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A HISTOEY

OF

DEERPARK

IN

ORANGE COUNTY, N. Y.

By PETER E. GUMAER.

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

Published by the
MINISINK VALLEY HISTORICAL SOCIETV.

1890.

PORT JERVIS UNION PRINT.

PREFACE.

Having been solicited by certain individuals of the
first settlers in the neighborhood of my residence,
in the town of Deerpark, for a 'written information in
relation to their respective ancestry, both of those 'who
no'w reside in this town and of those residing in other
parts of our country, and feeling desirous to gratify
their 'wishes and save from obli'vion the knowledge I
possess relative to their forefathers, I have thought
proper to make out a small work of the same and get
it printed, so that all who shall be desirous of sucli
information can obtain the same, which undoubtedly
must be a great satisfaction to many who have not had
the opportunity of becoming informed in relation
thereto, especially the descendants of those whose
parents at an early day of the settlement of our western
country emigrated into it. The general topics of con
versation have changed much in this vicinity within my
time of life. At the termination of the Eevolutionary
war this change commenced. The attention of the
young people was generally directed towards the pass
ing scenes of their time, and they remained ignorant
of what had transpired during the lives of their fore
fathers. In the early part of my life some of the old
people, whenever they came together, generally intro-

8 PREFACE.

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

INTRODUCTION.
The most interesting subjects in relation to the town
of Deerpark are contained in Eager's " History of
Orange County." These are not embraced in this
work, excepting a few articles for making a connection
of certain matters therein contained, with additional
materials herein introduced.
All mankind generally are desirous to possess a
knowledge of- tlieir ancestry, their characters, occupa
tions, manner and circumstances of life, the lineal
descent of the most anterior of tliem, the different
scenes through which the successive generations have-
passed, &c. All of ^vhicll is embraced in this small
work, as far as my information and knowledge in rela
tion thereto extends ; and, being an old man, and hav
ing in early life had great opportunities to become in
formed in respect to the early settlement of this town
and of the people, 'who, from time to time -settled in it,
and their descendants from generation tb generation,
down to the parentage of the fourth of those who first '
settled in Peenpack, and of the third who settled in
the lower neighborhood. I, myself, have also been a

12 INTBODUCTION.
spectator of the transpiring occurrences from the com
mencement of the Eevolutionary war until the present
time. Very different have been the scenes of life through
which the successive generations have passed, and,
considering myself to possess the greatest fund of
knowledge relating to the same, I have viewed it as in
cumbent on me to 'write this history and save from
oblivion- the matter therein contained, in such manner
as the incompetency of my abilities will admit, which,
even if not in the best manner, still comprehend the sub
stance I deemed necessary to be embodied in it, with
much diffidence, however, in respect to some parts of
the same, in which I have been too lavish in intro
ducing unnecessary matter. But as this work is only
intended for the present and future descendants of the
first pioneers in the district of the present town of
Deerpark, I have thought proper to enter some minute
matters to inform the rtaders how their forefathers
have progressed through life. They came here poor
and ventured their lives among the Indians to enjoy
the lands they took in possession and afterwards
bought. The materials furnished in this work are the follow
ing : My views relative to an alteration supposed to
have, in very remote times, occurred in this valley and
created the formation of it, so as our forefathers found
it ; also the time they settled here and the inhabitants
who then occupied it ; their manner of life and means
of supporting themselves, and other different matters
and conjectures in relation to them ; also the wild ani
mals, fowls and fishes which were in this part of the

INTRODUCTION. 1 3

country ; the names of the first seven settlers, and the
time they procured a patent for the land they intended
to occupy ; also the names of those who first settled
in the lov.rer neighborhood, and, as near as can be
ascertained, the time they settled there and the places
where all of both neighborhoods severally located ;
also the names of their respective descendants to the
third generation of the Peenpack neighborhood, their
marriages and manner of living, and the ages to which
they respectively arrived, as near as I could ascertain
the same. Also certain matters in relation to a late
emigration into this town of inhabitants who have
built up the village of Port Jervis, which commenced
about the year 1827 ; the great diminution of birds,
snakes, frogs and toads, within the last thirty years ;
also the commencement and continuance from time to
time of religious worship, and the first introduction of
Justices of the Peace, &c. ; the anterior prices of
farmers' productions, and of wages, together with.
some speculative and interesting matters in relation to
the same.
Note. — There were some members of families in both neighborhoods
whose names I did not know, and have left blanks for the same, so that
the purchaser of a book can write the names of his respective relatives,
omitted in the blanks left for that purpose.
[The committee on publication have supplied these
names, so far as they have been able, and have included
them in brackets in their proper places.]
The " History of Deerpark " was written by Mr.
Gumaer between the years of 1858 and 1862 from ma
terials collected by him during many years of close
observation and after much diligence and painstaking

14 INTRODUCTION.

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

INTRODUCTION. 15

gone changes by death and removal, the committee
have added notes indicating the present owners and
occupants. With these exceptions and an occasional
word or two, the history is published as originally
written. The committee close this statement with a brief
sketch of the author :
Peter E. Gumaer was born in the town of Deerpark,
at or near Fort Gumaer, May 28, 1771, and died De
cember 18, 1869, at the age of 98 years, 6 months and
20 days. His parents were Ezekiel Gumaer and
Naomi Low. He was a descendant of the French
Huguenots, who fled from France at the time of their
persecution. His father, being a farmer, he inherited
the business and also learned the art of surveying,
which he followed for more than fifty years. He
surveyed most of the lands in the town of
Deerpark, and also of adjoining towns. He was
plain and unassuming in manner and deportment,
much attached to his home and family, and, during
his whole lifetime, lived in the town of Deer-
park, having never visited the city of New York.
In his principles he was- regarded as a man of great
integrity, always manifesting a conscientious regard for
right, and nothing but strict and exact justice would
satisfy him. His habits of living were extremely tem
perate, using but little animal food and no stimulants,
except tea. He was a man of great industry, never
idle and never seeking pleasure or enjoyment outside
of business or study. He -was of a literary turn of
mind, and devoted as much of his time to reading and
study as his pursuits would allow. He took great de-

16

INTRODUCTION.

light in the study of astronomy and philosophy. He
was especially interested in Sir Isaac Newton's theory
of the motions of the heavenly bodies, and said if it
was correct, perpetual motion was possible and sought
for a long time to demonstrate it practically. In 1851
he published a §mall volume upon astronomy. During
his life he held many positions of public trust, which
were filled with credit to himself and to the satisfaction
of his constituents. It is said that among the many
instruments of writing drawn by him not one was ever
broken in a court of law, nor were any of his surveys
of land found to be incorrect.
He held in high esteem his e.ncestry, whose remains
are buried in the Gumaer Cemetery, and a few years
previous to his death, as a token of regard for them,
he erected monuments to their memory with appropri
ate inscriptions.
In his early life it was customary for the ministers in
the Reformed Dutch Church, which he attended, to
preach in the Holland (Dutch) and English languages
on alternate Sabbaths, and so familiar was he with the
former that upon returning home he was at a loss to
say, when asked, in which language the services had
been held. A bit of romance has been related con
cerning his marriage. It is said that when he was a
young man he visited the house of his future mother-
in-law, and that she had a little child in the cradle
which she was rocking, and that she said to him-:
" Peter, I want you to rock the cradle, and when this
child grows up to be a young woman you may have
her for a wife." It so proved that he married this
same child that he had thus rocked in the cradle.

INTRODUCTION. 17

The names and ages of Mr. Gumaer's children are as
follows :
Morgan, born January 27th, 1815, and died July 5th,
1855. Ezekiel P., born May 10th, 1817, and died June 25th,
1877. Jacob C. E., born October 18th, 1820, living at Ovid,
Mich. Peter L., born January 29th, 1827, living at Guy-
mard, N. T.
Naomi, born January 20th, 1830, and died May 2d,
1862. Andrew J., born November 4th, 1833, living at"Guy-
mard, N. Y.
Esther Harriet, born August 30th, 1835, living at
Brooklyn, N. Y., widow of Isaac Mulock.

HISTORY OF DEERPARK.

GEOGRAPHICAL FORMATION OF THE VALLEY.
Before entering into a detail relative to the settle
ment of this town by Europeans, the causes of their
emigration from the fatherland, their manner of life
in this then wilderness part of our country, &c.,'&o., I
will give my views of what I consider to have been an
teriorly the geographical face of this district of terri
tory, its productions aui its native inhabitants.
The present form of the surface of the earth teaches
us that there has been a time when it was in many
places very different from what it is at this day. This
appears to be the case wherever there are rivers and
streams of water ; and we have reason to think that
many lakes and ponds have been drained by the action
of streams of water issuing therefrom. It must be the
case that there was a time when the surface of the

20 HISTORY OF DEERPARK.

ground in the valley along the Neversink and Dela
ware rivers in this town, together with that part of it
which extends southwest to the gap of the mountain,
where the Delaware passes through it, and northeast
to the North river, &c., laid below the bottom of a lake
of water. This opinion has been formed previous to
my contemplations respecting it. Eager gives some
account of this in his " History of Orange County,"
pages 407 and 408, and sufficiently establishes the fact
from Indian tradition, &c.
Not only does the gap of the mountain, where the
river passes through it, exhibit strong reasons of a
passage being worn through it by the action of the
water of a lake in this valley, but the knolls and low
hills in this valley show that they have undergone much
washing of water ; and, what appears somewhat mys
terious, hills thirty and forty feet higher than the sur
face of the river fiats are all composed of ground,
gravel, sand and such smooth stones as are in the bot
toms of rivers, from which it appears that not only the
surface of those hills, but that all the materials of which
they are composed, have for some length of time been
water- washed. We find in- them some places of clear
sand, not mixed with the other materials mentioned,
such as is in river sand banks ; from which we have
reason to conjecture that after the water received a
passage through the mountain it created a current in
the lake towards it, and as that passage enlarged and '
wore down, the water in the lake drew off and the cur
rent of its stream increased and washed the highest
parts of its bottom down into the hollows, where the
water was deep, and thereby run down gradually large

HISTORY OF DEERPARK. 21
bodies of water- washed stones, gravel, sand and ground
from the highest elevations of the bottom surface into
its lowest parts, many of which have remained where
they have been carried by the waters, and the adjoin
ing ground, which first was highest, has run down the
stream and continued to be moveri down until a gradual
descent of the rivers was formed, on a bottom of
smooth water-washed stones, gravel and sand, which
now lie at different depths below the surface of the
river flats, viz. : from about four to seven and eight
feet below that of the lands along the Neversink river,
and at greater depths.along the surface of the Delaware
river flats.
After a river bottom was formed where the flats now
are, the stream creating meandering channels through
those river bottom flats would contain the water of the
rivers when low, but in freshets, overflow the flat bot
toms, whereby in every freshet a part of the ground
which the water carried down in such times, lodged on
the surface of those flats, which, continuing to accumu
late in this way for a great length of time, raised the
surface so high that the freshets did not overflow it,
unless partially in uncommon high water ; and as the
waters became more and more confined in stationary
channels, the bottoms of these wore down by the action
and weight of the water. In this manner undoubtedly
was formed the soil of our river lands. In the vicinity
of the gap of the Shawangunk mountain, through
which the New York ¦& Erie Railroad passes, are indi
cations in some places on the east side of the moun
tain of the surface of the ground having in a very re
mote period of time been under water, when I contem-

24 HISTORY OF DEERPARK.
Jacob Cuddeback built a small mill on a spring
brook near his residence. How it answered the pur
pose of grinding is not known. One of the stones in
my possession (now broken) was about two feet in
diameter and about two inches thick. It was found in
a cellar of an old house which stood near Cuddeback's
first residence.
The animals, fowls and fishes probably did not di
minish whilst the Indians were the only inhabitants of
this part of the country. The increase of these peo
ple was slow. A married couple generally did not
have more than t^vo or three children, in consequence
of which they. did not become more thickly populated
than to consume only a small proportion of the abund
ance of wild meat this part of the country continued
to produce, and they, hot having the means we have to
kill and get the wild "animals, fowls and fishes, often
suffered in consequence of not being enabled to kill as
many as they Wanted for their support. The most
dexterous of them could generally get a plentiful sup
ply, but those who were inactive had sometimes to be
assisted by the others, especially' in the cold season of
the year. INDIANS.
When we take a view of the difference between the
acquirements of the Indian race of people and those
of our own . nation, and the European and other en
hghtened nations of the world, we behold an endless
acquisition which the industry and perseverance of the
latter have brought into their posses.sion, whilst the
former have scarcely made a remove from a state' of

¦HISTORY OF DEERPARK. 25

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

26 HISTORY OP DEERPARK.
inches long and two thick, one end round and the
other flattened -with a rounding towards its edge, which
was made as sharp, as the nature of the stone would
bear for its intended use. With these they would get
bark from trees to cover their wigwams, and made
other shelters under which to evade the incIeiQency of
storms of snow and rain, night air, &c. ; also to get
bark for canoes, and girdle trees to kill them, so that
the bark and limbs would fall for fuel. Afid with these
axes in a slow operation they could cut and split small
saplings for bows, and with these and other sharp
stones and bones could scrape them off to a required
thickness. Arrow heads (generally called harpoons
in this section) were made of different kinds of flint
stones, from three to about four inches long, one inch
wide at the large end, and tapering from that to the
small end. They were flat and rounding towards each
side for sharpening the edges ; a notch' was worked
into each side of the big end to fasten it into the ar
row. These appear to have been made by knocking
off small scales, whereby their surfaces, were left un
even. It was said that they had manufactured pots of clay
for cooking, and that a few remains of these had been
found, in a broken condition, and that they made eel-
pots of withs and caught therein eels and fish by set
ting them in the mouths of eel-weirs, which consisted
of wings of stones thrown up in rivers and streams of
water. The stone axes, bows and arrows were of great
value to the naked-handed Indians. With the latter it
was said that they could even kill a deer by making
the bow very stiff and laying down with it in the tall

•HISTORY OF DEERPARK. '27
grass which grew on the flats near to a deer-path,
would, when a deer approached to pass, place both feet
against the bow and with both hands draw the string
or cord of the bow and shoot the deer as it passed, so
-as to kill it. It was said they made use of a sharp flint
•stone to skin it.
- Now, although the improvements the natives of this
country had made during their existence in it was very
trifling, yet they had attained to about all that was iu
their reach in the circumstances under which they
labored, and had come to the borders of a gigantic step
which was necessary to be made for entering into a
field df improvements similar to that of the enlight
ened nations of the world.-
MANUFACTURE OF IMPLEMEJJTS OF IRON AND STEEL.
This step is the manufacturing of iron from the ore.
and iron and steel utensils. The most ingenious of
our own race of people would be puzzled to get into
operation any works to answer that purpose, naked-
handed as, those people were, and in tlieir state of
ignorance when alone in this country. This discovery
of manufacturing iron and steel utensils is the most
useful to mankind of any ever made. Withdut the
manufacture of iron, or some other metal which would
have answered the same purpose, mankind must all
have remained in that Idw, naked-handed and unim
proved state in which the Indians were found in this
country. The production of this metal by the original
cause of all things, and its manufacture, are indispen
sable for the whole business of mankind. The black
smith and manufacturer of iron and steel stand at the

28 HISTORY OP DEERPARK.
head of all other mechanics. If the productions of
the former were to pass out of existence, that of the
latter would inevitably become extinct and the farmer
would have to abandon the cultivation of the earth,
and the wheels of all the hydraulic works and manu
facturing machineries whatever would cease to move.
The oceans, seas, lakes and rivers would become un
burdened of the. ships and vessels passing thereon ; the
rattling of cars on the railroads would stop their
music, and the still voice of the telegraph would cease
to whisper its news. The consequence of all of which
would be starvation and a miserable life of such as
should survive to witness such a terrible catastrophe.
From all of which 'we are taught the great blessing
we have derived in being suitably formed for its man
ufacture, and the construction of innumerable articles
for our use and advantage, new inventions of which
are continually exhibited.
Dr. Franklin, a lover of science and friend of man,
in the latter part of his life said, that after a century
from the time of his decease he would like to revisit
the earth to see what improvements would be made in
that time. If he now, after a shorter period, should
be reinstated on earth in his former capacity, he un
doubtedly would be astonished at the vast mechanical
improvements made in our country since his time, and
his philanthrophy would receive the very pleasing
satisfaction of having himself made- a discovery
from which has originated one of the most wonderful
discoveries ever made, viz. : to convey intelligence in
stantaneously over any distance on our globe.
Now, although the Indians still remain disposed to

HISTORY OF DEERPARK. . 29
pursue their own habits of life, yet it appears obvious
that the time will come when it will be necessary for
their descendants to become an improved and educated
people and to get a livelihood by agriculture, manufac
ture and literature ; for they, as well as ourselves, are
susceptible of such improvements. Their habits of
life, continued from generation to generation for a very
great length of time, seem to have become so seated
in their minds that all the entreaties which the white
people have from time to time made to abandon their
present mode of life and pursue that of ours, has had
but little effect on the great hodj of Indians to lead
them out of the long accustomed habits of their an
cestry. As they were scattered over all parts of this coun
try before Europeans came into it, and, as their in
crease has been slow, it is evident that their origin in
it must have been in a very remote period of time.
They generally were most numerous where the animals,
fowls and fishes on which they hved were most plenti
ful, which was in the vicinity of rivers and streams of
water, lakes and ponds ; and, in consequence of living
chiefiy on those natural productions and their destitu
tion of the means to get a sufficient supply of these,
made it' necessary for them to scatter thinly over this
part of our country for procuring a competency for
their subsistence. It -was said they raised corn and
beans in very small quantities.
We have accounts of the South American Indians
manufacturing vessels and trinkets of gold before
Europeans came into it, in such parts of that country
and its islands where that metal was plenty. This

30 HISTORY OF DEERPARK.
would have been easily done with the use of stones, as
the same is very ductile. FIRST SETTLERS.
In the year 1690, as near as can be determined,
Jacob Cuddeback, Thomas, Swartwout, Anthony Swart
wout, Beriiardus S'wartwout, Peter Gumaer, John
Tyse and Dayid Jamisont, settled in the present town
of Deerpark, in the County of Orange and State of
New York, on and near a handsome knoll or hill con
tiguous to a spring brook and a spring of living water,
in the central pait of the Peenpack flats X- • This
spring still remains near its first location, but not as
flush as formerly. The upper surface uf this hill is
flat, and its elevation about 20 feet higher than the low
land surrounding it. The Indian name, " Peenpack,"
was, by certain of the ancient people, said to be signifi
cant of this hill and spring.
Peter Gumaer located himself at the southwest end
of the hill, John Tyse between that and the spring
brook, Bernardus Swartwout on the easterly brow of
the hill, a few rods westerly of the spring, where the
cellar now remains ; Thomas Swartwout on the central
t Tyse and Jamison, it appears from other sources of information,
did not become permanent settlers here. Jamison was from Scotland,
and, from 1697 to 1714, served either'as Vestryman or Warden in Trinity
Church, New York, where he was Recorder of the city in 1712, and At
torney-General of the Province of New York in 1720. Tyse (Tyson)
lived at "Kingston.
t About three-fourths of a mile south of the old stone house, which
stands near A. E. Godeffroy's dwelling, all of which was formerly
owned by Peter E. Gumaer and family. Fort Gumaer was located on
the south end of this knoll, on which spot now stands the frame dwelling
owned by A. J. G«maer, of Guyniard, and occupied by a tenant.

rl^

».W.S\i»n*i

*\

GUMAER S OLD STONE HOUSE.

HISTORY OF DEERPARK. 31

part of the hill, opposite the spring, where' the cavity
of his cellar remains ; Jacob Cuddeback a few rods
northeast of the northeast end of the hill, on the low
ground, where has been a cavity of his cellar, now
leveled ; Anthony Swartwout, where the house formerly
of Cornelius Van Inwegen stood, a few rods northeast
of Cuddeback's place of residence, and David Jami
son, somewhere near this last location. Here these
few families had advantageously located themselves for
material assistance to repel Indian attacks, in case they
should happen, and also for all of them to get water
out of the spring for their drink in hot weather. The
most distant of those residences was not over thirty
rods from it.
Eager, in making researches for a history of Orange
County, found this settlement to be the earliest of any
in it*. The liberty of settling here was probably
obtained from the Indians by purchase ; for it appears
that these settlers were and remained at peace with
them and on friendly terms until the commencement of
the French war. As the neighborhood in time ex
tended about four miles in length, it continued to bear
that name, although there were several localities within
* Since then it has bemi ascertained that there was an earlier settle
ment Ml the county near New Windsor, at what is known as Plum
Point. In 1684, Patrick McGregurie, his brother-in-law David Tushuck,
who subscribed his name " Laird ot Minivard;" and twenty-five others
principally Sc -tch Presbyterians, purchased a tract of 4,000 acres, em
bracing lands on both sides of Murderers creek. Here, on Couwan-
ham's Hill, so-called from its aboriginal owner, but now known as Plum
Point, McGregorie built his cabin, and in the same vicinity were those of
his associates, William Chambers, William Sutherland and one Collum,
while on the north side of the creek David Toshuck and his servant
Daniel Maskrig established a trading post. (See Ruttenber's History of
Orange County, p. 21, 22)

32 HISTORY OP DEERPARK.
that distance which had other Indian names ; one at
my present residence ; one at the Neversink river, near
the aqueduct of the canal ; one at the present resi
dence of Col. Peter P. Swartwout t, and two between
that and the first Peenpack locality. In these several
places resided small collections of Indians near living
springs and streams of water.
When this place was first settled, it was about 25 or
30 miles distant from the nearest settlement of white
people, which latter was on the road from here to
Kingston. Two of the first pioneers, Cuddeback and
Gumaer, were from France and of families who were
in comfortable circumstances of life, which appears
evident from what has been said by them in relation
thereto, and from the fact that they had been brought
up without doing any manual labor. It was said that
their hands were so soft and tender when they first
came into America that they blistered and bled when
they first labored for a living in this country. The
family of Cuddeback were in a trading business, in,
which Cuddeback had served as clerk. It was said the
family of Gumaer were rich and in possession of large
bills of exchange, for which they could not get money
before he had to flee to escape persecution or death.
From a certificate of his, in the French language, in
relation to his church membership and character, dated
the 20th of April, 1686, it appears that he then was in
France and about 20 years of age. In 1685, the edict
of Nantes -ivas revoked by Louis XIV., King of France,
whereby the Huguenots became unprotected by the
laws of that country and exposed to the vengeance of
t Now (I889) owned and occupied by Benjamin Swartwout.

HISTORY OF DEERPARK. 33
the Catholics, who were the most numerous and power
ful class of people in that country, and, after they be
came unrestrained, exercised their power to torture
and murder the former, and to plunder and destroy
their property, which caused a flight of thousands of
them from France into other countries, in which the
t-wo individuals mentioned made their escape from it.
The name Cuddeback, as now, written and Codeback
as written in the patent, must both differ from the
original orthography. Caddeback has said that his
name was that of a certain city in France. On exam
ining an ancient gazetteer I find the orthography of
one city in that country to be " Caudebec," which, in
the French tongue, has the same oral sound as. that of
Codeback in the English tongue.
The Rev'. Henry Morris, of Cuddebackville, has fur
nished me with some historical accounts from Malte
Brun's Universal Geography, Vol. 6, being the follow
ing notice of Caudebec :
" Caudebec was formerly the capitol of Caux, a
small country in which agriculture has attained to a
high degree of perfection, where every house, sur
rounded by trees of different sorts, contributes to adorn
the different sites ; indeed, the country, watered by the
Seine from Havre to Rouen, may vie with the vaunted
banks of the Seine. Caudebec was a flourishing town
before the revocation of the edict of Nantes ; it was
almost ruined in consequence of that impolitic
measure, and, although it possesses a convenient har
bor, the population does not exceed three thousand
souls. It is situated in the district of Yvetot, a small
town of which the lords before the reign of Louis XI.

34 HISTORY OF DEERPARK.
were styled kings by their vassals."
Morris further states that " Caudebec is situated in
the department of the Lower Seine, in which are the
following towns : Lillebonne, Rouen, Elbeuf, Gournay
and Aumale," and judges that it lies on the river
Seine between Paris and the English Channel, and be
longs to that part of France that anciently was called
Normandy. I feel very thankful for this information. It reminds
me of certain occurrences. which attended Cuddeback
and Gumaer at the time of their flight from France,
and all in connection gives me reason to think that
both of them resided in the capital mentioned.
Caudebec said. that the vessel in which he escaped
from his country had many wheat bread passengdrs on
it, who, after a few days' sailing, began to complain of
their fare on the vessel, and that they could not live on
the diet furnished, when the same consisted of plenty of
bread, meat, beans, and other vegetables, and such eat
ables as were generally had on ships, but were inferior
to such as they had been habituated to. As for him
self, he said he thought he could do well enough on such
victuals, but, he said, before they arrived at their place
of destination, provisions became scarce and they be
gan to have good reason to complain. From which, it
appears, that their voyage must have been retarded by
contrary winds, or a circuitous route, to avoid being
taken by their enemies. I have also understood that
Gumaer lived in a city, and, when his enemies sought
: for him, he was reading in a garden, where he was in
formed of liis enemies searching for him and he fled
to the top of one of the houses, where he hid. Now

HISTORY OF DEERPARK.

as it appears that this city was a flourishing place be
fore it became reduced by the persecutions mentioned
and suffered much in consequence of the same, and, as
one of those two individuals bore ^lie name of the
- town, it appears very probable that the passengers in
the vessel mentioned' were all from this capital.
I have been informed that Caudebec sometimes re
lated the manner in- which the Protestants, or Hugue
nots, were tortured and murdered, one of which I still
remember, but consider it too shocking to our feelings
to embrace it in this work, being worse, in my view,
than the vile Nero's project of emplojdng dogs to kill
Christians. These innocent people in the early days
of Christianity suffered great persecutions from those
^yho were inimical to their professions and doctrines.
It seems strange that after their doctrine became popu
lar, the greatest proportion of those who embraced it
in France became as cruel as the monster Nero, who
had the power to exhibit to the world his thirst for im
posing on mankind the numerous cruelties he caused
to be inflicted. He became so destitute of the feelings
of humanity that he caused even his own mother to be
put to death to satisf)' an unnatural curiosity. Also
the great moralist, Seneca, who had been his tutor,
did not escape his jealous disposition, but was put to
death according to his orders. All his impositions for
self present gratification will remain an everlasting
stain on his character of the blackest dye, and the suf
ferings he caused to be endured must have affected
thousands of his subjects.
Now, all these acts are only as a drop of water in a
bucket to like acts unuecessarih' imposed from time to

36 HISTORY OF DEERPARK.
time on the Eoman people and other nations, by ruling
characters of Eoman dominions.
What shall we think of mankind, who, for self-exal
tation, have so overcome all those tender feelings im
planted in their natures as to kill, murder and plunder
each other without any just cause, but merely to sat
isfy the cravings of men who were a curse to the
world ? I do not know of any species of creatures on
the globe who have acted as cruel as human beings
have done in this respect. And by taking a view of
the sins of the ancient nations, who have been des
troyed, it appears that good reason existed for their
destruction, and that all the animal tribes have yielded
more to the government and laws of their Creator than
mankind. The name Gumaer, as now written, was on the cer
tificate written "Guimar." In another writing, which
gave Gumaer the right of citizenship in the English
territories, it was written " Guymard." This writing
was also found among the papers formerly of Peter
Gumaer, jr., now (1858) in possession of his son-in-
law, Solomon Van Etten, Esq. It is probable that the
names Gomar, Guymard and Guimar, in France, orig
inated from one of those names, the last of which is
the name of a certain town within the French territo
ries. I have never seen the handwriting of Cuddeback
or Gumaer. The children of the first families were
not educated, in consequence of which, when it became
necessary to write their names in their business trans
actions, &c., the same was done in the Dutch tongue,
without any other guide than that of the oral sound,
which of the latter name had become somewhat

