(i p. 244. 3 The name of ' Gracious ' or Grace Clmrch Street first occurs in a deed of this date. (Rye Records, vol. C. p. 136.) * The earliest document in which the church is otherwise described, is one relating to the presentation of Mr. Pundcrson for induction, in 176.3. It mentions ' the Parish Chnrcli of Rye, called Grace Church.' (Bolton, Uistorij Prot. Episc. Church, p. 300.) 5 Ibid. p. 187. 310 GRACE CHURCH BEFORE THE REVOLUTION. were generally Presbyterians,' says Mr. Wetmore in 1728, ' by Colonel Heathcote's influence, and Mr. Muirson's industry and good behaviour, and the Governor of the province being zealous to encourage the Church, they all united in building the Church, and frequented the worship in it, as long as Mr. Muirson lived.' ^ His successor was the Rev. Mr. Reynolds, who came to Rye in October, 1709. He had officiated but a few times, however, when orders came from the Society, removing him from his post, and forbidding him to preach. The reasons for this proceeding are not known. Mr. Reynolds was superseded by the REV. CHRISTOPHER BRIDGE, M. A., an English clergyman, who had previously been settled in Boston as assistant minister of King's Chapel, and afterwards in Nar- ragansett. He came to Rye in January, 1710.^ The records of the Vestry of this parish commence soon after the beginning of Mr. Bridge's ministry, January 9, 1710-11. It does not appear that any account of the proceedings of that body had been kept until then. The opening pages show how its afffrirs were conducted, and there seems to have been little deviation from the method down to the Revolution.^ 1 Bolton, History of the Prot. Episc. Church, p. 246. 2 Ibid. p. 191. 3 ' At a Lawfull mpeting of the Parishioners at their Parish Church in Rye To Elect & Choose Churchwardens & Vestry men ffor the Year Ensuing, were Elected & Chosen ' Cai)t Joseph Theall Cap' Jonathan Ilartt ^ Churchwardens. Cornelius Seely Andrew Coe George Lane Jun"' John Merritt Senr Joseph Lyon Daniel Purdy Coi'dw' ■ Vestrijmen ■ George Kniffin y^ Thomas Purdy John Disbrow . . . Mamar'' Thomas Merritt Jun"" John Miller . . . Bedford and Joseph Cleator Clerk of the Vestry for this Year.' The officers thus elected next meet with the Justices of the Peace for the transaction of business. ' May the Seventh Anno Dom' 1711. ' At a nieetii^ of the Justices and Vestrymen at the Church this Day were present the Honi-We Coll. Heath Coate Deliverance Brown Joseph Budd Isaac Denham Andrew Coe John Merritt Sen^ I y^^f Thomas Merritt Jun"" Thomas Purdy J f George Lane Jun' George Kniffin John Miller MR. BRIDGE. 311 Until Mr. Bridge's time it would appear that the Justices and Vestry held their sessions without the presence of the minister. An order now came — July 29, 1712 — from the government, directing that ' every orthodox minister be one of the vestry in his parish.'^ The number of communicants varied little from that reported by Mr. ]^luirson. In 1710 there were forty-three ; in 1711, forty- four; in 1712, forty-two. The 'number of those who professed themselves of the Church of England,' in the same year, was three hundred and thirteen ; the Presbyterians numbered four hundred and sixty-six. There were some twenty ' heathens that are ser- vants of families.' The number of inhabitants in the parish was seven hundred and ninety-nine. 'Many of the Dissenters come sometimes to church.' ^ Much of Mr. Bridge's attention appears to have been given to the Friends, who were now quite numerous, especially in ' the Purchase.' From his own account, he met with marked success in a disputation, held in the year 1712, with some whom he calls ' ranting Quakers.' A preacher among them was convinced by the rector's arguments, and came sometimes to church ; ' but it pleased God, soon after, to take him out of the world.' In 1717, he writes, ' It is my constant care to watch the motions of the Quak- ers, to prevent their seducing any of my parishioners — for they come frequently in great numbers from Long Island and other places, to hold their meeting of the out parts of my parish. — I take all occasions in my public discourses, and my private exhorta- ' Voted and agreed by the Above said Justices and Vestrymen, the Sum of fifty five pounds five Sliillinn;s to be Levyed on the Parish. ' That is to say — ffor the Minister £50. 0. For Beating the Drum 1. 0. For the Clark 1 . 0.0 For Charge of Express to Bedford 0. 10. For y« Constable for Collecting 2.12.6 £55. 2. 6 ' Voted also on y® other side that Warrants be Issued ont for half the Above said Sura to be paid on the Tenth Day of July next Ensuing, and for y^ other half, one moietv thereof, which is one fourth part of said Sum, be paid on the Tenth day of October next, and the fourth part to be paid on the Tenth day of January next — and that the moyety payable on the Tenth day of July be Laid in proportion to the Last Quota — That is to say 1 Bolton, Historij of the Prot. Episc. Church, p. 203. 2 Ibid. pp. 196, 199, 202. Rye £17. 6. 6 Mamaroneck 3. 13. 6 Scarsdale 1. 11. 6 Bedford 5. 5. 312 GRACE CHURCH BEFORE THE REVOLUTION. tions, to sliow the great enormity and dangerous consequences ' of their practices.^ Mr. Bridge also took an active part in tlie temporal concerns of the town. He became one of tlie Proj)rietors of Peningo Neck as early as 1713 ;^ and shortly before his death obtained a patent for two hundred and eighty-one acres, ' in twenty small parcels,' situ- ated in different parts of the town of Rye.^ , Mr. Bridge died at Rye on Friday, May 22, 1719, and, like his excellent predecessor, was buried in the parish chuixh. He was forty-eight years of age. The memory of these first rectors well deserves to be cherished. There is reason to believe that they were faithful, conscientious, and earnest ministers of the Gospel, and were successful in promoting the religious welfare of the peo- ple. The good feeling that prevailed while Mr. Muirson lived, con- tinued during Mr. Bridge's ministry. The people of other de- nominations ' frequented the worship in the Church,' propitiated by the friendly ways and the upright character of the rector, who 'though a strict Churchman in his principles' was *yet of great respect and charity to Dissenters, and much esteemed of them.' ^ But this harmony was now interrupted. A vacancy of three years occurred between the death of Mr. Bridge and the induction of his successor.. For the first few months the church was sup- plied by clergymen from New York and other places, under the direction of the Rev. Mr. Vesey ; but after tliis, it appears to have been occupied by the Presbyterian congregation. The Gospel Propagation Society, in 1722, appointed the Rev. Henry Barclay as their missionary at Rye. Meanwhile, however, the churchwardens and Vestry had called the — 1 Bolton, nistori/ of the. Prot. Episc. Church, ]). 202. ^ This was eitlier by purchase or by gift from the heirs of Jacob Pcarce, one of the early proprietors. In a list dated September 7, 1713, we find the name of Christoj)her Bridge 'for Daniel Pierce in right of Jacob Pierce deceased.' (Town Meeting Book, G. 20.) Jacob Pearce (see page 48) left Rye about tlie year 1689, and was never heard from. His widow married Isaac Denham. In 1694, the Court of Sessions of Westchester County confirmed her in the possession of her first husband's lands, etc., ' till the right heir appears.' The mention of Daniel Pearce in the list above quoted, is the only allusion to such an heir, that we hav* met with. ^ Book of Patents, Albany, vol. viii. p. 182. Mr. Bridge's patent must not be con- founded with that given in 1708 to Mrs. Anne Bridges, widow of Dr. Bridges of New York, which formed a part of the Middle Patent, now included in the town of North Castle. (Bolton, History of Westchester County, ])p. 4.54, 455.) * Bolton, History of the Protestant Episcopal Church, etc., p. 207. MR. JENNEY. 313 REV. ROBERT JENNEY, A. M., at that time chaplain to the royal forces in New York. The Society confirmed tlie call, and Mr. Jenney was indncted as rector of Rye, by an order from Governor Bnrnet, dated June 7th, 1722. He found the con married Rachel Brundage. William Purdy, born March 3, 1804, mar- ried Dorcas Park; died December 17, 1859. 19. Elizabeth,* daughter of Gilbert Lyon," born August 19, 1763, married Samuel Lyon. Mr. Thomas Lyon, now living on Ridge Street, is their son. 20. Abraham,* son of Gilbert Lyon,'^ married Hannah Mills. He lived in the old homestead near Byram Bridge, and had three sons : Fitch, Seth,and Elias. Seth Lyon is the present occupant; Fitch lives with him. V. 1. Underbill,^ son of Andrew Lyon,* born in 1763, married Mary, daughter of Ezekiel Halsted ; died May 24, 1795. He lived in the house next to the bridge, on the west side of Byrani River. Children : Harriet, Sarah Budd, Eliza Jane, Mary. 2. Tamar,^ daughter of Andrew Lyon,* married Purdy, and had several children. 3. Polly,' daughter of Andrew Lyon,* married first Bush, and had a son and two daughters ; second — — Davenport. 4. Sarah,'' daughter of Andrew Lyon,* married Ezekiel, son of Ezekiel Halsted, and had five children. 5. Monmouth,^ son of Silvanus Lyon,* born December 7, 1791, mar- ried June 28, 1814, Alethea Lyon, born May 3, 1791. Children : LYON. 425 Thomas C. ; Sarah Ann, who married Francis Sccor, and died October 29,1844; Caroline, who married WilHam Schotts ; John, died young; John P.; Sylvanus ; George, died young; AVilliam J. 6. Hannah,^ daughter of Silvanus Lyon,* was born January 19, 1795- 7. Sylvanus,^ son of Silvanus Lyon,* born September 14, 1797, died November 18, 1836. 8. Thomas,^ son of Gilbert Lyon,* was the father of Elisha Lyon. 9. Andrew,^ son of Andrew Lyon,* had a son Andrew, 10. Samuel,'' son of Joshua L3'on,* no issue. 11. Gilbert,'' son of Joshua Lyon,* known as Captain Gilbert, was born December 28, 1787 ; married Deborah Lyon,* born November 5, 1795. Children : Alvah A., Gilbert, Robert M., James M., Wil- liam P. 12. Joshua,'' son of Joshua Lyon,* no issue. 13. John,^ son of Joshua Lyon,* lived on "Weaver Street. VL 1. Harriet," daughter of Underbill Lyon,^ married Belden. Children : iNIary, George. 2. Sarah Budd,*' daughter of Underbill Lyon,^ married, January 21, 1819, Rev. Isaac Parsons, born in Southampton, Mass. ; graduated at Yale College 1811, at Andover Seminary 1814; settled in East Had- dam. Conn., 181G; dismissed 1856 ; died August 21, 1868. Children: Mary, Harriet, Sarah (died young), Henry M., Elizabeth. 3. Eliza Jane," daughter of Underbill Lyon,^ born March 5, 1792 ; married David N. Lord, P"sq., of New York ; died December 7, 1840. 4. Mary." daughter of Underbill Lyon,^ born 1794, died 1816. VIL 1. Mary,'' daughter of Harriet [Lyon"] Belden, married Coit. 2. George,'' son of Harriet [Lyon "] Belden. 3. Mary,'^ daughter of Rev. Isaac and Sarah B. [Lyon"] Parsons, born December 3, 1821, married S. E. Swift, ]NL D., of Colchester, Conn. ; died October 1856. Children : Theodore, George, Edward. 4. Harriet,'' second daughter, born April 12, 1823, married, in 1847, Rev. Warren C. Fiske, now of Wolcott, Conn. Children : Henry (died young), Isaac, Sarah, William. 5. Henry M.,' son of Rev. Isaac and Sarah B. [Lyon "] Parsons, born November 13, 1828, graduated at Y^ale College 1848, at Theo- logical Institute 1854 ; settled as pastor of First Congregational Church in Springfield, Mass., 1854, as associate pastor of Union Church (Co- lumbus Avenue), Boston, 1870; married, January 16, 1855, Mary E. Dudley, of Richmond, Va. Children : Ella, Jessie, Emma, Howard (died 1865), Walter. 6. P^lizabeth," third daughter of Rev. Isaac and Sarah B. Parsons, born June 15, 1830, married, November 1857, Zechariah Cone of East Iladdam, Conn. Children : Jennie, Mary, Alice (died 1868), Eliz- abeth, Newton. 426 FAMILIES OF RYE. Meruit. Thonisis and John Merrit came here early, Thomas being mentioned in 1673 and John in 1G78. We know nothing of their antecedents. It is suijposed that they were brothers, but we have no evidence that such was the case. Both obtained proprietors' rights. 1. Thomas Merrit,^ called senior in 1G98, had married, perhaps as his second wife, Mary, youngest daughter of Robert Francis of Weth- ersfield. Conn. (Rec.) Siie was born, says Mr. Savage, in 1656. An * indenture ' regarding the disposition of his property after death, dated October 20, 1688, assigns to his wife the use of his house, etc., which is to descend to his eldest son. He had proprietary rights with Rob- ert Bloomer. He lived nearly opposite the spot where the Park Insti- tute now stands. In 1702 he gave to his son, Thomas junior, his house- lot ' where he [the son] now lives.' Thomas Merrit was one of the principal men of the place. He was sent with Deliverance Brown in January, 1 697, to Hartford, to petition the General Court of Connecticut to take the town back into its jurisdiction. (Conn. Rec, vol. iv. p .192.) He was forward in the matter of building a ' meeting-house ' and par- sonage, and procuring a minister, while under Connecticut. He seems to have taken no part in town affairs after this. He was living in 1713. Children : Thomas, Ephraim, Samuel, and perhaps others. II. 1. Thomas Merrit," eldest son of Thomas,^ was called Sergeant Merrit. He lived in the house above mentioned. His death occurred before 1729. Children : Thomas, Edward, John, Benoni, and perhaps others. 2. Ephraim Merrit,^ son of Thomas,^ is mentioned 1713-1718. 3. Samuel IMerrit,^ son of Thomas,^ mentioned 1706, in 1720 had from Thomas ^ of Rye his lands in the White Plains. Samuel had settled there, and was the father of William, of White Plains, and per- haps of George. III. 1. Thomas Merrit;^ son of Thomas,^ went to the White Plains, but sold his farm there in 1740 to Monmouth Hart, and removed to King Street, where he was living in 1755-1768. He was the father of Shubael Merrit. 2. Edward Merrit,'^ son of Thomas,- is mentioned 1740-1755; was living in 1748. 3. John Merrit,^ son of Thomas,^ mentioned 1721, was of King Street in 1727. 4. Benoni Merrit,'' son of Thomas,^ mentioned 1720 ; in 1724 bought from Richard Cornell of Cow Neck two hundred acres in ' Forcaneer's [Fauconier's] west patent.' In 1737 he was 'of Oyster Bay, mer- chant,' and sold his house and sixteen acres of land on the country road at Rye. 5. William Merrit,'' son of Samuel,^ in 1739 bought from Joseph Haight and others one hundred acres in Harrison's Purchase, ' begin- ning at the bridge over Mamaroneck river in the White Plains road,' MERRIT. 427 and lying between the river and the ' land of y" Heavlins.' He was living in 1755. lie had two sons, — Joseph and Elijali. 6. George Merrit, of the White Plains, perhaps a brother of William, bought at the same time for the same price a similar tract of land north of his. He was living in 1752. IV. Joseph,^ son of William," had four sons — Abraham,'^ Joshua' (father of Abraham," David," and Joseph," now living), David,'' and James. ^ Joseph^ died September 3, 1793. L John Merrit,^ mentioned 1678, bought in 1680, from several indi- viduals about forty acres of land between Byram River, and Gunn Brook Creek: and in 1686 he had an allotment of twenty acres more in the same locality. Thus and by other purchases he acquired early a con- siderable tract, beginning with Lyon's Point, then Merrit's Point, and extending some distance below Port Chester, on both sides of Grace Church Street. He. was living here in 1706. He had proprietor's rights with John Boyd. John Merrit ' senior ' is mentioned as laie as 1724. Children : John, Jonathan, Andrew, and perhaps Joseph. II. 1. John JMerrit,^ son of John,^ is called junior in 1700. He had land in Will's Purchase. He had a son John. 2. Jonathan Merrit,- called 'son of John Merrit senior ' in 1718, is mentioned 1708. He lived in 1744 ' near Byram river or harbour.' He had a son Jonathan and a son John. 3. Andrew Merrit,- son of John,^ lived on Merrit's Point. In 1706, 'John ]\[errit senior, husbandman,' gave his son Andrew 'my farm where I dwell,' bounded east by Byram River, north by Gunn Brook Cove, west by the Hassocky Meadow Brook, and the country road, and south by Richard Ogden's land ; to be his ' when he shall attain the age of twenty-one years.' Andrew Merrit, who lived on Grace Church Street in 1757, and was called captain, 1749-1760, was probably the son of Andrew.^ 4. Joseph Merrit,- perhaps a son of John,^ is nif-ntioned 1707, when he took up lands on Hog-pen Ridge. In 1708 he was one of the pro- prietors of Will's purchases. In 1740 he sold to Gilbert Bloomer thirty-two acres near the present Park's mill. He had a son called Joseph junior in 1727. III. 1. John Merrit,^ son of John,^ is called 'junior' in 1732. 2. Jonathan Merrit,^ son of Jonathan,^ lived on Hog pen Ridge in 1757. In 1748, Jonathan ^ of Rye conveyed to his son Jonathan ^ his house and twenty acres, between 'Byram river harbour' and the road or street. This property Jonathan seems to have sold, as he did Fox Island in 1753, to Sanuiel Lyon. 3. John Merrit,^ son of Jonathan,^ in 1750 sold part of his father's estate to Samuel Lyon. 4. Andrew Merrit,'' perhaps son of Andrew.^ 5. Joseph Merrit,^ called junior in 1727, lived on the southeast corner of the Ridge Road and the road to Park's mill. He had a son Joseph. 428 FAMILIES OF RYE. IV. 1. Jonatlian,'' son of Jonathan,^ was perhaps the person, — father of Jonathan, Abraham, Daniel, and Thomas, — several of whose de- scendants are now living in the town. He had also three daughters — Alethea, Elizabeth, and Mary. 2. Joseph Merrit,^ son of Joseph,^ was born January 14, 1731. He married Ruth , born June 3, 1737; and died May 19, 1782.^ Children : Joseph, born February 15, 1753. Sarah, born May 14, 1768. Nehemiah, born March 3, 1756. Jotham, born July 19, 1770. Joseph, born October 12, 1760. John, born April 14, 1774. Daniel, born March 31, 1764. Lot, born March 2, 1777. Anna, born .June 20, 1766. V. 1. Nehemiah Merrit,^ son of Joseph,* lived on Ridge Street, where Mr. W. Acker now lives. He had two sons, John and Daniel ; and a daughter un married. He died about the year 1836. 2. Daniel Merrit,^ son of Joseph.* 3. Anna Merrit,^ daughter of Joseph,* married Nathaniel Brown, of Scarsdale. 4. Jotham Merrit,^ son of Joseph,* had one son, John A. Merrit. 5. Lot Merrit,^ son of Joseph,* had no children. VI. 1. John Merrit," son of Nehemiah,^ was immarried. 2. Daniel INIerrit,'' son of Nehemiah,^ is living on the upper part of Ridge Street. Children : Daniel, Ezra B., Joseph. Miller. James Miller, in 1681 had land on Budd's Neck near 'the old Westchester path.' In 1701 'the towne hath granted by a voat unto James Miller tenn eakers of land within the White Plaines purches to be Layd out by those layers out which was chosen to lay out the White Plaines to the best of their descretion.' He is mentioned again about 1708. Abraham Miller, mentioned 1708-1738, was perhaps a son of James. In 1720, he sold a tract of land on Brown's Point in Harrison. In 1745, Abraham Miller lived directly north of Abraham Bush's land (now Gershom Bulklpy's) in Saw Pit. A namesake, perhaps a son of his, was of Saw Pit, 1783-1792. Samuel Miller, mentioned 1718-1727, was of Budd's Neck. In 1741 he sold seventy acres of land situated apparently where James ^ owned in 1681. The next year he sold to his father-in-law, Joseph Lyon, a considerable tract of land in the lower part of Harrison. Anthony Miller, perhaps another son, mentioned 1711-1718. In 1640, he had land in White Plains. Gilbert Miller, ' son of Abraham,' 175^2, was of King Street in 1759. He died in April 1792. William Miller was of Harrison in 1771. Daniel and Richard Miller were living in the upper part of the town at the beginning of this century. J^flLLER. — ODELL. 429 Roger Miller's name occurs in 1793. James INIiiler lived on North Street in 1762-17G4. Lyon Miller, in 1775, was chosen first lieutenant of a company raised in ' Harrison and the upper part of King street.' (N. Y. Rev. Papers, vol. i. p. 159.) 'Lyon Miller died March 15, 1814, aged seventy- seven years, eight months, and eleven days. Susanna, wife of Lyon Miller, died July 14, 1802, aged sixty -nine years.' (Cemetery near Mamaroneck.) OuELL. William, was perhaps a son of William Odell of Concord, Mass. (Savage.) If so, he came over at the age of five years in 1639 with his father, who settled in Fairfield. William Odell was one of the first settlers of Rye. He was with the Hastings planters in 1GG2, and continued here apparently until his death, which occurred between 1697 and 1700. He had land in the various divisions during his life. His house-lot, afterward John Brondige's, was about the northern part of Mr. J. E. Coming's garden. He married a daughter of Richard Vowles of Rye. Our records mention his sons John and Samuel. The latter is not mentioned by Mr. Bolton in the pedigree which he gives of Wil- liam Odell's descendants (History of Westchester Co., vol. ii. p. 530) ; according to which, AVilliani had five sons, Stephen, John, Michael, Isaac, and Jonathan. Perhaps the first name should read Samuel. IL 1. John Odell,^ son of William,' signed as witness in 1683. He removed to Fordham, and is the ancestor of the numerous family of this name in the western part of our county. In 1706, John Odell of Fordham sold to George Kniffen of Rye his interest in the undivided lands, • below the marked trees which belongs unto the Eighteen;' namely a thirty-sixth part of said lands, which part ' was his deceased father William Odell's.' For the descendants of John, see Bolton's History, vol. ii. pp. 536, 537. 2. Samuel Odell," son of William, in 1684 had from his father Wil- liam all his title and interest in the White Plains purchase. He re- moved, like his brother, to the Manor of Fordham, where with his wife Patience he was ' very well settled to their satisfaction,' when, about the year 1693, his uncle Jonathan Vowles, of Rye, ' happening at that time to be parted and living separate from his then wife Deborah, and being alone and having no children, persuaded him to leave his habitation and to go and live with him.' In compensation for his services, about nine years after, according to his own statement, Samuel received, by deed from Vowles, the southernmost part of Mounsting [Manussing] Island, containing about 150 acres.' Six or seven years after, says Samuel, Deborah, who was then living with her husband, came and borrowed the deed, and he has never seen it since. He returned to Fordham (about 1708, apparently), but persisted in his claim against Roger Park who in 1707 bought from Vowles his fiither-in-law the land on Manussing Island. Samuel petitioned the governor in 1717 430 FAMILIES OF RYE. for a patent, and in 1720 remonstrated against the granting of a patent to the inhabitants of Rye without recognition of his claim. In 1715, William Odell, of East Chester, sold to George Kniffen, of Rye, for twenty pounds, his quarter ' of an eighteenth part or share of undivided lands.' According to the pedigree given by Mr. Bolton, this William was the eldest son of Isaac Odell of East Chester, fourth son of William.i None of this name appear in our records after these dates. The few families that reside here now have I presume removed hither in later years from other towns. Ogden. I. John Ogden of Rye in 1674 (Pub. Rec. of Conn., vol. ii. p. 23G), was of Stamford originally, and was undoubtedly related to John Ogden, the builder, who settled there in 1641 ; but cannot have been he, as Mr. Huntington supposes (Hist, of Stamford, p. 39), nor his son, as Mr. Savage conjectures. (Gen. Diet.) For John removed as early as 1644 to Hempstead, thence to Northampton, L. L, and set- tled in 1664-106.) at Elizabeth, N. J. (Dr. Hatfield's Hist, of Eliza- beth), where he died in 1681, and where Joiin junior was living from 1673 to 1604. Our settler was unquestionably a son of Richard, brother of the first John Ogden, who, says Mr. Huntington, went to Fairfield, where he became a man of note, and who had numerous descendants. John Ogden, of Rye, is first heard of in 1669, when John Budd men- tions him with ' Juddey [Judith] his wife,' who was Budd's daughter. In 1674 he was deputy for Rye to the General Court at Hartford. In 1678 he had several allotments here, as well as a tract of land on Budd's Neck which he had received from his wife's fathei*. His house- lot was at the upper end of the town, near Mr. Joseph Kirby's present dwelling. In 1679 the town made a grant to 'John Ogden of forty- eight or fifty acres of land by the water side at the fishing rock, for the purpose of building a house and wharf. The inhabitants of Peningoe Neck to have wharfage free.' (Bolton, vol. ii. p. 93 ) July 13, 1681. the town authorized John Ogden and George Kniffen to purchase a barrel of powder and three hundred weight of lead of Mr. Budd of Fairfield, or wherever it can be obtained the cheapest. These to be kept for the use of the town. (Rye Rec, in Bolton, vol. ii. p. 47.) Ogden died in 1683. He left a widow, who in the same year married Francis Brown, of Rye, previously of Stamford. Ogden had three sons, Joseph, Richard, and David. II. 1. Joseph Ogden,^ son of John,^ mentioned 1685-1715, had land on Budd's Neck from his father ; a portion of which — thirty rods wide from Westchester old path to the sea — he sold in 1699 to Benjamin Horton. He had a wife and a daughter Mary, and probably a son Joseph. In 1717, perhaps shortly after his death, ' Mary Ogden, spin- ster,' released to her mother Mary Ogden all title to her father's prop- OGDEN. — PARK. 431 erty. Joseph,'' living on Biidd's Neck in 1740, was probably a son of Joseph.^ 2. Richard Ogden,^ son of John,^ is mentioned 1096-1720. He is ranked among the proprietors. In 1696 Francis Brown and Judah his wife release to their • son Richard Ogden ' certain parcels of land, 'with all in both Will's purchases and also in the Eighteen Men's propriety that is below the marked trees upon Penninggoe neck so called.' In 1699, ' att a lawful meeting of the proprietors of Peningo Neck the said proprietors do grant unto Richard Ogden an Island commonly called Fox Island.' (See page 134.) This island he sold in 1722 to Jonathan Merrit. Richard was ' active in real estate.' The recording of his purchases and sales, on the ridges, in the swamps, and at ' y' Plaines,' must have helped to keep good Samuel Lane, the town clerk, in occu- pation. Among the rest he sells in 1699 some land 'lying in a place commonly Dick's Hollow.' 3. David Ogden,- son of John,^ in 1700 was to have his step-flither Francis Brown's dwelling lot, and the salt meadow lying by the mill creek ' formerly called BoUuck's meadow,' after his death. He re- moved to the White Plains, where he and his son David, junior, were living in 1741, and had land. In 1745, father and son ' of Rye' sold to Henry Scott of Mamaroneck one hundred and thirty-eight acres in the White Plains purchase for four hundred and ninety-four pounds. And in 17ol David Ogden of Scarsdale sold to Samuel Purdy, junior, a lot ' called s" fifth or last division of the AVhite Plains purchase — lying at the north end of said purchase, adjoining y'^ line called the Indian line.' John Ogden, mentioned 1702-1708, was perhaps a son of one of the above. Jonathan Ogden, mentioned 1720-1737, was of North Castle. Daniel Ogden is mentioned 1720. Park. The name was originally spelled Parcque, the family being of Huguenot extraction. I. RoGicR Park, according to the family tradition, fled from France in the time of the persecution of the Protestants, and came to this country. His name occurs at Rye as early as 1699, when Joseph Horton con- veyed to him, his son-in-Iaio, one half of his home-lot lying at the White Plains, with one half of his right in said purchase. In 1718 he ap- pears among the proprietors of Peningo Neck, and has a share of land allotted to him, under a new division of the common lands. II. Roger Park,^ probably the son of the above named, is men- tioned in 1707 as son-in-law to Jonathan Vowles, who conveys to him his land on the southern part of ' Minusin Island.' His title to this property was contested, in 1716 and 1720, by Samuel Odell, Vowles' nephew, who appears to have failed to make good his claim. Roger Park's descendants were still in possession of this land a few years since ; one of them owns a part of it at present. His second wife was 432 FAMILIES OF RYE. Charlotte Strang. In 1729 he was living in Harrison's Purchase. He is probably the 'Roger Park, senior,' mentioned in 17G8 as still living. Children: Roger; Mary, who married Joshua Purdy ; Sophia, married Nehemiah Brown ; Thomas ; Lucy, married Moses Husted ; Charlotte, married Benjamin llaviland. III. 1. Roger Park^ was a large proprietor and a leading man in the town. He owned farms in Harrison, and Rye. He married Sarah, daughter of Peter Disbrow, who died January 6, 1811, aged eighty years. Roger Park's will, written in 17G8, was proved in 1788. His children were : Jesse (named Justus in the will) ; Disbrow (without issue) ; John (without issiie) ; Anna, married Lemuel Jagger ; Sarah, married Thomas McCoUum ; Lavinia, married Bilha Theall. 2. Thomas,^ second son of Roger Park,^ born March 8, 1720, mar- ried, January 1, 1747, Martha, daughter of Thomas Carpenter, born May 21, 1729. Thomas Park lived on the site of the house now oc- cupied by Mrs. Mary Park, on the cross road to North Street, near the Purchase Road. He owned a large tract of land in that vicinity. Children: Thomas, born December 11, 1747; Joseph, born October 10, 1750; Mary, married Nehemiah Purdy, born August 24,1752; Roger, born July 11, 1754; Hannah, born March 18, 1756, unmarried; Daniel, born November 27, 1758 ; Stephen and Thomas (twins), born August 17, 17G1 ; Timothy, bom April 27, 17G6. IV. 1. Jesse Park,* son of Roger Park,^ married Phoibe Sawyer. His children were: Jesse, Levina, married Elijah Purdy, James, Ann, unmarried, Moses Husted, Jane, married Alexander Hubbs, Thomas, Phoebe, unmarried. John, 2. Thomas Park,* eldest son of Thomas,'^ probably died young. 3. Joseph Park,* second son of Thomas,^ had one son, Israel, and three daughters, — Charlotte, married James Paulding; Mary, married William SnifTen ; and Abby. 4. Roger Park,* third son of Thomas,^ married first, Elizabeth Lyon. Children: Sophia, died young; Phoebe, unmarried; Samuel, Thomas, and Timothy. His second wife was Sarah Lyon ; who had one son, Knapp. 5. Daniel Park,* fourth son of Thomas,^ married Emma, daughter of Daniel Knapp. He lived on the lower part of North Street, where he had a large farm. They had three sons, Knapp, Thomas, and Daniel. 6. Stephen Park,* fifth son of Thomas,^ was not married. 7. Thomas Park,* sixth son of Thomas,'^ married Nancy Lyon, and had several children. 8. Timothy Park* youngest son of Thomas,'' married first, Anna, daughter of Jonathan Snifien, and had one son, Josejih, and two daugh- PARK. — PEARCE. 433 ters, — ^Mar}', who married Daniel Park (son of Daniel^), and Anne. Timothy married, secondly, Arna, daughter of Abram Hobby, and had one daughter, Martha. V. 1. Jesse Park,^ son of Jesse,* married Martha H., daughter of Robert Kennedy, and widow of Augustus Tredwell. She waff born June 5, 1775, and died January 16, 1853. Jesse Park died May 15, 1848, aged seventy-six years. Children: Thomas, William, Augustus, Jesse ; Sarah Ann, married Benjamin Watson ; Ann Maria ; and Nancy Jane, married Furlong. 2. James Park,^. second son of Jesse,* married Mercy, daughter of Nathanael Carpenter. He lived in Bedford, and had several children. 3. Moses Husted Park,^ third son of Jesse,* was not married. 4. Thomas Park,* fourth son, was not married. 5. John Park-,' fifth son, was not married. 6. Israel Park,' son of Joseph.* 7. Samuel Park,* son of Roger.* 8. Thomas Park,* son of Roger.* 9. Timothy Park,* son of Roger.* 10. Knapp Park,* son of Daniel,* married Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas Wilson. He lived on King Street. He had one son, Thomas, and three daughters, Emma, Deborah, Dorcas. 11. Thomas Park,* son of Daniel,* died young. 12. Daniel Park,* son of Daniel,* married Mary, daughter of Timo- thy Park,* now living in Harrison. 13. Joseph Park,* only son of Timothy,* married Mary Delavan. They have had three sons — Jonathan, Joseph, and Charles ; and two daughters, — Clarissa, married Henry W. Wheaton, and Elizabeth, mar- ried David Purdy. Pkarck. Jacob Pearce, 'husbandman,' first mentioned 1680, had lands and proprietary rights here in 1 683, and may have been here sev- eral years previous to the former date. His house-lot was where Mr. B. S. Olmstead now lives, and he also owned the land now Miss Mead's. In 1690 'Jacob Paers of Rye' was one of the soldiers who left Fort William on the second of April, in the expedition to repel the French and Indians after the burning of Schenectady. He did not live to re- turn. (See page 48, where the date should be 1689 Old Style, or 1690 New Style.) His widow Mary married Isaac Denham, son of the Rev. Thomas Denham, wlio thus acquired Pearce's proprietary rights, as well as his other estate. ' At a Prerogative Court held at Westchester the 7th and 8th Xber 1694, Isaac Denham Husband of the Widdow and Relict of Jacob Peirce deceased brought into Court an Inventory of said Peirce's estate.' The Court confirmed upon her the said Mary all the moveable estate, and decreed that the lands remain in her possession till the right heir appears. A claimant seems to have turned up, perhaps a brother or more distant relative. In 171^, a list 28 434 FAMILIES OF RYE. of * The Draft of the Branch Ridge Lots ' then laid out is headed with the name of ' Christopher Bridge for Daniel Pierce in Right of Jacob Pierce deceased.' (Town Mg. Bk., G. p. 20.) This Daniel is not men- tioned elsewhere. PuRDY. Francis Purdy, of Fairfield, Conn., who died in 1658, is believed to have been the common ancestor of the numerous race bear- ing this name, scattered widely throughout our county. Three sons of Francis, — John, Joseph, and Francis, — came early to Rye; John in the year 1670, Joseph by 1677, and Francis by 1679. The following account of them and of their descendants is drawn chiefly from our Town Records, for the more remote degrees. Family records have been consulted as far as accessible. The pedigree of the Purdy family given in the appendix to Mr. Bol- ton's invaluable History of Westchester County, has been of some ser- vice in the preparation of the following account. But for the earlier portion it is utterly inaccurate and incoherent. Thus, Joseph Purdy, who died in 1709, leaving seven sons, is represented as the grandson, instead of the brother, of John Purdy.^ No mention is made of a brother Joseph,^ nor of the descendants of the brother Francis ; ^ while Samuel, who married Penelope Strang (whose father Daniel was born in 1656, and came to America in 1688), is called a son of Francis of Fairfield, who died in 1658. I have relied on the pedigree only for the accounts of some of the later generations, which appear to have been derived from authentic sources, and are generally confirmed by the information I have been able to gain. I. John Purdy ^ came to Rye in 1670, from East Chester, where however his stay must have been short, for his name 'does not occur among the names of the early settlers of that place. On his arrival here he bought John Jackson's house and lands, with his rights, and a home-lot on the Plains from John Banks. He died about 1678, leav- ing a widow, Elizabeth, and two sons under age. His widow and John Brondig administered his estate, and ' Elizabeth Purdy's children ' figure in our records as owning various allotments, and a share in the undivided lands. II. 1. ' Daniel Purdy, son of John, deceased,' was about thirty-five years of age when constable in 1711, and hence could have been but an infant when his father died. His name is associated with that of Fran- cis, senior, his uncle, in deeds and lists of the proprietors, 1699-1709. From this fact, and inasmuch as no other son of John ^ is mentioned, we infer that his brother died young. ^ I. Joseph Purdy ^ is first mentioned in 1677, and in 1678 owned land adjoining that of ' his brother John Purdy's children.' He was a leading member of the community, — being supervisor of the town in 1707-1708 ; justice of the peace in 1702 and after; representative of the county for several years in the Assembly ; and ' one of the chief PURDY. 435 promoters of the church,' writes the Rev. Mr. Wetmore many years later. With Colonel Ileathcote and others, in 1701, he purchased lands in North Castle, where some of his descendants settled. His will is dated October 5, 1709. He had seven sons : Joseph, Daniel, Samuel, David, Jonathan, John (called Still John), and Francis. II. 1. Joseph Purdy,^ son of Joseph,^ was of Rye. He died in or before 1734, leaving a son, Obadiah. 2. Daniel Purdy,^ son of Joseph,^ was one of the patentees of Budd's Neck in 1720. He was alive in 17o0. His house stood on the site of Mr. Sylvanus Purdy's present tenement house ; and his farm lay below this point, on both sides of the road. He also owned a thousand acres in Courtiandt's Manor, or North Salem, which he left to two of his grandsons. . He had three sons : Hachaliah, Joshua, and Daniel. 3. Samuel Purdy,' son of Joseph,^ first mentioned 1708, died in 1753. The Rev. Mr. Wetmore, in 1732, requested the Society for the Propa- gation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts to appoint him schoolmaster at Rye, recommending him as ' a gentleman very well respected in the town, a constant communicant in the church, a man of good abilities and sober exemplary life and conversatiau. He is the foremost justice of the peace in the parish, and one of the quorum, as well as chaplain [captain?] of the militia.' (Bolton, Church, p. 261.) Mr. Purdy was chosen to various other offices of trust ; as that of supervisor, town clerk, overseer, and farmer of the excise. In 1753 Mr. Wetmore reports that ' the Church has suffered a loss by the death of Mr. Purdy, the Society's schoolmaster, who was a friend to religion, and did many kind offices to the poor, as far as he was able. His corpse was attended to the Church on Ash Wednesday by a great concourse of people of all persuasions.' (Ibid. p. 284.) Shortly before his death, he had sold to his two sons, Samuel and Caleb, for one hundred and seventy pounds, ' my home-lot where I dwell, in Rye,' comprising five acres. This in- cluded the present rectory grounds of Christ Church. 4. David Purdy ,^ son of Joseph,^ lived on ' Brown's Point,' in Harri- son's Purchase, 1739-1747. In 1752 he and his son Nathan were * both of Newburgh.' The pedigree mentions also a son David. 5. Jonathan Purdy,^ son of Joseph,^ called ' Captain ' in 1750, was of White Plains as early as 1729. According to the pedigree, he married Mary Hart, and had four children : Elijah, Jonathan, Joseph, and Eliz- abeth, who married Williams. 6. John Purdy,- called ' Still John,' son of Joseph,^ married Rebecca , and removed to North Castle as early as 1736. He was liv- ing in 1760, when 'Still John Purdy,' both senior and junioi', with others, petitioned the * governor for lands on the northern frontier. (See page 213.) The sobriquet, which recalls William ' the Silent,' may refer to a kind of business more frequently carried on by farmers in those days than now. 436 FAMILIES OF RYE. 7. Francis Purdy,^ youngest son of Joseph/ was of Newburgh, and * lately of Rye,' in 1750, when he released to his brother Daniel of Rye all claims on 'the farm where Daniel now lives, below the country road, on Budd's neck, which our deceased father Joseph owned.' He had a son Daniel. III. 1. Obadiah Purdy,^ son of Joseph,^ mentioned 1734, was, accord- ing to the pedigree, the father of Caleb. 2. Hachaliah Purdy,^ eldest son of Daniel,^ lived where his father had lived on Budd's Neck. He married Sarah, daughter of Elisha Budd. 3. Joshua Purdy,' second son of Daniel,^ was known as ' Captain.' The house now owned by Mr. William Purdy was built by Daniel for this son. Tradition speaks of him as a man of remarkable excellence. He lived until near the close of the last century. After the war he bought the farm now Mrs. A. W. Bradford's for his son Joshua, leaving his own farm to his son Roger. See page 210 for some further accounts of him. 4. Daniel Purdy,' third son of Daniel,^ had two sons, Joseph and Daniel. 5. Samuel Purdy,' son of Samuel,^ in 1754 sold his share of certain lands to his brother Caleb. 6. Caleb Purdy,' son of Samuel,^ in 1740 bought two hundred acres in the lower part of Harrison's Purchase. ' Caleb Purdy's two sons ' lived on West Street before the Revolution. 7. Elijah Purdy,' son of Jonathan,- of White Plains (see pedigree), married Lavinia Hoyt. Children : Samuel, Mary, who married John Purdy, David, Abby, who married Jonathan Purdy, John, Pridy, who married John Haviland, Israel, Lavinia, who married Isenhart Purdy, Elijah, Hester ; and Melissa, who married Thomas Halsted. * 8. Jonathan Purdy,' of White Plains, son of Jonathan^ (pedigree), married Charity Hadden. Children : Jonathan, Nebe, married Amos Purdy, "Benjamin, Glorianna, married Henry Budd, Timothy, Sarah, Elizabeth, Charity. Job, 9. Joseph Purdy,' son of Jonathan ^ (ibid.) married Charity Isenhart. Children : Jonathan, Wermoth, , married De Lancey, Joseph, Michael, Charity, married Purdy. Henry, IV. Joshua Purdy,* son of Joshua,' was living on the farm above men- tioned at the commencement of the Revolutionary War. The pedigree in Bolton's History states that he married Laetitia Guion, and had PURDY. 437 three sons : Isaac of North Salem, Thomas of Rye, and Joshua of North Salem. 2. Roger Purdy,* son of Daniel,^ lived where Mr. William Purdy now lives, on the post-road below the village. In 1774 he, or another Roger, was a prisoner at Fishkill under the orders of the Provincial Congress. His good conduct subsequently is certified in the follow- ing paper: ' Cortlandt's Manor, 18"* Nov' 1775. Gentlemen, whereas Roger Purdy of the town of Rye in the County of Westchester was some time last fall made prisoner, and was till some time in January under the care of the guard at Fishkill, at which time his brother Joseph [Joshua?] Purdy of this place released him from that confinement by giving his obligation that the said Roger shall not at any time abscond the said Joseph's farm, until by authority released from that confine- ment. Now the said Roger humbly begs of the gentlemen so author- ized to enlarge his bounds 4 or 5 miles, his said brother giving obliga- tions that he shall not exceed his boundaries for which and we the subscribers (being near neighbours to the said Purdy) do certify that the said Roger has since he has been in this place been true to his trust and behaved himself very well to our knowledge. James Brown Andrew Brown.' I. Francis Purdy,^ brother of John,^ is first heard of in 1679. At a Court of Election held at Hartford, May 8tli in that year, 'This Court doe grant liberty to John Brandig and Eliz : Purdy, who are administrators to the estate of John Purdy of Rye, deceassed, to make, signe, seale and deliver unto Francis Purdy deeds of sale for the one halfe of those lands John Purdy afoarsayd bought of John Jackson, lyeing in Rye, which were purchased for the sayd Francis Purdy inten- tionally as appeares by sundry testimonies exhibited in this Court by Mr. John Bankes : whicli sayd deeds of sale when compleated accord- ing to law shall have full force and vertue to hold the sayd lands firm to the sayd Francis Purdy, his heires and assignes forever.' (Public Rec- ords of Conn., vol. iii. p. 28.) Francis thus acquired land and proprietary rights in Rye. His house-lot was on Wolf pit, — afterward called Pulpit Ridge, — the hill above the village, where the district school. Park Institute, and Female Seminary now stand. His name occurs until 1722, when he gave to his son Daniel all his house and lands in Rye — Daniel promising to leave his parents in possession during their lives, ' and if it please God as they live till they are past labour, to maintain them sufficiently during their natural lives.' The children of Francis, whom we find mentioned, are, Francis junior, Joseph, Daniel, and a daughter who married Samuel Kniffen. Thomas and Samuel were perhaps also his sons. II. 1. Francis Purdy,- son of Francis,^ in 1698-1699 bought land at 438 FAMILIES OF RYE. the White Plains, and in 1701 a 'lotment' of thirty-eight acres on Hog-pen Ridge. In 1716 'Francis Purdy junior' appeared for his father F'rancis senior, at the Court of Sessions in Westchester, with a request relative to his nephew William Sneffin. (Co. Rec, B. 50.) We have no account of any children of his. 2. 'Joseph Purdy ,^ junior, son of Francis,' was so styled in 1G99, when he bouglit Richard Ogden's dwelling-house, with eight and one half acres, on ' the highway that goeth to the mill.' 3. Daniel Purdy,^ son of Francis,^ lived on the east side of Blind Brook, or on Peningo Neck. He was constable in 1717, and is men- tioned repeatedly, 1711-1722, as son of Francis, and perhaps, 1724- 1728, as ' Daniel Purdy drummer.' 4. Thomas Purdy - was perhaps another son of Francis.^ He is first mentioned 1704. In 1717 he owned land on Branch Ridge with Daniel 'merchant:' and in 1737-1747 his son James, ' with Daniel Purdy, drummer,' sells part of his estate. Thomas' will was dated 1731. His homestead of thirty acres, ' with house, barn, cider-mill, or- chard,' etc., on the west side of the country road near Benjamin Brown's, was bought in 1737 by Joshua Brundige. His sons were James and Nehemiah. III. Of Francis Purdy's ^ descendants beyond the second generation ■we cannot speak positively, but there are grounds for believing that his sdn Joseph ^ was the ancestor, perhaps the father, of Roger, Moses, and William ; that Thomas,^ the father of Janies,^ was the ancestor of Joseph, Jacob, and James. The late David Purdy informed me that his great-grandfather Joseph lived in a house on the knoll south of the house on the road to Milton now owned by Mr. W. Mathews — formerly the Clark mansion ; and that from there he removed to North Street. This location agrees with the description of Richard Ogden's homestead, bought in 1699 by Joseph Purdy.