BOUGHT WITH THE INCOME FROM THE SAGE EITDOWMENT FUND'' THE GIFT OP iienrg W. Sage 1S91 is^ji±iz.l Mm. FRAGILE PAPER Please handle this book 1 with care, as the paper is brittle. Cornell University Library The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924028824402 THE HISTORY OF KINGSTON, NEW YORK. FROM ITS FARLY SETTLEMENT TO THE YEAR 1820. BY MAEIUS SCHOONMAKER, OP KINGSTON. NEW YORK: BUEK PRINTING HOUSE, 18 Jacob Street. 1888. A' lamas COPYRIGHT, 1888, BY MARIUS SCHOONMAKER. JOebicaticm. TO THE Hollanb Society of Isfeui Ijorh. In vipw of the object of jour orgftiiizatioii as stated in your articles of asBociation, I propose Lo dedicate to you this volume, comprising the History of Kingston, one of the early Dntch pottlements in the State of New York, and during the Colonial period one of the moBt prominent places in the Colony. The history is brought down to 1820, thus embracing the interesting era of its distinctively Dutch character. The struggles and sufferiDgs of its inhabitants daring the Indian, French and Revolutionary Wars ;— their firm and unwavering stand in defence of freedom and human rights ;— and their heroic sacrifices during all the years of conflict through which they passed, are worthy of being recorded and preserved in the annals of our country. It is with that object the book has been prepared, and I now dedicate it to the HOLI.AND SOCIETY OF NEW YORK, which includes among the purposes of its formation " the collection and preservation of all matters in relation to the genealogy and history of our Dutch Ancestry." M. SCHOONMAKER, NOVBMBKK, 1888. PREFACE. BY the kindness of Miss Kate Vanderlyn, of this city, I have been enabled to produce as a frontispiece for this book a copy of the sketch of Kingston and the Catskill Mountains, which was made in 1819 by her uncle, John Vanderlyn, the artist. The sketch was taken from the bluff of rocks a little to the east of the present junction of Wall and Fair streets. It presents in the fore- ground the fields, with their dividing fences, lying between the artist and St. James' Street, which was then the most southerly street. Those fields appearing on the sketch, with the division fences, were then a part of the territory designated as the " Arm- bowery" (poor farm). They are now thickly covered with dwell- ings and business places. In the background are the lordly Cats- kills, with the village lying between, I am also indebted to her for the loan of a miniature of the artist taken in Paris, from which the engraving in the text was made. The likeness in the text of Charles Be Witt, of Greenkill, was made from a miniature loaned for the purpose by his grand- son, Richard De Witt, of Greenkill. This book, which has been prepared at the earnest request of some kind friends, even if it does not meet their full expectations, I trust will not be disappointing. There are great and, indeed, insurmountable difficulties in pre- paring a complete history of Kingston, on account of the loss and destruction of public records and other valuable papers. I am, however, greatly indebted to my friends : Richard De Witt, Sutherland De Witt, and Hon. David M. De Witt, kinsmen of Charles De Witt, of Greenkill ; John W. Hasbrouck, of Middle- town ; Frederick E. Westbrook, Esq., of New York ; and Thomas Beekman and Kate Vanderlyn, of this city, for valuable material which has been freely used in the accompanying pages. As stated elsewhere in regard to the chapter of ancestral notes, I am indebted to Cornelius H. Van Gaasbeek, Jr., of this city, for a large portion of the material used in its compilation. Why it is not more complete has been the lack of ability to procure the neces- sary material. VI PEEFACE. The scope and object of the work has been to give a compact but complete history of the place, the customs and pursuits of its inhabitants, and their connection with public events from its first settlement down to the year 1820, which embraces the whole of the interesting era of its distinctively Dutch character. This period also covers the exciting events and incidents of the Indian and French wars and the struggles of the Revolution. In a strict sense the work is a history of Kingston ; but at that day Kingston occu- pied such an important position in the country at large, and in the military and civil events that preceded the war for independence, and also in that great contest, that its history during the colonial times, to be fully understood and elucidated, draws with it a great deal of the provincial history. I have, therefore, found it necessary to refer quite extensively to the contests of the people and the colonial assemblies with the crown and the colonial governors, involving the fundamental prin- ciples of freedom which led to the Revolution. I have endeavored to trace them from their origin and indicate their progress and development for nearly a century, until their culminating triumph in the Declaration of Independence. The work as it is is now given to the public, but not at as early a date as was originally intended. The delivery to the press was delayed for a time on account of an apprehension, on the part of the author, that the demand therefor was not sufficient to justify the expense attending its publication. Whether his fears were well founded or not will be shown by the character of its reception. M. SCHOONMAKER. KiNGSTOisr, November, 1888. OONTEISTTS. CHAPTER I. PAOB To THE Close op the First Esopus Indian War, and Conclusion op Treaty op Peace, 1660 1 CHAPTER II. Prom the Treaty of Peace after First Esopus War to and Including Organization op Wiltwyck Government, 1661, . . 31 CHAPTER III. From the Organization op Wiltwyck, 1661, to the Surrender to the English in 1664, . 30 CHAPTER IV. From the Surrender to the English in 1664 to the Surrender to the Dutch in 1673, ... 50 CHAPTER V. From the Dutch Supremacy in 1678 to the Accession op James the Second IN 1685, ... . . 66 CHAPTER VI. From the Accession op Jambs the Second, February, 1685, tq the Arrival OP Governor Fletcher, 1691, 80 CHAPTER VII. From 1692, Arrival op Governor Fletcher, to the Arrival of William Burnet as Governor in 1720, . 95 CHAPTER VIII. From 1720, the Arrival op William Burnet as Governor, to 1753, the Arrival of Sir Danvers Osborne, . . ... Ill CHAPTER IX. From the Arrival op Governor Osborne in 1753 to the Close op the French War in 1760, . .... . . .126 CHAPTER X. From the Death op Lieutenant-Governor De Lancey, in 1760, to the Adjournment op the Continental Convention, in 1775, 145 Vm CONTENTS. CHAPTER XI. PAOK From January, 1775, to the Declabation op Independence, July, 1776, . 163 CHAPTER XII. A Review op some Purely Local Matters, 181 CHAPTER XIII. The Kingston Church ... . 204 CHAPTER XIV. Campaign op 1776, 228 CHAPTER XV. Internal Troubles and Tory Operations, ... . 246 CHAPTER XVI. Organization op the State Government, .... . 259 CHAPTER XVII. Campaign op 1777, including Burning op Kingston 277 CHAPTER XVIII. Extent op Damages — Map, and List op Supperebb — Reliep Furnished — Some Traditions Stated, 303 CHAPTER XIX. From the Burning op Kingston, 1777, to the Conclusion op the War, 1783, . 316 CHAPTER XX. Rise and Progress op Educational Matters in Kingston, Culminating in the Establishment op Kingston Academy — Its History, . . . 841 CHAPTER XXI. Local Matters — Disposition op Corporate Property — Organization op Village — Dissolution op Trustees, 1816, . 368 CHAPTER XXII. Rise op Parties — Election and Death op Governor Clinton— References TO War op 1812, and Conclusion op Peace, 891 CHAPTER XXIII. Improvements— Turnpikes and Travelling Conveniencbs— Newspapers, . 403 CHAPTER XXIV. Habits and Customs, 420 CONTENTS. IX CHAPTER XXV. paob Kingston as it was in and about 1820, ... . . 436 CHAPTER XXVI. Ancestral Kotes .... 472 CHAPTER XXVII. Indian Rblics, . 496 APPENDIX, PASS First Charter or Patent Granted to Wiltwtck, 1661, . . . . 503 Articles op Capitulation to the English, 1664, 507 Kingston Patent, 1687 BIO Agreement to Maintain Constitutional Rights . 517 Signers in the Troop op Horse in Ulster Countt, Dated in Kingston, June 9, 1775, 520 A List op the Persons who Have Repused to Sign the General Asso- ciation 520 Officers op Ulster County Regiments, 521 Roll op the Officers Elected in the Several Districts or Beats in THE Town of Kingston, 521 Return op a Company op Horse in the Town op Kingston, in Ulster County, 521 Roll op Officers in the Regiment whereof Levi Pawling is to be Colonel, 522 "A True Acc't op the Dwelling Houses Outhouses Barracks Destroyed at Kingston," . 532 Statement of the Allotment op the Five Thousand Acres of Land Con- tributed BY Robert R. Livingston, 525 An Account op the English School in Kingston 526 List of Supervisors in Colonial and State Governments, .... 527 List op Magistrates, 527 Presidents op the Magistrates, 529 List of the Speakers nern^PRESiDiNG Officers of Trustees, . . 529 Alphabetical List op the Trustees of the Freeholders and Commonalty OF THE Town op Kingston 531 List op Directors of the Village of Kingston in 1805 to and In- cluding 1820, 536 Delegates prom Ulster to Colonial Assembly, 537 Delegates from Ulster and Dutcecess Counties to Colonial Assembly, . 537 Delegates prom Ulster County to Colonial Assemble 537 Members of the Provincial Convention prom Ulster County, . . . 537 Representatives in Congress from Ulster County, 537 Senators from Ulster County under the Constitution op 1777, . . 538 Members op Assembly prom Ulster County under the Constitution of 1777, 538 HISTORY OF KINGSTON. CHAPTER I. TO THE CLOSE OF THE FIEST ESOPTTS INDIAN WAR, AND CONCLU- SION OF TREATY OF PEACE, 1660. IT is now little more than two centuries since the Red man reigned supreme over this, his then pleasant hunting-grounds, teeming with game and the wild beasts of the forest. What changes have taken place within that period ! The native Indian, with his game, has disappeared ; and with the onward march of religion, science, education, and industry a prosperous city, teeming vdth life, wealth, and industry, has taken the place of the wandering savage and the lordly trees of the forest. I am at times amazed when I contemplate the changes which have taken place within the territory of the city of Kingston, even within my own limited recollection. I remember Rondout when it was a little hamlet called the Strand, or Kingston Landing, with about half a dozen dwellings and storehouses all told ; and Wilbur, vidth two mills, a distillery, and three dwellings called Twaalf skill ; and Kingston village not to exceed two hundred dwellings and half a dozen stores, keeping a general country assortment ; the local commerce limited to four sloops, each making a full trip every fortnight to and from New York. And what have we now ? A city of over twenty thousand in- habitants, and with a commerce which daily exceeds the annual commerce in value of my first remembrance. My task lies in the history of a place embracing such changes, I fear my ability to do it justice. Those who have urged me to the task I trust will not be disappointed at the manner of its fulfilment, if my lamp of life continues to burn sufliciently long to accomplish it. In the history of a small territory such as this, necessarily its first settlement may be distinguished by some thrilling narratives and encounters with the savages, but thereafter it must settle down to a great extent into family history and narratives. Indeed, the history of a community is necessarily but little more than a com- pilation and combination of family histories. There are always in 1 2 HISTORY OF KINGSTON. a stirring, active business place some men of mark, who by their activity and energy give character to the place. And it is such men, and not those who, like the turtles, draw their heads within their shells, who necessarily demand prominence in historical reminiscences. Of course little other than arrangement can be original in such a work as this. True history is only a record of what has been, and the historian must necessarily gather his principal facts from former chroniclers of the times— contemporaneous chroniclers, so far as they may be found — and traditions received from ancestry. These remarks apply to times and seasons beyond the personal recollections of the chronicler. When those are reached, if life is spared, his effort will be to make them impartial and correct de- lineators and records of the times. In the year 1609 Hendrick Hudson, in a ship called the Half- moon, furnished him by the Dutch East India Company, departed from Holland in search of a passage to the East Indies. After reaching America, he coasted along its shores to find the desired passage. On the 12th of September, 1609, he entered a narrow strait, which led him to the magnificent river which has since immortalized his name. He anchored his ship and remained several days in the beautiful bay bordering on Manhattan Island, and was visited by the astonished natives, " clothed in mantles of feathers and robes , of fur." They manifested not only great friendship but reverence ** for him and his companions, as a superior race of beings, messen- gers of an almighty power. Hudson then proceeded up the river, which some of the Indian tribes called " Cahohatatia," which translated means river of the mountains, and explored it to a point a short distance beyond the present site of Albany, stopping at several places on the route, and was everywhere met with friendly greeting by the Indian tribes. On his return to Europe, although detained by the British and prevented from returning to Holland, he transmitted to his Am- sterdam patrons a most glowing description of his discoveries con- nected with the " river of the mountains." The next year the East India Company of Holland sent a ship to trade with the natives. Finding their first venture profitable, they soon established trading posts at Manhattan, Fort Orange, now Albany, and at some intermediate points along the river, including the mouth of the creek at Atkarkarton, afterward Esopus, now Kingston. At this last-mentioned place the valley of the several large streams (the Eondout, the Wallkill, and the Esopus), all concentrating at that point and extending far into the interior, furnished facilities for a trading post ; one of the Indian trails led across to the Delaware River. The mountains and HISTORY OF KINGSTON. 3 forests through which these valleys extended abounded with game and animals valuable for their furs. On the 11th day of October, 1614, the States-General of Holland granted to " the United New Netherland Company the exclusive right to visit and navigate all the lands situate in America between jS^ew France and Virginia, the sea coast of which lies between the fortieth and the forty-fifth degree of latitude, and which are named the New Netherlands ; and to navigate or cause to be navigated the same for four voyages within the period of three years, to com- mence from the first day of January, 1615, or sooner." Under the authority thus granted the company took possession of the Hudson River, and built three forts or redoubts thereon — one on Castle Island just below Albany, one on the Battery at New York, and one at the mouth of the Rondout Creek. After the expiration of this patent, and on the 3d of June, 1620, the States-General incorporated the West India Company with enormous and almost unlimited powers. In the name of the States- General it could make contracts and alliances with princes and na- tions, build forts, administer justice, appoint and discharge gov- ernors, soldiers, and public officers, and promote trade. The government of the company was vested in five separate chambers of managers : one at Amsterdam, managing four ninths ; one in Zeeland, two ninths ; one at Dordrecht, one ninth ; one in North Holland, one ninth, and one in Friesland and Groningen, one ninth. General executive power, for all purposes except war, was in- trusted to a board of nineteen delegates, called the " College of the XIX." The time of the patent was for twenty -four years, and the New Netherlands was included within their grant. At this time, when the Dutch sought to acquire possession of the Hudson River and adjoining territory, that on the west of the Hudson below Albany was occupied by the race of Indians known as the Algonquins, which race was divided into numerous bands under local names. The band or tribe at Kingston and its imme- diate vicinity are generally known and designated as the Esopus Indians, sometimes named the Warynawancks. The West India Company was specially organized for commer- cial and trading purposes, and therefore its principal object was the control and possession of the New Netherlands, for the purpose of conducting and monopolizing the rich and very profitable trade in furs with the natives. As a necessary consequence, the earliest immigrants were merely a company of traders. But that state of things did not and could not long continue. The Reformation and the subsequent religious persecutions drove many of the conscien- 4 HISTORY OF KINGSTON". tious servants of God to seek an asylum beyond the reacli of the tyrants of Europe. The first of those arriving here in the vicinity of Manhattan, with the intention of remaining, was a company consisting of about thirty families of Walloons, who had fled to HoUand from France to avoid persecution. They settled on Long Island, near what is now the Navy Yard, about the year 1635. Others arriving at the same time went to Fort Orange, now Albany. The Dutch West India Company purchased the island of Man- hattan from the Indians for a sum equivalent to about twenty-four dollars of our money. Peter Mtnuit, the first agent of the com- pany, under the title of governor, built a house upon the island and resided there. The lower end of the island was then occupied by a fort and a few cottages, and was called New Amsterdam. Governor Miauit continued his agency for several years, ap- parently cultivating the friendship of the savages and the interest of his employers. Upon his resignation he was succeeded by Wouter Van TwUler, who, although a good tradesman, was lament- ably deficient ui the science or art of government, but, at the same time, had the wisdom to pursue a peaceful and conciliatory policy with the savages. About 1638 Governor Van TwiUer was succeeded in Ms agency by Willem Kieft. He was a man entirely unfitted for his position. Avaricious, dishonest, unscrupulous, and arbitrary in his meas- ures, he kept the colony in a continual turmoil ; drove the Indians to desperation and madness, aroused Indian wars and massacres, and soon had scarcely a friend in the colony. One of his first steps against the Indians was, in 163,8, to at- tempt the levy of a tribute upon the river Indians. They rebelled against its enforcement. About 1640 the Raritans, a tribe living along the river of that name, were accused of stealing some hogs. Governor Kieft at once, without making any inquiry into the justice or falsity of the charge, sent a band of soldiers to punish them, who fell upon them unawares, killed a number, and destroyed their corn. Another instance is related by a chronicler of the times : " A Dutchman sold to a young Indian, a son of a chief, brandy ; and, when he was intoxicated, cheated and drove him away. The Indian, raging with drink and maddened by the treatment he had received, went to his home, procured his bow and arrows, returned and shot the Dutchman dead. The chiefs of the murderer's tribe hastened to the governor to explain the matter, and to pay the price of blood ; they wished for peace, but the governor was inex- orable. He demanded the murderer, but he had fied to a neigh- boring tribe. ' It is your own fault,' exclaimed the indignant chief ; ' why do you sell brandy to our young men ? it makes them crazy.' Just at this time came a company of Mohawks, all armed HISTORY OF KINGSTON. 5 with muskets, to demand tribute of the enfeebled river tribes. The latter fled to the Dutch for protection. ' Now is the time,' urged the people, ' to obtain forever the friendship of the Indians living around us by their protection.' But Kieft, true to his nature, deemed it the proper time for their extermination. " The unsuspecting victims of this scheme of treachery and cruelty were with the tribe of Hackensacks, just beyond Hoboken. About the hour of midnight some soldiers from the fort and free- booters from the ships in the harbor passed over the river, and soon thereafter were heard the shrieks of the dying Indians. The car- nage continued ; the poor victims ran to the river to pass over to their supposed friends at New Amsterdam. But they were driven into the water. The mother who rushed to save her drowning child was pushed in, that both might perish in the freezing flood ; and another company of Indians, trusting to the Dutch for protec- tion, who were encamped on the island a short distance from the fort, were murdered in the- same manner. In the morning the re- turning soldiers received the congratulations of Kieft." The settlers, when they became aware of the facts, were indig- nant and horror-stricken, and condemned the atrocity in no meas- ured terms. As might have been anticipated, the anger and indig- nation of the savages were aroused to the highest pitch of fury, and war was inaugurated which knew no mercy. Wherever a white man's hut was situated, there was sure to ascend the smoke of conflagra- tion. All the settlers who could escape the fury of the savages rushed to the fort for protection, and all outside settlements were deserted. Some in their terror returned to Holland. If at any time before that there had been any settlers in Esopus, as some allege, their homes were then deserted and abandoned. The war was thus started in the winter of 1643, and waged with slight in- terruption, and with more or less brutality, for two years, before peace was concluded. Kieft, whose conduct was censured by his superiors, was soon after recalled, and set sail for England, which country he never reached, being shipwrecked and drowned on the passage. In 1646 Petrus Stuyvesant was appointed to succeed Kieft as governor. He was honest and trustworthy, but had a most diffi- cult task before him to overcome the effects of Kieft' s misgovern- ment and treachery. In 1652 considerable difficulty arose at Rensselaerwyck in regard to title and occupancy of land, caused by the patent of the Patroon Van Rensselaer overlapping the occupancy of some settlers. Par- ties became very violent in their quarrels, which, in a number of cases, led to personal conflicts. Thomas Chambers, an Englishman, Mattys Hendrix, Christopher Davis, and Johan De Hulter, who had b HISTORY OF KINGSTON. settled on the disputed territory, and several of their neighbors, desiring peace and comfort, left for Atkarkarton (Esopns), " an exceedingly beautiful land," and formed a settlement there. Al- though there is little doubt that Europeans had resided in that vicinity before, still this immigration of Chambers and his neigh- bors was the first approach to a permanent settlement. Here Chambers, in 1653, received a gift from the natives of about seventy-six acres of land, described as bounded " Easterly and Westerly by the woods, and running Northerly and Southerly by the Kill." This grant, therefore, must have been of the low land along the creek, as that was prairie land, which makes the description in- telligible. Some of his associates also purchased land from the Indians about the same time, who afterward received confirmatory grants thereof. Settlers now began to come in rapidly, and soon there was quite a colony gathered together. As early as 1655 the wife of Cornells Barentse Slecht was licensed " as a midwife for Esopus." Each of the settlers at that time had apparently his territory allotted to him and settled thereon, so that they were scattered and entirely unprotected from the savages. It appears that Johan De Hulter, in 1654, purchased a tract of one thousand acres from the Indians, bounded on the north by the lands of Thomas Chambers, and was patented by his widow in March, 1657. This grant, it was claimed by some, covered the site of the old village of Kingston, but was denied by Governor Stuyves- ant. This settlement remained in peace for only a short time, for in 1655 the Indians, on both sides of the river, made war upon the Dutch at New Amsterdam and its vicinity, and the settlers at Esopus, fearing an attack and being withoTit any means of defence, fled from their homes to places of comparative security, leaving their dwellings and flocks to the mercy of the savages. As |0on as peace was concluded, which was in the following fall, they returned to their homes to find that much had been appropriated and de- stroyed by the Indians. With residences thus scattered, the natives were living around and among them, which resulted in frequent depredations the one upon the other ; and, as appears to be always the case, the settlers were not careful to keep the " fire-water" from the Indians' lips. That in one instance resulted in a drunken spree near Ponckhockie, in which the Indians in their craziness killed one man, a skipper named Harmon Jacobs, while standing on board his vessel ; and the dwellings of Jacob Adriance and Andries Van der Huys, lo- cated at Ponckhockie, were set fire to and burned to the ground. Such was the fear created in the minds of some of the settlers, that they submitted to some of the most humiliating exactions HISTORY OF KINGSTOIir. 