HISTORY OF DEERPARK. 37
broader among the Dutch than what it was originally ;
and the French sound of " mar " was altered in the
Dutch sound of " maer," which is the same as that of
" maur " in the English tongue.
A hasty flight of these two individuals prevented
them from being furnished with sufficient funds for a
livelihood, in consequence of which it was concluded
that two sisters of Cuddeback, who 'were to leave
France afterwards and meet them at their place of des
tination (which, the writer has understood, was to be
England, but it may have been in Holland), were to
bring money for setting up a business of trade. It is
probable that there was an intended marriage of Gu
maer with one of those sisters. They did not arrive at
the appointed time, arid, after all hope of their coming'
was given up, these two young men embarked for
America and landed in the State of Maryland, which
passage exhausted all their money, and here they- be
gan to experience the want of it. After a short stay,
they came into the State of New York, where both en
tered into a state of matrimony, Cuddeback with a
daughter of Benjamin Provost, who was iu a trading
business either in the city of New York or somewhere
in the vicinity of the Hudson river, whereby he became
related to some Swartwout families, which probably
led to an association of Cuddeback, the three Swart-
wouts and other companions to move into this part of
the country. Peter, son of the first Gumaer, has said
that his son Elias took after the Deyo family, which
leads us to infer that Gumaer's wife was of a Deyo
family. The name of the father of the three Swartwouts is
not known, but we have reason to believe it was

38 HISTORY OF DEERPARK.
Gerardus, as this is a name which has been given to at
least one rdember of each Swartwout generation from
the first in this neighborhood to the present ; and also
m the family of Harmanus Van Inwegen, whose wife
was a Swartwout, and the name of their only son was
Gerardus, which name has also continued in his family
descendants to the present time. The name Jaco
bus (James) and the name Samuel, are Swartwout
names, and have continued in those families to the
present time. In the early part of the settlement here,
there were two Swartwouts who sometimes came over
here from the east side of the Hudson river (probably
from Dutchess or Westchester counties) to see their
relatives here. The name of one of them was Jacobus
•(James), and he was generally called Dickke Jacobus
(Thick James), in consequence of his bodily thickness.
It was said he was uncommonly broad and thick
around his shoulders and breast, and unusually strong.
It is probable that the Swartwouts in this place either
came from the city of New York or from one of the
counties on the east side of the Hudson river, and that
their ancestry emigrated from Holland into this coun
try at an early period of its settlement for advancing
their interests.
Cuddeback, Gumaer and one of the Swartwouts
were the only three of the first settlers who remained
in the present town of Deerpark, and they became the
owners of the land granted by the patent ; and having
become too weak to defend their possessions against
Jersey claimants, they let Harmanus Van Inwegen have
some of their lands to come and reside here and help
defend their possessions. He was a bold, strong and
resolute man, on whom much reliance was placed. He

HISTORY OF DEERPARK. 39
was originally from Holland, and in the early part of
his life had been-a seafaring man. At a certain time
he was at the house of Cuddeback, and on hearing
him read that part of history which relates to Hindoo
women suffering themselves to be burned, after the
death of their husbands, in case of being the survivors,
said that his own eyes had seen what he (Cuddeback)
was reading, and mentioned the place of the occur
rence and manner in which it was transacted. Van
Inwegen had married a sister of the three Swartwouts.
It is somewhat uncertain which of the three Swart
wouts remained in this neighborhood, but as the seats
of Bernardus and Thomas became vacated, and An
thony's continued to be occupied by Van Inwegen
after Samuel and James Swartwout removed more dis
tantly from the neighborhood first settled, I will make
use of his name, as the father of the two latter. An
other reason is that the seats of Bernardus and Thomas
became possessed , by the second Peter Gumaer. He
bought the rights of two Swartwouts.
It is not known what became of the families of Tyse
and Jamison, nor where the two Swartwouts went, who
removed from here. There are Swartwouts down the
Dela'vvare river, in the State of Pennsylvania, or New
Jersey, among whom the name of Bernardus has been
kept up. These probably are descendants of Ber
nardus who settled here. There also are Swartwouts
on the Susquehanna. These may be descendants of
Thomas Swartwout.
After the seven first settlers had resided here a few
years, they sent Jacob Cuddeback to the Governor of
the New York Colony to obtain a patent to cover as
much land as they intended to occupy, which was

40 HISTORY OF DEERPARK.
granted the 14th of October, 1697, for 1,200
acres land to Jacob Cuddeback, Thomas Swart
wout, Anthony Swartwout, Bernardus Swartwout,
Jan Tyse, Peter Germar' and David Jamison,
who, as near as can be determined, continued to
be the only settlers of white people in this part of the
country for a term of more than 20 years. The
strongest evidence of this is that the children of the
first settlers between this place and the Delaware river
were contemporary with the grandchildren of the first
settlers, and that some of the children of the first
pioneers were among the first settlers of both the lands
between this place and the Delaware river, and a few
miles down the same in the north part of New Jersey,
One daughter of Jacob Cuddeback, one of Van Inwe
gen, one of Swartwout, and a sister of the second Pe
ter Gumaer's wife, were among the first settlers be
tween this place and the Delaware ; and one son and
four daughters of Cuddeback were among the first in
the north of New Jersey.
There were two neighborhoods in this town, one of
which, formerly known by the name of Peenpack
neighborhood, extended southwest to the old county;
line, formerly between Orange and Ulster counties,
and the other extended from that line southwest to the
Delaware river, and was in the first instance desig
nated " over the river neighborhood," in consequence
of its population then being principally on the east
side of the river, but after the increase of inhabitants
on the west side of the river the whole district was
generally' termed " the lower neighborhood."

ANCIENT FAMILIES
OF THE
PEENPACK NEIGHBOEHOOD.
FAMILY OF JACOB CUDDEBACK AND WIFE, MARGARET PRO
VOST — (Jacob Cuddeback lived to be about 100 years
old.)
First son, Benjamin Cuddeback, never married. He,
in the first instance, lived with his brother William,
and afterwards with his nephew, Benjamin Cuddeback.
(Lived to be about 80 years old.)
Second son, William Cuddeback, married Jemima
Elting, daughter of  Elting of the Old Paltz.
He became owner of his father's farm, and resided on
the premises afterwards occupied by his son, Captain
Cuddeback. (Lived to be about 74 years old.)
Third son, James Cuddeback, married Neelje Decker,
daughter of Christopher Decker, of Shipikunk, in the
north part of New Jersej', where Cuddeback became a
resident. (Died about 30 years of age.)
Fourth son, Abraham Cuddeback, married Esther
Swartwout, daughter of Major James Swartwout, of
Peenpack. They resided near the present dwelling
house of Peter L. Gumaer until they became old and
were removed by their sons to Skaneateles Lake, in this

42 HISTORY OP DEERPARK.

State, where two of his sons lived. He owned a farm
where he first resided. (Abraham Cuddeback died at
Skaneateles Aug. 18th, 1796, aged 83 years. His wife
died April 11th, 1798, aged 65.)
One daughter, Dinah Cuddeback, married Abraham
Louw, a son of Tys Louw t, of Eoohester, in Ulster
county. He was a blacksmith and settled in Shipi
kunk, in the north part of New Jersey, and became
owner of a good farm, of which Wilhemus Freden-
burgh, Peter and Joseph Van Noy and James and
Evart Van Auken afterwards became owners. (Dinah
lived to be about 74 years old.)
Another daughter, Eleanor Cuddeback, married
Evart Hornbeck, son of  Hornbeck, of Eo-
chester, in Ulster county. They first settled on the
t Tys Louw and wife commenced life poor. The writer knows noth
ing respecting their ancestors. He -was an indolent, non-providing and ;
intemperate man. .She was the reverse of him in those respects ; and
the whole business of the family devolved on her, in which he exercised
no manner of control, but left the whole business of the family to be
managed according to her direction. He was naturally good-natured,
and very indulgent to her. She furnished him daily with such small por
tions of liquor as would not intoxicate him. She entered into' the busi
ness of manufacturing linen, both for the wearing apparel of the family,
and to defray the other expenses, and did yearly manufacture more than
a supply for the same, the surplus of which she took to New York at the
end uf every year, and for it procured such articles of trade as her
spinsters and neighbors generally wanted to purchase, and in this way
she made a yearly addition to her stock of goods and thus obtained
wealth and credit, so that she became enabled to keep a good assortment
of such goods as were salable iu her time and commanded quite an ex
tensive trade. She also carried on the blacksmith business, for which
she employed a workman and put her own son, Abraham Louw, with him
in the shop to learn the trade. Not long before her decease she had told
a confidential friend that she had yi,2oo in money. Resides this she had
her store of goods and other property. The ^1,200 was equal to $3,000,
which in her time was worth about three times as much as at the present

HISTORY OF DEERPARK. 43
farm now in possession of Joseph Cuddeback in this
town, and afterwards moved into the neighborhood of
Shipikunk, in New Jersey, and became residents on or
near the premises lately occupied by his grandson,
Capt. Benjamin Hornbeck, where they became owners
of a good farm. He was a blacksmith, which was a
good trade in his time.. (Eleanor lived to be about 70
years.) Another daughter, Else Cuddeback, married Har
manus Van Gorden, son of  . He
was or became owner of the farm, which, after his
death, was owned by his two sons, Daniel and Benja
min Van Gorden, in the neighborhood of Shipikunk.
This name (Shipikunk) originated from the Indians,
and probably had reference to the smooth rocks
against the side of the mountain near the neighbor
hood, as the name " unk" is significant of rocks. (She
lived to be about 80.)
Another daughter, Maria Cuddeback, married Geo.
Westfall, son of  Westfall, of the neighbor
hood of Minnissing, in New Jersey. This was the
ancient Indian name of the neighborhood in which
the ancient Minisink church was located. Her husband
ditd and she afterwards married  — Cole. *
Youngest daughter, Naomi Cuddeback, married
Lodiwyke Hornbeck, a widower, and son of Judge
Jacob Hornbeck, of Eochester, in Ulster county, where
* This woman lived to a great age. It was said of her that in early life
she became Very fleshy and was taken with a severe sickness, which re
duced her very low and she became lean, and having found the incon
venience of being fat and fleshy and fearing to become so again, she
thereafter stinted herself in eating less than her appetite craved, and
lived to the age of about loo years. She had the reputation of a fine
woman, possessed of excellent qualities of mind.

44 HISTORY OF DEERPARK.
they continued to reside till after the decease of her
husband, wliom she survived, and underwent different
scenes in life afterwards. She had the reputation of
a sensible woman. They had one son named Henry
and one daughter Maria. The former had children,
but the latter had none. The writer knows nothing in
relation to the children of Henry.
[There appears to have been another son of Jacob Cuddeback and.
Margaret Provost named Jacob, who was baptized in the Dutch church
in New York, July 7th, 1 706. His name is mentioned likewise in an old
deed of his father. He married Jannetye Westbrook.]

SECOND GENEEATION.
FAMILY OF AYILLIAM CUDDEBACK AND JEMIMA ELTING.
(Married April 8th, 1732.)
First son, James Cuddeback, a very active young
man, became deranged. (Lived to be about 80 years
old.) Second son, Abraham Cuddeback, married Esther
Gumaer, daughter of the second Peter Gumaer. He
remained in the homestead of his father and became
owner of half of his real estate. He was Captain of a
company of militia before and during the Eevolution
ary War. They had four sons. Col. Wilham A. Cudde
back, Peter G. Cuddeback, Esq., Jacob Cuddeback and
Cornelius Cuddeback, and two daughters — Esther, wife
of Evart Hornbeck, and Jemima, wife of David West-
fall. (Captain Abraham Cuddeback lived to be about
82 years old.)
Second son, Benjamin Cuddeback (lived to be about

HISTORY OP DEERPARK. 45
45), married Catharine Vau Fliet, daughter of: John
Van Fliet, of the lower neighborhood, in this town
He became owner of the other half of his father's
estate. They had four sons, William, Henry, Levi and
Benjamin Cuddebaclc, Esq.. and three daughters —
Syntche, wife of Simon Westfall ; Jemima, wife of An
thony Van Etten. The other daughter died young,
and Levi, after he became a young man, died suddenly
of cholic.
Fourth son, Roulif Cuddeback (lived to be about 50
years old), never married. He fought the Indian, as
mentioned in Eager's History, t
Only daughter, Sarah Cuddeback, married Daniel
Van Fliet, son of John Van Fliet, of the lower neigh
borhood. They owned the farm heretofore sold by
Samuel Cuddeback and William Dono'.dson to Ezekiel
P. Gumaer and brothers (nearly one-half mile south
of Port Clinton.) They had a son, Solomon, and a
daughter, Sarah. (Mahakamack church records give the
baptism of four more children — Mardochai, Willem,
Thomas, Jacorayntje — 1739, 1759.)

FAMILY OF .JAMES CUDDEBACK AND WIFE, NEYLTJE
DECKER.
An only sou, James Cuddeback, married Neyltje
Westbrook, daughter of  Westbrook, who re
sided on the east side of Shawangunk mountain, in the
northeast part of New Jersey. He, a poor man,, by
persevering industry became owner of a valuable farm.
t This vvas a hand-to-hand encounter with the Indian, near where Sol-
Van Fleet now lives, in which neither were victors, and they parted, each
glad to get away from the other.

46 ' HISTORY OP DEERPARK.
He had three sons— Johu, James and Eichard, and
three daughters. Eleanor married Samuel Shelley, of
.Peppercotting (Papakating) valley, south of Decker-
town, N. J. ; Mary married Samuel Adams, of Decker-
town ; another daughter married James Wilson, of
New Jersey. These sons all moved to Niagara county,
N. Y., where their descendants are quite numerous.
They spell their name Cudeback, using but one d.

FAMILY OP ABRAHAM CUDDEBACK AND WIPE, "ESTHER
SWARTWOUT.
First son, James Cuddeback, married Scynta Van
Fliet, daughter of John Van Fliet, of the lower neigh
borhood. Second son, Peter Cuddeback, married Margaret De
Witt, daughter of Jacob E. De Witt, of this neighbor
hood. Third son, Abraham Cuddeback, married Jane De
Witt, also a daughter of J. E. De Witt. All the de
scendants of these sons are in Western New York, near
Skaneateles. Fourth son, Philip Cuddeback, never married. He
died, when a young man, by over heating himself in
seeking to stop a fire in the woods. (Mahackamack
church records show the baptism of two daug^hters
besides of Abrahani Cuddeback — Annatje and Esther.)

FAMILY OF ABRAHAM LOUW .\ND DINAH CUDDEBAOK, HIS
WIFE. (Married May 31st, 1738.)
First daughter, Jane Louw, married Jacob Van
Etten, son of John Van Etten, who resided near the

HISTORY OP DEERPARK. 47
Delaware, in Pennsylvania or New Jersey. They be
came owners of tke Louw farm, in New Jersey. They
had three daughters — Dinah, Margaret and Sarah, who
became motherless soon after the birth of the last.
Second daughter, Naomi Louw, married Ezekiel Gu
maer. (For their liistory refer to his name in advance.)
Third daughter, Margaret Louw, married Martin
Westbrook, son of  Westbrook. He became
owner of a farm in New Jersey, on which his daughter-
in-law, Nancy Westbrook, now resides. They had one
son, Abraham, and one daughter, Mary.
Fourth daughter, Sarah Louw, married Moses De
puy, son of Benjamiu Depuy, Esq., of the Peenpack
neighborhood. They had three sons — Benjamin, Abra
ham and Martin Depuy. The father was drowned in
the Neversink river by falling from a raft at the close
of the war.
By a second marriage with Jonathan Stanton, they
had two sons — William aud Moses Stanton. They
owned a farm and resided on it, at the late residence
of Harmanus Cuddeback, for some years, and ex
changed it for a farm at Wurtsboro, of which the two
sons became owners. (Mahackamack church records
give the baptism of a son Jacobus ; baptized April 23,
1744.)

FAMILY OF EVART HORNBECK AND WIFE, P.LEANOR CUD-
DEBACK. ,
First son, James Hornbeck, married Margaret Ennes,
daughter of William Ennes. He became owner of a
part of his father's farm. They had  sons.

48 HISTORY OF DEERPARK.
namely, Evart,  '¦ — and 
daughters, namely (Elizabeth Ennes, baptized April 29,
1772, and Lena, born Dec. 23, 1780.)
Second son, Joseph Hornbeck, married Lydia West
brook, daughter of Jacob Westbrook, of Shipikunk
neighborhood. He became owner of a part of his
father's farm. They had three sons and one daughter,
Jacob, Benjamin and Saffrine (Severyne) and Lydia.
Third sou, Benjamin Hornbeck, married Rebecca
Wells, daughter of  Wells. He died in early
life. They had (two) sons, namely, (Joseph, baptized
Oct. 29, 1780, and Jacobus, born Feb. 23, 1780); and
 daughters, namely,  . Sara,
bap. Nov. 25, 1776.
Fourth son, Evart Hornbeck, married Esther Cud
deback, daughter of Capt. Abraham Cuddeback. They
occupied the farm now owned by Joseph Cuddeback.
They had five son.s — Joseph (bap. Feb, 16, 1785), Ja
cob, Abraham (bap. Ju-ne 22, 1783), Benjamin and
Cornelius, and two daughters — Eleanor and Jemima.
Daughters Maria Hornbeck married James Rose-
crantz. They became owners of a good farm in West-
fall township, in Pennsylvania. They had five daught
ers, namely, Bet,sy, wife of Manual" Brink ; Leni, wife '
of Martyne Cole ; Catherine, whose first husbaad was
Daniel Decker, aud her second Crissie Bull ; Roanna,
wife of Saunder (A.lexander) Ennis ; Diana, wife of
John B. Quick.
Daughter Margaret Hornbeck married Isaac Van
Auken. They resided in the house afterwards occu
pied by their son, James Van Auken, and owned a
farm of which his sons James and Evert Van Auken

HISTORY OF DEEEEARK. 49
became possessed. They had three sons — .Joseph
(bap. Feb. 12, 1758), James (bap. April 8, 1764), and
Evart, and ^three daughters, nanjely — -(Seletie, bap. Oct.
17, 1773 ; Seletta, bap. Nov. 25, 1776 ; Grietje, bap.
June 23, 1778.)
Daughter Lydia Hornbeck married John Westbrook,
son of  — Westbrook, of Minnissing, in New Jer
sey. They owned a good farm and had three daught
ers, one of whom died young. The names of the two
surviving were Catharine, born July 15, 1767, aud
other records give the names of Jane, who married Levi
Van Etten ; Maria, who married Cornelius Westbrook ;
John I., who was blind ; Solomon, grandfather of John
I. Westbrook, of present (1889) firm of Westbrook &
Stoll ; Saffrein (Severyn), who married Blandina West
brook. Daughter Eleanor Hornbeck married Daniel Ennes,
a blacksmith, and son of William Ennes. They had
two sons — James and Alexander, and some daughters,
namely, He commenced with small means, and, by persever
ing industry, acquired a valuable property, viz : one
farm, where his son Alexander resided, in New Jersey,
and a farm in the vicinity of Owasoo lake, in New
Y^ork.

FAMILY OF. HARMANUS VAN GORDEN AND WIFE, ELSIE CUD
DEBACK. (Married June 11th, 1727.)
First son, Daniel Van Gorden, married Hannah
Westbrook, daughter of Tjeick V. Westbrook,
of a place now known by 'the name of West-
brookville. They had three or more sons — Levi,

.-50 ' HISTORY OF DEERPARK.

Abraham, Martin (born Nov. 5, 1786),  , and
three or more daughters — Mary (bap. Oct. 17, 1773),
Else (bap. June 14, . 1775), Eleanor and Lena (bap.
June 1, 1777.) He became owner of a part of his
father's farm, on which they resided.
Second son, Benjamin Van Gorden, marred  .
He became owner of the other part of his father's
farm. They had  sons, namely,  ,

 ,  , and daughters, namely,
 ,  . One daughter,  Van
Gorden, married Wilhelmus Fredenburgh, of Shipi
kunk, where he became owner of a farm. They had
five sons — Aaron, Benjamin, Daniel, Joshua and Heze
kiah, and  daughters, namel}^,
Aaron became the greatest liistorian of his time of
the ancients in this valley within his vicinity.

FAMILY OF ANTHONY SWARTWOUT AND WIFE.
One son, Samuel Swartwout, married Esther Gu
maer, daughter of Peter Gumaer. He owned the
premises on which the writer now resides, a ad his
house stood where the road from my house comes to
the spring brook, wliich brook, iu his time, was about
8 or 10 rods from the foot of the hill, and on the flat
bet-\veen the hill and brook some Indians continued to
reside until the Revolutionary War commenced .
Another son, James (Jacobus) Swartwout, nurried
Anne Gumaer, also a daughter of Peter Gumaer. He
resided where Col. Peter P. Swartwout now resides,
and became major of a regiment of militia, which ex- .
tended over a wide district of territory in the present
couuty of Orange.

HISTORY OF DEERPARK. 51
One daughter, Jane Swartwout, married John (Jan)
Van Fliet, who owned the farm now occupied by
Michael and Solomon Van Fliet. t

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

FAMILY OF MidOR JAMES (jACOBUS) SWARTWOUT AND WIFE,
ANNA GUMAER.
First son, Gerardus Swartwout, was killed by the
Indians in the time of the French war in company
with two soldiers, who also were killed at Westbrook-
ville about five miles from Gumaer's fort.
Second sou, Philip Swartwout, married Antje Wyn
koop, a daughter of  Wynkoop, of Rochester or
its vicinity. He became owner of his father's estate,
t Now (1889) occupied .by Solomon Van Fleet, a nephew of Michael
and Solomon.

HISTORY OF DEERPARK.

and resided at the present residence of Col. Swart
wout. He was a Justice of the Peace before and in the
beginning of the Revolutionary War, and one of the
Committee of Safety. He was killed by the Indians
when they invaded this neighborhood, and his two
eldest sons -were killed at the same time and another
son was badly wounded. An Indian pursued his son
James a half-mile across lots and fences, but could not
overtake him. Swartwout aud first wife had four
sons — Gerardus (bap. Aug. 26, 1759), Philip, James
(bap. Sept. 18, 1750), and Cornelius (bap. June 24, 1752.)
(The Mahackamack church records give the baptism
also of another son, Cornelius Wynkoop, bap. March
20, 1763), and one daughter, Anna (bap. Juae 17, 1754.)
By a second marriage with Deborah Schoonover, he
had one son, Peter Swartwout.
One daughter, Esther Swartwout, married Abraham
Cuddeback, as has been mentioned. (For their history
refer back to their names.)
Another daughter, Jane Swartwout, married 
 , of Rochester, Ulster Co.
Another daughter,  Swartwout, married
Durland, of the town of Warwick, in Orange

county. There are many of their descendants in this
county. They had  sons, namely,
 , and  daughters, namely,

FAMILY OF JOHN (JAN) VAN FLIET AND WIFE, JANE
SWARTWOUT.
One son, James (Jacobus) Van Fliet, married Mar
garet Palmatier. He became owner of his father's

HISTORY OF DEERPARK. 53

farm, now occupied by his sons, Michael and Solomon.
They had four sons — John, Thomas, Michael (bap.
Jan. 22, 1783), and Solomon, and  daughters,
namely .(Esyntje, baptized Oct. 29tli, 1780 ; EUzabeth,
born March, 1785 ; Clara.)
Another son, Dauiel Vau Fliet, married Sarah Cud
deback, of Peenpack. For their history refer back to
their names.
Another son (Samuel, married Tjaetje Cole, married
by J. C. Fryenmoet, Nov. 26th, 1752.) (See Mahacka
mack church records.)
One daughter, Deborah Van Fliet, married John
Decker, who resided where Simon Westfall now lives,
aud owned the old Decker farm at that place and a
farm east of Shawangunk mountain, which his sons,
Levi and Isaiah, occupied after their father's decease.
They had three sons — Levi (bap. Feb. 12, 1758), Isaiah
and Isaac, and  — daughters^— Margery (born Aug.
31, 1768), Seletta (bap. Jan. 8, 1772.)
J. D.'s first wife, Elizabeth De Witt, was a daughter
of Jacob De Wi:jt, of Rochester..
Another daughter, Catharine Van Fliet, married
Benjamin Cuddeback, son of William Cuddeback.
For their history re'er back to their names.
(The Mahackamack church records show the bap
tism of Marie, Oct. 23d, 1743, and another daughter,
Marya, May 10th, 1747.)

^O'

FAMILY OP PETER GUIMAR AND WIFE, ESTHER.
A copy of his certificate of church membership in
the French language, viz :
Nous, sonssequez ancien du oonsistoire, de Moire,

54 HISTORY OF DEERPARK.
on I'absence de Monsieur Morin, nostre Ministre, cer-
tifions que Pierre Guimar, de ous on enui von fail, ei a
tousjours fair profession de nostre religion, en laquelle
il oseseu sans commethe aveum scandalle qui soit venu '
a nostre connoissance qui empesche, quil re puisse
estre admisula participation de nos Sacrements. En
foy dequoy nons luy avons signele preveur certiflcon a
Moire, ningtiesme 8 avril, 1686. S. Avillaguer. Losary Cillfand.
F. Guymard. [translation.]
We, the Elders of the ancient Church of Moire, in
the absence of our minister, Mr. Morin, do certify that
Peter Guimar, aged about 20 ^^ears, has made a profes
sion of our religion, and that he has never (so far as we
know) committed any act which should prevent him
from the participation of our sacraments. In witness
whereof we have signed the foregoing certificate, at
Moire, the 20th day of April, 1686.
L. Avillaguer. . Losary Cillfand.
F. Guymard.
[The above translation was made by Hulda Morris,
daughter of Rev. Henry Morris.]

family of PETER GUMAER AND WIFE, ESTHER.
Among the papers formerly in possession of Ezekiel
Gumaer, was found a .paper in the handwriting of
Thomas Kyte, who formerly was a schoolmaster in the
Peenpack neighborhood, which contain the dates of

HISTORY OF DEERPARK.

the births of the children of Peter Gumaer, in the
Dutch tDugue, of which the following is an abstracted
copy, viz :
Dochter Anna was geboren de 30st Mart, 1693.
" Esther was geboren de 5d von May, in het
yaer, 1697.
Dochter Ragel is geboren de 8st von February, in het
yaer 1700.
Dochter Maria de 8st von December, in het yaer 1702.
" Elisabeth de 22st von Mart, in het yaer 1705.
Soon Peter de 15 de von November, in het yaer 1708.
This is in f in het yaer 1710 is geboren Taitie De
a difi'erent j -tv-i i -d i. /^
n ; n "| Wit, liuys vrow von Peter Gumar, is
writing., [geoveiieden de 12d November, 1756.
[translation.]
Daughter Anna was born the 30th March, in the year
1693.
Daughter Esther was born the 5tli of May, in the year
1697.
Daughter Rachel was born the 8th of February, iu the
year 1700.
Daughter Mary the Stli of December, in the year 1702.
EUzabeth the 22d of March, in the year
1705.
Son Peter the 15th of November, in tlie year 1708.
In the year 1710 was born Charity De Witt, wife of
Peter Gumaer. She died the 12th November, 1756.

MARRIAGES, ETC., OF THE FIRST GENERATION.
One daughter, Esther Guimar, married Samul Swart
wout, son of Anthony Swartwout. (For their history

56 HISTORY OF DEERPARK.

and of their descendants, refer back to their names.)
Another daughter, Anne Guimar, married James
(Jacobus) Swartwout. (For their and descendants'
history, refer back to their names.)
Another daughter,  Guimar, married Dubois,
of Eochester, in Ulster county. He became a wealthy
farmer. They had two daughters, namely,  and
Another daughter,  Guimar, married Lode-
wyke, son of Judge Jacob Hornbeck, of Eochester.
They had three sons — Isaac, Philip and Henry. After
her death he naarried Naomi Cuddeback, as mentioned.
Another daughter (Mary) Guimar, married (Jan)
Elting, of Old Shawangunk, where he occupied a farm.
They had one son, Peter.
One only son, Peter Guimar, married Charity De
Witt, daughter of Jacob De Witt, of Eochester. He
became owner of all his father's real estate, excepting
what was granted to Samuel and James Swartwout. It
was said the father gave a good portion to each of his
daughters for that time. About two or three years be
fore the French war commenced, Peter Guimar built a
stone house (see page 29), 40x45 feet ou the ground,
a cellar under the whole, and a high, roomy chamber
above the upper floor. Along two sides, below the
eaves of the roof, were made port-holes through which
to shoot, either when the house was built or the war
commenced. Tliis was a lucky transaction for himself
and neighbors. It was the largest house in this part of
the country, and best location in this neighborhood for
a fort ; and when the French war commenced, a picket
fort was erected ou its front and rear sides, and aU the
famiUes of the neighborhood moved into it, excepting

HISTORY OF DEERPARK. 57
those women and children who were sent to their rela
tives in Eochester, Old Paltz and other places. A
barn, which the father had built, was 50 by 60 feet on
the ground, its floor 30 by 60 feet, a stable on each side
60 feet long. This was an additional advantage.