^ Our account of this branch of the family is derived from the person above referred to, and from the Town Records. Roger Purdy, son of Joseph, lived on North Street, nearly opposite the present district school-house. In 1741 he bought land on the east side of the White Plains Road, extending to Roger Park's land. Later, he purchased land of Elisha Budd, north of this. William and Moses Purdy, sons of Joseph, in 1746 bought a farm of eighty acres on the west side of the White Plains Road, above Job Hadden's. Moses in 1763 bought seventy-seven and one fourth acres ' between the White Plains road and Mamaroneck river.' William Purdy had a son Abraham, who was the father of the Lite David Purdy, father of Isaac Purdy of Rye. James Purdy ,^ probably son of Thomas," had a son James/ the father of Joseph,'^ Jacob,^ and James ^ Purdy. Joseph^ spent a number of years at the South, and died at Milton, in Rye, about the year 1848. FURDY. 439 He left no children. Jacob' had two sons, James '^ and Alexander.® He died at Milton about the year 1806. His son James*' — still living — was born in 1788, and has had five sons and three daughters, all of whom, except one daughter, are dead. His brother Alexander never married. James,' third son of James,* died about the year 1855. He resided in the West, and left several children. Samuel Purdy, who 'married Penelope, daughter of Daniel Strang and Charlotte his wife,' is called in the pedigree the ' youngest son of the first Francis' (of Fairfield). This is altogether improbable, as the sons of Francis — John, Joseph, and Francis — were men in 1670-1679, when Penelope was not yet born. Besides, Samuel is not mentioned in our records until 1709. I think it likely that he was a son of Francis, who might readily be mistaken for Francis.^ He was at all events con- temporary with this third generation ; and for convenience the names of his descendants will be numbered accordingly in the following ac- count, which is based upon the pedigree. Samuel and Penelope had five sons : Samuel, Henry, Gabriel, Josiah, Caleb ; and three daugh- ters, Charlotte, married Samuel Fowler; Clara, married George Merritt; Elizabeth, married Josiah Fowler. IV. 1. Samuel Purdy,* eldest son of Samuel^ and Penelope, married Wineford Griffin. 2. Henry Purdy,* second son, married Mary Foster. 3. Gabriel Purdy,* third son, married P^liza Miller. 4. Josiah Purdy,* son of Samuel,^ and Penelope, married Charity, da\ighter of the Rev. James Wetmore. His grandson, Mr. Josiah Purdy, informs me that he lived in a house which stood close by the road, a few rods north of the Park Academy. The chimney of this house was standing seventy years ago. He owned a tract of sixty-five acres across the road, known as ' the Cedars,' as well as all the land between the post-road and the Purchase Road, for some distance north- ward from the present flag-Staff". Part of this land he sold to Jesse Hunt. Josiah Purdy died about the year 1755, leaving one son, Seth ; and three daughters: Alethea, married first Joseph Purdy, second, Wil- liam Purdy ; Esther, who married Henry Purdy of King Street ; and Hannah, who married Josiah Merrit. (Josiah in 1753 took the ear- mark' which was Francis Purdy's.' This confirms the supposition that his father Samuel was Francis' son.) 5. Caleb Purdy,* son of Samuel^ and Penelope, married Hannah Brown, daughter of Samuel, and had seven sons and four daughters : Caleb, Nehemiah, Hannah Samuel, Sylvanus, Lavinia, Josiah, Elias, Anne. Andrew, Caroline, V. 1. Seth Purdy .^ only son of Josiah* and Charity, succeeded to his 440 FAMILIES OF RYE. father's lands in Rye, and was living here at the time of the Revolution. He married Phoebe Ketchum of Long Island. Children : Joshua, Josiah, Alethea, Charity, Phoebe. Seth, Keziah, Elizabeth, Melinda, 2. Caleb Purdy,' eldest son of Caleb'* and Hannah, married Ruth Peck. Children : Caleb, Elias, Ruth, Sarah. 3. Samuel Purdy,^ second son of Caleb ^ and Hannah, married Glori- anna Fowler. Children : Gabriel, Samuel, Phoebe, Elizabeth, Glori- anna, Hannah. 4. Josiah Purdy,' third son of Caleb * and Hannah, married U. Knapp. Children : Josiah, Joshua. 5. Andrew Purdy,^ fourth son of Caleb * and Hannah, married Phoebe Merrit. Children: Robert, Andrew (* Andrew, son of Andrew «&i Phoebe Purdy, bapt. Jan. 1791.' — Notit. Paroclu), John Merrit; Phoebe, Hevelinda. 6. Nehemiah Purdy," fifth son of Caleb * and Hannah, married Eliza- beth Burchuin. Children : Thomas, Nehemiah, Caleb (' Caleb, son of Neh. & Eliz. Purdy, bapt. Sept. 28, 1791.' — Notit. Paroclu), Hannah, Anne, Elizabeth, Deborah. 7. Sylvanus Purdy," sixth son. 8. Elias Purdy," seventh son of Caleb* and Hannah, married Rachel Merrit. Children : Elias, Merrit (' Merritt, son of Elias & Rachel Purdy, bapt. Mar. 4, 1793'), William Henry, Caleb, Sarah, Ophelia. VI. 1. Joshua Piirdy,^ eldest son of Seth " and Phoebe. 2. Seth Purdy," second son. 3. Josiah Purdy,^ third son. Roberts. ' Simon Robards, of Boston,' about 1680 bought of Philip Galpin a house-lot of three acres in Rye, near the Field Sate, with one quarter of all his ' commonage or undivided lands, on the east side of Blind brook.' RoBissoN. Hannah, wife of Thomas Robisson, and sister of Joseph, John, and Benjamin Horton, in 1699, had five acres from her brother Benjamin, on Budd's Neck, between Stony Brook and Westchester old path. Her husband was perhaps Thomas of Guilford, whose contro- versies are set forth in the Public Records of Connecticut, 1677-1699. (Vol. ii. pp. 322, 323 ; vol. iii. pp. 90, 99 ; vol. iv. p. 447.) Rockwell. John Rockwell was of Stamford, 1641-1669. (Hist, of Stamford, p. 40.) In 1673 he had land at Rye on Budd's Neck, east of Joseph Horton. He died in or before 1677. The General Court at Hartford, that year, May 18, 'being informed to their sattis- faction of the necessity of the selling of the land of John Rockwell, late of Rye, to pay his just debts and for the supply of his wife and children, doe impovver the relict of sayd Rockwell and Daniel Weed to make sale of the sayd Rockwell's land, and to grant assureance of the same.' (Pub. Rec. of Conn., vol. ii. p. 313.) A difficulty occurred in SHERWOOD. 441 the settling of this estate, which was not ended until thirty years after. In 1707, Jonathan Rockwell, of Norwalk, acknowledged satisfaction received from Philip, son of Garit Traves of Rye, ' concerning a dis- pute a lotment of upland and parcel of salt meadow belonging to it on Budd's Neck, formerly possessed by his deceased father John Rock- well of Rye.' Sherwood. I. Stephen and Isaac Sherwood were the sons of Thomas, one of the settlers of Stratford, who came to Boston in 1G34 from Ipswich, England. He was at Stamford in 1G48, and his will, dated July 21, 1655, mentions these sons, with Matthew and three daughters, as the children of his first wife. (Hist, of Stamford, p. 61.) Stephen was in 1664 a freeman of Greenwich. He removed to Rye between that year and 1668, when he bought John Coe's ' house and housing and home-lot upon the north side of Manusing island.' In the same year he with others remonstrated against Budd's proceedings. His lands were chiefly located in the direction of Byram River. In 1680 he bought the remainder of the north neck of Manussing Island — forty-six acres — from John Banks, senior. Stephen had proprietary rights in Will's purchases, which his family retained. In 1708, Nathan- ael and Stephen, and Elizabeth, perhaps their mother, ranked among the proprietors. Isaac in 1677 bought rights on Peningo Neck, formerly Lancaster's but sold his rights at White Plains in 1683, and in 1684 ' all his rights in both them two purchases of land that the town of Rye bought of that Indian that is commonly called limping Will.' He had a son Daniel, and probably Isaac. Both the brothers removed to Fairfield by 1680. In that year Stephen was ' formerly of Fairfield, now living at Stanford.' (Rec.) In 1685-1688, he divided 'his neck of land on Manussing Island ' be- tween his sons Stephen, junior, and Joseph. II. 1. Isaac Sherwood," probably son of Isaac,^ was called senior in 1733, when he gave his son Daniel of Ridgefield all his rights to land in Rye. He was then living in Fairfield. In 1765, Isaac Sherwood of Fairfield, perhaps a third Isaac, released to Thomas Disbrovv of Fair- field, fov Jive pounds, 'all his right to undivided lands both in Rye and in Fairfield; ' the former of which may well have become infinitesimal by that time. 2. Daniel Sherwood,- son of Isaac,^ w^as of Fairfield in 1696, w4ien he conveyed to Stephen, of Rye, his lands ' lying in the field of Rye ' — forty or fifty acres, bordering on the creek (between the main and Manussing Island). 3. Stephen Sherwood,^ son of Stephen,^ married IMary . He remained in Rye, where he acquired considerable property. In 1708 he bought from the ' trustees or overseers of the town of Rye,' a tract of seven hundred acres ' at or near the upper end of Will's second 442 FAMILIES OF RYE. purchase ; ' between Byram River and the colony line, and extending southward from the ujDper end of that purchase ' till it contains said quantity of land.' The same year, Stephen offers to sell this land in parcels, at two shillings per acre. He died in or before 1713, when his widow sold to Henry Hill one hundred acres of this tract for fifty-three pounds. 4. Joseph Sherwood,^ of Rye, son of Stephen,^ is mentioned in 1682. He had land on Barton's Neck, and Gunn Brook Plain, apparently where the ' homestead ' afterwards lay, on Grace Church Street. He had a son Joseph, and perhaps a son Andrew. 5. Nathanael Sherwood,^ of Rye, probably son of Stephen,^ was ' aged about 32 years ' in 1704. (Rec.) He had land with Joseph on Branch Ridge and elsewhere, which they sold together in 1719. Joseph, with Abigail, Nathanael's widow, were executors of his estate in 1733. 6. John Sherwood,^ probably son of Stephen,^ in 1726 sold land in Will's Purchase, part of a ' lotment drawn by the Sherwoods.' III. 1. Stephen Sherwood,^ perhaps son of Stephen," is mentioned 1740-1765. He had land on. Hog-pen Ridge. 2. Andrew Sherwood,^ of Rye, perhaps son of Joseph,^ is mentioned in 1715. In 1729 he sold to Joseph, for ninety-one pounds, his ' home- stead in Rye ' of fifty-five acres, ' with house, orchard, garden, &c. ; ' apparently in the same locality with that noticed above and below. He married Anne Young, called in 1750 'widow of Andrew Sherwood deceased.' 3. Joseph Sherwood,^ of Rye, son of Joseph,^ is called junior in 1741, and was perhaps of Greenwich in 1736. About 1751 he sold to Abraham Theall for seven hundred and seventy pounds, ' his farm whereon I now dwell,' comprising twenty acres between ' Gracious street and the water-side,' — in the vicinity of the present steamboat landing, — and one hundred acres on the opposite side of the road: and in that year he bought for seven hundred and seventy-three pounds, from Samuel Bayard, merchant, of New York, and Frances his vvife, < two farms in Courtlandt manor.' In 1771 he was of the latter place. IV. 1. Daniel Sherwood,* son of Andrew,'' is so designated in 1749. He was perhaps the father of Daniel and Jabez. 2. Nehemiah Sherwood,* perhaps son of Stephen," had land in the same vicinity — on Hog-pen Ridge — in 1764. He was living in 1771. 3. Samuel Sherwood,* perhaps son of Stephen," was living in 1743 on King Street, upon a farm of fifty acres, V. 1. Daniel Sherwood,^ perhaps son of Daniel,* kept a store and tavern, known as Sherwood's, by the bridge across the Byram River at Glenville, also known as Sherwood's, or Sherrod's bridge. Children : Hugford, Jabez, Daniel, Willis. They all lived in the neighborhood of Glenville. 2. Jabez Sherwood,^ brother of Daniel,^ and perhaps son of Daniel,* SMITH. — STOAKHAM. 443 lived where William Sherwood now lives, east of Glenville. Children : Benjamin, and several daughters. VI. Benjamin Sherwood/' son of Jabez,^ died about the year 1863, aged eighty-seven. Children : Alanson, Allen, William, Warren, Jo- tham. Smith. Abraham bought in 1700 of Samuel Odell 'his right, from his father William,' to lands in the White Plains puichase ; and in 1705 a 'lotment ' in that purchase, where he appears to have been one of the earliest settlers. His farm lay near the site of the Presbyterian Church in White Plains. He was living there in 1729. Daniel owned property in the town in 1722. Benjamin is mentioned in 1761. Mau- rice or Morris, of Rye, sold land on Budd's Neck about 1760. For the family of Rev. John Smith of Rye, see part second. Selleck. Jonathan Selleck, of Stamford, had land on Budd's Neck, 1 670-1 G78 : probably the same with the ' Vineyard Farm' which in 1681 Jonathan and Joseph Selleck sold for seven hundred pounds to Humphrey Underbill. David Selleck signed as witness in 1672. Statiiam. Thomas Statham, 'of Flushing, New York,' in 1671 bought a tract of land on Budd's Neck above the Vineyard Farm, with other lands, and proprietary rights formerly Walter Lancaster's, which he sold in 1676-1677, to George Kniffen and Isaac Sherwood. He was then of Richbell's Neck. Stevens. Jonas Stevens was of Rye in 1681. In 1670 he went to Albany with the expedition against the French and Indians, upon the attack on Schenectady, after which we hear nothing of him. In 1716 ' Jonas Stephens ' old house ' is mentioned, as being on the lower part of Budd's Neck. Stoakiiam. I. John Stoakham is first mentioned in 1678. In 1684 he is called George Kniffen's son-in-law. This may equally mean step- son, which seems likely, as he was but eighteen years old when first mentioned, and may have come with Kniffen from Stratford as a child. He was a proprietor, but in 1684 sold to Richard Walters all his right on Peningo Neck below the marked trees. His lands were situated chiefly on Byram and Branch Ridges. In 1716 he is called ' senior.' In 1704 his age is stated at forty-four. His sons were John and Ste- phen : also, probably, Samuel, Isaac, and Israel. II. 1. John Stoakham,^ son of John,^ was living in 1742 on King Street. In 1755 .John and Stephen Stoakham sold to Thomas Merritt of King Street, for three hundred and sixty-nine pounds, ' our farm in King street,' of fifty-four acres. 2. Stephen Stoakham,- son of John,^ is first mentioned in 1719. He is probably the father of Stephen, who married Hannah Brundige. 3. Samuel, mentioned 1709-1711. 4. Isaac, mentioned 1718. 5. Israel, mentioned 1724, 444 FAMILIES OF RYE. III. Stephen Stoakhani,^ probably son of Stephen,^ married Hannah, daughter of Joshua Brundige, and died in Canada, it is said, leaving a son Stephen. Hannah married Joseph Men'itt. who left his property, on the southeast corner of Ridge Street and the road to Park's mill, to Stephen ; who conveyed it to Daniel S. Merritt, uncle of Abraham, now living. Stephen died about the year 1817, unmarried. This family has, I believe, entirely disappeared from the neighborhood. Fifty or sixty years ago one Reuben Stokem lived near Quaker Ridge, in Greenwich. lie had ten or twelve children, all of whom are said to have removed to New York. A nephew, Lemuel, lived at Riverville near Glenvllle. He was born in 1752, and died some years since. Strang. I. ' Daniel L'Estrange was born about the year 1650 in the City of Paris in France.' He and Charlotte ' his Wife, a daughter of F^'ands' Hubert, being Protestants, were compelled to make their escape from the City of Paris in France in the Y^ear of our Lord 1G85, in the time of Louis XIV, in the time of the Persecution there by the Roman Catholics, and came to the City of London in Great Britain, where Mr. L'Estrange through the interest of his cori'espondents, some merchants, obtained a Lieutenancy in the guards of James the Duke of York, the then King of Great Britain, and continued there imtil in the Year of our Lord 1688: When he with his Wife embarked for Amer- ica in company with a number of French Protestant families, and arrived at the City of New York : from thence moving to the Town of New-Rochelle in West-Chester County, they settled themselves : after remaining there some few Y^'ears they moved to the Town of Rye, in the same County, and settled themselves, where they remained until the time of their respective deaths — Mr. L'Estrange dying a few years before his Wife.' (' A Record of the family of Daniel L'Estrange and Charlotte his wife,' MS.) At Rye Mr. L'Estrange ' procured a lot in the Town Plot, upon the East side of the Blind brook, and including the land east thereof, and where the Park family have since possessed.' He had also. ' a form lying north of the Town Plot and near the line of Harrison's Purchase, including the lands since possessed by Jesse Hunt Esquire. He was likewise a proprietor in the patent of the White Plains, where he had a farm situate south of the Court house and where Bartholemevv Ged- ney has since possessed. Mr. L'Estrange resided in Rye several years in the respective pursuits of a farmer, innkeeper and merchant, until his death.' (A Memorandum of the family of Daniel L'Estrange and of Charlotte his wife, MS., 20 pp., written apparently in the latter part of the last century.) It is believed that Mr. L'Estrange lived from the first on the site of the house until lately owned by some of his descendants, on the south- east corner of ' Rectory street ' and the post-road, in Rye. Here at all events, his family lived, thirty years later. The lively account which STRANG. 445 Madam Knigfht gives of her stay at the good Huguenot's (p. 149), shows that he had not risen to wealth in the land of exile. Probably he followed some trade, as well as kept a house of entertainment. It appears that Daniel L'Estrange connected himself while at New Rochelle, with the French Reformed or Huguenot Church there, and as late as 1G94 was one of its elders. (Bolton's Hist, vol. i. p. 398.) He then signed his name Streing, in partial conformity to the language of the country. Doubtless with his family he attended worship at New Rochelle, perhaps walking thither every Sabbath morning, along the newly opened country road which passed his door : even as the Hugue- nots of New Rochelle are said to have walked to New York to attend service in the French Church there, before their own house of worship was built in 1692. Daniel Streing was justice of the peace in 1690 ; appointed probably while at New Rochelle. He died about the year 1707 (N. Y. Col. MSS., vol. Hi. p. 41) ; and was buried 'at the Episcopal church,' then just built, where he was • an attendant and a member, it is said ' (Mem- orandum, etc.), I. e., for a short time before his death, which occurred only three years after the coming of the first Church of England missionary. His widow Charlotte 'died about the year 1722, and was buried in the churchyard of the Episcopal church of the town.' (Memorandum, etc.) Children : Daniel, Henry, Gabriel, Mary, Char- lotte, Penelope, Lucy. II. 1. Daniel Streing,^ son of Daniel,'^ born in England, married Phoebe Purdy. He was one of the proprietors of Peningo Neck in 1713 ; but by 1729, had removed to the "White Plains, where he was living in 1737. He ' moved from there about the year 1744 to the Manor of Cortlandt,' where he settled. (Memorandum, etc.) Chil- dren : Daniel, Francis, Joseph, John, Gabriel, Henry ; Phoebe, mar- ried Abraham Purdy of Cortlandt ; Elizabeth, married Rev. Joseph Sackett, 'a Presbyterian Minister at what is now called Yorktown.' (Ibid.) 2. Henry Streing,- son of Daniel,^ born at New Rochelle, mentioned 1726, married '—— l^issam. His farm of one hundred and thirty acres, which he bought in 1737-1739, lay directly north of that lately Allen Carpenter's, now Charles Park's. He resided ' in the village of Rye, at or near the homestead.' (Ibid.) He was dead in 1764. Children : Daniel ; Eliza, married Richard Vandyck ; Hannah, mar- ried Gabriel Carman ; Levina, married John Woods. 3. Gabriel Streing,- son of Daniel,^ went to France, thence to England, and there settled. He had a son "William. 4. Mary Strang," daughter of Daniel,^ married John Budd. 5. Charlotte, daughter of Daniel,^ was twenty years of age in 1711. (Co. Rec, vol. D. p. 12.) She married Roger Park. 6. Penelope,^ daughter, of Daniel,^ married Samuel Purdy. 446 ' FAMILIES OF RYE. 7. Lucy Streing,^ fourth daughter, married Davie, and set- tled in the West Indies. III. 1. Daniel Strang,'' son of Daniel,^ married Elizabeth, daughter of Joseph Galpin, ' in King Street.' Children: Daniel, Joseph (died young), Gabriel, Solomon, Jared, Mary, Eliza, Hester. 2. Joseph Strang," son of Daniel,^ married, first, Jemima, 'daughter of Joseph Budd, Esq., of the Manor of Cortlandt.' Children : John, Gilbert, Underbill, Jemima (died young). Second wife, Anne Haight. Children : Sarah, manned Scudder Waring ; Deborah ; Jemima, mar- ried Stephen Brown ; Samuel, married Catharine White. 3. Francis Strang," son of Daniel,^ married Eliza Hyatt. Children : John, Sylvanus, Joshua, Daniel, Gabriel ; Phoebe, married Caleb Barton ; Sarah, married Jeremiah Mabee ; Hannah, married Gilbert Post ; Elizabeth, married Daniel Lane ; Jerusha, married Henry Dillingham ; Frances, Mary. 4. Gabriel Strang,^ son of Daniel,^ married Hannah, daughter of Johanus Clements of Cortlandt. Children : Gabriel, William. 5. John Strang,^ son of Daniel,^ died young. 6. Henry Strang,^ son of Daniel,^ married, 1761, Margaret, daughter of Thomas Hazard of the island of Nassau ; he died July 22, 1832, aged eighty-three. Children: Thomas, born 1763; Nancy, born 1764, married Daniel Horton ; Ebenezer, born 1770 ; Daniel, born 1772 ; Nathanael, born 1774; Betsey, born 1776, married Seth Whitney; Phcebe, born 1776, married Keeler ; Hannah, born 1778, mar- ried Henry Paulding; Sally, born 1778 ; Henry, born 1781 ; Margaret, born 1783, married Wood; John, born 1786; Martha, born 1789, married James Purdy. 7. Daniel Strang," son of Henry,^ married Mary Ilubbs. In 1760 he sold to Hachaliah Brown the farm his father had owned on the Purchase Road. He died in 1821 aged ninety-six; his wife in 1828, aged eighty-eight. Children : Daniel, Joseph, John, Henry, William, Betsey, Levina. Studwell. I. Thomas Steedwell was one of the inhabitants of Greenwich who 'freely yielded themselues,' October 6, 1656, to the government of New Haven. (Rec. of N. H., vol. ii. p. 216.) With Peter Disbrovv and John Coe, he bought the Island of Manussing, June 29, 1660, and was here for some years. 'Thomas Stedwill' signs the dec- laration of the inhabitants of Hasting, July 26, 1662, and the letter to the Hartford government, January 26, 1663. In 1667 he sold his house and house-lot on the Mill Brook in Rye, and went with Joseph, probably his son, to Stamford. (Hist. Stamf, p. 193), but appears to have settled himself at length in the town of Greenwich, where in 1694-1695, his real estate was rated at thirty pounds. (Hist. Greenwich, p. 79.) II. 1. Joseph Studwell,^ probably son of Thomas,^ was with him at Stamford, and at Greenwich, where his estate is rated in 1694-1695 at THEALL. 447 eighteen pounds. Soon after he acquired lands in Rye, on Barton's Neck, in Will's purchases and on Byram Ridge, in 1705, 1717-1722. He had a sou Joseph, called junior in 1734. 2. John Studwell,-' probably son of Thomas,^ signs as witness in 1713. HI. Joseph Studwell,'', junior, son of Joseph,- was living on King Street in 1740. TiiKALL. I. Joseph Theale is supposed by Savage to be the son of Nicholas, of Watertown, who removed to Stamford in 1645, and died there in 1058. Joseph was born in 1640, and admitted a freeman at Stamford in 1662. He was chosen representative in 1671, 1675, 1676, 1677. He had a good estate at Stamford, but removed to Bedford in the province of New York. The Hartford government in 1682 consti- tuted Bedford a plantation, and appointed Joseph Theale ' to be the present cheife millitary officer for the Train Band.' (Pub. Rec. of Conn., vol. iii. p. 101.) By the year 1690 he had left Bedford, for he was then supervisor of this town ; and then and in several succeeding years he was appointed with others a committee to procure a minister for the town. He was justice of the peace in 1694. The title. Captain, he seems to have brought from Bedford. He ajipears to have settled from the first on Budd's Neck, where he doubtless bought land at an early day. In 1705 we find the town treating with Joseph Budd and Captain Theale in relation to that tract. The farms of some of his descendants have been 'located here for nearly two hundred years, upon the land which their ancestor thus secured. In 1705 Captain Theale was associated with Clapp and Horton in the purchase of a tract of land between Rye Pond and Byram River ; but refusing to submit to the exaction of a fee for a patent from the government, he forfeited his right. In 1710 he was chosen a church- warden of the parish of Rye. He was then seventy years of age, and probably died soon after. II. 1. Ebenezer Theall,^ probably son of Captain Joseph,^ must have been born during his father's stay at Stamford ; as he had a sou holding property in 1712. In 1737 he gave his farm of one hundred and twenty acres, lying in the upper part of Budd's Neck, to his oldest son, Charles. He had other sons, Hachaliah, Joseph, and Abraham, and a ' youngest daughter,' Hannah. III. 1. Charles Theall,'' son of Ebenezer,- according to the flimily tradition, owned a tract of land a mile square, extending from West- chester Path to Blind Brook, and from the present southern boundary of the farm lately Abraham Theall's (where the house stands) north- ward to the old parsonage land, including the late James Halsted's land. Part of this property he received from his father ; but he is said to have bought much land, and to have divided the whole into four parts, giving one part to each of his four sons, Gilbert, Joseph, Thomas, and probably Abraham. 448 FAMILIES OF RYE. 2. Hachaliah Theall,^ son of Ebenezer/ mentioned 1722-1750. 3. Joseph Theall,'' son of Ebenezer,^ mentioned 1747. 4. Abraham,^ ' youngest son of Captain Ebenezer,' ^ in 1747 sold land to Joseph, IV. 1. Gilbert Theall,'* son of Charles,^ mentioned 1768, is said to have owned two hundred acres, bounded on the south and west by North Street, and on the east by the post-road. 2. Joseph Theall,* son of Charles,' had the farm south of this, em- bracing the land now Mr. Benjamin Mead's. Thomas. John Thomas, of Rye, in 1 670 bought from John Budd of Southold, the tract of land above the Vineyard Farm, which he sold in 1671 to Thomas Statham. Charles Thomas of Rye in 1714 bought eighteen acres in Will's Purchase from John Disbrow. There is noth- ing to show whether these were of the same family with John Thomas, Esq., of Harrison, half a century later. TiiORNE. Francis Thome signed as witness in 1678, and was 'now of Rye ' in 1 688, when he bought land at Rye on the road to ' the old town.' William Thorne, of Flushing, in 1729 bought a farm in White Plains. Samuel Thorne, mentioned 1729, was of White Plains in 1748. Stevenson Thorn, of North Castle, son of Thomas, married Prudence Merritt, fifteenth of^ninth month, 1763. (Friends' Rec.) Isaac of North Castle, son of Thomas, married Rachel Birdsall, eighteenth of fifth month, 1780. (Ibid.) About the beginning of this century, Henry W. Thorne lived where Mr. Stiles lives now, above Milton. Traves. Garret, James, Robert, and Richard Traves appear in Rye about the same time, 1681-1686; but how related we do not learn. Garret was perhaps here before 1670, as there is mention of a differ- ence between him and John Budd about a piece of land, which Budd's executors settled in 1686. James bought land in 1681 on Budd's Neck but removed to the White Plains. In 1699 'the town doth grant unto James Traves Liberty to settell upon that Land which now he live upon as his own and when the Rest of the Land is Layd out hee shall haue his proposion joyning to the above said Land.' (Town Meeting Book, C. p. 4.) This may have been in the AVhite Plains, where James had land in 1723. James, junior, also bought land there in 1720. Robert Traves married a daughter of Philip Galpin, of whose portion he ac- knowledges the receipt in 1685. He had land in the White Plains, 1716-1740. Philip Travis was one of the soldiers of the expedition to Albany in 1690. In 1716 Philip Travis and Hannah his wife sold to Robert their estate in Rye, apparently on the lower part of Rye Neck. Philip, son of Garret Traves, is mentioned in 1707. Underhill. Captain Humphrey Underbill was apparently from Stamford, and may have been related to the renowned Captain John, of that place. In 1631 he bought the Vineyard Farm at Rye, from the VOWLES. — WALTERS. 449 Sellecks ; and in 1698, the town appointed persons to treat with him for land to be appropriated as a ' parsonage.' As early as 1705 he had a mill on Mamaroneck River, and lived at the White Plains, of which he was one of the patentees in 1722. 'Mr. Underhlll,' so called in 1715, was a man of high consideration among his fellow townsmen, who chose him in 1G92 for a delicate mission to the government of Connecticut. (See page 93.) He was also twice sent as deputy to Hartford during the revolt of the town to Connecticut, 1697-1700. He was living in 1725. Henry Underhill is mentioned 1686-1705. Abraham Underhill had land at White Plains, 1722-1740. Isaac, son of Abraham, married Sarah, daughter of Robert Field, eighteenth of eighth month, 1756. (Friends' Rec.) Samuel Underhill in 1772 bought Little Neck, a part of Budd's Neck (now Mr. S. L. Mitchill's). Sanuiel junior was witness in the same year. VowLES. T. Richard Vowles or Ffowls came, about 1656, from Fair- field to Greenwich (Savage), and in 1662 was made constable for that town. (Col. Rec. of Conn., vol. i. p. -389.) He had joined the Hastings settlement January 1663, and was its first constable in that year, and three times deputy from Rye — 1665, 1668, 1669 — to the General Court. He appears to have been advanced in years when he joined the settlement, most of whose members were young men ; and was hon- ored accordingly, as was wont in those old-fashioned days. He is not mentioned after 1685. Jonathan, son of Richard, was propounded for freeman of Connect- icut in 1670. (Col. Rec. of Conn., vol. ii. p. 128.) In 1680 he pur- chased of his father Richard a parcel of land ' commonly called Monus- ing Island ; ' afterwards described as the southernmost neck of that island, and as containing one hundred and fifty acres. To this island he was ' reputed to have a right from the colony of Connecticut ' (Odell's petition, 1717), which could only be by patent for lands which he had duly purchased from the several owners. In 1707 he conveyed this neck to Roger Park, his son-in-law. Jonathan Vowles married first, Deborah , who was living in 1702, and secondly, Sophia His daughter, first wife of Roger Park,^ appears to have been the only child. Jonathan was living in 1713. None of this name appear later. AValters, or Waters. Richard Walters was a son-in-law of Philip Galpin ; he came to Rye before 1682, and in 1684 bought John Stoak- ham's rights on Peningo Neck. He had land in White Plains, and was one of the purchasers, with Colonel Heathcote, of the Middle or White- field patent (afterwards a part of North Castle). Richard Waters, probably the same, signed as witness, 1684-1686. Let us hope that he was not the person of this name Avho was shot for desertion, in 1696, (N. Y. Col MSS., vol. iv. p. 165.) 29 450 FAMILIES OF RYE. Wascot, or Westcot. John Westcot, of Stamford in 1667, and of Bedford in 1680 (Hist, of Stamford, pp. 34, 144), had land in Rye. Wood. Richard Wood, perhaps of the Stamford family of this name, signed as witness in 1681. John was living on King Street in 1725. Stephen is mentioned in 1730. James was here in 1723. 'James Woods of Rye, merchant,' sold land in White Plains previous to 1736, and in 1740. Later, he owned the West Neck and other adjacent lands on the lower end of Budd's Neck. About the middle of the last cen- tury, James Woods kept the ' bigg store ' near Davenport's mill, on Rye Neck, and appears to have had a thriving business. Jotham Wood was ' pounder for Saw Pit ' in 1800. WoODBRiDGE, Rev. John. See page 280. Wright. James Wright ' of Rye, Fairfield County,' in 1681 sold his dwelling-house and new frame, with commons for two cows and swine, and several allotments of land, to Isaac Sherwood. ' Also, said Isaac is to have two rodd of common fence with the land.' It would appear that he was a proprietor. Next year he bought land north of 'the parson's land.' And in 1686 Stephen Sherwood sold land on Byram Ridge to James Wright ' the baker, now in Greenwich.' Jotham Wright, joiner, in 1747 bought a house and land on the road leading up Harrison's Purchase, near the house lately Allen Carpenter's. This, with more land, he sold in 1763, and about the same time bought the place now owned by the daughters of David H. Mead. Here, as early as 1771, he kept the stage-house, which was known as ' Wright's' until the close of the Revolution. (Gaine's N. Y. Pocket Almanac, 1771-1782.) In 1768, Thomas Wright, physician, of East Chester, re- leased to ' Joatham Wright, ship-joiner, of Rye ' all his right to the messuage of twenty acres, which Jotham bought of Timothy Wetmore, etc. (Co. Rec, vol. ii. p. 351.) Reuben, Keziah, and Tabitha Wright, signed as witnesses in 1769 and 1763. Youngs. Christopher Youngs of Southold, had land from John Budd, senior, in 1671. Mary Young is mentioned among John Budd's' children. FAMILIES OF RYE. II. LATER INHABITANTS — 1700 TO 1800 AND THEIR DESCEND- ANTS. ABRAHAMS. ' John Abrahamson, of the city of New York, mer- chant,' in 1736 bought for one hundred and twenty-three pounds a house and six acres on the road to Milton, apparently just above the house now Mr. C. V. Anderson's, which in 1742 he sold to the Rev. John Smith. In 1745 he signs his name Abi'ahams. This is undoubt- edly the person whose daughter Elizabeth married James, son of Rev. James "Wetmore. He was, according to the Wetmore Memorial (pp. 207, 208), 'a wealthy West India merchant,' who ' losing* a number of his vessels with valuable cargoes, without insurance, was obliged to sus- pend business,' and removed to Rye. ' While residing there he expe- rienced much pecuniary embarrassment. After his death his wife re- moved to the vicinity of Philadelphia, where she was compelled to support herself from the products of a market garden.' Adee. I. The first of this name in Rye was John, said to have been the son of a clergyman of the Church of England. He is men- tioned 1750-1766 as living on Hog-pen Ridge. His farm, apparently, was that now owned by his descendant John A. Merritt. IT. Daniel Adee,- first mentioned 1788, probably a son of John, lived in the same locality. He married Jemima Hobby, and had three sons ; Hobby, David, and William ; and three daughters : Sarah (died young), Charlotte, and Tamazon. III. 1. Hobby Adee,^ mentioned 1799, son of Daniel,^ had three sons : Daniel of New York, Samuel, lately of New York, and one who died young ; and six daughters. 2. David Adee,^ son of Daniel,^ had a son James, and five daughters. 3. William Adee,^ son of Daniel,^ married twice. His eldest son, Augustus A. Adee, M. D., surgeon U. S. N., died about the year 1850, leaving two sons, Graham and Alvah, His other children : George T., of Throg's Neck, Thomas T., Jared P., William, James T., of West- chester, Katharine, John, Caroline, Titus K., Charles T., Emily, Edward, Russel W. 4. Charlotte Adee,^ daughter of Daniel," married Jotham Merritt. Their son, John A. Merritt, is now living on Ridge Street. 5. Tamazon Adee,^ daughter of Daniel,^ married Jared Peck, of Port Chester. Children : William, James Harvey, Charles Adee, Caroline^ Henry Adee, George T., Sarah E., Jared V., and Mary P. 452 FAMILIES OF RYE. Anderson. Isaac Anderson came to Rye in 1707, when he styled hiniself ' mariner, of New York.' In 1710 the town permits Captain Isaac Anderson to build a mill on Byram River. In 1713, he bought lands in Will's Purchase, and along Byram River, and became one of the largest land-owners in Rye. The names of James and William, perhaps his brothers, occur in the same year. William Anderson of White Plains, perhaps a son of the last named, in 1750 bought land upon the cross-road between the White Plains and Harrison. This property remains in the possession of his descend- ants at the present day. The petition of John Anderson to the Governor and Council, for permission to establish a ferry from Lyon's Point (now Byram Point), and ' the westernmost point of Rye Neck or Scotch Caps point,' over to ' Muskitta Cove and Mattinnicock on Long Island,' is dated 1732. It sets forth that the ' petitioner has at their earnest desire frequently ferried travellers over with their horses and cattle.' (N. Y. Col. MSS., vol. Ixx. p. 21.) The same or another John Anderson of Rye, in 1771 bought land o"n Grace Church Street, south of the road to the landing. Joseph Anderson was living at Rye in 1753. Andrew^s, ' Germanious,' was witness in 1716. Armor, Samuel, lived at Rye early in this century, and was super, visor in 1808. He resided where the Cliff House stands. Armstrong. George was here in 1720. John signed as witness in 1741. James and Alice in 1745. William lived in Rye in 177G, when he was examined before the Committee of Safety, and discharged. (Journals of the Prov. Congress, etc., vol. i. p. 270.) AscouGH, William, lived on Brown's Point, the western part of Harrison, near White Plains, 1769-1771. Richard Ayscough, ' chirur- geon, of the city of New York,' died about 1774. (Chancery Minutes^ N. Y., p. 180.) Adams, Freegrace, sold land on Budd's Neck before 1738. Akekly. Joseph Eakerly had property here in 1718. Baker, Samuel, of White Plains, 1758. (Friends' Rec.) BuMPOS. 'Deliverance, daughter of Thomas Bumpus,' had property here in 1740. Samuel Bumpos was ' chosen publick whipper ' in 1747. ' Bumpos' old house,' mentioned in 1750, stood near the road to the Beach, Bayly. Nathanael, of Rye, 1722, in 1728 bought a considerable tract of land on Budd's Neck, part of which he sold in 1738-1743, He died a few years after. Levi, of Courtlandt's Manor, probably his son, in 1750, sold land in the same place. Bailey, Dr. Nicholas. See page 167. Jonathan Bailey, mentioned 1786-1800, lived on Ridge Street. He was justice of the peace in 1793. Barker. Lewis owned property in 1724. Daniel and Thomas are BARNES.^ BIRD. 453 mentioned 1750. The former in 17G0 had land on Budd's Neck. John is mentioned 1794. Bauxks. Joshna, mentioned 1730, John, 1731, Richard, 1744, and Samuel, 1746, were brothers, according to the family tradition. They were perhaps sons of William, mentioned 1720. James, son of Rich- ard, married Ruth, daughter of Benjamin Clapp, of North Castle, sev- enteenth of fifth month, 17G9. Samuel had three sons, Stephen, Joshua, and Richard ; and three daughters : Jerusha, married Edward Under- hill, of Phillipsburgh, fifteenth of first month, 1772 ; Charity, married James Underhill, of Phillipsburg, thirtieth of. ninth month, 1778; Deb- orah, married William Clapp, of Oswego, Dutchess County, fifteenth of third month, 1780. Stephen married Hannah, daughter of Isaac Carpenter, twentieth of twelfth month, 1780 (Friends' Rec.), and had six sons : Isaac, Samuel, Stephen, Josiah, Joshua, and David H., the last of whom is now living where his grandfather lived. David H. Barnes has had one son, Robert, and two daughters : Hannah, married D. W. Smith, and Anne, married H. B. Hallock. Barref,, Gideon, blacksmith, of Rye, in 1738 bought Peter Brown's house and seven acres, which he sold soon after to Raphael Jacobs. Perhaps the same name with Burrell. Bates, Thomas, of Rye, in 1GG9 married Mary Butcher, at Stam- ford, where there were many of this name. (Huntington's Hist, of Stamford, p. 156.) Bell, John, had land in Harrison, on the east side of Horton's mill-pond, in 1747. Besly, Oliver, mentioned 1722. Bloodgood, Joseph, was of the Purchase in 1759 ; wife, Sarah. His daughter Mary married Henry INIatthews, seventeenth of first month, 1759. (Friends' Rec.) Blakeman, or BlacKxMan, Samuel, in 1718, was one of the inhab- itants of Rye (now North Castle) who remonstrated against the attempt of the constable of Horseneck to collect the minister's tax. Bird. The tradition is that the ancestor of this family came from Germany, but died on the voyage, leaving four children, whom the captain, on arriving in New York, sold into servitude, — not an uncom- mon proceeding in those days. One of these children, Henry Vogel, was bought by an inhabitant of Rye, and grew up and settled here. He took the Anglicized name of Bird ; but some members of the family are said to have still used the German name, in preference, among themselves. Henry married Kniffen, and had four sons : Henry, Thomas, James, and William. He lived upon the site of the cottage belonging to Mr. James H. Titus, south of his residence on Grace Church Street. He acquired a considerable tract of land, extending northward from the place now Mr. Frederick Cornell's ; which was known as ' Bird's land,' as late as 1820. He was drowned while on a fishing cruise near Newport. 454 FAMILIES OF RYE. Henry Bird,^ son of Henry,^ had no children. In 1771 he sold his house and twenty acres near the landing on Grace Church Street, to John Anderson. He died in 1792. Thomas ^ was the father of James Bird, of Manhassett, and others. William ^ died young. James - lived in the homestead on Grace Church Street. He died in 1832. He had six sons : Andrew, Adolphus, Alexander, William, James, and Thomas ; and one daughter, Leah. James is living in Harrison. Thomas was for many years captain of a sloop running between Saw Pit or Port Chester and New York. He died in Brook- lyn, December 5, 1870, aged sixty-eight. Leah, daughter of James,^ married David Kirby, of Rye, and had six sons : Joseph, Andrew, William B., James B., David, and Thomas D. ; and four daughters : Maria, married John T. Noye, of Buffalo ; Rosetta A., married Cornelius Curtis ; Cornelia J., married Thomas Brownell ; and Gulielma. Mrs. Kirby died January 8, 1871. BiRDSALL. Benjamin Birdsall was here in 1725, and probably be- fore. He was a namesake and doubtless a descendant of Benjamin, one of the early inhabitants of Hempstead, who came from England in 1657, and who was also the ancestor of Captain Benjamin Birdsall, a heroic officer of the Revolution. (Thompson's L. L, vol. ii. pp. 492- 494.) Li 1737-1739-1745, he sold one hundred and seventy-five acres to Henry Strang and others. Nathan Birdsall was here in 1728 ; Isaac Birdsall, 1744-1759. Bishop. The estate of Thomas Bishopp, at Rye, was administered in or before 1707. (N. Y. Col. MSS., vol. Hi. p. 41.) Bovv^NE. See page 269. Bridge, Rev. Christopher. See page 310. Brush, Jesse, ' is permitted ' in 1790 'to Enlarge his Dock on the Publick Landing at Rye.' Burns. Alexander, witness in 1730-1741-1748. Alexander and Mary, in 1739. BuRRELL, Joseph, lived on Rye Neck in 1776, when he was con- cerned in the plan (see page 226) to spike the American guns near King's Bridge. (Journals of the Prov. Congress, etc., vol. i. p. 280.) BuRCHUM, Benjamin. His land in 1723 lay south of Rye Ponds. Busn. The family were from Holland. I. ' Justus Bush, merchant, of the city of New York,' in 1726 bought from John and Jonathan Brondig an eighteenth share of undivided lands in Peningo Neck Pur- chase, at the very low price of eight pounds. In 1732 he owned land apparently including a part of that lately Dr. Tuttle's. The old stone house begun by Justus shortly before his death, and finished by Anne his wife, remained unaltered until 1832, when it was renovated. He appears to have been at one time a resident of Greenwich, where his name occurs in 1733, as plaintiff in an action. (Records Fairfield Co., BUSH — CARPENTER. 455 1702-1735.) He died about the year 1737, leaving a widow, Anne, who died August 5, 1745, and three sons, Henry, Bernardus, and Abraham. II. 1. Henry Bush,^ son of Justus,^ was of Greenwich in 1745, when he and Bernardus released to Abraham part of their rights in their father's estate. JMany of his descendants, says Mr. Mead, live in Green- wich. 2. Bernardus Bush,- son of Justus.^ 3. Abraham Bush,- 'youngest son ' of Justus,^ born 1720, had the homestead near Saw Pit Landing. (See page 268.) He married Ruth, daughter of Gilbert Lyon. He had two sons, Abraham and Gil- bert, and five daughters. III. 1. Abraham Bush,^ son of Abraham,- born 1751. (See page 161.) He had one son, William, of King Street, and two daughters. 2. Gilbert Bush," son of Abraham,^ born 1753, died 1831. He mar- ried Sabrina, daughter of Samuel Seymour, of Greenwich. They had one daughter, Mary E. IV. 1. William Bush,* son of Abraham,^ died December 24, 1856. He had four sons : Andrew L., William L., H. Hobart, and Newberry D. ; and five daughters. 2. Mary E., daughter of Gilbert Bush, married Gershom Bulkley. Children : Charles S. ; Helen B., married Willson D. Slawson ; and Gil- bert B. Bartholomew Bush is mentioned in 1726, and John in 1745. Carle, Thomas, of Rye, carpenter, in 1731 sold to Stephen Law- rence of Flushing four hundred acres in Harrison on Mamaroneck River, which Lawrence in 1738 conveyed to Joseph Haight. Cakey, or Casey, Henry, was of Rye in 1771. Carhartt. Joseph is mentioned in 1719, and in 1727 with Ann, probably his wife. John, 1722-1750, appears to have been in constant requisition as a witness of deeds. Till 1737 he lived near the church, apparently in the house now Mr. Joseph Kirby's tenement house, which he held ' on the right of George Lane.' This he sold, with two acres of land, to the Rev. James Wetmore. John was clerk of the Vestry for many years. In 1745 he signs with Jane, probably his wife. John Carhartt, junior, mentioned 1750, was doubtless the son of the above named. He was living in 17G3. Thomas, 1737-1747 ; Jonathan, 1737, and Matthew, 1747-1749, may have been other sons. John, Joseph, and Andrew Carhartt were living in Rye in 1771. Hachaliah Carhartt, said to have been an officer in the British ser- vice, was one of the company of De Lancey's Refugees who captured Judge Thomas at his residence in Harrison, in 1777. (See page 252.) He died about the year 1834. One of this name, a blacksmith, had a shop on the land now Mr. James Weeks', about the time of the Revolution. Carpenter, Joseph, was here in 1718 (Brander's Book), Tim- 456 FAMILIES OF RYE. othy in 1720, Silles (Silas ?) in 1721 (Ibid.). Our records also mention Benjamin, 1749, and Isaac, 1754. Isaac had a daughter, Hannah, who married Stephen Barnes, of Harrison, twentieth of twelfth month, 1780. (Friends' Rec.) 1. 