7 from the Indians, as appears by the character of their call upon Stuyvesant, the governor, for assistance. In it they say : " The savages compel the vs^hites to plough their maize land, and vrhen they hesitate threaten, with firebrands in their hands, to burn their houses. . . . That the chiefs have no control of their men. We are locked up in'our houses and dare not move a limb." The extent of their settlement at that time, May, 1658, may be judged by the fact that in such application to the governor they state that " they had 990 schepels of grain in the ground, and had 60 or 70 people, who support a reader at their own expense. " Immediately on receipt of the news. May 28th, the council di- rected the governor to proceed with sixty or seventy men to the relief of the inhabitants. He arrived there on Wednesday ; the next day being Ascension Day, he notified the people to meet him after service in the after- noon. He told them the killing of one man and the burning of two buildings was not enough to make war. They must concentrate and form a village with a stockade, so as to be able to protect themselves. They objected on account of their poverty and their inability to house their crops so near harvest, and they wished the troops to remain and to have the village built after harvest. He finally told them that there was no security as they then lived ; they must concentrate then or remove to Fort Orange or Manhat- tan ; or if they remained as they were, they must give him no more trouble. If they agreed to concentrate, he would remain untH the work was complete. The next day, the 30th of May, he had a conference vrith about fifty warriors, who met him under a tree. Stuyvesant then recounted to them their insolence to the whites, their murders, and their burn- ing of dwellings ; still he did not come to make war, but to punish the guilty ; and asked them why they acted thus, and were con- stantly threatening the inhabitants. After a pause one of the chiefs arose and said : " The Shawanakins sold our children drtuk, and they were thus the cause of the Indians being made crazy, which was the cause of all the mischief. The sachems could not always control the young men, who would often fight and wound. The murder was committed not by one of our tribe, but by a Minnisink, who had skulked away among the Haverstraws. The one who fired the two small dwelling-houses had run away, and dared not cultivate his own soil. We are innocent, not actuated by malice, do not want to fight, but cannot control the young men." Stuyvesant replied that if any of their men wanted to fight, let them step forth. He would place man against man ; yes, twenty against thirty or forty of the hotheads. But that it is unmanly to threaten farmers, and women and children, who are not warriors. 8 HISTOBT OF KINGSTON. If it was not stopped lie would be compelled to retaliate on old and young, on women and children. " You must repair all damages, seize the murderer if lie comes among you, and do no further mis- chief. The Dutch are now going to live together in one spot. It is desirable that you should seU us the whole of the Esopus land and remove farther into the interior ; for it is not good for you to reside so near the Shawanakins, whose cattle might eat your maize, and thus cause frequent disturbances." The matter was settled upon the terms thus dictated by Stuyvesant, and the savages de- parted after exchanging some small presents. The citizens finally came to terms with Stuyvesant, and entered into a written agreement, which translated is as follows : " We, the subscribers, assembled inhabitants of the Esopus, having found from time to time, through a very sorrowful experience, and to the damage of us aU, the faithless and unbearable boldness of the Indians' barbarous nature — how uncertain it is to depend on their words — how careless and perilous it is to live so separate and wide apart among such a faithless and insolent nation, have (on the proposition and promise of the Director-General, the lord Petrus Stuyvesant, to furnish us with a night-guard, and in case of neces- sity with further help) resolved among one another, that in order to better protect ourselves, our wives and children, it is necessary to leave our separate dwellings immediately after the signing of this, in the most speedy manner possible, and to concentrate in such place as the Lord Director shall choose, and surround it with palisades of proper length ; and in order that through these means, if it please the aU-good God to lend his blessing, we may be better prepared to preserve ourselves and ours from a sudden onslaught of the Indians, we bind ourselves one to another, after prayer to the Lord, to take the means named in hand without any objection, and to complete them as speedily as possible, under a fine of one thousand guilders, to be paid for the benefit of the place, by any one who may oppose the same by words or deeds. In further wit- ness whereof we have hereto set our own hands, in presence of the Lord Director-General and Govert Loockermans, old Schepens of the City of Amsterdam in New N"etherland. Done the last of May, 1658. " Signed : Jacob Jansen Stol, Thomas Chambers, Cornells Barentse Slecht, mark of Willem Jansen, Peter Dercksen, Jan Jansen, Jan Broersen, Dirck Hendricksen Graef, Jan Looman." After this agreement was signed, the first thing requiring atten- tion was the selection of the site for the village. That, of course, was a matter of primary importance. Stuyvesant wisely selected the site of what subsequently became the thickly settled part of the old village of Kingston, comprising the tract of land having HISTORY OF KINGSTON. 9 North Front Street on the north, Main Street on the south, Green Street on the west, and East Front Street (now Clinton Avenue) on the east ; thus being protected by very steep banks on three sides, and exposed on a level only at the south. The location appears to have been satisfactory to all, as the in- habitants proceeded at once to remove their dwellings and build the stockade. The selection was made on the 31st day of May, and in three weeks' time the palisade was substantially completed, the buildings removed, a bridge thrown over the brook beyond the gate near the northwest corner of the stockade, and a guard-house and temporary barracks built. North. Steep desceat, lowland. ■West. East. Extensive level plain. Sonth. Plan of Stockade, Wiltwtck, 1658. The outside lines represent the stocknde. No. 1. The fortified part. No. 3. The gates to fortified part. No. 2. The block-house. No. 4. The outside gates. The double lines inside are the streets. The location of the stockade was such that on the north, east, and west sides it ran along the brow of a steep declivity, with small streams of water, through wet marshy ground at the foot, and an extensive prairie flat beyond on the north and east sides ; and on the west was a valley, with a brook running through the centre, bordered by considerable marshy ground. The last-named brook was very soon utilized for milling purposes ; on the south there was a very extended sandy flat terminating in the narrow neck encompassed by the stockade. 10 HISTORY OF KINGSTON. In the illustration, the outside lines represent the stockade ; Fig. 1, the fortified part, including guard-house and barracks ; 3, the block-house ; 3, the gates to the fortified part, and 4, the outside gates. The average length of the area included in the stockade was about thirteen hundred feet and the width about twelve hun- dred feet. Shortly after the Dutch had begun their stockade they saw a band of Indians approaching and at first apprehended trouble, but soon found that the mission was friendly. They had come to give the land on which the village was commenced as a present to " the grand sachem" of the Hollanders, "to grease his feet, as he had taken so long and painful a journey to visit them." Stuyvesant then, after the completion of the work, and leaving a detail of twenty-four soldiers as a guard, left on the 24th of June for his headquarters at New Amsterdam. Peace with the Indians promised to be of very short continu- ance. Distrust appeared to exist on both sides. On the 15th of October, 1658, Director Stuyvesant had a conference with several sachems or chiefs of the savages. After the sachem had affirmed their authority to enter into a binding agreement, the affronts and injuries which they had done to the Esopus Christians were re- hearsed to them as follows : " They or their tribe had killed two horses of the Widow Hul- ter." " Thai about a year or eighteen months ago they had wounded with a hatchet one Jacob Adriaensen on the head, while in his own house, in consequence of which he is still blind of one eye, and they had also mortally wounded his little child." " That since the Spring they had burned his house and plun- dered his goods, also killed a dutchman on one of the Sloops." " That they had stolen and taken with them from the aforesaid burned house some duffels and shirts of Adriaen Van der Sluys." I " That they had compelled the farmers to plough their land for 4 corn and had threatened Cornelis Barentsen Slecht to burn his house, in case he should refuse, taking a firebrand for that purpose and running up under the roof to fire the barn. " That they had extorted at different times new payments from the Dutch, who had bought land from them and paid for it accord- ing to the bill of sale, and had inflicted many more threats, affronts and damages upon our nation, which have been the cause that the People have been obliged to pull down their houses and move close together, and that the Director General has been forced to close this place by palisades, with great labor and expenses and to send here and keep So many soldiers. "That they have killed again, contrary to their promise, a HISTORY OF KINGSTON. 11 horse and several hogs belonging to Jacob Jansen Stoll for all which losses caused by them proper satisfaction is demanded." The Indians made professions of friendship and a desire to make satisfaction. But the director-general, after waiting until the 18th, the Indians not returning on that day, as promised, became satisfied that they had no intention of giving satisfaction. He therefore returned to New Amsterdam on the 19th of October, 1658, leaving instructions with Ensign Dirck Smit that he should join to the old garrison twenty-five men from the military brought up, so that they should number fifty men, and he to have the su- preme command. With the assistance of the inhabitants he was immediately to make the enclosed place secure, and mount a proper guard at the two gates and the guard-house, in daytime as well as at night, and not allow any savage to pass through except upon permission of Jacob Jansen Stoll and Thomas Chambers. Until further order he was not to act hostilely against the savages unless they began first and harmed the Christians. Then, with the advice of said Stoll and Chambers, and assistance of the inhabitants, he was to act defensively, and apprehend, resist, and pursue the sav- ages as occasion might requii-e. On the 29th of October, 1658, Messrs. Stoll, Chambers, and Smit reported to the director-general, by letter, that the savages on the previous day had released the large tract of land as demanded, and expected some presents in return. Mutual distrust continued to exist between the whites and the Indians. The Dutch suspected that the savages intended to attack and slaughter them when opportunity olfered, while the savages had no confidence in the sincerity of the director-general, he hav- ing avoided or neglected to send them the promised presents as a guarantee of peace. As usual with the savage, the withholding of the presents was an evidence of want of sincerity. For that reason they apprehended that it was his intention to surprise and destroy them. In this critical condition, ready to blaze at the touch of the slightest spark, they lingered along through the winter and sum- mer of 1659 and until the fall, when a dastardly outrage on the part of the whites, entirely unprovoked and uncalled for, and with- out excuse, set the warwhoop resounding throughout the coun- try, accompanied with all the horrors of savage warfare. A few Indians — some eight in number — were employed by Thomas Chambers, who lived on his farm and had not removed into the village, to husk his corn, at which they were engaged until late in the evening. During the evening they asked for brandy. When they had finished their work he gave them a large jug of it. They went to a brook near by and had their frolic. As the liquor operated the 12 HISTORY OF KITfGSTOSr. noise and yelling and drunken orgies increased. It became so great that the commandant of the guard ordered a squad of his men to march out of one of the gates and return by the other, so as to see what the turmoU was, but not to commit any violence. He did so, and reported that it was a few Indians on a drunken spree. That was enough to set some indiscreet hotheads in motion, of whom there is always a supply to curse any community ; and Jacob Jansen StoU called on several people to follow him and attack the Indians. Accordingly, against the orders of Ensign Smit, he left with Jacob Jansen Van Stoutenbergh, Gysbert Phillipse Van Velthuysen, Thomas Higgins, Evert Pels, Jan Arentsen, Barent Harmensen, Martin Hoffman, and Abel Derckson, and attacked the savages as they lay huddled together in drunken stupor, firing a volley of musketry among them, killing some and wounding others. It is said the unfortunate wretches immediately jumped up : one was knocked on the head vdth an axe ; a second was taken prisoner ; a third fled ; a fourth, while lying intoxicated, was cut on the head with a cutlass, which aroused him from his stupor, and he made off. The Dutch thereupon returned to the fort with great speed, after that most valiant exploit, murdering Indians stupidly drunk. Ensign Smit, perceiving that he could not control the action of the settlers, determined at once to return with his command to New Amsterdam, and leave the settlers to the consequences of their acts. He therefore announced his intention to leave the next day, and made preparations accordingly. The people became wild with excitement, and made earnest op- position. They did not know what to do in the predicament in which they were placed. Smit would not yield, and insisted upon going. Finding they could do nothing by persuasion, StoU and Chambers quietly got possession of all the boats in the neighbor- hood, so that Smit was thus deprived of the only means he had of transportation. In this emergency, securing one canoe, he sent Christopher Davis to the governor with information of the situa- tion of affairs. He was escorted to the river by eight soldiers and about a dozen citizens, under the command of Sergeant Laurent- son. This was on the 25th of September, 1659, about four days after the massacre. When this party was returning from the river, it fell into an ambuscade near where the City Hall is now situated. The sergeant and thirteen men at once surrendered, seeing, with the opposing numbers, the folly of resistance. The others fled, and reached the gate in safety. War to the knife was novp- fully inaugurated. The Indians, to the number of five hundred and upward, surrounded the place, and kept up a constant skirmish. Throwing firebrands, they set fire to / HISTORY OF KINGSTON. 13 the house of Jacob Sebers, which, with many bams, stacks, and barracks were burned. They attempted to take the place by storm, and for that purpose made a most desperate assault, but without success. The stockade formed such an eflfective protection that only one man inside of the enclosure was killed. Not succeeding in capturing the place, they then proceeded to kill all the domestic animals they could find. The siege was thus kept up uninterrupt- edly for three weeks. Failing in their main object, they then pro- ceeded to wreak their vengeance upon the prisoners. Jacob Jansen Van Stoutenbergh, Abraham Vosburgh, a son of Cornelis B._Slecht, and several others were forced to run the gauntlet, after which they were tied to stakes ; then cut and beaten in the most cruel manner ; and such as survived the torture were burned alive. There were others of the prisoners who suffered tor- ture and death, but their names are unknown. Thomas Chambers was exchanged for an Indian captive. One soldier made his escape. Sergeant Laurentson and Peter HiUe- brants were ransomed. Pels' s son, who was a youth, was adopted into an Indian family. He remained with the ti-ibe, took a wife from among them, had children, and refused to leave his wife. Whether he afterward returned to civilization or not tradition does not inform us. At this time there was a great deal of sickness prevailing at New Amsterdam and throughout the colonial possessions, Avhich, added to the dread and fear which f eU upon the inhabitants, it was impossible for Stuyvesant to procure any volunteers for aid to Esopus. Anticipating that the massacre and war would extend throughout the whole colony, the farmers fled in every direction, abandoning houses, grain, cattle, and, indeed, the nearest inhabited villages on Long Island, seeking shelter where they thought there might be safety. There were only about half a dozen soldiers all told in Fort Amsterdam, and all sick. Stuyvesant himself was sick. In this plight he used every effort imaginable to procure volunteers ; every effort to that end was a failure. After the most urgent and repeat- ed appeals only from twenty-five to thirty volunteers could be pro- cured. Finally he required the able-bodied men to cast lots, and that those upon whom the lots feU would be required to go, under penalty of forfeiture of fifty guilders. On the 9th of October, 1659, on Sunday, after the second ser- vice, he was able to set off with about one hundred and sixty men and as many Indians from Long Island. He reached Esopus the next day. On arriving there he learned that the Indians, not hav- ing been able to carry the works by assault or by any other way, had, about three weeks previous, abandoned the siege and gone to 14 HISTOEY OF KINGSTON, their homes. Stuy vesant was unable to pursue them on account of the country being so inundated, and the streams swelled by the heavy rains. He then at once returned to Manhattan. Before leaving he strengthened the garrison, leaving Smit still in command. It appears, however, that the savages only made their appearance occasionally, to make threats and keep the people watchful. In the mean time, the authorities at Fort Orange had sent two Maquas chiefs, with Misameret, a Mohican sachem, to con- clude an armistice. In this, after a few days' stay, they were suc- cessful, and at the same time they ransomed two men. The armis- tice was to continue as long as the director should elect. On the 28th of November, 1659, Stuy vesant again visited the place, hoping to conclude a permanent peace, but the savages were afraid of him and did not meet him. About the middle of the follow- ing month they brought in some turkeys and deer, ' ' to see if we were sincere." Some powder was given in exchange, which had a happy effect. But no conlidence was placed in them. ■ It was believed that winter and a scarcity of com alone retarded hostilities. Tradi- tion and old documents have left but little information how the settlers passed the winter. There is no doubt that they had a very watchful, anxious, and busy time, interspersed with many episodes which would at this day have made interesting and thrilling narra- tives. But the mantle of oblivion has been thrown over it by the lapse of ages, and we must pass on to scenes the records of which have not been thus obliterated. Late in the winter or early in the spring of 1660 Director Stuy- vesant had a consultation with his council in regard to the affairs of Esopus and their troubles with the Indians, and proposed to make a formal declaration of war. He thought it too humiliating to bear what had passed in Esopus, and he proposed to iight. He said the people of Esopus could produce more grain than all the other settlements. There was, therefore, the greater need for their protection. He did not purpose to declare war immediately, but at once began preparations therefor, and increased the military strength of the colony. And until prepared to strike a decisive blow, he purposed "ruse for ruse, and to lead them away by chicanery." Van Ruyven, the secretary of the colony, opposed this scheme if it could be avoided, reminding them that the whites were the aggressors, not the Indians, and urging that another effort be made for peace ; and if war must be made, it should be deferred until fall, when they could destroy the maize, which was always planted in some remote, secret place, to provide food for the winter. The council, however, agreed to declare war, but advised it be deferred until fall. HISTORY OP KINGSTON. 15 After the above determination had been reached, and on the 15th of March, Goetchels, chief of the Wappingers, appeared before the council at Manhattan, and asked for peace in the name of Pegh-Pegh-qnanock, Pemmyrameck, Prenwamack, and Seewe- chammee, sachems of the Esopus Indians. " They were very fear- ful all winter the Dutch would make war. They had the wampum and beaver all ready to make peace. They did not come them- selves, because they were full of fear." Governor Stuyvesant an- swered, they only wanted an " empty peace." The chief answered it was only the empty heads (Kaele backers) who wanted war ; that all the principal men, especially Kaelkop and Pemmyrameck, begged for peace and wanted to meet at Esopus. In the mean time, Smit was pursuing the Indians and harassing them wherever they could be found. On the 15th of March he marched into the interior about eight or ten miles, where he dis- covered sixty savages, who fled without offering any resistance. But the Dutch soldiers fired on them, killed three or four, and took twelve prisoners. Returning they destroyed an Indian fort called Wiltmeet, supposed to have been located in Marbletown, and cap- tured considerable maize, beans, and peas, and a number of peltries. This again struck terror into the savages, and they were afraid to go and meet Stuyvesant, who arrived at Esopus on the 18th to meet them. Stuyvesant, irritated by their failure to meet him, at once determined to declare war. He then sent the plunder and prisoners to Manhattan, ordered the remnants of the tribes to be driven across the Catskill Mountains, and then sailed to Fort Orange. On the 25th of March, 1660, he issued a formal declaration of war against them and their adherents. By treaties entered into with river tribes south of Esopus, in- cluding the Wappingers, he bound them to remain neutral ; thus entirely cutting off the Esopus Indians from any allies or assistance in that quarter. On the 3d of April two parties of savages appeared on the op- posite side of the EsOpus Creek and made derisive gestures. The next day they came again and promised to come on the morrow. Smit, early the next morning, placed forty -three men in ambush about three gun shots from the stockade. Soon about one hundred Indians appeared, but their scouts discovered the snare. The Dutch now began a general attack, and followed them for an hour. They killed three, wounded two, and took one prisoner, with a loss of only three horses. During this time the Indians were praying for peace. On the 21st of April the Catskill and Mohican tribes asked for peace in behalf of the Esopus Indians, and in their name offered to give up all land on the Esopus and exchange prisoners and booty on the 16 HISTORY OF KINGSTON". 23d of April. On the 23d some Mohawk chiefs appeared before Montague, the Secretary of Fort Orange, and presented, in the name of the Esopus Indians, eighteen fathoms of sewan, soliciting a treaty of peace. This was declined for want of authority to act in the premises, and the petitioners were referred to the director and council. About this time three sachems of the Mohican tribe — Aepjen, Assamad, and Beresbay — appeared before the director in behalf of the Esopus Indians. Laying down two strings of wampum, one of them said : " This is a pledge that the Esopus sachems, Kaeleback- ers, young and old, men and women, desire peace." These belts were taken, but Stuyvesant told them that peace could only be assured by their coming to New Amsterdam. Then, presenting two other belts, they asked that the prisoners might be released. This they were told was impossible, and the wampum was returned. They then laid down twelve and renewed the request. This was also refused. The Indians, finding their efforts fruitless for the release of the prisoners, one of their number, after a short consultation, laid a belt of wampum at the director's feet, and requested that the war be confined to the Esopus country. They were assured that as long as they remained friendly to the Dutch they would not be molested. Other belts of wampum were now laid at his feet " to wipe out the remembrance of the rejection of those they had offered for the prisoners. ' ' These were taken, and each was given a blanket, a piece of frieze, an axe, a knife, a pair of stockings, two small kettles, and one pound of powder. • They then left, apparently satisfied, taking with them a pass for the Esopus chiefs. On the next day, May 25th, 1660, about twenty of the Indian captives were sent by the director to the island of Cura^oa, with directions that they be employed there or at Bunaire with the company's negroes. Three or four others were kept to be punished " as might be thought proper or necessity might demand." The only excuse Stuyvesant gave for this not only impolitic, but cruel and barbarous act, was that " their enlargement would have a tendency to create disaffection toward our nation. Our bar- barous neighbors would glory as if they had inspired us with terror." Stuyvesant in this act evinced a great lack of good policy and acuteness as a statesman, and cruelty more befitting a savage than a civilized being. It was never forgotten by the Indians, and they awaited their time for the terrible retribution of blood. Questioning, as the writer does, the policy and humanity of the government of New Amsterdam in transporting the Indian cap- tives to Curagoa, it is proper that he should give the reasons as HISTORY OF KINGSTON. 