SECOND GENEEATION.
FAMILY OF THE SECOND PETER GUMAER AND WIFE, CHARITY
DE WITT.
In his time the family name began to be written
" Gumaer," and has continued to be so written by his
descendants, and that orthography now used will from
hence be continued.
The following is an abridged copy of the last part of
the Dutch record heretofore mentioned, to wit :
Dochter Esther geboren de 2d January, 172.)-30.
Soon Peter geboren de 19 February, 1731.
Dochter Maregretj geboren de 12de van Mey, 1736.
Soon Jacob De Witt geboren de 12de van December,
1739.
Soon Ezekiel geboren de 29st van December, 1742.
Dochter Maria geboren de i6de van July, 1745.
Soon Elias geboren de 22st van January, 1748.
Dochter Elizabeth geboren de 5de van November,
1750. Sye was overladen de 2de van July, 1752.
[TRANSLATION.]
Daughter Esther born the 2d January, 1729-30.
Son Peter born the 19th February, 1731.
Daughter Margaret born the 12th of May, 1736.
Son Jacob De Witt born the 12th of December, 1739.

58 HISTORY OP DEERPARK.
Son Ezekiel born the 29th of December, 1742.
Daughter Mary born the 16th of July, 1745.
Son Elias born the 22d of January, 1748.
Daughter Elizabeth born the 5th of November, 1750.
She died the 2d of July, 1752.
Oldest daughter, Esther Gumaer, married Abraham
Cuddeback. For their and descendants' history, refer
back to their names.
Oldest son, Peter Gumaer, married Hannah Van
Inwegen, daughter of Gerardus Van Inwegen. He
became owner of a part of his father's estate, on which
he lived during his life. They had three sons— Jacob,
Gerardus and Peter, and one daughter EUzabeth.
Daughter Margaret Gumaer married John Decker,
son of Thomas Decker. He became owner of the farm
now occupied by George Cuddeback t and resided on
it during his life. They had one or more children, and
she and they died. He afterwards married Sarah
Hornbeck. Son Jacob De Witt Gumaer married Hulda
Decker, daughter of Thomas Decker, of the lower
neighborhood. He became owner of a part of his
father's estate and resided on it at the present resi
dence of Solomon Van Etten, Esq. |. They had two
sons— Peter and Jacob D. Gumaer, and six daughters-
Jane, Hannah, EUzabeth, Esther, Mary and Charity.
Son Ezekiel Gumaer married Naomi Louw, daughter
of Abraham Louw, of Shipikunk, in New Jersey. He
remained in the homestead of his father and owned a

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

HISTORY OF DEERPARK. 59
part of his farm. They had two sons — Peter E. and
Abraham. The latter died when a small boy.
Daughter Mary Gumaer married James Devens.
They became owners of the old Devens' farm in Mam-
akating, on which they continued to reside during their
lives. They had five sons — Elias, Jacob," Peter, James
and Abraham, and one daughter Charity.
Youngest son, Elias Gumaer, married Margaret De
puy, daughter of Benjamin Depuy, Esq., of this neigh
borhood. He first had a farm of his father, on which
he resided for some years. This he exchanged for the
farm on which he last resided and sold to Abraham
Cuddeback, Esq. He and his wife, in their old age,
removed to the western part of New York, where their
children had previously settled. They had four sons —
Benjamin, Elias, Samuel and Peter E. Gumaer, and
two daughters — Charity and Elizabeth.

FIRST GENERATION.
FAMILY OF HARMANUS VAN INWEGEN AND WIPE, 
SWARTWOUT.
His son, Gerardus Van Inwegen, married Jane De
Witt, daughter of Jacob De Witt, of Rochester, in
Ulster county. He became owner of his father's farm
and resided where his son Cornelius lived previous to
his removal from this neighborhood.
His daughter, Hannah Van Inwegen, married Thos.
Decker. He was or became owner of the present farm

60 HISTORY OF DEERPARK.
of George Cuddeback, and resided at his present resi
dence. (Now, 1889, occupied by Henry Cuddeback.)

SECOND GENERATIOJ^.
FAMILY OF GERARDUS VAN INWEGEN AND WIFE, JANE DE
WITT.
First son, Harmanus Vau Inwegen, married Mar
garet Cole, daughter of David Cole. He became
owner of the farm now of Col. Peter Cuddeback, and
resided near his present dwelling house. He was a
Justice of the Peace for some years in and after the
Revolutionary War, and also one of the Committee of
Safety in that war. They had eight sons —Gerardus,
David, Cornelius, Jacob, Samuel, Jacob and Josias,
and two daughters — Charlotte and Hannah. Ge
rardus was killed or taken prisoner at Fort Mont
gomery, when it was taken, and the first Jacob died
when about 12 or 14 years old of a short illness.
Second son, Jacob Van Inwegen, never married.
He owned a part of his father's estate, which, after his
death, became the property of his two brothers. He
resided vvith his brother Harmanus until the end of
his life.
Third son, Cornelius Van Inwegen, married Eleanor
Westbrook, daughter of Terrick V. Westbrook, of now
Westbrookville, in Ulster county (uow Sullivan county,
1889.) He continued to reside on the home.stead of
his father, and becarae owner of that part of his
father's farm. They removed, in their old a<^e, into

HISTORY OP DEERPARK. 61
the western part of this State, where nearly all tlieir
children had previously settled. They had nine sons —
Abraham, Gerardus, Daniel, John, Jacob, Levi, Cor
nelius, Henry and Martin, and one daughter Mary.
Cornelius, the seventh son, died when a child, and
Martin was killed by lightning in driving a wagon from
a hay-stack towards home in time of haying. Both
horses driven by him were also killed.
One daughter, Margaret Van Inwegen, married John
Wallace. They resided in this town until a few years
after the Eevolutionary War, when they removed to
Onondagua, in this State. They had one son Corne
lius and one daughter Jane.
Another daughter, Hannah Van Inwegen, married
Peter Gumaer, as mentioned. (For their history refer
back to their names.)
The descendants of this last family have all moved
into Pennsylvania, New Jersey and the western part of
New York.
(Kingston church records show the baptism of another
daughter Jenneke, Feb. 2d, 1735, and Mahackamack
church records those of Tjaade, May 30th, 1739, and
Elizabeth, March 15th, 1747.)

SECOND GENERATION.

FAMILY OF THOMAS DECKER AND HANNAH VAN INWEGEN.

First son, Daniel Decker, married

They settled in New Jersey, some distance down the

62 HISTORY OF DEERPARK.
Delaware river, where he owned a farm. They had
 sons,  ,  ^¦,  ,  , and 
daughters,  ,  .
Second sou, Johu Decker, first married Margaret
Gumaer ; for their history refer back to their names,
and afterwards Sarah Hornbeck, daughter of Benja
min Hornbeck, of Eochester, They had two sons —
Benjamin and Daniel, and four daughters Margaret,
Jane, Hannah and Mary. At the commencement of
the Eevolutionary War, he became Major of a Regi
ment of Militia of Orange county, and, when the In
dians invaded the lower neighborhood, he was wounded
by the enemy, on his return from a funeral, and nar
rowly escaped from being taken.
Third son, Peter Decker, married (Catrina) Cole.
They resided in the north part of New Jersey, aud had
two sons Thomas and John, and  daughters —
Sarah (bap. July 24, 1763), Jane.
First daughter, Hannah Decker, married Anthony
Van Etten, son of  Van Etten, of Rochester, ur
its vicinity. He obtained a piece of land of his father-
in-law and built the house afterwards occupied by his
son, Henry Van Etten, on which he also erected a
blacksmith shop, and with the help of an
apprentice pursued the blacksmith business, of
which he obtained a great ruu and became
owner of one of the best farms in the pres
ent town of Deerpark. He served some years as
a Justice of the Peace. They had  sons — Levi
(bap. Feb. 12, 1758), Henry, Thomas (bap. Sept. 8,
1751), Anthony. (The Mahackamack church records
gives the baptism of other children, namely ; Antje,

HISTORY OF DEERPARK. 63
bap. Jan. 14, 1753 ; Jenneke, bap. Ap. 28, 1754 ; Mar-
grieta, bap. Feb. 13, 1756 ; Alida, bap. Aug. 19, 1759 ;
Blandina, bap. Sept. 4, 1763 ; Maria, bap. Nov. 2,
1765 ; Tomas, bap. October 16, 1768 ; Jacob, Oct. 29,
1770), and  daughters.
Second daughter, Hulda Decker, married Jacob De
Witt Gumaer. (For their history refer back to their
names.) The descendants of those four ancient families are
dispersed into different parts of our country, and have
become settled in different parts of New York, New
Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Cal
ifornia, and probably in some other States and territo
ries ; and some, in connection with those among whom
they have intermarried, have remained on the prem
ises of their forefathers and now possess nearly all the
valuable land for agricultural purposes in the present
town of Deerpark.
The reader will learn from this history that generally
the descendants of the first pioneers became farmers,
and continued in those occupations td the end of the
third generation ; and the greatest proportion of the
fourth and fifth generation of the 'present time (1858)
are farmei s. Our ancestors were not in opulent cir
cumstances, but generally had a plenty of the neces
saries of life and were a thriving people, and, so far as
the writer's knowledge extends in relation to those
who have settled in other parts of our country, they
have generally acquired farms.
Jacob Cuddeback has been known to say that by
leaving France he had been deprived of many enjoy
ments he might have had in that country, but for these

64 HISTORY OF DEERPARK.
sacrifices he had the satisfaction of leaving his pos
terity in a country of good land and easily to be ac
quired. It appears that the first emigrants craved title for no
more land than what they wanted to occupy, thinking
that the mountainous land bordering on it would re
main unsold, and that they and their descendants
could always get wood from it without paying for the
land. This continued so for about sixty or seventy
years, when they had to buy it at a higher price than
they felt willing to pay for it, for a supply of fuel,
fencing, timber, &c. The patentees now saw their
mistake, and Jacob Cuddeback at a certain time was
censured by his son William for not having included
land enough in the patent to cover an additional tract
of wood land. The old man, not relishing this, re
plied, " We all can see the mistake now, when it is too
late. You have the same chance I had to provide for
your family. See if you will do better."
The descendants of the four pioneers have generally
acquired as much territory as was necessary to obtain
by the sweat of the brow comfortable livings for their
respective families ; and not only have they obtained a
competency for their livelihood, but a large surplus,
which, as the avails of it, have reached all branches of
mechanical and other business whatever in our coun
try ; and many of their productions, together with the
masses of other producers, have been conveyed to
European countries. In consequence of which they
have been valuable citizens, and have rendered exten
sive benefits to mankind, from whom, in return, they
have received an equal amount of necessary articles

HISTORY OF DEERPARK.

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

FAMILY OF JACOB R. DE WITT AND WIFE, JANE DEPUY.
They removed from Neponaugh (Napanock), in
Ulster county ,into the neighborhood of Peenpack about
the year 1760; He was a son of Egbert De Witt, of
the former place, and she was a daughter of Moses
Depuy, of Rochester. He built the old stone and
frame house at the Neversink river, and a grist mill
near the present aqueduct across the river, and owned
the farm he formerly occupied, together with those
premises. In the commencement of the Revolutionary
War a fort was built contiguous to his house, which
has beeu termed Fort De Witt t, and he was commis
sioned Captain of a Company of Rangers for guarding
this frontier. According to Eager's History, it is satis
factorily ascertained that De Witt CUnton was born in
this house. The writer has also been informed by a
near neighbor, formerly of the Clinton family, that he
was born at that place.
The family of Jacob R. De Witt and wife consisted
of three sons — Moses (bap. Dec. 12, 1766), Egbert and
t Fort De Witt was located near the Suspension Bridge which crosses
the Neversink river, on the road leading from Port Jervis to Cuddeback
ville, about one mile south of Cuddebackville. The sraall house stand
ing (1889) near the present dwelling of Jesse Tillson, is on the foundation
of this-foit. -

66 HISTORY OF DEERPARK.

Jacob, and seven daughters — Mary, Rachel,  ¦
Margaret, Jane, Hannah and Esther.
Moses had a suitable genius for obtaining scientific
knowledge, and an uncommon reUsh for the same ; he
also was naturally a very persevering student and of
an amiable disposition. His opportunities for obtain
ing education were small ; but he acquired much in
view of the disadvantages under which he labored,
and far beyond that of any of his contemporaries in
this part of our country who had the same opportuni
ties with himself. He became employed as one of the
under-surveyors to run the line between the State of
New York and Pennsylvania, and afterwards one of
the Surveyors to survey the military lands in the State
of New York. He died about the age of 27 years,
possessed of a very valuable property of unsettled
lands in the district of military lands in this State. He
and his brother Egbert both died unmarried.
Youngest son, Jacob, removed from this neighbor
hood before he arrived to manhood.
Daughter Mary De Witt married William Rose, from
Little Britain or its vicinity. In the time of the Rev
olutionary War he was commissioned a Captain to in-
list a company of soldiers to serve in that war, and,
after it ended, he became Captain of a company of
militia. He, in the latter part of his life, owned the
farm, mill, &c., of his father-in-law, then deceased.
Daughter Eachel De Witt married Eobert Burnet,
of Little Britain, where he owned and occupied a
farm. He has served in different county and State
offices. One daughter married  ;

HISTORY OF DEERPARK. 67
daughters Margaret and Jane married Cuddeback, as
has been mentioned. (For their history refer back to
their names.)
Daughter Hannah De Witt married James Ennes,
son of Daniel Ennes, of New Jersey. They became
owners of a farm near the outlet of Skaneateles lake-
Daughter Esther De Witt married James Depuy,
son of Benjamin Depuy, Esq., of the Peenpack neigh
borhood. They settled at Onondaga, where they
owned and occupied a farm. He served in civil and
military offices.
Abraham Westfall and wife, Blandina Van Etten,
became residents in the southwest end of the Peenpack
neighborhood, in the latter part of the Revolutionary
War, and he became owner of a small, ancient West-
fall farm, now included in the farm occupied .by Capt.
Henry Swartwout. A few rods east of his dwelling
house stood the old stone house of Westfall. This
was the house where the fort was in the time of the
French war, and which the Indians attacked and killed
part of a company of soldiers who were traveling
from New Jersey to Esopus, and, jusfc before the at
tack, had stopped in to rest and take refreshments.
The particulars of this are stated in Eager's History
of Orange County.
Abraham Westfall was a son of  Westfall, and
his wife" was a daughter of Anthony Van Etten, Esq.,
df the lower neighborhood. In the latter part of the
Revolutionary War, Westfall was commissioned a Cap
tain of the soldiers, who, from time to time, were sta
tioned on this frontier. Near the end of the war he
built a small fort at his house, and, with a few soldiers

68 HISTORY or DEERPARK.
and one or two families, occupied the same. Some
time after the war ended, he removed with his family
to one of the Southern States.
. (Children, Joseph, baptized Aug. 18th, 1782 ; An
natje, baptized April 20tli, 1784. Mahackamack church
records.) FAMILY OF JAMES DAVIS AND WIFE, ELIZABETH KATEB.
They removed from the lower neighborhood into the
Peenpack neighborhood soon after the Eevolutionary
War ended. She was originally from Rochester or its
vicinity. They had three sons — Solomon, James aud
Daniel, and  daughters^Leah, Elizabeth^ Anna,
 and Polly. They all removed into the western
part of this State, excepting some of the daughters.
FAMILY, OF WILLIAM GEEGGE AND WIFE, LEAH DAVIS.
He was originally from Ireland and by trade a mill
wright. His wife ¦ was a daughter of James Davis,
father of the preceding family. They were married a
few years after the Revolutionary War ended. He
built and occupied a grist-mill on a farm he purchased.
The mill seat and farm is now owned by John Van
Etten, Esq. They had one son, William, and a
daughter. There were a few other families in the vicinity of
the Peenback neighborhood.

ANCIENT FAMILIES
OP THE LOWER NEIGHBORHOOD.
The following were ancient famiUes wbo resided in
the lower neighborhood of this town, who, as near as

HISTORY OF DEERPARK. 69
can be ascertained, must have commenced to settle
in the same more than 20 years after the first settle
ment was made at Peenpack :
FAMILY OF HENRY CORTRIGHT AND WIFE, MARGARET
DECKER.
She probably was a sister of Thomas Decker. He
must have been from Rochester. They resided where
Aaron Whitlock now lives, and became owners. of his
present farm.
One son, Daniel Cortright (bap; May 3, 1743), mar
ried ¦  .  . They first resided on' the east
side of Shawangunk mountain, in the town of Mini-
sink, and from thence removed into the western part
of York State. They had  sons,  ,
and  daughters.
Another son, Moses Cortright (bap. March 24, 1745),
married  Van Etten, daughter of Anthony Van
Etten,. Esq. They continued to reside in the house of
his father, and he became owner of his homestead
farm. A few years after the Eevolutionary War ended,
he with his family removed into the western part of
this State. They had  sons, namely,  ,
 -— , and  daughters.

FAMILY OF ABRAHAM VAN AUKEN AND 'yyiFE.
Tliey resided between the present residences oi
D-avid Swartwout aud Joseph Cuddeback, where he
owned a farm. They had three sons— Cornelius, Jo-

70 HISTORY OF DEERPARK.

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

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

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

HISTORY OF DEERPARK.

71

t-wo latter had grist-mills. None of their descendants
have remained in this town. The wife of Jacob
Shimer was a daughter or grandaughter of Van Auken.
They had one son, Eichard, who married a daughter
of Daniel Ennes, and two daughters, one of whom
married Hezekiah Fredenburgh, and the other 
 . They, all of this family, removed into the

western part of this State.

FAMILY OF JAMES VAN AUKEN AND WIFE,
Settled at the present residence of Jam3S D. Swart
wout, Esq., and owned his farm. He was the first Jus
tice of the Peace in the present town of Deerparkt
which office he probably derived from the governmen ,
of the State of New Jersey. He was a brother of Van
AukcQ mentioned.
His son, Daniel Van Auken, married Leah Kettle,
daughter of  . He became owner of
his father's farm, and occupant of his house, at which a
fort was built in the time of the Eevolutionary War ;
and when the Indians invaded this neighborhood, they
attacked the fort aud two Indians were shot. They
shot old James Van Auken as he looked through a
window on the chamber. They had  sons — Elijah,
Nathaniel, Nathan, Absolum, Joshua, Daniel, Jere
miah,  , and  daughters, namely,  ,
 ,  ,  , — '¦ — -,  , whole num

ber fifteen. One of his sons, a school teacher, was
killed by the Indians When they invaded the lower

72 HISTORY OF DEERPARK.
neighborhood. These descendants became dispersed
into different parts of our country.

SOLOMON KUYKENDALL AND WIFE, SARAH" COLE,
Resided at the present residence of the widow Elt
ing and her family, and owned their present farm.-^ He
was a Justice of the Peace in the time of the Revolu
tionary War and after it ended. James Van Fliet, jr.,
became owner of his real estate" From which I infer
that the former had no children living at the time of
his decease. Van Fliet had two sons — Solomon, who
married a daughter of Benjamin Carpenter, and
the other, Danielj married a- daughter of Jacob West
brook. Van Fliet, after some years' occupation of the-
premises, sold and removed with his family west into
Pennsylvania or York State.

FAMILY OF SIMON WESTFALL AND WIFE, JANE (JANNETJE)-
WESTBROOK.
They resided in the old stone house now or lately
occupied by James Bennet, Esq. He owned a grist
mill there and some land. They had (eight) sons —
Simeon (bap. Feb. l2, 1749) ; Wilhelmus (bap. July, 8,
1753) ; John De Witt (bap. May 19, 1751) ; Jury, (hap;
April 23, 1744) ; Jury (bap. Jan. 24, 1748) ; Solomon
(bap. Jjin. 27, 1759) ; Danieb (bap. June 5, 1.763),,and!
Reuben (bap. April 8, 1764.). Also, (three) daughters,-
namely— Aeltje (bap. Oct. 6, 1745).; Aeltje (bap. Feb.
1756), and Blandina (bap. Nov. 9, 1760.) WilhelmuK-

HISTORY OP DEERPARK. 73
settled. east of the Shawangunk* mountain, nearDeck-
ertown; in,.lhe State of .New Jersey;
His : soQj Simeon. Westfall, married Sdrah Oole,-
dd,ughter ¦ of , David . CdlOi They became residents m
the old. stone house. at Port Jervis, in. Pennsylvania,
Avhfere hfiihad a good -farm, now.possessed by different
occupants,, SamueliPowler, Simeon^ Westfall',' Dimmick
and others. Westfall and wife had. three sons, Simon
(bap}, . F^b. 9, 1766), David . and:: Georg.e, and , two
daughters, Jane and .— :  .
.Son JohnrD. Westfall married- Mary Davis, daughter
oL. Samuel .Davis., They resided t in ;the stone house
now .occu-pied by (David) Westfall, innthe Clove, in; the
north part of f New Jersey, where .he- became owner < of
a good [farm.} They had  sonsi Samuel De Witt
WestfaU (bap; .Out 29, 17.80.);,i :  ,  . '
They all .. removed. into;^th&j western part of Y.ork
State.-, Son JReuben :WestfaH ; married, (Tjaetj.e) Kuykendall
daughter jof Jacob Kuykendall , They remained in the>
old homjestead-.and liet remained in possession . of the.
farim and mill »o.f .his father, They had  da,ughters,.

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

FAMILY OF WILLIAM. COLE AND. WIFE.
They settled near the present dwelling_ho.use of Eli
Van Inwegen, Esq., andowned-a farmoth'ere.

74 HISTORY OF DEERPARK.

His son, Wilhelmus Cole, married Leah Westbrook,
daughter of Cornelius Westbrook, of Jersey State.
He occupied the house of his father until he built a
new one after the war ended at the same place ; and
owned his father's farm. They had two sons— Josias
(bap. Nov. 21, 1764), and Cornelius Westbrook Cole
(bap. Feb. 7, 1767), and two daughters— Maria, (bap.
Oct. 16, 1772),  .
Solomon Decker, from Old Shawangunk, and wife,
Eleanor Quick, daughter of  Quick, an early
resident of the present township of Westfall, in Penn
sylvania, settled with their family in the lower neigh
borhood in the time of the Revolutionary War, near
the present residence of David Swartwout*. They had
seven sons — Solomon (bap. Feb. 9, 1746), Jacob (bap.
Sept. 13, 1761), Thomas (bap. Aug. 19, 1759), James
(bap. Feb. 2, 1752), Joseph (bap. July 4, 1756), Peter
(bap. June 21, 1767), and Isaac M. Decker, and three
daughters — Margaret (bap. April 14, 1754), Lydia (bap.
, Oct. 11, 1747), and Mary (bap. March 4, 1750.) None
of this family have remained in the present toWn of
Deerpark. Youngest son, Isaac M. Decker, is yet Uv-
ing and now in 1859 is 92 years old.

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

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

HISTORY OF DEERPARK. 75
book records the baptism of a son, Martinas, June 18,
1734, and the Mahackamack records that of Jacob,
Aug. 23, 1737, aud a second Jacob, Oct. 30, 1739.)
Son Peter Kuykendall married (Catharina) Kettel.
He continued to live with his father and became owner
of his farm. They had four sons —Wilhelmus, Mar
tin (bap. April 8, 1764), Solomon (bap. Oct. 21, 1753),
and Elias, and (three) daughters, namely — EUzabeth
(bap. June 19, 1757), Christyntje, (bap. Aug. 26, 1759),
and Lea (bap. Dec. 8, 1765.) Their descendants are
dispersed into different parts of our country.

FAMILY OF JOHN DECKER AND WIPE.
He owned an extensive farm or tract of land along
the Delaware river, the southeast part of which
bounded on the land of Kuykendall, near which he
probably first settled t.

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

76 HISTORY OF DEERPARK.

One son, Martin Decker, married

They lived in the old stone house of Stephen St. John^'
and he became owner ' of a part of his father's farm.
They had two sons — John and. Richard, and 
daughter, —  .-

FAMILY OF SOLOMON DAVIS "AND 'WIFE, LEAH DECKER.
They resided near the' pr-esenfr g|ist-.millof ' Tltomas.-
Van Etten, Esq., and he ow-ned a griat-aiill at. that"
place. They had — — sons — James, Daniel, Joel,
 , and  daughters — Beletje,  -.
(The following is the baptismal record of the children
of Solomon Davis and 'Leah Decker: Kingston re-
cdfds— Lea, Mar«h'26, 1735-; JacobSis,. May dS,-! 1736.
Mahackamack records — -Beletje, MajnSl, 1738^5 Ddniels,*
June 18, 1740 ; ; Joel, April 53, 1744 ; i Jonas, June' 16;-
1745 ; Catharina, June 21, 1747 ; " EliiZabetiv. Jiura 20/
1748 ; -Petrus,. A,pril-15.r 1750-j - Salomon, April 5^17524 -
Oldest sOn; James- Davis,.-married Elizabeth' Kateri
For their histdryrefer back td theifnames.
Second son, Daniel Davis, was the -stron^st man: of
his titae in the present town- of 'Deerpark.

FAMILIES OF'  WESTFALL AND-' DAVID COLE
were the first settlers on the present farms.of Levi and'
Thtomas Van Bttea, Esq.'
George Davis and wife, Deborah Schoomiover, had'
one son, Samuel, .who. became owner of the ancient.
grist-mill at T. Van Etten's mill seat.

HISTORY OF DEERPARK. 77
Very little is now known respecting these four last
mentioned ancient families.
Some of the families in the lower neighborhood,
who, by marriages had become connected with certain
families in the Peenpack neighborhood, are included
iu the history of the latter and here omitted.
It will be seen by this history of the ancient citizens .
of the lower neighborhood that they, as well as the
others mentioned, were farmers, and they have also ob
tained their livings by the cultivation of the earth (a
laborer's business), and not only provided a compe
tency for their respective families, but also a surplus
for the markets of our country to support those in
other pursuits of life ; but there now are of the pres
ent generations of the descendants of both neighbor
hoods some in nearly all the different occupations of
life in our country.
From the length of time which intervened between
the first settlement nearest at Peenpack and that made
in the lower neighborhood, it appears probable that
the latter was prevented by the Indian chief who re
sided on the land now of Levi or Thomas Van Etten,
Esq.

LONGEVITY OF THE FIEST AND SECOND
GENEEATIONS.
The ages to which the first and second generations
arrived, cannot all be correctly ascertained for want of
records of the times of their several tirths and deaths.
The only record of which the writer is in possession, is
that oftlie families of the first and second Peter Gumaer,
relative to the births of their respective children.
These two records are a guide to get into the neighbor
hood of the times of the births of the members of the
other famiUes, and from what I have obtained from in
scriptions on tombstones and the information I have
had relative to the times to which some of them Uved, '
I can correctly determine the ages of some of them
and within a few years of others.
It was said of Jacob Cuddeback, by his grandson,
Capt. Cuddeback, that he lived to the age of 100 years
and retained his faculties good to the end of his life.
In 1686, when Peter Gumaer was 20 years old, and he
and Cuddeback had to leave France, the latter cannot
have been less than 20 or 25 years of age. It appears
he lived until after the inhabitants of this neighbor
hood had to buy some land out of Expense lot number
two, in the Minisink patent, for a supply of fuel, rail

HISTORY OF DEERPARK. 79
timber, &c., which must have been about the year 1766.
From all of -n-hich it appears that the age of Cudde
back cannot have been less than 100 years, and that
the answer he made to his son William, heretofore
mentioned, near the end of his life, shows that his in
tellect was yet good at that time.

His
sons.

AGES OF FIEST GENEEATION.
FAMILY OF JACOB CUDDEBACK.
T'edrs.
Himself  100
' Benjamin  about 80
WilUam  " 74
James  " 30
Abraham  " 80
His wife, Esther Swartwout  " 80
Maria.  " 100
• Dinah  " 74
Daughters -| Eleanor  " 70
I Else  " 70
[Naomi.  " 80
AGES OF THE SECOND GENEEATION.
FAMILY OP WILLIAM CUDDEBACK.

Sons.

' 1st. James  about 80
2d- Abraham  " 82
3d. Benjamin  ... " 45
4th. Eoolif (premature)  " 50
Only daughter Sarah.  " 70
These are all the descendants of the ancient Cudde-

so HISTORY OF DEERPARK.