1. Thomas, called 'jr. of Rye,' in 1739, and 'late of the isl. of Nassau, now of Rye,' in 1742, bought, between 1739 and 1743, Samuel Field's farm of one hundred and ten acres, south of Judge Thomas's ; and John Fowler's farm, of one hundred and thirty-one acres, with other land in the lower part of Harrison, (Rec, C. pp. 124 , 149, 150.) He had a son Joseph, and two daughters, one of whom, Hannah, mar- ried Solomon Haviland, son of Benjamin, seventeenth of ninth month, 1742. (Friends' Rec.) 2. John, ' of Oyster Bay,' in 1739, was perhaps, like Thomas, a son of Thomas, senior. He bought Little Neck, seventy acres, a part of Budd's Neck, from John Budd. He was still 'of Oyster Bay,' in 1751, when he conveyed this land to his son John ' of Rye, hatter.' (Rec.) We have no further knowledge of this branch. John, perhaps the above, had a son Abraham, of North Castle, who married Lydia, daughter of Peter Totten, twentieth of ninth month, 1759. (Friends' Rec.) II. Joseph,^ son of Thomas,* married Mary, daughter of John Clapp, of Greenwich, Conn., fourteenth of twelfth month, 1768. (Friends' Rec.) He lived in Harrison, where Mr. Joseph Park now lives, and owned three farms now comprised in Mr. Park's estate. Sons : John, William< Thomas, Charles, Joseph ; daughters : Phoebe, married James Field ; Dorcas, married AVilliam Cornell ; Martha, married John Schureman ; Mary, married John Sands ; Sarah. III. 1. John,^ son of Joseph,^ married Elizabeth Field. His farm lay north of Mr. Warren Leland's. Children : Uriah, Aaron, Joseph, Mary ; Phoebe, married Silas Sutton. 2. William,^ son of Joseph,^ born July 7, 1772, died September 26, 1847. He married Abby Jane, daughter of Ezekiel Halsted, born March 29, 1772, died March 31, 1834. He owned at one time the farm north of Mr. Park's, and moved in 1810 to the place now Mr. Leland's. Sons : Philemon H., Allen P., Thomas AV. ; daughters : Elizabeth J., born December 27, 1803, married Joseph Bartram ; Mar- tha S., born July 30, 1812, married John H. Purdy, died June 27, 1850. 3. Thomas,'^ son of Joseph,^ married, first, Mary , and had one son, Richard, now living on the farm formerly his father's, in Green- wich, Conn. Second wife, Eliza Keeler. 4. Charles,^ son of Joseph,- married Phoebe Cromwell. He owned the farm now Mr. Griswold's, in Harrison. Children : Alfred, Edward, James, Elizabeth (died young) ; Sarah Ann, married William Haviland ; Phoebe, married David Haviland. CARPENTER. — CLAPP. 457 5. Joseph,^ son of Joseph,- niiirried Eliza Tuber. lie owned one of the farms now INIr. Park's. Children : Harriet, married Joseph Park ; Mary, Artluir. Daniel Carpenter, perhaps of the same family, born about 1750, married Sarah Merritt. At the outbreak of the Revolution he was liv- ing on Peck's land, Greenwich, Conn. lie went to Long Island during the war, after which he lived where Mr. James Weeks now lives, in Rye, and from there moved to a farm on Grace Church Street, extend- ing to Fox Island, He died about 1830. Children : Gilbert, Daniel ; Hannah, married Francis Secor of Harrison ; Rhoda, Maria, Thorn, Jacob, Peter, Zeno, Merritt, Sylvanus, Elizabeth, Gilbert, eldest son of Daniel, born November 10, 1772, married Eliz- abeth, daughter of Isaac Gedney, born November 30, 17 GO, died No- vember 14,1844, He died July 2, 1820. Sons: Elisha, William ; daughters : Ann, Sarah, Mary, Charity, Charlotte, Penelope. Elisha (my informant, now living in Harrison) married Sarah L. Deall, Daniel, son of Daniel, had several children : William, Thorn, Phoebe, Ezra, Eliakim, and , married Elijah P. Morrill. Cavalaer. ' The estate of Peter Cavalaer of Long Island, de- ceased,' is mentioned in 1771. The land thus referred to lay south of the road leading from Grace Church Street to the landing, or Rye Ferry. (See page 134.) ' Chavalier Rock,' so called in 1804, — Cava- lier's in 1829, — and still known to old inhabitants at the present day, was evidently named from this person, of whom we have no other trace. This rock stands by the water's edge, below Horse Rock, near the late steamboat landing. Chatterton. Michael, ' of the manor of Philipsboro,' in 1752, bought sixty-six acres of land ' on Brown's pint near the White Plains,' i. e. in Harrison. Chatterton Hill, famous in connection with the bat- tle of the AVhite Plains, but situated, not in that town, but across the Bronx in Greenburg, formerly Phillipsburg manor, undoubtedly took its name from this family, a member of which, says Mr, Bolton, was settled on the hill as early as 1731. (Hist, of Westchester Co., vol. i. p, 242,) 'Bets' Chatterton, 1756-1767, and Shadrach, 1757-1758, were of Brown's Point. Cheeseman, Saniuel, of Oyster Bay, in 1720 bought of Abraham Miller a 'great lot' of eighty acres, being one fifth part of the tract known as Brown's Point, in Harrison. In 1739 this lot had ' formerly belonged to Ann Cheeseman.' Clai'I'. I. Captain John Clapp claimed to be ' of y"' town of Rye ' as early as 1705, when with Joseph Theall and John Horton he bought from the Indians land now in North Castle, above Rye Pond, and west of Byrani River, (Co. Rec, E. p. 1.) ' The Humble Petition of John Clapp John Horton Thomas Hyat & Company Inhabitants & Residents of the Town of Rye' to Governor Cornbury, shows that the petitioners, 458 FAMILIES OF RYE. 'being Inhabitants of y^ Town of Rye have by your Excellency's License to Purchase land in West-Chester County, and according to the Oaslomes of s'^ Town made purchase of a certain tract,' lying between Byram River and Rye Ponds, for which they desire a patent. This petition was read and a warrant ordered September 27, 1705. (Land Papers, Secretary of State's Office, vol. iv. p. 61.) ' Y" house of John Clap' on King Street, was mentioned in 1723, when the road from that street across Harrison to the White Plains was opened. Here doubtless he was living in 1718 (see page 120), when the constable of Greenwich coming to demand the ' rates due to the minister of Ilorse- neck,' he ' shut to the doors, and told me,' says that official, 'if I came in, he Avoukl knock me in the head.', (N. Y. Col. MSS., vol. Ixi. p. 17.) This pugnacity, while it comports with his military rank, seems less in harmony with his profession as ' a reputed Quaker,' for so he designates himself in his ' solemn affirmation,' to a counter statement in the same case. (Ibid. p. 14.) He was alive in 1725. His sons, according to the pedigree given by Mr. Bolton, were John, Silas, Elias, and Gibson. II. 1. John Clapp,^ son of John,^ is mentioned in 1748, when he owned land on both sides of the road to the Friends' meeting-house. Children: Thomas; Dorcas, who married, first, William Sutton, second, Francis Nash ; Mary, who married Joseph Carpenter. 2. Silas Clapp,^ son of John,^ was 'of Rhode Island.' (Bolton.) 3. Elias ^ had two sons, John and Benjamin. John, son of Elias, married Phoebe, daughter of John Hallock, April 17, 1765. (Friends' Rec.) John Clapp's house, as we have seen (p. 248), is a building of historic interest. It stands near the corner of King Street and the road to the meeting-house. Cleatok, Joseph. See page 174. Cole, Samuel, mentioned 1719. Coon, Jacob, weaver, had land in White Plains, 1748. Cornell, Richard, of Cow Neck, in 1724 sold to Benoni Merritt, of Rye, two hundred acres in Fauconier's patent. From the very exten- sive pedigree of this family which Mr. Bolton gives, it appears that he was the son of John, of Cow Neck, fourth son of Richard, who emi- grated from England to Long Island about 1655, and bought Little Neck under the Dutch government. The grandson Richard removed from Cow Neck to Westchester in 1725, and in 1733 complained, with Silvanus Palmer, to the governor, of injustice done to them by the sheriff of Westchester in refusing their vote at an election because they were Quakers. (Doc. Hist, of N. Y., vol. iii. p. 1008.) Joseph, of Mamaroneck, son of Richard, married Phoebe Feft-ris, daughter of Peter Ferris, twentieth of fourth month, 1734. (Friends' Rec.) CoRNAVALL. Daniel, was of Brown's Point or Harrison's Purchase as early as 1738. In 1749 he sold his house and one hundred and COVERTT. — CROMAVELL. 459 thirty acres, near Horton's Pond and Maniaroneck River. lie married Mary . Jacob, mentioned 1715, of White Plains in 1741, had land in the same locality. Samuel, 1732. The name is written as often Cornell, but I find no Daniel of this period among the many de- scendants of Richard above mentioned. Gov ERTT, Isaac, before 1722 had land in Will's Purchase, which he sold; and in 1725-1733 he had land in White Plains. CuAjiPTOx, Samuel, weaver, in 1742 sold his homestead on King Street, opposite Samuel Wilson's. Crawford, John, in 1760 had land on Budd's Neck. Cromavell. ' The several branches of the Cromwell family in Amer- ica claim descent from the same parent stock as that of the Protector, Oliver Cromwell. It is presumed that the ancestor of the American line Avas Colonel John Cromwell, third son of Robert Cromwell, and a brother of the Protector.' (Bolton, Hist, of Westchester Co., vol. ii. p. 512, app. The following pedigree is based j^artly upon the account given by Mr. Bolton.) 1. John Cromwell,^ son of Colonel John, emigrated from Holland to New Netherland. He resided, in 1686, at Long Neck, Westchester, afterwards known as Cromwell's Neck. He married Mary , and left two sons, John and James. II. 1. John Cromwell,'^ son of John,^ of Westchester, was the ances- tor of Oliver and Jeremiah of West Farms. (Bolton, ibid. ; also vol. i. p. 254.) 2. James,^ second son of John,^ of Westchester, was born in 1696, and married Esther Godfrey. He died in 1780. Children: John, James, William. In 1748, James ' Crumwell of Greenwich,' bought of Thomas Weeden's widow his plantation in Harrison's Purchase, — one tract lying 'northward of frind's meeting house, and north of the road,' and bounded on the west by Thomas Tredwell's land, on the north by ' Clapp's land,' on the east and south by the road. Another tract lay on the south side of the road, and was bounded east by John Clapp's land, south by Anthony Field's and the meeting-house lot, west and north by the road. (Rye Records.) III. 1. John Cromwell.'' of Harrison, eldest son of James,^ born De- cember 5, 1727, married Anna Hopkins of Long Island, born January 12, 1730. He was an active patriot during the Revolution : see men- tion of him, ante, pp. 251-257. His house is yet standing, a short dis- tance above the Friends' meeting-house in the Purchase, and near to Rye Pond. Here the 'advance guard 'of a force of Continental troops stationed on King Street, was said by a tory paper of New York, Feb- ruary 14, 1780, to be occupying 'the house of John Crom [i. e., Ci'om- well] near the Quaker meeting-house in Harrison's Purchase.' (Gaine's Gazette.) Mr. Cromwell's name occurs in 1777 among the names of teamsters who presented to the New York Committee of Safety their 460 FAMILIES OF RYE. accounts for service in removing forage and transporting well-affected inhabitants to the interior. (Journals of Provincial Congress, vol. i. p. 955.) He suffered severely from the maltreatment of the British troops and their allies the Cow Boys, for his well-known attachment to the American cause. Once, it is said, a party of Cow Boys entered his house, and demanded that he should tell them where he kept his money concealed. Upon Mr. Cromwell's refusal, they seized him, and heating a shovel red-hot in the kitchen fire, applied it to his naked person. Mr. Cromwell lived to relate various incidents of his expe- rience during the war, with much satisfaction, in a good old age. He died in 1805, aged seventy-eight. Children: James, Daniel, John, Joseph, William ; Naomi, born May 4, 1757, married Rev. Hal- sted; Esther, born January 1, 1760, married John Griffin, junior, of North Castle, twenty-second of tenth month, 1777 (Friends' Rec, Purchase) ; Hannah, born May 20, 1762, married William Field of Coi'tland's Manor, son of Benjamin, fifteenth of fifth month, 1782. (Ibid.) 2. James Cromwell," son of James,- ' left Oliver.' (Bolton.) 3. William Cromwell,^ son of James," was of Poughkeepsie, and was the father of William of New York and Robert of Canada. (Ibid.) IV. 1. James,* eldest son of John Cromwell,^ of Harrison, was born November G, 1752, and died December 23, 1828. He married. May 15, 1782 (Friends' Rec), Charlotte Hunt, daughter of Aaron, of Greenwich, Conn., born November 18, 1762, died January 1839. Children : Daniel, James, Oliver, David, Aaron, William and Mary (twins, died young), William, John ; Hannah, married David Griffin ; Rebecca, married George Fritts ; Anne, married John Haviland. 2. Daniel,* second son of John Cromwell^ of Harrison, was born July 17, 1755. He married Rachel Hopkins of Long Island. Chil- dren : John, and Sarah, who married William Waring. 3. John,* third son of John Cromwell^ of Harrison, was born August 18, 1767. 4. Joseph,* fourth son of John Cromwell ^ of Llarrison, born JMarch 3, 1770; died 1843. He married Mary Clapp, of Greenwich. Their son William, of Harrison, married Sarah Griffin. 5. William,* fifth son of John Cromwell.^ of Harrison, born April 29, 1773, resided in Canada. He left William, of New York. V. 1. Daniel,'' eldest son of James Cromwell,* married Elizabeth Townsend. Children : Henry, Edward, Daniel, and Charlotte, all of New York. ' 2. James,® second son of James Croniwell,* married Anne Abbott. 3. Oliver,® third son of James Cromwell,* married Sarah Titus, and left Joshua of Monroe County, Thomas of New Y''ork, James, John of St. Louis, and William of New York. 4. David,^ fourth son of James Cromwell,* married Rebecca Bowman. CROMWELL. — DUSENBERRY. 461 Children : William D., of New York, Henry, James, Frederick, Anna, Sarah, Charlotte, Maria, Rebecca, Emily. 5. William,'' si.xth son of James Cromwell,^ married Caroline Under- hill, daughter of Joshua. Children : James W., and Caroline. 6. John,' eighth son of James Cromwell,'' of Orange County, N. Y. ; he married Laititia Ilaviland. Children : Walter, of Orange County, James, David, and Oliver. 7. John,^ son of Daniel Cromwell,* married Elizabeth Thorn, of Glen Cove, L. L Children : James T., M. D., of Indiana ; Daniel S., Charles T., and Leonard T., of New York. Mr. Charles T. Cromwell,'^ son of John,^ married Henrietta, daughter of Benjamin Brooks, of Bridgeport, Conn. ; a lineal descendant of Theophilus Eaton, first governor of the colony of New Haven, and of Robert Cromwell, father of the Protector. Henrietta, third daughter of Robert and Elizabeth Cromwell, married in 1623 Colonel John Jones, subsequently one of the judges of Charles I. Their son Wil- liam, born in London 1624, married in 1659 Hannah, daughter of Gov- ernor Theophilus Eaton. William Jones became deputy governor of New Haven colony, and afterwards lieutenant-governor of the colony of Connecticut. He died October 17, 1706, aged eighty-two; his wife died May 4, 1707, aged seventy-four. (Memoir of Theophilus Eaton, the first Governor of the Colony of New Haven ; by Jacob Bailey Moore. In Collections of the New York Historical Society, second series, vol. ii. paper xv. ; pp. 469-493.) Mr. Charles T. Cromwell, whose summer residence is on Manussing Island, Rye, has had three children : Charles B., who was drowned, June 1860 ; Ileni-ietta, who married John de Ruyter, of New York, and Oliver Eaton Cromwell. Crookek, William, 1783-1784. Moses Crooker, 1791, had a store- house, near the present bridge crossing to Lyon's Point, Port Chester. CoE. 'James Cues land' in 1723 was situated apparently where that of Mr. James Weeks is. This is the only mention of him that we find. DusENBERY. Henry, 1721, bought a piece of ' salt marsh ' on Ma- nussing Island. In 1724 he had land on the road from the Purchase to King Street. Henry, of Harrison, doubtless a son of the above, born July 28, 1735, married Susannah Ogden, born May 27, 1738. (Her mother was Wilmot Ogden.) Children : Henry, born November 12, 1757, married Hannah Budd ; Wilmot, born February 17, 1759, mar- ried Joseph Merritt ; Jemima, died young ; Helena, born August 5, 1763, married John Hawkins ; Freelove, born November 13, 1766, mar- ried Simon Tyler; and Parthenia, born September 19, 1772, married first, March 27, 1798, Peter Brown, a native of Scotland, born Novem- ber 8, 1774, died September 29, 1799 ; second, James Glover. She died June 12, 1856. Daughter by the former marriage, Margaret W., 462 FAMILIES OF RYE. born February 16, 1799, married July 16, 1817, John Pirnie. (Pirnie Family Rec.) Daniels, Thomas, ' of the town of Rye,' complains of the Horse- neck constable in 1718. Deall, Samuel, is first mentioned in 1791, about which time he established a mill, now Mr. Van Amringe's. He was supervisor from 1809 to 1822. Deliiingham, Stephen, witness in 1750. Demilt, Peter, had land in Will's Purchase, but above the town limits, in 1713. Dickinson, Joseph, had land in ' Limpen Will's purchase,' near By- ram River, 1722. Dixon, John, was in Rye in 1791. He was the father of John, James, and Thomas, and three daughters, one of whom married John Minuse. ' James Purdy, son of John Dixon, was baptized Sept. 10 ' of that year. Dow, John, mentioned 1729. Dodge, Joseph ; his ' salt meadow' was near Mamaroneck harbor in 1772. DoDTTY, Palmer, was here in 1715. Doughty. I. Francis (see page 150), was probably a descendant of the Rev. Francis Doughty, who came about the year 1642 from Eng- land to New England, and thence to New Netherland, where he bought a large tract of land at Mespath, now Newtown, L. I. He was driven thence in the Indian troubles to New Amsterdam, where he officiated as minister for some time. His namesake, Francis 'junior, of Flush- ing,' in 1728 bought the house at Rye known of late years as Van Sick- lin's, with three acres of land. He appears to have lived here till about 1740; was justice of the peace in 1735, and constable in 1737, and a vestryman repeatedly. In 1748 we find him advertising as ' Francis Doughty, tvho kept the Kings Bridge,' and ' now removed to the Sign of the Sun in Rye,' etc. He is last mentioned in 1753. II. John Doughty,^ son of Francis,^ mentioned 1750, succeeded his father as innkeeper in the 'old fort,' and was constable, 1750, 1768- 1773. His will is dated 1789, and mentions four sons : John, Isaac, Philemon, and Ebenezer ; and two daughters ; Mtry Tillot, and Sarah Van Cot. (Surrogate's Office, White Plains.) David Doughty,^ mentioned 1788-1797, probably a younger son of Francis,^ held various offices in the town. III. John Doughty,^ son of John,- kept the inn, which had now been long known as ' Doughty's,' and was town clerk, 1794-1799. Phoebe, wife of John Doughty, died in 1812, aged forty-two years. (Cemetery near Mamaroneck.) EiSENHART. Christopher, an unmistakably Teutonic name, first oc- curs in 1730, about the same time with Godfret Hans. Eisenhart was of Harrison in 1745. and was living in 1771. Christopher, junior, then ELSWORTH. — FIELD. 463 mentioned, lived in Rye, and about the beginning of this century occupied the old house now Mr. Joseph Kirby's. He died April 29, 1819, aged fifty-two years. (Ceni.) The name is sometimes written Izenhart. Elsavortii, Joseph, witness in 1720. Embree, John, witness in 1732. Esmond, Thomas, of Harrison's Purchase in 1733. Eustace, David, of Westchester in 1720, was husband of Mary, daughter of Samuel Haight, and had through her one hundred and seventy acres in Harrison, west of Rye Pond, which he sold to John Tredwell. Farrixgton, Stephen, of Rye, married Elizabeth Sutton of North Castle, sixteenth of second month, 1757. (Friends' Rec.) Edward, of White Plains, son of P^dward, married Phoebe Baker, eighteenth of twelfth month, 1765. (Ibid.) Fauconier, Peter, a native of France, high in favor with Bella- mont and Cornbury, governors of New York : by the latter made col- lector and receiver-general of the province in 1705. He obtained large grants of land from the governors, and among the rest a patent to a tract within the territory originally claimed by the town of Rye. This, long known as Fauconier's AYest Patent, is now a part of the town of North Castle. On the application of the people of Rye for a patent in 1720, the Council examined Mr. Fauconier, who made no objection to the granting of the petition. (Documents relating to the Colonial His- tory of New York, vols, iv., v. ; Land Papers, vol. viii. p. 5.) Feenas, Eleazar, witness in 1703. Ferris, Peter, 'of the borough town of Westchester, esq.,' in 1730 bought the rights of David Jamison to the tract of land known as Har- rison's Purchase. For this claim, comprising one fifth of the whole tract, he gave fifteen pounds ; and sold or gave it, the same year, to Peter Stringham, of Rye. Field. This family trace their lineage to John Field of Ardsley, Yorkshire, England, ' a distinguished mathematician and astronomer,' born about 1525; died in 1587. Robert, his great-grandson, born in 10 10, removed to America, and settled at Flushing, L. L, in 1G45. I. Benjamin Field,^ grandson of Robert, born 1663, married Hannah Browne, of Flushing. He had six sons : Benjamin, John, Samuel, An- thony, Joseph, and Robert; and two daughters: Hannah, born 1700; and Sarah, born 1707. 1. Benjamin Field," son of Benjamin,^ born 1692. 2. John Field,'^ son of Benjamin,^ born 1694. 3. Samuel Field,^ son of Benjamin,^ born 1696, mentioned 1723, had three sons : William, Stephen, and John. 4. Anthony Field,^ son of Benjamin,^ born 1698, married Hannah Burling. He removed from Flushing to Harrison's Purchase in 1725. 464 FAMILIES OF RYE. He had six sons: John, Thomas, Moses, Samnel, Benjamin, William ; and two daughters: Sarah, who married Joseph Waters, and Mary. 5. Joseph Field,^ son of Benjamin,' born 1702, had three sons: Gil- bert, Nehemiah, and Solomon ; and a daughter. Comfort. 6. Robert,- youngest son of Benjamin Field,^ born July 7, 1707. It is said that he came over when young from Long Island with his father, npon a ' prospecting ' tour, but found the country so wild that he returned. At a later day he came back, and married, about 1737, Abigail, daughter of Joseph Sutton, of King Street. Joseph Sutton left his house and half his farm to Robert, who left it to his only son Uriah. Robert, ' of Greenwich, Ct.,' — probably the same, — had two daughters : Sarah, married Isaac Underbill, eighteenth of eighth month, 1756 ; and Jerusha, married Stephen Field, son of Nathan, fif- teenth of tenth month, 1760. (Friends' Rec) III. 1. William Field,'' son of Samuel,^ had two sons, William and Samuel. 2. John Field,'^ son of Anthony,^ was of Yorktown. 3. Uriah Field,^ son of Robert,- was born in 1738, and died in 1814. He married Mary Quinby, of Westchester, daughter of Aaron, eight- eenth of first month, 1764. (Friends' Rec.) They had four sons: Aaron, Robert, Josiah, James ; and six daughters : Abigail, Elizabeth, Hannah, Sarah, Mary, and Anne. IV. 1. Aaron Field,^ son of Uriah,'^ born in 1760, married Jane, daughter of John and Phoebe Haviland, and had two sons, Charles and Richard ; and four daughters now living, Sarah, Anne, Eliza, and Han- nah. These ladies reside in the homestead, on the ujjper jjart of King Street. 1. Nathan Field, born November 30, 1702, married Elizabeth , born March 31, 1702. In 1752 he was living in the western part of Harrison, near Horton's mill-pond. Our records ^iiention him, 1737- 1771. He had a son Stephen, and a son William. II. 1. ' Stephen Field, of Rye, son of Nathan,' married Jerusha Field, daughter of Robert, of Greenwich, Conn., '15th of 10th mo., 1760.' (Friends' Rec.) They had four sons : William, Jesse, Oliver, David ; and three daughters : Jerusha, Phoebe, and Elizabeth. (Family Rec.) 2. William,- son of Nathan,' born January 15, 1741. (Family Rec.) III. 1. Jesse,'^ son of Stephen,^ born August 13, 1762, married, eighteenth of fifth month, 1784, Phoebe Ilawkshurst, daughter of Sea- man, born March 8, 1767. (Friends' Rec.) 2. Oliver,'' son of Stephen,^ born March 29, 1766. 3. David," son of Stephen,^ born April 28, 1768, married Sarah , born April 11, 1776, died June, 1817. He died October 15, 1805. Children : Marcia, born January 25, 1799 ; Stephen, born July 31, 1800; and David, born October 6, 1804. IV. Stephen Field,^ son of David,'' married Mary C, born March FLAMMAN. — FOWLER. 465 2G, 1805. They have had seven sons: William M., Joseph C, Stephen J. (died young), David R., Stephen, Charles, James ; and one daughter, Sarah A., married David A. IJanks. Flamman. Cornelius [Flamand?] was a Frenchman, probably a Huguenot, who served as apprentice to INIr. Francis Garabrant, in New York, from 1707 to 1722, and married his daughter. See his trouble about slaves, page 182. Flamman was here in 1734, and lived at Saw Pit in 1741-1743. He was (presumably) a trustee of the Presbyterian congregation of Rye in 1753. He was dead in 1758, when Cornelius, his ' eldest son and heir,' sold his land on Merritt's Point. Flood. 'John Flood the boatman,' of Rye, testified before the Committee of Safety, January 27, 1776. See page 270. August 29, 1776, twenty dollars were ' given to Mr. Flood, as a reward for his spir- ited conduct in apprehending William Lounsbery, a notorious enemy to the cause of America.' (American Archives, fourth series, vol. i. p. 1555.) Captain Flood was living at Saw Pit in 1789, when a John junior is mentioned. Foreman, Solomon, 1736. FfrzCiKRALD, Edward, 1712. FoAVLER. I. William, of Flushing, sold land at Taffy's Plain in Rye, 1706 ; and conveyed two hundred and forty acres of land, probably in Harrison, to his son William, of Rye, 1711. (Co. Rec, E. 9.) He was living in 1716. He had two sons, William and John, and probably three others, Thomas, Joseph, and Jeremiah. II. 1. William Fowler,- son of William,^ of Flushing, is called junior in 1716. He was 'of Menussink,' or ' 3Ian island,' 1719-1722. but re- moved apparently to the 'town plot,' and was dead in 1742. Perhaps he had transferred the land in Harrison to his brother Thomas. 2. John Fowler,- son of William,^ of Flushing, had from his father 'one third of lot number two,' in Rye, — probably in Harrison. His 'dwelling-house' is mentioned 1720. In 1742 he sold to Thomas Carpenter, late of the island of Nassau, his farm of one hundred and thirty-one acres in Harrison, apparently on both sides of the Purchase Road, north of the road to King Street. 3. Thomas Fowler,- perhaps a son of William,^ in 1723 had land on the road from White Plains to Harrison ; in 1724 he sold to Henry Franklin two hundred and forty acres ' in Harris's purchase.' His wife was Catharine. He removed to the ' town plot ' of Rye, and bought a house and five acres of land where the Presbyterian Church now stands. He was justice of the peace in 1734, and was living in 1737. 4. Joseph Fowler,- perhaps a son of William,^ had a farm in Harri- son, on the west side of the Purchase Road. He was the father of Benjamin and James. He, or another Joseph, in 1729 sold his farm in the White Plains. ' The late Joseph Fowler,' is mentioned in 1730. 5. Jeremiah Fowler,- perhaps a son of William,^ in 1723 had land in 30 466 FAMILIES OF RYE. Harrison adjoining that of Thomas, and in the AVhite Plains. He had a son Jeremiah. March 25, 1771, ' A Good farm lying in Harri- son's purchase, situate and lying on the road leading from Rye to Bed- ford, three miles from the Saw Pit landing and four from the Rye land- ing,' is advertised in the New York papers as for sale. It contains one hundred and sixty-four acres good profitable land, and formerly be- longed to Jeremiah Fowler deceased. 'Lieutenant William Fowler' lived, 1723-1742, on King Street, and was apparently of a different family. In 1742 he sold his farm of one hundred and twenty- five acres, between Blind Brook and the colony line and highway, to Adam Seaman, of Korth Castle, reserving ' the burying place to bury those of his own family.' Fkanklin, Flenry, of Flushing, bought land in Harrison from Thomas Fowler in 1724, which he sold in 1729 to Thomas P'ranklin. Thomas, mentioned 1725-1750, in the latter year sold to William An- derson one hundred and fifty-eight acres on the cross-road from Harri- son to White Plains. French, George, in 1740-1741, bought several 'small lots' in White Plains. Gale, Griffin, bought twenty acres in Hog-pen Ridge in 1764. Gandal, John, deceased 17G9, had owned land on Budd's Neck, near Archibald Telford's. Elijah Gandrell was here in 1813. Gibson, Joseph, witness in 1740. Gilchrist, Thomas, 1738, bought Moses Galpin's house with thirty- five acres on the country road, near Daniel Purdy's land. Thomas and William were here in 1752. Glover, John, 1738, in 1742 bought three acres of land on 'Grachus street,' near Hyatt's Cove. He was of Newtown, Conn., in 1745. GoRUM [Gorham ?], George, witness, 1733-1736. Graham, Augustine, of Morrisania, son of James, who was attorney- general of New York from 1685 to 1701, was patentee with Clapp, Horton and others of lands then within the bounds of Rye, between Byrani River and Rye Pond. ' Y'oung Graham ' was complained of in 1701 as concerned in one of the extravagant grants of land made by Governor Fletcher. In 1711 he writes, ' I am upon sale of my land at Ry Ponds in order to raise money to satisfie my arrears to Mr. [Governor] Dongan.' (N. Y^ Col. MSS., Ivi. 125.) He was dead in 1719. (Doc. rel. to Col. Hist, of N. Y^, iv., v.) His lands were ad- jacent to those of John Clapp in 1723. James Graham, of Morrisania, in 1742 sold land in Harrison. John Augustus [or Augustine] Graham, doubtless of the same fam- ily, was a physician of the White Plain?, who took an active part in political affairs at the outbreak of the Revolution. He was a leading member of the Committee of Safety in 1776. (American Archives, fourth series, vol. i. p. 1447, etc.) He lived near the [old] court- house at the White Plains. GRAHAM. — GUION. 467 Graham. Robert, of Scarsdale, in 1749 bought a tract of fifty acres in White Plains, south of the ' hiohway over against the Wolf-pit hill.' This was doubtless Dr. Robert Graham who practised medicine in this neighborhood for several years before the Revolution (see page 168) perhaps the brother of Dr. Andrew Graham of AVoodbury. (Hist, of Woodbury, Conn., p. 547.) Ghkex, Joseph, 1717, was of King Street in 1729. Griffin. Richard, 1722, had lands in Harrison, near Mamaro- neck River, and near Rye Pond. Jacob, 1717-1733, was of White Plains in 1737-1752. In 1750 he bought of Aaron Veal ninety-five acres in Harrison, west of Rye Pond. Adam had property here in 1727. Caleb was of White Plains, 1752. Henry, 1746-1762, had land on Budd's Neck, below Guion's. Anne, probably his wife, is men- tioned with him in 1762. Captain Jonatlian Griffin, 1749, was an elder of the Presbyterian Church of White Plains in 1762. His tombstone, in the burying- ground of that church, records his death, April 27, 1780, at the age of seventy-seven years, ten months, and seven days. Guiox. I. John, of Rye Neck, was the grandson of Louis Guion, of La Rochelle, in France, who, 'four years before the Revocation of the P^dict of Nantes, fled with his family into p]ngland, from whence he emigrated to America, and settled at New Rochelle about 1687.' His son Louis, who died at New Rochelle about 1725, had five children, of whom John was the youngest. (Bolton, Hist, of Westchester Co., vol. ii. p. 521.) In 1746 Joseph Ilorton sold to John Gujon, for three hundred and fifteen pounds, ' my farm and lands where I now dwell on Budd's neck ... on both sides of the country road,' comprising fifty acres. This property has but very lately passed out of the hands of his descendants. John, born February 1, 1723, died June 21, 1792; married Anna Hart, born April 11, 1728, died February 26, 1814. They had eight sons: Jonathan, Peter, James, John, Abraham, Isaac, Elijah, Monmouth Hart ; and three daughters: Sarah, born April 25, 1751, died July 15, 1808, married Bartholomew Hadden ; Dinah, born May 7, 1757, married Peter Knapp ; and Anna, born January 12, 1760. married Silas Knapp. H. 1. Jonathan Guion,- son of John,^ of Rye Neck, lived in the 'Mid- dle Patent,' or North Castle. Pie was born January 28, 1749, married Phoebe Lyon, and left two sons, James and Alvy. 2. Peter Guion,^ son of John,^ born May 27, 1753, died 1772. 3. James Guion,^ son of John,^ born June 22, 1755, died at New Haven, February 1, 1781. 4. John Guion,^ son of John,^ born March 4, 1762, married Phoebe Huestis. He was supervisor of the town, 1797, 1801-1804. He lived in the house now (1870) occupied by Jonathan H. Gedney, and owned the store-house on the corner diagonally opposite, then the principal place of business in Rye. 468 FAMILIES OF RYE. 5. Abraham Guioii,- son of John/ born January 26, 1765, married, May 19, 1793, Mary Purdy, born June 7, 1777. He died October 9, 1831; his widow, September 28, 1846. They had five sons: John (died young), William Henry, Peter Knapp, James Hart, and Gabriel ; and seven daughters : Anne Eliza, married Thomas Ilaviland, and died October 26, 1840; Sarah, died May 15. 1798; Maria, married John W. Conover, of New York ; Sarah Ophelia, married Royal C. Ormsby, of New Y''ork ; Charity Amelia, married Garret Vermilye ; Hetty Adeline, married Gilbert Haight ; and Charlotte Purdy, died April 2, 1824. 6. Isaac Guion,- son of John,^ born September 19, 1767, married Elizabeth Wilsey. 7. Elijah Guion,^ son of John,^ born April 19, 1770, married Eliza- beth Marshall. Their sons were, the Rev. John M. Guion, and the Rev. Elijah Guion. 8. Monmouth Hart Guion,- son of John,^ born October 8, 1771, mar- ried Anne Lyon. III. 1. James Guion,^ son of Jonathan,^ of the Middle Patent, was the father of the Rev. Thomas T. Guion. William Henry ,^ son of Abraham.- late proprietor of the homestead. Gedney. I. John Gedney, of Norwich, Norfolk County, England, born 1603, came to Salem, Mass., in May 1637, with his wife Mary, aoed twenty-five. He had four sons : John, Bartholomew, Eleazar, and Eli. Eleazar, the third, born May 15, 1642, was the father of Eleazar, who in all probability was the ancestor of the family in this neighborhood. He was born in 1666. (Savage, Geneal. Diet, of the First Settlers of N. E.) The inscription upon a tombstone in the Ged- ney cemetery, near Mamaroneck, reads : ' 1722. Here lies Eleazar Gedney deceased Oct. 27. Born in Boston Goverment.' Next to it ' lies Anne Gedney his wife.' II. 1. John Gedney,^ probably the son of Eleazar,^ was born in 1695. His epitaph in the same locality records his death, October 3, 1766, at the age of seventy-one years ; and that of Mary his wife, January 5, 1772, at the age of seventy-three years, two months. In 1740 'John Gediney of Scarsdale ' bought of William Marsh one hundred and six- teen acres in White Plains, for four hundred pounds. 2. James Gedney,^ probably the son of Eleazar,^ was born in 1702. He ' departed this Life 27 of Jan'^ 1766 in the 64* year of his Age ;' and Hebe his wife died August 10, 1799, aged ninety-four years, six months, eight days. He also was of Scarsdale in 1733, when he bought of Daniel Horton sixty acres in White Plains for two hundred pounds. In 1739 he bought of John Budd one hundred and two acres on Budd's Neck, between the country road and Westchester old path. In 1760, he bought of Jonathan Horton one hundred and thirty-nine acres on Budd's Neck near Mamaroneck Bridge, for one thousand two hundred GEDNEY. 469 and seventeen pounds. Portions of tins land he gave in 1761-1764 to his sons, James. Isaac, Caleb, and Jonathan. Their farms lay adjoining on Biidd's Neck, fronting on the country road, and extending from Mamaroneck River eastward beyond ' Barry's lane.' He had three other sons, of whom Solomon was one. III. 1. Bartholomew Gedney,'^ perhaps the son of John,- was born in 1720, and died August 27, 1775. (Cem.) 2. John Gedney,' perhaps the son of John,- was of Crompond. His two sons bore the ancestral names Bartholomew and John. He had four daughters : Martha. Sarah, Sibby, and Mary. (Information from Mrs. Todd, Thomas Haviland's sister.) 3. Eleazar Gedney,'' perhaps the son of John,- bought land in 1754 from Harrison and others in Ulster County, and conveyed it in 1760 to his five sons, — Joseph, Eleazar, Daniel, David, tmd Jacob. He was then of Scarsdale. 4. James Gedney,^ son of James.^ was born in 1734, and died Oc- tober 15, 1809, aged seventy-five years, ten months, twenty-seven days. His wife, Anne, died October 11, 1806, aged sixty-five years, eleven month, nine days. They lived in a house which stood directly opposite the gate to Dr. Jay's grounds. They had four sons : James, Abra- ham. Gilbert, and Jonathan ; and seven daughters : Nancy, married Benjamin Gedney ; Sarah, married Gabriel Burger; Phoebe, mar- ried Kenny ; Mary, married Sutton ; Tamar, married David Roberts, and died at Glenn's Falls, October 6, 1846 ; Martha, married Smith ; and .Jane, married Daniel Hains. 5. Isaac Gedney,^ son of James,^ 1761, had from his father twenty- four and a half acres on the country road and Mamaroneck River. Isaac, perhaps the same, was of INIamaroneck in 1750, when he bought eighteen acres on Budd's Neck, between the harbor and the road. He was arrested and confined at White Plains in the early part of the war : see his letter to the Committee of Safety, page 230, where he speaks of his family of seven children. These w'ere. Isaac, Sylvanus, William ; Elizabeth, married Gilbert Carpenter ; Mary, died young ; Mary, married William H. Gedney ; , married William Gray, a captain in the British army. (Information from Elisha Carpenter.) Isaac Gedney was buried October 26, 1791. {Notitia Paroch.) 6. Caleb Gedney,^ son of James,- 1762, had from his father thirty- nine acres by Mamaroneck River. Caleb Gedney lived at White Plains during the Revolution, and moved down to the lower part of Harrison ; he was one of the signers of the petition for a fair, 1771. Children : Henry, Phoebe, Gilbert, Caleb (now living in Mamaroneck, aged eighty- two). 7. .Jonathan Gedney,^ son of James,- had from his father thirty-nine acres on Budd's Neck. He lived where Miss Henderson's school is now kept, near Barry's Lane. He was born March 17, 1739, and died during the war. His wife, Elizabeth Hains, was born December 29, 470 FAMILIES OF RYE. 1742, and died August 24, 1801. They had five sons : Alexander, (died young), Solomon, Joseph Hains, William Tryon (died young), and Jonathan ; and two daughters : Elizabeth, born January 29, 17G7, died September 30, 1801; and Mary, born February 20, 1772, died about 1852. 8. Solomon Gedney,^ son of James,- married Horton, and lived opposite Dr. Jay's farm-house. He had one daughter, Hannah, married Isaac Gedney. IV. 1. Bartholomew Gedney,* son of John,'' of Crompond, was un- married, and died during the Revolution. 2. John Gedney,* son of John,^ of Crompond, married Mary, daugh- ter of Benjamin Lyon, of North Street. He lived in White Plains, about a mile and a half below the old court-house. He had three sons : Bartholomew, Elijah, and John Benjamin ; and seven daugh- ters : Margaret, Esther, Abigail, Elizabeth Ann, Charlotte, Dorothy, and Mary. Elizabeth married William Haviland. 3. James Gedney,* son of James," removed to New York, and died about 1822, leaving a son James, and two daughters. 4. Abraham Gedney,* son of James,'' died about 1858. He was the father of Captain Joseph H. Gedney. 5. Gilbert Gedne}',* son of James,^ died about 1850. He had a son Timothy, and two daughters. 6. Jonathan Gedney,* son of James," born in 1772, died in 1857. He had three sons : Gilbert, David, and John ; and two daughters : Sarah Ann, and Hetty. (From David Gedney, Milton.) 7. Isaac Gedney,* son of Isaac,'' married Gedney; lived on Rye Neck, and had one daughter, Susan, died unmarried in 1870. 8. Sylvanus Gedney,* son of Isaac," unmarried. 9. William Gedney,* son of Isaac,' married Chanty Gedney. Chil- dren : Mercy, married John Hadden ; Alexander ; Sylvanus ; Ann, mar- ried Benjamin Way ; Jane married Jonathan Purdy ; Alfred ; Mary, married David Stanley ; James. 10. Solomon Gedney,* son of Jonathan,^ born September 20, 1769, died February 3, 1836. He lived in the homestead on Rye Neck. He married, October 25, 1795, Amy, daughter of David Haight, born February 25, 1777, died September 5, 1833. They had eight sons: Jonathan H., David H., Nicholas H., Solomon, Peter Joseph, Alexander? William Tryon, and Benjamin F. ; and four daughters : Charlotte H., born July 14, 1796, died January 22, 1870 ; Elizabeth, born April 18, 1802 ; Susan C. R., born June 23, 1808; and Sarah A., born December 11, 1810. Jonathan H.,^ son of Solomon Gedney,* lives on Rye Neck (1870)- He married ^Margaret M., daughter of Isaac Worden. They have had four sons : Charles T., and Samuel L., died young ; Jonathan W., Alex- ander James : and four daughters : Julia Ann, Elvira T., Caroline M., married H. Sivalls ; and Sarah Ann. HADDON. — IIAINS. 471 IIaddon. Job, 1742-17G4, lived on West Street. Job, junior, men- tioned 17G4, was probably the 'Job Heady' whose 'mill' is indicated, beside IMamaroneck River, on tlie map of 1779. The name is variously written, Huddin, Hadding. Headen, etc. Thonjas lived during the Revolution on North Street, where William S. Carpenter now lives. Bartholomew is mentioned, 1794-1804. Haixs. L Godfret or Godfrey Hanse, or Hains,^ first mentioned 1717, came over from Germany about that time, and settled on the lower part of Budd's Neck He was a rope-maker by trade, like many of his descendants, whose ' rope-walks ' were numerous in that part of the town. He died July 22, 17G8, aged ninety-three. (Milton Ceme- tery.) Godfrey, junior, was his son, and probably Joseph and Solomon. n. 1. Godfrey Hains,- son of Godfrey,^ called junior, 1734, had land on Budd's Neck, part of which is now comprised in the Jay property. He was drowned in the East River, in 1760. See account on page IGl. He had four sons at least: Godfrey, James, Daniel, and Solomon. Gilbert was probably another son. 2. Joseph Hains,^ probably a son of Godfrey,^ was a rope-maker, and in 1741 bought a farm of seventy acres on Budd's Neck below the country road and AVestchester old path, ' beginning at a rock within a few feet to the westernmost of the school house.' 3. Solomon Hains,- perhaps a son of Godfrey,^ had land on Budd's Neck in 1739. III. 1. Godfrey Hains,'^ son of Godfrey,- was an active loyalist during the Revolution, of whom some account has been given. Chapter XXVII. He was ' a single man ' in 1775. The following accoimt of one of his many ' hair-breadth escapes ' has been preserved by tradition : He was once taken, together with Joseph Parker and William Haviland (father of Samuel and Thomas, now living), and carried to Poughkeepsie, where they were kept some time in confinement in a dwelling-house. One night Hains, who was a strong man, succeeded in releasing himself from his hand-cuffs, woke his companions, and promised to liberate them. An Indian was on guard at the door, armed with a gun ; the party seized him before he could give the alarm, and taking his gun from him, slij^ped out, and started to escape. Parker missed the way and was taken ; Hains and Haviland made their way toward the Croton River. They knew that a strong guard was posted on the bridge over which they had been taken, and accordingly went a mile further up, and Hains, being very tall, forded the stream, carrying his comrade on his back. After spending the next day in concealment in a barn, where they came very near detection, they reached home the following night. Hains lived till after the war, and died in Nova Scotia. 2. James Hains,^ son of Godfrey,- in 17o3-17G0 bought land on Budd's Neck. His sons were James, junior, and Thomas. 3. Daniel Hains,'^ son of Godfrey,- had land from his father in 1760. 472 FAMILIES OF RYE. 4. Solomon Hains,^ son of Godfrey," had land on Biidd's Neck in 17 GO'. 5. Gilbert Hains/^ probably a son of Godfrey,^ was the father of God- frey, William Andrew, and Gilbert. IV. 1, 2. James, junior, and Thomas Hains,'* ' the two sons of James,' ^ were concerned in the spiking of American cannon near King's Bridge, January 1776. (Journal of Prov. Congress, etc., vol. i. p. 272.) Gilbert Hains,^ youngest son of Gilbert,^ was a soldier in the war of 1812 ; he died at Milton in 1869. He had three sons : Isaac, Joseph, and Henry S. ; the last two of whom are now living in Milton. Haight. I. Samuel Haight, of Flushing, L. I., born 1647, died 1712, a prominent member of the Society of Friends, was associated with John Harrison, William Nicoll, Ebenezer Wilson, and David Jami- son, in 1695, in the purchase of the tract of land called after the first of these, Harrison's Purchase. He was a son of Nicholas Haight of Windsor, brother of John Hoit, an early settler of Rye, of whom some account has already been given (page 412). In the division of the lands now forming the town of Harrison, IMr. Haight had two portions, the one in the upper part, adjoining Rye Ponds, which in his will he directed his executors to sell for the benefit of his daughters ; and the other in the lower part, adjoining the territory now forming the town of Rye. Here he left lands to his sons Jonathan and David. He married Sarah , and had five sons : Samuel, Nicholas, Jonathan, David, and John ; and five daughters : Susannah, married Richard Griffin ; Sarah, married Silas Titus ; Mary, married David Eustace or liuystead ; Hannah ; and Phoebe. II. 1. Samuel Haight," son of Samuel of Flushing,^ born about 1670, died 1712, was the father of James, of Greenburg. 2. Nicholas Haight^ son of Samuel,^ was the father of Jacob, who removed to Dutchess County about 1750. 