17 contained in the resolution of the council, as passed May 26th, 1660. " It is quite evident from the proposition and the talk of the Savages, that we shall not obtain a firm and stable peace with the Esopus savages, unless the captured Esopus Indians (of whom the eleven here and the others still in prison at the Esopus are all bold and hard hearted fellows, and the mgst inconsiderate of the tribe) are released, or they are deprived of all hope ever to get them back, and they are forced to a solid peace by force of arms (with God's blessing). Having considered this, after several serious delibera- tions, it has been decided unanimously, that to release them would not only tend to create disregard and contempt of our nation among neighbors, as well as our own subjects, but also the neigh- boring barbarians, and especially the Esopus savages would glory in it, as if they inspired such great awe to our People, that we were afraid to arouse their anger, and that we had no courage, to treat, according to their merits, and as an example for others, the prisoners among whom there are some, who have dared to murder our People, captured by them, in cool blood and with unheard cruelty. Hence we have, for the above stated and other reasons, judged it to be best, to send the aforesaid Indian Captives to Cura- cao by the first good opportunity, and at the expense of the Com- pany, to be employed there or at Bonayro with the negroes iu the service of the Company, and to keep here only two or three of the aforesaid Captives, who have murdered our prisoners iu cool blood, and to punish them, at the proper time, in such a manner, as shall be decided upon, in the mean time to continue a defensive and ofl'ensive war against the Esopus savages, and inflict aU possible harm upon them, until such time, that we can obtain a peace with them on favorable conditions." On the 27th of May Smit sent out seventy-five men with an Indian prisoner, Disquaaras, as guide. They discovered, " at the second fall on Kit David's KiU" — sup posed to be Lefevre' s Falls, at the Rock Lock, in the town of Rosendale — a few Indians planting maize on the opposite bank. The creek being high, the Dutch could not cross, but the Indians fled, and the Dutch returned to the fort. Smit having been informed by Maritje Hansen, wife of Juriaen Westphael, that the Indians had located " about nine miles or three hours farther up the stream above mentioned than the fall, where the stream can be easily forded," he sent his men forthwith to take the Indians by surprise. When within sight of their dwell- ings they saw some women and children planting, who, being warned of the approach of the Dutch by the barking of the dogs, fled, leaving behind them Preymaker, a chief of their tribe, who 3 18 HISTOET OF KINGSTON. was crippled and bent with age. He was designated as " the old- est and best of their chiefs." He, armed with a gun, six knives, and a tomahawk, demanded : " What are ye doing here, ye dogs f and at the same time levelled his gun at them. That was at once snatched from his grasp, and he was then disarmed and put in charge of a guard. He lived below Hurley, and the stream Prey- maker was named after him. They then crossed the creek to the other Indian dwellings, and destroyed aU they could find. Being about to return, and finding the Indian Chief Preymaker an incumbrance, as " being too old to walk and the distance too great to carry him," they valiantly struck him down with his own axe. On their way back they were attacked by some Indians concealed in the bushes, and had one man wounded. " Making fight, the Indians fled to a thick woods, where they could not be pursued, and the soldiers marched home." On the 3d of June, Oratany, chief of the Hackensack and Hav- erstraw Indians, at the instance of Seewackamano, one of the Esopus sachems, appeared before Stuyvesant, and sued for peace in their name. He told Stuyvesant that Seewackamano, only a few days before, had called together the Wanwassutje Indians (the Warwassings), and asked them what they would do. "We will fight no more was their answer." He next asked the squaws "what seemed best." They answered, "Let us plant our field in peace and live in quiet." He then went to the young men, who lived apart in another quarter, " and asked their opinion too." Their answer was, " They would not kill hog or fowl any more." That, having thus the consent of all classes to make peace, he had come down to get them — the Hackensacks and Haverstraws — to in- tercede in their behalf. While there in that behalf, and only the day before, he had heard of the expedition of Smit and the killing of " their greatest and best chief." The news had fallen heavily on his heart, and he did not know what to do. " He had gone home to appease his people, would return in ten or twelve days, and left the Hackensacks and Haverstraws to do the best they could with the Dutch ; for himself he had no hope." Stuyvesant assured him that the Christians wanted peace. The old chief replied : " It is strange, then, that your people have so lately killed their chief. They mourn his loss." It was then agreed that there should be a truce, while he, Ora- tany, and his sachems went up to Esopus with Claes de Ruyter, to see what was the true disposition of the Indians. Claes was then authorized to go with them and make a treaty, provided they would return the ransom paid for prisoners afterward murdered, and retire from the Esopus land. Claes and Commander Smit soon reported that they were willing to accept those terms, but HISTORY OF KINGSTON". 19 wanted the director to come with an interpreter called Weather- cock. The Minnisink savages, who had engaged with the Esopus, also wanted terms. The council of New Netherland concluded to send Stuyvesant to Esopus with two old burgomasters, Martin Cregier and Olofl Stevenson Van Cortlandt, to advise with him. On the 7th of July this party left Manhattan. On the 9th they arrived at Esopus, and they received on board the Highland chiefs, who sent two Indians to notify the Esopus Indians. The Esopus Indians did not appear until the 14th of July, toward evening. On the next day, the 15th of July, there was a memorable gathering of Chris- tians and savages " on the flat near the strand gate," just without the enclosure of the village, " under the sky of heaven." * There were met in conference the Indian sachems Kaelkop, See- wackamano, Nosbabowan, and Pemmyrameck ; Esopus : Adog- beguewalgus, Requescecade, Ogkuekelt ; Maquas : Eskyras, alias Aepje-Ampumst ; Mohicans : Keesewing, Machacknemenn ; Cats- Mils : Onderis, Hoeque, Kaskongeritschage ; Minquas : Isses- chahga, Wisachganio ; Wappingers : Oratany, Carstaugh ; Haclc- ensacks : Warchen ; Staten Island ; together with the director and his advisers, the interpreter, " Old Weathercock, Arent Van Curler," and all the inhabitants of Esopus. After much talking with the Indians to and fro, and Stuyvesant consenting to pea,ce, Onderis addressed the Esopus sachems, and said : "Ye must not renew this quarrel ; neither kill horse nor cow, nor steal any property. Whatever ye want ye must purchase or earn." After some more talking to and fro, he said : " Throw down the hatchet. Tread it so deep into the earth that it shall never be taken up again." He then presented them a belt of white wampum. The Macquas then addressed the Dutch, and charged them not to renew the quarrel, " nor beat the Esopus savages in the face and then laugh at them." Then, taking an axe from the hands of an Esopus chief, he threw it on the ground, jumped on it, and said : " Now, they will never commence' this quarrel again." The Esopus chief, rising slowly, said : " We have permitted the hatchet to be taken from our hands and trodden in the ground. We wUl never again take it up." The conditions of peace were then submitted and agreed to sub- stantially, as follows : All hostilities were to cease, all injuries forgiven and forgot- ten. The Dutch to have all the land of Esopus, and the Indians to depart from and not plant thereon. The directors to pay eight ' That is supposed to have heen near where the academy now is. 20 HISTORY OP KINGSTON. Inindred schepels com for the Christian prisoners, " one half this harvest, and the other half next year, when the maize is ripe." The Indians were not to kill any horses, cattle, or hogs ; and if they did, were to pay for them, or remain under arrest until dam- ages were paid, the Dutch agreeing to the same terms. There was not to be war for murder, but the guilty parties were to be pun- ished. The Indians were not to approach the plantations or dwell- ings armed, and only to drink brandy and spirituous liquors in their own camp, in the woods at a great distance. The peace was to include the friends of both sides, and the chiefs mentioned were to be security for the observance of these conditions by the Esopus Indians. Thus terminated what has been styled the first Esopus war. As has before been said, we have but little information in regard to it. Much of what we do know is not complimentary to the human- ity and much less to the Christianity of the whites. It was started by a cold-blooded, brutal, and cowardly murder. Afterward, while the Indians were praying and beseeching for peace, their cries were for a long time unheeded, their villages and planting grounds were destroyed, their old men killed, their warriors, in the hands of the whites as prisoners, sent to the tropics to wear out their helpless existence in bondage and in the mines. Would that an impenetrable veil could have been drawn over not only that, but the heartless provocations by which former Indian wars were also provoked, that it has been our duty to notice ! CHAPTER II. FROM THE TREATY OP PEACE AFTER FIRST ESOPUS "WAR TO AND INCLUDING ORGANIZATION OP WILTWYCK GOVERNMENT, 1661. IN the month of February, 1659, the directors in Holland wrote to Governor Stny vesant approving of his proceedings at Esopus, in compelling the inhabitants to concentrate in a fortified enclos- ure ; that they deemed it the safest and best way for protection and defence, and directed that it must be done on all occa- sions and at aU settlements of outlying farmers in the open country. An extract is given from another letter from the directors to Governor Stuyvesant, written at about the same time as the one above noticed, showing that exaggerated and fabulous tales, usually circulated in connection with discoveries and resources of new countries, were not wanting in this case : " We have lately been shewn a small piece of mineral, which is said to have come from New Netherland, and which we found to be good and pure copper, so that we have thought it worth while to hear Claes De Ruyter about it, a person who showed that he was not ignorant of it, and consequently demonstrated, that a copper mine was said to be in the Neversinks. Also that there was lying, between the Manhattans and the South river a Crystal Mountain of which he says he brought several specimens." They then urge the director-general and council to thoroughly investi- gate the matter and send specimens, etc. On the 22d of July, 1659, the director-general and his council re- plied, expressing gteat astonishment at the reported discovery. It was beyond their knowledge. The agricultural importance of Esopus, at this time, is apparent from the following extract of a letter dated May 12th, 1660, written by Ensign Smitt to the director- general : " I have to inform your Honor in regard to the Spring corn, which we sowed, that Thomas Chambers has 100 Schepels of barley and peas in the ground, and Jurryaen Westphalen, your Honor's farmer, has in the ground 100 Schepels of Spring wheat and Barley, as well as Peas and oats and Cornells Barentsen Slecht 50 Schep- els of Spring wheat, nine of Peas and a few of Barley, and the 22 HISTOBY OF KINGSTOK. widow Stoll 45 Schepels of Spring wheat, 12 Schepels of Barley, and 4 of peas. So that altogether 320 Schepels of Spring grain have been sowed. Thomas Chambers has also sowed 75 Schepels of Winter wheat, and Cornells Barentsen Slecht 20 Schepels of winter wheat, and it has come up nicely in the fields." So that if Esopns could not boast of its mineral, it could truly of its agricultural wealth. A short time prior to the Indian war, of which we have just given an account, the classis of the Dutch Church at Amster- dam became awakened to the spiritual wants of their brethren at Esopus. They persuaded and encouraged Harmanus Blom, who was then preparing for the ministry in Holland, to visit this coun- try. He did so, and arrived at Esopus in August, 1659. He preached two sermons on the Sabbath, and had a conference with Indians outside of the stockade. The people then immediately organized a church, tendered Mr. Blom a call to become their pas- tor, and he returned to Holland for examination and ordination. After his arrival in Holland, the call was regularly approved by classis and confirmed by the West India Company. Harmanus Blom was then ordained to preach in the New ISTetherlands, " both on water and on the land, and in all the neighborhood, but prin- cipally in Esopus." He soon afterward, and about the 1st of March, left Holland to assume the charge to which he had been assigned ; bearing a letter from the Amsterdam classis to the Dutch churches in the New Netherlands, earnestly exhorting them not to depart from the usual formulary of baptism. His settlement in Esopus was retarded by the Indian troubles, so that his ministra- tion at that place did not commence until September, 1660. We find the following guarantee as to the dominie's salary : " The undersigned, inhabitants at the Settlement of the place called Esopus, promise to give our Keverend Minister Harmanus Blom as Salary for the first year (which Salary has commenced with his arrival here on the 5th of September, 1660) the sum of 700 guilders in com, at beaver valuation, in case his farm should fail, and we promise further to put the farm in good order according to contract, as soon as the land has been alloted and to raise that sum at the latest for the coming farming season. This we the under- signed promise faithfuUy and truly to do. Thus done the 4th of March, 1661 Thomas Chambers CoRNELis Barentsen Slecht Gertruy Andries KOELOEF SwARTWOUT Alderdt Heymensen Koose JURIAEN WestvAEL." HISTORY OF KINGSTON. 23 Esopus was then without any local government, and, in fact, a dependency of Fort Orange. The people were dissatisfied with such a dependent position, and wanted a government of their own. About that time Roeloflf Swartwout, a son of one of the original set- tlers, visited Holland, and through his representations and other influences the Amsterdam directors of the West India Company determined to make the Esopus settlement an independent juris- diction. In furtherance of such object they passed the following order : " The Directors of the privileged West India Company, Depart- ment of Amsterdam, being specially authorized by the College of XIX to administer the Government of New Netherlands, make known : " Whereas it is required to promote justice in the vUlage of Esopus in New Netherland, that an able and expert person is selected to officiate there provisionally as schout ; for which office has been recommended to us Roeloff Swartwout, who has resided there a considerable time. Therefore we having full confidence in the abilities, integrity and expertness of RoeloflE Swartwout, ap- point him provisionally as the schout of said village at the Esopus, investing him with full power and authority to act as such, in the aforesaid place, and the adjoining district, in conformity to the usages of the office in this country, and agreeable to the instruc- tions he receives or may receive from us : to prosecute the contra- veners of all politic, civil and criminal laws, and bring them to justice, according to the ordinances and placards ; to indict all de- linquents in the aforesaid village or jurisdiction, in so far as he may deem proper and consonant with his instructions, and to fine and punish them in such manner as the law shaU dictate ; to en- deavor by dilligence and information, to help the Governor remove and prevent all misdeeds ; to assist in the speedy execution of all judgments, and further to act in all respects as a schout is bound by his oath to do. To this end commanding the Burgomasters, Schepens, and inhabitants of said village the aforesaid Roeloff Swartwout as our officer and Schout, to assist and support him in said office whenever required, or as in our opinion the "services of the Company and promotion of justice may require it. " Done in the meeting of the Directors aforesaid in Amsterdam the 15th of April, 1660. " Jacob Pergeus. " By his order " C. Van Seventer." It will be perceived that in this translation the name " schout " is retained as the designation of the office, and the word " sheriff'''' 24 HISTORY OP KINGSTON. is not used ; for although the office of schout was clothed with the ordinary duties and powers of the shrievalty, his jurisdiction was at the same time much broader and more extensive ; it embraced as well the duties of presiding officer of the court in civil actions, and the duties of prosecuting attorney in criminal proceedings. The instructions to the schout, of even date with the order, provided that he should not accept any other office ; that he should rank above the burgomasters and schepens ; preside in civil actions ; pronounce judgments and give warnings in the name of the court ; publish all orders relative to the excise in the village, with the knowledge of the director and court, and execute them agreeably to their contents. That he should take care that the villages may be cleaned of all villains and sharpers ; that neither whores, panders, brothels, or similar lewd houses should be permitted. To this end, and to avoid all violence and tumults, he should be always ready to trav- erse the city with his attendants,. visit the churches, markets, and other meetings. He was further directed to apprehend all delinquents, and prose- cute them within four days after commitment, by prosecuting them before court for judgment ; to execiite the judgment without re- prieve, and to execute his rolls in conformity with those made at Amsterdam on the 27th day of April, 1656. For compensation, he was entitled to have one half of all civil fines, except those imposed by virtue of ordinances on taxation ; one third of aU criminal fines ; one half the costs of all summonses, and such salary as might thereafter be granted him. He was pro- hibited from receiving any presents either directly or indirectly. Within a few days after the date of the preceding order Roeloff Swartwout embarked for America, accompanied by Cornells Jacobs Van Leeuwen, Arent Meuwens, and Adriaen Huyberts. They reached New Amsterdam in the early part of the summer. Immediately after his arrival Swartwout presented the order ap- pointing him schout to the director-general, and demanded to be sworn and inducted into office. Stuyvesant refused to comply, and at once wrote to the board at Amsterdam that he had not and could not administer the oath of office to Swartwout ; that he was too young a man, and incompetent ; that the appointment was premature ; that there was no court at Esopus, nor was there any likelihood that there would be any, " for there is no one capable of sitting on the bench." He further alleged that " a person of more matare age, higher talents and respectability, would be re. quired, as he would be required to act as commissary for the com- pany." The refusal of Swartwout was received by the directors at Am- niSTOKT OF KINGSTON. 25 sterdam fti September. They were very indignant at the refusal, and at once reproved the governor very severely, and peremptorily ordered him to carry out their instructions, and administer the oath to Swartwout and induct him into office. In order fully to comply with the wishes of the governing di- rectors, and obey the peremptory mandate, Stuyvesant, as director- general, on the 16th of May, 1661, executed a formal charter to the inhabitants of Esopus, and conferred municipal powers on the set- tlement. He conferred upon the municipality the name of " Wilt- toyck" in commemoration of the fact that the soil was a free gift from the Indians. The following is a translation of the order as entered in the Wiltwyck records : "May 16, 1661. Director General Petrus Stuyvesant, dele- • gated and authorized in all matters of government relating to the public welfare of all the country of New Netherland, by power and commission from the noble Lord Directors of the privileged West India Company, obeserving the situation and condition of a place called the Esopus, which has now been inhabited and settled six or seven years ; hath, in consideration of the situation and population thereof, erected the locality into a village and given it the name of Wiltwyck, whereby it shall be called now and hence- forward." The charter granted by the director-general is quite lengthy and specific in its provisions. A full copy will be given in the Appen- dix. It was intended to and did grant a municipal government conforming, as near as possible under the differing circumstances, to that of towns in the " Fatherland, " except that it was made siib- ordinate to the director-general and council at New Amsterdam. The government was to be administered by a Board of Magis- trates, consisting of the schout as presiding officer, and three schepens or aldermen ; the schepens to be chosen or appointed annually by the director-general and council at New Amsterdam. The retiring schepens were particularly enjoined in the charter " to pay due attention to the conduct, conversation, and abilities of honest and decent persons, inhabitants of their village ; to in- form the director-general and council, about the time of election, who were sufficiently qualified to be appointed." Before them as a court all cases and questions relating to the po- lice, security, and peace of the inhabitants, and all suits between man and man, were to be brought, heard, examined, and determined. Their judgment in cases involving fifty guilders and under was final. In cases involving higher sums, the right of appeal to the director-general and council was given to the aggi'ieved party, pro- vided' the appeal was taken within a specified time, and security 26 HISTOKY OF KINGSTON. given for the payment of the costs. If, in the decision of any case, a difference of opinion existed in the court, the opinion of the majority was to control. It was made the duty of the schout, as befoi-e stated, to preside at the court or meeting of the schepens, and until further ordered act as their secretary. Except, however, when acting in his own interest or in behalf of " the rights of the Lord Patroons," or as prosecuting officer, he should not preside nor officiate as a part of the court. In Such case one of the oldest schepens was directed to preside. The schout, as well as each of the schepens, were prohibited from officiating as a member of the court whenever -personally interest- ed, or of near relationship or affinity to any' of the parties. These officers were required to hold their court every fortnight, harvest time excepted, unless necessity or occasion might , other- wise require. " All criminals and delinquents guilty of wounding, bloodshed, fornication, adultery, public and notorious thefts, robberies, smug- gling or contraband, blasphemy violating God's holy name and religion injuring or slandering the supreme magistrates or their representatives were required with informations affidavits and wit- nesses to be referred to the Director General and Council of New Netherland." All lesser crimes, including " quarrels, injuries, scolding, kick- ing, beating, threatening," etc., were left to the adjudication of the aforesaid local court, with right of appeal reserved to the con- demned. In those cases the schout was required to act as prose- cutor. The aforesaid officers were also empowered to make orders re- specting "public roads, enclosures of lands, gardens and orchards, and matters that might concern the country and agriculture : also relative to the building of churches, schools and other similar public works, as weU as the means from which, and in what man- ner they shaU be worked and regulated." But all such orders, before becoming operative or binding, were to be submitted, with their reasons, to the director-general and council, for " their con- firmation, approval, and command, if by them deemed necessary and useful." These officers were also required to enforce obedience to " the law of our Fatherland and the ordinances and published plackards of the Director General and Council ;" and they were strictly en- joined to prosecute aU transgressions thereof, and prohibited from publishing any act of their own without the previous consent and approval of the director-general and council. They were also required " to assist the Noble Lord Directors as HISTORY OF KINGSTON. 