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

FIEST GENEEATION.
FAMILY OF ANTHONY SW.tRTWOUT.
His S Samuel Swartwout  about 70
sons I James Swartwout (premature)  " 63
One daughter, "wife ol John Van FUet  Unknown.
SECONT) GENERATION.
F.AMLLY OF SAMUEL SWARTWOUT. JTears.
One only daughter, Elizabeth  about 60
Her husband, Benjamin Depuy  " 80
FAMILT OF JAMES SWARTWOUT.
Anne Gumaer, his first wife  about 50
His second wife, Anna Westbrook  " 90
Son PhiUp Swartwout (pi^emature)  " 51
His wife, Deborah  " "60
His son, James Swartwout  " 90
And wife, Jane Hornbeck  " 90
These two last individuals were contemporary "with
the second generation, though James was of the next
descent.

FIEST GENEEATION.
FAMILY OF PETER GUMAER.
It is not known to -nhat ages his five daughters ar
rived, but none of them became old. They aU lived

HISTORY OP DEERP.-VRK.

81

till after married and had childreu. Two of them had
each one child, one had two, another three, and the
other four. All their husbands became widowers, and
two or more of them had second wives. It is probable
that they all died between the ages of 30 and 60 years.
It was said that in the days of their youth they labored
very hard, both on the farm and to manufacture their
cloth and do their housework, and yet had a delicate
appearance and very fair skin. It was said of one of
them that she would plough a whole week and become
very dirty, and on Sunday wash and clean herself and
put on clean clothes and appear in their reading meet
ings with skin as fair " 'id ^/hite as that of any lady
who was kept housed out of the sun's inflaence. Peter
Gumaer, their brother, is the only one of the family I
have seen. He also was a fair complexioned man. It
was said that the ancient Cuddebacks were also fair
complexioned, and that Major Swartwout and his sons,
Esqs. Swartwout, were not only fair complexioned, but
large and very fine, portly men when young in prime
of life, and that the appearance of the Major ou mili
tary parades was dignified and noble.
Years.
Age of Peter Gumaer  71
SECOND GENEE.4TI0N.
FAMILY OF THE SECOND PETEl^ GUMAER.
Years.
1st daughter, Esther Gumaer  about 70
Son Peter  .'  " 85
Daughter Margaret  " 30

82 HISTORY OF DEERPARK. Years.
Son Jacob D  92
His wife, Huldah Decker  " 75
Son Ezekiel  ;  80
His wife, Naomi Louw  84
Daughter Mary  -  " 80
Her husband, James Devens  " 70
Son EUas  " 70
His wife, Margaret Depuy  " 70

FIRST GENERATION.
FAMILY OF HARMANUS VAN INWEGEN. Years.
His son, Gerardus  about 90
Daughter Hannah  " 80
Ages of the wife and husband  Unknown.
SECOND GENEEATION.
FAMILY OF GERARDUS VAN INWEGEN. Years.
First son, Harmanus  about 80
His wife, Margaret Cole . . . ;  " 85
Son Jacob  " 70
Son Cornelius  " gO
His wife, Eleanor Westbrook  Unknown.

HISTORY OF DEERPARK. 83
Years.
Daughter Hannah  about 50
Daughter Margaret  " 80
Her husband, John Wallace  " 80
HEADS OF FAMILIES.
The ages of the following heads of families of this
neighborhood, contemporary with th« second genera
tion, were as follows, to wit : Years.
Jacob E. De Witt  ¦  about 60
80
80 70
8080

His wife, Jane Depuy ....
James Davis 
His wife, Elizabeth Kater.
William Geegge 
His wife, Leah Davis ....

SLAVES.
The ages of the following slaves who were in this
neighborhood, contemporary with the second genera
tion, were as follows, to wit : Years.
Capt. De Witt's slaves :
Cuffee  about 100
Frances  " 70
Woman  " 60
Esq. Depuy's :
Man Peter  about 80
Woman Dinah  " 75
Capt. Cuddeback's :
Woman Susanna. ...  '  " 80

84 HISTORY OF DEERPARK.

Years,
Ezekiel Gumaer's :
Man Jack  " 80
Esq. Van Inwegen's :
Woman Susanna  " 70
James Swartwout's :
Man Anthony  " 70
Woman Jude  " 70
The first two generations of the four ancient -families
had the small-pox naturally, without vaccination or
dieting and without the attendance of a physician, and
generally had it light. A few individuals, it was
said, had only light symptoms of the disease and few
pox ; yet certain individuals of two families had them
hard. A few of the oldest of Depuy's family were
considerably pock-marked, aud a few of the oldest of
Van Inwegen's family. The Cuddebacks and Gumaers
were not pock-marked, and the Swartwouts very
trifling. There was in this neighborhood a contagious fever
between the years 1750 and 1760, which' was here
termed " the long fever." It commenced in one of the
summers near the end of harvest time, and was more
rnortal to the black people than the whites. Depuy
lost several slaves, \yho died of this fever. He said
the cause had been attributed to eating too many
pigeons. The second generation of the four ancient famihes,
with few exceptions, remained healthy. Rheumatism
sometimes affiicted the members of the second Gumaer
family, but still were able to perform much labor and
were strong, though'not equal in strength to the Swart-

HISTORY OP DEERPARK. 85
wout or Cuddeback families. All were men of six
feet stature, excepting two of the Gumaer and one of
the Van Inwegen family, and averaging near 200 lbs.
weight.

LOWER NEIGHBORHOOD.
The following are the ages of the first generation of
descendants of this neighborhood who were contem
porary with the second of the other, viz. : Years,
Wilhelmus Cole died 1829, aged  88
His wife, Leah, died 1820, aged  77
Peter Kuykendal  ,  about 80
Martinus (Martin) Decker died in 1802, aged  69
Simon WestfaU died in 1805, aged  87
His wife  ;  85
(Sally), wife of his son Simon, died 1837, aged. . . 95
Solomon Kuykendall, Esq  ) tt i
His wife, Sarih Cole. . . .  \ Unknown.
Daniel Van Auken  aged about 80
His wife, Leah  ,  " " 80
James Van FUet.  " " 80
His wife, Margaret Schoonover  " " 80
Anthony Van Etten, Esq  " " —
His wife, Hannah Decker  " " 85
Major John Decker  " •' 70
His wife, Sarah Hornbeck  " " 80
Johannis (John) Decker.... ¦•  " " 65
His wife, Deborah Van Fliet  " " 50

86 HISTORY OF DEERPARK.

Capt. Johannis (John) Westbrook .

Years.
. " " 80
His wife, Magdalena  " " 75

POPULATION OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF
PEENPACK.
MANNER OP LIVING, ETC., DURING THE REVOLUTIONARY
WAR, AND FOR SOME YEARS THEREAFTER.
The second generation came on the stage of action
and were married and had their farms granted to them
in the intervening time between the French and Revo
lutionary wars, and commenced their business transac
tions when this part of our country was in a more
thriving condition than it ever had been, in consequence
of the circulation of a paper currency, which had be
come plentiful, and farmers made monej' faster than at
any previous time ; but when the scale turned by its
depreciation, its previous value was lost, wdiich, to
gether with the destruction the enemy made iu the war,
greatly reduced the property of the inhabitants.
In 1777, three forts were built in this neighborhood :
one at the house of Esq. Depuy was vacated the 13th
October, 1778, on which day the enemy invaded this
neighborhood and burned this house, fort and other
buildings of Depuy, iu consequence of which all the
inhabitants of this neighborhood were collected in the
fort at Gumaer's and in Fort De Witt, to wit :
At Gumaer's the following families : Whole No.
Philip Swartwout's, Esquire, which, after the
death of himself and two oldest sons by the

HIS TORY OF DEERPARK.

87

Whole No.
enemy, consisting of his step -mother, his
widow, three sons, a son's wife and
daughter, two slaves and an insane man. . . 10
Capt. Abraham Cuddeback's, which consisted
of himself and wife, four'son^, two daught
ers, a nephew and brother, and three slaves 13
Harmanus Van Inwegen's, Esq., consisted of
himself and wife, seven sons, two daughters,
a brother and five slaves   17
Benjamin Cuddeback's were himself and wife,
four sons, two daughters, a brother and two
slaves  11
Jacob D. Gumaer's was himself and wife, two
sons, five daughters and two slaves  11
Peter Gumaer's, himself and wife, two sons
and one slave  5
Ezekiel Gumaer's, his father, himself and wife,
a son and one other boy and one slave .... 6
Thomas White and wife  2
Mathew Terwilliger's, himself, wife, six sons
and three daughters  , . . . :  11
John Wallace's, himself, wife, one son and
one daughter  4
Average number of soldiers during nine
months in each year, about  8

12 23
63

Amount  98

0» HISTORY OP DEERPARK. Whole No;
Benjamin Depuy, Esq.'s, family were in this
fort about one year. It consisted of him
self, wife, three sons, three daughters and
seven slaves  15
Whole number that year  113
At Fort De Witt were the following families :
Capt. Jacob R. De Witt's, which were him
self, wife, three sons, six daughters and four

1

Moses Depuy's, himself, wife, two sons and
two slaves  6
Wliole'_ number  21
Samuel Depuy's, himself, wife, two sons and
one slave  5
Elias Gumaer's, himself, wife, four sons, two
daughters and two slaves  10
Abraham Cuddeback's, himself, wife, four
sons and one slave  ' 7
Average number of nine month's soldiers
about  12
Jonathan Pierce's family and a few other in
dividuals may have been in this fort 10 in
number  10

4421

Amount  65

HISTORY OF DEERPARK.

89

Whole No,
Esq. Depuy's family were in this fort during
a part of the year, 15 in number  15
Whole number  80
There were some childreu born iu both forts, wliich
are not included. LOWER NEIGHBOEHOOD.
ITS FORTS AND SOME OP ITS WAR OCCURBESTCES, ETC.
Previous to the invasion of this neighborhood by
the Indians, three forts had been built in it iu 1777 or
'78 ; one at the house of Major Decker, where George
Cuddeback now lives*, one at the house of D miel Van
Auken, near the present brick house of James D.
Swartwout, Esq. t, and the other at the house of Peter
Decker, in the present village of Port Jervis. The fort
at Major Decker's was convenient for the families of
Esq. Anthony Van Etten,- Sylvester Cortright, Capt.
Westbrook, Moses Cortright, Abraham Van Auken,
and Schoonhover ; and the fort at Van Auken's was
convenient for the families of James Van Fliet, Solo
mon Kuykendall, Esq., Simon Westfall, John Decker,
and one or two other families ; and the fort at Decker's ;|:
was convenient for the families of Wilhelmus Cole,
Martinus (Martin) Decker, Samuel Caskey, James
Davis and Utley Westbrook.
* Now (i88g) occupied by Henry G. Cuddeback.
t Now (i88g) owned by Ludwig Laux.
t Located upon the present site of the old stone house in Germantown,
formerly occupied by Stephen St. John, deceased, and his family.

90 HISTORY OF DEERPARK.
On the 20th of July, 1779, Brant, with a corps of
Indians and tories, invaded this neighborhood. The
occurrences of which and of the battle of Minisink,
one or two days afterwards, are contained in Eager's
History of Orange County, page 388, &c., relative to
the invasion and in relation to the battle see page 490,
&c. There were about 18 families in this neighbor
hood -nho suffered in a greater or less degree the effects
of the war, and a great proportion of them lost much
property by the plunder and destruction which the
enemy made by taking some of the best horses, plun
dering houses of goods and wearing apparel, burning
of houses, barns and other buildings. In addition to
which a few prisoners were taken, two of whom were
slaves and two or more were killed. This invasion
caused many of the best citizens of Goshen and vici
nity to volunteer and pursue the enemy. The result of
this was a more grievous calamity than the former, the
results of which can be obtained as mentioned.
The number of children and domestics of each
family in the lower neighborhood I cannot correctly
determine, but contemplate the number of children to
have been nearly as follows, to wit :
Anthony Vau Etten  15
Daniel Van Auken  15
Major John Decker  6
Moses Cortright  about 7
Jacob Schoonhover  about 3
Abraham Van Auken  " 4
Capt. John Westbrook  " 7
John Decker, Sr  " Q
Sylvester Cortright  " 4

HISTORY OF DEERPARK. 91
 Decker  " 4
James Van Fliet  '.  " 8
Solomon Kuykendall  Mone.
Simon West-fall  " 6
Wilhelmus Cole  " 4
Peter KuykendaU  " 5
Samuel Caskey  " 6
Martinus (Martin) Decker  3
Utley Westbrook  2
Whole number  105
The number of children of those 18 families, ac
cording to my recollections, cannot have been less
than 100, and may have been as many as 110. How
many of them grew up to years of maturity, or how
many died previous thereto I do not know. Major
Decker had two or three children by his first wife, who
died young; and John Decker, Sr., had one or more by
his first wife, who also died young before the war com
menced, but all of them after the decease of their re
spective mothers. The loss oi a mother will affect the
feelings of some children much, and uo doubt many a
child dies in consequence of the melancholy state of
mind produced by such a bereavement. There were
two or more premature deaths of boys or young men,
and there may have baen a few natural deaths in this
neio-hborhood of which I have no recollection.

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

92

HISTORY OF DEERPARK.

families who came into it after the war ended, to wit :
Children of Esq. Swartwout  4
Capt. Cuddeback  6
" Esq. Van Inwegen  •  10
B. Cuddeback  6
J. D. Gumaer  7
" P. Gumaer  4:
" Ez. Gumaer  2
J.Wallace  2
M. TerwiUiger  9
" Esq. Depuy  6
Capt. DeWitt  9
M. Depuy  .. 3
S. Depuy  3
" Eb. Gumaer.  6
" Ab. Cuddeback  4
" Widow Cuddeback  3

. Eesidents after
the war ended.

J. Davis. . .
W. Geegge .

84 72

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

HISTORY OF DEERPARK. 93
himself to put out a fire in the woods. Both these oc
curred a few years after the war ended. All the others
lived until after they were married and had families
of their own ; but the greatest part of them did not
become as old as their respective p.arents. The first
wife of James Swartwout died in the fort at Gumaer's,
of consumption, within about one year after she came
into it, aged about 25 years ; and Peter Gumaer died
of palsy in this fort, near the end of thje.war, aged
71 years. There also were five premature deaths
caused by the enemy — that of the three Swartwouts in
this neighborhood, as has been mentioned — Gerardus
Van Inwegen at Fort Montgomery, and' Mathew Ter
wiUiger, in the Minisink battle.
The following exhibits a certain number of the
children mentioned who became as old, and older, than
their respective fathers and of those who did not at
tain to such an age. In this I have excluded those
families I could not ascertain, in consequence of hav
ing removed into other parts ofc our country, and of
those untimely deaths not ended by nature's process,
which leaves for calculation t'.ie followiug families.
The left hand column of figures shows the number of
those who became as old, and older, than their respec
tive fathers, and the right hand column the number of
those who did not arrive to that age, to wit :
Oldest Youngest
Parewts. Children. Children.
Capt. Cuddeback  2 4
Esq. Van Inwegen  2 8
Benj. Cuddeback  :  4 2
J. D. Gumaer  0 7

94 HISTORY OF DEERPARK. Oldest Youngest
Parents. Children. Children.
Peter Gumaer  0 4
Ez. Gumaer  1 2
Esq. Depuy  4 4
S. Depuy  3
Eb. Gumaer  0 6
J.Davis  1 6
Wm. Geegge  2
J. E. DeWitt  4 5
18 52
This calculation, being as near as I can ascertain the
same, in respect of correctness, shows that only about
one-quarter of the children of those families became
as old as their respective fathers.
This great degeneracy will naturally lead to an in
quiry respecting the cause of the same. To answer
which, or to throw some light on the subject in rela
tion thereto, I consic^er it necessary to state the man
ner and circumstances of life of each generation, as
near as I am able to do it, to wit :

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

HISTORY OF DEERPARK. 95
to answer for meat soups and such bread or cakes as
they could make of it, to eat with those meats, and
that these were their chief or only eatables for some
years before they became enabled to have any other
diet. They may, in the first instance, have obtained
some meal from Eochester or vicinity, but after raising
enough for their use it is probable they would rather
use it pounded than to take it to the nearest mill, at
that time, to get it ground, in which latter case the
bran remained in the meal and as they could obtain
good pounding stones and blocks from the Indians to
pound their grain, and as the bran in grinding as well
as pounding would remain, in the meal, and as the
nearest mill must have been about 25 or 30 miles
from their neighborhood, we have reason to believe
that they pounded their grain for soups and bread be
fore mills were erected in this town ; and that the
greatest difference between the diet of those families
and that of the Indians, was that the former ate a
greater proportion of vegetable productions than the
latter. The men of this generation of descendants
were generally stronger than those who succeeded
them,from which it appears their eatables were health
ful and that their drink, which was the best of spring
water, also prompted health, and that all other circum
stances which attended them were also of a healthful
character, to wit : a pure air of the atmosphere, not
impregnated with the exhalations from bad, stagnant
waters ; brooks and smaU streams of clear water run
ning down the mountains into the Neversink, creating
a river of clear water passing through this valley .
such log houses as would let the fresh air of the at-

96 HISTORY OF DEERPARK.

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

SECOND GENEEATION.
My own recollection reaches no further back than
the time in which all of them had families and when
most of their children were small, but I have under
stood that their bread was made of unbolted wheat
meal sifted through hand sieves to take out the coarse
bran, until after they had grown up to years of matur
ity, and that after bolting meal was first introduced
some persons said it was too extravagent to use only
the fine flour to eat and to use all the rest for feed.
During this time, and until all had families, many
deers, bears, raccoons, wild fowls and fishes- continued
to exist, and the inhabitants were furnished with many
meats, in consequence of which they did not make use
of as much pork and beef as they did after those wild
creatures and fishes became scarce.
As far back as I remember, being from abotlt the
year 1774, in my father's family mush made of Indian

HISTORY OP DEERPARK. 97
meal and milk (generally buttermilk), bread and milk,
buttermilk pop of two kinds and bread and butter was
a very general diet, not only of his family but of all
those in the forts during the war aud for some years
thereafter throughout this neighborhood. It was also
very common to have a dinner pot of pork and beef,
or either of these boiled together with peeled potatoes,
turnips or other sauce. The bread used during this
time was rye bread, not as white as we generally now
have it. It was very common to have a pot of. sweet
milk thickened with wheat fiour lumps boiled every
Sunday morning for breakfast and for a part ot the
dinner. These were the most general diet during the
warm season of the year. In winter, a greater pro
portion of meat, potatoes, turnips and o'her vegeta
bles, dried apples, pumpkins, beans, &c. were eaten, and
less milk diet ; yet the supper generally consisted both
summer and winter of mush and milk or buttermilk popj
except in families during a time where cow^s happened
to be all dry. The supper was had without any addi
tion except iu the long summer days when bread and
butter was added. Some buckwheat pancake was
generally eaten in winter. N.:>w, in addition to those
common diets, they sometimes had as a rarity, wheat
flour shortcakes, doughnuts boiled in hog's lard, pan
cakes baked thin in a frying pan, puddings and dump
lings boiled in water and eaten with a palatable gravy,
chicken pot-pie, chicken soup, eggs boiled or fried and
sometimes used in other different ways ; many apple
pies and huckleberry pies were made when these
fruits and berries were plenty. They also had for
winter rarity sausages of hog's meat, &c.
In respect to the other attendants of air, water and

98 HISTORY OF DEERPARK.

exercise which have heretofore been mentioned, this
generation enjoyed all these in the same manner as
the first, but' these had superior dwellings which were
comfortable stone houses which every farmer, with
very few exceptions, in this town possessed before the
Eevolutionary War commenced. Tli-ese were closer
than the first dwelUngs erected here, but still not very
tight houses. Each room generally had an outside.
door, and all the rooms generally were on the lower
fioor ; the chamber above these was used for granaries,
flour barrels, and to store many different articles. The
cellars were used for their milk and dairy articles, meat
casks, cider barrels, winter apples, potatoes, turnips,
and other vegetables. These cellar articles were not
saleable in former times, but were generally used by ¦
the families who produced them.
The table furniture generally consisted of ordinary
table knives and forks, pewter plates, pewter basins
aud platters of different sizes, pewter spoons, and a
pewter mug which would contain about two quarts of
cider, on 'vs'hich was a cover to open and close by means
of a hinge, which last article was generally broughton
the table for drink when the meal consisted of meat
and hearty victuals, but was not used with their milk
diets. In the time of the w^ar many of those articles were
destroyed, and wooden plates, wooden bowls and
dishes of different sizes were manufactured with a
turning lathe and used for table furniture.
Now, although our parents lived in this plain and
simple style, yet our mothers were as neat and clean
housekeepers as their circumstances and business con
cerns would admit. They generally cleaued house

HISTORY OF DEERPARK. 99
every spring and fall, iu which they scrubbed and
washed with soap-suds the under part of the upper
floor and beams, and whitewashed the walls, and every
Saturday scrubbed and wiped the floors of their sitting
rooms and kitchens. Floor carpets were not used in
their time. The linen shirts, trowsers and frocks of
the men and boys, and the linen clothes of the women
• worn during one week, were in the next boiled in a.
pot or kettle of lye, and, after a proper time, the pot
was carried out to a pounding block, where, while hot,
the clothes were taken out by pieces and battled on
the block with a battle, and then put in a tub of soap
suds, made of soft home-made soap, in which the same
was washed and thereafter rinsed in clean water and
dried. Our fathers, their sons and slaves, labored hard
in the hot season of the year and often wet their shirts
and trowsers with the sweat of their bodies, and this
manner of boiling, battling and washing those linen
clothes was very effectual to clean the same.
All the travel before the War, in time of the war and
for some years thereafter,, was' performed' on foot, on.
horseback, and in luniber wagons and lumber sleds. In
this manner people visited each other, and attended to
all their religious, and other meetings, and to all their
traveling business concerns. ' Many of the women had
become habituated to ride On horseback, and had their
side-saddles for the same. When a dance was had,
the young men fetched the girls on horseback, and the
young man's horse became the carrier of him and his
lady, who mounted on it behind him. In those times
no paints adorned the houses of our fathers, nor arti
cles of fancy their rooms. No fanciful tables or table
furniture ; no great variety of eatables and drinks were

100 HISTORY OF DEERPARK.

furnished for one meal ; no clothing of superfine cloth
or silk was worn in those times, nor even a pair of
boots and rarely a fur hat. Pleasure wagons and
pleasure sleighs did not ease and make comfortable the
travels of our parents; no umbrellas covered their
heads from the rays of the sun and the storms through
which they had to pass. All of which articles are now
furnished in great abundance, and generally all can
enjoy more or less of them.
The buildings of those times, especially before the
war, for storing grain, hay, horses and cattle, consisted
of a barn and one or two barracks for each farmer, all
covered with straw roofs. The barns were built nearly
square on the ground, with a floor through its middle
and a stable along one side for horses and one along
the other side for cattle. When the barn would not
contain all the grain raised on the farm, one or two
barracks were erected by setting four or five long posts
in the. ground, hewed eight square, tapered towards
the top end. Holes to contain iron bolts about an
inch and a half thick were bored through each post
at about one foot and a half apart, from the bottom to
the top. These holes contained the bolts on which
the frame of the roof laid, which was raised to the top
of the poles by means of a windlass, and, after being
fiUed with grain, whenever any of it was taken out, the
roof was let down therewith to prevent rain and snow
from blowing on it.
This generation generally ended their days after the
commencement of a great change in our country ; and
by contrasting their manner of life with that of the
present time (now 1858), we behold the great change

HISTORY OF DEERPARK. 101
made in a term of about half a century iu the habits
of life in this town.

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

102 HISTORY OF DEERPARK.

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

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

HISTORY OP DEERPARK. 103
never known of any farmer of the second generatioji
becoming drunk, yet there may have been such instan
ces, and in progress of years it became a custom to
make many afternoon frolics with liquor to get differ
ent jobs of work done. This led to intemperance and
their multiplicity was unprofitable in a neighborhood.
The young people sometimes had rude dancing frolics,
where their only beverage was rum which was used in
different ways, clear, sweetened with sugar, or made
into sling, milk punch, eggnog, &c. The quantity of
liquor drinked at these frolics, and the rudeness of the
times caused many a fist fight, and this fighting be
came common at other gatherings of people where
liquor was drank.
The use of those liquors increased and others were
introduced, such as gin, brandy and different sorts of
wines, &c.. All these,generally of foreign manufacture,
in progress of time, were kept for sale in stores by the
large measure, and in taverns by small measure, where
travelers and others who entered the taverns could not
only have a choice of the variety of liquors, but also
have their palatable taste improved by the infusion of
sugar and other articles, whereby slings, milk punch,
eggnog, hot toddy and other palatable compositions
were made and much drinked in taverns. And in pro-
ce.ss of time distilleries were numerously erected in
this part of our country, and cider and rye .whisky,
peach brandy, &c. were distilled in great quantities
and other liquors were sometimes formed out of these.
All of this flooded our country with a great amount of
liquors of different kinds, the use of which became so
fashionable that the greater part of families generally
kept some in their houses to treat therewith the friends

104 HISTORY OF DEERPARK.

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

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

¦HISTORY OP toEERPARK. 105

time until temperance societies were formed, I thought
I could not agreeably entertain a -visitor without hav
ing those articles, and if I happened to ha.ve none in
¦the house at such time I generally sent out for them.
Cider had been a very plentiful and common drink
in this neighborhood for many years. Cuddeback and
Gumaer had been in the habit of drinking wine ih
tiheir country, and after settling here, it appears, made
early provision to have cider for their drink ; for there
were apple trees in their orchards and in Van Inwe
gen's orchard between twd and three feet in diaineter
•in the time of the Revolution: ; and when Gumaer (my
grandfather) built his house, before the French war
commenced, he had an opening left in ths back wall of
his cider cellar for a gutter to pass through it from his
cider press back of the house into the cellar, and this
¦gutter and others led the cider into the different cider
barrels in it. From which it appears that the making
df cider had- become quite a business at that time, and,
as it was no salable article, it was generally
all drank by the family and visitors and by
¦the Indians. It was' a common drink from the
time it was made in the fall until spring, wheii
Gumaer mad^ beer to driuk in warm weather, for which
he had a large brass kettle set on mason work, a long
building and other fixtures to make aud dry his malt.
The use of cider by the white people never made them
drunk, but some Indians, if they could get enough td
drink, would sometimes get both drunk and abusive,
in consequence of which it was generally withheld
from them after they had drank enough. In respect to
which I will here relate an occurrence. A large, stout

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

HISTORY OF DEERPARK. 107
a company of Indians from other places sometimes
came here to have a drinking frolic, for which they
procured rum and selected a place for that purpose at
a distance from the dwellings of the white inhabitants,
so as not to disturb' them, where they appointed two
of their number to keep sober to watch and prevent
them from hurting each other. Tp these two men they
gave up all their guns, hatchets and knives, v/^ho hid
them out of the way so that they should not have
weapons wherewith to hurt, each other ; and when all
their arrangements were made they began to drink and
soon got into a very noisy, turbulent and rude frolic,
in which they would whoop, halloo, take hold of each
other, scuffle, -wrestle andi sometimes fight. This they
continued till their thirst for rum became satisfied, and
after becoming sober, they were dull, stupid and de
prived of the liveliness and activity they possessed
before they commenced drinking, which had to be re
stored by abstinence.

NO DRUNKAEDS AMONG THEM.
The first and second generations of the first four fam
ilies who remained in this neighborhood had the free
use of cider for a term of about one hundred years,
including the time of the war, in which they could not
have it, and during the greatest part of all that time
had the means to procure as much other liquor as they
craved, and yet not a single individual of them be
came a drunkard. When they came into company
where rum or other spirituous Uquors were drank,
they would become lively, cheerful and humorous.