3. Jonathan Haight," son of Samuel,^ inherited land from his father, which he sold in portions to a number of persons, among others to the Rev. James Wetmore, before 1728. He removed with his son Charles to North Castle. His other son 'William remained till 1765, when he went to Sing Sing. \4. David Haight,^ son of Samuel,^ born before 1691, died before 1760. He came to Rye and settled near the present Harrison station, in which neighborhood his lands were located. His sons were Samuel, i^David, Thomas, and Nicholas. Daughters: Hannah, and Elizabeth, who married John Culbert. In 174^ and 1757 he divided his lands among them, giving one hundred acres each to Samuel and David, forty acres to Thomas, and one hundred and forty acres to Nicholas, including his homestead. III. 1. Samuel Haight,'^ son of David," died in 1784 ; probably with out children. I 2. David Haight," son of David," born about 1701, died about 1798 HAIGHT. — HATFIELD. 473 His house stood on the north side of the entrance to Mr. Josiah Macy's phice, on North Street, which he owned. He was a member of the Vestry of Rye. He sold the property in 1792 to his son Daniel, and \vent to live with his son David, at Bedford, where he died. He was married twice ; first, to Mclicent Lane. Children : John, and Lavinia, wife of Elijah Purdy, born 1735, died 1816. Secondly, to Abigail Purdy. "^ Children: Thomas, David, Samuel, Daniel, Isaiah, and Joshua, Another daughter married Benjamin Miller of Putnam County. 3. Thomas Ilaight,'' son of David,- was dead in 1757. 4. Nicholas IIaight,^son of David,-^ had the homestead, near the pres- ent Harrison station. He died before 1775, leaving one son, David. IV. 1. John Ilaight,-' son of David,' born 1738, died 1819, lived where Mr. AVilliam II. Smith now lives, on North Street. He has de- scendants in New York. 2. Thomas Haight,^ son of David,^ was of New York. 3. David,^ lived in Bedford, and died in 1836. 4. Samuel,* had one son, Hachaliah, who died young. 5. Daniel,* had the mill now Mr. Van Amringe's, for a time, and in 1792 bought his father's farm, now Mr. Josiah Macy's. He married in 1777 Phoebe, daughter of Roger Purdy, senior, of North Street, and died in 1828, aged seventy-six years. He had three sons : Jonathan, Daniel, and Epenetus ; and five daughters : Anne, married Elijah An- derson ; Sarah, married first, Daniel, son of John Haight ; second, Elijah Purdy ; Mary, married Isaac Purdy ; Elizabeth, married Elias Purdy ; and Abigail, married Richard F. Corn well. V. 1. Jonathan Haight,^ son of Daniel,* born September 25, 1782 ; married Hannah Seaman, born September 30, 1786. He died Novem- ber 25, 1856; his wife, July 25, 1856. They had eight sons: Elisha, Jonathan, Charles, Daniel, Sylvanus, Henry, William, and George ; and one daughter. 2. Daniel Haight,^ son of Daniel,* married Desire, daughter of Ne- hemiah Wilson, of Greenwich, September 26, 1810. They had five sons : Nehemiah W., Daniel, Joseph, John D., and Webster ; and three daughters. 3. Epenetus Haight,' son of Daniel,* had three daughters. Hawkshurst, Daniel, 1758, bought Flamman's place at »Saw Pit, and next year lived in Rye. Hare, Edward, of Rye, 1742, sold thirty acres in Harrison to Thomas Marsh in 1746, and next year his house and twelve acres in Rye. He married Mary, daughter of Sarah Tory, widow, of Rye. Harris, George. See page 177. Harrison, Samuel, 1750, had land in Harrison, on the cross-road to White Plains. Hatfield. Peter, witness in 1724. Abraham, of White Plains, 1749, sold land there. Gilbert, of White Plains, is mentioned 1751 ; and Joshua in 1748. 474 FAMILIES OF RYE. Halsted. Jonas, 1726. David, 1732-1734. Thomas, 1738-1768, was of Harrison. The Revolutionary chart of 1779 shows his farm on the cross-road to White Plains, near Mamaroneck River. PIalsted. I. 1. Ezekiel Halsted,^ originally from Huntington, L. I., says Mr. Bolton (Hist. Weschester Co., vol. ii. p. 79), was of New Rochelle in 1732. (Co. Rec, G.) He removed to Rye in 1746, and bought from the sons of Timothy Knap the" estate now belonging to the heirs of the late Newberry Halsted, on the road to the Beach. He was, apparently, one of the trustees of the Presbyterian Church in 1753. He died at Rye, October 30, 1757, in the forty-ninth year of his age. (Milton Cemetery.) He had two sons, Ezekiel and Joseph. 2. Philemon Halsted,^ was executor to P^zekiel's will, and therefore could not be the Philemon mentioned below, born in 1743. He was doubtless Ezekiel's brother. In 1768 Ezekiel ^ sold to him the estate above described, and also ninety acres north of Roger Park's farm, now Mr. Greacen's. This was the property owned a few years ago by a namesake of Philemon. II. 1. Ezekiel Halsted,^ son of Ezekiel,^ was born in New Rochelle, November 29, 1738, and came to Rye with his father. He married Abigail Theall, July 17, 1758. In 1768 he sold the property left hi-m by his father, and, April 30, 1771, bought the farm south of it, previ- ously Jonathan Brown's, comprising one hundred acres, the lower part of which is still owned by his grandson Underbill. Ezekiel ^ died February 20, 1805. He had a son Ezekiel, and perhaps others. 2. Joseph Halsted,^ son of Ezekiel,^ was probably younger, as pro- vision was made in his father's will for his support. 3. Philemon Halsted,^ probably a son of Philemon,^ was born Octo- ber 10, 1743, and died August 13, 1816. He married Jane . III. 1. Ezekiel Halsted,'' son of Ezekiel," born February 6, 1761, married, first, February 10, 1784, Sarah, daughter of Andrew Lyon, born August 17, 1760, died February 24, 1802. They had five sons: Andrew Lyon, Ezekiel, Underbill, Elisha, and William Henry ; and three daughters: Sarah, born August 21, 1789, married Joseph H. Horton, November 22, 1808, died September 20, 1816: Mary, born July 4, 1791, married Elijah M. Davis, January 3, 1815 ; and Jane Eliza, born July 29, 1801, married Joseph Miller, February 8, 1826. Mr. Halsted married a second time, December 16, 1802, Esther [Schure- man] Griffin, widow of John, born February 23, 1762, died May 5, 1843. They had two sons, Samuel and Schureman. 2. Philemon Halsted," son of Ezekiel," born April 2, 1779, married Deborah, daughter of Newberry and Elizabeth Davenport, born 1788, died July 1, 1845. He died May 16, 1857. Sons: James D. and New- berry. IV. 1. Andrew Lyon Halsted,'* son of Ezekiel,'^ born December 15, 1784, married, first, Ajiril 3, 1809, Lavinia Horton, who died February 26, 1811. He married a second time, May 13, 1812, Frances Miller. HALSTEAD. — HAVILAND. 475 He had five daughters by the first wife, and a son, Griffin B., and a daughter, by the second. 2. Ezekiel Halsted,^ son of Ezekiel,'^ born August 13, 1787, married, November 23, 1808, Ann Griffen. He died August 28, 1828, ' having been a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church twenty-two years.' He had four sons: John, Edward, Ezekiel, and Benjamin; and one daughter. 3. Underbill Halsted,* son of Ezekiel,^ born January 3, 1794, mar- ried, April 28, 1818, Ann Barker. Children : Henry, Wiljiau), Sarah. 4. Elisha Halsted,* son of Ezekiel;^ born February 13, 1776, married, April 28, 1824, Harriet Purdy. Children : James, Leonard, Mary. 5. William Henry Halsted,* son of Ezekiel,^ born August 21, 1799, married, November 12, 1823, vSarah Barker. He had four daughters. G. Samuel Halsted,* son of Ezekiel,'' had three daughters. 7. Schureman Halsted,* son of Ezekiel,^ had Ezekiel, Gilbert, Wil- liam, Samuel, Isaac, Charles, and three daughters. * 8. James D. Halsted,* son of Philemon;' married Elizabeth Todd, and had two sons, Augustus and Mandeville, and one daughter. Haviland. Three persons of this name appear in our records nearly simultaneously, — Jacob in 1715, Benjamin and Adam in 1716. Thomas and John, apjsarently brothers, appear soon after, in 1723- 1725. In 1742 they owned a parcel of sedge land on Manussing Island (the southern part of which was called Haviland Island in 1796). Jacob was of Harrison in 1727, and of West Street in 1742. He was perhaps the father of Joseph. Benjamin, called junior, 1718-1723, in 1724 conveyed a farm of one hundred and thirty acres in Harrison to his son Ebenezer. (Co. Eec., lib. G. p. 6). Solomon, son of Benjamin deceased, married Hannah, daughter of Thomas Carpenter, September 17,1742. (Friends' Rec) Charity, daughter of Benjamin Haviland, married John Ilutchins, six- teenth of fourth month, 1742. (Ibid.) Adam had a son Gilbert. (Brander's Book.) II. 1. Joseph Haviland" was of West Street in 1751, and may have been the son of Jacob, of West Street. He was the father of William. 2. Solomon,^ son of Benjamin deceased, September 17, 1742, mar- ried Hannah, daughter of Thomas Carpenter. (Friends' Rec.) 3. Gilbert,- son of Adam, mentioned 1751. 4. William, of Harrison's Purchase, was the father of Margaret, who married Stephen Cornell, sixteenth of eighth month, 1775 (Friends' Rec.) ; and Charity, who married Richard Burling, fourth of twelfth month, 1776. (Ibid.) 5. John Haviland, perhaps a son of John above mentioned, married Sarah Sneading. III. 1. William Haviland,^ son of Joseph,^ born July 4, 1754, died June 24, 1834. He married, February 14, 1781, Elizabeth, daughter of John Gedney, born February 14, 1763; died November 16, 1842. 476 FAMILIES OF EYE. He lived in a house which stood at some distance west of North Street, on land now owned by Mr. William Mathews, but removed to the lower part of White Plains, shortly after the Revolution. He had four sons : Bartholomew, Timothy, Samuel, Thomas ; and five daugh- ters : Dorothy, born September 17, 1784, married William Harriott, died August 15, 1852 ; Margaret, born January 13, 1793, married Samuel Purdy, died July 18, 1855 ; Jane, born June 5, 1796, married Eliphalet Todd; INIatilda G., born April 18, 1799, married Benjamin Clark, died August 25, 1853 ; and Charlotte, born December 9, 1802, died October 10, 1865. 2. John Haviland,^ son of John ^ and Sarah Sneading, married Phoebe, daughter of Thomas Carpenter, born March 24, 1741. They had four sons : William, John, Benjamin, and Samuel ; and five daughters: Sarah, married Isaac Oakley, died about 1820; Charity, married Gilbert Brundage, died March 4, 1823; Margaret, married first, J. Smith, second, James Nearing ; Mary, manied William Miller ; Elizabeth, married Thomas Carpenter; and Jane, married Aaron Field,, died 1858, aged ninety-three. IV. 1. Bartholomew Haviland,'' son of William," born January 9, 1783, died October 28, 1851. 2. Timothy,^ son of William,^ born August 20, 1786, died May 29, 1869. 3. Samuel,'* son of William,'^ born October 20, 1788. 4. Thomas,* son of William," born June 5, 1791. 5. William Haviland,* son of John,^ married Mary Halsted, and died young, leaving two daughters: Charity, married Richard Burling ; and Margaret, married Stephen Cornell. 6. John Ilaviland,* son of , John,'' born August 1, 1734, married Phoebe Carpenter. He died February 29, 1804, They had two sons : William, and John ; and three daughters : Jane, Sarah, and Mary (died young). 7. Benjamin Haviland,* son of John,^ married Anne Cornell, tenth of first month, 1777 ; he died in Canada. 8. Samuel Haviland,* son of John,^ married Rachel Lecraft, daugh- ter of Dr. Willett, and died in Bedford. Dr. Ebenezer Haviland (see pp. 146, 169,) belonged to one of the branches of this family. He married Tamar, daughter of Underbill Budd, March 25, 1765 ; served honorably in the Revolutionary War as military surgeon ; and died at Wallingford, Connecticut, about the close of the war. (See page 499 for account of his family.) ' Mr. Haviland,' was recognized as deputy from Westchester County, in the New York Convention, when it met 'in the Court house at the White Plains,' July 9, 1776. (American Archives, fourth series, vol. i. p. 1386.) He was sur- geon to the Fourth Regiment, New York Continental troops, August 4, 1775. (Ibid. vol. iii. p. 26.) In April 1776, the New York Committee of Safety appointed ' Doctor Ebenezer Haviland Surgeon to Col. Wyn- koop's Regiment,' and ordered ' that he immediately take the direction HAWKINS. — HUNT. 477 of the Field Oflicers of the Regiment, as to his duty and attendance.' (American Archives, fourth series, vol. v. p. 1475.) ' Ebenezer Havi- land, S. [surgeon's] mate 2*^ Reg' [New York] died 28 June '81.' (The Balloting Hook, and other Documents relating to Military Bounty Lands, in the State of New York: Albany, 1825: p. 108.) The patent for five hundred acres, bounty land, awarded him in 1790, was 'delivered to Horatius Ilaviland his son.' (Ibid. pp. 59, 1 G5.) Hawkins, John, was here in 1771. His son, called junior in 1789, was constable for six years. This family owned land on Grace Church Street, above Jonathan Sniffen's. Here William lived in 1804. Hays, Jacob, with Titus Beekman, of New York, and others, in 1721-1722, leased forty acres in Rye ' for thirty years, to loork mines thereon ! ' The land was apparently on Hog-pen Ridge. Jacob Hays, merchant, in 17o4 sold 'his lot where he now dwells' in Rye. Judah Hays, of New York, merchant, 1743, bought Thomas Purdy's homestead. In 1757 he advertised his stock of dry goods at his ' store in the late Major Van Home's house, between the Fly and Meal Mar- kets ' in New York. Haywood. William, 1720, witness; John, 1736. In 1719, John Haywood of New York, gentleman, had land on JManussing Island. Hill. Henry, 1713, bought of Mary Sherwood one hundred acres in the upper part of Will's Purchase, — now North Castle. John, wit- ness, 1740-1753. Anthony, of Scarsdale, 1749, bought and sold land on Brown's Point. Andrew, 1765. Heet, or HiTT. Thomas Heate, or Hitte, was of Cambridge. Mass., in 1035, 'after which,' says Mr. Savage, 'the name is not found.' Henry Heet or Hitt was here in 1710, and perhaps before. He had land in Will's Purchase, and was collector in 1717. He is last men- tioned in 1726. Samuel was of Rye in 1723. IIoBES, or HuBBs. Joseph lived on ' Gracos street' in 1753. Dan- iel, of Rye, in 1761 bought Solomon Purdy's homestead on Ridge Street, below the place lately Mrs. Osborne's. Here he had fifty-seven acres in 1763. Zephaniah, in 1767, had one of the lots at Saw Pit. Alexander had land on ' Gracious street ' in 1768. Abraham is men- tioned in 1790. HosiEU. Samuel, witness in 1740. John, of White Plains, married Hannah Horton, fifteenth of eleventh month, 1758. (Friends' Rec.) IIowKL, Thomas, 1756-1767, was of Harrison. Hug FORD. Thomas, of Greenwich, bought land near Saw Pit in 1751, and sold it next year. Peter Hugeford, see page 167. Hicks. John ' Heex' was of Rye in 1723. Hltciiings. John ' Huchinge ' was of Rye in 1720. HusoN. Weaker, 1743 ; Henry, 1747. Hunt. ' Samuel Hunt, of Rye,' in 1705, had twenty acres of land from the town, with permission to build a mill at the foils of Mamaro- neck River, above Humphrey Underhill's. From the deposition of 478 FAMILIES OF RYE. Edward Rogers before the Council, New York, February 13, 1725, it appears that Hunt was of Westchester, and was a son-in-law of Under- bill. (Land Papers in Secretary of State's Office, Albany, vol. viii. p. 101.) In 1721 he had a tract of three hundred and eighty acres in White Plains, for which he obtained a patent. (Ibid. p. 100.) The survey of White Plains, February 24, 1721, shows the location of this tract, between North Street and Mamaroneck River. His house, at the lower end of this tract, stood about where Mr. Carpenter's house now stands, two miles below the village. His mill was situated appar- ently where there is a saw-mill now, a mile and a half above the bridge. Samuel Hunt, junior, was of Rye in 1745-1748. Hugh Hunt was here in 1717, and Enoch Hunt in 1739-1742. These may have been sons of Samuel. No others of this name appear to have settled in Rye, until the latter part of the century, when Jesse Hunt,* Esq., high sheriff of the county, married Esther, daughter of the Rev. James Wetmore, and widow of David Brown of Rye. It is said tliat he then sold Hunter's Island, which he owned, and came to this place. He was supervisor of the town in 1785-1786. He lived where Mr. Josiah Purdy now lives, near the railroad station in Rye, upon land which his wife had received from her father. Mr. Hunt had three sons, Thomas, Jesse, and Samuel, and a daughter, by his first wife ; no children by the second. See pedigree in Bolton's History of Westchester County, vol. ii. pp. 523, 524. I find nothing to bear out the statement there made that Thomas Hmit, who went to Westchester before 16G5, was 'of Rye.' On no other ground than this statement, apparently, the Hunt Genealogy represents this ancestor of the West- chester family as going from Stamford to Rye 'by 1652,' — a period when Rye certainly was not; and as representative in 1664, — a fact which the Colony Records do not establish. The name does not appear among the names of our early settlers. Hunter, Andrew, was herein 1723-1724. Ireland, Adam ; see page 120. Jacobs, Raphael, 1739, merchant of New York, in 1742 bought from Gideon Barrel the house and land adjoining previously Peter Brown's (lately D. H. Mead's), which he afterwards sold to Rev. Jas. Wetmore. (Records, and Mr. Wetmore's will.) Jagger, Lemuel, married Anna, daughter of Roger Park ; '' in 1775 he bought the above mentioned property from Dr. P'benezer Haviland (Co. Rec, lib. i. p. 74), and sold it in 1784 to Dr. Gilbert Budd, of Mamaroneck. (Ibid. p. 357.) In 1776, the Vestry met 'at the house of Capt. Lemuel Jagger.' About the beginning of this century he was living in a house which stood between the post-road and Mr. J. E- Coming's present residence. * ' Jesse Hunt of New Rochclle' was captain of militia in Colonel Drake's regi- ment, May, 1776. (See certificate of good character given him by the N. Y. Com. of Safety; American Archives, fourth series, vol. v. p. 1486.) JAY. 479 John Jay. The Jay Cemetery, Rye. Jay. ' I have been informed that our family is of Poictoii, in France, and that the branch of it to which we belong removed from thence to Rochelle. Of our ancestors anterior to Pierre Jay, who left France on the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, I know nothing that is certain.' (Chief Justice Jay, autobiography, in Life of John Jay, by his son William Jay : in two volumes. New York, 1833 : vol. i. pp. 2, 3.) I. Pierre Jay ' was an active and opulent merchant, extensively and profitably engaged in commerce. He married Judith, a daughter of Mons. Francjois, a merchant in Rochelle. One of her sisters married M. Mouchard, whose son was a director of the French East India Company. Pierre Jay had three sons and one daughter. The sons were Francis, who was the eldest ; Augustus, who was born the twenty- third of March, 1665; and Isaac, The daughter's name was Frances. Mr. Jay seemed to have been solicitous to have one of his sons educated in England. He first sent his eldest son, but he imfortunately died [of sea-sicktiess^ on the passage. Notwithstanding this distressing event, he immediately sent over his son Augustus, who was then only twelve years old. In the year 1683, Mr. Jay recalled Augustus, and sent him to Africa, but to what part or for what purpose is now unknown.' (Ibid.) During the absence of Augustus, the persecution of the Protestants in France became severe ; and Pierre Jay became one of its objects. Dragoons were quartered in his house ; and his family were subjected to serious annoyance. He was imprisoned in the castle of Rochelle, 480 FAMILIES OF RYE. but was released through the influence of some Ronian Catholic con- nections. Having at the time several vessels out at sea, which were expected soon in port, he desired a Protestant pilot in his employment to take the first of these vessels that should arrive to a place agreed upon — the Island of Rhe. The ship that arrived first was one from Spain, of which he was the sole owner. The pilot was faithful to his trust, and in due time Mr. Jay reached England, and rejoined his family, whom he had sent to England some time before, at Plymouth. II. Augustus Jay returned to France from Africa, ignorant of these family changes. As it was unsafe to appear in Rochelle openly, he was secreted for some time by his aunt Madame INIouchard, who was a Prot- estant, but whose husband was a Roman Catholic. With the help of his friends he escaped to the West Indies, and thence to Charleston, South Carolina. The climate proving unfavorable, he removed to Philadelphia, and afterwards to Esopus, on the Hudson River, where he entered into business ; but he ultimately settled down in New York. He revisited France and England in 1692, and saw his father and sister ; his mother had lately died. In 1697, Augustus Jay married, in New Y'ork, Anna Maria, daughter of Balthazar Bayard, the descendant of a Protestant professor of theol- ogy at Paris in the reign of Louis XIII. who had been compelled to leave Paris and take refuge with his wife and children in Holland ; whence several members of his family came to America. Mrs. Jay was a woman of eminent piety. It is mentioned that she died while on her knees in prayer. Augustus Jay was born March 23, 1665, ' He lived to the good old age of eighty-six, respected and esteemed by his fellow-citizens,' and died in New York, where he had pursued his calling as a merchant with credit and success, March 10, 1751. He had four daughters, and one son, Peter. His daughter Judith, born August 29, 1798, married Cornelius Van Home, April 6, 1735, and died August, 1757 ; Mary, born August 31, 1700, married Peter Valette, June 27, 1723, and died June 5, 1762; Frances, born February 26, 1702, married Frederick Van Cortlandt, January 19, 1724; Ann, died young. III. Peter Jay,'^ only son of Augustus," was born November 3, 1704. He married Mary, daughter of Jacobus Van Cortlandt, January 20, 1728. Like his father, he was a merchant in the city of New Y^'ork. ' Having earned a fortune which, added to the property he had acquired by inheritance and marriage, he thought sufficient, he resolved, when little more than forty years old, to retire into the country, and for this purpose purchased a farm at Rye.' For account of this purchase and notice of Mr. Jay, see pp. 209, 210. He died April 17, 1782 ; his wife had died April 17, 1777. They had seven sons: Augustus, James (died young), another James, Peter, Frederick (died young), John, and another Frederick ; and three daughters : Eve ; Anna Maricka, born JAY. 481 October 20, 1737; died September 4, 1791 (see page 209, note) ; and Mary, born November 10, 1748; died May 18, 1752. IV. 1. Augustus Jay,* eldest son of Peter,' was born April 12, 1730. lie was never married, lie died December 23, 1801. 2. James Jay,'' third son of Peter,' born October IG, 1732, became Sir James Jay, Kt. ; he resided for some years in England, and re- turned after the Revolution to New York, where he lived until the time of his death, October 20, 1815. On his return from England, in 1784 or 1785, Sir James Jay brought propositions from the Countess of Huntington to some of the States of the Union, for establishing settle- ments of emigrants among the Indians, with a view to civilizing them, and converting them to Christianity. General Washington, in a letter to him dated January 25, 1785, expresses his entire approval of the plan, and suggests that it should be brought before Congress. (Writ- ings of Washington, by Jared Sparks, vol. ix. pp. 86-89.) 3. Peter Jay,* fourth son, was born December 19, 1734. He and his sister Ann Maricka were deprived of sight in infancy by the small-pox. (See page 209.) He married Mary Duyckinck in 1789. 'This gentle- man,' says Dr. Dwight, ' had the misfortune to become blind, when he was fourteen [four] years of age. It has not, however, prevented him from possessing a fine mind, and an excellent character ; or from being highly respected and beloved by his acquaintance. Notwithstanding the disadvantage under which ' he 'labors, he directs all his own con- cerns with skill and success ; and often with an ingenuity and discern- ment which have astonished those by whom they were known.' * * 'Some years since,' adds Dr. Dwight, 'Mr. Jay, having directed a carpenter to renew the fence wliich enclosed his garden, made a little excursion to visit some of his friends. Upon his return he was told that the posts on the front line of the garden were already set up. He therefore went out to examine them; and having walked with attention along the whole row, declared that it was not straight. The carpenter insisted that his eyes were better guides in this case than Mr. Jay's hands. Mr. Jay still persisted in his opinion, and pointed out the place where the row diverged from a right line. Upon a reexamination the carpenter found a small bend in the row, at the very spot designated by his employer. — Several gentlemen were at Mr. Jay's on a friendly visit. In the room where they were sitting was a large stand. One of the company observed that so wide a board must have been furnished by a tree of rcmark- alile size. Anotlier doubted whether the board was single. It was examined ; no joint could be found ; and the generally uniform aspect of the surface seemed to prove that it was but one board. Governor [John] Jay, who had gone out, was asked when he returned whetlier the table was formed of one or two boards. Upon his declaring that it was made of two, a new examination was had ; but none of the company could find the joint. The Governor then observed that his brother would be able to show them where it was. Mr. Jay soon came in, and having moved his finger for a moment over tiie middle of the table, rested it upon the joint. It was barely visible, even when thus pointed out. When we remember that it was so nicely made at first, and that it had been waxed and polished for perhaps half a century, we shall be satis- fied that the touch, able so easily to detect an object imperceptible to every eye in this company, must possess an exquisitcness of sensibility, which, antecedent to such a 31 482 FAMILIES OF RYE. Mr. Jay died not long after Dr. Dwight's visit ; his death occurred on the eighth of July, 1813. Mrs. Jay, born September 14, 1736, sur- vived her husband several years; she died April 26, 1824. They had no children. 4. John Jay,"* sixth son of Peter,^ was born December 12, 1745. His boyhood was spent at Rye and New Rochelle. (See page 209.) On commencing his clerkship (in a lawyer's office in New York) he asked his father's permission to keep a riding horse. His father hesitated, and inquired, ' John, why do you want a horse ? ' ' That I may have the means, sir, of visiting you frequently,' was the reply ; and it removed every objection. The horse was procured ; and during the three years of his clerkship, Mr. Jay made it a rule to pass one day with his parents at Rye every fortnight. (Life of John Jay, vol. i. p. 21.) He was ad- mitted to the bar in 1768. April 28, 1774, he married Sarah, daughter of William Livingston, afterwards governor of New Jersey. He soon took a leading position in the politics of the country, and was prominent in the debates of the first and the second Continental Congress. In 1777 he was appointed chief justice of the State of New Y''ork. In 1778 he was elected president of Congress. In 1779 he was sent as minister to Spain, and from thence in 1782 went to Paris as commissioner to assist in the negotiation of a treaty of peace with Great Britain. He returned to New York in 1784, after an absence of five years, and was received with tokens of esteem and admiration. December 21, 1784, he was appointed by Congress secretary for foreign affiiirs, and held the office for five years. He was one of the contributors to ' The Foederalist.' In 1789 he was appointed chief justice of the United States, — an office which he was the first to fill. In 1794 he was sent as special minister to London, upon a delicate and most important mis- sion, relating to difficulties growing out of unsettled boundaries and certain commercial complications. He discharged this duty with great, ability, and upon his return to America in 1795, was elected by a large majority governor of the State of New Y''ork. At the end of three years he was reelected ; and at the expiration of a second term was solicited to become a candidate for election a third time. But he had determined to renounce public life ; and though nominated again in 1800 to the office of chief justice of the United States, declined the honor, and retired to his paternal estate at Bedford ; a property — part of the A'^an Cortlandt estate — which his father had acquired by mar- riage with IMary, daughter of Jacobus Van Cortlandt. There Judge Jay lived for twenty-eight years, a peaceful and honored life. In 1827 he was seized with a severe illness, and after two years of weakness and suffering, was struck with palsy, May 14, 1829, and died three days after. ' His public reputation as a patriot and statesman of the Revo- fact, would scarcely be credible.' {Travels in New England and New York: vol. iii. pp. 487, 488.) JAY. 483 lution was second only to that of Washington ; and his private char- acter as a man and a Christian is singularly free from stain or blemish.' Judge Jay had two sons, Peter Augustus and William ; and four daughters : Susan (died young) ; Maria, married Goldsborough Banyar ; Ann ; and Sarah Louisa, born February 20, 1792, died April 22, 1818, 5. Frederick Jay,'' seventh son of Peter,^ was born April 19, 1747. He married, first, November 17, 1773,* Margaret, daughter of Andrew Barclay, who died October 28, 1791, aged thirty-nine; secondly P^uphemia Dunscomb, who died February 26, 1817. In May, 1776 Frederick Jay was a member of the Committee of Safety for Rye. (See page 228.) August 16, 1776, General Washington w-rote from head- quarters, New York, to Frederick Jay, at New Rochelle [Rye ?] by persons going under a guard to Governor Trumbull, of Connecticut, asking him to dismiss the guard and send them on under parole. These persons were Colonel Phillips, James Jauncey, and six others. (American Archives, fifth series, vol. i. p. 981.) Not long after this, Mr. Frederick Jay found it necessary to remove with his family from Rye to Bedford, for security. He died December 14, 1799, and was buried in the family vault in the Bowery. 6. Eve Jay,^ eldest daughter of Peter Jay,^ born November 9, 1728, married Rev. Harry Munro, March 31, 1766, and died April 7, 1810. Mr. Munro, born in 1730, was ordained in 1757 a clergyman of the Church of Scotland, and as chaplain of a Highland regiment served in the ' French War,' 1759-1760. In 1765 he united with the Church of England, and was ordained and appointed missionary of the Gospel Propagation Society at Yonkers, N. Y. He was afterwards settled at Albany. In 1778 he went to England, and in 1787 to Scotland, where he died May 30, 1801. Mrs. Eve Munro was his third wife; their only child was Peter J. Munro, a prominent lawyer and citizen of New York. (Bolton, Hist, of the Prot. Episc. Church in Westchesteir County, pp. 494-504.) V. 1. Peter Augustus,^ eldest son of John Jay,* was born January 24, 1776. He graduated at Columbia College in 1794, and studied law under Peter Jay Munro. He married Mary Rutherfurd, daughter of General Matthew Clarkson. Mr. Jay became prominent in the legal profession, and in public affairs. He was a member of the State As- sembly in 1816 ; was recorder of New Y''ork in 1818 ; was a member of the Convention which framed the constitution of the State in 1821 ; and was for many years president of the New York Historical Society, trustee of Columbia College, etc. He received the degree of LL. D. ia 1831 from Harvard, and in 1835 from Columbia College. He died February 20, 1843. Children: John Clarkson Jay, M. D. ; Peter * ' Last ni)xht was married Mr. Frederick Jay, merchant of this city, to Miss Bar- clay, dauf;iiter of Mr. Andrew Barclay, merchant in Wall Street.' Rivington's N. Y. Giizetteer, November 18, 1773. 484 FAMILIES OF RYE. Augustus; Mary, who married Frederick Prime; Sarah, who married William Dawson ; Catharine Helena, who married Henry Augustus Dubois, M. D. ; Anna INIaria, who married Henry Evelyn Pierrepont ; Susan Matilda, who married Matthew Clarkson ; and Elizabeth Clark- son. 2. William,^ second son of John Jay,'' born June 16, 1779, graduated at Yale College in 1807, and studied law at Albany; but having injured his eyes by intense study, relinquished his practice and retired to Bed- ford. Upon the death of his father in 1829, he acquired the Bed- ford estate. His life was principally devoted to philanthropic labors. He married Augusta McVicker. He died at ]3edford, October 14, 1858. He had one son, John, and five daughters : Anna, who married Rev. Lewis P. W. Balch, D. D. ; Maria, who nmrried John F. Butter- worth ; Sarah Louisa, who married Alexander M. Bruen, M. D. ; Eliza, who married Henry Edward Pellew, of England ; and Augusta. 3. Maria,^ daughter of John Jay,'' was born at Madrid, February 20, 1782. She was married, April 22, 1801, to Goldsborough Banyar, who died June, 1806. Mrs. Banyar died November 21, 1856. 4. Ann,^ daughter of John Jay,* was born at Passy, near Paris, August 13, 1783. She died November 13, 1856. The names of these two sisters, rich in faith and in good works, are widely known through the published notices of their lives and death. The remains of both lie in the family cemetery at Rye. VI. 1. John Clarkson,® eldest son of Peter Augustus Jay, born Sep- tember 11, 1808, married Laura, daughter of Nathanael Prime. Dr. Jay is the proprietor of the estate at Rye. Lie graduated at Columbia College in 1827, and in 1831 took his degree as M. D. He has made a special study of conchology, and possesses the most complete and valuable collections of shells in this country. On this branch of natu- ral history Dr. Jay has written several pamphlets.* Sons : Peter Au- gustus, and John Clarkson, M. D., both of whom served in the war for .the Union, the former as captain of a company, the latter as assistant surgeon. Rev. Peter A. Jay is now rector of Christ P. E. church, War- wick, Orange Co., New York. He married Julia, daughter of Alfred C. Post, M. D. Daughters : Laura, who married Charles Pemberton Wurts ; Mary, who married Jonathan Edwards ; Cornelia, Alice, and Sarah. He has lost two sons : John and Augustus (both of whom died young) ; and two daughters: Anne Maria, who died December 3, 1858, aged fifteen ; and Matilda Costar (died young). 2. John,® son of Judge William Jay,^ married Eleanor Kingsland, * Catalogue of Recent Shells, etc. New York, 1835, 8vo, pp.56. Description of New and Rare Shells, with four plates. New York, 1836, 2d ed., pp. 78. A Catalogue, ^c, together with Descriptions of New and Rare Species. New York, pp. 125, 4to, ten plates. The article on Shells, in the narrative of Commodore Perry's Expedition to Japan, is by Dr. Jay. JAY. 485 daughter of Hickson W. Field. Children : Eleanor, who married Henry Grafton Chapman ; William ; Augusta, who married Edmund Randolph Robinson ; Mary, who married William Schieffelin ; and Anna. TuE Ck:mkti:ry of the Jay family, of which a view has been given, is situated on the estate at Rye, To this spot the remains of several of the earlier members of tlie family were brought, in 1807, from the family vault in New York ; and here a number of their descendants have been interred since. The pointed shaft a little to the right of the centre is the tomb of Peter Augustus Jay and his wife Mary. Next on the right is the tomb of Ann Jay, daughter of John. The next monument is that of her illustrious father, and bears the following inscription : — IN MEJIORY OF JOHN JAY,* Eminent among those who asserted the liberty and established the independence of his country which he long served in the most important offices legislative, executive, judicial and diplomatic and distinguished in them all by his ability, firmness, patriotism and integrity, he was in his life and in his death an example of the virtues, the faitli and the hopes of a Christian. Born Dec. 12, 1745. Died May 17, 1829. The tombs of Peter Jay and his wife are near this ; and next to theirs is the grave of Eve Munro — the last but one towards the right of the vignette. The monument sunnoimted by an urn is to the memory pf Harriet van Cortlaiidt, wife of Augustus F. van Cortlandt, and daughter of Peter Jay Munro. The obelisk in the foregroimd indicates the resting-place of Maria Rutherfurd, wife of Frederick Prime and daugh- ter of Peter A. Jay. Several children of Dr. John C. Jay lie buried in the southeast comer of the cemetery (at the left in the vignettei) The tomb of the last of these bears this touching inscription: — ' Child after child on earth Has lived, and loved, and died : And as they left us, one by one, We laid them side by side. ' We laid them down to sleep. But not in hope forlorn ; We laid them but to ripen here Till the last glorious morn.' 486 FAMILIES OF RYE. Janes, Michael, aged twenty-five, made deposition in 1711, before Court of Sessions. (Co. Records, "White Plains, vol. D. p. 12.) ' Micah Jeanes,' 1812, owned property here (Brander's Book); witness, 1731. Kennedy, Robert, 1789-1813. ' Capt. Kenady's house and mill' are indicated on Webb's map of Rye, 1797 : the house on the upper, the mill on the lower side of Blind Brook, where Park's mill now stands. Robert Kennedy died February 6, 1826, aged seventy years, ten months, eleven days. His wife Sarah died July 29, 1821, aged sixty years, four months, eleven days. (Cemetery.) Their daughter, Martha H., married Jesse Park, junior. King, John, 1733, bought Jacob Hays' house. La Count (Le compte), Francis (of New Rochelle) ; a ' home-lot formerly laid out' to him, on Brown's Point, near White Plains, is mentioned in 1727. (Rec, C. 163, 168.) Lamson, 'Anna, daughter of John & HepV baptized February 1, 1793. Lawrence. Jacob, • of East Chester,' in 1710, bought a Byram River lot, and in 1714 the 'mowing meadow lot,' formerly Jacob Pearce's. Stephen, 'of Flushing,' in 1731 bought from Thomas Carle, of Rye, four hundred acres in Harrison, between Mamaroneck River and the * middle line'; and in 1738 conveyed his title to it to Joseph Haight. William, ' of Flushing,' in 1732, sold to William Marsh his farm of seventy-five acres in the White Plains purchase. John, in 1748, bought twenty-eight acres in Lame Will's Purchase. Lew^is, Henry, witness, 1733 ; had property here, 1735. Man, Isaac, owned land on the north side of Joseph Sherwood's farm on Grace Church Street, about 1750. McCoLLUM, Thomas, married Sarah, daughter of Roger Park,^ and was living in 1799, on Grace Church Street. He is mentioned in 1801. Marsh, William, ' of Flushing,' in 1732 bought a farm of seventy- five acres in White Plains ; to which he added largely by subsequent purchases. He is mentioned last in 1740. Thomas, perhaps his brother, as early as 1735 owned land between Blind Brook and Purchase Street, near Park's mill. He is mentioned last in 1767, and as 'currier.' Thomas left his lands to the grandfather of Mr. Thomas Lyon, of Ridge Street, now living. Marselis, Theophilus, of New York, was here for some years from about 1790. He lived at Rye Neck in the house by Davenport's mill- pond. Sons : Peter, Theophilus, John, Nelson ; daughters : Catharine, Hannah ; Jane, married Dr. Harris. John, son of Theophilus, was baptized at Rye, May 8, 1791, Peter Marselis sponsor. Last mentioned 1802. Marvin, Lewis, witness in 1739, called 'merchant, of Rye' in 1759, lived in Saw Pit. His wife Martha died February 5, 1767, in her thirty-ninth year, and was buried near the old Episcopal Church at MOLLINEX. — PINE. 487 Rye. (Bolton, Hist. P. E. Church, p. 349.) Her husband died during tlie war, and was buried in the same place. He is said to have been a native of Ireland. Samuel, probably his son, was living in Saw Pit in 1786. He was supervisor in 1805, and justice of the peace in 1804— 1806. 'Abigail and Edward Thomas, children of Samuel and Abigail Marvin,' were baptized February 1791, and Nancy Thomas, daughter of the same, October 25, 1792. MoLLiNKX. Ilorsman, of Rye, married Sarah Blackman, nineteenth of tenth month, 1769. (Friends' Rec.) MouuiLL, Rivers, was of Saw Pit in 1799 ; mentioned 1814. MoKKis. John, 'of Rye, yeoman,' in 1741 sold his house and eleven and one half acres, on Merritt's Point, bought in 1732. Owen, witness, in 1747. Morgan, Jonas, appears to have been associated in some w'ay with Joseph Budd in the proprietorship of Budd's Neck. ' Budd and Jonas Morgan's Purchase ' is mentioned in Harrison's patent, 1696 ; also iii a deed of David Jamison, 1730. (Rec, D. p. 295.) Maynard, Isaiah, mentioned 1752, 1753, 1761. MuiRSON, Rev. George. See page 306. Murray, Charles, witness in 1738. McDonald, Dr. Charles. See page 170. MooRK, Nathanael, was here in 1771. MoTT, James, was here in 1771. Nkally, John, is mentioned in 1721 and 1740. Newman, John, was of Harrison in 1740. Nichols, Thomas. His ' dwelling house 'and 'fulling mill,' appar- ently in Harrison, are mentioned 1720. Walter, mentioned in 1793. Oakley, Isaac, witness in 1757. 1761. OwKN. Moses, bought in 1730 the farm of seventy-four acres for- merly John Walton's, near the Presbyterian Church at the White Plains. Moses, junior, is mentioned 1741. Panton, Andrew, was here in 1719. Palmer, Edward, of King Street in 1746, and Marmaduke, of Brown's Point, near White Plains, in 1764, were sons of Sylvanus, of Mamaroneck, where this family established themselves at an early day. Peck, Jared, removed early in this century from Greenwich, Conn., to Saw Pit, now Port Chester, where his family have since resided. (See Adce.) Pederick, Benjamin, 'late of Rye, now of New York,' in 1744 sold his house and eight and one half acres (where the Seminary now stands) to Rev. John Smith. He owned this property in 1732. Peet, William, of Mamaroneck, in 1743 bought seventy acres on Budd's Neck, which he sold in 1752 to Jonathan Horton. Pine. James is mentioned in 1744. The ' estate of James Pine, deceased,' on the Purchase Road (about opposite Mr. Wilson's pres- 488 FAMILIES OF RYE. ent residence), is referred to in 17C0. James, perhaps his son, 'late of Nassau island,' in 1763 bought Anne Disbrow's house and land (near the present site of the Presbyterian Church), but removed next year to New Rochelle, where he died in 176G. Benjamin, in 1767, bought one of the Saw Fit lots. A third James in 1786 was living on the lower part of King Street ; mentioned in 1785-1801, Parker, William, married Anna Hyat, July 25, 1792. Joseph, of Rye, in early life was concerned in one of the most extraordinary cases of ' mistaken identity ' on record. At a court of Oyer and Terminer, held in the city of New York, June 22, 1804, ' Thomas Hoag alias Joseph Parker ' was indicted for bigamy. The charge was that on the eighth of May, 1797, he was married in New York to Susan Faesch, and on the twenty-fifth of December, 1800, his wife being still alive, he married one Catharine Secor, in Rockland County, N. Y. The first marriage was admitted by the prisoner ; and to prove the second, wit- nesses were brought, who testified that they had seen him constantly for several months in Rockland County, had been present at his wed- ding, etc. ; the woman herself declaring ' that she was as well convinced as she could possibly be of anything in this world that the prisoner at the bar was the person who married her by the name of Thomas Hoag ; that she then thought him and still thinks him the handsomest man she ever saw.' Certain bodily marks, and other peculiarities were specified by the witnesses, as belonging to Hoag ; e. g. a scar on the forehead, produced by a kick from a horse, another just above the lip, a mark on the neck, a peculiar gait, a shrill voice, rapid utterance, slight lisp, etc. All these were noticed in the prisoner. For the defence it was shown that Parker, who ' was born at Rye, in Westchester county,' had been engaged in his regular occupation in New York during the whole time of his alleged presence in Rockland County ; that he had served throughout the same period as one of the city watch, and had done constant duty, etc. Finally, several witnesses for the prosecution hav- ing spoken of a scar which Hoag bore on his foot, the trace of a wound produced by treading on a drawing knife ; the prisoner was requested to exhibit his foot to the jury; whereupon 'not the least mark or sear could be found.' The jury, without retiring from the box, returned a verdict of not guilty. (Manual of the Corporation of the City of New Y^ork, by D. T. Valentine, 1866, pp. 746-755.) PiNKNEY. Mr. Thomas Pinkney lived iiere in 1712. PitOBoy, William, bought land in Harrison, 1720 ; mentioned 1723. Provoost. David,^ of New Y''ork, owned the property now known as Jones' Wood. He married Rhinelander, and had four sons : John, AVilliam, Henry, and ; and one daughter. William,^ son of David,^ came to Rye, and bought of David Doughty sixty-seven acres of land near Rye Ferry — lately known as the Provoost estate. William T.,'' son of William,^ became the sole proprietor of Rye PROVOOST. — SEAMAN. 489 Ferry. lie married Mary Carson, daughter of Robert Carson. vShe died in 1844. They had seven sons, five of whom removed to Buf- falo : Janies,^ who died in 18G8 ; Robert,^ who died in 1840; David,** Samuel,^ and John,^ now living. George, whose family are now resid- ing on Rye Neck, died in 184G. William,^ second son of William T.,^ lives near the steamboat landing, on a part of the old farm, the greater portion of which was bought in 1868, by E. B. "Wesley. ' Rye Ferry' ceased to exist about sixty years ago. As late as 1810 or 1811, boats — schooners — ran regularly between this place and Matiiiecock Point, on the opposite shore of Long Island. QuiMiiv, Josiali, of INIamaroneck, sold land in Harrison, 1727. QuiNTARD, Peter. See page 148. RiCKKY. Thomas, lived here in 1720, and is mentioned in 173'.)