27 Lords and Patroons of the New Netherland Provinces under the Soverignity of the High and Mighty Lords of the Staats General of the United Provinces, and to assist in maintaining them in their high jurisdiction, rights, domains, and all their other pre-emi- nences." The director-general, about the same time the said charter was granted, promulgated the following orders or by-laws : 1. No person was to work on the Sabbath. 2. No one should, give an entertainment, sell spirituous liquors, or be intoxicated on that day, under pain of fine and imprison- ment. 3. For the prevention of fires, the construction of wooden chimneys was prohibited ; also the building of roofs covered with cane or straw, unless the garret floor was laid tight with boards. 4. The schout and schepens were to appoint fire wardens, who were to visit every house at least once in every month to see that they were properly built and cleaned. Delinquents to be fined one fiorin for first offence, two for the second, and four for the third. 5. All persons to keep good fences and gates. 6. Every one to enclose his lot within four months and build a house on the same in one year or forfeit it. 7. The stockade to be kept in good order, and gates closed every night under a penalty of three guilders. 8. No one to propose a religious dispute under a penalty of three days in jail, on bread and water. 9. Every one must respect and assist in family worship. Evert Pels, Cornells Barentse Slecht, and Elbert Hymans Roose, were by the charter designated as the first board of schepens. On the 27th of June, shortly after the promulgation of the charter, the director-general, in compliance with the aforesaid per- emptory order of the home directors, commissioned and adminis- tered the oath of ofiice to Roelofl Swartwout, as schout, thus com- pleting the organization of the first viUage and first judicial tri- bunal in this section of the State. The first meeting of the court was held on the 12th day of July, 1661, in Wiltwyck. It made an order to meet and hold court on Tuesday of every other week until further order from the director- general and council at New Amsterdam. At that meeting it appointed Jacob Joosten as messenger for the court and the church, with an annual salary of two hundred guilders in sewan, subject to the approval of the director-general. No business of importance was transacted at that meeting, except, on the petition of the sergeant in command of the soldiers, it di- 28 HISTORY OF KINGSTON. rected Pieter Van Allen, the shoemaker, instead of shipping some wheat, to sell it to the sergeant, if he paid for it on delivery. It being harvest, the court adjonmed until the 13th of September. The court met again on the adjourned day, and held its regular bi-weekly meetings during the rest of the year ; at which meet- ings it adjusted some triiiing complaints that were brought before it, granted house lots to some applicants, and fixed the price of millers' toll at eight stivers in sewan per schepel, or the tenth when customers had no sewan. RoelofE Swartwout, the schout, was born in Amsterdam in 1634, came to this country about 1655, and settled first at Fort Orange. He remained there only a very short time and went to Esopus, where he began farming on his own account. On the 13th of August, 1657, he married the widow of Anthony de Hooges and daughter of Albert Andrisen Bradt. It was said that it was the influence of his wife's and her first husband's families that secured him the office. ■ He lived the latter part of his Ufe, after losing his office, on his farm at Hurley. The three schepens were all old settlers of the country, emi- grating from Holland. Tryntje Tysen Bos, the wife of Slecht, was , duly licensed by Stuyvesant as midwife as early as 1655. Slecht r-^ied in^ft^,!' left a number of children, the youngest of whom, Petronella, was the wife of Jochem Hendrick Schoonmaker, who after his marriage moved to Mombaccus, now Rochester, and be- came the progenitor of the Schoonmakers, now scattered in large numbers through different parts of this county and elsewhere. We have no definite information of the number of inhabitants at Wiltvsyck at this time. The best guide for an estimate that we have is a schedule of old and newly surveyed lots made out in the year 1662, for which purpose, and as furnishing reliable informa- tion of the names of some of the heads of families then residing there, it is given here entire. Of course it does not contain the names of all the residents at that time, not even of all the heads of families, and certainly not of the unmarried men and farm and other laborers. LIST OP OLD LOTS. 1. Thomas Chambers. 9. Andries, the weaver. 2. Evert Pels. 10. Jan de Brabander. 3. Balthazer Carel Stuyvesant. 11. Jan Broersen. 4. Minister's house and lot. 12. Michael Verre. 5. Mrs. De Hulter's. 13. U ii 6. Jacob Govier, little farm. 14. Jan Depuit. 7. Jacob Jansen, 2d farm. 15. Annetje Vandersluys. 8. Hendrick Sewan Stringer. 16. House and lot of Geertrig. HISTORY OF KINGSTON. 29 NEW LOTS. 1. Hendrick, the smith. 16. Dirck Floriaen. 2. Hendrick Martense. 17. Mattys Capito. 3. Harmanus Hendrix Blew. 18. Jan Laurensen. 4. Jan Jansen, carpenter. 19. Casther, the Nommn. 5. Jacob Barents. 20. Barent Gerretsen. 6. Jan de Baker. 21. The Church. 7. Jacob Joosten. 22. Hans Barentsen. 8. Willem Pauli. 23. The Church. 9. Peter Van Alen. 24. Albert Heymanse. 10. Mattys Roelofson. 25. Juriaen Westphael. 11. Jacob Burhans. 26. Mcholas Willem Stuy vesant, 12. Gerret Van Campen. 27. Albert Gysberts. 13. Anthony Crispell. 28. Tjerck Claesen. 14. Albert G-erretsen. 29. Peter Jacobsen. 15. Dr. Gysbertsen " Van Im- 30. Jan R. borch." 31. Evert Petersen. The fact, which appears upon examination, that it does not con- tain the names of the schout and of two of the scJiepens, Slecht and Roose, is strong evidence that it is not a complete record of all the dwellings. At this time, besides the various dwellings and the church, there was a small gTist-mill in the neighborhood of where the tannery now stands in North Front Street, near the corner of Washington Avenae. The mill pond extended up the \ low grounds toward the south, west of Green Street. The mill was -downed by Slecht, the schepen, and his house was near it. It was run by Peter Jacobsen. The church was located on the northeast comer of what is now Wall and Main streets, being part of the lot on which the First Dutch Church now stands. The precise loca- tion of the houses cannot now be designated with any degree of certainty. Such had been the frequent difficulties with the Ind- ians, and continued apprehensions of trouble, that many of the set- tlers had not then as yet put up buildings of a permanent charac- ter. They were principally built of logs one story high, with a garret or loft, which was generally used as a sleeping apartment by at least a part of the family. The roof was covered with boards or thatched with reeds or straw. The chimneys were built of stone at one end of the house on the outside, with a large open fireplace open - ing inward. That there had been som^ stone dwellings erected is inferred from the remark made by Dominie Blom in his account of the burning of Wiltwyck by the savages a short time thereafter, that " the houses were converted into heaps of stones." L^ CHAPTER III. FROM THE OEGANIZATION OF "WILTWYCK, 1661, TO THE SURRENDER TO THE ENGLISH IN 1664. ALTHOUGH the treaty of peace had been formally made and assented to by the Indians as well as by the settlers, and hos- tilities had ceased, still there were frequent signs of discontent on the part of the savages. The unfortunate and, to use the mildest term, the unwise action of the director-general, in sending a num- ber of his captive savages to work in the mines in the tropics, and his inability thereby to restore them to their tribe, was not forgot- ten or forgiven by the Indians. It constantly rankled in their bosoms, and kept burning fiercer and fiercer, until it culminated, with other real or fancied causes of discontent, into a horrid butch- ery and another bloody war. The inhabitants of Esopus, alarmed at evidences of dissatisfac- tion and unfriendliness on the part of the Indians, asked the direct- or-general for a guard, and also organized themselves into a mili- tary corps. Of the organized militia, Thomas Chambers was made captain, Hendrick Jochem Schoonmaker, lieutenant, and RoelofE •Swartwout, Hendrick Jansen, Cornells Barentse Slecht, and Peter Jacobsen, minor officers. An occasional driU gave them some knowledge of their duties to serve in case of an attack or danger. In other respects matters passed along as usual in the settle- ment, the farmers, mechanics, and laborers performing their ac- customed duties, the schout and the schepens being called upon occasionally to administer even-handed justice, in which they some- times succeeded to the satisfaction of one of the parties and some- times to that of neither. Then, as is frequently the case in the ex- perience of the courts of the present day, the more even handed the justice is which is administered, the less probability there is of either of the litigants being satisfied. The ministration of Dominie Blom in his holy calling had so far been productive of very satisfactory results ; the membership of his church had increased in numbers during the first three years of his ministry from sixteen to sixty, and everything in church matters was well ordered and prosperous. The settlement was now, however, on the verge of other and HISTORY OF KINGSTON. 31 more startling events, mingled with horrible scenes of savage cruelty and vengeance, the facts of which, as here detailed, are taken and gathered from the official reports made at the time, and are neither colored nor exaggerated ; but they exhibit in strong colors the hardships and dangers attending a border life, particu- larly where the savage is left to feel that he is a victim of injustice. The population of the village had rapidly increased, and a new settlement had been started at what is now called Hiirley, about three miles farther in the interior, which was then designated as " the new village." The military by which they had been there- tofore protected had been withdrawn and only a small guard left, which was quartered at the redoubt or fort situated near the junc- tion of the Rondoat stream vsdth the river. The savages showed signs of dissatisfaction and hostility — complained that the cap- tives taken from them in the former war were not liberated and returned to them, and constantly muttered threats of vengeance. Stuyvesant was informed of this state of things, when he sent word that he would soon be up to make them presents and renew peace. This message was communicated to the savages by Thomas Cham- bers on the Sth of June, 1663 ; to which they replied that " if peace was to be renewed with them, the director-general should, with some unarmed persons, sit with them in the open field with- out the gate, as it was their own custom to meet unarmed when renewing peace or in other negotiations." Thrown off their guard by such pacific reply, the inhabitants went about their ordinary avocations as usual, the farmers and workmen going to work upon their farms, and leaving their fam- ilies unprotected at their homes. Suddenly, on the 7th day of June, 1668, while the greater part of the men were absent in the fields, the Indians entered the vil- lage about noon in bands through all the gates, and divided and scattered themselves through the houses and dwellings in a friendly manner, having with them some maize and a few beans to sell. After they had thus been in the place for about a quarter of an hour, some people on horseback rushed through the mUl gate from the new village (Hurley), crying out, " The Indians have destroyed the new village." The instant that cry was heard, the Indians, who were scattered through Wiltwyck, began a general attack upon the people, murdering them in their houses with axes and tomahawks, and firing on them with guns and pistols. They seized whatever women and children they could catch, and carried them prisoners outside the gates ; they plundered the houses and set the village on fire to the windward, the wind at the time blow- ing from the south. The remaining Indians commanded all the streets. Firing upon the inhabitants wherever they could see or 32 HISTORY OF KINGSTON. reach them, they killed and wounded a number. Providentially, when the flames were at their height and the destruction of the entire village appeared inevitable, the wind suddenly shifted to the west, stayed the progress of the fire, and saved a part of the village from destruction. At the time of the attack very few men— less than a dozen— were within the stockade, and they were scattered in different parts of the place. As soon as they could concentrate and rally together they seized whatever weapons they could and fought for their lives, and attacked the Indians vigorously. The sight of the conflagration and the noise of the conflict alarmed those in the fields and brought them to the rescue. Lieu- tenant Schoonmaker was one of the first to arrive, and at once entered into the conflict. He was wounded twice, but fought on regardless of wounds or danger. Captain Chambers also soon arrived. He received a severe gunshot wound while on his way in, but notwithstanding rushed into the heat of the fray. Others also arriving from the fields near by, they were enabled to turn upon the Indians and put them to flight. They chased them without the gates, and found that the Indians who had charge of those taken prisoners had akeady moved them beyond reach. They then returned into the village, and their first care was devoted to the wounded and dying. When all the absentees had reached the village, they mustered sixty-nine efficient men. They then repaired the damages to the stockade, and set and distributed a watch round the village for the night. Dominie Blom, in his description of the massacre, says : " There lay the burned and slaughtered bodies, together with those wounded by bullets and axes. The last agonies and the moans and lamentations of many were dreadful to hear. I have been in their midst, and have gone into the houses, and along the roads, to speak a word in season, and that not without danger of being shot by the Indians ; but I went on my mission, and consid- ered not my life mine own. I may say ^"ith Jeremiah, ' I am he who hath seen misery in the day of the wrath of the Lord.' . . . " The burned bodies were most frightful to behold. A woman lay burned, with her child at her side, as if she were just delivered, of which I was a living witness. Other women lay burned also in their houses ; and one corpse with her fruit still in her womb, most cruelly murdered in their dwelling with her husband and another child. The houses were converted into heaps of stones." In the attack upon Wiltwyck there were twelve men, includ- ing three soldiers and a negro, also four women and two children, murdered, eight men wounded, four women and four children HISTOKY OP KINGSTOIT. 33 taken prisoners, and twelve houses burnt. At the new village there were three men killed ; one man, eight women, and twenty-six children taken prisoners. The new village was entirely destroyed ; every building was burned except a new unfinished barn. The names of the murdered at Wiltwyck are given as follows : Barent Gerritson, Jan Albrechtsen, Lechten Derick, WiUem Janse Hap, Jan, the smith, Hendrick Jansen Looman, Harry Olferts a negro belonging to Thomas Chambers, Willem Jansen Lebe. Soldiers Hendrick Martens, Dominicus and Christian Andriesen, were among the slain. Lechten Derick' s wife was burned with her child ; Mattys Capito' s wife was killed and burned in the house ; Jan Albrechtsen' s wife was killed in the last stages of pregnancy. Peter Van Hart' s wife was shot and burned in the house ; Jan Albrecht- sen' s little girl was murdered with her father ; WiUiam Hap's child was burned alive in the house. Those taken prisoners were Master Gysbert's wife ; Hester Douw ) and her daughter Sarah ; Grietje, wife of Dominic Laer, and child ; ^ Femmitje, wife of Joost Ariaens ; the oldest daughter of Tjerck j Clausen De Witt ; a daughter of Ariaen Gerretsen, and two little ' boys of Mattys Roeloffsen. The wounded were Thomas Chambers, Hendrick Jochem Schoon- maker, Michael Freere, Albert Gerretsen, Andries Barents, Jan de Carle, Hendrick a servant of the director-general, and Paulus de Noorman. The houses burned were those of Michael Freere, Willem Hap, Mattys Roeloffsen, Albert Gerretsen, Lechten Derick, Hans Car- olusen, Peter Van Haerlem, Jacob Boerhaus, Barent Gerretsen, Mattys Gerretsen. Fortunately for the Dutch settlers in Wiltwyck, the Indians did notf renew their attack, but left for their homes, carrying their captives with them. This gave the citizens an opportunity to send for re-enforcements and prepare for defence. Information was at once sent to the director-general, and he promptly forwarded on the 12th a re-enforcement of forty-two men under Sergeant Messen, who arrived at Rondout on the 13th or 14th of June, 1663. Toward evening on the 16th of June Sergeant Niessen, with his command and three wagons, went to the redoubt to bring up am- munition. On their return they were, at the top of the first hill, attacked by the Indians, who attempted to capture the ammuni- tion. The sergeant divided his men into separate bodies and skir- mished with the Indians, until they reached beyond the second hiU, so well and successfully that the wagons, with the ammunition, were all brought safely into Wiltwyck. The sergeant lost one man killed and six wounded. A number of the Indians were 3 34 HISTOET OF KINGSTOM". killed, but how many is not known. The body of the dead man was brought in the next morning. It had been stripped naked by the Indians, and the right hand cut off. Stuyvesant at once took active measures to send a large force to the assistance and defence of Wiltwyck. He issued a proclama- tion, inviting the colonists about Manhattan to enlist, offered them the pay of a soldier, what booty they took, and a pension of from four hundred to one thousand guilders if they were disabled. The chief men in the settlements on Long Island discouraged the raising of volunteers, and few were obtained there ; but a consider- able force was collected in New Amsterdam, and forty-six Marse- ping savages from Fort Neck were engaged as auxiliaries. The command-in-chief was intrusted to Burgomaster Martin Kregier as captain-lieutenant, under whom were Schepen Yan Couwenhoven, Lieutenant Nicholas Stilwell, and Sergeant Pieter Ebel. The ex- pedition sailed in two sloops, landed at Rondout on the 4th of July, and marched up to Wiltwyck. Guarded wagons carried the sup- plies- to the vUlage which had been brought by the sloops. Written instructions were given by the director-general for the guidance of the officers at Wiltwyck. Martial law was proclaimed and a councU of war formed, to consist of Commander Kregier, Captaiu Chambers, and Lieutenant Hendrick Jochem Schoonmaker of the Burgher Guard, and the schout and schepens of the village. Mattys Capito was appointed secretary or clerk o£ the schepens. They were strictly enjoined to barricade all the gates, except the two used in driving cattle, not to allow any small parties to go out, and with any expedition that was sent out to send horses for the conveyance of rescued captives. Through a Wappinger Indian, who had come into the fort, they ascertained that a party of the Esopus Indians were living onnhe east side of the river, upon the main-land back of Magdalen Island ; and they also learned from him that the hostile Indians were to- gether about two hundred strong, consisting of Esopus Indians and of Wappingers and thirty Manissings. On the evening of the 9th of July, 1663, by direction of the council of war, a force of twenty soldiers and twelve Indians were sent out, under the command of Christian Wietsen and Peter Wol- vertsen,,to endeavor to surprise and take the band of Indians lying back of Magdalen Island. By mistaking the route, they did not reach the place until mid-day, so that they failed.to surprise them, but, on the contrary, found them posted and in arms. The soldiers immediately, however, attacked, routed, and pursued them. They killed five armed Indians. and a woman. The Esopus chieftain was among the slain, and the soldiers took four prisoners. They plun- dered the huts, where they found nineteen blankets, nine kettles, HISTORY OF KINGSTON, 35 a lot of sewan, and four muskets, and on the 12th returned to Wiltwyck with their plunder and prisoners, consisting of a squaw and three children. They lost one man kiUed and one bitten by a rattlesnake. An effort was made, through some friendly Indians, to procure the release of the prisoners taken by the Indians, but without suc- cess, except the release of a few women and children. A ransom was paid, by the Indian messengers, and accepted for the release of Madam Gysbert Van Imbroeck, but at night the chief who had her in custody carried her off. He took her to the " Klyne Esopus," and kept her concealed there with him in a hut. She made one attempt to escape, but lost her way and went back.. She was successful in her next attempt, and reached her friends at Wiltwyck. Having failed in repeated efforts, through Jan Davids and some Mohawk Indians, to procure the release of any more prisoners, the Indians acting with great fierceness and even threatening to kiU the emissaries, a council of war was convened, and it was unani- mously determined to send an expedition the next day against the Esopus Indians. Accordingly, the next day, the 26th of July, 1663, at about four o'clock in the afternoon, an expedition, about two hundred strong, set out, with Mrs. Gysbert Van Imbroeck, the returned prisoner, as their guide. They were provided with two pieces of cannon and two wagons. Each man was supplied with ammunition and rations. There were thirty -six soldiers and twenty -five free men left in garrison at Wiltwyck. The expedition made but little prog- ress that night, finding it very diflicult to get through the woods at night with a cannon and wagon. They then bivouacked until daybreak. The next day they proceeded to the Indian fort, but found it deserted. They found three horses there and an old squaw, who had come to cut some maize in the field. They re- mained in the Indian fort that night, and the next morning a detachment was sent to the mountain, where they were informed the Indians had gone. That place was also deserted. After searching for them without success in one or two other places, they returned to the main body at the Indian fort. It was then determined to destroy all the plantations of maize in the vicinity and whatever supplies could be found, which was done, and they returned to Wiltwyck on the 31st of July at nine o'clock at night. There has been considerable discussion as to the particular loca- tion of the fort above referred to and thus destroyed. It has been generally claimed to have been located on a hill near the junction of the Rondout and Vemoey Kills, at Warwasing. There have been frequently found at that locality the usual evidences of Ind- 36 HISTORY OF KIKGSTON. ian occupancy— arrow-heads, etc. — and tlie character and shape of the surface of the ground appeared to favor it. But there was un- doubtedly an Indian fort near Kahanksen, some four miles east of the other locality, also in Warwasing, but not far from the Rochester line. The treaty which was subsequently made by Governor McoUs with the Indians in October, 1665 (which will be hereafter referred to), in specifying the land released by the Ind- ians in that treaty, describes the tract as " lying and being to the west and southwest of a certain creek or river called by the name of Kahanksen, and so up to the head thereof, where the old fort was,''^ etc. The former existence of an Indian fort in that locality, therefore, cannot be doubted. Rev. Mr. Scott, who was formerly pastor of the Reformed Dutch Church at Shawangunk, in a communication made by him to the Ulster County Historical Society in 1861, and published in the proceedings of that society, page 237, insists that the fort destroyed on the 31st of July, as above stated, was the " old fort " referred to in the Mcolls treaty. He describes the locality as being " on the south side of the Ka- honksen, near the line between Rochester and Warwasing, and just north of what is called Shurter Hill. By the present roads the spot is twenty-two or twenty-three miles from Kingston, two miles from Pine Bush, and about the same distance from Middleport. From the mouth of the stream to Shurter Hill is nearly two miles, and from thence to the head fountain less than one mile. The line lowlands of the Rondout and the Mumbaccus spread out many an inviting acre for the cultivation of the maize. The nature of the ground made this place a strong defensive position for the savage occupants, and any one, standing below in the valley, can easily comprehend why Kregier should be compelled to leave his cannons and his wagons where he did. An Indian trail led up from the mouth of the Kahanksen to the village, and thence turn- ing to the south, passed over the hills to Lackawack, and con- tinued to the upper waters of the Delaware." He further says : " This locality is suited in all respects to the descriptions of Cap- tain Kregier— the direction, the route, the situation, the distance, and the surroundings." On the 19th of August, 1663, the commandant of the forces at Wiltwyck received a letter from Peter Couwenhoven, who lay with his sloop in the Dunskamer, notifying him to be on his guard, as he was informed that the Esopus Indians, together with the Man- issings and Wappingers, were prepared to attack and surprise the fort, in about two days, with four hundred men ; that they daily made intolerable threats against him. It appears he was then upon some negotiation in regard to the release of prisoners, and stated " that he daily expected the arrival of the sachem, who had HISTORY OP KINGSTON. 