108 HISTORY OF DEERPARK.
by partaking of the same, but not as the saying is^
" under foot." Such instances of sobriety, under sucH
attending circumstances, for such a length of time,
seldom occur.
We of the third generation, as weU, as our fore
fathers, have also been in a like habit of drinking
cider during the greater part of our lives, and for
many years in the habit of drinking all sorts of spirit
uous liquors without a single individual of us becom
ing what is termed a drunkard, but two or three of our
class did sometimes become intoxicated and made a
considerable approach towards being entirely over
come by the effect of liquor. Such also was the ad
vancement of Gumaer toward those allurements as
has, been mentioned and there have been rare instan
ces of some of us of sober lives becoming intoxicated.
It is now (in 1858) 168 years since this neighborhood
was first settled. Take 28 years from this time for
the growth of an orchard to make cider, and 140 years
remain for the use of its production which must have
become plentiful within a less time- than 28 years, for
the first orchards of Cuddeback and Gumaer and one
of Swart-wout, which became Van Inwegen's, were on
the very best of their river flats and must have had a
very quick growth ; the trees became large and were
between two and three feet in diameter about the year
1780 when they appeared to have their full growth
and some limbs began to die. - From all of which we
have reason to infer that the manufacturing of cider
commenced here before the year 1720 and that much
of it had been drank here from that time until the year
1840, previous to which its use began to abate and

HISTORY OF DEEfiPARK. 109
within that time many other spirituous liquors have
been used with a mere trifle of intoxication for so long
a time. Now, although we and our forefathers received a
mere trifle of the bad effects of Uquors in this respect,
yet the constitution of some of us must have been in
jured by their use. I, myself, have experienced the
bad effects therefrom in respect to my own constitu
tion, which at one time became so weak against its
effects that if I drank so as to feel the least alteration
from its influence it hurt me. This, however, was not
the case with many others ; some hard drinking men
who came here among us remained healthy and lived
to be old. Whether such would or would not have
arrived to an older age without the use of liquor is un
certain. Our diets continued to be the same as has been men-
itioned for some years after the Eevolutionary War
ended ; but the diets of mush, &c., which were eaten
with milk, began to be abandoned after different kinds
of teas and coffee began to be used, and, after becoming
generally used, the milk diets were in a manner wholly
abandoned. In these drinks a little milk and sugar
was put ; molasses also was very plentifully used, and
with this, sugar and other articles, many palatable,
different kinds of sweet cakes, pies, &c., were made ;
also, different kinds of spices became fashionable for
adding agreeable flavors td some diets. Now, all these
are eatables and drinks which we did not have in our
early days. In addition to all these we now have dif
ferent kinds of preserves made with sugar, molasses.

110 HISTORY OF DEERPARK.

and different sorts of fruit, berries, &c., and some other
diets we did not have.
After tea and coffee had been used for some time,
they were preferred by the young peoxsle to the milk
diet ; but some of the older class, who had been habit
uated to eating buttermillk pop, mush and milk, and
other diets, often chose to have these in preference to
tea or coffee. Such are the effects of habit.
As to our industry and labors for the support of our
families and to make advancement, they continued
during our lives to be about the same on an average as
those of our parents, in which some were more perse
vering and others less than their respective parents.
The inhabitants of the lower neighborhood who
were contemporary with our parents, and those who
were the same with ourselves, have also continued and
progressed in about the same manner as we and our
parents have done in the habits of life mentioned. .
After our manner of living changed, we were from
time to time afflicted with ailments and diseases which
all have continued to suffer at times, more or less,
until the present time ; but of late years have not had
such mortal distempers in this vicinity as some we had
at certain previous periods.

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

HISTORY OF DEERPARK. Ill
min, William and James, could carry 12 skipple wheat
(9 bushels), by putting it into four three-skipple sacks,
aud, placing one under each arra and taking hold with
each hand of the top of the others, could, on a barn
floor, in this manner carry it from one end of the barn
to the other ; and that Anthony Swartwout's two sons,
Samuel and James, could do the same, and that Har
manus Van Inwegen's son Gerardus, who was a smaller
man, could. carry it a few steps. Abraham Cuddeback,
youngest son of his father, could not do it, nor Peter
Gumaer's son Peter, so that only two out of eight were
unable to carry it. From which the difference of their
bodUy strength, and that of those now on the stage of
action becomes apparent.
The degeneracy of the inhabitants of this neighbor
hood has not been confined to them alone,- but has ex
tended from here down the Neversink and Delaware
rivers throughout the Holland Dutch settlements ; also
from this neighborhood to Kingston. In the lower
neighborhood in this town formerly were men as stout
as those mentioned. It was said that one man in it
could add one more bag of wheat an 1 hold it with his
teeth, and carry 15 skipple wheat (11^ bushels).
Among the first generation along the Delaware river
in the States of New Jersey aud Pennsylvania, -svere
men of equal strength with those mentioned, but not
generaUy as strong. Such was also the case in respect
to the inhabitants from here to Kingston.
The second generation of the four families did not
arrive to as great bodily strength as the first, but stiU
were strong men. AU of them, excepting three, were
men whose stature averaged about six feet, aud their
average weight was near 200 lbs. when iu prime of

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

HISTORY OF DEERPARK. 113
the second of those two classes of people. Now, in
addition to the change mentioned, there was another
of a different nature, which must have affected in a
small degree the growth of the first, and in a great
degree that of the latter. This was the effect of the
French and Revolutionary wars, in each of which a
fort was built at the house of Gumaer, and his neigh-
Jbors all collected in it, which had the effect of creating
more impure air in it than when occupied by one
family. This, in the first war, could not hurt the con
stitutions of the children as much as in the next, be
cause its duration was shorter, and most of them were
sent from here to relatives in other places, and there
were not as many in the fort as in the last war when
the number in it of all classes was about 100 from the
time the fort was built in 1777 until the war "ended.
The waUs of the house, both in the rooms below and
on the chamber, were all lined with beds, and although
the inmates of the house remained healthy, yet the col
lection of so many people in it, and their beds and
bedding, must have created much impure air,especially
in the night when the doors were shut and all were in
it, whereby the constitutions of the children must have
become weakened and their growth retarded, so as to
have remained both weaker and smaller than what
they would have been if the war had not occurred.
This stagnation of growth, which caused the third gen
eration to remain inferior in strength to their respec
tive fathers, did not continue to debilitate in the same
ratio, the fourth class, but these arrived to about or
nearly the same strength of body as that of their
fathers. In relation to health, however, there has
been a gradual decUne, and people have now become

114 HISTORY OF DEERPARK.
more subject to disease in this town than in former
times. The Holland Dutch, who settled throughout this
valley, must have had sound and strong constitutions,
which their children inherited unimpaired, and the
manner in which they were brought up and lived
during the time of their growth in this valley must
have been very conducive to sustain health and pro
mote strength.

CHARACTERS.
There are certain predominating characteristics in
families which, in some cases, will remain in their des
cendants from generation to generation for a great
length 'df time, and some of those of the first pioneers
have thus continued in some degree in their line of
descent up to the present time ; and where intermar
riages have occurred, of such different characters, they
have generally become united in the children and, in
some cases, this union resulted in better characters
than that of either of the originals,and in others,worse.
In respect to the characteristics of five sons of the
first families who remained in the Peenpack neighbor
hood, I will here give a short narration, to wit :
Major James Swartwout was a large, heavy,
strong, portly and likely man, of a noble and dig
nified appearance, very suitable for a military officer.
and was possessed of a spirit as noble as his ap
pearance. He was very witty, jocose and humor
ous in conversation (these were Swartwout fam
ily traits), and he was too liberal and easy in his busi
ness affairs to accumulate property, in consequence of

HISTORY OF DEERPARK. 115
which he became much involved. He was generally
consulted in matters of difficulty, in respect to which I
will relate one instance, to wit :
At a certain time after the fall of a light snow, the
members of a certain family who were neighbors to
him, discovered apparently the tracks of a person on
the roof of the house where no person could walk, which
extended from one end of the roof to the other end.
This alarmed the family, who thought it ominous of
some calamity which would happen to them, and after
some conversation respecting it, concluded it was best
to send for Major Swartwout, to see what he would
think of it. They accordingly got him there, who, on
viewing it, concluded in his mind that it had been done
by some person, and mistrusted a slave of the family,
who kept near them to hear what would be said re
specting it. He stepped up to the black man and ac
cused him of doing it, which was denied. The Major
told him he had done it and that if he did not own it
he would give him a flogging, and still denying, the
Major took a gad and gave him two or three whip
pings before he would own it, and after owning it the
Major told him if he would tell how he did it he would
let him go. He said he took a long pole and fastened
a shoe to the end and therewith made the tracks. This
eased the family of their fearful apprehensions.
William Cuddeback was a man of somewhat over
six feet stature, coarse-boned, muscular and lean.
He was strong and very nimble, and could outrun
many young men after he was fifty years old. In
the French war, after his hair had begun to turn
gray, he outran a soldier who thought himself
swift. He was very talkative and witty, and I

116 HISTORY OF DEERPARK.
think from -what information I have had in rela
tion to him, that he never had his equal in this
town for humorous discourse and a display of wit
properly and suitably applied. He was characterised
as a wise man in his time. Argument was his hobby,
and, as there was much of it in his time in relation to
the Scriptures, he, although uneducated, became so
versed therein that when among strangers he was often
thought to be a well read man. He was a disbeliever
in the superstitious notions which many people in his
time had in relation to witchcraft, &c., and would often
tell very laughable occurrences in respect thereto He
was somewhat slack in his business concerns and care
less in paying attention to the same, but he always had
help enough to manage the business of his farm.
Peter Gumaer was a man of about five feet ten
inches statnre. During the time of my acquaintance
with him he was fleshy and fat, and in his younger
days was a very persevering business man. He never
was a hard working nor an idle man himself, but all
his children and slaves performed a great amount of
labor. His family produced a greater amount of
farmer's productions than any other farmer within 20
or 3D miles distance from his residence, and he had all
the necessary fixtures for his different branches of
business iu the best iii.mQer of his time. He would
not suffer idlene.ss iti his family, and was inimical to it
in others. He was a man of good judgment and of an
honest and independent principle.
Gerardus Vau Inwegen was u, man of about five feet
eight or niue inches stature. He was lean, bony, mus
cular aud strong, and had much of the Swartwout
jocose and humorous disposition. He was the only sou

HISTORY OF DEERPARK. 117
of his father, and was brought up without work, and
jn his neighborhood became fond of hunting, and did
much of it in company with the white and Indian boys
of the neighborhood,, and iu early life became a very
skillful hunter and took great delight in it. He con
tinued to follow it through life, and killed more deer,
bears and other wild animals and wild fowls than any
other man of his "time in this vicinity, whereby he hot
only obtained a very plentiful supply of those meats
for his own family, but contributed liberally to those
of Cuddeback and Gumaer, his neighbors, and enjoyed
a very happy life. He was much addicted, to playing
tricks on people, and, when any of them happened to
be offensive, he could generally end the matter in good
humor. (It appears those ancients generally were well
calculated to extinguish those offensive occurrences
and restore friendship, by means of which they main
tained friendly relations with each other and with the
Indians.) At a certain time he put a mean, dirty trick on a
company of squaws and their children, which they dis
covered in going to a certain place, and immediately
laid it to Gerardus, and, on their return, stopped at his
house and accused him of it. He asked what made
them think he had done it. They told him no other
man in the neighborhood would do such a nasty trick ;
that he was worse than a hog and they would have sat
isfaction for that trick. After some altercation respect
ing it, he got a pail of cider and gave them as much
as they would drink, which cheered them aU up and
they went off in good humor, laughing at those who
fared the worse.
Samuel Swartwout was reputed to have been a very

118 HISTORY OP DEERPARK.
strong man, and naturally easy and very good natured,
not easily provoked to anger nor easily scared. He,
by hunting and trapping, obtained a supply of meat
aud some other necessaries for his family. He had a
valuable farm, but had no help to work it. Laborers
could not be hired. After Depuy married his daughter
he brought some slaves from his father's, and, with
these, Depuy worked the farm and produced much
wheat and other grain. Swartwout was on very
friendly terms with the Indians, and when he removed
from the residence of his father, he settled, as has been
mentioned, among a collection of Indians.
In order to give some idea of Swartwout's boldness
and of having been so characterized,I wdll relate a certain
transaction, to wit : A certain Indian iu his time had
made a false face of a very frightful appearance, which
was obtained from him by two or three of the young
men. It was said that when it was put before a man's
face and a bear skin wrapped around his bod}', the ap
pearance in the night was very terrifying. They gave
the man so dressed the name of Santa Claus. On a
certain winter evening this Santa Clans went round
among the families and. frightened the members of four
of them by this imprudent exhibition, After this they
concluded to try if they could not scare the fearless
Swartwout. Santa Claus went and entered his house;
Swartwout sat before the fire, and, on seeing him, rose
from his chair, took hold of it, and put himself in a
position to strike. Santa Claus, fearing the blow, said,
" Uncle Samuel, don't strike." Swartwout told him to
go oiit of the house, or he would split his brains, and
added, " If you are the devil, or from the devil, go to
where you.belong."

HISTORY OP DEERPARK. 119

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

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

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

HISTORY OF DEERPARK. 121
was one of the greatest idlers in the neighborhood,
and did often for the sake of conversation visit liis
neighbors, and when in company of the best informed,
would generally introduce subjects to create argument,
either in accordance with his own views or contrary
thereto, so as to produce argumentation in which he
delighted and was the best means of discovering the
natural and acquired abilities of his opponent. He
said he knew the mental abilities and natural charac
teristics of nearly all the men who were contemporary
with him for a distance of 20 miles dowm the Never
sink and Delaware rivers, and 40 miles toward King
ston. In his time Marbletown was the general mar
ket place for the inhabitants in this valley throughout
the distance mentioned, and. their travel to and from
market made a great intercourse of those people,
whereby they acquired a general acquaintance with
each other. In respect to which I will relate an occur
rence. In the commencement of the Eevolutionary
War, John Westbrook, who lived about 20 miles dis-
.tant from Cuddeback's residence, was elected captain
of a company of militia, and, in saluting him, he
was blinded by the discharge of one of the guns, and
remained blind. About 15 years thereafter, Jacob
Cuddeback, son of Capt. Cuddeback, went to Mr.
Westbrook's, and, after speaking to him, asked Mr.
Westbrook if he kiiew him. He said he did not, but
the voice was that of Capt. Cuddeback, which he still
remembered, and judged from the resemblance of the
voice of the son to that of the father, though they had
not been together during that time.
In addition to what has been said respecting his
mechanical acquirements, he became a workman in the

122 HISTORY OF DEERPARK.
business of tailoring. In the commencement of the
war there were no men tailors in this town, and he
first cut for himself ; in sewing his daughter assisted
him, and thereafter sometimes cut for others ; and in
the winters, when all were collected in the fort, he and
his daughter did so much at it, especially in cutting
and making up of deerskin leather, that he became a
good workman and had not his equal here before a
Mr. Mather, a tailor by trade, came into the fort.
It was said that at a certain time he and his wife
took each a pound of frolic fiax to spin, which
she refused to do for him. He said he would do it
himself and beat her. She was one of the quickest
spinsters in the neighborhood and thought that impos
sible, and one morning both commenced on a strife,
and he did beat her. At the frolic they exhibited their
yarn, and his was adjudged as good as hers. While
spinning she lost a little time to suckle a child. If he
had ever spun any it must have been when he was a
boy. He had not his equal in this town cradling grain.
It was said that a few others in their ordinary way of
cutting might have been equal to him, but whenever
he undertook to race with a man, he made a reserve
that his competitor should cut as large a swath as
himself and as good, which no one could do, and cut
as fast as he could.
At a certain time in going with my compass and
chain to take the distance across the Neversink river,
to determine how long a bridge it would require to
reach across it, at a place where it was contemplated
to build it, I met Cuddeback, who asked me where I
was going to survey. I told him to take the distance
across the river, to ascertain how long a bridge it

HISTORY OF DEERPARK. 123
would require to reach across it. He asked me if that
could be done. I told him I could do it. This ap
peared to be new to him and somewhat mysterious. A
few days afterwards I saw him again, when he told me
that he had discovered how the distance could be
taken across the river, and informed me of the manner
in which it could be done. He differed some from
one of the theories by which it was sometimes done,
but embraced the same principle and was as correct to
ascertain the distance as that theory generally prac
ticed where the land is level.
Having been commissioned captain of a company of
militia at or before the commencement of the Eevolu
tionary War, he had many duties to perform during
the same in that official capacity ; for which, as well as
a mechanic, he had very suitable abilities. He was
bold, sagacious, prudent, and tenacious of his honor ;
he also was humane to those in his power. The fol
lowing were some of his military services, to wit :
He was first stationed at Fort Montgomery to com
mand the men of his company, who from time to
time had to take turns to serve as militia soldiers in
that fort ; and, previous to the attack of the fort, on
the day it was made, he was sent with a company
across the river to prevent the enemy from loosening
.the chain which had been put across it. This chain
ran through the centre of three successive logs, fast
ened round it to prevent it from sinking, and was put
there to prevent the EngUsh ships from running up the
river. On those logs the company crossed the river
and watched at the end of the chain until sometime in
the night after the fort had been taken, when, from
some unknown cause, the men became frightened and

124 HISTORY OF DEERPARK.

ran. He followed them a short distance, but could:
not find any of them. He staid there till morning,.
and was alone to defend the premises. After daylight
he took a distant view of the EngUsh shipping ; had
an invitation to come on board, with a promise of good
usage. He went home.
At Cochecton, 40 miles distant through the woods
from this neighborhood, some families continued to
live, and for their own safety kept in friendship with
the Indians as long as they dared. In the first instance
when danger began to be apprehended of attacks from
the enemy, the Committee of Safety sometimes sent
Captain Cuddeback with a few men to Cochecton to
procure what information he could relative to the In
dians, to discover whether there was any danger here
of being attacked by them. In these scouts he had to
be cautious to evade as much as possible the sight of
the Indians, and entered that place secretly in the
night, where at one or two houses he made secret in-
quirj^ respecting the Indians, and in the same night
left the place and returned back, and, in going and re
turning, tried to discover signs of Indians. After two
or three such scouts the Indians made an attack, in
1777, on the family of a Mr. Sprague, and next year
on the family of a Mr. Brooks, some of whom they
killed and others were taken prisoners. These attacks
made the Comraittee act with vigilance. -Persons sus
pected of being inimical to their country's cause were
apprehended and, tried. One or more of those at Co
checton wei-e complained of, whom the Captain, with a
few men, fetched from that place. In one instance he
had trouble to save his prisoner from the revengeful
abuse of a Mr. Brooks, one of the family who had

HISTORY OP DEERPARK. 125
suffered from the enemy as mentioned. The prisoner,
to reward the Captain for interfering in his favor, pre
sented him with a very handsome powder-horn and
bullet pouch. These were used by the Captain during
the war and thereafter, together with one of the best
of rifles.
When the enemy in 1778 invaded the Peenpack
neighborhood, the Captain resided at the Gumaer fort
and had the command of the men in it. In the first
instance he ordered all the pitchforks in the barn to
be brought into the fort to prevent its being scaled,
and directed the women to put on the spare coats and
hats in the house, and each of them to take a pitch
fork or other stick and put it on her shoulder. After
being so equipped to appear like soldiers, he paraded
all the men and the women back of the house aud fort
in single file, and, after the enemy came in sight, he
ordered the drum to be beaten and marched them to
the front side of the fort, where they all passed into it
in view of the enemy, after which he ordered all the
women and children to go into the cellar. Anna Swart
wout, a large, robust woman, widow of Major Swart
wout, asked permission to stay with the men in the
fort to assist them, which was granted. She took one
of the pitchforks to help defend the scaling of the
fort, in case it should be undertaken. The enemy
passed round the east side in open file at a distance
out of gunshot ; a few guns, however, were fired, but
ammunition was scarce and reserved for actual engage
ment ; balls were run the same day. As the enemy
passed to where the barn intervened between them and
the fort, the Captain and Jacob D. Gumaer went into
it to prevent its being set on fire by them. Some of

126 HISTORY OP DEERPARK.

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

HISTORY OF DEERPARK. 127
the fort. The enemy left, took some of the best horses,
plundered and burnt houses and other buildings, and
that day went out of the neighborhood.
In July, 1779, after the lower neighborhood had
been invaded by the euemy, and a corps of militia
from Goshen and its vicinity who had volunteered to
pursue the enemy arrived in that neighborhood, Capt.
Cuddeback aud some others out of this town joined in
the pursuit, in which the officers, after having pro
ceeded to a distance from the neighborhood into the
woods, began to have their consultations in respect to
continuing or returning, also in respect to the best
place to attack the enemy, in case of undertaking it.
The- opinions of Captain Tyler and Captain Cudde
back, who were acquainted with the path and woods,
were had. Tyler proposed to make the attack where
the enemy had to cross the- Delaware river, and Cud
deback to make it in the night, where the enemy should
lodge for their night's rest ; there to fall on them un
awares, drive them, from their prisoners and plunder,
recover these and return homeward with them iu the
night. Very reasonable objections were made to both these
plans by the superior officers ; but, in case of attack^
Tyler's plan was preferred by the officers generally,
and was urged, as is well known, by very improper
means. In the battle, Cuddeback, with a dress of the color
of the leaves, one of the best rifles and other equip
ments, and a very great marksman, was one of the
most important fighting men of the corps, and remained
on the fighting ground until after the retreat had com
menced, and until he saw he had to run to save his life,

128 HISTORY OF DEERPARK.
when he ran a short distance to one side of the course
(the mass of men ran) where hesquat down, cocked his
rifie and kept ready to shoot any Indian who should
happen to look at him, where he remained undiscov
ered by those wlio passed him until a large Indian,
came slowly walking and looking round, xxt last turned
his face towards him when he shot and again ran, and
in coming to steep rocks he slid down the same on his
back ; and when he came to a good place to hide he
again hid and laid down. Here he remained until
dark, and from thence in the night started for home.
The militia soldiers, like the Indians, fought from
behind trees, stumps, rocks, etc. Johu Wallace, one
of Cuddeback's militia company, kept near his Cap
tain at the different stations to which he was from time
to time removed by his superior officers. At one of
which Wallace received a slight wound, and in the
flight made his escape but became separated from Cud
deback, and in returning home hunted through the
woods and killed three deer. After Cuddeback had
been home three days, Wallace unexpectedly arrived
with three deer skins on his back, to the great joy of his
¦wife and two children.
Cuddeback commended Col. Tusten very highly, and
said he felt sorry for him when he was wounded ; that
when the retreat commenced he was called to where
the Col and other wounded officers and men were
collected in the safest place, and was solicited to try
and stop the retreat, but that was impossible ; it h&.d
become too general. He had to leave them to their
fate, or become a sufferer together with them, and
made his escape as mentioned. The retreat was caused
by a hideous shouting, yelling and firing of guns, which

HISTORY OF DEERPARK. 129
had been undertaken by the Indians as a last resort to
put their opponents to flight ; and it happened to have
the desired effect. Until this occurence, the men whp
suffered much in different ways from heat, warm cloth
ing, want of water and -wounds, wonderfully sustained
themselves for militia soldiers against an enemy who
had very great advanta;ges in all respects.
Cuddeback, in his domestic concerns, had a great
share of indulgence towards his family and domestics,
but was uncommonly severe in reproof if any of his
children happened to do an act of which he much dis
approved, although these never; were of a criminal
nature. He had an uncommdn gift to stigmatize and
reprove a bad action.
Benjamin De Puy, Esquire, was a man of about six
feet stature, not as bony, muscular and strong as the
descendants of the first settlers. He was a persever
ing business man, but after he. had been a few years
in this neighborhood he became too fleshy and fat to
perform any labor on his farm himself, but still paid a
very strict attention to his ¦ farming business, the labor
of which he managed to have done by his slaves, and
sons after they became able to work. He became a
Justice of the Peace here of the former county of
Ulster, and served many years in that office before, in,
and after the war. He also served many years as a
Supervisor of the old town of Mamakating. In the
commencement of the war he was one of the Commit
tee of Safety. He was the greatest supporter of religi
ous worship in the Mahackamack congregation. He
was tender and humane to his wife,chUdren and slaves,
and provided a very plentiful living for all of them, in
respect to diet and the necessities of life, even to ex-

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

HISTORY OF DEERPARK. 131
kind. The continual exercise De Puy had on his
horse and sometimes in the wagon and sleigh for do
ing his business at .the mill, stores, blacksmith's, &c.,
had a tendency to keep him healthy, yet he had a
few short, hard sicknessess, but continued to live to a
gddd old age, and in the last part of his life sold the
part of his farm which he had retained and was re
moved by his sons to the town of Owasco, where, and
in that 'part of Ney York,, all his sons -and daughters,
excepting two, had previously settled, and there his
mortal life was ended.
Philip Swart'wout was a large, strong man, upwards
of six feet in stature, portly and likely. Captain Cud
deback, who had seen General Washington at Fort
Montgomery, said he had never seen a man who re
sembled Washington -as much as Esquire Swartwout ;
the features of his face, his eyes, forehead, size and
form of his body, all he said, had a great resemblance
to those of Washington.
Swartwout in his business transactions was very per
severing and honest. In his public acts he was also
honest and persevering to obtain the objects of jus
tice between individuals, and also to promote the wel
fare of the public. He was a Justice of the Peace of
the former county of Ulster before the Eevolutionary
War commenced, and in its commencement became
one of the Committee of Safety. After the decease of
his father, August 21st,- 1756, he became heir to his
estate, which consisted of a good farm, but was so
much encumbered by the debts of his father, that he
concluded to let the creditors take it. These were
relatives of his, who resided at Eochester, in Ulster
county. They advised Swartwout to take the farm

132 HISTORY OF DEERPARK.
and they would give him his own time to pay the debts,
in consequence of which he obligated himself to pay
the debts and. took the farm. His oldest bo.ys must
have been about 10 or 12 years old at this time. He
had one man slave and an insane man lived with him,
who remained in the family during life. With this
help he commenced to -work the farm, and, after his
son James became old enough to learn the blacksmith
trade, he built a shop, got a blacksjnith, who, together
with James, pursued that business, and the father,
with his other sons and slave, , worked the farm and
made money fast, so that he paid all his debts,. and had
money standing out at interest when the war com
menced. Swartwout, as well as Depuy, was a great supporter
of religious worship, and paid a strict attention to the
preaching of the gospel.
Anthony Van Etten, Esquire, was from Eochester
or its vicinity, where he had received a good educa
tion for his time. His visage and bodily form and size
were said to have resembledhis youngest son Anthony
Van Etten, wlio was a man of about 5 feet 10 inches
stature, and about 160 lbs. weight. He was a black
smith by trade and became married to Hannah
Decker, daughter of Thomas Decker, in 1750, and ob
tained from him a piece of land, on which he built a
house and shop, and entered into the business of his
trade, and got an apprentice to assist him. He soon
received a great amount of work from the farmers and
made money fast. He built the stone house in which
his son, Captain Henry Van Etten, formerly lived, and.
as he became enabled, bought land and obtained the
old Van Etten farm, which consisted of some of the

HISTORY OF DEERPARK. 133
best land in this town. He and Esq. Swartwout, who
were contemporary, both commenced business with
small means, and became the most thriving business
men in this to-wn. Van Etten becarae a Justice of the
Peace of the old county of Orange at an early period
of his residence in this town, in which he officiated to
the end of his life in 1778. His widow survived hira
many years. She was a short, strong woman of a good
constitution, an affectionate rnother and agreeable
neighbor, sociable and much addicted to humorous
conversation, and often told funny occurrences of
foriner times. *
Cornelius Van Inwegen was a man of about 5 feet 8
inches stature, and about 170 or 180 pounds weight.
In his boyhood, after he was able to handle a gun, he

* Anthony Van Etten, was a son of Jacob Van Etten, and Antie
Westbrook, who were married at Kingston, Ulster county. New York,
April 22d, 1719, they both being residents of that coiinty at the time.
They had a large family and came with them to the Delaware valley
about 1730, taking up a residence at Namfenoch, opposite the island in the
Delaware now so called, on the New Jersey side, -Their oldest daughter.
Magdelena, married Rev. Johan. Casp. Fryenmuth.. From their sons are
descended the various Van Etten families of Orange county, N. Y., Pike
county. Pa., and Sussex county, N. J.
Anthony was born about 1726 at Napenoch, Ulster county, and bap.
tized at Kingston Ref. D. Church, June 12, 1726, At the time of his mar
riage, August 3d, 1750, he resided at Namenoch, but thereafter with his
wife located in what is now the town of Deerpark.
The baptismal records of the Maghachemech Church furnjsh the names
of most of t-heir large family of children as follows :
Thomas, bap. Sept. 8, 1751 ; Antie, bap. Jan. 14, 1753; Janneke, bap.
April 28, r754 ; Margarieta, bap. Feb. 13, 1756 ; Levi, bap. Feb. 12, 1758 ;
Alida, bap. Aug. ig,' 1759 ; Hendricus, bap. June 14, 1761 ; Blandina,
bap. Sept. 4, 1763 ; Maria, bap. Nov. u, 1765 ; Thomas, bap. Oct. 16,
1768 ; Jacob, 1774 ; Anthony, bap. Oct. 29, 1780.
Of their sons, Levi married Grannetje Westbrook, and from them are
descended most of the families now in Deerpark. Anthony, Jr., married
Jemmia Cuddeback, and located in central New York. A. V. E., Jr.