- 1740. Peter and Jeremiah (the latter called Ricker) enlisted for the French War, 1758-1759. RiTCiiiK (perhaps the same name), William, was here in 1771. JIeynolds, Gideon, witness in 1740. Robinson. Thomas, of Rye in 1719, owned land in Harrison, 1727- 1740 : was living in 17G6. William, mentioned 1736. Rogers, Dr. David. See page 170. Rogers, Israel, witness in 1722. Jeremiah was living here in 1723. Roll, Mangle Jonson. mariner, of New York, bought land in ' limp- ing Will's purchase,' 1713 ; witness in 1747. Roosevelt. ' Rosevelt's store-house,' near Byram River, is men- tioned in 1730 : ' Rosevelt's land' near Saw Pit landing, in 1732. John Roosevelt and others of New York in 1743 sell to Adam Seaman of Rye for one thousand and two hundred pounds, a grist mill on Byram River, with all lands laid out to them 'at a place called the Saw pitt,' and a farm of fifty acres, on King Street. Rrsi'ORTii, Jonathan, lived here in 1705. — RusTEN, John, about 1760 bought land on Budd's Neck. Ray, John, witness in 1744-1754. Sackett, Nathanael, witness in 1764. Sawykr, Thomas, mentioned 1739, bought land in 1750-1751, on Budd's Neck, now owned by J. E. Corning, Esq., and Miss Ilubbs. ScHOFiELD, R. ; ' lot in town field, formerly ' his, mentioned 1714. Scott, Henry, of Mamaroneck, in 1745 bought one hundred and thirty-eight acres in White Plains. Seaman. Richard, witness in 1722, had land in the upper part of Harrison 1723-1730, previous to 1737. Adam, 'of North Castle, mer- chant,' in 1742 bought land in Rye. He owned land at the lower end of King Street in 1749. Adam, junior, mentioned in 1758. Israel and Silvamis lived at Saw Pit in the latter part of the last century. Isaac is mentioned in 1800 ; Drake, in 1791. Hicks lived in Harrison in 1743. 490 FAMILIES OF RYE. Salkr, John, in 1724 had land in Harrison, on the road from the Purchase to King Street. Secok. Joshua, 179G, and Jonathan, 1802-1803, lived in the upper part of King Street : perhaps of the New Rochelle family of this name. (See Bolton, Hist. "Westchester Co., vol. ii. p. 542.) Sears. Seers had property in the town in 1720. In 174 6 Bartholomew Sears of Rye sold eighty acres between Mamaroneck River and the White Plains Road. William Suel [Sewall ?] Sears lived on Middle Street in 1748. Setton, Daniel, in 1731 had land on the east side of King Street. Sexton, George, of Rye, 'cordwinder,' sold his house and land in White Plains, 1735, to Jeremiah Fowler. Seymour, Drake, mentioned 1788-1813. Shaw, John, witness in 1743. 'Shaw's field' adjoining Godfrey Hains' land on Budd's Neck, is mentioned 1760. Slater. Abraham is mentioned in 1730; John in 1733. John as early as 1758 was living on Hog-pen Ridge ; was alive in 1789. Henry was of the same locality in 1785, and William in 1796. The name is sometimes written Slaughter. Smith. I. Rev. John Smith, for nearly thirty years minister of the Presbyterian congregation of Rye and the White Plains, was the an- cestor of a numerous and respectable family in this county. Accord- ing to the inscription upon his tombstone in the burying-ground at White Plains, he was born in England, May 5, 1702. See notice of his life and labors, pp. 166, 330-335. The following particulars are gathered chiefly from fjimily records. Dr. Smitli married, May 6, 1724, Mehetabel, daughter of James and Mary Hooker, of Guilford, Conn., born May 1, 1704, died September 5, 1775, aged seventy-one years. Her father was a son of Rev. Samuel Hooker, and grandson of the famous Rev. Thomas Hooker. Dr. Smith died February 26, 1771, aged sixty-nine years. He had four sons : William Hooker, John, James, and Thomas ; and eight daughters : JNIary, Susannah, Eliza- beth, Ann, Martha, Sarah, Mehetabel, and Abigail. II. 1. William Hooker Smith, M. D., was the eldest son of the Rev. John Smith, pastor of the Presbyterian Church of Rye from 1742 to 1771. He was born March 23, 1725, and studied medicine probably under the direction of his father, who was a physician as well as a clergyman. Dr. W. H. Smith practised medicine as early as 1753 at Rye. He joined the Continental Army at an early period, and was ap- pointed assistant surgeon in the Pennsylvania line. From July 3, 1778, until the close of the war, he ' acted as surgeon at the post of Wilkes- barre, Wyoming Valley, and was the only officer attached to that post during the war. The garrison consisted of two companies of Regulars, and the militia of the valley.' In view of his services during the war, the claim of his descendants in 1837 to commutation on account of those SMITH. — STEVENSON. 491 services was favored by the coiiiniittce of Congress on Revolutionary claims, December 22, 1837. (Resolutions, etc., relating to the Pay of Officers and Soldiers of the Revolution. AVashington : 1838, p. 355.) And in 1838, the heirs of William Hooker Smith, ' who was a surgeon in the "War of the Revolution,' obtained compensation from the United States government,' for five years' full pay.' 'The heirs represented in the settlement were James Snn'th, William Smith, John Smith, and Susannah Gay.' (Information from Treasury Department.) These would appear to have been children of Dr. W. H. Smith. He married Sarah . He had a daughter JNIary, who married Jolin Barker. 2. John Smitii,^ second son of Rev. John Smith, born August 12, 1726 ; died at Guilford, September 24, 1729. 3. James Smith,- third son, born September 11, 1739 ; died July 23, 1754. 4. Thomas Smith,- fourth son, born March 7, 1741, lived in Green- burg, and left several children. 5. Mary,^ eldest daughter, born August 5, 1728 ; died in New York, August 28, 1729. 6. Susannah,- second daughter, born October 5, 1729 ; died April 20, 1768. 7. Elizabeth,^ third daughter, born January 12, 1731 ; died February 28, 1797. 8. Ann,- fourth daughter, born September 26, 1732 ; died November 2, 1750. 9. Martha,- fifth daughter, born November 11, 1734. 10. Sarah,- sixth ' daughter to y" Rev. Doc'"" John Smith,' born De- cember 26, 1736, married Reuben Wright, and ' de])"^ this Life Sept"^ y'' 7"^ 1768 in y« 32"! Year of her Age.' (W. P. Gem.) 11. Mehetabel,^ seventh daughter, born June 22, 1744, married Purdy, of Greenburg, and had two sons : James and Klisha. 12. Abigail,^ youngest daughter, born March 21, 1746, married Jacob Purdy, of White Phiins, and died about twenty-five years ago. She had three sons: Henry, Jacob, and John ; and five daughters: Lavinia, married Horton ; Susan, married Hunt, whose son Jacob is still liviug at White Plains; Winneford, married Ferris: Abigail, married Angevine ; and Mehetabel, married John Dusenbery, of Greenburg. Stevknsox. John, executor with Samuel Purdy, of Joseph Budd's will, in 1722. (Rec, C. p. 62.) Benjamin, owned land in Harrison, 1737. Stephen, of Rye, had deceased in 1742. (Friends' Rec.) Na- thanael, mentioned 1744, sold land in Harrison, 1749, to James Steven- son, called esquire in 1745. By an execution on the lands, etc., of James Stevenson, in 1766, his farm of two hundred acres, on the cross- road from Harrison to King Street, was granted to Andrew Lyon. (D. p. 218.) -192 FAMILIES OF RYE. Strtngham, Peter, witness in 1726; of Rye in 1730, when Peter Ferris of Westchester released to him all his claim to the tract of land known as Harrison's Purchase. (D. p. 119.) Sutton. Joseph, according to Mr. Bolton, a son of Joseph Sutton who removed from Massachusetts to Lonof Island. He lived on King Street, within the present bounds of North Castle, where his descend- ants the Misses Field now live. The house is said to have been built by Joseph as early as 1710. Thomas, mentioned 1718, owned lands on the south side of the road from the meeting-house to King Street in 1723. Joseph, junior, mentioned 1725, and Daniel, mentioned 1727, were probably his sons. John, witness in 1750, and William, 1771, were perhaps of this family. John, son of Benjamin, married Ann Marshall of Greenwich, eighteenth of second month, 1761. (Friends' Rec.) Talt.edy, Stephen, was of Rye in 1718, when the proprietors of Peningo Neck 'for their goodwill to' him, give 'him 1 acre 1 rood north of Nathan KnifFen's field.' John Tallady, witness in 1740. Taylou. Nathanael, witness in 1712; Moses in 1715. John, of East Chester, in 1715 bought a house and three acres in Rye from Rev. Clir. Bridge. John was of King Street in 1735-1743. In 1741 he sold to Samuel Wilson, junior, his farm of forty-seven acres, 'partly in Greenwich, Ct., but mostly in Rye.' He owned other lands ; part of which were sold in 17G8 as 'the late John Taylor's estate.' Joshua, 1739-1751 ; and Henry, 1743, were brothers, perhaps sons of John. TiiBOWKS, William, was of Rye in 1707. Thackicu [Thatcher?], witness in 1739. Thomas. John, a son of Rev. John Thomas, missionary of the Gos- pel Propagation Society in Hempstead, L. I., removed to Rye as early as 1734, and in 1739, when he was called esquire, owned land in 'Rye Woods' or Harrison, north of the cross-road to King Street. He was for many years one of the most influential men in this region, ' favoured with all the administration of all offices, civil and military, by the help of which,' says Mr. T. Wetmore in 1761, ' he has procured himself a large interest in the county.' He espoused the cause of his country upon the approach of the Revolution, and became particularly obnoxious to the enemy. (See an account of his services and sufferings, pp. 225, 252.) He died in prison in New York, May 2, 1777. Judge Tiiomas married Abigail, daugliter of John Sands, of Sand Point, L. I., born Jaiuiary 1708, married February 19, 1729; died August 14, 1782. Tlieir chil- dren were : John, Thomas, William, Sibyl, Charity, Margaret, and Glori- anna. II. 1. John, son of Judge Thomas, born February 3, 1732, was for some time sheriff of Westchester County. He married Phoebe Palmer, and had two sons, Edward and John. 2. Thomas, second son, born June 17, 1745, married Catharine Floyd THOMAS. — TILFORD. 493 of Mastic, L. I., born May 9, 174fi ; died January 15, 1825. Colonel, afterward Major-General Thomas, was a useful officer of tlie Continental Army. He was appointed colonel of a regiment of militia of West- chester County, formed by order of the New York Convention July 16, 1773, and ordered to repair immediately to Peekskill. (American Archives, fourth series, vol. i. p. 1400.) August 6, he wrote to Wash- ington, from Tarrytown, offering suggestions as to the mode of repell- ing the British ships. (Ibid, fifth series, vol. i. p. 791.) October 21, his regiment formed part of General Clinton's brigade at Peekskill. (Ibid. vol. ii. p. 1319.) December 2G, he was ordered by Heath to re- pair to North Castle, ' to protect the well-affected.' (Ibid. vol. iii. p. 1431.) In 1777 he was taken prisoner, and detained for some time. (See pp. 256, 373.) He died May 29, 1824. He had four children: Charles Floyd, died January 3, 1802, in his twenty-fourth year; Glori- anna, died young; Nancy, died February 1, 1795, aged nineteen ; and Catharine. 3. William, third son, died young. 4. Sibyl, eldest daughter, born January 15, 1730, married Abram Field. 5. Charity, second daughter, born July 3, 1734, married James Ferris, and had a son George, and a daughter Abigail. 6. JNIargaret, third daughter, born August 1, 1738, married Charles Floyd. 7. Glorianna, fourth daughter, born September 27, 1740, married James Franklin. HI. 1. P>dward, son of John,- surrogate of Westchester County, mar- ried Anne Oakley. He died May 2, 1806, aged forty-four. She died May 12, 1807, aged forty-five. They had one son, William, who died August 22, 1836, aged thirty-seven. 2. John, son of John,- died January 6, 1835. Children : Benjamin, who died September 16, 1813 ; John ; Sophia, married Deighton, M. D. ; and Catharine, married O. Demilt. 3. George, son of James Ferris and Charity Thomas, married Post, and had a son Thomas, ' heir of the Thomas property, Harrison.' 4. Abigail, daughter of James Ferris and Charity Thomas, married David Harrison, and had a son David Harrison, of New Rochelle. (Pedigree, and account in Bolton's History of Westchester County, vol. i. pp. 254-258.) Thompson, James, witness in 1770. TiLFOUD. Archibald in 1734 had land in the lower part of Harri- son. In 1743, John Budd sold to Archibald Telford of Rye eighteen acres, ' on the Avesterly side of the West Chester old path so called.' In 1745 he bought ten acres adjoining this. He had a son Archibald, junior, mentioned 1769, when the father was still living. The son was living in 1795. Charles Tilford lived on Rye Neck, 1795-1808. The 494 FAMILIES OF RYE. Tilford house stood a little south of Mr. Thomas Haviland's present house, close to the post-road. Titus, Silas, in 1720 sold a tract of one hundred and seventy acres in Harrison to Thomas Tredwell of Hempstead. Tompkins, John, was here in 1731. He owned a house and eight acres in Rye, on the west side of ' the country road from Torek to Boston.' He had deceased in 1741. ToTTEN, Peter, senior, witness in 1739. In Gaine's 'New York Ga- zette,' February 14, 1774, the farm of one hundred and thirteen acres, ' formerly belonging to Peter Totten, Sr., deceased, now in the tenure of David Totten,' is offered for sale. ' It lays binding on King Street, which runs from the Saw-Pit direct to North Castle, about four miles from the Saw-Pit landing, in the township of Rye.' Robert and James Totten, September 19, 1776, apply to the New Y^ork Convention for directions. They have part in a brig lying in Saw Pit Creek, and have applied to the Committee of Safety for a permit to have her loaded at Philadelphia. The committee have refused to grant such a permit, ' lest she may go over to the enemy.' (American Archives, fifth series, vol. ii. p. 401.) Samuel in 1797 was living on the 'upper part of King Street' Mentioned until 1806. Tredwell. Thomas, of Hempstead in 1720, had deceased in 1722* His land in the upper part of Harrison, three hundred and twenty-one and one half acres, was conveyed in 1722 by his eldest son, John of Hempstead, to the younger sons, Thomas and Timothy. Thomas was living in the Purchase, 1757. Samuel was here in 1723 ; of Harrison's Purchase in 1732; died between 1747-1749, Joseph, junior, men- tioned 1728. Thomas Star Tredwell in 1737 bought land in Harrison near Rye Ponds from Timothy Tredwell. Turner, John, in 1702 bought Jonathan Vowles' right in the White Plains purchase ; and in 1703 bought a ' lotment ' of seven acres there from Deliverance Brown, senior. He was living there in 1749. Varnell, John, witness in 1740. Vail. John 'Veal' of Rye, 1708-1709, bought land in the White Plains purchase. Ruth, 'of Amboy,' 1710, sold land in that purchase. Aaron, of Rye, 1745, bought of Benjamin Birdsall, ninety acres in Har- rison, west of Rye Pond. Aster (?) Veal is mentioned in the deed. Aaron sold this land in 1750 to Jacob Griffin. Thomas, 1764-1771, was living in the 'upper part' of Harrison. Phoebe, of Rye, daughter of Thomas Vail, married Josiah Quimby, fifteenth of eighth month, 1764. (Friends' Rec.) Thomas, junior, of West Chester, son of Thomas, mar- ried Sarah Carpenter, twelfth of sixth month, 17G7. (Ibid.) ViCKERS, Jonathan F. See page 172. ViRDiNE [Worden ?], Cornelius, witness in 1740-1741 ; Mary in 1746. Walton, Rev. John. See page 322. WARNER. — WETMORE. 495 Warnku, Samuel, witness in 1739. Wkeden. William, of White Plains in 1737 ; wife, Mary. (New York Gazette, March 28, 1737.) Thomas, of Harrison, in 1739-1742, bought sixty-five acres near the meeting-house, from Benjamin Birdsall and James Graham. Jane, widow of Thomas, in 1748, sold to ' James Crum- well, of Greenwich,' her husband's plantation ; one tract ' northward of frind's meeting house, and north of the road ' ; another, south of the road and north of the meeting-house. (Rec, C. 227-230.) Weeks, Abel, was here in 1724. Joseph, of White Plains, in 1752 bought Elisha Merritt's house and land there. Elijah, mentioned in 1771. Wetjiore, Rev. James; see page 314. He 'was the third son of Izrahiah Whitmore, and Rachel Stow,' and grandson of Thomas AVet- more, a native of England, one of the first settlers of Middletown, Connecticut. James was born at Middletown, December 31, 1695 (O. S.) ; educated at the Saybrook Academy, and at Yale College, where he took the degree of B. A., September 1714, and that of M. A., September 1717. He was ordained to the ministry of the Gospel, November 1718, as first pastor of the Congregational Church of North Haven, where he continued his labors for about four years. Having arrived at the belief that his ordination was not valid, he resigned his charge, and in 1723 went to England, where he was ordained 'deacon' and -priest' of the Church of England. While in London he received from the ' Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts ' the appointment of catechist to Trinity Church, New York, and assist- ant to the rector of that church. He returned to America, and in June 1726 was inducted as rector of the parish of Rye, and next year was appointed missionary of the Gospel Propagation Society to this place. Here he remained until his death, May 15, 1760. Mr. Wet- more niarried Anna Dwight ; she died February 28, 1771. They had two sons : Timothy and James ; and four daughters : Alethea, mar- ried Rev. Joseph Lamson ; Anna, married Gilbert Brundage ; Charity, married Joseph Purdy ; Esther, married first, David Brown, secondly, Jesse Hunt, Esq. n. 1. James (see page 177), eldest * son of Rev. James Wetmore, born in Rye, December 19, 1727, married Elizabeth Abrahams, born March 16, 1730. Children: Abraham, John, Izrahiah, James, David, Josiah, Caleb, Elizabeth, Susannah, Charity, Alethea, Esther. ' He was for many years an influential citizen of Westchester Co. He remained loyal to the Crown during the Revolution. He removed with his family to New Brunswick in 1783, and settled at the mouth of the St. John's River,' and soon after removed to Hammond River, distant about twenty miles from St. John's, where he resided till his death. His wife survived hin) seven years. (Wetmore Memorial.) * So considered by the editor of The Wdmore Family, for reasons which seem suf- ficient. Mr. Bolton speaks of him as the second son of Rev. James Wetmore. 496 FAMILIES OF RYE. 2. TiniDthy ("see page 172), second son of Rev. James Wetmore, married first, October 21, l7.o6, Jane Haviland, of Rye. Children: James, Jane, Anna, Timothy, Fletcher, Thomas, Luther, Theodore, Robert Griffith. Married, secondly, Rachel, widow of Benjamin Ogden, of New York ; no issue. He was a highly respectable and influential citizen of Westchester County ; ' was among the first graduates of Kings, now Columbia College, in the city of New York, 1758. He first studied for the ministry, but circumstances prevented his going to England for ordination. Subsequently he turned his attention to the study of the law, and became a practitioner of considerable importance. In 1753-1734, he was appointed by the Society as teacher for the parish of Rye.' (See pp. 175, 177.) 'At the close of the war (1783) he removed to Nova Scotia, where he practised his profession for many years, and held numerous offices of public trust.' His wife died in New Y^ork, August 5, 1777. Mr. Wetmore returned from New Brunswick in 1800, and took up his residence in New York, where he died, March 1820, aged eighty-three or eighty-five years. (Wetmore Memorial.) For the descendants of James and Timothy Wetmore and their sisters, see ' The Wetmore Family of America and its Collateral Branches,' by James Carnahan Wetmore : Albany, Munsell & Row- land, 1861 : pp. 220-281. Wkissenfels, Frederic de [Friedrich von] ; see pp. 79, 223-224. He was captain of Company I, First Regiment New Y'ork Continental troops, August 4, 1775. (American Archives, fourth series, vol. iii. p. 23.) The New Y^ork Provincial Congress, February 1776, nominated 'Frederick Van Weisenfels for major ' in one of the four regiments to be raised for the colony of New Y^ork. (Ibid. vol. v. p. 317.) In April, he was appointed Lieutenant-Colonel in Colonel Nicholson's Regiment ; 'Headquarters before Quebec, April 15, 1776.' (Ibid. p. 941).) No- vember 26, 1776, he received three thousand pounds bounty money. July 9, 1790, the State of New Y''ork gave him three thousand acres, military bounty lands. (Balloting Book, p. 66.) Wilcox. Isaac, mentioned 1741, 1742. Samuel, mentioned 1750. Willis. Richard was here in 1747 ; on King Street, 1752-1753. James is mentioned 1766 ; John, 1774. WiLLKTT, 'Mr. William Willett' is mentioned 1728-1738; called 'Col.' in 1739, and 1750-1761, when he filled the office of supervisor. In 1762, ' Wm. Willett gent, and Alice his wife ' sell ' his farm which he bought in 1743 from Joseph Brundige,' one hundred and ten acres in Harrison. Cornelius was of the Purchase, 1755-1756. According to the pedigree given by Mr. Bolton, William and Cornelius were sons of William, who died in 1733, and brothers of Isaac, high sheriff of Westchester County, 1737-1766. WILLSON. 497 WiLLSON. I. Samuel was the first of the family who settled in this town or in Greenwich. He was probably a son of Jeremiah Willson and Mary his wife, of New Shoreham or Block Island, who died in 1740, a son of Samuel of Portsmouth, Rhode Island, one of the freemen of 1655, who died in 1082, aged sixty years. Samuel came from Rhode Island in or previous to the year 1710, and settled on the place now owned by John B. Ilaight on King Street. His wife was Susannah Og- den. He died early in the year 1751, and the inventory of his estate as returned by the appraisers May 14, 1751, amounted to £13,478 5s. 10^6?., of which £9,015 was real estate. His wife Susannah died in 1770. Children : Samuel, Joseph, William ; Susannah, married Kniffen of Rye ; and Mary, married Roger Lyon of North Castle. William was under twenty-one in 1751, and died in 1763, unmarried. II. 1. Samuel,^ son of Samuel, married Phoebe Lyon, and lived on the place now owned by the Misses Willson on King Street, where he died July 2, 1756. Phoebe his wife died January 29, 1770. Children : Samuel, Benjamin, Justus, Jotham, Andrew, Roger, Thomas, and Susan- nah, who married Gabriel Many, and lived at Amsterdam, New York ; all under twenty-one years of age at the time of the death of their father in 1756. 2. Joseph,- was born August 30, 1726, and lived on King Street. He married first, Eunice Brown, and second, Susannah Willson (here- after named), and died June 15, 1811. His children were, of the first marriage: Nehemiah, born June 26, 1751; Mary, born February 27, 1755 ; and Susannah, born January 8, 1762. Susannah,'^ married Nathan Merritt, and lived at New Castle, where she died March 22, 1838. Mary,^ married first, Sanuiel Brown, and second, James Green, and died November 17, 1838. She lived at Rye and Greenwich. III. 1. Samuel,^ son of Samuel," married a daughter of Daniel New- man, and moved to Somers before the war. 2. Benjamin,^ son of Samuel,^ married Polly Kniften, and lived at Rye on the place now owned by William E. Ward till about the year 1794, then on the place now owned by George P. Weeks till about the year 1800, when he moved to Oxford, New York. Children : Gertrude, married Hobby Adee, of Rye ; Phoebe, married Charles Leggett, of Saratoga ; Charity, married David Lyon, of Greenwich ; Susannah, born July 23, 1770, married first, Joseph Willson (before named), March 17, 1794, and second, Jesse Slawson, May 13, 1813, and died August 9, 1827, leaving one son, Willson D. Slawson ; Benjamin, mar- ried Phoebe Merritt, of Rye, and removed to Chenango County ; Kniffen, married Ruth Morey, of Chenango County, where he lived ; and Daniel, married Abigail Miller, of Greenwich, and moved to Che- nango County. 32 498 FAMILIES OF RYE. 3. Justus,' son of Samuel,^ moved to Amenia, Dutchess County, married Elizabeth , and died in 1781, leaving no children. 4. Jotham,^ son of Samuel,- married Mary Brundage, and lived on King Street, where he died November 18. 1811, in the sixty-fifth year of his age. His wife died October 21, 1800, aged forty-six years. There was one child of this marriage, Jotham, born February 2, 1774. 5. Andrew,'^ son of Samuel," was a Friend, and. resided at Nine Partners, Dutchess County. 6. Roger,' son of Samuel.' His father in his will directs his sons Samuel and Benjamin, when they come of age to support ' Roger, being lame and unable to support himself.' And his mother in her will gives him the ' bed whereon he now lieth.' 7. Thomas,' son of Samuel,^ married Ruth Merritt, and lived on King Street ; died May 3, 1812, aged fifty-six years. His wife died July 20, 1822, aged sixty-three years. Children : Elizabeth, born Sep- tember 2, 1776, married Knapp Park, and died December 18, 1856; Thomas M., and James. 8. Nehemiah,' son of Joseph,^ married Sarah Pierce, of Block Isl- and, and lived on King Street, where he died January 24, 1814. Chil- dren : Eunice, born November 23, 1784, and Desire, born March 26, 1789. Nehemiah Willson was highly esteemed by his neighbors. He was prominent in town affairs, and often represented his town in the General Assembly. Eunice ■• married Elias Peck, and died April 26, 1865. Desire '' married Daniel Haight, and lived on King Street, where she died April 19, 1856. IV. 1. Jotham,^ son of Jotham,' married Sarah Green, and died October 22, 1828. Children: Mary, married Lewis Haight, now liv- ing near Binghamton, N. Y. ; James, now living on King Street ; Nancy, married Aaron Wakeman, of Lewisboro' ; Thomas, deceased ; Ann, married Caleb Huestis, of Greenwich ; Samuel, deceased ; John B., now living at Greenwich ; and Sarah, married first, John Finley, and second, William H. Craft, now living on King Street. 2. Thomas M.,* son of Thomas,' born January 2, 1782, married Elizabeth Sackett, and died December 10, 1824. Children: Elizabeth and Mary, now living on the homestead ; and Sarah, married Elkanah Rundle, of Greenwich. 3. James,^ son of Thomas,' was the late Dr. Willson, of Rye ; born November 13, 1785, married Elizabeth Willis, and died November 19, 1862. Sons: James, deceased; Thomas, of New Y^ork ; and Henry, late of Baltimore, deceased. Wilson. ' John and Marie Wilson of Rye in the Province of New York' petitioned the General Court of Connecticut, in May, 1703, to have three hundred acres of land in Greenwich, formerly belonging to Thomas Lyon, deceased, returned to them. Samuel and Joseph, sons of Thomas Lyon, were ordered to satisfy their claim. (Public WILLY. — YEOMANS. 499 Records of Conn., iv. 424.) In October, 1705, the Lyons not re- sponding, execution was issued by the Court. (Ibid. 530.) John Wilson in 1722 sold land in ' Limpen Will's purchase, on the east side of the colony line.' Willy, Thomas, of White Plains, in 1741 bought forty-five acres in that purchase. WooLSKY, William, witness in 1724. WoRDKX. Valentine, was living on King Street 1742-1744. James, 1812. Amos, 1814. Samuel, and Thankful his wife, had children: Mary, born June 10, 1735; Phoibe, born February 11, 1737 ; Rebecca, born February 21, 1740 ; Amy, born December 23, 1747 ; Mercy, born January 31, 1755 ; Isaac, born November 4, 1759. Isaac, son of Samuel and Thankful, had children : James, born September 1, 1786; Charity, born April 22, 1789 ; Amos, born October 21, 1791 ; Henry, born August 17, 1794; Nathanael Cameron, born July 31, 179- ; Margaret B., born March 4, 1801. (Family Record.) Charity married Edward Hare, and had one son, James, now of Harrison; she died February 10, 1871. Margaret B. is the wife of Jonathan H. Gedney. Yeomans, Christopher, was living at White Plains in 1721. Eleazar, witness in 1727, bought land on Brown's Point, in Harrison, 1739-1741, and in 1744 sold to John Horton his ' house, barn, and corn-mill in White Plains.' Clark. Ebenezer Clark (see pp. 351, 367) was born in Walling ford. Conn., January 15, 1769, and removed in early manhood to the city of New Y'ork. He married, July 1794, Ann Marselis, born in New York, March 5, 1769. Mr. Clark came to Rye May 10, 1821. He resided first for two years in the house afterwards Dr. Willson's, and next for two years on the ' Marquand Place,' after which he bought the property on the road to Milton now owned by Mr. Mathews ; and in 1830 built the house opposite the Presbyterian Church, where he spent his last days. He died September 15, 1847, aged seventy-eight years and eight months. Mrs. Clark died August 25, 1856, aged eighty- seven years and five months. They had two sons : Andrew, and Dan- iel, who died young ; and five daughters : Eliza, Maria, Matilda, Catha- rine A. (died young), and Catharine A. Andrew Clark, son of Ebenezer, married Charity Shirly. Son : Eb- enezer ; daughters: Anna, who married George A. Knower ; and Ma- tilda. Andrew died July 8, 1863. Maria, second daughter of Ebenezer, married Rev. Williams H. AVhit- teniore (see pp. 348, 367). Sons: Williams, Edward, John Howard; dauchter : Emma. 500 FAMILIES OF RYE. Matilda, third daughter, married Edward L. Parsons. Sons : John E., William H., Arthur W., jr.; daughters: Anna Matilda, Emma (died young), and Mary. Catharine A., youngest daughter, married Arthur W, Parsons. Daughter : Emma. Mention has been made (page 352) of Mr. Clark's exertions to pro- vide a suitable house of worship for the congregation of which he was an honored member and ruling elder. This church — the building soon to be vacated for the larger one now in process of construction — was erected on the site of that built in 1793. The corner-stone was laid on Tuesday, September 28, 1841, by the pastor. Rev. Edward D. Bryan, Rev, Drs. Krebs and Dickinson of New York participating in the service. The dedication of the new church took place on the twenty-eighth of June, 1842, Dr. Dickinson officiating. The entire cost of the edifice was six thousand dollars, of which amount more than five thousand dollars were given by Mr. Clark and his family. APPENDIX. I. RECORDS OF STREETS AND HIGHWAYS. 1672-1857. ^T7E have seen (Chapter XVI.) thai, shortly after the settlement of * * the town, persons were appointed by the General Court of Con- necticut to lay out highways in Rye. One of these doubtless was the 'country road,' to which we have devoted some attention. There ai'e three or four other roads which we hear of soon after this order of 1G72, and which may have been opened as thoroughfares about the same time, though already used as paths through the forest. The Bkach Road we suppose to be the very oldest of our highways. Originally, perhaps, an Indian trail like the ' old Westchester Path ' ^ leading from the wigwams on the coast to the opposite side of the Neck, it was the way for our planters to go from the ' Old Town ' — Hastings or Manussing Island — to Mr. Budd's new n)ill at the head of Blind Brook Creek. We have no record of the opening" of the Beach Road ; but it is often mentioned as a boundary of early allotments of land. Several of the first town-lots were laid out here. This was un- doubtedly ' the path as we go to the old town plot,' spoken of in 1680 and afterward. By the middle of the last century, this road appears to have become in a measure disused. Two proprietors had acquired all the lands on either side of it, and an attenipt was made to close it as a public high- way. April 9, 1750, a survey was made of a certain road running from ' the road which goes down to y* Milston Landing, to y" Flatts,' between the land of Ezekiel Halsted and Major Hachaliah Brown. It is de- scribed as ' beginning at a Crabb tree, and running two rods southward to Bumpos old house,' etc. Permission is granted to Hachaliah Brown and Ezekiel Halsted ' to keep swing gates ' for said road.-' It remained 1 An examination of the records of deeds relating to lands in the lower part of this count\', would perhaps enable us to trace the course of the old Westchester Path with some precision. The tract afterwards known as the manor of Fordham was described in 1668 as beginning 'from Westchester old yiw^ path by the Boggy swamp,' and thence running southerly two miles, 'bounded east by Brunxes River and west by Harlem river.' (Elias Doughty to John Archer: Abstract of Title of the ministers, elders, and deacons of the R. P. D. Church to the JIanor of Fordham.) The petition of certain inhabitants of Rye in 1720, for a patent, confirms our surmise that the Westchester Path was the northern boundary of the First Purchase on Peningo Neck. See page 515. 2 County Records, White Plains, vol. G. p. 407. 502 APPENDIX, thus closed for fifteen years, at the end of which time a return was made with reference to this road, whicli established it as a public high- way for all time to come. ' West Chester County. In Eye. A Return made this 27th September 1765 of a regulation of a highway, upon complaint made to us by a considerable number of inhabitants in Rye, for a road leading to Lyons Mill towards the Gut, we order the gate erected on said road to the Gut southerly of Ezekiel Halsted's house, to be taken down, and that no other gate on the road towards said place called the Gut shall at any time hereafter be there erected by any person whatsoever, but that said road to the Gut shall be an open road, and that from said gate to the bank along the north side of said Halsted's fence of two rods width, until it comes down to the bank against the Flatts, thence upon said bank four rods wide northerly until it comes to the Burying hill over the highest part of said bank thence four rods west from the north side of the road that now is, until it comes to said Gut to be an open highway wfrom the road to Lyons mill down to said Gut as aforesaid. Witness our hands in Rye. Nathan Brown Gabriel Lynch John Thomas Jr.' ^ The Milton Road, as we have seen elsewhere, was the main street of our village, as laid out about the year 1663. This we suppose to have been the Peningo Path, mentioned in one of the early Indian deeds of Rye,^ leading from the old Westchester Path, about where the present Ridge Road begins, down into Peningo Neck, and to the Indian villages below the Beach. It was doubtless one of the highways laid out under the order of 1672. No record of this original establish- ment of the road exists, but there are several records of surveys in later times, made probably for the purpose of settling disputes as to its exact course. In 1719 we have an account of a survey of the whole road, in the return made of ' A publick highway .... beginning at y^ Country road near y<' house of the Widow. Strangs and runs as y^ path now is four rods wide till it comes to a landing called and known by y^ name of Milstone allowing Daniel Purdy liberty to hang a gate or make a drawbars at y^ Hamack for the conveniency of fencing his meadow he y^ said Purdy keeping said Gate in good repair at his own charge performed this 23rd day of December 1719 by us John Hoit Joseph Drake John Stevenson.' '^ 1 Y* Entering of Highways from the Time of Wni. Forster being County CI., — a vol- ume of records in the County Clerk's office. White Plains, p. 88. 2 The deed in question, omitted in our account of the Indian Purchases, Chapter H., is apparently explanatory of the deed of Shanorock and ether Indians to John Budd, and of the same date, November 8, 1661. It reads as follows: — ' Know all men, englisli and Ingens, that whereas Shanorock sold John Budd all the land from the sea to Westchester path, I Shenorock marked Trees by Penning path do hereby give and grant and acknowledge that I have received full satisfaction of him, and according to the true intent of these bounds [bonds], he the sayd John Budd is to have and enjoy all the land bj' the Blind brook to Westchester path, as witness my hand. Witness the The mark of Shanorock mark of Cokeo The mark of Remaquaie Peter Disbrow. Cvl. Rec. of Conn., vol. i. (MS.) p. 334. 3 The New Receipt Book, County Clerk's office, White Plains, p. 45. str1':ets and highways. 503 A survey of Budd's Neck in 1720 represents the bridge across Blind Brook, where the present stone bridge stands, as ' nei-e Strange.^ This was about four times as far, in the opposite direction. The short road from the INIilton Road to Lyon's mill was surveyed at the same time with the above. ' AVe do also,' say the commissioners, lay out a certain a road y' Lead out of y" above mentioned highway to Joseph Lyon's Mill. Performed y" Date above said.' This refers only to the eastern part of the present cross-road from the ]Milton Road to the post-road — as far as the west side of the brook, where the mill anciently stood. From the brook to the post-road, no thoroughfare existed until the year 1705. The Milton Road has been altered from time to time since this sur- vey, but the changes appear to have been slight. The following returns relate to portions of this road : — 'July y<= 9th, 1730. A highway laid out in Rye beginning by Jonathan Brown's Land where y* Rode goes to the Mill-stone Landing commonly so called — from thence running by y« west end of y® Lotts foure rods in wedth untill it comes to y« Land y* y« said Jonath : Brown lately bought of Peter Brown — by us Sam'-'' Purdy Benjamin Brown.' ^ In 1817, the commissioners of highways made a return of a change in the ' road leading to the landing on Peningo Neck,' which was altered and straightened, ' beginning at the north corner of the garden belonging to Philemon Halsted jr., and running on the lands of said Halsted about north and north-east with said road until it comes to a point at the bars that goes into the east meadow of the said Halsted, varying south-east from the former road twelve feet in the extreme width.' ^ In 1820, the commissioners approved an 'alteration made by Hachaliah Brown in the public highway to the west of Thomas Brown's house, in straightening the road through his land until it comes to the land of Philemon Halsted.'" There was a road anciently running across Peningo Neck, below the present village of Milton. It led to Kniffen's Cove, — an inlet on the east side of the Neck, above Pine Island. Here the inhabitants had a wharf or landing-place, which was still used some fifty or sixty years ago. The following entries relate to various changes in this road : — 'December 2, 1758. A road laid out beginning at the road leading into the Town Neck so called op])osite Caleb Hyat's salt meadow running easterly across said neck on the south side of Jonathan Brown's land to the Knitfen's Cove so called — thence along the south side of said Cove till it comes ten rod below southward of the old Warehouse so called. The road formerly laid out by the Proprietors across said neck through Jonathan Brown's land to said Kniffen's Cove, to be blocked and shut up.' * ' Return of a highway or road laid out this 18th day of May a. d. 1762 in the 1 Entering of IIighway.<;, etc., p. 29. '^ Town Records, vol. D. p. 375. 8 Town Records, vol. D. p. 3S5. ^ Entering of Highway?, etc., p. 71. 504 APPENDIX. town of Rye Beginning at Thomas Brown's barrs near and on the east side of the road that leads down the Town neck (so called) in said Rye on the west side of said neck, thence running from said Thomas Brown's barrs easterly across said town neck on the south side of Jonathan Brown's land two rods wide till it comes to Kniffen's Cove (so called) thence southerly along said cove eight rods below the old Warehouse place (so called) for convcniency of vessels four rods wide and we do allow Jonathan Brown to stop and block up the highway formerly laid out to said Kniffen's cove through his land.' ^ There was also, in early times, a road across the uj)per end of Peningo Neck, from Blind Brook to the shore opposite Manussing Island. The street south of the Presbyterian Church is probably a part of this old road, which formerly intersected the Milton Road above the house now owned by C. V. Anderson, Esq. The following is a description of the road, as it was entered in 1719 : — ' A publick highway .... beginning at Jonathan Brown's corner of land near y" great Bridge so called and runs as y^ path now leads four rods wide till it comes to a place called and known by y^' name of y'' Gutt and from thence as the way now is to Manusen Island allowing liberty to y^ inhabitants of said ToAvn y' have any freehold in land or meadow near y^ Gutt (above named) to have liberty to have a gate for them or either of their conveniencies, he or they keeping said Gate in good repair at his or their own cost and charge performed this 26th day of December 1719 By us John Hoit Joseph Drake John Stevenson.' ^ Rectory Street — the road south of the Episcopal Church — is described in 1723, as a 'path' already existing: — ' A public highway laid out in y« town of Rye beginning at y" Corner of James Cues land by the Country Road and runs along by y*^ side of said Cues Land to the Church and from ye Church as y« path now leads into the Country Road against Mr. Jannis [Rev. Mr. Jenney's] Garden s*! highway laid out six Rods wide tliis twenty- first day of November 1723 Entered by me Dec. 9, 1723 By us Jo : Drake ) W** FoRSTER CI. Jno. Stevenson \ Com'rs ' ^ SiLv. Palmer J This road was surveyed and recorded in the year 1833. In 1853, a slight alteration of the northern line of the road near the church was made.* On the west side of our village street there are three short roads which ha\;e been opened at different periods, leading down to the bank of Blind Brook. The first of these is still indicated by a road-bed, a few rods south of Mr. Daniel Strang's store. I find no record of this road, but it is referred to in a deed dated 1832, relating to the strip of land opposite the present rectory grounds, as the northern boundary of that tract, which the town then conveyed to the wardens and vestry of the Episcopal Cluu'ch. The deed mentions it as ' the road leading across the brook to the parsonage land.' As the parsonage land across 1 Entering of Highwaj's, etc., p. 65. ^ The New Receipt Book, p. 45. 3 Town Records, 1815 to 1859, p. 59. 4 Town Records, p. 320. STREETS AND mGHWAYS. 505 the brook was laid out for a glebe in 1759, we presume this road may have been opened not long after that time. South of the house now belonging to the Misses Mead, there was formerly a road leading to the fnUinff null which stood on the west side of Blind Brook. Some indications of it still remain near the bank of that stream. The following is the record of the opening of this road in 1742: — ' We the subscribers Commissioners appointed by Act of Gcnerall Assembly for layin Comimss^. '■ Caleb Hyatt ) A short distance above this, north of the house of Mr. Joslah Purdy, there is a third short road leading down to the bank of Blind Brook. This road was laid out in 1728. It is described as — ' Beginning at y'^ Road leading to Harrison's purchase near Samuel Lane's house, tlience direct to Blind BrQpk four rods wide between said Lane's house and Barn, tlicnce crossing y'' Brook, along said Brook two rods wide to John Haight's Deceased his Land ; thence along y« line of said Haight's Land on Joseph Brundige's Land two rods -wide till it comes to a Certain Cleft of Rocks near a brook, to go round y^ Rocks two rods wide according to Agreement on y'' North Side and so to continue two rods wide as said Brundige's Land goes till it comes to Benjamin Brown's Land, allowing said Brundige Swing gates if he see cause, and so to continue through Ben- jamin Brown's Land two rods wide according to agreement till it comes to y'^ Land y' James Wetmore and Abraham Brundige purchased from Jonathan Haight.' ^ This street was again recorded in the year 1815, as 'beginning at a highway leading from Rye to Harrison a few rods north of Esther Hunt's house, running westerly across Blind brook, thence bearing southerly to a gate belonging to the heirs of Gilbert Brondage de- ceased.' The railroad embankment has cut off the western part of this road. Locust Avenue — the road leading from Rye across to North Street — was opened in 1853; the commissioners of this town laying it out as far as the boundary of Harrison, from which point it was continued by the commissioners of Harrison, to its termination, opposite the house of Mr. William H. Smith.^^ 1 Entering of Highways, etc., pp. 51, 52. 2 /(fid, p. 16. 3 Town Kecords, 1815 to 1859, p. 324. 506 APPENDIX. Cedar Strket, or the road leading from Rye station to the post- road, on the west and north of the Seminary grounds, was laid out in 1732: — 'Beginning at y" road that leads into Harrisons Purchase opposite to Benjamin Browns old house and running by y'' land of Samuel Lane and Benjamin Pedriek on the north side thereof and on the south side of the land of Merritt Bush and Brown nntill it comes to y^ King's road near the house of Thomas Merritt deceased being four rods in bi'eadth.' ^ The road leading from the post-road to the railroad station, and beyond it as far as the house of Mr. Charles Park, lately Allen Carpenter's, was probably one of the earliest roads constructed in Rye. It formed the lower part of the road to Hog-pen Ridge, long before the laying out of Harrison's Purchase ; and even as late as the beginning of this cen- tury it was often called the Hog-pen Ridge Road. A more common name, however, was the Purchase Road, or the road to Harrison's Purchase, which, until within a few years, was considered to begin at the post-road, near the house of the late David H. Mead.- Grace Church Street, we have supposed, was originally a path along the northern fence of the Town Field. The eastern part of this road appears to have been ' opened ' as a highway in 1701 : — ' At a meeting held by the properities [proprietors] of Peningo neck August the 29,1701 .... Jonathan Fowls and John Merit sener and Deliverance Browne sener is chosen by a meger [major] voat to mark out the road upon Bartons neck and the high way downe unto the solt water that is to say to mark out a good sofistient road and high way to the best of there discretion.' ' Jonathan Fowls and Deliverance Browne sener ai^d John Merit sener being chosen to mark out the road upon Bartons neck which may apeere by record and did decleare unto me Samuell Lane clarke this 16 day of Febewery 1702-3 that thay have now marked out the road upon Bartons neck a Long the way which John Merit and Joseph Bude Layd for a countrey road and is bounded as followeth easterly where there is Lottments Layd out to be bounded by them and so likewise on the west side and between those Lotments of each side to run by those marks which are now marked and also a high way by the soalt water beginning at the east corner of Bartons lott and so to run to the fild fence and from thence to run unto the said countrey road up- wards.'"