37 already been four days gone about tlie captured Christians, to learn what he should then do and what would be the issue of it." Christoffel Davids, who appeared to act as an interpreter, brought information that he slept one night with the Indians in their wigwams ; that some Esopus Indians and sachems were there, who had four Christian captives with them ; that one of the female captives had secretly told him, Davids, that forty Esopus Indians had already been near the fort to observe the reapers and other people. Davids also reported that the Indians had on shore several bowls and gourds of brandy, which they obtained daily from the sloops ; and the Indians told him they could get as much as they wanted, and also all the powder and lead they required from the sloops. On the 20th Lieutenant Couwenhoven returned with his sloop, and brought with him a Christian woman and boy whom he had ransomed. The woman, on entering the Esopus Kill, was brought to bed with a daughter. Peter Couwenhoven reported that the Indians had promised him to bring in all the captives they had within two days, and he was going back to meet them. He accordingly went back, taking with him two Indians and a squaw, who were prisoners at Wiltwyck, but with instructions not to surrender them until he had all the Christian prisoners re- turned and in his possession. On the 30th Peter Couwenhoven returned to the redoubt, from his expedition to the Wappingers, with his sloop and the two Wappinger Indians. He had released the squaw, but had only procured the release of a Dutchman and two Christian children prisoners. The Wappinger sachem had been with the Esopus Indians at their fort, which they were erecting anew, in order to procure the release of the Christian prisoners ; but when he had been with them a couple of days to negotiate for their redemption, two Mohawks and one Minqua came there, with sewan and a long message, after which the Esopus Indians exhibited great unfriend- liness toward the Wappingers. He therefore felt compelled to leave, without eilecting anything toward the release of any of the captives. They ascertained from this Indian that the new fort was about four hours farther ofif than the other, which locality is supposed to be in the town of Mamakating, Sullivan County. Upon the promise of freedom and a new coat, the Wappinger Indian agreed to act as the guide of an expedition against the Indians, which was at once determined upon. On the 3d of September, 1663, Captain- Lieutenant Kregier set out with fifty-five men, guided by the young Wappinger, against 38 HISTORY OP KINGSTON. the Indians. On tlie 5th of September, after a very laborious inarch, rendered very fatiguing by almost continuous rain and freshets in the streams, they came in sight of the fort at about two o'clock in the afternoon. The fort was situated on a lofty plain. They divided the force into two sections, Lieutenant Couwenhoven and Kregier commanding the right win^, and Lieutenant Stilwell and Sergeant Messen the left wing. They proceeded in this disposi- tion along the hiU so as not to be seen, and to come right under the fort. It being somewhat level on the west side of the fort, the soldiers were seen by a squaw, who was piling wood there. She sent forth a terrible scream, which was heard by and alarmed the Indians, who were standing and working near the fort. The sol- diers instantly feU upon and attacked them. They rushed through the fort to their wigwams, which were near by, to secure their arms, but with little success, as they were so closely pursued, and a continual fire kept upon them by the soldiers. They rushed to and across the stream, which ran on the opposite side of their plantation. There they made a stand and returned the soldiers' fire. They were soon dislodged, however, by the soldiers, who crossed the stream after them. They then made good their retreat to the woods. In this attack the Indian chief named Pepequanehen, fourteen warriors, four women, and three children were killed, and prob- ably many others were wounded who escaped. Of the soldiers three were kiUed and six wounded. Twenty-three Christian pris- oners were rescued and thirteen Indian men and women captured. The rescued Dutch prisoners stated that the Indians every night removed them to the woods, each night selecting a different locality, to secure them against rescue, bringing them back to the fort in the morning. The last night before their rescue, however, they were not removed, a visiting Indian of another tribe having told them it was useless, as they were so far in the woods the Dutch could not find them. The soldiers started on their return the same day, taking their wounded and their rescued friends and the Indian prisoners and much booty with them. They arrived at Wiltwyck about noon of the 7th of September. The preceding narrative, compiled from the official report made at the time by the commanding officer of the expedition, showing, as it does, the arrangement and order of quiet and secret approach, the peaceful and unsuspecting occupation- of the Indians, working at their palisades, when first discovered, in preparation for a stay, not a departure, the narrative of the female captives as to their treatment up to the time of their rescue, and their extended liberty the last night by reason of the Indian fears of rescue being allayed. HISTORY OF KINGSTON. 39 furnishes no letter of credit to the fanciful traditionary talk of the captive women singing psalms while being led to the stake and fagots prepared for them, as victims for a holocaust, and of an heroic AValloon rushing, sword in hand and in advance, to the rescue, dealing death and destruction in his progress. Historians have almost uniformly located the Indian fort, sur- prised and taken in this iMal battle of the second Esopus Indian war as having been at Bloomingburg, in Sullivan County. The Rev, Dr. Scott, in his paper before referred to as read before the Ulster County Historical Society in 1861, and published in the ti'ansactions of that society, clearly demonstrates that the location of that fort was not at Bloomingburg, but was in the tovsra of Shawangunk, on the east bank of the Shawangunk Kill, two miles south of the Bruynswick post-office, and twenty-eight miles from Kingston. Mr. Scott proceeds to say : " The mouth of the KiU is six miles away, and most of that distance is occupied by fine and fertile lowland. From the water rises an abrupt declivity of singular formation, reaching, it may be, an elevation of seventy-five or eighty feet, and then spreading out into a beautiful sandy plateau of twenty or thirty acres. The hiU-side is covered with the original forest, and broken up into what seem to be artificial mounds. On the edge of the plain, overlooking the creek, the fort was situated, and the wigwams a little distance below. To the north, along the Kill, extends a flat of moderate dimensions, but on the opposite side are some of the finest lowlands in Ulster County. Here the Indians planted their maize, and one spot is yet distinguished as Basha's Cornfield. The plateau is covered with flints and arrow-heads, which every ploughing turns up to the hands of those who prize them. " From the village a pathway yet preserved led across the mountains to Warwasink and the Kerhonksen settlement, just twelve miles to the north.* This was the Warwasink track ; the other track bore oif to the traps and through the Clove to Marble- town ; and yet a third passed eastward to the Hudson through Montgomery and New Windsor, and branching near the Walkill to the south, gave access from the Esopus clans to the wigwams of the Haverstraws and the Hackensacks. Perhaps there is not in southern Ulster a more fitting place for an Indian castle, or one more suited to savage tastes. . . . " Legends of battles fought there are yet related by the old to the young. . . . As stated before, the distance to the Kerhonksen Castle was twelve miles, and the mountain over which it passed was called Aioskawosting (the place of crossing). * It leads over the mountain, crosses the west end of the Schoonmaker tract, a short distance west of Lake Aioskawosting, commonly called Awasting or Longpond. 40 HISTORY OF KINGSTON". "The village, which, was found abandoned, on the 4th of October, was in the vicinity of Buriingham. An Indian burial- gronnd marks the spot, and a path led from thence to the ' Hunt- ing house ' at Wurtsboro'." The fort was square, with one row of palisades set all round, projecting about fifteen feet high above and extending three feet down below ground. They had already completed two angles of stout palisades, all of them nearly as thick as a man's body, hav- ing two rows of portholes one above the other ; and they were, at the time of the attack, busy at the third angle. These angles, the report says, " were constructed so solid and strong as not to be ex- celled by Christians." Nothing apparently occurred worthy of note until the 18th of September, when a communication was received from the director- general and his councillors advising the commandant in charge at WUtwyck that they intended to send, by the first opportunity, additional soldiers and a party of Marseping savages to seek out and subdue as much as possible the Esopus Indians, and asking that necessary arrangements be made to provide them with suit- able quarters. The captain-lieutenant and council of war advised the schout and commander of the requirement at Wiltwyck, and they secured the mill of Jacob Peterson for that purpose. '"■ On the 24th of September Dominie Blom returned to Wiltwyck from a visit to New Amsterdam ; and on the 26th Peter Couwen- hoven arrived with his sloop at the redoubt with some Marseping savages. As the authorities at Wiltwyck had before this experi- enced much troable from the conduct of the gunner's wife on that boat retailing strong drink to Indians and Christians, including habitual drunkards, without discrimination, and to such an ex- tent that they could " not distinguish even the door of the. house," thus creating broils and trouble between white men and friendly Indians, "the captain-lieutenant and valiant council of war" sent an order to the. village schout, whereby they authorized and ordered Schout Swartwout of said village " to notify and forbid the tap- pers or retailers of strong drink, that they do not under present circumstances sell strong drink to any one, be he Christian or Indian, under the forfeiture of the intoxicating liquor that may be found in his house. Done Wiltwyck, 26th September, 1663." (Surely broad enough to satisfy any Prohibitionist of the present day.) On the 29th of September, the council of war ordered an expe- dition to set out against the Esopus Indians on the following Monday, the 1st of October, and made the necessary provisions and order therefor. On the 1st of October, 1663, the expedition, consisting of one HISTORY OF KINGSTON, 41 hundred and two military, forty-six Marseping Indians, and " six freemen," with, fourteen horses, set out in the same direction as the last one. About two o'clock in the afternoon of the second day they reached" the fort where the battle had occurred ; on the 5th they found in all nine pits, in which the Indians had cast their dead, and farther on three Indians, with a squaw and child un- buried. That appears to indicate a greater slaughter of Indians than is stated in the preceding account of the battle. On that day and the next expeditions were sent out in different directions from the fort in search of Indians, but none were found. On the 4th the fort, the palisades, wigwams, and all crops in the ground hav- ing been destroyed, the expedition started on its return, and arrived at Wiltwyck on the evening of the 5th of October. On the 7th of October, Sunday about noon, a white girl was brought up from the redoubt, who on the day before had arrived on the opposite bank, and was immediately brought across the stream. She reported that she had escaped from an Indian who held her captive, and who lived on the opposite side of the creek, in the mountain, and about three miles from "Wiltwyck. An expedition was immediately sent to capture the Indian. The hut was found empty and abandoned. They remained and watched there during the night and returned next day, having destroyed some corn they found there, and bring- ing the rest with them. On the 9th of October, in accordance with a resolution of the councU of war passed on the previous day. Lieutenant Couwen- hoven departed in Derick Smith's sloop for New Amsterdam with all the Marseping Indians and forty military. On the 10th Louis the "Walloon went after his oxen, which had strayed away. A f ter finding them in the rear of Jurian Westphalen' s land, he was set upon by three Indians, who sprang up out of the bush. One of them shot at him with an arrow, only slightly wounding him, while he, with a piece of palisade he had in his hand, struck the Indian on his breast, so that he staggered back, and before he recovered himself Louis escaped through the Kill. A party was immediately sent out after the Indians, but they could not be found. After this the military and inhabitants at "Wiltwyck were much disturbed by reports sent in of Indians congregating on the oppo- site side of the river with hostile intentions. But they proved to be without foundation. They served the purpose, however, to in- duce the council of war and authorities to persist in compelling the reluctant and dilatory inhabitants to repair the fort and stock- ade. From one of the orders on that subject, it appears that be- sides the farmers there were inhabitants or burghers occupying thirty-four lots in the village, who were ordered to repair tiie pali- 42 HISTOEY OP KINGSTON. sades in front of their lots. This gives an approximate idea of the size of the village at that time, showing that there were then at least thirty-four houses in the village, besides those occupied by farmers, whose number is believed to have been about twenty. On the 7th of November a sloop arrived at the redoubt with Peter Wolfertsen, who had with him two Christian children, which he had in exchange from the Esopus Indians for a squaw and a girl. A Wappinger sachem and one of his Indians was also on board. An arrangement was made with him to go down and en- deavor to procure the release of a female Christian captive held in custody by a squaw. He was supplied with a bark canoe and left, promising to return in six or seven days. The Indian returned with the Christian female on the 13th of ]S"ovember upon Eut Jacobson's sloop, for which he was satisfactorily rewarded, and left. On the 5th of November an Esopus chief had agreed with Peter Couwenhoven, on board the sloop in the Wappinger Creek, for the return of all the Christian prisoners at the redoubt within ten days, for exchange, and a ten days' truce was agreed upon. On the 17th the captain-lieutenant left on a short visit to New Amster- dam, taking some of the military with him, leaving about sixty soldiers in Wiltwyck, under the command of Sergeant Christian Niessen. \ On the 1st of December two captive Christian children were re- ^ turned. On Monday the 24th Sergeant Niessen assembled the schout and schepens of the village, and handed them a letter from the director-general and council, discharging Swartwout as schout and appointing Matthys Capito provisionally in his place. On the 28th of December all the captives were returned except Barent Slecht's daughter. She had married a young warrior, and chose to remain with him. The tradition is that years afterward she and her Indian husband settled on the Esopus Creek in Marbletown ; he was called Jan, but it is not known whether they left any de- scendants or not. During the rest of the winter the Indians remained quiet, and in March, 1664, all the company's troops were withdrawn from Wiltwyck. The militia at that time duly organized under the command of Thomas Chambers as captain and Hendrick Jochem Schoonmaker as lieutenant numbered about one hundred able- bodied men, showing a considerable increase since the massacre, when it numbered only sixty-nine. On the 10th of November, 1663, Director-General Stuyvesant, in his report to the West India Company, stated, in reference to the expedition when the Indian fort was taken, that, after such last attack, the Indians had not more than twenty-seven or twenty- HISTOEY OF KINGSTON. 43 eight effective men, fifteen or sixteen women, and a few children remaining ; that through fright they had no abiding place, and did not dare to erect any huts. Prom information subsequently gathered, that estimate was imdoubtedly not far, if any, out of the way. Of course this refers only to the specific band of sav- ages by whom the attack was made. While the troubles with the Indians were thus existing at Wilt- wyck, the director-general and the council at New Amsterdam were annoyed and perplexed by claims of the English at Hartford and New England of title and jurisdiction over Long Island and other portions of the Dutch possessions. It is not the province of this work to go into a detail of those matters, but as the final re- sult affected Wiltwyck, it is proper to refer to them generally. Those claims were pressed in the fall of 1663. The situation of affairs then greatly alarmed the local government at New Amster- dam. Besides the war which was being waged with the Indians about Wiltwyck, and which was entailing considerable expense upon the Government, the company's territory was invaded by Connecticut, the English villages were in revolt, and the public treasury was exhausted. Under that unfortunate situation, the burgomasters and schepens of New Amsterdam called upon the director-general and coiincil to convoke a convention of the officers of the several towns and colonies, to take into consideration the state of the provinces. The meeting was called, but the season was so far advanced (November 1st) that only delegates from the lower towns, including part of Long Island, attended ; Wiltwyck, Fort Orange, and Rensselaerwyck were not represented. This convention adopted and transmitted a remonstrance " To the noble, great and respected Lords the Directors of the Priv- ileged West India Company department of Amsterdam." The re- monstrants set forth in their petition that the people had been encouraged to leave their " dearly beloved fatherland" by their promises to protect them in the possession of their property and lands which they settled and occupied, and also " against all civil or foreign war, usurpation, and open force." And to this end they were bound "to obtain from their high Mightinesses the Staats- General-, the Supreme Sovereign commissions and patents, in due form establishing and justifying your real and legitimate jurisdic- tion over this province, and its territory, so far as it extended." Then the States-General could have acted and effected a definite arrangement and division of their respective limits with England, and their rights been respected ; they then proceed to allege that " the English to cloak their plans now object that there is no proof, no legal commission or patent from their High Mightinesses, to substantiate and justify our rights and claims to the property of 44 HISTORY OF KINGSTON. this province, and insinuate that, through the backwardness of their High Mightinesses to grant such patent, you apparently in- tended to place the People here on slippery ice ; giving them lands to which jovlV Honours had no right whatever." They also set forth that the English Grovernment have granted an unlimited patent and commission, which they enforce according to their own interpretation. Also they allude to the then existing Esopus Indian war and the massacre of the inhabitants, attributing it as " occasioned by the premature and at this conjunction totally indefensible reduc- tion of the soldiery in the province, at a time when they ought rather to have been increased and re-enforced. ' ' And'they substan- tially demand protection in their persons, property, and rights, and a redress of their grievances. During the winter troubles culminated. The English continued their demands and encroachments, negotiations progressed, and one after another, by the 3d of March, 1664, the Dutch had aban- doned every point their enemies had assailed. Connecticut River and Westchester were gone, and by convention concluded that day, JN"ewtown, Flushing, Gemeco, Heemstede, and Gravesend were surrendered. At this important crisis in the affairs of the prov- ince, when apparently everything, including titles and govern- mental authority, were at loose ends and uncertain, the authorities resorted to, and for the first time in the history of the country fully recognized, the sovereignty of the people. On the 19th day of March, 1664, the lords directors and council of the New Nether- lands, at the request of the burgomasters and schepens, summoned a general assembly of delegates from the several towns in the prov- ince, to take into consideration the state of the province, to meet at New Amsterdam on the 10th day of April, 1664. On the 31st of March, 1664, an election was held in the village of Wiltwyck for the choice of two delegates to such assembly. Thomas Chambers and Gysbert Van Imbroeck were elected by a plurality of votes. Credentials were issued to them in the follow- ing form : " Whereas, on the summons of the Director General and Coun- cil of New Netherland, addressed to the Schout and commissaries here, it is required that two deputies be sent from our vUlage, Wiltwyck, to a General assembly in form of a Landdach^ the Schout and commissaries have called us, the undersigned inhabi- tants of Wiltwyck together, on the day underwritten, to elect from the Commonalty two proper persons and to authorize the same as deputies to the said assembly, which shall be on the 10th April next. We have therefore by plurality of votes, chosen the worthy persons Thomas Chambers and Gyesbert Van Imbroeck, to whom HISTORY OF KINGSTON. 45 we hereby give full power and authority to conclude whatever may be for the good of the common weal, and the strengthening of this place, and also to do whatsoever shall by them be found wise in the premises ; promising to confirm what the said deputies shall have decided in the premises to be best for the public good, under pain of punishment as Contraveners ; to which end we have sub- scribed these with our own hands. Done in Wiltwyck this 31st March, 1664." It bears a number of signatures, and is certified by Matthias Capito, secretary. The convention met at New Amsterdam on the 10th of April, 1664, and there were delegates in attendance from New Amster- dam, Rensselaerwyck, Fort Orange, Wiltwyck, New Haerlem, Staten Island, Brukelen, Midwout, Amersfoort, New Utrecht, Bos- wyck, and Bergen. Jeremias Van Rensselaer from Rensselaer- wyck was selected as president. A long communication was presented to the assembly from the director-general. He explained to them the necessity of supplies ; that the West India Company had expended one million two hun- dred thousand guilders over and above the receipts from customs, excise, weigh scales, and tithes. A war was now pending with the Indians, and he wished the assembly to decide whether the war should be continued or peace made. If the English should summon the country to surrender, what should be done ? and he proposed a tax on mills and cattle. The convention then, after re- fusing to tax, on the 15th adjourned to the 22d of AprU. Before the reassembling of the convention an answer was re- ceived from Holland, showing that the requests contained in the remonstrance hereinbefore alluded to, as forwarded by the con- vention of burgomasters and schepens, had been complied with ; that on the 23d of January, 1664, an act, under the great seal of the States-General, had been issued, declaring that the West India Company was empowered by its original charter to plant colonies in any unoccupied lands in America from Newfoundland to the Straits of Magellan, as well on the north as on the south sea, and more especially in New Netherland, and confirming the boundaries agreeably to the treaty of 1650. And necessary instructions had been given to the ambassadors at the British court for their action in the premises. The directors advised the continuance of the war with the Esopus Indians for their extermination, and sent a military force to check the English. On the 22d of April this assembly reconvened, and the des- patches from Holland were laid before them. The assembly deemed it useless to attempt to reduce the revolted villages, as ad- vised by the directors, and also determined that a treaty of peace 46 HISTOKT OP KINGSTON. should at once be concluded with the Indians. The Indians had already sued for peace through friendly sachems, and the situa- tion of the province rendered it desirable. On the 15th of May, 1664, the sachems of several tribes, includ- ing Sewackenamo, Gnaghtin, and Pourewagh, chiefs of Esopus, assembled at the council chamber in Fort Amsterdam, with the director-general and various Dutch olBcials, including Thomas Chambers, of Wiltwyck. After the preliminaries and details of .the treaty were talked over and agreed upon, Sewackenamo, one of the Esopus chiefs, arose, and several times invoking his god, Bachtamo, prayed for aid to conclude a good treaty with the Dutch, and that the one they were about negotiating should be, like the stick he grasped in his hand, firmly united the one end to the other ; that all the neighboring chiefs rejoiced at the prospect of peace, and that the Marseping Indians were included. He came, with his brother sachems, to act on behalf of the- Esopus Indians, " and to conclude a Peace as firm and as compact as his arms" (which he folded together). He then presented his right hand to the director-general, and added : " What I say is from the fulness of my heart ; such is my desire and that of all my People." The treaty was concluded, ratified, and signed the next day. May 16th, amid general rejoicing and salvos of artillery. The de- tails of the treaty were substantially as follows : By its terms all that had passed was to be forgotten and for- given. The land already given to the Dutch as an indemnity, in- cluding the two forts belonging to the Indians, became the prop- erty of the Christians. The Indians were not to visit the village nor any remote Dutch settlement. They were permitted to plant near their new fort, and for one year by their old one. Tlie lands in the vicinity of the forts by right of conquest were to belong to the Dutch. The Indians were not thereafter to approach the place where the whites were engaged in any agricultural matters, and a violation of that provision would subject them to arrest. They were to be permitted to sell meat or maize at the Rondout in parties of not more than three canoes at a time, on condition that they were preceded by a flag of truce to give notice of their ap- proach. In any case of murder by a Dutchman of an Indian, or the reverse, the guilty pa,rty was to be punished. as a murderer, and it would not be a cause for war. AU damages for the killing of cattle were to be paid for. The conclusion of the treaty was ratified by the delivery of a belt of wampum, which is now in the county clerk's ofiice, and of which the following is a correct picture. HISTORY OF KINGSTON. 