Читать книгу The History of Orange County New York - Группа авторов - Страница 9

Only a small part of the Minisink patent was in the present county of Orange, but the Wawayanda and Chesekook patents were wholly within its limits, and covered its most fertile sections. The Wawayanda patent caused much trouble, and was unoccupied by settlers until 1712, when the surviving shareholders—Christopher Denne, Daniel Cromeline and Benjamin Aske—determined to make settlements thereon, and to facilitate their ends were made justices of the peace. Parties were sent out by each of them, and these began the settlements of Goshen, Warwick and Chester, where houses were soon completed and occupied. The agent who preceded Denne into the wilderness was his adopted daughter, Sarah Wells, then only 16 years old, who was accompanied only by friendly Indian guides. She married William Bull, the builder of Cromeline's house, and lived to the great age of 102 years and 15 days.

Soon after the settlement thus started in 1712 John Everett and Samuel Clowes, of Jamaica, L. I., took charge of the patent, and proved to be enterprising and efficient agents. Recorded sales to settlers and others prior to 1721, as well as to Everett and Clowes, were as follows:

1. Philip Rokeby sold his undivided twelfth part to Daniel Cromeline, John Merritt, and Elias Boudinot, June 10th, 1704. Merritt sold his third to Cromeline in 1705. Boudinot sold his third to George McNish, who sold to Clowes, Feb. 5th, 1714, for 150 pounds.2. Cornelius Christianse sold to Derrick Vandenburgh, Sept. 8th, 1704, all his twelfth part. Vandenburgh sold to Elias Boudinot, and the latter sold one-sixth of same to Everett and Clowes, July 20th, 1714, for 66L 13S. Boudinot's heirs subsequently sold five-sixths to Everett and Clowes for 41L 13S 4D. This tract embraced New Milford, in the present town of Warwick.3. Hendrick Ten Eyck sold his twelfth part to Daniel Cromeline, Dec. 8th, 1704. Cromeline, who also owned two-thirds of the Rokeby share, sold to Everett and Clowes, Jan. 1st, 1714, the sixth part of his interest for 83L 6S, excepting two tracts, one of which contained three thousand seven hundred and six acres. This tract was principally in the present town of Chester, and embraced the site on which he had made settlement and erected a stone dwelling, and to which he had given the name of "Gray Court."4. Ann Bridges sold to John Van Horne, merchant, of New York, July 4th, 1705, all the equal undivided twelfth part held by her husband, Dr. John Bridges for the sum of 250 pounds. Van Horne was also the purchaser of a part or the whole of another share and sold to Everett and Clowes one-sixth part of one-sixth of one-thirteenth part for 58L 6S 8D. Amity was in Bridges's parcel.5. Daniel Honan sold to John Merritt, 1705, all his twelfth part. Margery Merritt widow, and John Merritt, son, sold to Adrian Hoaglandt one-half and to Anthony Rutgers one-half. Rutgers sold to Everett and Clowes one-twelfth of his half, and Anna, widow of Hoaglandt, sold to the same parties one-twelfth, the latter, April 12, 1714, for 75 pounds.6. Derrick Vandenburgh died holding his original share, and his wife, Rymerich and his son Henry, his heirs, sold the same to Elias Boudinot, Aug. 8, 1707. Boudinot sold his entire share to Clowes, Oct. 27th, 1713, for 355 pounds. This parcel embraced what is called in the old deeds the "Florida tract;" the name "Florida" is still retained.7. John Cholwell sold his twelfth part to Adrian Hoaglandt, Oct. 5th, 1706 for 350 pounds. Anna Hoaglandt, his widow, sold to Everett and Clowes one-sixth of the share, and the remainder descended to Christopher Banker and Elizabeth his wife, James Renant and Bertilje, his wife, Petrus Rutgers and Helena his wife, her heirs.8. John Merritt held his share at the time of his death, and his heirs, Margery Meritt, widow, and John Merritt, eldest son, sold one-half to Adrian Hoaglandt. John (then a resident of New London) sold to John Everett, Feb. 25th, 1714, the remaining half for 120 pounds.9. Benjamin Aske sold to Everett and Clowes, July 20th, 1714, one-sixth of his thirteenth part for 50 pounds. He subsequently sold a portion to Lawrence Decker, Feb 28th, 1719, another to Thomas Blain, May 20th, 1721; and another to Thomas DeKay, Dec. 8th 1724. In all cases the land conveyed is described as part of his farm, called Warwick and in all cases the parties to whom the deeds were made were described as residents of the county and upon the land conveyed.10. Lancaster Symes sold to Everett and Clowes, July 20th, 1714, one-sixth of his thirteenth part for 50 pounds.11. Peter Matthews, then living in Albany, sold all his thirteenth part to Clowes Feb. 11th, 1713, for 200 pounds.12. Christopher Denne sold, July 20th, 1714, to Clowes and Everett one-sixth of his share for 50 pounds. He also sold to Robert Brown three hundred and ten acres Sept. 3rd, 1721. Elizabeth Denne sold to William Mapes, Joseph Allison, John Yelverton, Ebenezer Holley, Joseph Sears, John Green, and John Worley, the Mapes deed bearing date March 1st, 1729. The remainder of her interest in the patent passed by her will to Sarah Jones, spinster, of New York, and Vincent Matthews. Sarah Jones afterwards married Thomas Brown.13. Dr. Samuel Staat's thirteenth part descended to his children, Gerturv wife of Andries Codymus; Sarah, wife of Isaac Gouverneur; Catalyria wife of Stevanus Van Cortlandt; Anna, wife of Philip Schuyler; Johanna White, widow; and Tryntie Staats, who sold to Clowes and Everett one-sixth of said part for 50 pounds, Sept. 2, 1720.