* We have shown elsewhere that Barton's Neck was the tract of land through which Grace Church Street runs, from Kirby Avenue to the brook near Dr. Sands' house. In 1703, the road above described is mentioned as ' the country road that goes through Barton's Neck.' * 1 Entering of Highways, etc., p. 48. This road is referred to in several ancient deeds. The old Presbj'terian Church before the Revolution stood on the nortlnvest corner of Cedar Street and the post-road. In 17'Jl the town granted permission to Jesse Hunt ' to tix gates at the each end of the Koad [that] leads from the Purchase Koad to the ould meeting house across the cedars.' (Town Records, vol. D. p. 313.) 2 The road connecting the post-road with the Ridge Road, between the lands now owned by Dr. J. T. Tuttle and Mrs. Catlin, was laid out in 1857. (Town Records, 1815 to 1859, p. 153.) 8 Town Meeting Book, C. pp. 18, 20. 4 Town Records, vol. B. p. 162. STREETS AND HIGHWAYS. 507 A list of lands divided in 1723 is entitled, 'The Draught of Lots upon Barton's Neck, between the [Byrani] river, and the road that runs through said neck.' ^ The name Grace Church Street, or Gracious Street, as it was already vulgarized, first occurs in 1736. No considerable change seems to have been made in the course of this road, which probably remains at present almost as devious as when first laid out.^ Kirby Avenue, or the road leading from Grace Church Street to Manussing Island, was laid out by the commissioners as a highway in 1820. It is described as ' beginning at the gate, and running in a southerly direction through the lands called Bird's land to David Kirby's land ; thence through said land joining the west end of the mill-pond to Billa Theall's land joining the creek nearly as the road now runs that leads to Manursing Island.' ' In 1747, there was a * road from the landing place laid out south of Joseph Sherwood's homestead,' to Grace Church Street,* which may have coincided with the western part of Kirby Avenue. The Sherwood property was bought by Henry Bird before 1771.^ What is now a lane running through the late Provoost estate, was anciently a road that led from Grace Church Street to the landing, long known as Ryk Ferry. This, a hundred years ago, was the most travelled road in our neighborhood. It does not appear to have been thrown open as a public highway. In 1804 the connnissioners of roads altered ' the road from the publick Landing (at a Beach North of Chav- alier Rock) to the publick road leading to Grace church street : ' the alteration ' beginning at the beach and running a west course Nine Rods or thereabouts from thence to the publick Road leading to Grace church street.'" The ROAD TO Fox Island from Grace Church Street is very ancient. In 1699, ' Att a lawful meeting of the proprietors of Peningo Neck the said proprietors do grant unto Richard Ogden an Island commonly called Fox Island at the mouth of Byram River, provided he the said Richard Ogden makes a good sufficient Cart bridge over the Run between Andrew Cos house and the field fence as Andrew Co and Stephen Sherwood shall see convenient, by the last of June next.' "^ 1 Town Records, vol. B. p. 105. - A slight rectification was made, in 1841, nearly opposite Mr. A. Abondroth's residence. (Town Records, 1815 to 1859, p. 95.) 3 Town Records, vol. D. p. 386. 4 Jbd. p. 19.3. 5 Ibid. p. 284. 6 Town Records, Vol. 1). p. 334. In 1829 the survey of a tract of public land near ' Cavalier's Rock,' was recorded. It comprised one acre, one rood, and fourteen rods, and was bounded 'be<;iniiing at a rock on the north side of Cavalier Rock,' etc. Town Rec- ords, 1815 to 1859, p. 41. ^ Town Records, Vol. C. pp. 1, 289. 508 APPENDIX. SAW PIT. 'A public highway hiid out in ye town of Rye in y* County of West-Chester bc- };innin■ Commiss''^.' ^ Silvan us Palmer J The following record likewise appears to describe the continuation of this road from the Purchase Koad at the Harrison post-office to King Street : — ' A pul)lick highway' laid out in y« township of Rye bi'ginning (at a highway laid out in Harrison's Purchase along the middel Line) at y* bounds between Henry Du- senborrou's Land and Sam'^ ffields' Land and runs between said Dusenborrou's Land and s'' ffield's Land taking one rod and a half from each of their Lotts w"^"^ makes y^ Road three rods wide till it comes to John Salerhis land and then along three rods wide upon Saler his land along the side of said Dusenborrou's Land till it comes to blind brook crossing blind brook and runs up between John Coe's Land and Sam'" Lane Jun" Land taking of a rod and a half from each of their Lotts w'^'^ makes the Road three Rods wide till it comes into King street — all said highway being three rods wide according to marked trees allowing liberty to y^ persons that were Owners of y* Land to hang Gates across the Road (for to save them the charge of makeing part of the ffencing) where they shall think it most convenient for themselves and for the Conveniency of Travellers they keeping said Gates in good repair at their own proper Costs and Charge as Witness our hands this second day of January Annoq. Dom. 1723^ Jno. Stevenson William Willett Joseph Drake SiLVANus Palmer • Commiss^'^. Another road laid out in Harrison is described as follows : — 'April y« 7th 1730. A liighway laid out in Rye beginning at y'' rode y* run up Harsons purchcs between the Land of Richard Semans and the Land of the late Jose]ih ffowler two rods wide one rod of each running westerly till corns to the Land of Roger Park Caleb Hyatt Sam^i- Pukdy Benja : Brown.' ^ AVHITE PLAINS. North Street, or the road from Rye to the White Plains, is one of our most ancient highways. The following extracts from our Town Records show when it was opened : — 'At a towne meting in Rye Aprell 1 : 1699 John Lyon and Isack Dunham are chosen to Lave out a Rode to the White Playnes begining at the had [head] of Cap' Thall [Theall's] Land and so to Run to the Caseaway brook.' ' At a towne meting in Rye Aprell 17 : 1699 the towne hath past an act that the 1 Entering of Highways, etc., p. 67. 2 j(,i(i pp. 7, 8. 3 Ibid. p. 39. 512 APPENDIX. Rode shall continue a Rode up to the Whit Playnes where John Lyon and Isaac Dunham hath mark it out and the said Rode to be 3 Rods in bradth.' i Causeway Brook is the stream that forms the outlet of Horton's Pond, near the White Plains. This brook is sometimes designated as the Mamaroneck River ; but that name properly belongs to the eastern branch, which joins it a little way below the White Plains, coming down from the neighborhood of Rye Pond. This stream our early settlers considered to be the river ; and the tract of land between this and Causeway Brook was anciently known as Brown's Point. Thus it appears to have taken the settlers only two weeks to ' lay out ' North Street in its entire length, from ' the head of Captain Theall's land ' to the entrance of White Plains. Of course they did nothing more than 'mark the trees' along which the path was to run. And for many years doubtless this road was simply a path through the forest. Tradition states that in those primitive times the journey to the Plains occupied a whole day ; and a huge boulder which lies a few rods above the North Street school-house, still known as the 'Bread- and-butter Rock,' is said to be the spot where they halted for refresh- ment by the way ! Frequent alterations have been made in the lower part of North Street. It is still a very crooked road ; but anciently its course was much more tortuous than now. In 1754 there was a change made in the White Plains road, 'beginning at a small brook below Beaver Swamp,' running thence southeasterly by certain trees, ' and so running between a small hill and a swamp to the old road.' - The next year, a return was made of ' the regulating and ascertaining a highway from Rye to the White Plains ' in the following terms : — ' Whereas the said Highway in the place where it crossed the Beaver Swamp was Disputable and Uncertain where it should cross the same, and we the subscribers hav- ing examined and inspected the same, that the said Highway might be in the most convenient place for transport and Travelling Do order and confirm said Highway be and continued over said Beaver swamp where it hath Been formerly & to he four Rods wide from Joseph Theals fence now standing northerly towards John Doughtys Land and so to remain and Highway there in that place over said Beaver swamp. Witness our hands the date aforesaid William Willett ] Jonathan Brown [ Commiss^^.' ^ Gabriel Lynch J North Street has been straightened in various places within the last thirty years. One of its former deviations can still be traced along the front wall of the Union Cemetery. The road formerly followed the course of this wall, crossing Beaver Swamp below the present bridge. The Book of Highways already quoted contains the record of several 1 Town and Proprietors' Meeting Book No. 3, or C. p. 4. 2 Entering of Highwaj's, etc., p. 60. 8 Ibid. p. 61. STREETS AND HIGHWAYS. 513 roads opened in the present town of White Plains. The following is one : — 'live November 13th 1730 A liif,4nvay Laid out in the White Plains be<;iniiing at the street near y"= Meeting house runing four rods wide by marked trees till it eomes to the Bridge over Bronckes river near John Garritsons Laid out by us Sam''' Purdy Caleb Hyatt Benjamin Buown.' ^ In 1764 there was an alteration of this road, apparently, ' the road which lies near the Presbyterian Meeting house in the White Plains, on the north side of the burying-yard.' '^ KYE NECK. Of the principal highway through Rye Neck, or Budd's Neck, as it was anciently called, — the old Boston Road, — we have given a sepa- rate account in Chapter XVI. Several other roads, which existed formerly in tliis part of the town, have completely disappeared. The most important of these, and probably one of the first ever laid out in Rye, was the road to Bullock's Landing. This road led from the post-road to the creek, through the land now owned by Mr. Genin. Bullock's Landing took its name from an individual who seems to have remained but a short time in Rye, during the early days of the settlement. This was Richard Booloch, or Bullard, an associate of John Budd. The landing appears to have been one of the first used by the inhabitants of Rye. There are traces of an Indian village in the vicinity of this spot, which is still identified by means of a rock, known to this day as Bullock's. The road to Bullock's Landing was not closed until the year 1795. It was then ' exchanged ' for the road which now leads from the post- road, south of Mr. Sylvanus Purdy's house, to the bridge across Blind Brook above Milton. This new road was laid out iy that year as fol- lows : ' Beginning at the north-west corner of John Purdy's land and running to the south-west of said land, about an east by south course until it comes to the orchard of Gilbert Brown, thence about the same course to the south ' of his dwelling-house ' to the mill-pond, thence across the old mill-dam to the road leading to the mill creek landing.' This road was opened in exchange for ' a road leading from the post- road on the south of said Brown's land to Bullock's landing so called.' In 1819 the new road had not yet been thrown open, and Gilbert Brown was 'ordered to take off his gates without delay.' ^ There was anciently a road where the lane now runs from the bridge near Mr. Richard B. Chapman's house, along the west bank of the creek. 1 Entering of Highways, etc., p. 32. 2 md, p. 7,3. 3 Town Records, vol. D. p. 382. The ' cross road to Milton ' has been straightened at different times. Such an alteration occurred in 1841. (Town Kecords, 1815 to 1859, p. 77.) 33 ol4 APPENDIX. It led, apparently, from Lyon's mill to Bullock's Landing ; and this must have been the usual way to go from the old mill, which stood on the southwest side of the bridge, to the post-road on Budd's Neck. This road we suppose to be described in the following entry : — ' We the Commishoners for the Town of Eve and White Playns Do allow Joseph Lyon to Hang and Keep in Kei)air at his own proper cost a good swing Gate for Carts to go tln-ough to the Bulock Landing so caled, between his own Land and tlie Land of Daniel Piirdy. Witness our hands June y« 20th 175L William Willktt Jonathan Brown Gabriel Lynch.' ^ A road is mentioned in 1765, as 'formerly leading from the post road through the lands of Peter Jay, John Guion and James Hart.' This road was then, closed, and a new one laid out. It commenced at a point opposite the old district school-house on Rye Neck, which stood on the north side of the post- road below Dr. Jay's farm-house, and ran across to the head of Horseneck Creek, where Mr. Alexander Taylor now resides. Here there was a public dock or landing for sloops. The construction of a dam across the mouth of this inlet, about th»^ year 1790. rendered the dock useless, and the road leading to it was discontinued. The ' Black road,' as it vvas called, was* then extended from the neighborhood of the dock down to Deall's mill, now Van Amringe's. The following record of a highway appears to define the road which now leads from the new Harrison Station southward to Daven- port's mill. ' David Haight's house' in 1724 stood very near the pres- ent depot. The road is correctly described as running along the boundary line of the tiwns of Harrison and Rye. This was a part of the ' old Westchester Path,' which had long been in use, but was now perhaps surveyed and established as a highway for the first time. 'A publick Highway laid out in the township of Rye beginning at David Haight's house, and running southerly from said house as y^ path now leads (in y<' most part) according to marked trees near y« line between Harrison's purchase and y* neck lotts till it comes into y*^ road y* leads from y^ White Plains to y* post-road near John Hortons .... March 1, 1724.' ^ In 1734 another road was laid out in this vicinity, 'between the land of Archibald Telford and the land of Elisha Budd and running by Budd's land and Caleb Horton's land to the road to the landing-place where Mr. Sam" Wood now lives.' ^ In 1750 a road was laid out from the highway by Elisha Budd's to the highway by Caleb Horton's. The road now leading from the post-road opposite JNIr. Sylvanus Purdy's house, to Haukison Station, was laid out in 1857, 'Through land of Joshua P. Purdy by land of 'Edward Corning .... to Har- rison line ; ' three rods wide. 1 Entering of Highways, etc. p. 59. 2 yjjj. p. 8. 8 Ibid. p. 39. PATENT FOR PENIXGO NECK. 516 II. ROYAL PATENTS.! I. PATENT FOR THE TRACT OF LAND BETWEEN BLIND BROOK AND BYRAM 1UVER.2 To 3 the IIon'''e Peter Schuyler y« President of liis Majesties Counsill of the Province of New York and Territories thereon depending in America In Counsill. The Humble Petitioa of Daniell Purdy Son of Jolin Purdy Deceased Saniuell Brown and Benjamin Brown Inhabitants of the Townsliip of Kye in the County of West Chester in behalie of themselves and diverse other Inhabitants of the said Township of Rye. Slieweth That one Peter Disbrow many yeares since by authority from the ColoDV of Connecticut (under whose Government the Township of Rye then \ay) on the third of .lauuary IGGi) purchased from the then Native Indian Proprietors a Certaine Tract of Land lyeing on the mainc Hetweene a sfrtaine plane then called Rahonaness to the East and to the West Chester Path to the North and up to a River then called Moaquanes to the West That is to say all the Land lyeing betweene the aforesaid Two Elvers then called Pennigoe Extending from the said Path to the North and South to the Sea or Sound That the said Peter Disbrow also purchased of the said Native Indian Proprietors bv authority as afore.-aid a Certaine other Tract of Land lyeing Betweene Bj'ram River and the I'dind Brook which was bounded as foUowelh viz' with the Byram River Beginning at the Mouth of the aforesaid River on the East and the Bounds of Hasting (tiien soe CdUed) on the south, and southwest to the marked Trees, and northward up to the marked Trees, abt six or seven miles from the sea along the said Byram River northward and soe from the said River a Cross the North Northwest and west to the said River called the blind Brook bounded northward with marked Trees which lead down to a little Brcok runing into the Blind brook as bj' the said Two Indian Purchases may more fully appeare That the said Peter Disbrow having made such purchases afterward sold and Disposed of the same to many of the Inhabitants of the said Township of Rye who settled and Improved the same Lands * and were ftirst under the Township of Rye under the CoUonj'^ of Connecticut and Great part thereof hath since falne under the Government of the Prov- ince of New York: That yo'' Petitioners and other Inhabitants of the Town of Rye aforesaid and those under whom they Claime have beene ever since in the quiet and peaceable possession of the said Lands and premises and Cultivated and Improved the same. But inasmuch as such Parts of the aforesaid Two severall Tracts of Land now Claimed by yof Petitioners and tlijse whom they Represent as aforesaid lyes now within the said Townshipp of Rye under the Government of the said Province of New York and there having been as yet noe Grant from the Crown for the same under this Government Your Petitioners and those whom they Represent being willing and Desirous to have his majes- ties most Gracious Letters Patent for such part of the aforesaid Tracts of Land now in their quiet and peaceable possession under this Government viz* Beginning at the Southermost f art of Pinningoe Neck and Runs alorg the sound Easterly until it comes to tbe mouth of Byram River and Runing up the said River and the Land Betweene the Colony of Con- necticut and the Province of New York Northward to the Antient marked 'I'reesof Limping Wills purchase and soe with the said marked Trees a Cross the said purchase north west 1 Town Records, 1815 to 1859, p. 159. 2 Book of Patents (Albany) No. 8, page 391. 8 Land Papers, vol. vii. p. 171. •* (Words erased) and were first as a Towns-hip. 516 APPENDIX. to the River called the Blind brooke, and soe Runicg doAvn to the said River, and brook called Mill Creek to the Sound. Yor Petitioners therefore on behalf of themselves and the said other Inhabitants (who have fully authorized and Inipowered yo'' Petitioners to this Purpose) most liumbly pray yo"" honours will be pleased to Grant to 3'o'' I'ctitioners his majesties most Gracious Letters Patent for the aforesaid Tract within the Limitts and Boundaries last above Described, In Trust lor themselves and the aforesaid Inhabitants according to their respective rights and Interest in the same under such Reservation and Restrictions as are appointed for that purpose And 3'o'' Petitioners shall ever pray etc. New York ye Samuel Brown 20"' June 1720 Beniamtji Bkown George by the Grace of God King of Great Brittain France and Ireland Defender of the fxith &c To all To Whom these presents shall come sendeth Greeting Whereas our Loving Subjects Daniel Purdy son of John Purdy deceased Samuel Brown and Benjamin Brown in behalf of themselves and others Freeholders and Inhabitants of the Township of liye in the County of Westchester in the Province of JVetv York by their Humble Petition presented to our trusty and well-beloved Colonel Peter Schuyler, President of our Councill for our Province of New York aforesaid, Have set forth that they and their Ancestors and predecessors under whom they hold have held and improved at their great charge with their labour and industry, a Certain Tract of land bordering upon the line of Division between this Province and Connecticut Colony for which they nor their Ancestors and predecessors hitherto have had no patent under the Seal of the province of New York, Which said Tract of land is scittiate and being between Byram River and Blind Brook and Begins at a Certain rock being the ending of a point of land com- monly known by the Name of Town Nech Point and in the Southermost point of the said Tract of land, thence running Easterly by the Sound to a point near the mouth of said Byrams River called Byra7ns Point including a certain Island called Mounsons Island and from the said Byram point Northerly up Byram River on the East side of the said River as the Colony line is at present supposed to be run by the in- habitants of the Neighbourhood to a rock standing on the East side of the said River by the Wadeing place and the high road leading to Connecticut, then North twenty four degrees thirty minutes West three hundred and forty eight chains as the line which divides this Province from Connecticut is supposed to run by the said inhabitants to a Wall- nut Tree marked with three knotches on three sides being twelve chains on a straight line to an Ash Tree Marked with three Knotches on three sides standing near blind Brook then down the said Brook untill it emptys it self into a Creek called Mill Creek and then by the said Creek to the place where it Begun, Containing Four Thou- sand Five Hundred Acres of Land or thereabout, after Eighteen small Tracts of Land which lye within the said bounds and are part of twenty small Tracts formerly granted to the Reverend Christopher PATENT FOR PENINGO NECK. 517 Bridge in his life time :ire dechicted and allowance being made for the Kings Highways and prayed to have our Grant and Letters Patent for the same under the Great Seal of the Province of New York in the manner following that is to say. To Hold to them and their heirs and assigns for ever but to and for the use and uses following and to no^ other use whatsoever (that is to say) As for and concerning such Tracts of Land and hereditaments parts of the before receited Four Thousand Five Hundred Acres of Land and Island whereof they the said Daniel Purdy, Samuel Brown and Benjamin Brown are and stand Lawfully and Rightfully seized and possessed in their own severall and respective rights interests and Estate to and for the sole and only proper use Benefit and Behoofe of the aforesaid Daniel Pitrdy, Samuel Brown and Benjamin Brown severally and respectively and of their severall and respective heirs and assigns forever. And as for and concerning such other Tracts of Land and hereditaments parts of the before recited Four Thousand Five Hundred Acres of Land and Island which are belonging and Appertaining to severall other persons Freeholders and Inhabitants within the bounds and limits of the same Four Thousand Five Hiuulred Acres of Land and Island some of more some of less according to their several seperate and particular interest in trust to and for the sole and only proper use benefit and behoofe of each par- ticular Freeholder and Inhabitant particularly and respectively and of each their particular and respective heirs and assigns for ever in as fidl and ample manner as if their particular Names and their particular and severall Freeholdes and Inheritances were particularly and sever- ally Expressed INIentioned and Described under the usual Quitt Rent, Clauses, provisions conditions limitations and restrictions as are limited and appointed by our Royall Instructions for the Granting of Lands in our Province of New York, for that purpose. Which request wee being willing to grant Know Tee that of our Especial Grace certain knowledge and meer Motion AYee have given granted, ratifyed and confirmed and do by these presents for us our heirs and successors for ever Give Grant Ratifie and Confirm unto the aforesaid Daniel Purdy Samuel Brown and Benjamin Brown and to their heirs and assigns for ever. All that the aforesaid Tract of Land and Island Containing as before is set forth P"'our Thousand Five Hundred Acre^ together with all and singular Woods, Underwoods, Houses, Edifices, Buildings, Barns, Fences, Orchards. Fields, Fielding, Pastures, Meadows, Marshes, Swamps, Ponds, Pools, Waters, Water courses. Rivers, Rivoletts, Runs and Streams of Water, Fishing, Fowling, Hunting and Hawking, Quar- rys. Mines, INIineralls, Standing Growing Lying and being or to be had used or enjoyed within tlie liuiits and bounds aforesaid and all other profits benefits libertys priviledges, Llereditaments and appurtenances to the same belonging or any ways appertaining. And all that our Estate, Right, Title, Interest, Claim and Demand whatsoever of in or 518 APPENDIX. to the same. And the Revertion and Revertions, Remainder and Re- mainders and the Yearly Rents and Profits of the same (Excepting and always reserving out of this our present Grant unto us our heirs and successors for ever all such Fir Trees and Pine Trees of the Diameter of Twenty-four inches at Twelve inches from the ground or root as are or shall be fit to make Masts for the use of our said their Royall Navy. As also all such other Trees, are or shall be fit to make planks and Knees for the use of our said their said Royall Navy only which now are standing growing or being in and upon any of the said Tract of Land and Island with Free Lycence and Liberty for any person or persons whomsoever by us our heirs and successors or any of theui to be thereunto authorized and appointed under our and their sign Manual with \Yorkmen Horses Waggons Carts and Carriages and without to enter upon and come into the same Tract of Land and Island and there to fell cut down root np hiew saw rive splitt have take cart and carry away the same Masts, Trees, Planks and Knees for the use aforesaid and also Except all Gold and Silver Mines, saving also and reserving unto the heirs and assigns for ever of the aforesaid Christopher Bridge Eighteen small Tracts of Land which Lye within the said bounds and are part of Twenty small Tracts formerly granted to him in his life time by Letters Patent under the Great Seal of our said Province of New York bearing Date the Nineteenth day of July in the Fourth Year of our Reign saving also and reserving unto Lemuel Rogers and Roger Parks, and to their several and respective heirs and assigns respectively for ever their Respective Rights Title Interest and Equity which they and either of them respectively do shall or may have or claim to the Southermost part of the said Island any thing in these Presents to the contrary thereof in any ways notwithstanding.) To have and To hold all that the aforesaid Tract of Land and Island containing in the whole Four Thousand Five Hundred Acres of Land and all other the above granted premises with the hereditaments and appurtenances (Saving and Excepting only as before is Excepted and Reserved) unto the aforesaid Daniel Purdy, Samuel Brown and Ben- jamin Brown, their heirs and assigns for ever, but to and for the uses following and to and for no other use whatsoever (that is to say) As for and concerning such Tracts of land and hereditaments parts of the before recited Four Thousand Five Hundred Acres of Land and Island whereof they the said Daniel Purdy, Samuel Brown and Benjamin Brown are and stand Lawfully and Rightfully seized and possessed in their own severall and respective rights interests and Estate to and for the sole and only proper use benefit and behoofe of the aforesaid Daniel Purdy Samuel Brown, and Benjamin Brown severally and re- spectively and of their severall and respective heirs and assigns for ever. And as for and concerning such other Tracts of Land and heredit- aments parts of the before recited Four Thousand Five Hundred Acres PATENT FOR PENINGO NECK. 519 of Land and Island which are belonging and appertainin"' to several other persons Freeholders and Inhabitants within the bounds and limits of the same Four Thousand Five Hundred Acres of Land and Island some or more, some of less according to their severall separate and particular interest in Trust to and for the sole and only proper use benefit and behoofe of each' particular Freeholder and Inhabitants particularly and respectively and of each of their particular and re- spective heirs and assigns for ever in as full and ample manner as if their particular Names and their particular and severall Freeholds and Inheritances were particularly and severally Expressed Mentioned and described in these presents. To hee Holden of us our heirs and successors for ever in free and common soccage as of our Mannor of East Greenwich in the County of Kent within our Realm of Great Brittain Yeilding rendering and paying therefore yearly and every year unto us our heirs and successors at our Custom House in New York unto our and their Receiver Generall of our said Province for the time being on the Feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary commonly called Lady Day the Annual Rent of Two shillings and six pence Lawfull Money of New York for every Hundred Acres thereof in Lieu and stead of all other rents services Dues Duties and Demands whatsoever for the saute Four Thousand Five Hundred Acres of Land Island and Premises, so granted as aforesaid Provided always and these presents are upon this condition that the same Daniel Purdy Samuel Brown and Benjamin Brown and the other Freeholders and Inhabitants of the same Tract of Land and Island so granted as afore- said and their heirs and assigns some or one of them have already or shall within the Term and Space of three Years next Ensuing the Date hereof settle clear and make improvement of three acres of land for every fifty acres of land at least of the same tract of land and Island so granted as aforesaid and so proportionably for a larger or smaller Tractor parcel thereof and in Default thereof or if the aforesaid Daniel Purdy Samuel Brown and Benjamin Brown and the other Inhabitants and Freeholders of any part or parts of the same Tract of land and Island or their heirs or assigns or any of them or any other person or persons whatsoever by their or any of their privity consent or procure- ment shall set on fire and burn the Woods on the same Tract of Land and Island or any part thereof to clear the same that then and there and in either of these Two cases this our present Grant and every Article and Clause therein or thereof shall cease determine and be- come utterly Void anything in these presents to the contrary thereof in any ways notwithstanding. And Wee do hereby Will and Grant that these our Letters be made Patent and that they and the Record of them in our Secretary's Office of our Province of New York shall be good and efiectuall in the Law to all Intents and Purposes Notwithstand- ing the not true and well reciting of the premises or of the limits and 520 APPENDIX. bounds thereof or any former or other Grant or Letters Patent for the same made or granted to any other person or persons or persons body politick or corporate whatsoever, any Laws or other restraint incertainty or imperfection whatsoever to the contrary hereof in anyways Notwith- standing In Testimony whereof Wee have caused the Great Seal of our Prov- ince of New York to be affixed to these presents and the same to be Entred of Record in one of the Books of Patents in our said Secre- tary's Office remaining Witness our said trusty and well beloved Colonel Peter Schuyler President of our Councill for our Provinge of New York in Councill at Fort George in New York the Eleventh day of August in the Seventh Year of our Reign Annoque Domini 1720. Js. BoLiN DejJ*^ Sec^'y- II. PATENT FOR BUDD'S NECK.i George by the Grace of God King of Great Brittain France and Ireland Defender of the faith &c To all To Whom these presents shall come sendetii Greeting Whereas our Loving subjects Joseph Budd, John Hoight and Daniel Purdy, Lihabitants of the Toion of Rye, in the County of Westchester by their petition presented to our Trusty and well-beloved Colonel Peter Schuyler President of the Council for our Province of New York, Have set forth that in Virtue of a purchase made by John Budd in his life time the Father of the aforesiiid Joseph Budd by Lycence from the Government of Connecticut Colony bearing Date the Eighth Day of November One Thousand Six Hundred and Sixty of a certain Tract or parcell of land in the Bounds of the Toumship of Rye, in the County of Westchester then called Apawguammis bounded East by a River then called Ifockqunms River Southerly by the Sea or Sound against Long Island now called the Island Nassau Westerly by a River then called PochotesumJce River and Northerly by Marked Trees near West Chester path that the said petitioners with Diverse others of our Loving subjects Inhabitants of the same Township of Rye who have and do hold and enjoy the same Tract of Land by from or under the same John Budd and his heirs and assigns have cultivated and improved the same at their great charge and with great labour and industry and have been and are now hitherto peaceably and Quietly possessed thereof praying to have the same confirmed to them by Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the Province of New York, in the manner as is hereafter Described (that is to say) All that Tract or Neck of Land in the Township of Rye, in the County of Westchester in the Province of Neio York now called Budds purchase Beginning at a cast by blinde Brooke and vacant hind North Ijy Vacent Land West by INIanierroneck River and South by Budd and Jones Morgaus Purchase, which Reasonable request Wee being AVilliiuT to Grant, Know Yee that of our Speciall Grace Certaine knowledge and meere mocon we have given Granted, Ratifyed and Confirmed and by these Presents do for us our Heirs and Successonrs, Give, Grant, Rat- ifye and Confirnie unto our said loving Subjects William Nicolls, Eben- ezer Wilson, David Jamison, John Harrison and Samuell Heiohtall the aforerecited Certaine Tract of Land within our said County of West- chester and within the Limites and Bounds aforesaid together with all and Singular the woods underwoods Trees Timber feedings Pastures Meadows Marshes, Swamps Ponds Pools Waters Watercourses Riv- ers, Rivoletts Runns brooks Streams fishing fouling hunting and hawk- ing and all other Profiles, benefites Priviledges Libertys Advantaoes Hereditaments and Appurtenances whatsoever to the aforerecited Cer- taine Tract of Land within the Limites and Bounds aforemenconed belonging or in any vvayes appertaining To have and to hold all the afore- said Certain Tract of Land together with all and Singular the Woods, Underwoods, Trees, Timber, feedings, Pastures Meadows Marshes Swamps Ponds Pools Waters Watei-courses Rivers Rivoletts, Runns, Brooks Streams fishing fouling hunting and hawking and all other Profiles benefites, Priviledges Libertys Advantages Hereditaments and Appurtenances whatsoever to the aforerecited Certaine Tract of Land within the Limites and Bounds aforesaid belonging or in any ways appertaining unto them the said William Nicolls, Ebenezar Wilson David Jamison John Harrison and Samuell Height their Heirs and Assignes to the only Propper use benefite and behoofe of them the said William Nicolls, Ebenezar Wilson, David Jamison, John Harrison and Samuel Height their Heirs and Assignes forever without any Lett, Hin- drance, Molfestacon or Right to be had or Reserved upon Pretence of Joynt Tennancy or Survivorship any thing Contained in this our Grant to the Contrary in any wayes notwithstanding To be holden of us our Heirs and Successours in free and Comon Soccage as of our Mannour of East Greenwich in our Coimty of Kent within our Realnie of England Yeelding Rendring and Paying therefore yearly and every Year unto us our Heirs and Successours the Annual and Yearly Rent of twenty Shilling, Curr' money of our said Province at our City of New Yorke on the feast day of the Annunciation of our blessed Virgin jNIary in Lieu and Steade of all other Rents, Dues Dutyes Services and De- mands whatsoever In Testimony whereof we have Caused the Great Seal of our said Province to be hereunto affixed Witnesse our Trusty and wellbeloved Benjamin Fletcher our Captain Generall and Gover- 52G APPENDIX. nour in Cheife of our Province of New Yorke and the Territoryes and Tracts of Land Depending thereon in America & Vice Admirall of the same our Lieu' and Commander in Cheife of the Militia and of all the forces by Sea and Land within our Colony of Connecticutt and of all the forts and Places of Strength within the same at our Fort in New Yorke the twenty fifth day of June in the eighth year of our Reign e Annoq Dm 169G. Ben ffletcher By his Excelt Command David Jamison D. Secry. I do hereby certify the aforegoing to be a true Copy of the Original Record. Words East Side 3()th Line page 36 written on a razure. Compared therewith by me. Lewis A. Scott, Secretary. IV. PATENT FOR THE WHITE PLAINS.i George by the Grace of God of Great Britain^ France and Ireland Kino- Defender of the faith &c To all To Whom these presents shall come Greeting Whereas our Loving Subjects Joseph Budd John Hoit Caleb Hoit Humphrey Underbill Joseph Purdy George Lane Daniel Lane Moses Knap John Ilorton David Horton Johnathan Lynch Peter Hetfield James Traviss Isaac Coevert Benjamin Brown John Turner David Ogden and William Yeomans by their Humble Petition pre- sented to our Trusty and welbeloved William Burnet F^sq"" Captain Gen- eral and Governour in Chief of our Province of New York in Council the Twenty first Day of December last did humbly pray that his said Excellency would be favoin-ably pleased to grant to them their Heirs and Assigns his Majestys Letters patent for their Claims and purchase lying within this province in the County of Westchester known by the Name of the AVhite Plains in such manner and under such Quit Rent provisions and Restrictions as is and Directed in our Royall Commis- sion and Instructions to our said Governour, which Petitijon was then and there Read and Considered of by our Council of our said Province »n)till the first Day of this Instant they did Humbly Advise our said Governour and Consent that the prayer of the said I'etition be granted In order to the granting whereof in Pursuance of and in Obedience to our Royall Instructions to his said Excellency given at S' James's the third Day of June one Thousand Seven Hundred and Twenty in the Sixth Year of our Reign our said Governour together with George Clarke Esq'' Secretary and Cadwallader Colden Esq"" Surveyor Gen- erall of the said Province three of the Commissioners Appointed by our said Instructions for Setting out all Lands to be granted within our said Province of New York did Sett out for the said Joseph Budd 1 P.dok of Patents (Albany), lib. viii. pp. 450-454 (new paging): pp. 462-4G6 (old paging.) PATENT FOR THE WfllTE PLAINS. 527 John Hoit Caleb Iloit Humphrey Underhill Joseph Purdy George Lane Daniell Lane Moses Knap John Horton David Horton Jonathan Lynch Peter Hatfield James Travise Isaac Covert Benjamin Brown John Turner David Ogden and William Yeomans, a Certain Tract or Par- cell of Land Scituate lying and being in the County of Westchester and is Commonly known by the Name of the White Plains Beginning at a large White Oak Tree Marked with Severall Letters where Two Brooks fall into the AVest Branch of Momaroneck River and Runs thence by Marked Trees to Brunxes River near the Place where a small Brook falls into the said River by a Bush of alders some of which are Marked thence up the Stream of Brunxe River to an Ash Tree about Seventeen Chains above Anthony Millers fulling Mill, thence by Marked Trees to White Oak Tree Marked near long Meadow Brook, then Down the Stream of the said Brook to the Land laid out for Daniel Brondige Then along his Lauds to the said Long Meadow Brook then down the Stream of the said Brook to the Place where it Falls into Momarroneek River and down the Stream of the said River to the land granted to Christopher Bridge then along his Line and the Lines of the Land laid out for Samuel Hunt to Momaroneek River then down the Stream of the said River to the Place where the West Branch Falls into the said River and then up the Stream of the said West Branch to the Place where it begun Containing Four Thousand Four hundred and Thirty five Acres with Allowance for Highways, and in the Setting out of the said Tract of Land had Regard to the Profit- able and unprofitable Acres and had taken care that the Length of the said Tract do not Extend along the Banks of any River Conformable to our said Royall Instructions as by a Certificate under their hands bearing Date the Tenth Day of March last Entered of Record in our Secretarys Office more fully and at large Appears Which Tract of Land set out as aforesaid according to our said Royall Instructions Wee being willing to grant to the said Joseph Budd John Hoit Caleb Hoit Hum- phrey Underhill Joseph Purdy George Lane Daniel Lane Moses Knap John Horton David Horton Johnathan Lynch Peter Hatfield James Traviss Isaac Covert Benjamin Brown John Turner David Ogden and William Yeomans their Heirs and Assigns according to the Prayer of their Petition Know Yee that of our Especial grace certain Knowledge and meer Motion We have given granted Ratifyed and Confirmed and do by these presents for us our heirs and Successors give grant Ratifie and Confirm unto the said Joseph Budd John Hoit Caleb Hoit Hum- phry Underhill Joseph Pindy George Lane Daniel Lane Moses Knap John Ilorton David Horton Johnathan Lynch Peter Hatfield James Traviss Isaac Covert Benjamin Brown John Turner David Ogden and William Yeomans their Heirs and Assigns all that the said Tract or Parcell of Land Scituate lying and being in the County of Westchester which is Commonly known by the Name of the White Plains Begin- 528 APPENDIX. ning at a large White Oak Tree Marked with Severall Letters where Two Brooks fall into the West Branch of Moniaroneek River, and Runs thence by Markt Trees to Brunxes River near to the place where a small Brook ftills into the said River by a Bush of Alders some of which are Markt thence up the Stream of Brunxes River to an Ash Tree about Seventeen Chains above Anthony Millers fulling Mill thence by Markt Trees to a White Oak Marked near long Meadow Brook then down the Stream of the said Brook to the Land laid out for Daniel Brondige then along his Line to the said Long Meadow Brook then down the Stream of the said Brook to the place where it falls into Momaroneek River and down the Stream of the said River to the Land granted to Chiistopher Bridge then along his Line and the Lines of the Land laid out for Samuel Hunt to Momaroneek River then down the Stream of the said River to the Place where the West Branch falls into the said River and then up the Stream of the said West Branch to the place where it begun Containing Four Thousand Four Hundred and Thirty five Acres with Allowance for Highways Together with all and Singular Woods underwoods Trees Timber Feedings pas- tures Meadows Marshes Swamps Ponds Pools AVaters Water Courses Rivers Rivolets Runs and Streams of Water Fishing Fowling Hunting and Hawking Mines Minerals Standing being Growing lying or to be had used and Enjoyed within the Limits and Bounds aforesaid, And all other Profits Benefits Liberties Priviledges Hereditaments and Ap- purtenances to the same belonging or in any wise Appertaining and all that our Estate Right Title Interest Benefit Claim and Demand what- soever of in or to the same and the Reversion and Reversions Re- mainder and Remainders and the Yearly Rents and Profits of the same (Excepting and always Reserving out of this our present Grant unto us our Heirs and Successors forever all Trees of the Diameter of Twenty four Inches and upwards at Twelve Inches from the Ground for Masts for our Royall Navy, and also all such other Trees as may be fit to make Planks Knees and other things Necessary for the use of our said Navy which now are Standing Growing or being or Avhich for ever hereafter shall be Standing Growing or being in and upon any of the said Lands with free Liberty and Lycence for any person or persons whatsoever by us our Heirs and Successors or any of them to be there- unto Appointed under our or their Sign Manual with Workman Horses Waggons Carts and Carriages and without to Enter and come into and upon the said Lands and every part thereof, and there to F'ell Cut Down Root up Hiew^ Saw and Rive have take Cart and Carry away the same for the uses aforesaid (Excepting also and Reserving all Silver and Gold Mines To Have and to hold alland Singular the same cer- tain Tract of Land and Premisses with its Hereditaments and Appur- tenances (Excepting as before is Excepted and Reserved) unto the said Joseph Budd John Hoit Caleb Hoit Humphry Underliill Joseph Purdy PATENT FOR THE WHITE PLAINS. 529 George Lane Daniel Lane Moses Knap John Horton David Horton Jonatlian Lynch Peter Hatfield James Traviss Isaac Covert Benjamin Brown John Turner David Ogden and William Yeomans their Heirs and Assigns forever To be Holden of us our Heirs and Successors in free and common Soccage as of our Mannor of East Greenwich in the County of Kent within our Kingdom of Great Britain Yeilding Ren- dring and paying therefore Yearly and every Year forever unto us our Heirs and Successors at our Custom House in the City of New York unto our or their Collector or Receiver General for the time being on the Feast Day of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary commonly called Lady Day the annual Rent of two Shillings and Sixpence for every hundred acres thereof in Lieu and stead of all other Rents Ser- vices dues Dutys and Demands whatsoever for the same four Thousand four Hundred and Thirty five Acres of Land so granted as aforesaid Provided always and these presents are upon this Condition that the same Joseph Budd John Hoit Caleb Hoit Humphrey Underbill Joseph Purdy George Lane Daniel Lane jMoses Knap John Horton David Horton Johnathan Lynch Peter Hatfield James Traviss Isaac Covert, Benjamin Brown John Turner David Ogden and AVilliam Yeomans their Heirs and Assigns some or one of them shall and do within the Term and Space of three Years now next ensuing the Date hereof plant Settle and Effectually Cultivate at least three Acres of Land granted as aforesaid, and in Defiiult thereof or if the said Joseph Budd John Hoit Caleb Hoit Humphry Underbill Joseph Purdy George Lane Daniel Lane Moses Knap John Horton David Horton Johnathan Lynch Peter Hatfield James Traviss Isaac Covert Benjamin Brown John Turner David Ogden and William Yeomans their Heirs and Assigns or any other person or Persons by their privity consent or procure- ment Shall Set on Fire or Burn the Woods on the Said Lands or any part thereof to Clear the Same so as Destroy Impair or hinder the Growth of any of the Trees that are or may be fit for Masts Planks Knees or other Timber for our Royall Navy hereby Reserved unto us our Heirs and Successors that then and in either of these cases this our present Grant and every Article and Clause therein or thereof Shall Cease Determine and be Void any thing herein Contained to the Contrary thereof in any wise Notwithstanding And We do further of our Especial grace Certain knowledge and meer motion Consent and Agree that these presents being Entered upon Record as is hereafter Appointed shall be good and effectual in Law to all intents and pur- poses against us our Heirs and Successors Notwithstanding the not well Reciting or INIisreciting of the premisses or any part thereof In Testimony whereof Wee have Caused these our Letters to be made Patent and the Great Seal of our said Province to be hereunto affixed and the same to be Entred of Record in our Secretarys Office in one of the Books of Patents there Remaining Witness our Trusty and 34 530 APPENDIX. welbeloved William Burnet Esq Captain General and Governour in Chief of our Province of New York of our Province of New Jersey and of all the Territories and Tracts of Land thereon Depending in America and Vice Admirall of the same &c at Fort George in New York the Thirteenth day of March in the Eighth Year of our Reign Annoq^ Domini 1721. TOWN OFFICERS. 