47 The termination of the war gave great and universal satisfac- tion, and in acknowledgment of their gratitude to the Supreme Raler of the universe, a day of general thanksgiving was pro- claimed in the province. Swartwout, the deposed schout, having solicited pardon from the director-general, was reinstated as schout at Wiltwyck on the 15th of February, 1664. In the succeeding month of July, how- ever, the director-general and council at New Amsterdam, wishing to have a more immediate representative of the West India Com- pany at "Wiltwyck, appointed William Beeckman commissary at Esopus and its dependencies. His jurisdiction extended from the Katskill, where that of Fort Orange terminated, to the Danskamer, a few miles above the Highlands, which was the northern limit of the jurisdiction of Fort Amsterdam. The English had for some time enviously viewed the Dutch possessions in America, and were not long or scrupulous in matur- ing plans to acquire them by robbery. Having already, through the settlement of the borders of Connecticut, largely curtailed the Dutch domain east of the Hudson Kiver, and also acquired juris- diction over a large part of Long Island, the King of England, on the 12th day of March, 1664, in furtherance of the accomplishment of the object, granted by a royal patent to the Duke of York and Albany a large territory in America, comprising Long Island and all islands in its neighborhood, and all the lands and rivers from the west side of the Connecticut River to the east side of the Delaware Bay, thus including the whole of the New Netherlands. The Duke of York at once proceeded to measures for procuring possession and control of the territory thus granted to him. As lord high admiral he detached four ships of the British Navy and sent them, with about four hundred and fifty regular soldiers, with their officers, to conquer and take possession of the New Nether- lands. Colonel Richard NicoUs was entrusted with the command of the expedition, and was designated as the duke's deputy -gov- ernor of the Dutch possessions when reduced. As soon as the director-general was advised of the approach of this hostile expedition, he took what measures he could for the repair of the fortifications and defences of the city ; but the fleet were very near, and by the 19th of August were below the Nar- rows in Nyack Bay. On the 26th of August Colonel NicoUs made a formal summons for the surrender of the, city, accompanied by a proclamation that all who would submit to his Majesty' s gov- ernment should be protected by his Majesty's laws and justice, and peaceably enjoy their property. Stuyvesant was determined to tight it out and defend to the bitter end, but, a large portion of the citizens and council, convinced of their inability to defend the 48 HISTORY OF KINGSTON. city, insisted on a surrender. In fact, the city was in no sense in a position to resist an attack. A council of war had reported Fort Amsterdam untenable ; and although there were fifteen hundred souls in New Amsterdam, there were not over two hundred and fifty able to bear arms, besides one hundred and fifty regular sol- diers. Stuyvesant was, therefore, compelled to consent to a sur- render, and relying upon the assurance of Colonel Nicolls' s prom- ise to deliver back the city and fort " in case the difference of the limits of this Province be agreed upon betwixt his Majesty of Eng- land and the High and Mighty Staats-General," Stuyvesant ap- pointed commissioners to agree upon articles of capitulation. At eight o'clock the next morning, the 27th of August, 1664, the commissioners on both sides met in the city, and arranged the terms. The articles of capitulation promised the Dutch security in their property, customs of inheritance, liberty of conscience, and church discipline ; the municipal officers to continue for the pres- ent unchanged, and the town to be allowed to choose deputies, vsdth free voices in all public affairs. For six months they were to have free intercourse with Holland, and public records were to be re- spected and protected. A copy of the articles of capitulation will be given in full in the appendix. Of course the surrender of Fort Orange and WHtwyck followed soon after, and may, in fact, be considered as included in the ca- pitulation. Immediately after the Dutch soldiers at New Amster- dam had left for HoUand, Governor McoUs despatched Colonel Cartwright, with his command, to take possession of those places. -^vThis was on the 10th of September, 1664, and he proceeded up the river direct to Fort Orange. On his arrival the authorities made no resistance, and the English at once took possession. An Eng- lish garrison, under the command of Captain Manning, was placed in charge of the fort, which was named Fort Albany, and the name of the settlement was also changed to Albany, after the Scotch title of the Duke of York. In the mean time, at Wiltwyck, the soldiers having, in the latter part of August, aU been withdrawn to New Amsterdam on ac- count of the English invasion, the entire community was in the greatest confusion and alarm. The civil authority was abandoned, and the militia, under the command of Captain Chambers and Lieutenant Schoonmaker, on the 1st of September assumed control of the place. On the 4th of September the court met in extraor- dinary session, to consider what should be done on the arrival of the English. It was finally, after considerable deliberation, re- solved that, upon the firing of a cannon, the militia should repair HISTORY OF KINGSTON. 49 to the guard-liouse to receive orders ; that the municipal authori- ties should proceed and hold a conference with the English outside the gates ; that the military should also in the interval take some precautionary measures against any possible inimical action by the Indians. Cartwright, on his return from Albany, landed at Esopus the latter part of September, and the place was surrendered without resistance, Cartwright taking the same precaution, as at Albany, to conciliate the inhabitants. The Dutch local officers were continued in power. A garrison of regular soldiers were placed in charge of the fort, under Captain Brodhead. This Captain Brodhead, of the EngKsh regular army, came over with his command in the expedition, and brought his family with him to remain in this country. He settled here, and became a citizen of Esopus. Governor NicoUs followed his other operations with friendly and conciliatory arrangements and treaties with the Indians, and the occupation and possession by the English became complete. Thus was fully consummated by England, through their sov- ereign and the Duke of York, one of the most cowardly and dis- honest stealth of a neighboring nation's unprotected territory that can be found in the history of any civilized nation on the globe. It was cowardly, because it was conceived and carried out secretly, and every possible precaution taken to keep the friendly neighbor- ing nation, owning the territory, in ignorance of their intention. It was stealth, because the Dutch had had uninterrupted posses- sion for half a century, and their right had been, during that entire period, recognized by the English in various ways. And the Dutch title, by discovery and possession, was in all respects similar to that which England had held and insisted on as valid and indis- putable in regard to her own territories. 4 CHAPTER IV. FROM THE StJKEENDEB TO THE ENGLISH IN 1664 TO THE SUR- RENDER TO THE DUTCH IN 1673. KING CHARLES the Second, by the patent issued to his brother, the Dnke of York, authorized him " to make, or- dain and establish all manner of orders, laws, directions, instruc- tions, forms and ceremonies of government and magistracy, fit and necessary for and concerning the government of the territories and islands aforesaid. . . . And the same at all times hereafter to put in execution, abrogate, revoke, or change." The Duke of York thereupon commissioned Colonel Richard McoUs as his deputy " to perform and execute aU and every the powers which are by the said letters patent granted." McoUs, however, had in his articles of capitulation conceded special privileges to the Dutch, of which he could not deprive them. He prepared a code of laws for the goA'ernment of the lower part of the province, and summoned deputies from Long Island and Westchester, to be chosen by a majority of the taxpayers, to meet at Heemstede for their adoption. At the meeting of the del- egates, when opposition was shown or change proposed to any part of the code, as submitted by Governor NicoUs, their attention was called to the terms of his credentials, and they were given to under- stand that they must adopt the code as he had drawn it, or ap- peal to the duke. They found, therefore, that their province was to register the orders of the government, not to deliberate. No deputies were summoned from New Amsterdam, Esopus, Bergen, or Fort Orange. These places were left to continue for the time under their former mode of government and customs. In September, 1665, Governor Nicolls visited Kingston, partly on account of some troubles which had existed the previous winter between some of the citizens and military, but chiefly to make arrangements to procure the release of more land from the Ind- ians. In relation to the government of the place he made no change, except to place Captain Brodhead in charge of the mili- tary as a discreet officer, upon whom he felt that he could rely to avoid all cause of complaint by the citizens. The commission issued to Captain Brodhead bore date September 15th, 1665, and HISTOET OF KINGSTON. 51 the authoritative part is as follows : " I do constitute and appoint you, the said Daniel Brodhead, chief officer of the militia in the Esopus. You are to take care and use your utmost diligence for the defence of the place and People against any attempts. You are constantly to keep good guard, and your soldiers in good order and discipline, according to the rules and method of war." This commission was speedily supplemented by lengthy in- structions containing much good advice, especially in respect to the citizens within his jurisdiction. The instructions are too lengthy for insertion here, but it will not be amiss to give a brief summary. There were eight specifications : In the first he was enjoined to keep strict order and discipline, and not permit a soldier to judge or revenge his own case. In the second he was directed to keep constant guard in respect to the number and health of the soldiers. Third, to provide them weekly with their rations and ammuni- tion. Fourth (is given entire), " You must avoid harshness of words, and heat of passion, seeking rather to reconcile differences, than to be head of a party. Preserve yourself single and indifferent as to justice between Soldiers and Burghers. Grive not too easy an ear to private whisperers and insinuators, which may overrule your judgment, and beget a prejudice in your mind against the Dutch. For though I am not apt to believe they have a natural affection for the English, yet without ill usage, I do not find them so malicious as some will seek to persuade you they are." Fifth enjoins kind treatment of Indians, and that they are not to come in the town with " arms fixed." Sixth and seventh are in regard to looking to his farm, and that he and the soldiers may sow and reap for themselves. Eighth, in regard to accidental matters, he is to exercise his dis- cretion. These instructions were dated the 23d of October, 1665. ITiey certainly exhibit sound sense and judgment, and if lived up to would avoid much difficulty and trouble. No other change in the government was made by Governor NicoUs. The municipal officers and the form of government con- tinued the same. Captain Chambers was continued in command of the militia. Having thus arranged matters in reference to the administra- tion of affairs at Esopus, he turned his attention to the other ob- ject of his visit, suggested above, to procure more land from the natives. In regard to the details of his negotiation we have no information, and they are of no moment. The result is registered in a treaty between him and the " sachems and People called the 52 HISTOET OF KINGSTON. Esopus Indians," ratified and consummated at Fort James (New York) on the 7th day of October, 1665, the original of which is preserved among the records of the Ulster county clerk's ofiice. It provides substantially : (1) That no act of hostility be committed on either part, and if damage is done by either party full satisfac- tion is to be made upon demand. (2) Murder to be punished by death. (3) A convenient house is to be built without the village, where the Indians can lodge and leave their arms, and sell or buy what they please from the Christians. (4) The said sachems and their subjects grant, alienate, and confirm to the Duke of York all their right, etc., to a " certain parcel of land lying and being to the West and Southwest of a certain Creek or River, called by the name of Kahanksen, and so up to the head thereof, where the old fort was, and so with a direct line from thence through the woods and across the meadows to the Great Hill, lying and being to the West or Southwest, which Great hiU is to be the true West or Southwest bounds of the said lands. And the said creek called Kahanksen the North or Northeast bounds of the said lands here- inmentioned. ... " In token of the aforesaid agreement, the aforesaid Sachems do deliver two small sticks ; and in confirmation thereof, do deliver two more small sticks to the said Richard NicoUs. And in the name of the Indians their subjects, and of the subjects do deliver two other round small sticks in token of their assent to the said agreement. And the said Richard NicoUs does deliver to their Sachems three laced red coats ;" and then the treaty further de- clares " that all past injuries are buried and forgotten on both sides." The sachems also agreed "to come once every year and bring some of their young People, to acknowledge every part of this agreement in the Sopes to the end that it may be kept in per- petual memory." The consummation of this agreement enabled Governor Nicolls to ofl'er flattering inducements for the settlement of farmers in the territory. He issued circulars for that purpose, designating the lands offered as located on the west side of the river, at or adjoin- ing the Sopes ; adding that he had " purchased all the Sopes land, which is now ready for cultivation, being clear ground." Unfortunately, Captain Brodhead did not heed, as he should have done, the wise counsel of Mcolls, but acted with his com- mand in such manner as greatly to exasperate the Dutch, and in- crease the ill-feeling between the citizens and the soldiery. His conduct, instead of being conciliatory, was harsh and oppressive, and he countenanced the same line of action in his command. For the slightest offence by a citizen or burgher a committal to the guard-house wa,s the punishment. A Dutch burgher, who insisted HISTORY OF KINGSTOIT. 53 upon keeping Christmas in the Dutch style in preference to the English, was punished by imprisonment. For some slight cause he quarrelled with Slecht, the village brewer, and one of the offi- cers in the militia, and ordered him arrested and imprisoned. The villagers were thereby aroused, and rnshed to arms and demanded his release. Brodhead called out some of his soldiers, and ordered the people to disperse ; they refused. The magistrates then de- manded that the prisoner should be brought before them for trial. That he refused to do. After a long parley over the matter, the people were quieted and dispersed, under an agreement that the whole matter should be submitted to Governor NicoUs. Another cause of difficulty and ill-temper on the part of the Dutch was the killing of Hendrick Cornellisen, one of the vil- lagers, by one of Brodhead' s soldiers, William Fisher. Governor NicoUs was notified of these difficulties, and redress demanded by the citizens. The governor on the 16th of April, 1667, appointed a commission, consisting of three persons — Counsel- lors Needham and Delavall and Justice Van Ryen — and directed them " to go to Esopus and hear, receive and determine such and so many complaints as they shall judge necessary or of moment, and to pass sentence of imprisonment, fine, correction or suspen- sion of office against such who shall be found guilty." Such was their commission for the public gaze. He supplemented the com- mission, however, with private instructions, guarded in tone, it is true, but intimating very plainly what were his private opinions and wishes. He advised them to " take up the Fisher murder case first, and hear the evidence patiently, and if no more notorious circumstance appears in full evidence against Fisher than is already alleged, you wiU conclude him guilty of Manslaughter. If it appears that the Dutchman ran upon the sword to assault Fisher, I conceive it may have happened in his own defence." " When you examine the rising in arms, begin with the first occasion, and you will find that Brodhead did only offer to fling a dish at the Brewer, but did not ; that he offered to draw his sword, but neither did nor could ; you will also find that the Brewer presently ran in upon him, made the assault, gave the first blow, after which many abuses followed ; upon which beginning of the quarrel, you are to declare that the King's officer is not of so mean a quality to be struck by a Burgher, and further enlarge the discourse as you shall find fit. " " Having proceeded thus far you are to call the chief and others the most violent actors, and promoters of the riot before you. In the first place, open the case of rising in arms against an estab- lished Garrison of his Majesty, which unlawful assembly of armed 54 HISTOBT OF KINGSTON. men is no less than Treason. You are to admit of no reasonings or pretences for their so doing. . . . And according to the evi- dence brought in against them, who appeared the most notori- ous, reducing the number to a few, not exceeding six, you may conclude them by sentence in writing to be guilty of a treasonable and malicious riot, that you remit the final punishment to me ;" and he then further directed that they be brought down to him, the governor, as prisoners. The instructions further stated that they would find that Brod- head had disobeyed his (the governor's) instructions several times, and they would do well to suspend him for that fault alone, and thus avoid any examination in the other complaints ; and then they " could easily answer the number of complaints that Brod- head had part of his punishment already, the rest wiU be commit- ted to me" (the governor). Another of the directions contained in the instructions was " not to discourage the soldiers too much in. public, lest the Boors insult over them. Appear favorable to the most of the Boors, but severe against the principal Incendiaries." Also, " Albert Heymans and Anthony D. Elba have spoken most malicious words, and I look upon them as great incendiaries and disaffected persons ; if their words be proved they shall not be suffered to live in this government ; if they have been actors in the late riot, pitch upon them two for ringleaders, and give order to inventory and secure their estates by the Schout and Commis- saries." They were further directed not to have a jury, and to admit very few into the room where they sat. At the trial or examination held by the commission appointed by Governor Mcolls, under special instructions in regard to their finding, as has been stated, the complaints stated substantially that since the departure of Governor Nicolls the complainants had suffered too much injury and violence, not only from the soldiers in general, but from Captain Brodhead in particular, who, they say, ought to have punished the wrongs done by the soldiers. The complaint then proceeded in the recital of a large number of grievances which in these days would clearly, in public estimation, justify a rising and arming in self-defence. Cornells Barentsen Slecht was beaten in his own house by George Porter, a soldier, and also by Captain Brodhead and by other soldiers, and forced to prison. Captain Brodhead afterward beat Tjerck Clausen without any reason, and brought him to prison. Afterward, in giving testi- mony before the commission, Tjerck Clausen said the reason why Captain Brodhead abused him was because he ' ' would keep HISTORY OP KINGSTON. 55 Christmas Day on the day customary with the Dutch, and not on the day according to the English observation." Captain Brod- head acltnowledged the truth of the statement. Another allegation was substantially that Captain Brodhead came to the house of Louis Du Bois, took an anchor of brandy, and threw it upon the ground, because Du Bois refused him brandy without payment ; and he forced Du Bois to give him brandy. AVhen Du Bois's wife went to Brodhead' s house for the money, he drove her with a knife out of the house. Louis Du Bois, in his tes- timony on these charges, said that Captain Brodhead used his best endeavor to shew his anchor of wine when he threw it down, but could not, and yet he lost none of the drink. Mrs. Du Bois tes- tified that Captain Brodhead had a knife in his hand when she demanded the money he owed her, and he told her that if she were not with chUd he would cut her, and called her many bad names. No counter-evidence seems to have been given. It was also alleged, on New Year's Day Walran Dumont had some friends and neighbors to eat with him in his own house, whereupon Captain Brodhead, coming in, treated Walran very badly, and took the wife of Harman Hendricks from thence to prison in the guards. Upon this charge Walran Dumont testified that last New Year' s Day he had some friends at his house, and Captain Brod- head quarrelled with the wife of Harman Hendricks, and threw a glass of beer in her face, and called her many bad names, and carried her to the guard a prisoner. Captain Chambers confirmed that evidence. Brodhead admitted it, but said Harman' s wife called his sister a whore, which caused the quarrel. A number of allegations are entered in the complaints against individual soldiery for beating and misusing citizens, some wan- tonly and without cause, others when the citizens were protecting their property from being carried away and stolen, concerning which no investigation was had. The burghers admitted that they had assembled and armed themselves, demanding the release of Sergeant Slecht. The following is an extract from the register of the town court : " The wife of Cornells Barentsen Sleght and her daughter com- plained to the Court, that Captain Brodhead had grievously cut, beat, and wounded Cornelius Barentsen, her husband, in his own house, and that he had also committed his body, close confined, to the guard, and would not release him." " Upon which the court ordered, that the Court's Messenger should be sent to request Captain Brodhead to come to the court, and the said messenger received the following answer ; that if the commissary would speak with him, they might come to him. 56 HISTOET OP KINGSTON. Then the Burghers being in arms the court endeavored what in them lay to prevent any further danger, and thereupon ordered Captain Chambers and Evert Pels to desire Capt Brodhead to release the said Burgher from the guard, and if the said Cor- nells Barentsen had in any wise offended him, he should, accord- ing to the Grovemor's order, complain to the magistrates, who would see that he make satisfaction, or be punished according to the merit of his crimes. But when the two said commissaries had delivered the message to Captain Brodhead, he made them this answer, that he would keep the said Cornells as long as he pleased, and if they would fetch him, he would be ready to wait for them." " The court also used many arguments to the Burghers, when they were in arms, to go quietly home to their houses, and went personally themselves to persuade them, that they should not do anything against the Military, but told them they would address their cause to the Hon. Governor. " Then the Burghers told them, the Magistrates,, that Capt Brodhead and some of the Soldiers had many times threatened to bum the town, and that, with other reasons, moved them to appear in their arms, and therefore they requested to be empowered by their Magistrates to continue in their arms. But the said Magis- trates utterly denied the same. THE BUKGHEES GIVE THEIE EEASONS. " We whose names are here underwritten, inhabitants of the town of Esopus, do certify and acknowledge, that on the 4th day of February last, upon the doleful cry and lamentation of the Chil- dren of Cornells Barentsen Slecht, that their father was miserably beaten and wounded by Capt Brodhead, and that another per- son, Andrias Peiterson Van Leuven, was killed in the brewhouse, at which action some of us being eye witnesses, we gathered to- gether in an assembly at the first, and through the threatening of the mUlitia, formerly, to burn up the town, and through their beating their drum, and their further saying they would burn the town, and that was therein the aforesaid motives and reasons moved us, that every one of us, without order of Burger or ofiicer, did take our weapons in hand, not knowing, otherwise, but this might be the beginning or forerunner of the utter ruin of the town by the Militia, and that they would do with us what they pleased, as they had done with several persons since the Grovernor went from hence, as is particularly mentioned in our remonstrance to his Honor dated this 28th April 1667 in the town of Wiltwyck. " Tjerck Clausen De Witt, Peter Helibrantzen, Cornelius Ffinch- ard, Peter Arienson, John Williamzen, Corn. Hoghbome, Lambert HISTORY OF KINGSTON. 