By these conveyances Everett and Clowes came into possession of lands equaling four of the thirteen parts, and, as required by the terms of their deeds, laid out the township of Goshen in 1714, dividing it into farms and opening roads, and assigned 200 acres of land for the support of a minister.

Some of the first settlers—those of 1714—were: Michael Dunning Johannes Wesner, Solomon Carpenter, Abraham Finch, Samuel Seeley and John Holley.

The most prolonged and bitter contest of titles was between settlers of Orange County, mostly in the original Minisink region, and settlers of Northern New Jersey. This was continued for sixty-seven years with occasional border frays. The dispute had reference to the boundary line between New York and New Jersey. King Charles II of England in March, 1663, gave to his brother, the Duke of York, a patent of all lands "from the west side of the Connecticut River to the east side of Delaware Bay." The following year in June the Duke of York granted release of all the territory now known as New Jersey to Lord Berkley and Sir George Carteret. The northern line as described in this grant extended from "the northwardmost branch" of the Delaware River, "which is in latitude 41 degrees 40 minutes and crosseth over thence in a straight line to the latitude 41 degrees on Hudson's River." Sir Carteret took the east half of the province and Lord Berkley the west half. In 1673 the Dutch reconquered New York from the English, but on February 9, 1674, in a treaty of peace between the two nations, it was restored to England. Sir Carteret immediately took the precaution to have a new patent made out, which defined the boundaries in about the same general terms as before. Then came controversies as to which should be called "the northwardmost branch" of the Delaware. The point of 41 degrees on the Hudson was agreed to, but the New Yorkers insisted that the line should touch the Delaware at the southern extremity of Big Minisink island, and the Jerseymen {sic} that the point should be a little south of the present Cochecton. This difference made the disputed triangular territory several miles wide at the west end. Under the New Jersey government the land was parceled out in tracts to various persons, and when these came to take possession the men who had settled upon them long before, resolutely maintained their claims. In the border war that resulted numbers of the Minisink people were captured and confined in New Jersey prisons. The first series of engagements resulted from efforts to obtain possession of the lands of a Mr. Swartwout, who was a major in the militia of Orange County. One day the Jerseymen {sic} surprised him and put his family and household goods out doors. He went to Goshen for help, and a formidable company returning back with him, they in turn put the New Jersey occupants and their goods out of the house, and restored it to the major.

Then a spy was employed to watch the Jerseymen, and through the information which he continually furnished, their future operations were generally frustrated. About 1740 the "Jersey lines" made another attempt upon the major and his possessions, but they were anticipated and driven or frightened back, no one, however, being killed. In 1753 a Jersey raid was made to get possession of the lands of Thomas De Key, colonel of the Orange County militia and a justice of the peace. He tried to negotiate with them, and induce them to wait until the boundary question was determined, but they refused, and he then barricaded himself in his house, and threatened to shoot the first man who tried to enter, and they finally retired vowing that they would bring a larger force. The last important raid was in 1765, on a Sunday, when the Jerseymen came in considerable force resolved to capture Major and Captain Westbrook. They surrounded the church where the Westbrooks were worshiping, and when the service was over there was a fight, amid the screams and sobs of women, with fists and feet, in which the Jerseymen, being the more numerous, conquered and captured the Westbrooks. They were confined in the Jersey colony prison awhile, and then released.

In 1767 hostilities were suspended, and commissioners were appointed to run a boundary line, and soon afterward the territory was surveyed, and about equally divided between the claimants, and peace thenceforth was established between the two sections.

In 1683, when the county was organized, it did not contain more than twenty families. In 1698 a first census was ordered by Governor Bellmont, and it showed the population to consist of 20 men, 31 women, 140 children and 19 negro slaves. In 1860 the population had increased to 63,812; in 1880, it was 88,220; in 1900, 103,850; and according to the last census of 1905, our population was 108,267.