1691 1701 1703 1705 1707 1711 1713 1717 1720- 1723 1740- 1744- 1747 1749 1750- 1762- 1764 1765 1768 1769 1771 1783 1785 1788 1789 -1706 -1708 -1716 -1719 -1722 -1739 -1743 ■1746 ■1761 •1763 -1767 ■1770 •1772 •1784 ■1786 ■1795 Joseph Theall. Deliverance Brown John Frost. Thomas Merritt. Joseph Piirdy. John Hoyt. Joseph Budd. John Tloyt. Joseph Budd. Samuel Purdy. John Thomas. Samuel Purdy. Samuel Tredwell. Samuel Purdy. William Willett. Jonathan Brown. Timothy Wetmore. John Thomas. Timothy Wetmore. John Thomas, jr. Ebenezer Haviland, John Thomas. Jesse Hunt. Gilbert Brondige. Thomas Bowne. SUPERVISORS 1796 Bartholomew Hadden. 1797 John Guion. 1799 John Brown. 1800 Thomas Brown. 1801-1804 John Guion. 1805-1806 Samuel Marvin. 1807-1808 Samuel Armor. 1809-1822 Samuel Deall. 1823-1834 David Kirby. 1835-1837 John Theall. 1838 David Kirby. 1839-1840 Willett Moseman. 1841 John Theall. 1842-1845 James D. Halsted. 1846-1847 J. C. Roosevelt Brown. 1848 Dr. D. Jerome Sands. 1849 John S. Provoost. 1850 William Horton. 1851-1853 Newberry D. Halsted. 1854 John S. Provoost. 1855-1859 John E. Marshall. 1861 John W. Lounsberry. 1862-1864 James D. Halsted. 1865 Wilson D. Slawson. 1866-1868 Thomas K. Downing. 1869-1870 Howard C. Cady. TOAYNSMEN.^ 1671 Joseph Horton, Thomas Brown, John Brondig. 1683 Joseph Horton ' and others.' 1697 Hachaliah Brown, Thomas Merritt, John Frost, John Hor- ton, Jonathan Hart. 1 After 1711 these officers are called ' Trustees or Overseers.' TOWN OFFICERS. 531 1699 Joseph Theall, Hachaliah Brown, Thomas Merritt, sen., John Lyon, Samnel Lane. 1701 John Merritt, Andrew Coe, Joseph Biidd, Robert Bloomer, Samuel Lane. 1702 Joseph Theall, George Lane, sen., Robert Bloomer, Samuel Kniffin, Samuel Lane. 1703-1711 Joseph Theall, Robert Bloomer, Samuel Lane. 1713-1718 Robert Bloomer, Thomas Merritt, jr., Daniel Purdy. 1728 Jonathan Brown, Andrew Merritt, William Fowler, Daniel Purdy, Joseph Kniffen, William Willett. 1729 Samuel Purdy, Robert Bloomer, jr., David Ogden, Benja- min Brown, John Thomas, Jonathan Haight, John Hor- ton. TOWN CLERKS. 1678-1693 John Brondig. 1827-1828 Josiah Bulkley. 1696 John Iloit. 1829-1832 Joseph H. Anderson. 1697-1736 Samuel Lane. 1833-1836 Horace B. Smith. 1737-1746 Samuel Purdy. 1838-1839 Joshua Lyon. 1747 Ebenezer Kniffen. 1840 William Provoost. 1748-1750 Samuel Purdy. 1841-1845 Jonathan J. Deall. 1751 Gilbert Bloomer. 1846 Edward Field. 1752 Samuel Purdy. 1847-1848 William Horton. 1753-1769 Ebenezer Kniffen. 1849-1852 Charles W. Field. 1770-1772 Dr. Eben. Haviland. 1853-1855 Eli Curtis. 1783-1786 John Thomas. 1856-1858 Charles D. Pixley. 1788-1793 John Merritt. 1859 Edward H. Purdy. 1794-1799 John Doughty. 1860-1862 H. M. Henderson. 1800-1801 Ezrahiah Wetmore. 1862-1864 Edwin Horton. 1802-1814 Philemon Halsted, jr. 1865-1866 J. M. McCarty. 1815-1824 Charles Field. 1867-1868 Ch. G. Pixley. 1825 William Bush. 1869 Edwin Horton. 1826 John Theall. 1870 Herman L. Marshall, CONSTABLES. 1671 George Lane. 1678 Caleb Hiat. 1681-1682 Timothy Knap. 1684-1685 Thomas Merritt. 1714 1696 Deliverance Brown. 1715 1697 Robert Bloomer. 1716 1699 Caleb Hiat. 1717 1701 Samuel Kniffen. 1702 John Hoyt. 1718 1703-1708 John Disbrow. 1711-1713 Daniel Purdy. (Son of John.) Anthony Miller. Robert Bloomer, jr. Benjamin Brown. Daniel Purdy. (Son of Francis.) Samuel Miller. 532 APPENDIX. 1719 Joseph Brondige, jr. George S. Bartlett. 1720-1722 Abraham Miller. 1850 George S. Bartlett, 1723 Joseph Horton, jr. Samuel Kelly, 1724-1725 Abraham Miller. Charles Theall. 1726-1736 Thomas Fowler. 1851 William H. Guion, 1737 Francis Doughty. William A. Purdy, 1738 Abraham Miller. Birdsey Wakeley, 1739-1741 Joshua Brondige. Samuel SnifFen. 1742-1743 Joseph Haight. 1852 William H. Guion, 1744-1749 Hachaliah Theall. William A. Purdy, 1750 John Doughty. Purdy Slater. 1751-1756 Benjamin Brown, jr. 1853* Purdy Slater, 1757 James Wetmore. Coles T. Morrell. 1758-1761 Benjamin Brown. 1854 William H. Guion, .1762-1765 Gilbert Brondige. Purdy Slater. 1766-1767 James Anderson. 1856 Ezra Kniffen, 1768-1773 John Doughty. Naaman II. Turner. 1783 John Merritt. 1857 Ezra Kniffen, 1784-1787 William Brown. Purdy Slater. 1788 John A. Hawkins. 1858 Samuel Bouton, 1789-1795 John Hawkins, jr. John Shearer, 1796-1800 Ezrahiah Wetmore. Purdy Slater, 1801 Philemon Halsted, jr. William Slater. 1802-1803 Ezrahiah Wetmore. 1859 Isaac Covert, 1804-1820 John Hawkins. John Shearer, 1821 Ezrahiah Wetmore. Purdy Slater. 1822 Ezrahiah Wetmore, 1860 Purdy Slater, Henry Belden. John Shearer, 1823 Ezrahiah Wetmore, Ch. M'Intosh, George Hains. 1861 Purdy Slater, 1824 Ezrahiah Wetmore, John Shearer, John Theall. Ch. M'Intosh. 1825 Ezrahiah Wetmore, 1862 Purdy Slater, Daniel S. Merritt. John Shearer, 1826 Alexander Ennis. George Bailey. 1827-1832 Ezrahiah Wetmore. 1863 William M. Slater, 1833-1836 Sylvanus Merritt. John Shearer, 1837 Sylvanus Van Sicklin. George W. Lee, 1838-1840 William Bettys. Alexander Worden. 1841-1843 Purdy Slater. 1864 Purdy Slater, 1844 George Provoost. Robert Archer, 1845 William Bettys. Matthew Brundage, 1846-1847 Vincent Slater. Alexander Worden. 1848 Purdy Slater. 1865 Charles Merritt, 1849 William Bettys, Purdy Slater, TOWN OFFICERS. 533 Richard Archer, Purdy Slater, J. H. De Camp. 11. C. Singler. 1866 Samuel Hopps, 1868 W. Romer, Purely Slater, Purdy Slater, J. IT. De Camp. A. M. Perrin, 1867 John Hughes, Michael Burns. JUSTICES OF THE PEACE. 1663 John Budd. Joseph Budd, 1678-1688 Joseph Horton. Hachaliah Brown, jr. 1685-1710 Joseph Theale. 1769 John Thomas, 1693 Daniel Straing. Hachaliah Brown, jr., 1698-1716 Deliverance Brown. Charles Theall, 1703-1715 Joseph Purdy. Roger Lyon, 1705-1718 Caleb Heathcote. Abraham Hatfield, 1710-1722 Joseph Budd. Samuel Purdy. 1710-1717 Isaac Denham. 1773 William Anderson. 1720-1731 Jonathan Haight. 1793 Thomas Bowne, 1720-1753 Samuel Purdy. Jonathan Bailey. 1726-1753 Caleb Hyatt. 1799 John Brown, 1728-1746 Benjamin Brown. Isaac Sniffin, 1728 Charles Theall. Samuel Marvin. 1734-1767 Daniel Purdy. 1812 Rivers Morrell. 1734-1752 Francis Doughty. 1821 Nehemiah Brown, 1734 Thomas Fowler. David Munson. 1738-1775 John Thomas. 1830 John H. Smith, 1738-1745 Samuel Tredwell, William T. Praul. Adam Seaman. 1831 Abram Guion, 1739 Samuel Thorn. • James W. Brown. 1739 Samuel Brown. 1832 Thomas W. Garniss, 1740-1748 John Lyon. Horace B. Smith, 1740 George Lane. David H. Mead. 1741-1745 John Budd. 1833 John H. Smith, 1743 John Bloomer. Rivers Morrell, 1746-1769 Gilbert Bloomer. David H. Mead, 1753 Jonathan Purdy, Ralph Marshall. James Stevenson. 1834 John H. Smith, 1754 Lewis M'Donald. Peter W. Edgel, 1755 Moses Owen, David H. Mead, Abraham Guion, James W. Brown. Hachaliah Brown. 1835 Jonathan H. Gidney, 1756-1769 Ebenezer Kniffen. George W. Smith. 1757-1761 Elisha Hyatt. 1836 James W. Brown, 1765 Gabriel Lynch, Monmouth Lyon. John Hyatt, 1837 Darius W. Todd, 634 APPENDIX. David H. Mead, Merritt Brown. 1861 1838 Peter W. Edgel, 1862 Thomas Purdy, 1863 Oliver F. Green. 1839 Darius W. Todd, 1864 Samuel Haviland, 1865 Josiah Bulkley. 1866 1860 Alexander Ennis, 1867 E. Sours, 1868 A. Van Amringe, E. P. Morrell. A. Van Amringe. Ch. W. Field. Joseph G. Fowler, J. Henry Gilbert. Shubael R. Strang. G. H. Haight. R. F. Brundage. H. M. Henderson. S. E. Strang. FARMERS OF 1710 The Justices. 1714 Sept. 4, Joseph Budd. 1716 Sept. 4, Joseph Budd. 1720 Nov. 19, Joseph Budd. 1737 Oct. 14, Ebenezer Heveland (and others). 1741 Nov. 3, James Wood. 1743 Dec. 2, Samuel Purdy. 1747 Oct. 31, Samuel Purdy. 1748 Nov. 12, Samuel Purdy. 1750 Oct. 12, Benjamin Brown, jr., THE EXCISE. 1750 Oct. 12, Underbill Budd. 1752 Nov. 11, Benjamin Brown, jr.. Underbill Budd. 1763 Dec. 13, John Thomas, jr. 1765 Dec. 23, John Thomas, jr. 1768 Feb. 3, John Thomas, jr. 1769 Dec. 30, John Thomas, jr. 1770 Dec. 22, John Thomas, jr. 1772 Feb. 26, John Thomas, jr. 1774 Feb. 8, John Thomas, jr. 1775 Jan. 31, John Thomas, jr. INDEX OF DATES. PAGE 1609, September 3. New Nctherland discovered 3 1621, June 3. Charter of Dutch West India Company .... 3 1623. Settlement on Manhattan Island 3 1647, May 11. Peter Stuyvcsant, fourth Dutch governor, arrives . . 3 1649, July 14. Wicquaeskeek — now Westchester County — bought by the Dutch 4 1650, Sept. 11. Conference between Stuyvesant and the English at Hartford 106 1660, January 3. Peter Disbrow treats with the Indians for the purchase of Peningo Neck .......... 9 June 29. Disbrow, Coe, and Stedwell purchase Manussing Island . . 10 July ? Hastings settlement commenced ...... 19 July ? John Richbell buys land — now Mamaroneck — from the Indians 153 November 8. License from Connecticut Government to John Budd for purchase of ' Apawquammis '........ 520 1661, May 22. Disbrow in behalf of the settlers purchases tlic land above the bounds of Hastings ......... 11 Novembers. Jolni Budd purchases the tract Apawamis . . 12,502 November 12. John Budd purchases the West Neck .... 14 1662, June 2. Present town of Harrison bought from the Indians by settlers of Rye 15 May 10. Royal Charter of Connecticut granted .... 24 July 26. Settlers of Manussing Island unite in a declaration of their purposes ............ 23 Compact of the settlers .......... 24 August 11. Compact confirmed by the purchasers 24 October 9. Royal Charter received at Hartford 24 Notice sent to Westchester ......... 24 1663, January 26. Inhabitant.s of Hastings petition the General Court for ' some settled way of government '...... 25 John Budd sent as deputy to the Court 25 March 12. New Nctherland conveyed to the Duke of York . . 107 April 28. Lands conveyed by purchasers to planters .... 26 October 8. The General Court appoints John Budd commissioner, and R. Vowlcs constable, for Hastings ...... 88 October 13. Conference between the Dutch and English at Hartford . 107 1664, September 8. New Amsterdam surrendered to the English . . 28 Accessions to the Hastings colony 28 Settlement begun on the main-land 28 October 13. The General Court continues Lieutenant Budd as commis- sioner for Hastings and Rye ........ 89 December 1. Delegates from Connecticut meet the commissioners of the Duke of York, and agree upon the boundary line, to be a line north- northwest from Mamaroneck River 109 536 INDEX OF DATES. PAGE 1665, May 11. The General Court orders that Hastings and l?yc be conjoined 30 Peter Disbrow admitted as representative of the town of Rye . . 89 October 12. The General Court appoints persons to view the lands apper- taining to Hastings and Rye ....... 38 Richard Vowles deputy to the General Court 89 Rye to have ' a towne brand '........ 89 1666, April 29. John Budd treats with the Indians for the lands north of Apa- wamis (Harrison) . . . . . . . . . .16 May 10. Lieutenant Budd deputy to the General Court ... 89 Fairfield County erected : Rye within its bounds 89 1667, May 9. Joseph Horton to be Lieutenant to the train-band of Rye . 89 1668, October 2. Differences at Rye: the inhabitants petition the General Court relative to John Budd's proceedings 38 Octobers. Two deinities — Budd and A^'owles — at the General Court 89 Persons appointed ' to compose differences' ..... 38 1669, May. Richard Vowles deputy to Hartford 90 John Coc and Marmaduke Smith at Rye ...... 273 October. The people of Rye destitute of an orthodox minister. The General Court appoints persons to expostulate with them . . . 273 1670, May 12. John Banks and Peter Disbrow deputies .... 90 Division of lands on Wolf-pit Ridge 52 Death of John Budd, sen 40, 404 October. The General Court orders the magistrates of Rye to take steps for settling a minister ......... 274 October. Timothy Knap deputy to Hartford ..... 90 November 17. The inhabitants appoint persons to endeavor to procure a minister ............ 274 1671, May 11. Persons appointed to settle difficulties and aid in procuring a minister at Rye 40, 274 Philip Gal])in's gi'ievances ........ 31 The bounds of Rye to extend northward twelve miles ... 90 1672, May 9. Persons appointed to view the township of Rye, and lay out highways . . . . . . . . . . .138 Schedule of prices for letters, etc., established by Connecticut . . 71 December 10. Monthly post to Boston 72 1673, July 30. Dutch fleet in the bay of New York 45 July 31. The Dutch recover possession of New York .... 46 Mamaroneck submits to the Dutch 46 Rye ' being near,' is excused from sending troops for the protection of the colony ........... 46 1673, October 21. Mr. John Banks sent to New York with a letter to Governor Colve 46 Mr. Banks ' detained under restraint ' 46 November. Dutch vessels off the coast seen at Rye .... 46 December. Rye unites with Stamford and Greenwich, in supplicating the General Court at Boston for help ....... 47 Lands yet unappropriated between Stratford and Mamaroneck River to be apportioned among the towns ........ 90 Bounds between Greenwich and Rye settled by Connecticut . . 90 1674, May 14. Rev. Eliphalet Jones to preach once a fortnight at Rye . . 276 October 8. Persons appointed to endeavor to obtain and settle a minister at Rye 277 November 10. New York again surrendered by the Dutch ... 47 1675, May 17. Rev. Peter Prudden recommended to the people of Rye . . 277 INDEX OF DATES. 637 PAGE May 27. Parsonage lot provided for Mr. Prudden 277 June 20. King Philip's War begins 42 July 1. Rye with other plantations warned 43 September 1. Assaults upon Dcerfield' and Hadley .... 43 September 18. Fight at Bloody Brook, near Deerticld . October 5. Attack on Springfield October 10. AVarning of an intended attack ' as far as Greenwich ' December 19. Storming of Narraganset fort .... Death of John Purdy ? Mr. Dcnham's losses • • 1676, March 5. A house to be fortified at Rye for the safety of the own October 12. Lands at Rye cs iirnxtcd ..... 1677, June 15. A house-lot provided for Mr. Dcnlinn 278 November 22. Rev. Thomas Denham admitted an inhabitant of Rye 278 1678, Division of lands on Barton's Neck ....... 52 May 9. Lieutenant Horton commissioned ' to grant warrants and to . 43 44 , 44 44 . 44 45,278 . 44 91 marry persons 91 June 21. Mr. Denham admitted as a ])roprietor .... 278 1679, March 5. 'Fifty poles of land' granted to Mr. Denham . . .278 ' The King's highway ' establishe 1 139 Grant to John Ogden, for a whar' at the Fishing Rock . . 78, 430 1680, September 4. Eaukctaupacuson, or Hog-pen Ridge, bought from Lame Will the Indian 56 November 28. A thorough bargain to be made with the Indians for lands between Blind Brook and Byram River 57 1681, Fire at Rye — Peter Disbrow's ' great losse ' .... 91,409 October 8. Second purchase from Lame Will 57 King Street ' lately laid out ' 55 1682, May 11. Connecticut complains in behalf of inhabitants of Rye, who claim to Hudson's River . . ...... 91, 109 1683, April 25. Governor Dongan reaches New York 110 November 22. Quaroppas, or the White Plains, purchased from the In- dians by the inhabitants of Rye ....... 153 November 24. Boundary line between New York and Connecticut agreed upon . . . . . . • . . • • HO December 3. Connecticut government apprises the inhabitants of Rye of the cession of their town to New York Ill 1684, Mr. Denham removes from Rye to Bedford 279 Rev. John Woodbridge, minister of Rye 280 March 12. Mr. Richbell complains that ' Rye men' claim his land cal ed the White Plains 154 March 17. Inhabitants of Rye summoned to show cause . . .154 1685, May 14. Connecticut orders every town to take out a patent for its lands 93 June 4. Governor Dongan summons the inhabitants of Rye to show what title they have to their lands 112 1686, November 23. Rye appoints persons to treat with the governor (of Con- necticut) for a patent ......... 92 Proprietors of Pcningo Neck apply for a patent 92 1688, Death of Mr. Denham 280 May 2. Death of Peter Disbrow 409 1689, June 25. France declares war against England 47 First mention of slaves in Rye ........ 181 December 15. Bounty offered for the killing of wolves . ... 65 1690, February 8. Burning of Schenectady 47 538 INDEX OF DATES. PAGE April 2. Expedition of Albany ; Jacob Pearcc and others, of Rye . 48 April 22. Persons appointed to procure a minister, ' and if possible a schoolmaster' 173 1691, March 19. Governor Sloughter arrives in New York .... 200 Act enabling- towns (N. Y.) to regulate roads 140 1692, October. Delegates from Rye at Hartford 93 November II. Act appointing a Fair at Rye 211 1693, September 19. Act passed by the Assembly of New York, 'for settling a Ministry,' etc. 288 Southernmost part of Manussing Island conveyed 'by turf and twig' 132 1694, April 12. Bounds of the White Plains to be renewed .... 156 169.5, February 28. First election of churchwardens and vestrymen at Rye . 290 1696, January 24. John Harrison purchases from the Indians a tract above Westchester Path 97 February. Harrison petitions the Council for a patent .... 98 June 25. Patent issued to Harrison and others .... 99, 524 Permission given for mill — probably 'Park's mill' — on Blind Brook 160 1697, January 19. Rye prays to be received back by Connecticut ... 93 January 21. Connecticut receives Rye and Bedford 127 January 22. Patent granted to Rye 93 February 19. Colonel Heathcote and ' the Ringleaders' . . . . 100 April 8. Election at Rye; Major Sellick's 'invasion' . . . . 115 Defection of Rj'e and Bedford announced 115 April 15. Governor Fletcher issues his proclamation, requiring the in- habitants to return .116 May. Correspondence between New York .and Connecticut . . 117 Rev. Nathanael Bowers, minister of Rye 281 September 20. Committee appointed to superintend the ' building of a meeting house ' in Rye ......... 282 Collectors appointed to gather the minister's salary . . . . 284 Death of John Brondig 62 1698, March 24. Joseph Horton chosen ' to keep a house of entertainment ' . 148 April 2. Lord Bellomont, governor of New York, arrives . . . 117 April — . Slaves from the coast of Guinea landed by pirates ' with the long boat, neer about Rye ' 184 December 29. A parsonage lot not exceeding forty acres to be laid out 295 1699, February 27. Highways to be laid out on Peningo Neck ... 85 April 1. Road to the White Plains to be laid out .... 156,511 Country road from Byram 'River to Mamaroneck River, to be laid out 140 June. Captain Kidd on Long Island Sound 185 1700, January 31. Free use of lands granted for ten years .... 59 February 14. The three purchases — White Plains, and Lame Will's two purchases — to be laid out 58,156 March 1. Mr. Woodbridge's claim acknowledged . . . . 281 March 29. The King approves the agreement of 1683 ; Rye and Bedford included in New York 118 July 23. Mr. Bowers called to Greenwich 281 October 10. Connecticut releases Rye and Bedford .... 95 1701, March 21. Patent of Scarsdale, to Colonel Heathcote . . . 155 May 24. Captain Kidd executed in London 185 August 29. Road, now Grace Church Street, to be laid out . . 54, 506 INDEX OF DATES. 639 September 29. Town meeting, relative to Harrison's claim, and arrcar ages of taxes .......... June 16. Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts corporatcd ........ 1702, May 3. Lord Cornbury arrives in New York Tax for defence of frontiers ..... Tax for fortifying harbor of New York May 23. Harrison assigns his interest in the Purchase 1703, February 21. Town meeting with reference to taxes February. Town action warning trespassers April 2. Town meeting with reference to taxes Poll tax Public road to Connecticut established 1704, May. Hcv. Thomas Pritchard at Rye . December 7. Madam Knight at Rye 1705, March 5. Grant for mill at falls of Mamaroneck River April 11. Trustees of publiclands chosen by the town July 31. Rev. George Muirson, rector at Rye September 26. Town meeting ; a church to be built 1706, School at Rye February 18. Town meeting ; tax for building a church 1708, October 12. Death of Mr. Muirson .... December 18. Lord Lovelace arrives in New York 1709, May 5. Death of Lord Lovelace .... Expedition against Canada .... April 11. Division of Will's Purchases October. Rev. Mr. Reynolds at Rye 1710, Governor Hunter arrives in New York Januaiy. Rev. Christopher Bridge at Rye October 17. Mr. Bridge inducted as rector . 1711, January 29. School-house to be built at Rye . February 18. Second division of Will's Purchases Division of Brush Ridge ....... Tax of l., Benjamin, 120; Elias, 120; John, 120, 248, 361. Clark, Ebenezer, 348, 349, 351, 352, 367, 499, 500. Clark, Anclrew, 18.3,499; Cornelius, 223 ; George, 526 ; Joseph, 220 ; Rev. H., 354 ; J., 354. Clason, S., 280. Cleator, Joseph, 174, 175, 310. Clere, George, 21, 22, 25. Clinton, Gen. G., 236. Close, Thomas, 14, 15; Dr. T., 171. Cochran, Rev. S., 356. Cockey, Dr. J. H, T., 171, 193. Codling, Rev. R., 356. Coe, Andrew, 157, 310; John, 9, 10, 14, 15,21,23-26,31, 39, 78, 82, 83, 99, 272, 328 ; Jonathan, 269 ; R., 268, 269. Cqfel, 408. Cogswell, Colonel, 243. Colden, Lieut.-Governor, Cadwallader, 70, 98, 299, 317, 376, 526 ; Alexander, 74. Cole, 458. Coleman, Rev. J., 3.54. Collier, Benj., 34, 92, 113, 115, 173, 202. Collins, E. K., 233; Rev. W. F., 357, 358. Collum [McCollum?], J., 220. Colve, Governor, A., 46. Con, D., 164. Concklin, J., 40. Cooke, S., 333. Coon, 458. Cornbury, Lord, 96, 200-203, 306. Cornell, D., 104; G. L., 194, 208, 385. Corning, Edward, 514 ; Jasper E., 34. CormvaU, 458. Cornwallis, Lord, 264. Cosby, Governor, 298. Cotant, Rev., 370. I Covert,ls&SLK, 157, 526-528. Cox, Rev. Dr. S. H., 348. Crampton, Samuel, 78, 459. Craivford, Rev. J., 355. CromiveU, Oliver, 459, CrowiweZ/, John, 251; 257. Crooker, Moses, 186, 269 ; Wm., 220, 221. Cue, 461,504. Cushman, Rev. D., 286. Damels,Thos., 120, 121,213; Rev. B., 357. Daton, Dr. D., 167. Daugherty, Rev. G., 354. Davenport, Rev. James R., 350, 368 ; Rev. John, 323, 326, 327. Davies, President, 334. Dawson, Henry B., 235. Deall, 160; S., 179, 186. De Lancey, Colonel James, 246, 252. Delancey, John P., 143, 301. Dellius, G., 98. Delhinfjham, 462. Demilt, 462. Denham, Rev. Thomas, 34, 4.5, 131, 150, 278-280, 284-286, 294, 299, 301. Isaac, 34, 60, 85,86, 102, 150, 156, 157, 183, 184, 278, 280, 282, 285, 291, 295, 300, 301, 310, 312. Josiah, 280; Hannah, 280; Nathan- ael, 280; Sarah, 280. Dennis, Rev. D., 354. De I'eyster, A., 203-205. Devaney, Dr., 165. Deveau, Rev. F., 3.54. Devinne, Rev. D., 356, 357. De Voe, Col. Thomas F., 74. Dewey, Rev. T., 354. Dickens, Rev. J., 354 ; J., 213. Dickerman, Capt. 1,326. Dickinson, Rev. J., 330; Rev. R. W., D.D., 351. Disbrotv, Henry, 46, 157; John, 84, 128, 208,310,328; Peter, 9-12, 15, 19, 21, 23-26, 28, 34, 39, 50, 57, 82, 83, 89-92, 95, 97, 99, 128, 153, 157, 277, 279, 515 ; Thomas, 291. Dixon, 462. Dffdr/e, 462. Dongan, Governor, 97, 110, 112, 113, 154, 185, 200. Z)o»9%, Francis, 150, 303, 304, 360; D., 151, 500; Isaac, 303, 304, 340; Jolin, 69, 150, 163, 164, 303, 346, 347. INDEX OF PERSONS. 549 Douttji, 462. Dow, 462. Dowling, Rev. Matthew, 371. Downing, 32; Dr. Nathanacl, 168. Drake, Colonel, 223, 231. Drumgokl, 269. Diier, W., 2.50. DuflFv, P., 382. Dunmore, Governor, 211. Duseiiheri/, 31 ; Gilbert, 223 ; Henry, 223, 327 ; Peter, 213 ; Wilsey, 223. Dwight, Flint, 175; llev. Timothy, D.D., 178, 209, .346, 347. Eames, Rev. II., 355. Edmonds, Rev. J. A., 370. Edwa)-ds, President, 331, 333, 334. Eells, Rev. J., 332. Eisenhart, Christopher, 316. Elsivorth,4G3. Embree, 463. Emery, Rev. N., 355. Emmerick, Lieut.-Colonel, 259. Ennis, Alexander, 268. , Erwin, D., 220. Everard, Rev. T., 354. Esmond, 463. Eustace, 463. Farrington, 463. Faiiconier, 463. Feenas, 463. Fenno, Lieut., 237. Ferguson, Rev. A. C, 371. Ferris, Rev. J., 356. Field, Aaron, 256; Anthony, 103, 362; Charles, 179,377 ; Robert, 103; Samuel, 104; Stephen, 251. Finch, Rev. N., 366. Fisher, Dr. G. J., 167 ; Rev. B., 354 ; Rev. S.U., 356, 357. Fitch, T., 38, 40; Governor, 376. Fltz(jerald, Edward, 465. Flamman, Cornelius, 182, 298. Fleming, P., 228. Fletcher, Governor, 96-100, 114-117, 184, 200, 282, 288, 524-526. Flood, John, 270. Florence, P., 220. Foote, Rev. D., 338, 339. Forbes, Rev. J. M., 342. Ford, J., 3.38 ; Rev. C. B., 370. Foreman, Solomon, 465. Forster, C, 184. Folder, 31; John, 157; Solomon, 259; William, 103, 120 ; Rev. A., 337. Fowls, 90. See Vowlcs. Fox, G., 360, 363. i^?n»/i,7(n, Benjamin, 74; Henry, 103. French, George, 466. Frost, J., 132, 157, 284; W., 160. Fulday, C, 164. Fulton, R., 380. Furman, G., 143. Gage, General, 225. Gale, G., 466. Galpin, John, 157; Joseph, 57,78, 157; Philip, 21, 25, 26, 30, 31, 48, 82, 83, 128, 157. Gandal, John, 466. Garabrant, F., 182. Garnsey,'^\\. Garrison, J., 158, 324. Gedney, 198; Eleazar, 198; Daniel, 143; Isaac, 220, 230 ; James, 220 ; John, 230 ; Jonathan, 220 ; Jonathan H., 149 ; Jo- seph, 230 ; Joshua, 220 ; Solomon, 220 ; William, 143. Gee, J., 57. Gcnin, S. C, 135, 194, 407, 513. George I., 516, 520; IL, 328; III., 219, 220, 221, 229. Gibson, Joseph, 466. Gilbert, Rev. G. S., 358, 370. Gilchrist, Thomas, 466 ; William, 466. Glover, J., 84. Gold, N., 38,40, 112, 273. Goodwin, C. T., 382. Gonim, George, 466. Gothard, Rev. W., 356, 357. Graham, Augustus, 98 ; James, 291 ; Dr. John A., 168, 238 ; Dr. Robert, 168. Graves, Samuel, 78. Gray, H., 223. Greacen, J., 32, 52, 208, 298, 398, 409. Green, 120 ; John, 138. Griffen, Rev. B., 358. Griffin, J., 198. Guc, J., 213. Guion, John, 179,186, 220,316, 514; Pe- ter, 212. Gunn, A., 53. Haddon, Bartholomew, 186 ; Thomas, 393 Haggerty, Rev. J., 354. 550 INDEX OF PERSONS. Hairjld, 198; Daniel, 172, 369; David, 210, 514, 524-526; John, 104, 324, 325, 505, 520-524; Josepli, 84, 213, 303; Jonathan, 164, 205, 324, 328, 505 ; Sam- nel, 99, 102, 103, 361, 524, 525. Hains, Anne, 196 ; Bartholomew, 220, 230 ; Elijah, 220 ; Gilbert, 220 ; Godfrey, 161, 196, 225, 227 ; Stephen, 229, James, 220. Hait, S., 324. Hall, W., 220. Halsted, 35, 211; A. M., 144, .300, 385; Elisha, 357, 369 ; Ezekiel, 76, 186, 196, 208, 223, 250, 298, 345-347, 355, 501, 502; James D., 302, 385; Newberry, 28, 194,208; Philemon, 29, 180, 186, 208, 220, 357, 503 ; Underbill, 52, 135, 194, 208, 355 ; William B., 385. Hanford, llev. T., 273, 275. Hare, Edward, 499; Nathanael, 213, Hcmninson, F., 21-24. Harris, George, 177. flamsoK, John, 97-103, 114, 119, 524, 525 ; Samuel, 103 ; Colonel, 240. ir«rf, James, 186, 187, 220, 514 ; Jonathan, 290, 310; Monmouth, 78, 230, 324. Haskell, Eev. S., 179. Hatfield, Abr., 223 ; Joshua, 223 ; Peter, 157, 327, 526-528; Rev. W. F., 370; Rev. Dr., 430. Haven, Alice B., 199. Huviland, 31 ; Benjamin, 205 ; Ebenezer, 146, 147, 169, 211, 219, 224, 264, 476, 477, 478 ; James, 146 ; Tamar, 147, 162, 302,337 ; Thomas, 144 ; Joseph, 230. Hawkins, John, 220. Hawkshurst, Daniel, 182. Hai/s, 477. Haywood, All. Hcathcote, Col. C, 100, 101, 154-156, 174, 185, 274, 291, 305, 307, 309, 310, 392. Hendrickson, J., 280 ; S., 280. Heath, Major-General W., 223, 233-239, 248, 249, 257. Hiat. See Hyat. Hibbard, Rev. B., 355 ; E., 356. Hicks, Elias, 364. Hill, 411. Hinchman, Dr. J., 166. Hinckson, S., 280 ; R., 280. Hitt, 477. Hoadly, C. J., 376. Hobby, H., 245 ; J., 245. Hod-e, Charles, D. D., 272. Hoight, Abraham, 213 ; J., 295. Hoit, Caleb, 526-528. See Hyat. Hoit, John, 85, 129, 151, 155, 156, 157, 327; S., 128, 157, 526-528. Hollingsworth, Rev. S., D.D., 371. Hollis, Evans B., 178, 382. Holly, John, 31, 38, 40, 89, 90, 138. Holoday, P., 151. Hooker, James, 332 ; Rev. Thomas, 332. Hopping, 413. Horsford, Lieut.-Colonel, 243. Barton, Benjamin, 59,157; Daniel, 223, 251; Caleb, 514; Caleb P., 223; Gil- bert, 229, 2.30; Gill Budd, 239; David, 324, 327, 526-528; James, 21 9, 220, 229 ; John, 94, 95, 104, 155-157, 526-528; Jonathan, 78, 173, 282, 514; Joseph, 16, 33, 40, 43, 57-59, 66, 68, 69, 89-91, 94, 95, 98, 112, 131, 148-150, 153, 166,274, 290, 291, 324 ; Leander, 269 ; Samuel, 324, 327 ; William, 103. Hosier, 477. Howe, General W., 232-235, 239, 240. Howell, Thomas, 78, 328. Hoyt, Rev. L., 357 ; W. B., 370. See Hoit. Hubhs, 411. Huddlestonc, 175. Hudson, Hendrick, 3. Hudson, R., 21-24. Hugeford, Dr. P., 167. Hughes, H., 14. Hunt, 253, 402 ; Alexander, 223 ; Esther, 505 ; James, 345 ; Josiah, 204 ; Samuel, 66, 157, 160, 527, 528 ; Rev. A., 354 ; J., 357. Hunter, 374 ; Governor R., 121 , 204 ; Rev. J. H., 350. Huntington, Colonel, 243 ; Rev. E. B., 165. Hurd, E., 74. Huson, 477. Husted, Rev. H., 357. Hutchings, 411 . Hutchinson, Rev. S., 354. Hijat, Caleb, 91, 104, 118, 156, 157, 324, 325, 327, 513, 526-528; John, 324; Nathan, 324. Ingoldsby, Major, 203. Ireland, Adam, 120. Irving, Washington, 215. Ives, J. M., 52, 402. Izenhart, 316. See Eisenhart. INDEX OF PERSONS. 551 Jackson, J., 21, 22, 25 ; Lieutenant, 237. Jacobs, 134 ; R., 303, 505. Jagrjer, 478. Jamison, D., 99, 100, 102, 524, 525; J., 220. Janes, Bishop, 369. Jay, 199; Anna Maricka, 186,209,3.39; Frederick, 228, 215 ; John, 199, 209, 373, 376 ; Dr. John C, 143, 177, 180, 391 ; Mrs. Mary, 186, 187, 210, 340, 514; Peter, 182, 209, 210, 316, 339, 37.3, 514; Rev. Peter A., 391. Jce, 416. Jeffreji, T., 157. Jenkins, 416. Jenney, Rev. R., 185, 192, 294, 296,298- 301, 309, 313, 314, 321, 322, 362, 504. Jewett, Rev. W., 356. Jones, Dr. John, 169 ; Rev. E., 273, 275, 276; Rev. John, 276; William, 14, 15. Kelly, H., 178. Kennedy, R., 160, 37.3. Kent, Rev. Elisha, 335 ; Chief Justice James, 335. Kibby, Rev. E., 354. Kidtl, Captain, 185. Kimherly, Eleazar, 94, 101. Kingsland, D. C, 34. Kipp, Captain, 257. Kirbi/, David, 193; Andrew, 160; Joseph, 139, 413, 416, 455 ; Mrs. Leah, 193. Kirkham, Rev. O. C, 366. Kissam, B., 376. Knap, Benjamin, 324 ; Daniel, 324 ; Joshua, 58, 1.53; Moses, 157, 324, 327, 526-528 ; Timothy, 28, 33, 34, 39, 59, 83, 90-92, 94, 95, 137, 157, 277, 279, 290, 324, 327, 328. Kniffen, 197 ; Andrew, 220; Benjamin, 78, 220 ; David, 78, 183, 2i3 ; Ebenezer, 78, 151, 298, 328 ; Xieorge, 28, 33, 52, 83, 84, 90, 157, 173, 1§3, 3ip, 328 ; John, 220 ; Jonathan, 197, 209, 220, 252, 253 ; Joseph, 84, 173, 298, 324, 327, 328; Nathan, 28, 328 ; Polly, 209, 252, 253 ! Roger, 220 ; Samuel, 28 ; Thomas, 220, 246; Israel, 324,327. Knight, Madam! 73, 141, 149, 150, 190, 191. Knower, G. A., 499. Knox, 175. Knyphausen, General, 233. La Count, F., 104. La Fayette, 148, 380. Lame Will. See Maramaking. Lancaster, W., 21, 22, 25. Lane, Daniel, 157, 324, 327, 526-528; George, 28, 33, 34, 39, 50, 59, 83, 94, 102, 156, 157, 290, 291, 310, 324, 327, 526-528; Hezekiah, 324; Jonathan, 324 ; Nathan, 324 ; Reuben, 213 ; Sam- uel, 62, 66, 160, 213, 291, 300, 324, 328, 505, 506 ; Solomon, 324. Lary, D., 220. Law, R., 30, 38, 40, 89. Lawrence, W., 103. Leete, Gov. W., 272, 360 ; Caleb, 336. Lefever, Rev. J., 356 ; J. W., 357. Leish, C, 328. Lester, W., 348. L'Estrange. See Strang. Levy, A. G., 382. Lewis, Rev. Ichabod, 335, 345; Rev. Isaac, D. D., 335, 345, 346 ; Rev. Val. A., 369. Linch, Jonathan, 157,324,327,526-528; Gabriel, 514. Lincoln, General B., 248, 249. Lincoln, President, 384. Linds, S., 40. Livingston, R. R., 380. LocJcwood, Jonathan, 90. Loder, Benjamin, 384, 401, 403.' Loof borrow, Isaac, 345, 347. Lossing, B. F., 259. Lounshery, J. W., 269, 385 ; Jonathan, 213 ; Richard, 128, 157 ; Dr. S. S., 171 ; Val- entine, 213 ; William, 226-228, 270. Lovall, Rev. F., 354. Loveall, M., 47. Lovelace, Governor, 72, 76, 203. Lowe, J., 349. Ludlow, Rev. H. G., 348. Luther, 175. Lyman, Rev., 367. Lynch. See Linch. Lyon, 87, 198 ; Andrew, 186, 220, 221, 253, 346 ; Abraham, 213 ; Gilbert, 228, 374, 377 ; John, 85, 156, 282, 285, 295, 328 ; Joseph, 66, 160, 195, 196, 310, 328, 514, 521 : Samuel, 228, 267, 377 ; Sarah, 195; Sylvtmus, 179; Thomas, 44, 78, 83, 157, 197,298, 324, 327,382; Wil- liam, 75, 186, 187 : Seth, 245 ; Rev. J., 355 ; Rev. Z., 355. 552 INDEX OF PERSONS. McCoUum, John, 220, 230; T., 187; Dr. M., 171. McDaiiiel, Colonel, 240. McDonald, John, 225 ; Lewis, 228, 255 ; Dr. C, 170. McDougall, General, 2.34, 237. M'Intosh, Colonel, 243. McLoughlin, Rev. T., 371. Macy, Josiah, 210; J. 11., 385. Maffit, Rev. J. N., 356. Malcolm, Colonel, 234, 237. Mallory, Rev. C. T., 358, 370. Mann, Rev. J., 368. Maramaking, Lame or Limping Will, 11, 12, 56, 57, 134. Marrener, P. W., 148. Marselis, Ann, 499. Marsh, W., 103. Marshall, J. E., 385. Martindale, Rev. S., 356. Marven, Lewis, 198, 267; Mrs. M., 198, 267 ; Samncl, 267. Mather, Rev. Cotton, 281. /-^ Mathews, Dr. E. F., 172. . Mathews, William, 193, 352, 353, 499. Mead, Benjamin, 5, IM, 179, 180, 199 ; Da- vid H., 34, 76, 160, 300, 302, 357, 374, 505, 506; Rev. N., 354, 359 ; Rev. S., 335. Merritt, 61, 69.;173, 197, 198, 506; An- drew, 78, 220^324, 328 ; Benjamin, 183 ; Benoni, 324, 327; Daniel, 104; Elisha, 213; Elizabeth, 382 ; Ezekiel, 213 ; Gil- bert, 220, 221 ; John, 54, 83, 85, 94, 140, 157, 198, 310, 346; Jonathan, 213; Jo- seph, 213, 220, 324; Peter, 213 ; Roger, 220, 269; Robert, 220, 269, 345, 346; Samuel, 157, 230, 269 ; Thomas, 34, 56, 59, 83, 85, 93-95, 121, 156, 282, 284, 291, 310, 328, 506 ; Sylvanus, 269 ; the Misses, 247, 269, 381, 382 ; Shubael, 260, 261 ; Cornet, 259. Miller, Abraham, 104, 220, 221 ; Anthony, 157, 223, 316, 527, 528; David, 369; Gilbert, 269; James, 223; John, 310; William, 228, 252. Mills, Samuel, 120; Rev. Jedidiah, 332. Mimise, 61. Monroe, Peter J., 143. Moore. Bishop, 337, 338. Moore, Mrs., 269. Morgan, John, 40 ; Jonas, 525. Moriarty, Rev. P., 354. Morrell, Rivers, 220 ; Samuel, 269. Morris, Gilbert, 220 ; Colonel Lewis, 293, 309, 319. Moseman, W., 268, 379, 380 ; Mrs., 144, 268. Mosenell, Marcus, 228. Mosher, Lieutenant, 257. Mott, Gershom, 223; James, 182,291,362. Muirson, Rev. George, 185, 191, 192, 299, 306-312, 318, 320, 361 ; Lieut., 259. Mundy, Rev. E. F., 369. Nanfan, Lieutenant-Governor, 103. Neilson, Bloomer, 228. Nelson, Nathanael, 341. Nicholls, Wm., 99, 100, 102, 103, 524, 525. NicoHs, Governor, 108. Nicolson, Lieutenant-Governor, 200. North, Rev. J. 0., 370. Oakley, Isaac, 251. Ochampaugh, Rev. C, 357. Odell, Isaac, 157 ; John, 84, 153 ; Samuel, 70, 84, 132, 518 [Lemuel Rogers]; Wil- liam, 21, 23-26, 33, 50, 82-84, 157. Oijden, David, 157, 526-528; John, 33,40, ^^-ST-; 78, 83, 91, 95, 295 ; Richard, 66, 85, 129, 134, 160, 173. Ogilvie, Rev. George, 340. Olmsted, Richard, 30; 31, 38, 40, 90. Onderdonk, Bishop, 370. O'Reilly, Rev. E. J., 371. Orton, Joseph, 90, 95. See Horton. Osborn, Rev. E,, 357 ; D., 358. Ostrander, Rev. D., 355, 357. Paldin, Thomas, 213. Palmer, Charles H., 388, 389, 390; Ed- ward, 78; Robert, 78; M., 182; Sarah, 280 ; Rev. Solomon, 315 ; Sylvanus, 361. Park, 35, 61, 160, 2|1 ; Charley 103, 179, 506 ; Disbrow, 220 ; Jesse, 345, 347, 377 ; Phcebe, 345, 347 ; Roger, 28, 31, 70, 78, 103, 104, 208,220; Sarah, 208. Parker, Joseph, 488 ; Tamar, 355. Parsons, A. W., 500; Jr., 391, 500; Ed. L., 500 ; John E., 500 ; W. H., 500. Parsons, Brigadier-General S. H., 240, 241, 243, 248, 249, 257 ; Rev. Henry M., 425. Patrick, R., 92. Paulding, John, 167; Colonel, 237. Payne, Rev. Thomas, 350, 368. Pearce, Jacob, 33, 48, 58, 83, 139, 157, 181, 277, 300, 312; Daniel, 312; Mary, 300. INDEX OF PERSONS. 553 Pease, Rev. H. F., .357. Peck, Charles, 374; Jarcd, 179, 378; Read, 371; Thomas, 144, 300; Rev. Isaac, 370, 371 ; Rev. P., 3.55 ; Rev. Jo- seph, 335 ; Hon. .Tared V., 451. Pcet, Tliomas, 74. Pederick, B., 506. Pell, Philip, 143 ; Thomas, 20. Pellctier, F., 343. Pclton, Rev. C. F., 357. Penfield, Henry L., 148; Nathanael, 148, 301, 340. Pcnnell, Rev. G. C, 371. Perkins, Rev. J., 354. Perry, Rev. L. P., 358. Peyton, Wm. K, 240, 419. Philipse, Adolph, 193; Frederick, 91, 96, 184. Phoebus, Rev, W., 354. Picket, Rev. W., 354. Pillsbury, Rev. B., 358. Pilmoor, Rev. J., 354. Pine, James, 186. Pollard, Major, 237. Ponus, 133. Porteus, Rev. W., 370. Potter, Bishop, 343. Prescott, Colonel, 243. Prime, Rev. S. I., D. D., 349. Pritchard, Rev. Thomas, 299, 306. Provoost, Bishop, 338, 339. Provoost, W. T., 186, 382. Prudden, Rev. Peter, 277, 278. Punderson, Rev. Eben. 300, 309, 315, 316, 318. , ^ Purdy, 33, 198, 210, 211. 246; Caleb/ 175,: 196, 304, 316; Daniel, 66, 69, 70^78, 310, 324, 328, 514-526; David, 104; Francis, 28, 78, 83, 85, 94 ; Hachaliah, 220; Henry, 187, 316; Isaac, 339; James, 29, 220; John, 44, 69, 83, 277, 328, 513, 515, 516; Joseph, 28, 34, 59, 60, 98, 104, 157, 220, 229, 2.30, 282, 290, 291, 316, 324, 328, 556-528 ; Josiah, 208, 209, 301, 303; Joshua, 210, 220, 230, 338, 339; Joshua P., 514; Jonathan, 229; Nathanael, 220; Obadiah, 104; Roger, 186, 220; Seth, 208, 220; Sam- uel, 66, 67, 78, 156, 175, 196, 304, 513; Sylvanus, 51.3, 514 ; Thomas, 291, 310, 328 ■„ William, 210. / Putnatrt, General I., 250, 258, 259. Putney,- Rev. R. C, 356, 357. Quarters, Amos, 213. Quintard, Gcor<,-c W., 52, 136, 197, 209, 246, 418. Quintard, Peter, 148. » t^ Raikes, Robert, 175. Rawls, John, 16. Raymond, James, 228; Rev. E. S., 366, 371 . Redstone, Rev. H., 355. Remington, Rev. David, 349, 350, 368; Rev. S., 356. Revell, Thomas, 14. Reynolds, Gideon, 194; Rev. Mr., 310. Rice, 179; Rev. P., 356. Richardson, Rev. M., 355. Richbell, John, 153, 154, 397, 409, 525. Ricker, Jeremiah, 213. Ricl-et/, Peter, 213 ; Thomas, 69, 183. Roberts, Zachariah, 93. , " Robeson, Thomas, 324. Rock, Jacob, 213. Rockwell, Dr. B., 170 ; Dr. W., 170; N., 170. Rogers, Dr. David, 170, 196, 346; Dr. David, jr., 170 ; Dr. David L , 170 ; Dr. James, 170 ; Rev. Evan, 196, 304, 340 ; Martha, 196; Lieutenant-Colonel Rob- ert, 233, 245 ; Major Zabdiel, 233, 243. Roome, William, 182. Roosevelt, Cornelius, 143; James, 328; John, 328. Ross, Rev. William, 358. Socket, Captain, 257. Saltonstall, Governor, 121. Sandford, Rev. P. P., 356. Sands, Dr. D. J., 53, 165, 169, 171 ; Dr. N. J., 171; Rev. J. J., 339. Sanford, Dr. Clark, 169, 379 ; Henry, 170 ; John, 1 70 ; Josephus, 1 70. Satterlee, S. K., 61, 385. Sawyer, Thomas, 316 ; Rev. J., 555. Saxton, Rev. Noah C, 348, 367 ; Rev. 0., 370. Say and Sele, Lord, 272. Schuyler, General Philip, 243 ; Peter, 70, 515, 516, 520, 524. Scott, General, 248, 249 ; John, 396. Scureman, Jacob, 228. Seabury, Rev. Samuel, 240,317, 339. Seaman, Isaac, 228 ; Silvanus, 245. Rev. R., 356; Israel, 220, 221, 268, 269; Adam, 220, 221, 230, 268; Rich. ard, 103. 554 INDEX OF PERSONS. Secly, Cornelius, 310. Seklon, 256. Selleclc, Jonathan, 40, 115, 131, 151,403. Sellick, Rev. R.,357. Sency, Rev. R., 356. Seymour, Drake, 186. Shanarock, 10, 11, 13-16, 99. Shaio, Elizabeth, 174. Sherwood, 61 ; Aiidrcw, 324, 327 ; Caleb, 213 ; Isaac, 83, 157 ; Jonas, 157 ; Joseph, 31,157,324,328; Nathanael, 129, 328; Nehemiah, 220; Silas, 213; Stephen, 28, 31, 39, 83, 279 ; Mrs. A., 209. Shirly, C, 499. Simcoc, Licut.-Colonel, 256. Sing, Rev. C. B., 357. Slater, John, 220, 221 ; Henry, 220; Alva, 382. Slaughter, Arnold, 213. Slawson, 497. Smith, Dr. Albert, 167 ; Arthur, 273 ; Rev. E.,355; E.L.,381 ; George W., 179, 383; Horace, 369; Rev. John, 104, 166,167, 213, 330-335, 345-347 ; Rev. L., 354 ; Marmaduke, 273; Dr. Matson, 167; Rev. S. H., 370 ; Thomas, 104, 331 ; William, 34, 302 ; Hon. William, 200, 206 ; William H., 385, 505 ; William Hooker, M. D., 104, 166, 167, 213, 224; Rev. W. F., 370. Smith, Lieut.-Colonel, 243. Sneathing, Robert, 362, 363. Sniffin, Caleb, 246 ; Jonathan, 52, 53, 246 ; Nathanael, 220; Samuel, 52 ; Rachel, 1^6. Smiffene, George, 90. See KnifFen. Sours, E., 368, 385. Spark.s, Rev. T., 357. Spencer, Rev. I. S., D. D., 368. Stanley, Dr. W. S., 171, 172. Statham, 443. Stebbins, Rev. George, 348, 367. Stedwell. See Studwell. Stevens, 137,407; Jonas, 48. Stevenson, John, 205. Stewart, Rev. L., 371. Stoakham, John, 57, 59, 157. Strang, 120 ; Daniel, 28, 149, 150, 303, 504 ; Charlotte, 28; Henry, 78; Lavinia, 78"^ Stringham, Peter, 166; Mary, 166. Strong, Rev. B., 332. Studwell, 61 ; Joseph, 85, 86, 186, 328 Thomas, 9, 10, 21, 23-26, 39, 82, 83, 99 Sturges, 395. Stuyvcsant, Governor, 20, 106. Summerfield, Rev. John, 370. Sutherland, T. J., 382. Sutton, John, 229 ; Joseph, 78 ; Thomas, 66, 120; William, 226, 229,316. Swain, Rev. M., 354. Swords, E. J., 385. Talbot, St. George, 302. Talbot, Rev. S. K., 354. Tatlon, Peter, 78. Taylor, Alexander, 514 ; John, 213 ; Thomas, 213 ; Rev. G., 358 ; Mary, 395. Telford, Archibald, 514. Tennent, Rev. Charles, 196, 334; Rev. Gilbert, 330, 334. Thatcher, Rev. W., 354. Theall, 198, 210; Abraham, 144, 198; Charles, 210, 220 ; Ebenezcr, 183, 324*; Gilbert, 210, 220; Hannah, 183 ; Joseph, 94, 98, 102, 118, 131,173,210, 280, 282, 290, 291, 306, 310, 346 ; Thomas, 186, 187, 220. Thomas, Cato, 213. Thomas, John, 40, 103, 182, 210, 222, 225, 226, 245, 250, 252, 256, 316, 393 ; John, jr., 182, 211, 219, 228, 266; Thomas, 160,224, 256, 257, 373, 380; Rev. J., 321. Thomas, Rev. N. W., 355. Thompson, Rev. W., 196, 341,342, 367. Thome, Edward, 255 ; Stephen, 255 ; Wil- liam, 103. Throop, Lieut.-Colonel, 243. Tilford, Archibald, 220. Tilton, M. S., 361, 362. Titus, George B., 385; Isaac, 223; James H., 31, 53, 193,385. Todd, Rev. Abraham, 332. TompUns, Noah, 385 ; Edward C, 390. Toplady, Rev. A., 143. Torner, Christian, 164. Totten, Joseph, 354. Townsend, Samuel, 228 ; Captain, 229. Travis, Garret, 157 ; James, 157, 526-528 ; Jeremiah, 230 ; John, 324, 327 ; Robert, 324, 327 ; Philip, 48 ; Samuel, 151. Treat, Major, 43, 44 ; Governor, 93, 94, 112. Tredwell, Samuel, 223 ; Thomas, 103. Trumbull, Dr. Benjamin, 191, 273, 274, 281. Trumbull, Governor, 225, 230, 233, 234. INDEX OF PERSONS. 555 Tryon, Governor,' 227, 228, 257. Turner, John, 157, 324, 327, 526-528; Joseph, 228. Tattle, Dr. J. T., 52, 53. Tyler, Colonel, 243. Underhill, Humphrey, 66, 93-95, 98, 99, 130, 157, 182, 286, 295, 526-528. Upjohn, R. M., 352. Valentine, Isaac, 227. Valleau, Rev. D., 354. Van Amringc, 160; Augustus, 385. Van Nostrand, Rev. A., 354. Van Rensselaer, William P., 194; Kili- aen, 391. Van Wagenen, G. H., 135, 295. Van Wi/rl, Abraham, 328. Veal, Arthnr, 213. Verrian, James, 223. Vesey, Rev. William, 292, 312. Vetch, Colonel, 204. Vin/cers, Jonathan F., 172, 177, 269. Voivles, Jonathan, 31, 33, 39, 54, 83, 90, 132; Riehard, 21, 25, 26, 82, 83, 89, 90, 95. Wainwright, Bishop, 342. Wakcman, Rev., 273, 275. Walters, Richard, 48, 157. PFaZ/on, Abraham, 255 ; Rev. John, 158, 322-329. Ward, Rev. E., 328-330 ; Rev. F., 354 ; Colonel, 243 ; Stephen, 248. Wu^icot, 450. Washburne, Rev. E., 356. Washington, 142, 147, 148, 222, 224, 227, 229, 230, 232-238, 240, 243, 244, 247, 248, 251, 258. Way, John, 103. Webb, 53, 396; Nehemiah, 195, 196; Rev. Joseph, 195. Weissenfels, de, Frederic, 79, 223. Wenham, Thomas, 201. Wentz, C. W., 125. Wetmore, Abraham, 220; Ezrahiah, 87, 179'} 180, 382 ; Rev. James, 78, 103, 146, 172, 174, 175, 185, 192, 210, 221, 296-.300, 302,303, 310, 314, 315, 317, 318, 327, 340, 363; James, 76, 151, 168, 175, 177, 210, 220; Timothy, 76, 146, 172, 175, 177, 210, 220-222. White, Charles, 177; Rev. J. C.,343. Whitefield, Rev. George, 314, 315, 330. Whitman, Samuel, 325, 326. Whittcmore, Rev. Williams II., 348, 349, 367, 368, 499. Wiggin, Augustus, 385. Wight, Amherst, 172. Will. See Lame Will. Willett, Gilbert, 316; Marinas, 223 ; Colo- nel, 182; William, 514. William III., King, 118,524. Williams, Joseph, 213 ; Walter, 104. Willis, John, 220 ; Richard, 268. Wills & Dudley, 342. Willson, Dr. James, 171, 498. Wilson, Thos. B., 61 ; Benjamin, 220 ; Eb- enezer, 99, 100, 102, 103,524, 525 ; John, 129; Nehemiah, 220 ; Joseph, 186, 220; Samuel, 78, 203; Thomas, 220; Rev. J., 354. Winter, John, 139. Winthrop, Governor, 72, 117. Wolcot, Roger, 326. Wood, 450. Woodbridcje, Rev. John, 118, 280,281,294, 299. Woodhull, W., 39. See Odell. Woolsey, Rev. Elijah, 356 ; Rev. Thomas, 354. Woostcr, Major-General David, 224, 225, 243-245, 249-251, Warden, Dr., 166; Valentine, 166. Wright, James, 295; Jotham, 147; Oba- diah, 78; Thomas, 164. Yeomans, Christopher, 157 ; Eliezur, 104; William. 157, 526-528. Youngs, Christopher, 40. GENERAL INDEX. Absorption of home-lots, 35, 54. Academics, 178. Act for settling a ministry, 163, 282, 288- 293, 305, 318, 320. Adec Street, 269. Advertisements, 75-79, 102, 146, 147, 150, 176, 182. Amenia, N. Y., 498. American army, jwsition of, 215; with- draws from New York to the White Plains, 232. American force at Greenwich, 246, 258 ; at King Street, 247, 248, 256, 257 ; at Eye, 233, 240; on Rye Neck, 250; at Saw Pit, 240, 243-247 ; near Rye Pond, 243, 248, 257, 459. American Home Missionary Society, 350. Amsterdam, N. Y., 497. An"n's Hook, 20. Ajxawamis, 6, 13, 16, 29, 31, 41, 99, 133, 134, 404, 412, 520. See Budd's Neck. Apparel, of early settlers, 128. Armonck, or Byram River, 134, 395. Arms, 130. Asia, man-of-war, in New York harbor, 227 ; off Mamaroneck, 226. Assessment for taxes, 202. Assessors, 62. Associations, patriotic, 213. Auction, paupers sold at, 163. Avery's death, Mr., 240,241, 318. Awakening, the great, 330. Baptist Church, King Street, 366; Port Chester, 371. Barton's Neck, 52-54, 137, 396, 407, 416^ 442. Barry's Lane, 177. Bayonet, repulse of a cavalry charge with the, 257. Beach, Rye, 2, 183, 192-195, 294. Beach Road, 474, 501, 502. Beaver Meadow, or Stony Brook, 13, 14, 397. Beaver Swamp, 137, 512, 419. Bedford, N. Y., 17, 157, 166, 175,279,335 ; part of original territory of Rye, 131 ; of Rye Parish, 289, 305-307, 311, 314. Bedford and Rye, 93, 111 ; summons to, 112, 113 ; revolt of, 113, 114 ; proclama- tions concerning, 116, 117; reannexed to Connecticut, 94, 127 ; restored to New York, 95, 118. Bellamy, Dr., at Rye, 332. ' Biaram land,' the, 23. Bills of credit, 204. Bird's land, 137, 212. Black Road, 514. Blind Brook, or Mockquams, 2, 31 , 56, 134, 135, 139, 149, 176, 179, 180, 266, 283, 298, 300-304, 337, 338, 340,397,400,401,404, 515,516,520,521, 524,525 ; farms along, 61 ; mill on, 66 ; branch of, 51, 56, 57, 67, 135, 421 ; falls of, 421. Blind Brook Creek, 501. Block Island, 230, 497, 498. Bloomer's Hill, 137, 247, 270. See Knif- fen's Hill. Bloomer's Island, 137, 397. Bloomer's mill, 166, 197, 397. Border town. Rye a, 1, 2 ; inconveniences, 2, 271. Border troubles, 119-122, 124, 458. Boston, disturbances in, 218; closing of the port of, 218 ; ' tea-party,' 218 ; sym- pathy with people of, 218, 219 ; British army at, 226 ; evacuate, 227. Boston Road, the, 138-144, 268, 300, 301, 396 ; appearance of, during the Revolu- tion, 262, 263. Boundary of New Netherland and Con- necticut, dispute concerning, 105-107. GENERAL INDEX. 