57 Hubertson, Hendrick Martensen, John Jacobs Burhans, Gerrat Ffowker, Ard Martinsen, Hens. Arianson, Tunis Jacobson, Paulus Paulsen, Walrav Demont, Andries Peterson, Claus Clauson, Ffranc La Cheir, Arian Geritson, Pfredr. Peterson, John Lodman, Vrian Westfall, Derick Hendrickson, Thomas Harmonzen, John Cor- neliusen, Thom. Van Marken, Barnard Holstein, John Hendrix, Jan Jansen, Rodolph Hendricks, Albert Jansen, Y. Steenwyck, John Barntson, John Adrianson, Adrian Hubertsen." The commission sat three days at Esopus. Captain Brodhead, admitting the charges brought against him, was suspended from his command. Sergeant Beresford succeeded him. The burghers, in their defence, justified their resort to arms on the ground that Brodhead had imprisoned their sergeant, and the soldiers had threatened to burn the towu. Four of the alleged movers of the insurrection — Antonio d'Elba, Albert Heymans, Arent Albertson, and Cornells Barentsen — were found guilty of a rebellious and mutinous riot, and were taken to New York for sentence. NicoUs, by advice of his council, on the 3d of May sentenced Heymans to be banished for life out of the government, and the others for shorter terms out of Esopus, Albany, and New York. All these sentences of the burghers were subsequently modified, and the offenders returned to Esopus. Fisher, the soldier who kiUed Comelissen, was acquitted as having acted in self-defence. The report or finding of the commission shows that the matter was all prejudged under the secret instructions ; that the commis- sioners were the tools of the governor, to carry out his private orders, and not be governed by the merits or evidence in the case. This matter is referred to in historical books as the "mutiny at Esopus y Mutiny is resistance to the exercise of lawful power. If an officer invades the house of a subordinate to steal, com- mit an assault or a trespass, resistance is not mutiny ; and much more, the moment a military officer or soldier steps outside of his military calling and wilfully commits an assault or a trespass against a citizen, or unlawfully deprives him of his lib- erty, the military character or privilege is at once doflfed and thrown aside, and resistance is not mutiny. It was justifiable re- sistance to tyranny and oppression — an outburst of the same spirit, which subsequently threw off the oppressor's yoke in 1776, and carried this country triumphantly through the Revolution. Captain Brodhead, on the 14th of July, less than three months after his suspension, died at Esopus, leaving his widow and three sons — Daniel, Charles, and Richard— him surviving. In the mean time, war had broken out and was raging bitterly, especially on the ocean, between England and Holland, having 58 HISTOET OF KINGSTON. been instigated by Engjish capture and retention of the New Neth- erlands. Communication was almost entirely cut off between Eng- land and the colonies. NicoUs had been suffering great appre- hension and fear of an attack by the Dutch upon New York, and made preparations for its resistance, and was much relieved when the news arrived of the conclusion of peace between the two gov- ernments. By that treaty of peace, known as the Treaty of Breda, concluded the 21st of July, 1667, the Dutch government formally relinquished the province of New Netherlands to the English. Governor Stuyvesant was at that time in Holland settling his mat- ters with the West India Company. Soon after the treaty of peace he went over to England, and through his application to the Duke of York, and subsequent petition to King Charles in council, he procured a grant to the Dutch of a temporary permission freely to trade with New York for seven years with their ships only. He then returned to New York, where he spent the rest of his days. This order was in force but a short time, and was formally revoked by the king and Privy Council, November 18th, 1668. Governor Nicolls had for some time desired to be relieved of his office, and made applications to the Duke of York for that pur- pose. The Duke of York finally, early in 1668, sent Colonel Francis Lovelace to relieve him. But Lovelace, on his arrival at New York, did not at once assume the governorship, but spent some time to familiarize himself with the duties of his office. In August, 1668, Nicolls formally transferred his command to his successor. Colonel Lovelace, and on the 28th embarked for Europe. Soon after assuming the duties of his office, and on the 5th of September, Governor Lovelace proceeded to the Esopus to attend personally to the regulation and settlement of some matters there, and to become conversant with its situation and its needs. On his arrival at Esopus, he ordered Sergeant Beresford, who was in com- mand, to arrange for the discharge of the garrison, and leave its duty to be performed by the burghers. As an inducement for the soldiers attached to the garrison to remain and become citizens, he promised them liberal grants of land. With a view of carrying out such inducements, he gave instructions to Henry Pawling to lay out lots further inland for the new and additional settlement. He then returned to New York. On the 9th of September, 1669, at a council before Governor Lovelace, it was ordered that the garrison at Esopus be disbanded and dismissed of their military employment. It was also ordered that a commission, consisting of Ralph Whitfield as president, and Captain John Manning, Captain Jacques Cortelyou, Captain Thomas Chambers, WiUiam Beeckman, schout, Henry Pawling, HISTORY OP^ KINGSTOIf. 59 and Christopher Berrisford, go up to Esopus to regulate the affairs of that place and " of the New Dorp." This commission commenced their sessions on the 17th of Sep- tember, 1669, and closed their labors on the 29th of that month. During their session they passed a number of ordinances in rela- tion to Esopus. By one of the ordinances, they "do hereby strictly order and enjoin that no person do utter or sell any grain whatsoever, to be transported from Kingston, Hurley, and Marble- town, but such as shall be well cleansed and unmingled with other, upon pain of forfeiture" of one third thereof — one third for- feited to go to the king, one third to the informer, and the other third to the schout and commissaries. On the 29th of September they made a further ordinance for the more effectual enforcement of the preceding one, providing for the appointment of an offi- cer to measure the corn intended for transportation, and not to suffer the transportation of any which is not " truly merchant- able." On the 23d of September they made another ordinance requir- ing the schout and commissaries to drain the ' ' swampish or morass ground lying and adjoining to the said town" — Kingston — " by the last day of November next ensuing, under pain of forfeiture of one hundred Skipples of wheat to his Majesty." On the same day they passed another ordinance, by which the schout and commissaries were strictly enjoined to repair " the Domi- nie's house or town house in Kingston, which now grows ruin- ous, to prevent further damage, it being of absolute necessity to keep that house in good repair, in regard to the frequent use of it, both for religious duties and civil affairs." " Which reparation being for the public good, ought to be per- formed at the public charge." And they authorized the amount to be levied on the town of Kingston. By another ordinance passed on the same day, they " strictly enjoin all persons not to utter or sell, to any Indian or Indians, such quantities of strong liquors as shall make them drunk, upon the penalties following'' — ^for the first offence, five pounds ; for the second offence, ten pounds ; and for the third offence, banishment out of the town : two thirds of the penalty to go to the poor and one third to the schout. Another ordinance designated Thomas Chambers as surveyor- general of highways and common roads in the three towns, King- ston, Hurley, and Marbletown, with power to fine the schouts and commissaries for any neglect Of duty in keeping the roads in order. On the 25th of September they passed an ordinance changing the name of the town from Sopus and Wiltwyck to Kingston ; also directed the schout and commissaries of Kingston to have two men constantly on duty keeping watch at the redoubt, at the charge of 60 HISTORY OF KINGSTON. Kingston, and enjoining them well and sufficiently to repair the said redoubt within six weeks after date of order. The commissioners located the sites for the two new villages. The farther one they called Marbletown, from the character of the stone abounding there ; and the nearer one, having been heretofore frequently referred to as " New Dorp," they called Hurley, after the home of Lovelace's ancestry on the Thames. The change of the name of Esopus and Wiltwyck to Kingston, as before stated, was in further compliment, it is said, to Governor Lovelace, whose mother's family had a seat at Kingston L'Isle, near Wantage, in Berkshire. Separate lots in the two new villages were to be allotted to the disbanded soldiers. A tract of land at Marbletown was allotted to Ann, the widow of Captain Brodhead, by special direction of the governor, " in regard to her great charge, and her being a commis- sioned officer's widow." The commissioners, -making arrangements for the future gov- ernment of that locality, abrogated the Dutch laws and regula- tions, and proclaimed them subject to the " Dake's Laws." The commissioners appointed Christopher Beresford as chief magistrate of Hurley and Marbletown, and Henry Pawling officer over the Indians. Louis Du Bois and Albert Heymans were ap- pointed overseers for Hurley, John Biggs and Frederick Hussey for Marbletown, and Thomas Chambers and William Beeckman for Kingston. The " Duke's Laws" above referred to are those which were submitted by Gfovernor McoUs in the early part of his administra- tion to delegates of the several precincts on Long Island, and pro- mulgated for the government of that portion of the province. As they were at this time extended over this section of the province, it is proper that they should be more particularly re- ferred to here. It will not be necessary, however, to give more than a general analysis of their provisions, so that the reader may understand their nature and character. The code provided for a court of assizes, which was to meet once a year in the city of New York. The governor and council, however, might, in capital cases, issue commissions of oyer and terminer for their trial. It provided also for inferior courts of sessions to be held three times a year in each riding. Those courts were to be composed of three justices of the peace, and in which any counsellor might preside. It provided for trials by jurymen, not to exceed seven in num- ber, except in capital cases ; also for arbitration in small cases be- tween neighbors. HISTOUY OF KINGSTON. 61 In cases not specially provided for, the sessions were to remit them to the next assizes, where equity cases were to be disposed of and punishment awarded, " according to the discretion of the bench, not contrary to the law of England." There was to be a local court in each town for the trial of all causes involving less than five pounds, to be held by the constable and six overseers ; an appeal to be had therefrom to the sessions. Eight overseers were to be chosen for each town by a majority of freeholders. Pour of these overseers retired at the end of each year, and from them a constable was to be annually chosen on the 1st or 2d of April by the freeholders, and he was to be confirmed by the justices of the next sessions. The constable and overseers were vested with power to make local ordinances in the several towns. A high sheriff was to be appointed annually by the governor, and also an under-sheriff in each riding. Justices of the peace to hold office during pleasure. The governor and council had power to remove any officer for cause. They provided for assessment and taxation, and made provision for the collection of the assessments and taxes. The tenure of lands was to be under the Duke of York. All persons were required to bring in their old grants, and take out new patents from the governor. No purchase of lands from the Indians was to be valid without leave of the governor, and satis- faction before him acknowledged by the Indian owner. Barter with Indians in fire-arms, ammunition, strong liquors, or furs, was not allowed without the governor's license. No preference given to any particular religious denomination. The Reformed Dutch Church retained its ancient ecclesiastical system. Slavery was recognized, but slaves were to be protected from abuse. All males over sixteen years old, except certain persons specially exempt, were subject to military duty and to be enroUed, but not obliged to bear arms beyond the limits of the government. Every town was to provide a pair of stocks and a pound, and a pillory was to be erected in each place where the courts of sessions were held. The commissioners before mentioned, although they had per- fected arrangements for the government of the new villages and for the division of the land, had not made out or perfected the actual allotment or grants of land among those entitled. For that reason, early in the following spring, in March, 1670, upon the opening of navigation, the governor commissioned his brother. Captain Dudley Lovelace, Jacques Cortelyou, William Beeckman, 62 HISTORY OP KIlSrGSTON. Christopher "Beresford, and Henry Pawling, to proceed to King- ston, establish the boundaries of the new towns, and lay out and define the lots in the new villages, and make the necessary allot- ments and grants thereof. The commissioners met at Kingston on the 30th of March, 1670, and after organizing by the appointment of Captain Lovelace as their president, immediately proceeded to business. They desig- nated the boundary lines of the towns of Kingston, Marbletown, and Hurley ; divided the lands selected for settlement into parcels of two and a half acres each, distributed them among the soldiers by lot, and gave the necessary grants therefor. By a special pro- vision in each one of the conveyances, the lands were to be for- feited and the title revert to the duke unless the lot was built upon and occupied within two years, and the lands were inalien- able for three years. After disposing of the land matters, the com- mission established and promulgated various local regulations, completed their business on the 11th day of April, and ad- journed. The said commissioners also, during those sessions, made ar- rangements for the survey and division of about seven hundred acres of land, part in Marbletown and part in Hurley, into thirty- acre lots for tillage and farming purposes. The lots, laid out and distributed among the soldiers, were located on both sides of the present Marbletown stage road. It is said that, within two years after such distribution, the village of Marbletown contained about fifty houses, mostly log-houses. Dur- ing the troublesome and dangerous times connected with the first settlements, it was the policy of the government to require settlers to locate as compactly as possible. But as dangers lessened, the village dwellings were abandoned by the farmers for the more con- venient occupation of their farms. When there was no immediate call for a village, or general business to justify it, the temporary and inexpensive dwellings became deserted and dwindled away. That was the case with Marbletown. There is nothing now left there to indicate the former existence of such settlement. In 1671 such movements were made by the French in Canada, together with suspicious actions on the part of many of the Indian tribes in Northern and Central New York, that much alarm was created in the province, and led to some preparations for protection and defence. It is supposed that such appearances led to the order of the 16th of May, 1671, by which the inhabitants of Wiltwyck were peremptorily ordered to renew their stockade, and it was ap- portioned by rods among the different householders upon some basis not explained. It appears that the number of rods of stock- ade thus apportioned among the inhabitants to be rebuilt was HISTORY OF KINGSTON. 63 three hundred and seventy -nine and one half, showing that the stockade was considerably over a mile in extent. Such order was made by Thomas Delavall and Captain Dudley Lovelace, who had arrived there on the 3d of May as a special commission appointed by the governor and council to settle all extraordinary disputes between the inhabitants themselves, and redress any grievances sustained by them from the government. They also brought with them the commission of Isaac Greeven- wart as sheriff, who was immediately inducted into office, and superseded William Beeckman, who had continued, until that time, satisfactorily to discharge the duties of that office. He at once left Kingston, and returned to his former residence in New York. At the same time, Captain Thomas Chambers was made a justice of the peace. Nothing special appears to have transpired in the Esopus ; its three villages prospered greatly ; they encountered no trouble with the Indians, and all transactions with them were conducted satis- factorily and without any serious difficulty. The wheels of their local government appear to have moved smoothly and without hitching. The inhabitants of those three villages are reported to have raised, in the year 1672, twenty-live thousand schepels of corn. It was, in fact, the greatest corn-raising region in the then settled portion of the State. On the 16th of October, 1672, the land owned by Captain Thomas Chambers in the Esopus, near Kingston, was erected into a manor, vvdth the usual privileges, and named Fox Hall ; and in the same year Counsellor Delavall was authorized to build a store- house on tide- water, near the redoubt. The patent thus conferred upon Thomas Chambers being short, is copied as follows : " Whereas Captain Thomas Chambers, a Justice of the Peace at Esopus, hath been an ancient inhabitant in those parts, where he hath done signal and notal service, in the times of the war against the Indians, and having by his industry in time of peace, acquired considerable estate, of which he now stands possessed, among the rest a mansion house not far from the town of Kingston, commonly called Fox haU, with a great tract of land thereto belonging, which said house is made defensible against any sudden incursions of Indians or others. In acknowledgment of the services heretofore done by the said Captain Thomas Chambers, and in part recom- pense thereof, I have thought fit to erect the said mansion house, called Fox hall, and land belonging to it, into a manor, to be known by the name of the ' Manor of Fox hall ; ' the which shall for the time to come be held, deemed, reputed, taken and be, an entire enfranchisement manor of itself, and shall always from time 64 HISTORY OF KINGSTON". to time have, hold and enjoy like and equal privileges with other manors within the government, and shall in no manner or any wise, be under the rule, order or directions of any town Court, but by the general Court of Assizes, or as from time to time the said Capt Chambers shall receive orders or directions from his Governor and his council." In order to consolidate the Fox Hall narrative, it is here stated that, fourteen years subsequent to the issue of the above-recited patent, and in 1686, Governor Dongan issued a new patent to the said Chambers, confirmatory of the above, and explaining the rights and powers conferred more extensively and in greater de- tail. He therein recites the various parcels of land within the manor, adds thereto one hundred acres, and " erects, makes, and constitutes the said tracts and parcels of land into one Lordship and Manor of Fox hall," and allowed him one court leet and court baron. Some discussion has been had as to the location of the " man- sion house," which is so prominently named by Governor Lovelace in his patent. It is difiicult to see how there can be any doubt about it. Tradition and the custom of ages inform us of the locality of Fox Hall. A large portion of that locality remained, until a com- paratively recent period, and for more than a century, in the pos- session of the Van Gaasbeek family, who derived it under Cham,- bers. That locality is where the Van Leuven and Kiersted farm^, at the termination of manor place, are situated. The original house was in the immediate vicinity of the village where the house of William M. Hayes is now. It could not have been at Ron- dout, because that locality was never known or designated as " Fox hall," and is too far from the village of Kingston to corre- spond with the description in the patent of 1672 as being not far from Kingston, nor with well-established historical facts bearing upon the distance of his residence from Wiltwyck. Rondout at that time was in the midst of a heavy forest, which had to be cleared for cultivation. The location now known as Fox Hall was directly upon the edge of extensive prairie land, ready for cultiva- tion without the aid of the woodman's axe. In the latter part of April, 1673, while Governor Lovelace was absent from the city on official business, word came to New York that a Dutch squadron was on its way north from the West Indies, The governor was immediately summoned back to the capital. On his arrival, considering the report a false alarm, and feeling no apprehension of danger, he made no special preparations for the defence of the city, except summoning some soldiers from Albany, Esopus, and Delaware. They arrived and were mustered on the HISTORY OF KINGSTON. 