134 HISTORY OP DEERPARK.

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

HISTORY OF DEERPARK. 13'5
towards the welfare of others. They were generaUy
an industrious, houest, prudent and economizing peo
ple, who obtained their living by the sweat of their
brow, and had to manage tlieir business suitable to
their circumstances and means of procuring a liveli
hood. Men in a state of nature, like the wild animals, gen
erally live on the spontaneous productions of the earth,
aud each has to procure its own food after the parent's
help becomes unnecessary. The first settlers here were
nearly in the same self-procuring situation, and only
had a few manufactured implements in advance of the
naked-handed Indians.
By the introduction of scientific knowledge men have
become dependent on each other, and thereby enabled
advantageously to cultivate the earth and provide for
a very numerous population, and also create enjoy
ments far beyond what the unimproved races of man
kind can realize. The numerous branches of mechan
ical and scientific works and occupations employ
millions of people, who obtain a living thereby. Each
of these produce materials and literary works whereby
others become interested, all of which create an exten
sive social intercourse which reaches all the civilized
and manufacturing nations of the earth ; and, even in
a small degree, some of the unimproved races of man
kind. All this beautiful order among men, for which they
are formed, suitable in body and mind, if the same
could be sustained without imposition and unerring
conduct in aU respects, might render man very happy,
but destruction has been the fate of the ancient civi
hzed nations who had, in a greater or less degree, be-

136 HISTORY OF DEERPARK.

come an improved and scientific people, and good
reasons must have existed for producing this extin
guishment. In the year 1792, I was constable and collector of
the old town of Mamakating, in Ulster county, which
then extended from the old county line near the pres
ent dwelling house of Philip Swartwout, Esquire, and
son, about 20 miles northeasterly, and from Shawan
gunk Kill northwesterly about forty-five miles to or
beyond Cochecton, and included part of the present
towns of Deerpark, Mount Hope, Mamakating, Forest-
burgh, Lumberland aud Cochecton. The town was
divided into two collector's districts, of which mine was
the largest, and the amount of tax I had to collect
was £15 Os. 6d., (137.56).
The highest taxpayer on the list was Esquire
Depu}', whose tax was seven shillings, ten pence,
one farthing, and the whole number of persons taxed
in my district, 45 milffs long and part of it about 12
miles -^vide, was 182. From this neighborhood to Co
checton, (40 miles distant) there was only a foot path
through the Wodds on which I traveled on foot and
carried' a knapsack, in consequence of the scarcity of
horse feed ahd pro-visions along it. Eafting masts,
spars^ logs, and a tew boards had previously com
menced. The timber at that time was principally got
from the sides of the mountains and hills bordering on
the river, under great disadvantages, for 'waint of teams
and a road, until one was made with the Stats funds
from the residence or grist mill of Captain William
Eose to Cochecton, about the year 1803. After this
the lumber business increased rapidly and became very
great, whereby the inhabitants of this town became

HISTORY OF DEERPARK. 137
greatly benefitted,both by the market it made for their
produce and the money some individuals made by that
business. At the close of the war Orange County was
very thinly settled, and most of the land unimproved.
Low as the taxes were in 1792, I found several un
able to pay a few pence, and thereby lost about the
amount of my fees.

GREAT CHANGES IN AGEICULTUEE, MANO^
FACTUEES, TEAVEL AND IMPEOVE-
MENTS OF EVEEY KIND.
We of the third generation of the first four families
and our contemporaries in the lower neighborhood,
have passed through a period of time in which greater
improvements have been made in our country than
ever has been made within such a space of time in any
country. Its equal, probably, will never again occur ;
.yet we know not to what state of improvement men
will arrive.
The arts and sciences have been stretched far beyond
their former bounds, and gigantic and minor produc
tions have been brought to view by the labor and in
genuity our countrymen have displayed, and great are
the benefits mankind have derived from their labors.
Some rulers of nations and great generals of ancient
times have been highly honored for acts of murder and
plunder to a.ggrandize themselves, who, instead of ren
dering benefits, were a nuisance in the world. Not so
with our scientific men. They crave not the loud ap
plause of the multitude, but their general welfare and
their labors have created benefits far beyond what we

138 HISTORY OP DEERPARK.
can calculate, and all are more or less benefitted from
the results of their labors.
We have beeu spectators of the great changes men
tioned and have seen the time when the red men were
yet among us, and were often refreshed and cheered
by their white neighbors with something to eat and a
4rink of ciler ; and the time, when they disappeared
aud a great revolution commenced, and the effects of
the war it created, the restoration of peace and the
times when the constitutions of the several States, and
of the United States, were, from time to time, formed
and become established, and the effects of the laws
which have from time to time been passed under those
constitutions, and the great benefits which have re
sulted therefrom ; also the career of our first and
gi'eatest statesmen, who exerted their pow.ers for the
good of their country.
And here let us not forget that in the days of our
boyhood we have seen the time in which the military
forces of our country, under great sufferings and priva
tions, nobly sustained their country's cause to obtain
an independent government, and have been spectators
of its achievement and the great results which have
emanated therefrom ; in respect to which I will here
give a very faint view of what has transpired in rela
tion to the improvements our countrymen have made
during the time of our life's journey, to wit :
We have seen tlie time of the commencement of the
printing of newspapers in this part of our country after
the war ended, and the rapid increase and vast extent
to which that imjaortant business has arrived, whereby
every citizen with small means can no-iv have informa
tion of the acts of our legislatures and more than he

HISTORY OF DEERPARK. . 139
can read of what continually transpires both in our
own and other countries.
We have seen the time when schools were in their
infancy in this part of our country, their progress and
the vast extent to which they became multiplied, even
so that almost every citizen of this State, and generally
of the other states, has the opportunity of having his
children educated according to and even beyond his
pecuniary means. We have seen the time wdien there
was not a minister of the gospel, lawyer or physician,
within 20 miles distance from our present town, and
have seen the continual increase of those professional
men until every town in our county had more or less
¦of them, and the increase of education, so that it
reached nearly all the citizens, few of whom do not
acquire enough to read and write, and a very great
proportion have reached the higher branches of learn
ing, and become fitted for all the differeut business
transactions of our country.
We have been spectators of the time when all trans
portation on the Hudson river was done in vessels,
whose speed depended on the winds which impelled
them, and of the time when the ingenuity of Fulton,
with the help of Chancellor Livingston, produced a
steamboat wherewith the Hudson river was navigated,
and, when thereafter others from time to time were
built, until all the navigable waters with such boats
in our country were therewith navigated, and even the
Atlantic Ocean crossed to and frdm England and other
places, and the time when other machineries began to
be impelled by steam power and their increase until
thousands got into operation.
We have been travelers on the early rough and

140 . HISTORY OP DEERPARK.
stony roads in Orange County and have seen the first
construction of turnpikes in our county, and the great
improvement of our highways, and at last have beheld
the gigantic works of cauals and railroads, on which
the value of millions of property is annually trans^
ported to and from all parts of our country, and thous
ands of people are continually enjoying the easy and
speedy travel therebj'^ furnished.
We have been co-operators with our respective parents
in producing all- the articles of food and raiment for
our own subsistence, and when we wanted a few arti
cles we could not make, sujh as salt, iron, &c., we had
to travel to the store of Nathaniel Owen, 22 miles dis
tant or to the store of Cornelius Wynkoop, 40 miles
distant, to procure the same. After this the ingenuity
of some of our citizens produced machinery for manu
facturing all tlie cloth we wanted for our use with much
less cost and labor than what we could formerly manu
facture the same ; and these are now so abundantly
transported into. all parts of our country, that our little
town of Deerpark now has more stores in it than the
whole county of Orange had at the close of the Eevo
lutionary War, and probably as many as there were in
both the counties of Orange and Ulster. These goods,
by an exchange of commodities for the same, can now
be procured so much easier than formerly that our
former apparatus for manufacturing fiax, wool and
cotton into cloth has become useless. And these stores
now contain such a variety of articles, that as a cer
tain man once said " Many necessaries unnecessary.
We have taken wheat, rye and corn to New Windsor
and Newburgh when these were very small places and
when Goshen was a very small village,aud have passed

HISTORY OF DEERPARK. 141
through the time in which all : the other villages in
Orange County had their origin and growth and in
which the whole country west of the valley in which
we reside, has become numerously populated through
out its present settled parts, in which many handsome
and magnificent villages and cities have been built and
now adorn those parts which, in our early days,were a
vast wilderness.
We have seen the time when news traveled from the
printing presses to us on horseback, and when the
same became cdB*veyed in . light one and two horse
wagons, and in progressing^ stage wagons and steam
boats became the swiftest carrier of news, and after the
meridian of our lives the swiftest traveler ever before
known came into operation, in which news, passen- '
gers and different commodities were conveyed to and
from distant parts of our country, and in the last part
of our life's journey originated the wonderful discovery
of giving instantaneous information of any matter or
occurrence for any distance to which telegraph wires
can be extended.
We have been farmers and inured to all the different
kinds of labor thereunto appertaining. We have in
early life ploughed with wooden ploughs, to which a
wrought share and coulter were fastened, sowed all
our grain by hand, harrowed the ground with square
iron teeth harrows, cut all our grain with scythe and
cradle, threshed all our grain with hand flails, mowed
all our grass with scythes, and raked our hay together
with hand rakes, and commenced tiUage when the soil
of our river lands was reduced to its lowest state of
nutrition since the time their cultivation was first com-

142 ' HISTORY OF DEERPARK.
menced. In progressing from the beginning of our
business transactions, we became ploughers with patent
ploughs, constructed of wood and iron castings, on
which many improvements were, from time to time,
made and have passed through the time of the intro
duction of different kinds of cultivators to cultivate
ploughed ground, and of sowing machines, reaping
machines, threshing machines of different kinds, and
different kinds of horse power to. impel the same, mow
ing machines to cut grass, and different kinds of horse
rakes to gather hay, and different kii^s of corn shell-
ers. cutting benches, churning machines, &c,, &c. We
have observed a slow improvement of the lands in this
town, which commenced about the year 1810, and pro
gressed very slow at fir.st, but increased in rapidity
until the present time, 1858, and lands in this town
now produce about double what they did in their low
est state of cultivation. We have seen the time when
society here was in the lowest and most degraded state
in which it has ever been in this valley, and have seen
its rise and progress fromtha.t state to its present good
and moral behavior.
Now all these works, which are of inestimable bene-
fit, are only a small part of the discoveries and im
provements made by our countrymen in our time of
life. We do not claim to have stood alone as observ
ers, not that other countries have been idlers in respect
to inventions and improvements, but that all our con
temporaries, both in our own and other countries,
have passed through a period of time which has pro
duced greater and more wonderful discoveries than
that of any other like term of years.
Our travel on this great highway of research is yet

HISTORY OP DEERPARK. 143
rapidly advancing, and to what extent men will arrive
is best known to the Great Architect who fiUs the uni
verse with his works.
In consequence of the improvements mentioned and
the great prosperity of our country, we also became
spectators of their results in our manner of living, and
although we have comparatively with others remained
in humble walks of life, yet we have made great strides
from our early habits, which, in the days of our youth,
were governed by destitution and want of means, to
expand and gratify our desires. The greatest com
plaint, however, iu those anterior times, was the bur
den of labor which all had to endure with greater or
less perseverance, much of which has now been done
away -with by means of machinery.
Some years after the war ended the inhabitants of
this town began to make money, and were enabled to
live in a different style from that of their former habits,
and articles of fancy were introduced. The acquisi
tion of these progressed slow at first but increased as
people advanced in property and became enabled to
procure the objects of their desires, and the different
luxuries thus introduced among us have continued to
become more numerous until the present time.
By contrasting the manner of living of our parents
with that of the present time,we behold the vast change
made in a term of about half a century. When our
manner of living became changed diseases began to
afflict us, and these, as well as our habits of Ufe, have
continued to increase, which, together with the great
addition of our population, now generates diseases

144 HISTORY OF DEERPARK.

which give employment to the physicians who reside
among us.

SCARCITY OF PHYSICIANS IN FORMER TIMES.
The services of men of their profession rarely reached
this valley in former times. At Goshen was one or
more regular physicians in the time of the war, and in
the State of New Jersey, about 20 miles distant from
this neighborhood, was another. The latter sometimes
attended Peter Gumaer, my grandfather, who was
stricken with palsy near the time the war commenced,
and he and Doctor Sweezy, from Goshen, attended to
Ileal the wounds wliich Cornelius Swartwout received
when the Indians invaded this neighborhood.
In the latter part of the war, and for sorae years
after it ended, there lived an pM man by the name of
Bennet, on the east side of Shawangunk mountain in
the present town of Mount Hope, who in his youth had
studied medicine, but abandoned it before he became
qualified to practice. He, however, was sometimes
called on to attend the sick. He was poor and kept
no drugs or medicines, but when called on would go
and see what the ailment of the sick person was, and
then go out and collect such roots and herbs as he
judged best to cure the disease, which he used accord
ing to the dictates of his judgment. After people in
our neighborhood began to be afflicted with diseases,
and when it was considered necessary to have the
attendance of a physician, this Doctor Bennet was
employed ; and he generally was quite successful in
his practice. He several times cured a young man of

HISTORY OP DEERPARK. 145
colic, to which he was subject. This he performed by
giving him an emetic, and after it had operated he gave
him a physic.
It appears that the constitutions of people become
adapted to the climate in which they reside, and to
such habits of life as they from generation to genera
tion continue to pursue, and a change of these will
affect persons more or less. This is evident from what
is known in relation to the different races of, mankind,
some of whom live very different from others, and the
exchange of some, whose food differs very widely,
would be mortal to many of one or both of those races
who should make the exchange.
Eight of us, all descendants of the four families,
now all residents of the lower neighborhood, excepting
myself, remain yet travelers on the last part of life's
journey towards that change which all flesh .has to un
dergo to answer the purposes of the Creator.

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

146 HISTORY OP DEERPARK.
hovered high in the air of the atmosphere, from which
they surveyed the lands and waters below them to dis
cover the objects they craved for food, from which ele
vation the hawk would sometimes dart swiftly down
ward among a flock of birds and catch and make a
prey of one of them, as well as of his objects on the
ground. The fish-hawk hovered over the waters, the
chicken-hawk over the landscapes to entrap their prey.
The owl made his excursions in the night to seek his
food, and each of the different tribes of birds possessed
its own means of obtaining a living. Many of the
worms and insects on the ground, and of those small
insects which impregnated the air of the atmosphere,
became a prey of birds.
Among the different tribes of birds which visited us
were the following, to wit : Blackbirds of different
kinds, crows, robins, swallows of different kinds, night
ingales, snipe of different kinds, killdeers, cranes of
different kinds, hawks of different kinds, owls of dif
ferent kinds, turtle doves, whippoorwills,wrens of dif
ferent kinds, bluebirds, partridges, quails, wood-peck
ers, eagles, snow birds, and a few other kinds.
The pleasing enjoyments of all species of birds are
evidences of the goodness of their Creator ; and the
adaptation of all kinds of living creatures whatever to
their respective modes of life, are evidences of a pre
existing plan for the formation of each, and the man
ner in whi-ch each shall be furnished and receive what
ever is necessary for its preservation during life.
Snakes have also become nearly extinguished in this
valley within the last half century, previous to which
there were yet some rattlesnakes, pilots, blacksnakes,
sissing adders, gartersnakes, greensnakes, and milk-

HISTORY OP DEERPARK. 147
snakes, and toads and frogs are not as numerous now
as in former times.
Now, although some of these reptiles may appear to
us as unnecessary nuisances, yet they undoubtedly
have answered certain good purposes in their sphere
of being. A few persons of this neighborhood have
suffered from the bites of poisonous snakes, but reme
dies were here known in former times which saved the
lives of those who were bitten. Their number within
my knowledge was six.
There was a singular occurrence in Eochester, in
Ulster county, in former times, to, wit : At an early
period of the settlement of that place, a certain man
in time of harvest in going with a wagon, with shelv
ings on it, to fetch a load of grain, and, passing near a
rattlesnake in the grain field, stopped his team, and,
with a fork which had a very long handle, wherewith
as he stood in the wagon he reached the snake and
began to tease it and soon saw that it began to swell,
and being anxious to see to what size it would expand
itself, he continued to tease it until its body became
swollen to a very large size, when it made a spring and
passed over wagon and shelvings without touching any
of it and came down on the ground on the other side
of the wagon, and, in passing over it, the man very
narrowly escaped being bitten in his face by the snake
as he stood in the wagon. Such an occurrence was a
good warning against trying such experiments.
Another occurrence of anterior times will show the
effect of hunger, in the last stage of life, of a certain
hawk. At a certain time when Gerardus Van Inwegen and
Abraham Cuddeback were catching pigeons with a net.

148 HISTORY OF DEERPARK.
a hawk came and lit on a fence near them, and contin
ued there watching the pigeons until they had made
some hauls ; and all the ado they made to spring the
net, run to it, kill and carry the pigeons, &c., did not
scare the hawk so as to drive him from his place, but
from his action appeared to want a pigeon. This
caused Van Inwegen to try the following experiment
te catch him. He took a pigeon in his hand and held
it at arm's length before him towards the hawk, and
walked slowly towards him, and when the pigeon got
within his reach he took hold of it to eat it, when Van
Inwegen caught the hawk and found him to be old and
starved, and had become unable to procure his food.
Different opinions have existed in relation to the
government of the actions of animals, birds and other
creatures. In respect to which, it is difficult in many
cases to determine whether certain of their actions are
governed by the dictates of mind, to answer certain
purposes, or by an impression on their natures to cause
their actions without design. The cravings of food
and other bodily desires emailate from the nature cre
ated in their bodies. The way and manner of each
species to procure its food are dictates of the mind, in
which some, if not all, display as much tact and cor
rectness to obtain their objects as the mind of man
could direct in their respective bodily capacities. The
fear of an enemy, or of danger from any canse, is a
dictate of the mind and affects the body, and both wiU
unite their efforts to defend or escape the danger the
means of which the mind directs, and the body per
forms accordingly thereto.
The fox, the ground-hog and some other creatures
dig holes in the ground, sometimes under and between

HISTORY OF DEERPARK. 149
rocks, in which to hide and escape from being caught
by an enemy, and for. a safe place to rest and sleep.
The squirrels will seek places in lioUow trees for their
safety. The bears, which were here in former times,
when cold weather commenced ih November or De
cember retired from the open woods into those which
were thickly timbered with hemlock, and there sought
and made places under rocks and roots of trees in
which to lay up all winter, and continued in their
respective places without eating all winter and re
mained fat. Hunters from this neighborhood some
times went there in former times, in February or March
when warm weather commenced, and found them with
their dogs, and killed them in their holes, in which
some were confined by the frost of the ground and
were fat.
The beaver performs the greatest work of the animal
species, which comprehends a more extensive source of
enjoyments than what any other creatures have
achieved^ all of which appears to be a preconcerted
plan of their own to obtain the results of their labors,
but still may be, as some have thought, an instinct of
their natures to do it without design. A company of
beavers will unite, select the best placa to build a dam
across a stream of water where they can overflow the
greatest extent of ground by damming the stream, and
the company will all engage in the work cutting down
brush and saplings with their teeth and bringing the
same to the place selected for a dam, and there
place them in the stream so as to form a dam,
for which they make use of mud, clay and ground,
to intermix with the brush, so as to confine in the
dam both brush, ground, &c., and also to make it

150 HISTORY OF DEERPARK.
tight. After this work is all completed, a male and
feraale will unite and dig a hole in the side of a bank,
which the water will not overflow in times of freshets,
and coramence to dig it under Water and raise gradu
ally until they get into dry ground above the surface
level of the water in times of freshets, where- they
make a place in which to lay, repose and sleep in
safety, where wolves, dogs and enemies of every kind
cannot find them. "The pond also becomes a safe place
for them, in which they can have their sportive exer
cises and furnish them with food. There was in an
cient times a beaver-dam in this town near the bridge
across Basha's kill,on the land of Abraham Cuddeback,
Esq., which dammed the water so as to overflow a large
tract of bog meadow land above the bridge. There
also was a beaver-dam across the Old Dam Brook, on
the land of Abraham J. Cuddeback, Esq., which also
overflowed a Iract of swamp and bog meadow land.
There undoubtedly have been others in ancient times
in this town. These were the two best places in this
part of the town for Beaver dams, and were on streams
not siibjeet to freeze much.
It appears evident that the genius and natural ac
tivity of some animals and birds is greater than that
of others, and that all possess thought, memory, dis
cernment, and many of the passions and affections like
those of human beings ; and have a degree of speech
in which, by articulate sounds, they can inform each
other of danger from an enemy, of the finding of food,
calling each other to come and partake of it, or for
bidding it ; and no doubt a great part of the different
species of animals and birds, especially the latter, have
more of an extensive language, to communicate to and

HISTORY OP deerpark: 151
with each of their respective tribes, than what man
can discover. When a man happens to come unawares
near to a partridge with young ones, she will give im
mediate warning to her brood to run and hide, and if
the man pursues them, or comes near to them, she will
approach to him and flutter as though she was unable
to get out of his way, to entice the man to follow her,
but 'will keep at such. a distance from him that he can
not catch her ; aud in this manner she will lead the
man away from her young in pursuit of herself, until
he leaves them and her fear ceases, when she will re
turn to the brood, call them to her, and attend to them
iu her usual way. Other birds also , have their ways
and means of causing their young ones to run and hide
for fear of an enemy, and to entice him away from the
place where -the young chickens are hid. All ani
mals will save and defend their young offspring to the
utmost of their power, in which they generally make
use of the best means they possess.

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

152 HISTORY OF DEERPARK.
transactors of business between the years 1810 and
1830. These, and their cotemporaries in our country,
are within reach of nearly all the acquisitions which
have been mentioned, and can procure such portions
thereof as their means and abilities will admit, and
which furnishes them with a vast amount of enjoyment
of which their ancestry were destitute, and also are a
source of many evils which they escaped by not hav
ing the means of their production. Now; in conse
quence of those changes, it requires more circumspec
tion now than in former times to travel life's journey,
from the existence of many by-roads, the worst of
which are sometimes most enticing ; and these have
obscured our way through life, and created difficulties
in selecting the best course for the enjoyment of our
additional acquisitions, 'without burdening ourselves
with the evils which emanate from an erroneous
choice. When men become enabled to have a great variety
of food and drink it bcomes necessary to know which
are of a healthy character and which are pernicious
thereto, so as to enable them to make a choice for its
preservation in cases where that becomes the object,
in preference to risking future evil consequences. So
also when men are enabled to have all the desirable
enjoyments of ease and comfortable dwellings, it is
necessary for them to know how to occupy these 'with
out injuring their health, and also to have a knowledge
of whatever has a tendency to promote or impair it.
Much information relative thereto can be acquired
from the writings of those who have studied and prac
ticed the art of healing and preserving health.
Doctor Fowler of the city of New York has for some

HISTORY OF DEERPARK. 153
years published a monthly water cure journal, iu
which he has treated extensively of the effects of water
^in curing diseases and preserving health, by using it
in a proper manner to answer its different purposes.
He has also treatel on the bad effects of some of
the habits of the people of our country aud
the consequences thereof. He also from time to
time published a variety of articles relative
to the causes of diseases and means of avoiding
the same, &c. Doctor Nichols and wife, Mary S. Gove
Nichols, formerly of the city of New York and after
wards residents of Cincinnatti, also published a similar
monthly journal for a iew j^ears. Fron>, such works
much interesting matter for the benefit of mankind can
be acquired, and more than people generally are will
ing to practice.
The physicians, by much study and practice, have
become very skillful in overcoming 'aiid curing dis
ease, and more dependence is now liad oh their ser
vices for prolonging Ufe than on any other nieans for
that purpose. - "
Important as the preservation of health is to man
kind, few appear to be wiUing to use means' for pre
serving it, some of which are irksome and others coun
teract the cravings of nature. These latter differ widely
in persons, and consequently are easier overcome by
some than others. Many men of strong constitutions,
in healthy employments, have Uttle need of being
strictly temperate, or to use extraordinary means to
preserve health.
The three first verses of the XXIII chapter of the
Proverbs of Solomon are very appUcable in respect to

154 HISTORY OF DEERPARK.
making choice of a great variety of food and drink
such as Eulers of his time furnished.
Now as man is composed of both body and a com
prehensive and intelligent mind, which latter is subject
to pleasure and pain, happiness and misery, it is nec
essary to use our best means for the welfare of both ;
and as a large field is opened by the acquisitions
mentioned, for the enjoyment of the mind as well as
of the body, and also a large field for speculative ob
jects, many of which are of a pernicious character, it
becomes necessary to select such as will promote hap
piness and to shun those which are attended with
dangerous consequences, both in respect to suffering
corporeal punishment and the torments of a guilty con
science. The most perfect course of life creates the easiest
journey, but a perfect guidance in all respects is be
yond the comprehension of man, and would not be
fully pur.sued even if understood. Our country is filled
with preachers to expound the laws of God and dic
tate the walks of life, yet men err to such a degree
from a perfect life as to make it necessary to have
many codes of civil law, and a great number of civil
officers versed therein to prevent imposition and sus
tain the rights of man.
A perfect life of the mass of men in all respects
would create the greatest happiness. It has been
prophesied that a time will arrive when men will be
come blessed with a happy state of existence, when
wars will cease and peace prevail. In respect of
which, if we take a view of what has transpired in the
world, it appears -that mankind have made a great
advance since the commencement of our historical

HISTORY OP DEERPARK. 155
revelations from a rude and barbarous state towards
that of civilization, and from the numerous, cruel and
terrible warfares of ancient times to a greater preva
lence of peace and much less cruelty in warfare. Yet
the world of mankind still remains at a vast distance
from such a happy state as might exist if all men were
disposed to act for the welfare of all, and had discern
ment to use the best means for obtaining it. But we
still remain fallible in both those respects, and if ever
we are to have the enjoyment of such a happy state it
must be yet far in advance, and it probably is best to
progress slowly and become fitted by degrees for such
a change.