557 Boundary of New York and Connecticut, dispute conccrninfi-, 2, 91, 92, 95, 105- 127; originated in ignorance of the country, 106, and conflicting terms of diarters, 107, 108; agreement concern- ing, with the Dutch, 106 ; with the Duke of York's commissioners, 108, 109 ; extraordinary bhinder concerning, 109 ; eftect on people of Kye, 109, 110 ; new settlement of, 110, 111, 154; ex- cluding Rye from Connecticut, 111, 112 ; partial survey of, 112; Connecticut in- sists on earlier construction of, 114 ; and claims Rye and Bedford, 114-118; local differences concerning, 119-122; new negotiations on, 122 ; settlement of, 123 ; uncertainty as to its location, 124; not a straight line, 125 ; still undetermined, 126. Boundary of New York and Connecticut at Greenwich Bay, 107; at Mamaroneck River, 109, 114, 127, 153. Boundary dispute in miniature, relative to Captain's Island, 375-377. Boundaries of lands. See Marked Trees. Bound Brook, 135. Boyd's orchard, 339. Branch Ridge, 61 ; allotments on, 86, 136, 442, 443. Brand, town, 89. Brander, the, 63, 89. Brander's Book, 63, 89, 183. Bread-and-butter Rock, 512. Bridge, the stone, 141, 144, 150, 400, 419 ; near the fulling-mill, 505 ; Mamaroneck, 426. Bridge's patent, 157, 294, 516, 518, 527. Brief or license to collect money, 323i Brighton, England, 143. British army, position of, 215. Britisii fleet in New York harbor, 317. British ships off Rye, 379. British troops at Rye, first appearance of, 240 ; visits of, 245, 246, 252, 256-259. Bronx River, 152, 155, 158, 2.34, 235, 372, 513, 527, .528. Brown's Point, in Harrison, 103, 104, 459. Brown's Point, Rye, 1 35, 401 . See Peningo Neck. Brush Ridge, 61, 136, 401, 409, 418. Budd's Neck, or Apawamis, part of the town of Rye, 1 ; purchase of, 12; .settle- ment of, 38-41 ; officers appointed for, 41 ; lands above, 98, 99, 132, 149, 157, 177, 199, 252, 253. Bullard's Ridge, 407. Bullock's meadow, 137,407; landing, 194, 407 ; road to, 513. Burying-ground. See Cemeteries. Burying-hill, 28, 134, 192, 193. Byram Bridge, 7, 246, 258, '259, 267, 379, 380 ; Cove, 380, 381 ; Point, 516 ; Ridge, 55, 136, 396; River, 66, 1.33-135, 139, 255, 259, 266, 375-378, 395, 396, 399, 516. Cadborough Cliff, 37. California patent, 157. Canada, the French in, 47, 1 16 ; expedition against, 204. Cannon spiked near King's Bridge, 226, 230, 270, 472. Captain's Island, within the town of Rye, 372; boundary di.spute about, 375-377. Carmel, New York, 335. Carriages, the first owned in Rye, 208. Casualties, 91, 161, 207, 343, 453, 471. Cattle driven oft", 239, 245, 246. Causeway Brook, 104, 136, 511, 512. Cavalear's Rock, 134, 457. Cedars, the, 136, 209, 328, 439 ; road to, 506. Cemeteries, 195-199 ; Public : near Milton, 195, 196, 341, 401 ; near Christ Church, 198, 445; opposite Christ Church, 198, 303,317,318; Union, 137, 199; Roman Catholic, 7, 57, 137 ; Colored, 199 ; Pres- byterian, at White Plains, 421, 467, 490. Family: Anderson, 198 ; Bloomer, 197; Brundige, 197; Budd, 198; Ged- ney, 198, 468; Haight, 198; Jay, 199, 479; Kniffen, 197; Lyon, 198; Merritt, 197, 198 ; Purdy, 198 ; Theall, 198; near Mamaroneck, 462. Chatterton's Hill, 2.34-236, 467. Chenango County, New York, 497. Chests, 128, 129. Chevalier. See Cavalear. Chrestomathic Institute, 375. Christ's Church, the name, when adopted, 342. Church at Rye, earliest steps to build a, 282. Church of England at Rye, founded, 305 ; rectors of, before the Revolution, 306- 558 GENERAL INDEX. 319; incorporated, 316. See Parish Church, and Protestant Episcopal Church. Churches of Hyc and Port Cliester, 271- 371. Churches of Westchester burned during the war, 337 ; of Eye, 263, 337, 345. Church wardens. See Vestry. Cincinnati, society of the, 224. City Maud, 231. Clerk, the, 62, 421. Cliff House, 452. Clumps. See Islands. Coe's land, 137, 407; ditch, 407; swamp, 416. 'Collation,' claim of Britisli governors to the right of, 290. Collector, the, 62 ; troubles of a, 417. Colony line, the old, 154; lands cast of, 60, 120, 121. Commissioner of Justice, 68, 88, 89. Commissioners to the General Court. See Deputies. Committee of Safety, of New York, 230, 234, 270; of Westchester County, 168, 210, 225, 228, 229-, 231, 250, 252, 268 ; of Rye, 228 ; of Harrison's Precinct, 223, 228 ; of New Jersey, 227. Commons, the town, 32, 67. Commons between Rye and Greenwich, 90, 121. Common Scliools, 178. Confederacy of New England colonies, 43. Congregationalists and Presbyterians of Connecticut, 272. Congress, Continental, 226, 234 ; delegates to, 219, 222 ; provincial, of New York, 224, 225, 250. Connecticut, charter of, 107 ; churches of, 272; laws of, 150, 173, 174; towns of, 88 ; collection throughout, 326, 327. Connecticut, General Court of; address to Charles II., 22 ; letter of our planters to, 25 ; petitions to, 38, 39, 92 ; deputies to, 39, 95 ; patent from, 93 ; orders of, 24, 26, 30, 35, 38, 40, 41, 45, 88-95, 100, 118, 138, 139, 146, 501 ; relative to the ministry, 272-278. Connecticut, Governor and Council of, re- monstrate with New York 'in behalf of the people of Rye, 109, 110; write to selectmen of Rye, 112 ; correspondence of, with New York, about Rye and Bed- ford, 114-117 ; about the boundary, 122, 124 ; petition of the Presbyterians of Rye to, 323, 324 ; action of, 325, 328, 329. Connecticut, legislature of, confers with that of New York, on the boundary, 124, 125; appoints commissioners, 125 ; con- fiscation of the property of loyalists, 249, 250, 264, 265, 268- Connecticut, settlers of, expenses borne by, 1 7, 101 ; character of, 22 ; militia of, 43 ; sufferings of, in King Philip's AVar, 45 ; debt of, 45. Connecticut, Rye a town of, 88-95 ; last town of, 96, 255. Connecticut forces at Rye and Saw Pit, 233, 240, 243, 244, 248, 250. Consociation, Fairfield, 336. Constable of Hastings, 25 ; of Rye, 62, 89, 91, 164 ; of Greenwich, 458, 462. Continental soldiers, return of, after the war, 265. Convention of New York; at the White Plains, 229, 250. Country road, 138-140, 501. County rate, 91, 93. Court, General. See Connecticut, General Court of. Court, County, of Fairfield, 25, 68, 89, 274. Court of Sessions at AVestchester, 31, 32, 120, 154, 164, 174, 184, 192, 312, 418. Court House, at AVestchester, 206 ; the old, at AVhite Plains, 158 ; burned, 239. Courts removed to AVhite Plains, 158. Cow Boys and Skinners, 241, 242, 253, 260, 372, 460. Cow Neck, Long Island, 255, 458. Crompond (Yorktown), N. Y., 335. Cromwell's Neck, 459. Crooked Gutter, 135, 136-. Crosswicks, N. J., 322. ' Customes ' of tlie town of Rye, 458. Danbury, Conn., 245, 336. Darien, Conn , 106. Davenport's mill, 160, 450, 514. Deall's mill, 160, 462, 514. Debatable Ground, 2, 239, 372. Debt, public, of the province of New York, 204, 216 ; of town, 386, 387, 417. Declaration of rights, 222. Defence of the town, 430. Deerfield, Mass., attacked, 43, 44. Dc Lancey's corps of refugees, 252, 257, 259. GENERAL INDEX. 559 Deputies to the General Court, 62, 71, 88, 95, 449 ; exempted from taxation, 65 ; provision for expenses of, 89, 90 ; plan- tations to pay for horse-hire of, 90. Deserter shot, 449. Diek's Hollow, 431. ' Dissenters,' proportion of, in Westches- ter County, 289 ; at Rye, 306, 310, 311, 320, 321. Dobbs' Ferry, 239, 249. Doughty's, 148, 150,151,163,462. See Old Fort. Dr. Dwight's description of the Neutral Ground, 262, 263 ; of Kye, 347, 373, 379 ; of Saw Pit, 379. Dragoons, troop of, at Kye, 115. Drinking habits, 146, 150, 151, 163. Drum, meetings called by beating the, 35, 311,329. Duke's trees, the, 123-125. Dutch, the, in America, 3, 4, 8, 12-16, 19, 20, 24, 28, 45-47, 96, 105-107, 132, 396. Dutchess Count}', N"ew York, 498. Ear-marks of cattle, 63, 419, 439. East Chester, N. Y., 22, 157, 249, 257. East Neck (Orienta), 154. Eauketaupacuson, 56, 134. See Hog-pen Ridge. Ecclesiastical lands, 294-304. Education, liow provided for by Connect- icut, 173, 174; no public provision for in New York before the Revolution, 174; low state of, 174, 176; in AVest- chcster County, 178. See Schools. Eighteen Proprietors, the. See Proprietors. Eighteen, purchase of the, 51, 401, 431. Encroachments upon the town, 91. Eqiiivalent tract, ceded by Connecticut to New York, 110-112. Estates at Rye, value of, in the seventeenth century, 64. Evacuation of New York by the British army, 264. Excise, commissioners of the, 205. Excise on spirituous liquors, 148, 151, 205. Expedition to Albany, 48, 396, 433, 443. Fair at Rye, 211, 212. Fairfield, Conn., 147, 195, 255, 274-276, 278, 395. Fairfield County, Conn., constituted, 89 ; Rye a town in, 89, 100 ; bounds of towns in, settled, 90, 273. Fairfield County Association, 327, 329, 330, 332, 333, 335, 336, 348. Families, leading, a century ago, 208-211. Farmers of Rye, confined in White Plains, 229 ; sufferings of, 240. Farm-houses in olden times, 159, 162. Farnaing in olden times, 161. Farms at Rye, earliest, 53 ; a century ago, 162. Fauconier's Purchase, 421, 426, 458, 463. Fences, orders concerning, 65. Fences, stone, when introduced, 162. Fence-viewers, 62-65. Ferriage, tariflf of prices for, 79. Ferry, between Rye and Matinecock Point, 452; Oyster Bay, 78, 79; proprietors of the, 78, 212, 489. Field, the town, 31, 32 ; division of lands in, 51, 137, 208, 279, 313, 441 ; ' upper end of,' 409, 410, 411. Field Fence, 31, 34, 51, 54, 450, 506, 507. Field Gate, 32, 34. Fire at Rye, 91, 207, 335, 337, 340, 343, 345, 400, 409 ; at the White Plains, 238, 239. Fisheries at Rye, 1 60. Fishing Rock, 78, 134, 430. Flats, or Beach, the, 134, 501. Flimwell Vent, England, 142. Flushing, Long Island, 40, 103, 360. Foraging parties, 239, 240, 249, 251 ; on the Sound, 253-256. Fortification at Rye, 45. See Old Fort. Fountain Street, Port Chester, 269. Fox Island, 134, 135, 408, 431 ; road to, 507. France, designs of, in America, 47, 116, 117. Freeholders, admitted by the town, 65 ; not always proprietors, 82. French and Indian War, 213, 216, 421. French, the, attack Schenectady, 48. Friends' meeting-house, 103, 257, 458, 459, 510. Friends, Society of, 273 ; in Harrison, 103, 104, 182, 185, 187, 188, 212, 252, 360- 365. Frog's (Throg's) Neck, 231. Frontiers, protection of, 201, 205, 206. Fulling-mill, 505. 560 GENERAL INDEX. Funerals, licjnor fnniished at, 151, 163. Funiiture of houses in early times, 128, 151. Galpin's Cove, 135, 194, 410. Gates across the roads, 140, 502, 504, 505, 511, 514. Glebe, the new, 298, 302, 303 ; road to, 505. Glenville, 170, 258, 259, 379, 442. Goose Island, 135. Gospel, Society for the Propagation of the, 240, 294, 297, 300. Governors of New York, provincial, char- acter of, 200 ; contest of, witli the peo- ple, 206 ; oppressive course of, in matters of religion, 290. Grace Church, Rye, 309, 337-339. See Parish Church. Grace Church Street, 2, 31, 32, 51, 52 ; laid out, 54, 136, 137, 144, 295, 442, 452, 457, 477, 506, 507. Great Britain, colonial policy of, 216. Great Neck (Lai'chmont), 154. Great Stone by the Wading Place, 90, 93, 121, 124, 125, 132, 135. Greenburg (Philipsburgh), 236; Up2)er, 349. Greenfield, Conn,, 346. Greenwich Bay, boundary at, 107. Greenwich, Conn., 139, 169, 171, 258, 273, 274, 276, 281, 282, 335, 345, 368, 497 ; first settlers of Rye from, 9, 10 ; dispute concerning boundary between Rye and, 120-123 ; dispute settled, 90, 106, 110, 111; Mr. Bowers called to, 118. Greenwich, East, in Kent, England, 94. Greenwich, second Congregational Church of, 259, 346. Guilford, Conn., settlement of, 9,32, 329, 332. Guion's store, 467. Gunn Brook, 53, 67, 136 ; Cove, 53, 399 ; Creek, 427 ; Plain, 396, 417, 442. Gut or Creek, the, 134, 502, 504. Hadley, Mass., attacked, 43. Halifax, N. S., 265. Hanover [Peekskill], N. Y., 335. Hanover, house of, 219. Harlem, 176, 371 ;. railroad, 375. Harrison, or the Purchase, 96-104; pat- ent for, 97, 114; sale of lands in, 463; owned in common b}' patentees, 102, 472 ; early settlers in, 103, 146, 168, 181, 187, 188, 198, 210, 223, 257, 345, 370; patriotic meeting in, 220 ; committee of safety for, 223 ; officers elected in, 223. Harrison, present town of, formerly a part of Rye, 2, 114 ; boundaries of, 6 ; bought by settlers of Rve, 15, 97; organized, 104, 160, 173, 372; roads in, 509-511. Harrison Station, 141,472, 514. Harrison, 'Friends ' of, 3G1. Hart Island, 231. Hart's Corners, 234. Hartford, conferences of the Dutch and English at, 107. Hartford, General Court of See Connect icut. 'Haseco,' 136, 137, 4(i7. Hassock Meadow Brook, 52, 135. Hassock Meadows, 51, 52, 136, 137, 270, 407, 427. Hasting or Hastings, bounds of, 11, 515; village of 21, 30, 31, 55, 56; planters of, 21-26 ; differences in, 33 ; lands per- taining to, 38 ; deputies from, 88, 89 ; inhabitants of, appropriate land for par- sonage, 294 ; merged with Rye, 30, 89, 395, 416, 501. Hastings in Sussex, England, 21, 35, 36. ' Haunted house,' the, 270. Haviland's Inn, 74, 142, 145-147, 162, 220. See Square House. Haviland Island, 475. Heathcote's Purchase, 101. 'Heathen' [Indians] in Rye, 311. Hebron, Conn., 341. Hempstead, L. I., 20, 103, 255, 290, 298, 313; harbor, 20, 254. Hessi.ins, force of, encamped near Mamar- oneck, 233; on Kniflen's Hill, 235, 237, 242. Highways. See Roads, Streets, and High- ways. Hog-pen Ridge, purchase of, 56 ; division of, 57, 136 ; flirmers of, 267, 396, 399, 401, 417, 427, 442, 451, 477; road, 506. Holland, possessions of, in America, 3, 106 ; surrendered, 28 ; recovered, 45, 46 ; finally relinquished, 47. Home-lots, laid out on Manussing Island, 20; at Rye, 31,32; new, 51; traces of, 34 ; absorption of, 35, 137 ; ministers', 298, 313. GENERAL INDEX. 561 Honge, or Blind Brook, 58, 133. Horseneck, or Greenwich, 120, 141, 142, 147, 246, 258, 259, 345, 458. Horseneck, on Bndd's Neck, 411 ; Brook, 135; Creek, 514. Horse-race, or Beach, 134. Horse-race on the Beach, 212, 213. Horse-rock, 457. Horton's Dock, 80 ; Pond, 104, 234, 236, 459. ' House by the ferry,' 79, 134, 168. Houses of early settlers, how built, 33 ; where built, 33, 420, 440 ; near together, 34, 54, 55; how furnished, 128, 129. See Farm-houses. Hoyet's Lin, King's Bridge, 147. Hudson's Ferry, 157. Huguenots of Rye, 431, 444, 465, 479, 480. Huntington, L. I., 20, 255, 276. Hunt's mill, 477. Independents or Congregationalists, 271. Indian deeds, 10-16, 56-58, 63, 98, 99, 101, 152-154, 502; fields, 5 ; 'line,' ^ ,",431; 'mortars,' 194; names, 133, 134, 136, 152, 153; paths, 4, 138 (see West- chester Path) ; purchases, 8-18, 51, 55- 58, 97, 152-154, 515, 520; remains, 193, 194; slaves, 192, 311 ; 'stockings,' 128. Indian villages near the Sound, 5, 193; near Rye Beach, 5, 194; on Manussing Island, 5, 194; near Rye Village, 191 ; on Lyon's Point, Port Chester, 268 ; near Bullock's Landing, 513. Indians, early condition of, 189-191 ; num- bers, 192 ; visits to Rye, 192, 193. Indians, trade with the, 206. Indians of Connecticut friendly, 42, 49 ; but distrusted, 44; how treated, 190, 191 ; of New York, 189 ; visits of, to the city, 192, 193 ; suifcrings from, 410. Induction of rectors by order of the gov- ernor, 306, 309, 312-315, 317, 322. Innkeepers chosen by the town, 148. Inns, 145-151. Inoculation, 168, 169. Intemperance, 150, 151. Islands : Bar Rock, 2 ; Black Tom, 2 ; Bloomer's, 137 ; Captain's, 375-377 ; Fox, 135; Goose, 135; Hen, 14, 52; Humphrey's Rock, 3; Pine, 3, 14, 85, 36 135, 194; Scotch Caps, 14, 85, 135; Wrack Clump, 3. Jamaica, L. I., 290, 297, 334. Jay mansion, 299, 373 ; cemetery, 48, 479. ' Jcnney's garden,' Mr., 301, 504. Judith Point, 376. Justice of the peace, 62, 67 ; powers of, 68 ; appointed, 68, 91, 94, 95 ; action of, 119,212, 213. Justices and Vestry, 150, 289-291. Keithians, 361. Kennedy's mill, 160. Kersey, 128. Killingworth, Conn., 328. King Philip's War, 42-45, 54, 278, 285, 286. King's Bridge, 147, 150,462; spiking of King's Chapel, Boston, 310. King's [Columbia] College, 209. cannon near, 226, 233, 2.34, 239, 246. King Street laid out, 55 ; settlement along, 55; 136, 137, 166, 177, 212, 236, 247- 249, 252, 256-258, 260, 269, 370, 378, 497, 498, 509-511. King Street Square, 178. Kirby Avenue, 193, 507. Kirby's mill, 137, 160. KnifFen's Cove, 32, 79, 135, 208, 503, 504 ; Hill, 137, 24^2, 246,' 247", 270"; land, 137, 417; Lane, 209, 410. Labor, price of, 129. Lakes Champlain and George, settlers near, from Rye, 213, 214. Lame Will's Purchase, 56, 57, 61, 407, 408, 515 ; northern part of present town, 57, 70 ; second purchase, 58-60 ; bounds of, renewed, 65, 1.34, 156, 400, 427, 441, 448. Land speculation in the province of New York, 96. Lands at Rye, pi-ice given foi-, 16, 17, 57 ; owned in common, 96 ; distribution of, 50-61 ; tendered for sale to the town, 65, 441 ; valuation of, 91 ; free use of, 59 ; rough measurement of, 60 ; care of, 67 ; patent sought for, 69. Lands, lavish grants of, in New York, 96- I 98. Lands, unappropriated, in Fairfield Co., divided among the towns, 90. 562 GENERAL INDEX. Larchmont, 155. Lawlessness during the Revolution, 260, 261 ; after, 265, 266. Lawrence's tavern, Saw Pit, 268. Lawyers of Rye and Port Chester, 171. ' Layers out ' of lands, their duties, 60 ; report of, 86, 156. 'Lean-to,' 149, 150, 282. Leather garments, 128. Lebanon, Conn., 171. Legacies, specimens of, 128. Lewisboro', or South Salem, 170. Lexington, battle^ of, 222. Library, Mr. Denham's, 279. Light-house on Captain's Island, .377. List of Persons and Estates, 64, 65, 89. Listers, 62. Litchfield, Conn., 315. Litigation, 114, 397, 403, 440; fondness of early settlers for, 68. Limping AVill, 441, 462. See Lame Will. Lloyd's Neck, L. L, 254, 255. Lobster catching, 161. Locust Avenue, 505. London Board of Trade, 184. Long Island, Dutch villages on, 3, 46 ; English towns on, 20. Long Island, loyalists of, 249, 253-255. Long Island Sound, 1 ; operations on, during the Revolution, 230, 244, 246, 25.3-255. Long Meadow, 527, 528. Lot, lands drawn for by, 59. Lottery at Rye, 146. Lounsber}' Farm, 422. Lower going over, 66, 135, 160. Loyalists, 245, 249, 264. See Tories. Lyon's Dock, 135 ; Mill, 208, 304, 502, 514, 520, 521 ; Point, 53, 13.5, 137, 144, 197, 267, 268, 399, 427, 461 ; road across, 509. Mails, 71-75. Main Street, Port Chester, 268, 269. Mamaroneck, 134, 148, 157, 170,373; sub- mits to the Dutch, 46, 396 ; part of Rye parish, 175, 289, 305, 306, 311; whal- ing sloop, belonging to, 161 ; tax upon slaves in, 393 ; poor of New York sent to, 250 ; troops posted at, 233 ; advance of British upon, 234 ; engagement at, 233 ; British force at, 235, 245, 247 ; man-of-war off, 226 ; loyalists of, 249, 264 ; Col. Heathcote at, 305 ; Society of Friends at, 361 ; Episcopal Church at, 370 ; stage from, to Williams' Bridge, 375 ; market boat from, burned, 379. Mamaroneck River, 6; mills on, 66, 160; boundary line at, 109, 154 ; falls of, 66, 139, 140, 1.52, 154, 155, 198, 372, 477, 478. Man Island, 465. Manhattan Island, 3, 19. Manussing, etymology of name, 133, 1.34. Manussing Island, part of the town of Rye, 1 ; purchased, 10, 446, 449 ; settlement of, 19-26; area and position of, 19, 20; planters of, 21, 294; house-lots on, 395, 407, 441 ; i-emoval from, 30, 31 ; a pound on, 31 ; roads to, 53, 54, 141, 501, 504, 507 ; controversy relative to, 70, 132, 429, 431, 475, 477 ; Indian remains on, 193, 194, 407, 415, 501, 516-519. Map, of Rye, Webb's, 160; Erskine'.s, 141, 160; ofBudd'sNeck, 149; of the White Plains, 132, 157. 'Mariner,' 160. Marked trees, bounds designated by, 6, 57, 157, 421, 431; renewed, 66, 156; ' the antient,' 70 ; disappearance of, 124 ; vestiges of, 6. Market sloops, 161; first, 270; taken on the Sound, 253, 254, 379. Markets and fairs, act for settling, 212. Marriages performed by the magistrate, 26. Marvin's tavern, Fairfield, 147. Mathews' Memorial, 353. Mattinecock Point, L. I., 452. Meadow lots, 32, 51. Medical profession, in the colonial period, 165. 'Meeting-house' to be built, 118, 306,323. ' Meeting-house,' the, at White Plains, 158, 323, 414, 513 ; ' the old,' at Rye, 345. Meetings, religious, in private houses, 34 ; in the town-house or parsonage, 306, 338. Meetings, town, where held, 50. Merritt's Point, .54, 137, 399, 427. Merritt's tavern, incident near, 257. Methodist Episcopal Church of Rye, 354- 359 ; of Port Chester, 366, 369, 370. Miildle Patent, 312, 396. Middle [Purchase] Street, 510. Middletown, Conn., 314. Milford, Conn., 161. GENERAL INDEX. 663 Militia, 130, 433 ; called out, 229, 231. Mills, 159, 160 ; on Blind Brook Creek, 29, 33, 159,404 ; on Blind Brook above the town, 66 ; on Maniaroiieck River, 66, 160; on Byram River, 66, 160; Bloom- er's, 160, 397, 508; Bowne's, 260; Pe- ter Brown's, 160, 400, 505 ; Budd's, 404, 501; Deall's, 160, 514; Davenport's, 160, 397, 514; at Glenville, 379 ; Hunt's, 157, 160; Kennedy's, 160; Kirby's, 160; Lyon's, 502, 520, 521; Ogden's, 160, 268; Park's, 160, 398, 402; Phillips', 157; Dr. Sanford's, 170, 379; Seaman's, 268; Thomas's, 160; Underhill's, 160; Van Amringe's, 160, 514. Mills, built by permission of the town, 66 ; regulations concerning, 66. 'Milstone' [Milton] Landing, 501. Milton, Rye, 195, 258, 295. Milton Road, 438, 502, 503. Mines at Rye, 477. Ministers of the Gospel, exempt from taxa- tion, 65 ; salary of, 130. Minister's rate, 274. Ministers called by vestrymen and church- wardens, 289. Ministry, care of the founders of Connecti- cut to provide a, 272 ; Rye without a, 272 ; orders relative to the, 272-277 ; first supported in Connecticut by volun- tary contributions, 283 ; afterward by taxation, 284 ; how provided for in New York, 187-293. Moaquanes, or Mockquams, 515. Mockquams, 5, 10, 99, 134, 520. See Blind Brook. Mohegan villages, 5; at Rye, 193, 268. Monmouth, battle of, 247. Montauk Point, 231. Morals, state of, 151. Mosquito Cove, L. L, 255, 452. Murder of Jonathan Kniffen's daughter, 209, 252, 253, 419; of John Flood's daughter, 270 ; Shubael Merritt's, 260, 261. Names and places at Rye, 133-137. Names of New England towns, upon what principle chosen, 21. Narraganset, 310. Negro insurrections, 183. Negro Point, 135. Negroes, instruction of, 185, 186, 188. Nelson Hill, engagement on, 283. Neutral Ground, the, 215, 216, 245, 251, 260-263, 336, 337. New Amsterdam, 3 ; surrender of, 108. Newark, N. J., 333. New Brunswick, departure of loyalists for, 264, 265. New Canaan, Conn., 106. New Castle, 167, 362, 371, 397. New Haven, magistrates of, 273. New Haven Railroad, 375. New London, Conn., 322. New Milford, Conn., 264. New Netherland, 3, 28, 105, 108, 153. New Rochelle, 167, 209, 212, 228,231-233, 248-250, 258, 261, 354, 355. Newtown, L. I., 273. Newspapers : ' New York Gazette,' 74, 246, 252, 253. ' New York Gazette and Weekly Mer- cury,' 74, 76. ' New York Gazette or Weekly Post Boy,' 74, 76, 161. ' New York Weekly Journal,' 75, 76. Rivington's ' New York Gazette,' 220, 221. Newspapers of Port Chester, 382, 383. New Windsor, N. Y., 250. New York city, defence of, 201, 203. New York, provincial Assembly of, de- nounces the defection of Rye and Bed- ford, 115, 116 ; acts of, 140, 211, 212, 282. New York, legislature of, constitutes the towns of Rye, Harrison, and White Plains, 372 ; appoints commissioners to ascertain the boundaiy line, 124, 125 ; recognizes the line ascertained, 126. Non-importation agreements, 217, 218, 220. North Castle, part of original town of Rye, 17; boundary between, and Rye, 57 ; army at, 239, 248, 257 ; Whitefield Patent in, 449; Middle Patent in, 312, 396; religious services at, 314; Society of Friends in, 362, 363, 372, 378, 421, 497. Northfield, Mass., abandoned, 43. North Haven, Conn., 314. North Street, or White Plains Road, 51, 141, 156, 511, 512. Norwalk, Conn., 106, 141, 149, 241, 275, 321,340. )64 GENERAL INDEX. Norwicih, Conn., Indian plains at, 32; proprietary system at, 87. Notabilities of'Rye, a century ago, 208-21 1 . Nova Scotia, departure of loyalists for, 264, 26.5. Oblong, the, 111, 112. Sec Ecpiivalent Tract. Occupation.?, 159-162, 4.50, 471. Ogden's Dock, 134, 430. Old Colony line, 154. Old Fort, 34, 44, 45, 48, 49, 139, 150, 399. ' Old Stone End,' 269. Old Town, 29, 33, 278, 501. Orienta, 155. Orphans, rights of, secured, 86 ; care of, 164. Oyster Bay, L. I., 20, 103, 212, 255, 376, 410, 426, 456. Oyster fishery at Eye, 160, 161. Oyster Pond, now Orient, L. I., 224, 225. Oyster-shells, heaps of, 33. Ox-pasture Neck, 135. Packet vessels from Rye to New Yoi-k, 80. Palisades, towns inclosed with, 45. ' Pan-handle,' the, 106. Panthers, bounty for killing, 92. Parish of Rye, 104, 164, 175, 287-293, 305, 307, 311,314-317. Parish and town of Rye, difference be- tween, 308. Parish Church of Rye, designation of, 306 ; building of, 307, 308, 309 ; built by the town, 307 ; site of, .309, 310-318 ; claimed by the Presbyterians, 321 . Parish clerk, 341 . Park Academy, 34, 209, 426. Park's mill, 10, 136, 197, 427, 444. Parliament, British, representation in, 216, 219; enactments of, requiring assent of colonial assemblies, 216,217, 219; op- pressive enactments of, 216-221. Parsonage house, built, 277 ; religious sei-vices in, 338 ; burnt, 340. P.irsonage lands, 118, 275, 277, 279; sur- veyed, 296, 299, 300 ; Parson's or Par- sonage Point, 135, 294-296 ; alienated, 294, 313 ; lot in the Town Field, 295, 296, 449, 450 ; lawsuit regarding, 296 ; recovered by the Presbyterians, 297 ; home-lot or ' old parsonage,' 34, 118, 144, 176, 277, 279, 301-304, 318. Parsonage Point, Indian remains on, 193. Patent of Budd's Neck, 520-524 ; of Har- rison's, 524-526 ; of the White Plains, 157,526-530. Patent of Rye, from Connecticut, 82, 92- 94 ; from New York, 515-520; proceed- ings relative to, 69, 70, 266; 515. Patent to Clapp and others, 458, 466. Patents, income of the government from the gi-anting of, 101. Patents, royal, 515-530. Patriotic fiimilies in Rye, 211. Peck's land, 457. Peekskill, N. Y., 167, 335 ; army at, 248. Penfield House, 34, 145-148, 160, 380. See Square House. Peningo, 10, 1-33, 134. Peningo Neck, 1, 2, 400 ; first purchase on, 9, 51-55, 515 ; second, 11, 55-61 ; 102, 135, 153, 180; Indian remains on, 193, 194, 247, 266, 302. Peningo Path, 502. Pewter, 128. Philippi, N. Y., 336. Philipsburg, 184. Philipse Patent (Southeast), .335. Phillips' mill, 157. Physicians of Rye and Port Chester, 165- 172. Pine Island, 135. ' Piracy, 184, 185. Plains, the, at Rye, 32, 304, 395, 409, 411. Plantation. See Town. Planters of the town, their character, 22, 23 ; declaration of their purposes, 23 ; compact of, 23, 24 ; bond fide settlers, 96. Pockeotessen, or Pockcotessewake — Stony Brook, 12, 13, 99, 134, 520. Poll tax, 203. ' Polly and Ann,' sloop, 227. Poningo, 133. See Peningo. Poor of New Y'ork, quartered on the in- habitants of Rye and other places, 250. Poor, provision for the, 162-164. Population of Rye, 64, 373, 375 ; of Port Chester, 381 . Port Chester, village of, 2, 136, 137, 252, .3-78-383 ; name taken, 381 ; incorpo- rated, 381 ; meeting of boundary com- missioners at, 125, 126; churches of, 366-371. See Saw Pit. Post, communication by, 44, 71-75. Post-ofRce at Rve, 374. GENERAL INDEX. 565 Post-road. Sec Boston 11o;kI. ' Poiiiulcr.s,' 62, 104. Preamble line, 121. Precincts, of Rye Parish, 104 ; of West- chester County, 289. Presbyterian Church of Rye, beginnings of, 271-276 ; early ministry of, 276-286 ; pai'sonage lands of, 294-300 ; consolida- tion of, 322 ; size of, 320, 321, 329 ; min- isters of, before the Revolution, 321- 335 ; church edifice built, 328 ; burned, 335. Since the Revolution, 345 ; congre- gation gathered, 345 ; incorporation of, 346 ; church rebuilt, 345 ; ministers of, 348-352 ; Mr. Clark's services to, 351- 352 ; third church edifice, 352, 500 ; fourth, 352, 353 ; location of, 465. Presbyterian Church in New York, 331 ; at the White Phiins, 158 ; of Port Ches- ter, 367-369. Presbyterian settlers of Connecticut, 272. Presbyterian ' Society ' of Rye and the White Plains, .327, 328, 371. Presbyterians of Rye and the White Plains, their memorial to the government of Connecticut, 323, 324, 413; their cor- respondence with the Trustees of Yale College, 325, 327. Presbytery of Bedford, 349, 350, 368 ; of Dutchess County, 334-336 ; of Hudson, 3.36 ; of New Brunswick, 335 ; of New York, 334, 335, 348, 349 ; of Philadel- phia, 322. Princeton, attack on, 248. Proclamation of Governor Fletcher, to Rye and Bedford, 116, 117. Proprietary system, 35, 81, 82, 86, 87; rights, 81 ; sale of, 82, 84, 415. Proprietors, the Eighteen, of Peningo Neck, 32, 81-87, 173, 174, 283, 396, 397 ; original number, 82 ; possessions, 83 ; increase, 83 ; lists, 82, 83 ; grants, 85 ; allotments, 86 ; lay out lots at Saw Pit, 267 ; admit Mr. Denham, 278 ; Mr. Bridge, 312 ; call Mr. Buckingham, 321 ; ask for patent, 92 ; dissolved, 87. Protestant Episcopal Church of Rye. See Church of England, and Parish Church. Since the Revolution, 337 ; congre- gation gathered, 337 ; delegates to con- vention chosen, 337 ; church rebuilt, 338, 339 ; name changed, from Grace to Christ's Church, 340; incorporation of, 339 ; rectors of, 337-343 ; third church edifice, 342 ; fourth, 343, 344. Protestant Episcopal Churches : St. Andrew's, Richmond, Staten Island, 338. St. Peter's, Port Chester, 370, 371. St. Stephen's, New York, 338. St. Thomas', Mamaroneck, 342, 370. Provincial government of New York, abuses under, 200-203. Provincial governors, 200-206, 227, 288- 291, 297, 298, 305, .306, 313, 314; char- acter of, 200. Provisions, cost of, 129, 130. Provoost estate, 53, 134, 488. Pulpit Plain, 52, 85, 86, 136,328, 329, 437. Punishments, 69, 183, 452. Purchase Avenue (Port Chester), 178, 209, 269, 508 ; Road, 236, 300, 509. Puritans, many of them Presbyterians, 272. Putnam's ride, 259 ; Hill, 380. Quacks, numbers of, in colonial times, 165. Quakers, 273, 306, 311, 312, 321, 458. See Friends, Society of. Quaroppus, or the White Plains, 51, 134, 1.52. Queen's Rangers, the, 254, 256 ; recruits for, in Westchester County, 228, 270. Quitrents, 266, 377. Raccoon Ridge, 136. Rahonaness, — Greenwich? 10, 515. Rates, minister's, 118, 458. Rattlesnake Brook, 135. Receipt Book, the New, 201, 206. Records, Town, 62, 63, 85, 266, 327. Records, Vestry. See Vestry. Recruits for the British army, 228, 270. Rectors of Grace Church, Rye, character of, 318, 319; burial-place of, 198, 318. See Church of England, and Protestant Episcopal Church. Rectory grounds, 34, 303, 304, 340. Rectory Street, 301, 444, 504. Refugees, loyalist, 242 ; departure of, after the war, 264, 265. See Tories. Regent Street, 127, 144, 178, 209, 246, 253, 260, 267, 419. Revenue laws, rigorous enforcement of, by the British, 217. 566 GENERAL INDEX. Revolution, tlic American, 215-266; causes leading to, 206, 216-218; educa- tion of the people for, 214 ; local his- tory of, worth recording, 215, 216 ; suf- ferings of the people of this region during, 215, 216, 225, 239, 240, 245, 249, 250, 252, 253, 256, 259-263 ; out- rages committed during, 225, 240, 241, 460; incidents during, at Kyc, 225, 240, 242, 243, 245-247, 252, 253, 256-258, 260, 2G1, 460, 471 ; close of, 264 ; effects of, 264, 265, 337, 345. Reynolds' Cove, 135. RichbeU's Patent, 153, 525 ; Neck, 397. Richmond, Staten Island, 338. Richmond County, N. Y., 289. Ridge Road, 7, 53, 136, 137, 246, 397, 398, 402, 444. Road, Boston. See Boston Road. Roads laid out in Rye, 138-1-40, 156; early condition of, 92, 141, 142 ; com- missioners of, 140; regulation of, 140. See Streets and Highways. Rodman's Neck, 231. Roman Catholic Church, Port Chester, 371 ; cemetery, 371. Romney marsh, 37. Rope-walks, 159. Row-galleys, 230, 254. See Whale-boats. Rye, dei'ivation of the name, 37. Rye Ferry, 37, 79, 134, 168, 212 ; road to, .507. Rye Flats, 183. See Beach. Rycgate, England, 143. 'Rye men,' 154. Rye Neck, dock at, 79 ; school on, 177 ; a school district, 180 ; Alice Haven's home on, 199; roads on, 513. Rye Neck, guard on, 231, 244; American force on, 247, 250, 258. Rye Neck, tories of, 226. Rye Pond, 97, 98, 447, 457, 463, 467, 510, 524; tract hetween Byram River and, 458, 466 ; American force stationed near, 243, 248, 257. Rye Port, 375, 381. Rye Woods, 210, 226, 252, 256, 362, 363, 373. Rye, town of, its shape, 1 ; position, 2 ; extent, 2 ; aspect 2 ; purchase of, 8-16 ; original area of, 17 ; constituted, 30, 89 ; remotest plantation of Connecticut, 271; bounds of, 57, 66, 70; extended. 90 ; supposed to reach the Pludson River, 91, 109, 110, 153, 154; included within county limits, 89 ; ceded to New York, 92 ; resumed by Connecticut, 93, 94, 114, 127 ; restored to New York, 95, 102; patent of, from Connecticut, 93; patent of, exclusive of Budd's Neck, from the Crown, 70, 515; patents of, 515, 530; reduced by act of legislature to its present limits, 266, 372 ; popula- tion of, 43, 173; from 1665 to 1699, 64 ; in 1710 (including the parish), 320 ; in 1798, 373; in 1810, 373; in 1820, 373; in 1841, 375; in 1870, 375. Rye, American force at, 233, 240. See Amei'ican force. British troo^js at. See British troops. Rye, churches of, 271-371 ; families of, early settlers— 1660 to 1700 — and their descendants, 395-450 ; later inhabitants — 1700 to 1800 — and their descend- ants, 451-499. Rye, soldiers from. See Soldiers. Rye, village of, laid out, 31 ; early appear- ance of, 33 ; differences in, 38 ; lands pertaining to, 38. Rye, inhabitants of, their petition relative to Budd, 38, 39 ; for help against the Dutch, 47 ; settle near the Hudson, 109 ; their petition relative to Philipse, 91, 109, 110; they have no patent from the Crown, 97 ; are summoned to prove their title to lands, 97, 112, 113; their defection from New York, 92, 102, 113- 118; they apply to be received by Con- necticut, 93, 114; received, 93, 94, 114, 127 ; Col. Heathcote's interview with, 100, 101 ; they are remanded to New York, 95, 102 ; they complain of Har- rison, 102 ; their petition for indulgence in the collection of taxes, 118, 119; their claim to lands above Mamaroneck, 153; i^etition relative to a fair, 211; manners and customs of, 128-132 ; re- ligious character of, 22, 271, 272 ; per- plexities of, upon the outbreak of the Revolution, 218, 220; patriotic meeting of,' 219; 'loyal' declaration of, 220; counter declarations of, 221 ; address of a patriot to, 221, 222; military compa- nies raised by, 223 ; removal of m-cH- affoctcd, 251 ; sufferings of, see Revolu- tion. GENERAL INDEX. 567 Rye in Connecticut, 88-95, 100, 140, 246, 252, 255. llyc, Sussex, Eng., settlers from, ,30, 399 ; iiccount of, 35-37 ; condition of roads in, 142, 143. Stibbath-breaking, 151. Saint Mary's Lake. See Ilorton's Pond. Salem, N. Y., 335. Salt, ' a church full of,' 233. Salt meadows, 20. Salt-works destroyed at Greenwich, Conn., 258. ' Sand ford's Bark,' 170. Sand's Point, L. I., 254, 255. Saw-log Swam]), 137. Saw Pit, village of, now Port Chester, 347, 403 ; settlement of, 267 ; first mention of, 137 ; origin of name, 267 ; lots laid out at, 267 ; Indian wigwams near, 268 ; landing, 267 ; market sloops from, 161, 267 ; old residents of, 267-270 ; old houses of, 267-270 ; taverns of, 267- 269; schools of, 178, 269; school dis- trict of, 180; physicians of, 170, 171; lawyer of, 172 ; number of houses in, a , century ago, 267 ; American force at, 240, 243-247 ; engagement at, 258 ; murders near, 260, 270 ; hanging a tory at, 245 ; roads in the vicinity of, 508, 509 ; new road through, 144, 268 ; religious desti- tution of, 366 ; moral condition of, 366 ; religious services at, 341, 342, 349, 366, 367 ; churches of, 366-371 ; later history of, 378-381 ; growth of, 378 ; Mr. Jared Peck at, 378, 379 ; mills of, 268, 379 ; Dr. Dwight's description of, 379 ; La- fayette at, 380 ; steamboats from, 380, 381; change of name, 381. See Port Chester. Scarsdale, 155, 305, 310, 372. Schenectady, N. Y., burning of, 48. Schepens, 396. Schools at Rye, 17.3-180, 375; eftbrts to establish, 173 ; public provision for, in Connecticut, 173; none in New York, 174; how maintained, 174; character of, 174, 176; the Society's, 174, 175; where held, 176 ; George Harris's, 177 ; Mr. Avery's, 176; on Rye Neck, 177 ; at Saw Pit, 177 ; on Regent Street, 177 ; Mr. Samuel U. Bcrrian's, 375. School districts, 179, 180. ^ School-house ' near the church,' 67, 86, 168, 348. Schoolmasters at Rye, 151, 173-178, 375. School system, common, 178, 179. Scotch Caps, 135 ; Neck, 135 ; Point, 452. Seaman's tavern, 245, 269. Sedge lands, 475. Selectmen, 62, 67, 111, 112. Seminary, Female, 437. Serge, 128. Servitude, persons sold into, 453. Setauket, L. I., 255, 396. Sheep masters, 62, 67, 104. Sheep pasture laid out, 67, 86 ; regula- tions concerning, 66, 67. Sheepscott, Me., 280, 285, 286. Shepherd, 67. Sherwood's Bridge, 258, 259, 442. Shipwreck, 161. Sign-post, ' near the church,' 67. Skinners, 241, 242, 372. Slavery, African, introduced by the Dutch, 181 ; extent of, in New England, 181 ; first mention of, at Rye, 181 ; illustra- tions of, 181-186; Friends' testimony against, 187, 188; abolition of, 186- 188. Slaves, census of, 181, 182, 187, 320, 373 ; names of, 181-184, 186; moral and re- ligious condition of, 185, 186; manu- mission of, 186, 187 ; importation of, 184; tax on, 182, 393; valuation of, 202. Slaves, Indian, 182, 192, 311. Slave-trade, 181, 184, 185. Sloops, sailing from Kniffen's Cove, 79 ; from Milton, 80 ; from Rye Neck, 80, 161 ; from Saw Pit, 80, 161, 374. Small-pox, inoculation for the, 168, 169. Smithtown, L. I., 255. SnifFen's Hill, 137, 270. See Kniffen's Hill. Soubriquets, 435, 438. Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, 174, 175, 177, 185, 191, 294, 302, .305-315, 317-321. Soldiers from Rye : In King Philip's War, 43, 44. In Expedition of 1690, 48. In French and Indian War, 213, 214. In Revolution, 223. In War for the Union, 384, 387-391. Somers, N. Y., 497. Sonsof Liberty, 218. 568 GENERAL INDEX. Sound. See Long Island Sound. Southbuiy, Conn., 348. Southold, L. I., 273, 403. Spelling, defective, Gl, 168, 169. Square House, 47, 142, 14.5-148, 210, 264, 374. Stage-coach, the first, between New York and Boston, 76, 77, 212. Stage-coach between Rye and New York, 78, 145 ; between Mamaroneck and Williams' Bridge, 37.5. Stage-house. See Square House ; AYright's tavern, etc. Stamford, Conn., 26, 93, 106, 107, 121, 131, 139, 142, 147, 165, 182, 255,258, 275, 278, 280, 379, 399. Stamford Road, 139. Stamp Act, 217 ; repeal of, 217. Steamboat landing, 134, 442. Steamboats touching at Rye, 374 ; at Byram Cove, 380, 381. Steep Hollow, 52, 86, 136, 246. Steep Rock, 194. Stills, 435. Stocks, the, at Rye, 69, 131, 183. Stone walls, when introduced, 162. Stony Brook, 135, 137, 153, 160,414, 440. Store, ' the bigg,' 450. Strang's tavern, 71, 139, 148-150, 444. Street, village, 31, 33. • Streets and highways, records of, 501-515. Sun, 'sign of the,' in Rye, 150, 462. Sunday-school, early, at Rye, 175. Sunday -.school buildings, 343, 352, 353. Summerfield Church, 370. Supervisor of the town, 62, 69. Supervisors, board of, for Westchester County, 104, 146, 163. Surrender of Cornwallis, 264. Sussex, England, settlers from, 30 ; dialect of, 137 ; roads in, 142, 143. Swamps, Great, 57, 137, 246, 417 ; Long, division of, 51, 137 ; valued by first settlers, 51, 52; names of, 137, 407; disappearance of, 52, 53, 137. 'Swamp Mortar Rock,' 194. Synod of New York, 333-335; New York and Philadelphia, 335. Taffy's Plain, 136, 465. Tarry town, American force at, 248, 249. Taverns, regulated by the town, 66, 150, 151. Taverns at Saw Pit, 267-269. Tax for the support of the ministry, 283, 284. Taxation for support of the Church of England, resisted, 322. 'Taxation without representation,' 216, 219. Taxes, at Rye, under Connecticut, 65, 90 ; who exempt from, 65 ; under New York, remissness in ])aying, 114; alleged rea- son for revolt, 116, 117, 200; petition concerning, 119; 121,216; collector im- prisoned for fixilure to gather, 417. Taxes and imposts, under New York, 200- 206. Tea, bill of Parliament imposing duties on, 217, 218; agreement not to import, 217, 218,220. Teamsters, from Rye, in the American army, 251, 460. Theali's Hill, 374. Thomas, seizure of Judge, 252, 455 ; plot for, 226. Throg's Neck, L. I., 231, 232, 246. Timothy's Swamp, 137. Toby's Hole, 261, 505. Tom Jeffer's Hill, 136, 173, 416. Tompkins Avenue, 143. Tories of Rye, 176,216,222 ; plots of, 225- 227 ; rejoicings of, on the arrival of the King's troops, 240 ; sufferings of, 240- 242, 253, 471; required to 'go below,' 249; 250, 370; outrages by, 251, 460; 268, 317, 318, 437. Town clerk, 62. Town house, or parsonage, 85, 118, 285, 306. Town, lands owned by the, 63. Town meetings, 62 ; transactions of, 63- 67 ; where held, 67 ; how conducted, 67 ; 118, 119, 161, 168, 169, 202; action of, regarding the ministry, 274, 277, 278, 280-286; building the church, 282, 307, 308; the parsonage house, 282, 283, 308; theparsonagelands, 286, 295, 301, 302 ; interrupted during the war, 265 ; resumed, 265. Town Neck Point, 516. Town offices, 62. Town plot, 418, 465. Towns of Connecticut, their number, 88 ; their functions, 88. Towns of New York, their functions, 140. GENERAL INDEX. 5G9 Trades in Rye, 159. Traffic in wood andcattlc, 50, 159. Train-band of Rye, 89, 130-132. Training ground, 50, 115, 131. Trees, 304, 340. Trinity Churcli, New York, donation from, 342. Trinity churcliyard, 252. Troops, Briti.sli, quartered on the people, 217. Trustees of public lands, 67, 303. Turf and twig, investiture by, 132. Turnpike company, 143, 144, 208, 300, 301 ; road, see BostOTi Road. * Ulster County, N. Y., tories from Rye in jail of, 227 ; poor of New York sent to, 250. Union Cemetery, 137, 199, 512. Union Defence Committee, 385-387. Union, Mar for the, 384-391. ' Upper party ' and ' lower party,' 242. VagrantSr treatment of, 163, 164. Van Amringe's mill, 160, 462, 514. Van Sicklin's tavern. See Old Fort. Vendue, public, 146, 163. Vestry-book, 151, 165, 106, 310. Vestry of Rye, 69, 150, 163, 287-293, 300, 304, 305, 310-314, 316, 478. Vestry of the city of New York, 250, 291, 292 ; of Christ Church, Rye, 302-304, 340-342 ; of Grace Church, Rye, 337- 339. Vestrymen and church wardens, chosen by the freeholders, 289. Vines, profusion of, in early times, 4. Vineyard farm, 4, 130, 448. Wading-place, 6, 7, 516. Wainwright's Point, 135. Walles' Ridge, 136. Wallingford, Conn., 169, 264. Wall Street Church, New York, 331. AYampum, described, 16; used as money, 17. Wiu-d's house. East Chester, 248, 257. Warehouse, 135, 208. Ware's Cove [Warehouse Cove ^ J 135, 194. Warren County, N. Y., settlers of, from V/estchester County, 214. Washington at Rye, 142, 147, 162, 225. Webb's tavern, Stamford, 147. Westchester County, constituted, 4 ; area of, 4 ; under the Dutch rule, 4 ; large manorial estates in, 96; fairs in, 212; settlers from, near Canada, 213, 214; inhabitants of, generally unfriendly to the cause of liberty, 226 ; expected to cooperate with the British army, 228, 232, 233 ; enemies to America travel- ling through, 228 ; militia of, 228 ; not to be relied on, 234 ; sufferings in, 215, 216, 225, 239, 240, 245-247, 249-251, 256, 259-263. Westchester light-horse, 246. Westchester Path, Old, 6, 7, 13, 15, 16, 23, 24, 31, 97, 99, 138, 395, 401, 419, 428, 430, 440, 468, 501, 502, 514, 515. Westchester, town of, 6, 8, 24-26, 107, 120 139, 158, 212, 233, 371, 393, 396. West India Company, Dutch, 3, 96. Whaling sloop from Mamaroneck, 161. Wharf at the Fishing Rock, 78. Whipper, public, at Rye, 69, 183, 452. Whipping-post, 69. Whitcfield, George, at Rye, 314, 315. Whitefield Patent, 449. White Plains, the, town of, formerly part of Rye, 2 ; purchase of, 152, 153 ; pro- prietors of, 83, 157 ; patent of, 526-530; disputes concerning, 153-156; surveyed and divided, 58, 156, 157 ; settlement of, 157, 158 ; early settlers of, 174, 398, 428, 448, 449; church at, 158, 411 ; courts removed to, 158 ; court house, 103, f68, 466 ; school at, 175 ; sfcves in, ISl , 187; 198, 210, 212 ; American army re- treats to, 232 ; battle of the, 223, 225, 234-239, 257 ; royal forces near, 240 ; American, 243, 244, 246, 247, 248, 249 ; robbery at, 251 ; 280, 301 ; Mr. AVetmore officiates at, 314 ; Presbyterian Church of, 323-329; Dr. Smith's residence at, 334, 335; Episcopal services at, after the war, 337: a distinct congregation formed, 341 ; 345 ; the town of, consti- tuted, 372. White Plains Road, 51, 141, 156. Wigwams on Lyon's Point, 208. Wilderness, Westchester County a, 4, 5, 18, 464; outside the Field Fence, 34; perils of the, 42-49 ; occupations of ihe, 50-61. Willett Street, 509. 570 GENERAL INDEX. "Williams' Bridge, 375. Will of Kev. Thomas Deiiham, 280 ; of Francis Brown, 403 ; of John Budd, 404. ' Will's two Purchases.' See Lame Will's Purchase. Wilton, Conn., 106. Windsor, Conn., 395. ' Winter Fever,' the, 170. Witchcraft, 410. Wolf-pits, 65, 86. Wolf-pit Ridge or Plain, 52, 54, 59 , 65, 136, 437 ; Hill, White Plains, 467. Wolves, bounty for killing, 65, 92. Woodbury, Conn., 395. Wood Creek, 204. Worship, public, in early times, 279. Wright's tavern, 450. Yale College, ministers of Rye graduates of, 314, 317, 322, 328, 329, 332, 340, 348. Yale College, trustees of, their action relative to tlie Presbyterians of Rye and the White Plains, 325-327. Yeomen, 159. York, Duke of, patent to the, 108 ; com- missioners of the, 108, 109. Yorktown, N. Y., 335. Yorkville, N. Y., 342. Young's tavern, 236. 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