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

156 HISTORY OF DEERPARK.
their preacher. The sum they gave him for that pur
pose was £125 12s. fid,, equal to $814.06. He went,
obtained his education and became authorized to
preach the gospel, returned and commenced to preach
for the four congregations in June 1741 ; but no
agreement had yet been made in relation to his salary
and other matters which were necessary to, be agreed
on, and before any agreement was made Fryenmoet
received a call from Eochester. It appears, however,
that he declined that call, and. an agreement was en
tered into between him' and the church officers of
Minisink and .Mahackemeck congregations, the 7th of
January, 1742, whereby it was stipulated that each df
those congregations should pay Fryenmoet £20, equal
to $50. A like sum paid by each of the other congre
gations made the amount of his salary $200 ; besides
this he was to have 100 skipple of oats for horse feed,
of which each congregation was to furnish 25 skipple.
In February, 1745, the four congregations' agreed to
pay each £17 10s. for the purpose of building a house
for Fryenmoet.
It appears from the church records that John Cas-
parus Fryenmuth, born in Switzerland, with Eleanor
Van Etten, born in Nytsfield, were married with a li
cense from Governor Morris, in New Jersey, by Jus
tice Abraham Van Camp, the 23d of July, 1742, The
church records contain the rules and regulations of
the church made at . different times, which, in some re
spects, were different from those of the present time,
among which were the twp following, to wit : Church
Wardens before officiating had to bind themselves in
writing to remain subj.ect tp the Classis of Amsterdam.
Persons intending to be married had to make out a

HISTOEY OP DEERPARK. 157
certificate of their intended marriage and deliver it to
the minister, who for three successive Sundays, at the
close of service, read the certificate and at the same
time gave notice that if any legal objections to the
marriage existed, they should be made in due time and
place. This last continued to be practiced during Van Ben-
schoten's services.
¦ These records are in the Holland Dutch tongue. It
appears that Fryenmoet's services ended in 1755
when his services became impracticable in conse
quence of the French war, whereby this frontier set
tlement became much exposed to Indian warfare, and
he removed to Kinderhook, N. Y., where he preached
for 21 years and where he died in 1778. He was re
presented as a man of short stature, handsome and
eloquent. One hundred and ten comnaunicant members were
received into the church whilst Fryenmoet officiated,
within the congregations of Minisink and Mahacke
meck, about 36 of whom resided in the present town of
Deerpark. Of the latter the following from time to
time alternately served as members of the Mahacke
meck consistory :
Jacobus Swartwout Authony Van Etten,
Thomas Decker, Johannis Westbrook,
Johannis Decker, Solomon Koykendall,
Gerardus Van Inwegen, Josias Cole,
Peter Gumaer, Benjamin Depuy,
WUliam Cole, Philip Swartwout,
Peter KuykendaU.
In the year 1760 the Eev. Thomas Eomeyn com
menced his ministerial services for the congregations

158 HISTORY OF DEERPARK.
mentioned, and continued until the year 1772, during
which time a general attendance was given to his
preaching, and reading meetings were had and at
tended also on those Sundays when there was no
preaching in this congregation. This practice contin
ued during the time of the successive ministers, until
preaching was had every Sunday in our church. (Mr.
Eomeyn on leaving here settled in Canghnawaga,
Montgomery Countyj N. Y., where after 21 years of
ministerial labor he died in 1794.)
Within the time of Eomeyn's services a schism oc
curred in the Dutch church, in consequence of the
subordinate state of the church to the Classsis of Am
sterdam, in Holland, in respect to ordaining ministers
there, &c., which having become burdensome to many
who had to go there to become authorized to preach
the gospel, measures were taken to have a Classis es
tablished in this country for that purpose. This cre
ated two parties, one of which, termed Couferentie,was
in favor of continuing according to former practice,
and the other, termed Coetus, were advocates of a
Classis formed in this country to examine and ordain
men to preach the gospel. Of the former, Eomeyn was
a moderate adherent, probably in consequence of his
ordination in Holland, yet the people of his congrega
tions generally attended to his preaching and were not
as violent partisans as many people were in some other
parts of our country ; and it is probable his services
would have continued, if a few of the most influential
ruling members of his church, who were of the Coetus
party, had not projected means to end his services in
the year mentioned..
From this time, a term of thirteen years elapsed in

HISTORY OP DEERPARK. 159
which these congregations had no regular preacher,
but probably had a few supplies before the Revolu
tionary War commenced, during its continuance, and
after it ended.
In the year 1785 the Rev. Elias Van Benschoten en
tered on his ministerial services for the three congrega
tions of Mahackemeck, Minisink and Walpack, in each
of which he preached every third Sunday, in both the
Dutch and English languages and generally performed
half in each tongue ; and required of the young peo
ple as their duty, to commit to memory in the English
tongue the Heidelberg catechism, in such portions as
he directed to be answered at each time of his preach
ing in the congregation, either on the same Sunday or
on one of the days of the same week, at which. time he
gave explanations of that portion of the catechism. He
retired in 1795, * and removed to a farm or tract of
land he had purchased, situated east of the Shawan
gunk mountain,in the northerly part of New Jersey, on
which he made great improvements and granted it to
Mr. Cooper, a nephew of his by marriage, subject to
payment by installme'nts, and his money he bestowed
for educating youths for the ministry, &c. ($17,000
given to the General Synod of Reformed Dutch Church
for this purpose in 1814.)
Van Benschoten was a man well calculated for the
"rudeness of the time in which he officiated in those
congregations. After Van Benschoten's services were ended, a term

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

160 HISTORY OF DEERPARK.
of about four years elapsed before another regular
preacher served this congregation. In, or about the
winter of 1803 and 1804, the Rev. John Demarest
commenced his services for the congregations men
tioned and performed one-half of his preaching in
the Dutch tongue, and the other half in English. He
continued until about the year 1806. * After this a
term of about ten or eleven years elapsed in which no
regular preacher officiated in this congregation, but
supplies were sometimes had.
On the 25th of January, 1817, the Rev. Cornelius
C. Elting was installed pastor of the two congregations,
Mahackemeck and Minisink, and performed his ser
vices in the English language. He died the 24th of
October, 1843.'|-
All religious services have since been performed in-
the English tongue in our congregation. Within the
term of his services a new church was built in Port
Jervis, after which the name of " Mahackemeck
Church " was altered by an act of the Legislature, in
1838, to that of " The Reformed Dutch Church of
Deerpark." The materials of the old church were re
moved after the new one was . finished, and the spot
where the first and second churches had stood during
a term of about one century, from the time the first
was erected until the last was taken down, became
vacant, and the ancient and latter occupants who for
merly repaired to it for the worship of their Creator
now generally sleep in their graves.
On the 29th of February, 1844, the Rev. George P.

* Mr. Demarest died in New York city in 1837.
t Mr. Elting is the only minister of this Church who has died during
the pastorate of the Church.

HISTORY OF DEERPARK. 161
Van Wyck was ordained and installed pastor of the
Reformed Dutch Church of Deerpark, unconnected
with the congregation of Miuisink, aud his services
were generally had every Sunday in this church, which
he continued until in May, 1852.* On February 22d,
1853, the Rev. Hiram Slauson was installed pastor,and
continued his services until in October 1857. t
In the year 1853 the church edifice at Cuddeback-
viUe was built at a cost of -$2,500, principally borne by
the inhabitants of that place and its vicinity. A church
was organized March 12th, 1854,(by a committee of the
Classis of Orange) consisting of thirteen members,
twelve of whom were received from the Reformed
Dutch Church of Deerpark, and one from the Episco
pal Church of Middletown. The Rev. Henry Morris
was installed as the first pastor of this church the
third Tuesday of September, 1855. |
On the first Sabbath in February, 1858, the Rev.
Samuel W. Mills commenced his pastoral services for
the Dutch Reformed Church at Port Jervis.'^'
As we now generally have preaching every Sabbath,
our reading meetings have been discontinued. The
exercises of those meetings 'were prayer by one of the
communicant members, and singing before and after
reading a sermon from a book of sermons.
The greatest supporters of those meetings were Ben
jamiu Depuy, Esq., within his time of action, and af
terwards Joel Wliitlock. In the early part of Depuy's
* Mr. Vail "Wyck is now (1889) living at 'Washington, D. C.
t Mr. Slauson is still (1889) living at Whitehall, N. V.
t Mr. Morris remained pastor of this Church until 1861 when he re
moved to Port Jervis, and subsequently, in 1867,10 Binghamton, N. Y.,
where he died, "in 1881, at 78 years of age.
* Mr. Mills continued pastor until Nov. 1871.

162 HISTORY OF DEERPARK.
life he, and sometimes Jacob R. Dewitt, performed the
reading in Dutch, but in the latter part of his life and
afterwards it was done in the English language and
continued to be done in that tongue.
Since the construction of the Delaware and Hudson
canal and the New York and Erie railroad this town
has received an additional population, who have built
up the large and flourishing village of Port Jervis.
These are from different parts of our* country and
from different countries in Europe and are of different
religious denominations.
The greatest proportion of these are of English ori
gin, and some of them are the most opulent in it. This
village, commenced about the year 1828, now contains
six churches, all of which are generally occupied every
Sunday for reUgious worship, to wit : A Dutch Re
formed as mentioned, and a Baptist, Methodist, Pres
byterian, Episcopalian and a Eoman Catholic,
(and now in 1890 a German Lutheran). The
different opinions of men in religion and politics have
alwaj's had a tendency to create enmity ; but as men
have become enlightened, those causes have gradually
ceased to have such violent effects as iu former times, .
especially in religion. The members of the different
denominations in our town now harmonize in their
business transactions, and their different opinions in
religion do not eff'ect their social intercourse in other
respects. But in polities we must always expect to
have times of great contention, if we continue to have
the liberty of speaking our respective sentiments, for
people will always disagree, both honestly and dis
honestly in respect to certain matters which will, from
time to time be introduced for legislative action and

HISTORY OF DEERPARK. 163
determination ; and our inability to judge correctly in
relation to all the numerous matters which will con
tinually occur for such decision, together with many
selfish views, will always cause strife in our political
affairs, and these will continue to have a great effect in
opening the eyes of the people in relation to our po
litical matters.
In religion it is probable that the different denomi
nations will generally continue to become freed from
that enmity which formerly existed in consequence of
their religious opinions, the folly of which is now ap
parent to the best informed part of mankind. The
use of force and arms in former times to compel men
to unite or keep united with certain reUgious sects,
had a tendency to produce hyprocisy, for self preser
vation, but not to alter men's opinions. Convincing
proofs are the only means to alter erroneous opinions,
but the great evil of ancient times consisted in organ
izing men to answer selfish purposes by religious and
political subjugation ; the most numerous and power
ful of each of these becoming united, created a power
to tyranize over their opposers.
The acts of men which have emanated froin the
influence of serving God have been directed in many
different ways, some of which have been very erro
neous and contrary to the spirit of Christianity, al
though transacted by its professors. Such have been
all the instigators of wars for selfish purposes, without
a just cause, and aU unjust impositions for whatever
objects. Within the present century much has been done to
enlighten mankind and improve their condition, and
we are under great obUgations of gratitude to all the

164 HISTORY OF DEERPARK.
scientific men of our country for the vast improve
ment and discoveries they have made within my own
time of life, most of which has been done by descen
dants of English origin, whose ancestors generally
came into this country poor, to enjoy liberty in the
wilds of the Eastern states, where they had to suffer
the hardships of procuring a livelihood in a wilderness
country, among the hazards of being exterminated by
the numerous Indians who inhabited it. Now, not
withstanding their privations and all the hazards which
attended their situations, they persevered, improved
the country wherever they settled, defended themselvei
against Indian hostilities, and, as soon as practicable,
introduced religious -worship, Uterature and the study
of the arts, and sciences, and became the most enlight
ened people in our country.
Many of their descendants have emigrated into the
different States of the Union, and, wherever they have
located, they have generally introduced religion, liter-
ture, and the study of the arts and sciences. They
occupy the greatest part of the most important stations
of life in our country, and we are indebted to them for
a vast aniount of improvements, and for many manu
facturing establishments in different parts of our coun
try. Ill religion they do not all unite. Their spirit of
liberty generally dictates the individuals to join such
Christian denomination as they respectively prefer, in
consequence of which they have become divided gen
erally among the different Christian denominations in
our country. These different opinions in reUgious
sentiments generally create no enmit}' between the
most enlightened professors, -^vlio so differ in opinion
where no apprehensions of evil consequences exist.

HISTORY OP DEERPARK. 165
but indications of these have not become wholly ex
tinguished, and raay or may not prove an injury to the
welfare of our country.

ADMINISTEATION OF JUSTICE.
For about 60 or 70 years the inhabitants of that
part of the present town of Deerpark, which formerly
was in the town of Mamakating in Ulster County, had
no nearer Justice of the Peace than in Eochester, iu
the same County, which was about 35 or 40 miles dis
tant from the Peenpack neighborhood ; and, the ser
vices of that officer were unnecessary for the inhabi
tants of that neighborhood during that time, in which
they had the honesty and prudence to adjust all mat
ters relating to their mutual dealings. And the inhab
itants of the lower neighborhood, who were in the
County of Orange, and had settled there about 20
years after the settlement was made at Peenpack, must
have resided there about 40 or 50 years before any
Justice officiated in that neighborhood.
I presume that Jacobus (James) Vau Auken was the
first Justice of the Peace in the present town of Deer-
park, and that he received his office from the authori
ties of the State of New Jersey before the line between
the States became settled. He resided in the lower
neighborhood. It was said that he was entirely illit
erate, and that the wife of his son Daniel Van Auken,
Leah Kittle, had been educated and could read and
write and did the same for her father-in-law when it

166 HISTORY OF DEERPARK.
became necessary for transacting his official business,
in consequence of which she received the name of
Justice in his time of Ufe.
Benjamin Depuy and Philip Swartvsrout, E'squires,
officiated as Justices of the Peace for the County of
Ulster before the Eevolutionary War commenced, and
Anthony Van Etten and Solomon Kuykeudall,Esquires,
officiated as Justices of the Peace for the County of
Orange, also before the commencement of the war,how
long previous thereto I cannot determine, but think
they must have come into office after the French war
ended and before the year 1770. After the decease of
Swartwout, Van Auken and Van Etten,which occurred,
as has been mentioned, in the time of the war, Har
manus Van Inwegen became a Justice of the Peace of
the County of Ulster and Levi Van Etteu of Orange
County. The former was a resident of the old town of
Mamakating, and the latter of the former town of Min
isink. Afterwards Peter G. Cuddeback became a Jus
tice of the Peace of Ulster County, and officiated until
he removed to Cayuga County.
After this time several individuals held the office in
succession for the County of Orange, which became so
altered, together with an alteration of the towns, as to
include the present to-wu of Deerpark in which Cudde
back resided. When the first and second churches of
Mahackemeck congregation were built, a bench with a
roof over it was made in each of those churches for a
seat of such magistrates in time of divine service.'*
When those civil officers were first introduced into this
part of our country they were more highly esteemed
* This was very common in the Dutch Churches in this country at
that time.

HISTORY OP DEERPARK. 167
than at present, though it did not require as good
abilities and as much law knowledge to discharge their
duties honorably in former times as at present, in con
sequence of the great increase of their business and a
more general diffusion of law knowledge, also by hav
ing become familiarized among the people in a much
greater degree than formerly.
The descendants of the first settlers in the twu
neighborhoods mentioned have generally settled all
their mutual dealings without the process of law, which
has so continued to the present time ; and before the
Revolution the Justices must have had onlv a mere
trifle of business. After the war ended law prosecu
tions and trials began, and their increase a few years
thereafter made a great addition of business for the
resident Justices in the towns mentioned, which rap
idly augmented until the County of Sullivan was
formed and became established out of a part of the old
County of Ulster, and a part of the latter added to the
old County of Orange, which transferred a great
amount of law business from the present County of
Ulster into the County of Sullivan.
After the Eeuolutionary War, the large forests of
wild lands then in Ulster County contained a great
amount of valuable pine, oak and hemlock timber,
both near the Delaware river and for some
miles distant from it. This valuable property became
an object of enterprise for people to get and con
vey to market, first generally in the form of logs.
Few owners of the land were in this part of
the country, which gave people the opportunity to
get it where they saw fit, but as the business extended
owners were found and many people became engaged

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

HISTORY OP DEERPARK. 169
materials were not manufactured in this vicinity at
that time. It became necessary to build saw mills to
furnish those articles, and three men, Capt. Abraham
Cuddeback, Benjamin Cuddeback and Capt. Abraham
Westfall, built a saw mill on a brook at that time
termed Bush-kill, at or near the present tanning estab
lishment of Mr. O. B. Wheeler, near the bridge across
the Neversink river ou the Mount Hope and Luraber-
land turnpike ; and three other men, Benjamin Depuy,
Esq., Elias Gumaer and Samuel Depuy, built a saw
mill on the present premises of Abraham Cuddeback,
Esq., on the same brook on which his present saw mill
stands. Near the Bush-kill saw mill at that time was much
pine timber, and that raill continued to do considera
ble business for several years, and the same, and a few
other mills west of it, manufactured the greatest part
of the boards formerly used for the buildings in Orange
County, and the shingles for roofing the same were
generally made in the vicinity of those mills. All of
which, during a certain period of time, made a great
business, and some addition to that of our Justice's
courts originated from it.
A great trading intercourse generally creates many
causes of contention and fills our courts with a great
amount of business, aU of which has its bad and good
effects, and while some bear the burdens of contention
others receive the benefit of transacting the necessary
business for adjusting matters of dispute. All the
/consequences resulting from such an intercourse of
• mankind, have a tendency to enlighten them, and,
according to the old saying " It's an UI wind that
blows nobody any good."

ANTEEIOR. PRICES 'of LIVE STOCK, GRAIN
AND OTHER FARMERS' PRODUCE,
WAGES, &C.
For many years the prices of those productions,
wages, &c., were about stationary. At what time or
tiraes these were established is uncertain, but I pre
sume it must have been as early as 1740, when the
same became regulated according to the discretion of
the people throughout this valley or by the Esopus
merchant, and continued until about the year 1790.
The farmers generally paid raechanics and laborers
with the produce of their farms, and the latter paid
what they bought of the former in labor, and very
little money was in circulation among them.

CURRENCY AND MEASURES.
Previous to the Revolutionary War, and for a fe-w
years after it ended, the currency in- circulation here
was that of the Coldny of New York, afterwards termed

HISTORY OF DEERPARK. 171
State of New York, which was calculated in pounds,
shillings, pence and farthings.
1 pound was 20 shillings  $2.50
1 shilUng was 12 pence  .12|-
1 penny was 4 farthings  01 1-25
The grain measure was a skipple, and held 3 pecks.
The cloth measure was an ell, f of a yard long.:
For brevity, the prices annexed to the following ar
ticles, wages, &c., is in our present currency, and the
measures are those now in use.
LIVE STOCK.
Horses, from about  $20.00 to $50.00
Cows, " "  7.50 to 12.50
Sheep, " "  ,  1.00 to 1.50
GRAIN.
Wheat, per bushel  $0.75
Rye, per bushel  50
Corn, per bushel  50
Buckwheat, per bushel  31
MEAT.
Beef, per cwt  $2.50
Pork, per cwt  4.00
CLOTHS.
For man's every day wear linen, unbleached, per
yard  «0-44
For man's every day wear linen, bleached, per
yard  ¦ • • •  ^^
Finer quaUties for Sunday wear at higher prices,
linsey-woolsey, fulled and colored  1.00

172 HISTORY OP DEERPARK.
UnfuUed plain colored linsey-woolsey for woman's
wear  75
These cloths were all woven five-quarters of a yard
wide. FLAX.
Unhatcheled, per lb  $0.09
Tow, per lb  06
WAGES.
For labor on a farm, per year, from. . . $50.00 to $75.00
For labor on a farm, per month, from.. 5.00 to 7.50
For labor on a farm, per day, except
in harvest and haying, from  25 to .37^
Per day for cradling grain  $0.62|
Per day for mowing grass  50
Raking and binding after a cradler  62^
Raking only after a cradler  25
Binding after a cradler  37^
Cutting timber and splitting it into rails, per
hundred  37|
Splitting rails, per hundred  18f
Crackling or breaking flax per hundred handfuUs. .12J
Swingling flax per lb. about  03
Spinning it for comraon wear per lb. (women's
work)  12^
Weaving linen for every day wear per yard about. .04
Linsey -Woolsey per yard about  07
carpenter's work.
Per day from  $0.50 to $0.72
For making the woodwork of a wagon  $25.00
Of a lumber sleigh  1.50

HISTORY OP DEERPARK. 173
Of a plow  1.00
Of a fanning miU  12.50
mason's work.
Per day from  $0.50 to $0.75
The sums paid for the mason and carpenter's work
of the dwelling house of Peter Gumaer, done about the
year 1753,will show how cheap those mechanics worked
at that time.
The house was 45 by 40 feet on the ground, with a
cellar under the same, divided into four cellar rooms
and four dwelling rooms. Tire walls were of stone,
masoned with clay mortar and were about two feet
thick, pointed outside of the house and inside of the
cellar rooms with lime and sand raortar, and plastered
inside of. the rooms and chamber with mortar of lime,
&c. The mason work of this house was done by three
masons, by the job, for £30, equal to $75 ; and the
carpenter's work was also done by the job, by a Mr.
Wells, for the like sum of £30, equal to $75.
To show how cheap these mechanics worked, I have
thought proper to give a further description of this
house, being as foUows, to wit : The two side walls
were about 20 feet high frora the bottom of the cellar
to the plates, and the two end walls were about 28 feet
high. The two walls, which divided the cellar and
dwelling house each into four apartments, were about
16 feet high from the bottom of the cellar to the cham
ber floor. The two chimneys, with the supporting
walls in the cellar and forming the fire-places, were
about 40 feet high from the bottom of the cellar to
their tops,and were each about 10 x 6 feet square above
the upper floor, frora which they -svere tapering towards'

174 HISTORY OF DEERPARK.
the top of the roof, and above it were about 4 or 5 feet
square. The carpenter's work consisted of hewing, fitting and
laying the cellar beams, which were about one foot
square, and reached from the outside to the inside
walls, also hewing, planing and laying the beams of
the upper floor, which were of pitch pine tiraber and
about 14 X 10 inches square, also hewing and planing
the plates on which the roof rested, also hewing the
rafters, which were about 8x6 inches square at the
lower ends and about 5 inches square at the top end
and those on the sides were about 32 feet long, and
those on the two other sides, or ends, were about 26
feet long, and each pair of the long rafters contained
a girth of about 25 feet long and about 8x6 inches
square. The lath on which the shingles were nailed
were of split tiraber, hewed IJ inch thick and about 5
inches wide, the shingles were of white pine tiraber 3
feet long and 1 inch thick at the butt end, shaved to
near an edge at the other end ; the lower and upper
floors were of pitch pine boards, 1^ inch thick planed
on the side within the rooras.
The house contained 7 inside panel doors, four out
side fraraed doors, and four cellar batten doors, five
windows, which contained each 24 panes of glass, and
panel window shutters to each window, four sraall
windows above the outside doors and eight small
chamber and cellar windows, and a large closet each
side of one df the fire places. These two jobs were
paid in raoney, which was of rauch more value at that
time than at present.
Few country dwelling houses contain as great a
weight of materials as were put into this building- It

HISTORY OF DEERPARK. 175
lasted until the year 1823, and, with a little repairing
and a new roof, might have stood and been a good
house until the present time. It contained all its first
materials except a small repair of the floors before
each fire place, and rebuilding the east wall, from
which the pointing had been washed by northeast
storms of rain and caused it to fall. The lower and
upper floors, and the two end roofs, were yet Water
tight when the house was taken down. The roofs on
the north and south sides had becorae leaky, and more
on the north than south side. The two end roofs were
very steep, and those on the sides were somewhat
steeper than roofs of the present time.

BUSINESS TRANSACTIONS OF OUR ANCES
TORS.
As there has been a great change in the business
transactions of people in this part of the country gen
erally within the last half century, I have thought
proper to give a more particular statement in relation
to that of the inhabitants formerly of our present town,
than what has been mentioned in the preceding part
of this work.
Commencing with the ending and beginning of the
year, I will in the first instance narrate the manner in
which Christmas and New Year''s days were kept.

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

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

History op deerpark. 177
^reat amount of teaming iu the winter season while
sleighing continued, to get their wheat to market- their
,fire wdod, post aud rail timber drawn, and miich other
work which teams had to perform. Wheat, in the firsfe
instance, had to be taken between 50 and 60 railed
distarice frora our present town to market, afterwards
betwieen 40 and 50 miles. ' .
, Asth^ days are short -iu winter, the people ¦ before
my time^ occupied, a .part of the. night after dark in the
evening. and iu the morning before daylight,f or- thresh
ing and cleaning wheat, and also for -taking it to raar
ket. Th-e great araount. of fire wood, post and. rail
timber, which had to be provided in the winter season,.
also raade much "winter work. After sleighing ended,
post and rail tiraber had to be.' split, the posts holed
and rails sharpened, and, as^soon as the frost was 'Out
of the ground, new fences were made of these and tlie
old fences were repaired. Ih 17.70 and afterwards, a
great amount of fuel and fencing timber Avas used in
consequence of the large fires farmers kept up in their
sitting rooms . and kitchens,. the smallness and scat
tered situation to which farms had become reduced at
that tiine,and the necessity of dividing tlienl into small
lots for p^Stprin^ purposes, j '
:" In Marchand April, ;.tli-e -flax which had ndt been
previously di-essed, was in these months all crackled
and. swingled, rope yarn spun, and ropes raade for
halters, traces, Unes and other uses. Each farmer in
these months prepared his hides for tanning, procured
white oak bark.and laid down the: hides, together with
the bark and water, in troughs,to be tanned during the
warm season. The Unen for summer wear was princi
pally woven in these months by the men, the manure

178 history op deerpark.
drawn from the barnyards and stables, and flax seed
and oats sowed.
In May, the corn-ground was ploughed and planted,
and ploughing for buckwheat was done for the first
time. In June,the corn was hoed twice, for which it was
prepared by plowing each time between the rows one
way, so that much had to be .done with the hoe, and
the ploughing for summer fallow was also commenced,
and at an early day of the settlement sometimes fin
ished in this month.
In July the harvesting and gathering of winter
grain and oats, and the pulling of flax was all done.
In August, after meadows were mads, the grass was
cut and gathered for fodder, flax taken up and brought
into barns, and a second ploughing for wheat was
principally done in this month. (It was customary
'with the ancient people to plough three times for
wheat and twice for rye).
In September the plowing for seed and sowing win
ter grain was coraraenced, and was continued during
the raonth of October and beginning of November.
Cider was from tirae to time made during these three
months. The topping of corn, by cutting off the stalks
above the ears for fodder,was done in Septeraber until
the tirae of the Revolutionary War, after which this
practice was abandoned and the cutting up of corn
near the ground and setting it up in small shocks be
came a general practice, in which, improvements in
performing the work, and tirae and manner of doing
the same, have from time to time been made. Until
the time of the Revolutionary War, and during that
war, the ears of corn on the stalks, standing out in the

history op deerpark. 179
field after becoming dry, were pulled from the stalks
and thrown into small heaps between the rows, from
which they were taken with a wagon into the barn
where they were husked, sometimes by means of one
or more husking frolics, but more generally by the
family only. In these months and beginning of De
cember, flax was rotted, and some of it dressed for
winter spinning, and rope yarn was spun, and ropes
made for cow-ropes, halters, traces, lines and other
purposes for winter use.
In November, winter apples, and the few potatoes,
turnips and other roots raised in those times, were
brought into the cellar ; and the killing and putting
up of pork and beef was done in the latter part of this
month and beginning of December. The manufactur
ing of leather, which each farmer had tanned during
the season, was done at this time and made into shoes,
(generally by a raember of the family), also the weav
ing of linsey-woolsey and woolen check for winter
wear, and the dressing of some flax for winter spin
ning. In November,each farraer generally took a load
of wheat and flax seed to market, for procuring salt,
pepper, iron and other articles.
The women, as well as the men, had also to perform
a great amount of labor. Besides their ordinary
housework, they had to spin the yarn for aU their
clothing, hatched their flax, and card their wool,
bleach aU their Unen for shirts and some other uses,
make aU the wearing apparel of both men and women,
and did all the knitting of stockings and mittens,which
amounted to more than double the knitting now done
for a family, which had become necessary in conse
quence of the fashion of men in former times wearing

180 history of deerpark.
short breeches, which also raade it necessary for them
to wear over stockings.
All those necessary occupations made a great
amount of business for our ancestors, and furnished
thera with a very plentiful supply of the necessaries of
life. They had very little help besides that of a few
slaves, which generally did not araount to raore than
a raan and a woraan slave to a family, exclusive of
children aud old people hot able to do much. Tlrt
inhabitants were generally farraers, and few laborers
could be obtained by tliera.

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

history of deerpark. 181
dominating characteristics of an anterior ancestor have
been the most prevalent iu the line of theii- descent.

CHARACTERS OF SOME OF THE FIRST SET-
- ' .TLERS." ", ¦ , -
. - Very Uttle is now known respecting the seven first
pioneers. I imagine that they^had all been in com
fortable circumstances of Ufe, and had -become reduced
so that they were in want of means for a livelihood,
and became associated to obtain ' possession of some
good land 'which they were not able to purchase in the
settled part of the country, and had to venture to emi
grate into its wilds which remained unsettled by white
people but was inhabited by Indians,, who at that
time were thought to be a more savage aud cruel peo
ple than what they in reality were.
,, The three Swartwouts, we have reason to presurae,
.were best calculated for this enterprise, and that their
corapanions must have had rauch reliance pn them for
.pi;otection. Not only were they possessed of superior
capacities iu respect of body and spirit for adventurous
undertakings, but also were a very social, jocose, hum
orous and witty people, well calculated to become
easily familiarized with strangers and coiirt friendship,
,which first qualities were necessary to intimidate tho
Indians, and the latter to court and maintain friend
ship with them. They were an easy people aud made
no great exertions to acquu-e property, by raeans of
hard labor, but provided for a good living- . Spme of

182 HISTORY OF deerpark.
these characteristics have become much changed in
the descendants of those who remained in this vicinity,
and some of thera have been inherited to the present
tirae. The Swartwout character became much changed
by the union of Major Swartwout with the daughter of
the first Peter Gumaer, whose only surviving son,
Philip Swartwout, became the greatest business man
of his time in this neighborhood. He also was more
sedate and economical than his ancestors ; in other
respects he had inherited the Swartwout character. A
great degi'ee of these existed in the two succeeding
generations, and have not become extinguished in the
sixth. Caudebec and Guimar, reduced from a state of afflu
ence to that of indigence, differed widely to meet such
a change and undertake the task of manual labor for
a living which became necessary after they landed in
this country, and was undertaken by them, but, as they
were not able to perform as much as men habituated
to it, they received only low wages. Caudebec, being
dissatisfied, told Guimar that he would not work for
such low wages ; Guimar replied that they had to do
something for a living,and, as they could not do much,
they could not expect much, and that while they la
bored they had their living, if no more. At the insti
gation of Caudebec, they went from the State in which
they first landed into the State of New York, and he,
having been habituated to a trading business, became
introduced into the family of Benjamin Provost, who
also were in such business, and was married to one of
his daughters. Guimar, in the meantime, undertook
the business of cleaning flax by the pound, for which
he received wages according to what he did, and also

HISTORY OF DEERPARK. 183
became married to a daughter (as has been supposed)
of a Deyo.
After these two individuals became settled in our
present town, the same difference continued to exist in
relation to their business transactions. Guimar, 'with
the help of his daughters, two slaves he bought or had
of his father-in-law, and one son, (his youngest child),
became the greatest farmer in this town. He was very
persevering in his business transactions, and severe to
compel his slaves, also his daughters and son, to do
all the labor they could perform. The daughters, five
in number, although of delicate constitutions, did all
the housework and manufacturing of all their clothing,
also a part of the work on the farm and taking wheat
to market. He, hiraself, dressed all his flax, to which
business he had become habituated before he settled
on his farm, which was about all the farmer's work he
could do. He also was severe to enforce the moral
and reUgious duties of his children. His descendants
have, from generation to generation, very generally
inherited his persevering . business character to the
present time ; in other respects raany of his character
istics have become extinguished.
Caudebec was the reverse of Guimar in respect to
his business transactions, and more tender towards his
children. He had much of a speculative disposition,
and aimed at getting a living by easier means than
that of steady manual labor, and this probably was the
view of the seven first settlers and cause of their emi
gration to get possession of land where wild animals,
fowls and fishes abounded, which, together with the
cultivation of smaU portions of such land, would fur
nish means for an easy life and a better living, in re
spect of eatables, than what we can now enjoy.

184 HISTORY OF DEERPARK.
After those individuals became located in our pres
ent town, it was necessary for them to procure a title
for the land they wanted to occupy, and it appears
that they selected Caudebec, as the most proper per
son, to send to the Governor and procure a patent foi*
as many acres of land as would cover Avhat they wanted
to occupy. ,
After one of the Swartwouts, Caudebec and" Gui^
mar became owners of the patent right, tliey had to
contend for the possession of a great part of the land
they claimed and had in their possession, and it was
necessary for. them to devise means to counteract those
who wanted to dispossess them. Caudebec, who was
of a contemplative raind, raust haye been well calcu
lated to assist in forming plans for that purpose, and I
have understood that he, and certain individuals of his
own family, officiated in some of those which were very
important. After his daughters became married, he devised
means for their livelihood, by inducing the husbands
of three of them, Abrahara Louw, Evert Hornbeck and
Harmanus Van Gordon, to locate on the east side of
the Delaware river, in the State of New Jersey, oppo
site Shipikunk Island ; and also his son James and
two of his brothers-in-law to do the sarae, and each of
them take possession of as much land on the island as
was necessary for a livelihood for his respective family.
This island was a body of very good river land, and
the first possessor of any part of it had a right to, hold
what he had in possession without paying for it. ,,It
was termed King's land, txnd to remain unsold by his
Majesty or Governraent. Other islands in that riv^r
were in the sarae situation, and the husband of another

HISTORY OP DEERPARK. 185
of his daughters, WestfaU, located hiraself on.t;he same
side of the river, opposite Minisink Island, and took
possession of a part of that island.
From all of which we must infer that he was a man
well calculated to overcome difficulties, and had a pen
etrating mind. He was characterized as a sensible
man. He had been educated.but to what extent is not
known. He had told his family that he had been a
great reader before he left his country, and that he
regretted that his children did not have the opportun
ity to become educated. He instructed thera in raoral
and religious duties, and was very tenacious of their
characters. At a certain time two of his daughters
told him that certain persons had made a scandalous
report respecting them. He asked if it was true what
they had said. They replied no, it was all lies.
" Well," said he, " maintain good characters and let
them talk ; they will get ashamed of their lies."
His character, in relation to what has -been men
tioned respecting his mental ability ,lias been inherited
from generation to generation by sorae of his descend
ants (who reraained in this town) to the present time.
The bodily Capacities of his sons, in respect of size,
strength and agility, I consider to have been inherited
from his wife, which, although much reduced frora that
of those ancients, is still superior in some of the de
scendants of the present lime to that of the generality
of raen. Some of those ancients, in our neighborhood,
were a very talkative people and uncommonly fond of
conversation, in which they embraced a great variety
of topics in relation to -what had transpired in this
vaUey for a distance of sixty or seventy miles, and in-

186 HISTORY OP DEERPARK.
eluded a great many remarks in relation to the con
duct of the people of those times and much argumen
tation on different subjects. I have sat many a long
winter evening, and many an hour in the daytime, to
hear the conversations and arguments of a few of the
individuals of the second generation. These propen
sities, which were inherent in this family, have become
much changed in their descendants of the present
time. Many of these communications, remarks and
arguments were entertaining and instructive, and had
a tendency to induce good morality, of which they
possessed more in principle than in language. I will
here introduce one good reraark, which one of them
made in the presence of myself and a few others, which
was that, " The first of anything from which trouble
accrued was the cause of all the evil consequences
which originated from the same."
In bodily size, strength and agility, there was a
great similarity between the Swartwouts and Cudde
backs, but those I have known differed in visage. It
was said that sorae of the ancients were superior in
personal beauty and natural mental abilities to their
descendants. This information I have had from dif
ferent sources. The first time I saw Nathaniel Owen,
who kept a store and tavern many years ago, about
two railes east of the Wallkill, on the road to New
Windsor and Newburgh, he told me that he had been
acquainted with the old people in our two neighbor
hoods, and that he had never Ijeen in a place where
there was so great a proportion of portly, handsome
men as were in those neighborhoods, which he con
sidered as remarkable for such a by-place as this was

HISTORY OP DEERPARK. 187
at that time. He named Major Swartwout, the second
Peter Gumaer, William Cuddeback, Johannis (John)
Westbrook and the first Peter Kuykendall as the most
superior in those respects, and that their children
generally were inferior to them, not only in bodily
capacity, but also in natural mental ability. The
ancient Swartwouts, Cuddebacks tind Guraaers had
black,curly hair and .generally blue eyes and fair skin.
The first Van Inwegen had red hair, his son Gerardus
had black, curly hail: and his children had black hair.
Harmanus Van Inwegen's character has been repre
sented in this work as a bold and fearless man, which
is about all that is now known respecting him. This
was well known by Anthony Swartwout, Jacob Cudde
back and the first Peter Gumaer, before they procured
him to locate in their little neighborhood for their as
sistance in defending the premises they claimed. His
co-operation with them was important for all these
four individuals, for he, as well as the others had be
come interested therein by having a portion of the laud
granted to him by the others, and as the saying is
" He became a great spoke in the wheel " to maintain
their possessions. He was always honored by his
companions for his bravery and help in their struggles.
He and they continued to live near neighbors in
friendship and harmony until death ended their lives.
Van Inwegen had only one son (Gerardus) and one
daughter (Jane). Gerardus lived a very near neigh
bor to my father, and I was famiUarly acquainted with
him in his old age for several years previous to his
death. I did also sometimes see his sister ; they were
both small and very lean in flesh during the time I

188 HISTORY OF DEERPARK.
knew thera, and their skin was much wrinkled, (which
latter denoted they had been more fleshy in earlier
life) they appeared to be more healthy and were smart
for their ages. Gerardus retained his health until old
age ended his life, and after his death it was said of
him that he died a natural death, of old age, without
sickness. The characteristics of the father and son of this
faraily have not been generally inherited by the child
ren and grand-cliildren. It has been said that Corne
lius Van Inwegen, Jr., father of Moses Van Inwegen,
reserabled and took raore after his great-grandfather,
Harraanus Van Inwegen, than any other individual of
all his descendants. Moses, his son, has some resem
blance to his father, but I consider him to take more
after the ancient DeWitt family than that of any other.
There were certain traits of character which some of
the children and grand-children of Gerardus inherited
from him, but generally they took more after other
families frora whom they were also descendants..
Many of the ancient characteristics of both the
Swartwouts and Cuddebacks still remain in their de
scendants, but I consider James -D. Swartwout as
possessing those of the ancient Swartwout family in a
superior degree ; Col. Peter Cuddeback as having the
greatest resemblance to the ancient Cuddeback family;
Abraham Cuddeback, son of Col. William A. Cudde
back, when in prime of life, appeared to have more of
the character of his grandfather, Capt. Cuddeback,
than any other of the descendants of the latter; James
Devens, Esq., grandson of the second Peter Gumaer,
had some resemblance of his grandfather. But all
these differed in some respects from the originals.

HISTORY OP DEERPARK. 189
Benjamin Hornbeck, a grandson of Capt. Cuddeback,
had much of the penetrating mind of his grandfather.

EMIGRATION FROM THIS TOWN.
Enumeration of families who were in this town dur
ing the time of the Revolutionary War, and of those
who removed out of it after the war ended, and of
those who now, in 1861, remain in it of those descend
ants of those ancients, including marriage connections.
First of those of the upper or Peenpack neighbor
hood, two of whom, DeWitt and TerwiUiger, were no
descendants of the flrst four families.
The names of the heads of those families were the
following, to wit :
Capt. Jacob R. DeWitt, Capt. Abraham Cuddeback,
Benjamin Depuy, Esq., Benjamin Cuddeback,
Abraham Cuddeback, Jacob D. Gumaer,
Elias Gumaer, Harmanus Van Inwegen,Esq.,
Cornelius Van Inwegen, Philip Swartwout, Esq.,
John WaUace, Peter Gumaer,
Matthew TerwiUiger, Ezekiel Gumaer,
Capt. Abraham Westfall.
Of these, their children, grand-children, and great-
grand-children who had formed marriage connections,
and together with these had becorae faraiUes, the fol
lowing number have, from time to tirae, reraoved from
this neighborhood, to wit :

190

HISTORY OF DEERPARK.

No. of family.

Name.

B 13

TO
p.O P o
I n '
I CD
IP

Jacob R. De Witt  8 4 0
Benjamin Depuy  7 2 0
Abraham Cuddeback  3 1 0
Elias Gumaer  7 0 0
Cornelius Van Inwegen.-. '.  6 3 2
John Wallace  3 0 0
Matthew TerwiUiger  4 0 0
Capt. Cuddeback  ,  4 8 5
Benjamin Cuddeback  4 14 0
Jacob D. Gumaer  6 1 2
Harmanus Van Inwegen  '. . . 3 15 0
PhiUp Swartwout  3 3 0
Peter Gumaer  3 1 0
Ezekial Gumaer  0 1 0
Abrahara WestfaU  10 0

62 53 9

62+53+9=124.

This emigration amounts to 124 farailies and now,
in 1861, there 'remain 80 within the former limits of
the neighborhood ; gives the amount of 154 famUies of
descendants of the men named and have formed
families by connected marriages. ,,, These had their
living during the time they remained in this place
from the productions of the sraall patent of 1200 acres
of land, and although it had become reduced fo a low

-HISTORY OP DEERPARK. 191
state of cultivation, more of its productions have been
transferred to other people than would have supported
another such a nuraber of families. Emigration com
menced about the year 1790 and has continued to the
present time. The families first mentioned of, DeWitt,
Depuy, Cuddeback, Gumaer, Van Inwegen and Wal
lace, settled on the railitary lands in the state of New
York at Onondaga and at the Owasco and Skaneateles
Lakes at an early period of the settlement of those
lands, and some were among the first pioneers of the
same where they all procured lands and became far
mers in very comfortable circumstahces, and raany of
their descendants, like their forefathers, have also sold
their farms and reraoved into the western states to
advance their interest for the benefit of their children.
The other faraiUes have removed in all directions from
this neighborhood at greater and less distances from
it, but generally into the western part of this state and
into Penns.ylvania and different other states.
Of the four first families, who remained permanent
residents in this neighborhQpd,twelve children becarae
married to non-residents of the sarae and founded
twelve families, two of which , settled .in the lower
neighborhood aud were among the first settlers in it,
five in the State of New Jersey, four, in Rochester and
its vicinity in Ulster County, and one in Orange
County, east of Sha-n'angunk mountain. The other
chUdren of those ancients were seven in number, and
formed only six faraiUes. These remained ih the
neighborhood until abuut the year 1790- From this it
appears that only half as many famiUes of the first
descendants reraained in it as what raoved out of it, or
settled in other places.

192 HISTORY OF DEERPARK.
Now, if the 12 families mentioned had become set
tled and remained in the neighborhood, together with
the other six, and increased and emigrated, in the sarae
proportion of the latter, the amount, after deducting
those of DeWitt and TerwiUiger numbering 16, would
now be 324 emigrated,and 90 of present residents, and
the whole amount 411 families.

INCREASE OF POPULATION.
As no accurate calculation can be raade of the whole
nuraber of farailies descended frora the first four per
raanent residents in this neighborhood, I have adopted
a rule for obtaining the nuraber of those now in exist
ence as near as the sarae can probably be arrived at
without actual enuraeration, by getting a ratio of in
crease of the first, second, and as rauch of the third,
generation as I can ascertain ; also the whole nuraber
of these frora the time of the coraraenceraent of the
first to the present tirae, in raanner following, to wit :
The first four families had an increase of 18, and
these had an increase of 66 famiUes, and 27 of the
latter had an increase of 129. This enuraeration is
made from a knowledge I have i'n relation to those
ancients. Of these, however, there were two families
of the second generation whom I could not determine,
but have estimated thera at the sarae average rate of
increase as that of the others, and the reraaining 39
are estimated to have produced an equal proportion of
population, according to their number, as that of the
27, which latter giving an amount of 129, the remaining
39 will give an amount of 186, and both these amount

HISTORY OF DEERPARK. 193
to 315 families of the third generation. The average
increase of each of these per family is as follows :

First 4 give a ratio of  •  4^
Second 18 " " "  :  3f
Third 66 " " "  4f

4

These being compounded give an average ratio of
about 4J families to one. Now a greater proportion of
the fourth and fifth generations have died younger
than of the three first, in consequence of which I
have reduced the increase of the two former to that of
a ratio of three per family, being about one-third
lower than those enumerated. This is a great change
for the term in which the alteration has occurred ;
still, the latter is about the sarae rate of increase as
that of the United States since the year 1790 to the
present time. In respect of foreign access of popula
tion the proportion which the forraer has acquired by
intermarriages cannot differ much from that which the
latter has acquired by immigration from Europe and
by the importation of Africans to enslave them.
The year 1700 I contemplate to be about the med-
iura point of tirae between the births of the oldest
and the youngest children of the first four fami
lies, frora which to the present time is 161 years
and reaches on an average about the beginning of the
sixth generation and leaves two unascertained whose
increase on a ratio of 3 is as foUows, to wit : 315X3 =
945X3=2835 famiUes of the present fifth generation ;
and exclusive of these there must now be a great pro
portion of the fourth generation in existence, and that
the whole of the present families of descendants men-

194

HISTORY OF DEERPARK.

tioned cannot be less than 3200 now on the stage of
action. The greatest part of these are now widely dis
persed into different parts of our country.
The five generations have had their growth within a
term of 161 years, which gives an average of 32 years
for each.

LOWER NEIGHBORHOOD.

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

Decker.

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

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

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

HISTORY OP DEERPARK. 195

g ^ ?

ts

o ^ q

Names. ^t. h'cto

CO
 Decker  2
Jacob Schoonover  1
Moses Cortright  1
Abraham Van Auken  3
John Westbrook  2
John Decker  ,  3
Maj. John Decker  3 6
Sylvester Cortright  2
Anthony Van Etten, Esq  6 3
Levi Van Etten  1 4
James Van Fliet  1 4
Daniel Van Auken  11 5
Solomon Kuykendall's heir or devisee,
James Van Fliet, Jr  3
Simon WestfaU  4
Wilhelmus Cole  3
Peter KuykendaU  4 4
Martin Decker  2
Samuel Caskey  1
James Davis  6 1

56 30

There may have been a few other families who have
removed out of the town whom I have not known.
Of the descendants of those ancients, there now re
main, as near as I can ascertain, about 5 families in
this neighborhood.

196 HISTORY OF DEERPARK.
These numbers, 56+30+5=91 farailies.
There now are about 20 families in this neighbor
hood who are of the anterior emigration from the
upper neighborhood and are included in in its calcula
tions. The following is a calculation of the number of fam
ilies of each generation of the lower neighborhood,
to wit :
1st generation which was contemporary with the
second of this upper neighborhood  20
2d  91
3rd, at an increase of three families to one  273
4th, at the same rate of increase  819
The two last 273+819= 1,092 families. To this last
number add the 3,000 of the upper neighborhdod and
the amount is 4-,092.
There are two of these prior generations who, by
deaths, ,may fall short of these numbers mentioned, but
I contemplate that as great an addition of farailies
exists of the succeeding generation of each neighbor
hood as will amount to such loss, and that there now
are at least 4,000 families in existence of descendants
in some decree of the ancients mentioned.

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

HISTORY OP DEERPARK. 197
selves, becorae incorporated in our history as the first
iraportant originator of education in it. In justice to
the merits of Mr. White in respect of myself, I will
here state that by means of his services I have becorae
enabled to write this histoiy and exhibit to its readers
the information it contains ; and in addition thereto
the enjoyraent of other sources of knowledge for which
and all other blessings we have reason to be thankful,
not only to the individual irom whom we derived the
same but also to that Being wbo is the originator of
aU our enjoyments.
The benefits we (who were of the generation men
tioned) have derived from him, consisted in the litera
ture he taught us in our childhood and youth at short
different periods of time in the schools he kept in our
neighborhood, whereby we generally received such a
portion of education as enabled each of us to trans
act his own ordinary business in relation to his deal
ings with others, which, in our time, had become more
necessary than what it was in the days of our fore
fathers, most of whom kept no written memoranda
of their dealings with each other, which in their time
(during about ninety years) was unnecessary for the
greatest part of them. In addition to these benefits
we became more enlightened and enabled to acquire
additional knowledge and information by reading, &c.
Mr. White and his wife EUzabeth, carae to this
neighborhood in the autumn of 1776 (as near as I can
ascertain) to serve its inhabitants as a schoolmaster and
they became residents in my father's house together
with his own family, and taught school in one of its
rooms during the ensuing winter, and probably until
some of the neighbors moved into it and the construe-

198 HISTORY OF DEERPARK.
tion of a fort coraraenced, and notwithstanding the
danger to" which the inhabitants of our town becarae
exposed by the invasion of the Indians, he continued
to live in the house during a great part of the war,and
was in it at the tirae when the fort was attacked.
When the enemy came in sight, he told Capt. Cud
deback that he was a King's man, but would stand by
him to help defend the fort against those savages to
the utmost of his power. . (He was a warm friend of
his native country and its laws). Mr. White was in
the fort during the hard winter in the time of the war,
and kept a diary from which he ascertained that no
water had dropped from the roof of the house during
a term of forty days in that winter.
I will here, before proceeding further with the his
tory of Mr. White, narrate how the inmates of the fort
managed to sustain themselves during the winter.
When the Indians burnt the houses of the neighbors,
many of thd pots were damaged by these fires. These
were used for keeping small fires in them in different
parts of the fort house. Two large fires were generally
kept ujD in the two front rooms, and a fire in a stove in
another, and in the other room a pot with hot coals,
supplied from the fire places, was kept up to warra the
room for a dwelling of sorae of the oldest women. On
the chamber, against the sides of the chimneys, pots
with fire were kept, supplied with hot coals from the
fire places, and also with chips and small pieces of
wood. In the northwest' corner of the chamber,a small room
was partitioned off for a dwelling of Mr. White and his
wife, so that in winter time they were out of the great
bustle of those who were in the house. A pot with fire

HISTORY OF DEERPARK. 199
in it was also kept in his room, arid sometiraes a small
fire was kept in one of the foremost cellar rooras for a
few soldiers. After the snovsr becarae too deep to get
wood frora where it was previously got, the men first
broke a road to a large hickory tree, which stood in a
field, under cultivatipn, of Benjamin Cuddeback, at
about one-quarter of a mile distant frdrri the fort.- This
was cut up and brought to it. The butt log, about .
three feet thick in diameter, was cut through and
served for a log in each fire place. The next log con
tained all the knots of its large lirabs, and could not be
cut through nor split with powder, and rera lined there,
until it became rotten, long after the war ended. Next^
a road was broke through the snow about the sarae
distance of the first road, to the Neversink river,which
(in ordinary winters generally remained open from the
raouth of Bashas-kill to tlie Delaware river, about ten
railes distant) was all frozen over with strong ice, so
that teams could pass on it.
Along the east bank of the river, trees were cut, so
as to fall on the ice,and thereby the men were enabled
to get a plentiful supply of woo 1. In passing to and
from the river,a spring brook had to be crossed, which
in other winters generally remains open at the place
where it was crossed that winter on strong ice. Much
snow blew into the brook and coalesced with the water,
and all froze together and formed thick, strong ice, so
that teams passed over it during' the coldest weather in '
that winter.
I -will here resume ray history in relation to Mr.
White. A few years before he carae into the neigh
borhood, a school house had beeu built in its central
part, about twenty-five rods southwest of Capt. Cudde-

200 HISTORY OF DEERPARK.
back's residence. Mr.Thomas Kyte had been employed
to teach school in this house, but, in consequence ot
much other business, the school was much neglected
and very little education was acquired by those he
taught, and after he quit, the neighborhood luckily
obtained a good teacher by employing Mr. White. He
had emigrated into this' country from England where
he had received his education, and also acquired the
trade of manufacturing ropes. He said that every
youth in England (when he was there) had to learn a
trade, even the King's son, who was expected to be
come heir to the Crown, had to learn a trade, and that
the King, who reigned when he was there, had been
taught the trade of- weaving silk.
Mr. White was a small, light-built man, very active
and quick to perform the business he transacted. The
action of his mind was also quick, and more suitable
for acquiring a great araount of superficial knowledge
than to penetrate and make deep researches into sci
ences which are difficult to be understood, for which a
bright mind of slow action is more suitable. He was
also a man of uncommon perseverance to transact the
business of his trade, the teaching of his schools, &c.,
and, whenever he was not employed in either of these,
he was generally engaged in reading or writing which
he would pursue to a very late hour in the night ; and
early in the morning, at or before break oi' day, would
be up out of bed, assist his wife to get breakfast,
and resume his business. He was very fond of asso
ciation and delighted to give and receive inforraation,
which induced him to write a great many letters to his
distant friends and acquaintances,in which he was vigry

HISTORY OP DEERPARK. 201

expert and never at a loss for matter to make out a
long letter, whenever he felt inclined to do it.
I conclude that Mr. White had beeu taught in one
of the best of common schools in England, and in a
very perfect manner as far as he had progressed. He
was a very eloquent reader^ and could perform the
sarae with an air suitable to the nature of the subject
on which the reading treated. I have always consid
ered him to have been equal to the best of readers I
have ever heard. He was also very perfect in orthog
raphy ; arithmetic he did not understand as well as
some other teachers we have had since his time. He
said he had passed through the greatest part of Dill-
worth's arithmetic at school, but had forgotten some
of the rules in the latter part of his assistant, which
contained more arithmetic matter than the books now
generally used in our coramon schools. He had some
knowledge of the Greek and Latin languages, and as
much of the French tongue as enabled him to inter
pret the French words which were interspersed in
different parts of a book I read in school the last year
he taught in our neighborhood, and, by much reading,
he had acquired an extensive knowledge of the Eng
lish tongue. He said that when at home iu his coun
try (which he always called his home) he had free
access to a library of books, and that he had read
many of them on different subjects, whereby he had
received 'the greatest part of his historical and other
information of different kinds.
After his last year's service in our neighborhood he
retired to the east side of Shawangunk mountain, into
a neighborhood of his former residence,where he con
tinued a few years. During this time, and one or two

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

HISTORY OF DEERPARK. 203

County of Orange and bought a sraall farra in the
westerly part of the town of Wallkill, in the neighbor
hood where his former friends and acquaintances,
Elijah and Elisha Reeve, Esqs., Erastus Mapes, Hi ze-
kiah Woodward, Alsop Vail and others, lived, "where
he not only became so situated as to enjoy the happi
ness of associating with them, but also had access,
whenever desirable, to his friends and acquaintances
iu his former neighborhood on the west side of Shaw
angunk mountain. Mr. White had no children nor
any relatives in this country to attract his affections ;
these, consequently, became more strongly directed
towards tJiose individuals who were the most agreeable
to hira. He reraained in the neighborhood of his resi
dence until death ended his mortal life, and, after his
decease, was buried in the graveyard at the Presby
terian church near Otisville. In and by his last will
he raade several sraall beq':.ests to his friends, as rae-
raorials of his friendship towards them. He also
directed the sum of six hundred and twenty dollars, of
the avails of his estate, to be kept at interest, payable
annually, for the purpose of paying for preaching one
serraon in each one of four different Congregations,
annually, forever, one of which was the Dutch Re
forraed Congregation now in Deerpark, (forraerly Ma-
hackeraeck Congregation), which appears in aud by
the will to have been intended for the inhabitants of
Peenpack, to whora he had becorae rauch attached
during the different periods of time he resided in it,
and consequently also for the benefit of their descend
ants.* He also bequeathed a few other small legacies
* The other three Churches were the Congregational Church at Mid
dletown, and the Episcopal and Presbyterian Churches in Goshen.

204 HISTORY OF DEERPARK.
to his best friends in the neighborhood of his last res
idence. The characteristics of Mr. White exhibited indica
tions of his having been descended frora a respectable
family in his native country. He possessed very hon
orable and honest principles, also those of morality
and piety, which were apparent in his transactions and
walks of life, and also in the doctrines he generally
advanced when .those qualifications became a subject
of discourse.

THE END.

CONTENTS. Page.
Preface. • 7
Introduction. 9
Stateraent by Committee on Publication with
sketch of the Author. * 13
Geographical Formation of VaUey  19
Game, Fowls, Fish, Fruit, &c  22
Indians  24
^Manufacture of Impleraents of Iron and Steel . . 27
First Settlers— Who they were and whence they
carae  30
Ancient Farailies of Peenpack  41
Ancient Farailies of Lower Neighborhood  68
Longevity df First and Second Generations ... 78
Lower Neighborhood  85
Population df Peenpack, Manner of Living, &c.,
during Revolutionary War and later  86
Forts in Peenpack and Occupants  86
Forts in Lower Neighborhood, with some of the
Occurrences during the War  89
Habits and Manner of Living  96
Use of Cider and Spirits  101
Use of Spirits at Funerals and Weddings  102
Treating Visitors  104
No Drunkards among Thera for One Hundred
Years  107
Physical Strength of First Generation  110
* The statement by the Committee on Publication -which appears
on pages 13-17 should have preceded both the Preface and Intro-;
duction. By an oversight not discovered until too late for correction
it became displaced and appears out of its proper order.

Page.
Some Prominent Characters — Major James
Swartwout, WiUiam Cuddeback, Peter
Gumaer, Gerardus Van Inwegen, Samuel
Swartwout, Capt. Abraham Cuddeback,
Benjamin Depuy, Philip Swartwout, An
thony Van Etten, Cornelius Van Inwegen. 114
Minisink Battle  127
Great Changes in Agriculture, Manufacture,
Travel and Improvements of Every Kind . . 137
Scarcity of Physicians in Former Times  144
Birds, Reptiles and Animals  145
Health, Food, &c  152
Eeligious Worship — Organization of Reformed
Dutch Church and its Ministers  155
Administration of Justice — First Justice of
Peace  165
Prices of Stock, Grain, &c., formerly  170
Currency and Measures  170
Wages  172
Cost of Building a House  173
Business Transactions and Employments of
Ancestors  175
Christmas and New Year's — Two days devoted
to each  175
Characteristic.s of some of First Settlers and
their descendants  180-1
Emigration from Town of Deerpark  189
Increase of Population  192
Thomas White  196