65 1st of May, nearly one hundred and thirty enlisted men. On the 29th of May they made another muster ; then with volunteers and soldiers the force amounted to three hundred and thirty. The governor soon after discharged many of the soldiers, and sent back those who had come down from Albany and Esopus, leaving Cap- tain Manning in the garrison with only about eighty men, and taking no action to put the fort and city in a state of defence. On the 29th of July, 1673, the Dutch ships made their appear- ance. The governor was again absent from the city. After some negotiations between Captain Manning, in command of the forces in the city, and the Dutch admiral, and no satisfactory arrange- ment concluded, the Dutch opened fire upon the fort on the 30th of July. After they had fired some guns and kUled and wounded some of the soldiers in the fort, they landed about six hundred men to storm the fortress. Captain Manning then raised a white flag, but by mistake and without his authority the English colors were lowered and the fort surrendered. The Dutch fleet, when it reached New York, consisted of twenty-three vessels, carrying six- teen hundred men. Thus New York became again a Dutch province. CHAPTER V. FEOM THE DUTCH SUPEEMACT IN 1673 TO THE ACCESSION OE JAMES THE SECOND IN 1685. IMMEDIATELY after the surrender, as stated in tlie last chap- ter, the Dutch naval and army officers organized a council of war, which was held at the Stadt House. It was attended by Commodores Cornelius Evertse, Jr., and Jacob Binckes, and Captains Anthony Colve, Mcolas Boes, and Abram Ferd. Vanzyll. Summonses were at once issued to all the magistrates and constables of East Jersey, Long Isla,nd, Esopus, and Albany, to come forthwith to New York and take the oath of allegiance. The council then designated Captain Colve as governor-general, to hold supreme command over the province. The Esopus officers attended on the 1st of September, 1673, in obedience to the summons, and acknowledged allegiance to the new government. The council made an order changing the name of Kingston to Swanenburgh. It also directed the three towns, Swanenburgh (Kingston), Hurley, and Marbletown, to make dupli- cate nominations for officers, from whom the council could make its appointments, with special instructions that none should be nominated who were not of the Reformed religion, or were not friend- ly to the Dutch government. Governor-Greneral Colve appointed Isaac Grevenwart as schout and William La Montague as secretary of the three towns. The schout on the 25th of October took the official oath before the coun- cil, and on the 30th received his commission. Cornelius Wyn- koop. Dr. Roelifl Kiersted, Wessel Ten Broeck, and Jan Burhans, were appointed schepens for Swanenburgh, and respectively took the oath of allegiance to the Staats-Greneral. Soon after this the Dutch commodores sailed for Europe, and Colve assumed the entire government. He at once promulgated regulations and orders to establish a general system of government for the towns, which, in fact, substantially revived the Stuyvesant system. He therein specially directed the local magistrates to " take care that the Reformed Christian religion be maintained in Conformity to the Synod of Dordrecht, without permitting any other sects attempting anything contrary thereto." HISTORY OF KINGSTON. 67 The Dutch, control of the New Netherlands was of very short duration. In February, 1674, a treaty of peace between Great Britain and the United Netherlands was entered into and duly executed at Westminster, whereby the Treaty of Breda was re- vived, and the New Netherlands restored to Great Britain. In April of that year Major Edmund Andros was commissioned by the King of England to proceed to New York and, in the name of the king, receive the surrender of the province. Governor Andros, with, his suite, arrived at New York on the 22d of October, 1674, and on Saturday, the 10th of November, Governor Colve formally surrendered the province to the new governor, as the representative of his Britannic Majesty. Governor Andros came under very lengthy special instructions from the Duke of York in regard to the conduct of the govern- ment. Among other important matters, the instructions directed that perfect freedom of conscience should be allowed ; that justice should be administered with all possible equality, without regard to nationality, whether Dutch or English. The laws and ordi- nances established by NicoUs and Lovelace were not to be varied from except upon " emergent necessities, and then only with the advice of the council, and the gravest and most experienced in- habitants." No alteration was to be valid unless confirmed by the duke within a year. The council was to consist of ten of the most prudent inhabitants, to be selected by him, and he was re- quired to consult with it upon all extraordinary occasions in re- lation to the public service. Immediately after entering upon the duties of his office, he sent a letter to the Dutch officials at Esopus, demanding the surrender of their offices, and appointed George HaU sheriff of that section and Robert Peacock constable. He also reinstated the other offi- cers who held'under Governor Lovelace. On the 9th of November, 1674, he issued a proclamation confirming all former grants and all legal judicial proceedings, and the possessors, by virtue thereof, were to remain in quiet possession of their rights, and the code of laws known as the "Duke's Laws" were coniirmed and declared operative. In March, 1675, he issued another proclamation, by which he required all persons who intended to continue " under his Majesty's obedience within his Royal Highness' government, to appeal-, at such times and places as the Magistrates within the re- spective towns and places where they live shall appoint, to take the usual oaths of allegiance and fidelity." On the 19th of January, 1675, Governor Andros wrote a letter addressed " to the Inhabitants of Kingston at Esopus." In it he acknowledges the receipt of a communication from them that ' ' aU things are well and quiet in the town." He thanked them for 68 HISTORY OP KINGSTON. their care therein ; that, as to the militia, he had appointed Cap- tain Thomas Chambers to command nntil further orders. He then stated, " For the peace you mention with the Indians, you will do well to renew it, as has been customary formerly." At a council meeting held on the 13th of March, 1677, upon "the request of divers persons from Kingston, that they might have new lots laid out for them without the town," it was allowed that land should be laid out for them near the town, as desired, but their buildings to be within the town ; and such as want a place to build might pitch upon any vacant lot under agreement, or by order of the magistrates, to be apprized and paid for as vacant ground. It wlU be recollected that a tract of land was ceded to Governor Nicolls by the Indians, part of which had been portioned out among the soldiers, and other settlements had been subsequently made thereon. It was deemed important that a special and dis- tinct understanding should be had with the Indians in regard to the particular boundaries of that grant, as well as other lands at that time possessed on the northerly side of the Rondout Creek, so as, among other reasons, to avoid all bickerings in the future on the part of the Indians, that the lands possessed had not-been bought and paid for. Therefore, in the spring of 1677 the Esopus Indians were called to a conference with the governor and magistrates on that subject. The meeting was held on the 27th of April, 1677, at Kingston, and the following is a copy of the official account of the proceedings : " KmosTON, the 27 April, 1677. " Present His Honor The Grovemor, Capt. Salisbury, Capt Chambers, Mr. West and the Magistrates : George Davit Inter- preter. His Honor the Governor asked the Esopus sachems Seworakan, Powerewague, Kailkop, Ankrop and the majority of the Esopus Indians, women as well as men, and youths, whether they had any claims upon the land occupied by us in pursuance of the agreement made with his Honor Governor McoUs. They went out and after some time spent in deliberation Kailkop said, that they did not think they had sold land so far north, but they were well satisfied we should have it, provided his Honor would give him a blanket, a shirt and a loaf of bread. The Governor then enquired whether that would satisfy them completely, to which he replied yes ; but if his Honor would add a piece of Cloth, it would be well. He, and the Sachems and all the other Indians were told to point out or describe the boundaries as they were to be now. They described them as follows. Beginning at the Ron- duyt Kill, thence to a KUl called Kahakasnik, north along the hUls to a Kill called Magowasinginck, thence to the second fall, easterly HISTORY OP KINGSTON. 69 to the Freedeyachkamick, on the Groote Eevier, along the river south to Rondnyt Kill, with every thing lying within these good and bad hills, valleys, waters etc. Kailkop further declared that he had ceded to the old sawyer his claim upon a Kill, called the Sawyers KiU, and the land stretching up to the boundary of the land belonging to the Katskil Indians, along the river as far as the mountains above. Whereupon his Honor the Governor asked the Sachems and all the other Savages old and young, whether this was so ; they should give . a free and fearless answer. They replied it was so, and nobody else had any claim upon the land. Questioned once more, whether they were satisfied with the afore- said payment, they said yes f uUy. His Honor then gave to Kail- kop in presence of all the others the articles agreed upon as full pay ; to wit, a blanket, a shirt, baize for socks, a piece of cloth and a loaf of bread." The agreement was signed by the sachems in behalf of all the Esopus Indians. On the 29th of September, 1677, a patent was granted by Gov- ernor Andros to Louis Du Bois, Christian Doyan, Abraham Has- brocq, Andre Lefebvre, Jean Has Brocqs, Peter Doyan, Louis Be- viere, Anthoine Crispell, Abraham Du Bois, Hugo Frere, Isaac Du Bois, Simon Lefebvre, then residents of Esopus, for a large tract of land extending along the Shawangunk Mountains from " Mohunk" to " Taurataque," and along the Hudson River from " Raphoos" down to " Jauffroue Hook." The tract had been previously piir- chased by the patentees from the Indians, and comprised about one hundred and forty -four square miles. In the next spring, after the grant, nine of the patentees re- moved with their families, took possession of their purchase, and located themselves where the village of New Paltz is now situated. The rich and extensive lowlands along the WalkiU formed the at- traction which drew them thither. Being prairie land, it was at once ready for cultivation. This was the first Christian settlement in that locality, and the lands under their management soon be- came one of the richest and most prosperous farming sections of the country. In reply to sundry inquiries made by the Duke of York, Gov- ernor Andros thus described the nature of the government in 1678 : 1. The governor is to have a council, not exceeding ten, with whose advice he is to act for the good and safety of the country. In every town, village, or parish, there is a petty court, vsdth juris- diction to five pounds and under ; an appeal lies from it to the sessions. There are courts of sessions in the several precincts on Long Island and towns of New York, Albany, and Esopus, and some small or poor islands and out places. The courts of sessions 70 HISTOET OV KINGSTOK. have jtirisdictions in all sums over five and under twenty pounds, with, right of appeal to the assizes. The general court of assizes meets at New York once a year, and is composed of the governor and all the justices and magistrates. The chief legislative power is in the governor, with advice of the council. The executive power, of judgment rendered by the courts, is in the sheriff and other civil officers. While Governor Andros was thus absent from home, and en- gaged in administering the government of the colony, his enemies were at work endeavoring to undermine his influence and standing with the duke. They succeeded, to a certain extent, in poisoning the mind of his patron, by making numerous charges of misconduct against him, including a misappropriation of the revenues. They also accused him of improperly favoring Dutchmen in trade, and making laws injurious to the English. The duke thereupon, on the 24th of May, 1680, gave a commis- sion to a man named John Lewin, to proceed to New York and make a thorough investigation into all the revenue accounts of the province, examine the records, and ascertain also whether trade had been obstructed, and, if so, how it could be remedied. He also sent by Lewin an order to Grovernor Andros to commit his govern- ment to the care of Lieutenant BrockhoUs, who was the comman- dant at Albany, give such instructions for the public safety as cir- cumstances might require, and return to England by the first con- veyance. Lewin arrived in New York on the 16th of October. As soon as Andros received the duke's orders, he at once convened the council, summoned BrockhoUs from Albany, and made his ar- rangements to leave. He sailed on the 6th of January, 1681. On the 9th of December, 1680, there appeared an extraordinary comet, which caused very great consternation throughout the prov- nce, with forebodings of dreadful happenings and divine punish- iments. It is described, in a letter dated January 1st, 1681, as having " appeared in the Southwest on the ninth of December last, about two o' clock in the afternoon, fair sunshine weather, a little above the sun, which takes its course more northerly, and was seen the Sunday night, right after about twilight, with a very fiery tail or streamer in the west, to the great astonishment of all spectators, and is now seen every night with clear weather. Undoubtedly, God threatens us with dreadful punishments if we do not repent." The letter then suggested the propriety of proclaiming a day of humiliation and prayer. Soon after the departure of Governor Andros the incapacity of BrockhoUs, added to the stupidity or meddlesome wickedness of Lewin, produced great trouble and insubordination throughout HISTORY OF KINGSTON. 71 the province. Esopus was affected to such an extent that Sheriff Delavall was specially ordered to prevent " aU undue and unlawful meetings of the People without authority." It appears that the revenue laws, including both direct and in- direct taxation, had, when passed, been limited in their operation to three years, which time had very nearly expired when Governor Andros left. As soon as the limit was reached, the people refused to pay, and denied the authority of the existing government to impose or collect taxes or duties. The principle of " taxation only by consent " was boldly set forth and insisted on, and the provin- cial government was powerless in the premises ; they could not stem the popular current. A metropolitan jury presented to the court of assizes the want of a provincial assembly as a grievance. The court thereupon adopted a petition to the Duke of York, rep- resenting that " revenues and burdens had been exacted from them (the people) against their wUls, their trade burdened, and their liberty enthralled, contrary to the privileges of loyal subjects ;" and petitioned that his province might for the future be ruled by a governor, council, and assembly, " the assembly to be duly elected and chosen by the Freeholders of this your Royal Highness' Colony." It appears, from a letter written by Colonel BrockhoUs to Cap- tain Delavall, the chief magistrate at Esopus, that the troubles and insubordination in that region were of such character that Sheriff Delavall wanted to resign. The records and papers do not show the particular nature and character of the disturbances, but the tenor of the letters lead to the inference that it arose in part in the matter of the disposal of land, and even reached the bench of magistrates, and created a division thereon. Louis Du Bois, one of the magistrates, appears to have been one of the ringleaders or offenders therein. In the letter above alluded to, dated January 12th, 1682, BrockhoUs stated to DelavaU that he was sorry so much trouble had happened to him, which he had thought his last letter would have greatly prevented ; that in the matter of the disposal of land, "the thing chiefly insisted on," he approved of his demanding the full observance of the law, " which gives par- ticular directions, and is the rule for all to walk by." In regard to "building on out farms," he stated that it was "certainly most necessary to keep together in townships, and if any contrary, to be proceeded against accordingly." The letter then continued, as follows : "I loiew your good nature did so far condescend when here to pass by all former affronts from Justice Louis Du Bois, and hoped his carriage and comportment would not have provoked you again, but find my expectation deceived." The letter then con- tains an entreaty for Delavall " to bear as easily as possible," as 72 HISTORY OF KINGSTON. there was no other remedy to prevent a quarrel ; and Brockholls refused to permit him to lay down his commission, and then continued, as follows: "But desire the diligent execution there- of, for the general good, in which you never have been want- ing." In the month of March he wrote another letter to Captain Dela- vaU, in which, after acknowledging the receipt of one dated the 3d of March, 1682, he stated that he "expected a better account of your parties than the continued discord, especially among the magistrates, whose business it is to prevent it in others, much more to avoid it in themselves. I know not where the fault par- ticularly lies, but believe you will be no ways wanting." In ref- erence to some Indian reports referred to by Captain Delavall in the letter, he believed them to be groundless, but offered to send ordinance. He also stated that he had received orders for the continuance of all magistrates and justices in their several stations until further orders. Captain Delavall died not long after the receipt of the above letter. Louis Du Bois continued to be as troublesome and vex- atious as ever ; but our limited knowledge of the cause, origin, or character of the trouble prevents the formation of any opinion as to its actual merits. In January, 1682, Andros was tried before the duke's commis- sioners upon the charges which had been presented against him. On such trial he was acquitted of all censure, and complimented on his administration ; and was then made a gentleman of the king' s privy chamber. In February, 1682, BrockhoUs was instructed " to keep all things in New York and its dependencies in good order," audit was intimated, in behalf of the duke, that the prayer for an assem- bly would probably be granted upon certain conditions. The duke, however, continued to procrastinate, and hesitated to com- ply ; but he found._^ " By the hono'ble John Nanfan Esq his Majes- I ties Gov'r and Commander in Chief of the Province " ' j of New York and coimtries depending thereon in '~~" America gr'd in council. " I do hereby give and grant full and free liberty leave and license unto Albert Rosa of the county of Ulster to purchase of and from the native Indians proprietors thereof a parcel of vacant land in the county of Lister containing about three hundred acres called by the Indians by the name of Cheguagobonb lying to the northwest of Kingston upon a certain creek called Saw KiU west- erly above a certain sawmill of "Wm Legg and near the high mountains in order that he may have a patent for the same under the broad seal of the Province provided the said purchase be made before one of his Majesties Justices of the Peace for the said county and returned in council within twelve months after the date hei"eof . 168 HISTOBT OF KINGSTON. Given under my hand and seal at Fort Wm Henry in New York this twelfth day of March 1701 and the fourteenth year of the reighn of our Sovereign Lord William the third by the Grace of God of England Scotland ffrance and Ireland King defender of the faith etc John Nanfan " pr order of Council " N CosENS Ck Council" After the purchase of the property was made before a Justice of the peace, and a certificate thereof filed, the governor gave a con- firmatory deed or patent reserving an annual quit rent upon the farming lands, generally of a specified quantity of wheat to be delivered in New York at the Government house. The settlers in Esopus had generally taken sufficient land to supply their im- mediate wants for residence and cultivation. They were not cursed with any of the large manorial grants so injurious to the prosper- ity and settlement of a new country. The desire and policy of the inhabitants turned in an entirely different direction. Their bent was in the direction of freedom ; they wanted their work and their toil to enure to the benefit of themselves and their families, and not to the landlords. This led to the procurement of the patent hereinbefore referred to, and set forth in fuU in the Appendix, for the general benefit of the entire community. The lands being thus placed in the hands of trustees, subject through the medium of annual elections to account to their ces- tui que trusts for the proper discharge of their duties, were, when disposed of, sold and conveyed in quantities, and on terms to suit the requirements and convenience of the purchaser, and with very few exceptions in such amounts only as were needed for agricul- tural or business purposes. From this sweeping clause must be excepted the very liberal grants of land made by them to the churches within their boundaries, and to Kingston Academy, which will be particularly noted elsewhere. The lands remaining unsold were used by the inhabitants, who were freeholders having the qualifications described in the grant, for the supply of fuel, fenc- ing material, and other common domestic purposes. The trustees held frequent meetings, but their minutes, which have been found, contain very little else for many years than pro- ceedings for the sale of lands and consideration of applications to purchase. It was not usual for them to enter any of their ordi- nances or by-laws for the government of the place and people in their minute book, so that with the disappearance of their book of ordinances all trace of the local laws and regulations adopted by them for the government of the place are also gone. Under the charter, there were some formalities to be observed HISTORY OF KINGSTON. 189 in the enactment of their ordinances ; besides the passage of a formal resolution, a warrant or authority for that purpose was required to emanate from a justice of the peace. In order to show the proceedings deemed necessary, and the practice adopted, a, statement of some of the preliminary proceedings for that purpose found in the county clerk's office will be given. In the minutes of a meeting of the Board of Trustees, held on the 24th day of November, 1733, is entered an order appointing Christopher Tappen, John Ten Broeck, and Jonathan Davenport, a committee " to examine into the orders of the Trustees made from time to time, and make report thereof, and also what further orders are requisite and necessary to be made for the good and benefit of the town. " On the 12th day of December following, a warrant, of which the following is a copy, was issued by Johannis Jansen, one of the justices of the peace, for service on the trustees : " Ulster County, ss., Johannis Jansen, Esq., one of the Justices {.-.....^^ of the Peace for said county, assigned and residing in I the town of Kingston Greeting : Whereas Capt. Joh's ' ) Ten Broeck, Hendrick Jansen and Igonas Dumont, ' three of the Trustees of said town have, pursuant to the charter of said town, requested a publick summons, to assemble the Trustees of said town to make such acts and orders in writing for the more orderly government of said town ; You are therefore hereby summoned that you, the present Trustees of the Freehold- ers and Commonalty of the town of Kingston, do this present day assemble, at the County House in said town, to make such acts and orders in writing for the more orderly doing of the premises as you shall or may think convenient. " Given under my hand and seal this 12th day of Decem. in the seventh year of the reign of our Sovereign Lord George the Second, by the Grace of God, of Great Britain France and Ireland King defender of the Faith etc Anno Domini one thousand seven hundred and thirty three. "Johannis Jansen." The minutes do not show what report was made, or what acts and orders were adopted. There is a memorandum indorsed on the warrant, as follows : *' At a meeting of the Trustees the 12th of December, 1733, the Trustees met and had the following orders published as hereunto annexed. " But the orders are all missing. Simple resolutions are, occasionally, found recorded in the minutes looking to the protection of the common property from waste and injury, also for the observance of order and quiet, and 190 HISTORY OF KINGSTON. to prevent disturbance in the streets of the village, especially on the Sabbath, of which a few samples will be given. Although free use could be made of the commons by the com- • moners for individual and family uses, they considered it waste, and would not pemut individual use of any part of the wood, tim- ber, or limestone, for transportation and sale outside of the cor- poration without a special license and payment for the privilege. Hence the following orders entered in the minutes of the trustees, as passed at a meeting held by the trustees on the 17th day of February, 1719, as follows : " Ordered that there shall be no wood, brush, stone, lime, tar or charcoal transported or carried out of the corporation, that is made in the corporation, upon the forfeit- ure of five pounds for every such default, to be levied by the cor- poration court upon those that do so carry any of the aforesaid things or species." On the 17th of February, 1721, in order to prevent strangers from coming in, and by obtaining a residence and becoming free- holders, acquire an interest in the common property, the following order was made " that no stranger shall set up his trade, or occu- pation within the Corporation unless he pay for his freedom £3." The trustees, by the sale of corporate property, acquired con- siderable money to loan to the citizens, and also held securities for lands sold upon credit, and thus were, to a considerable amount, creditors of sundry inhabitants. What is not very common with creditors, they appear to have studied the interest of their debtors and those desiring financial help, especially in the passage of a reso- lution on the 2d day of March, 1728, reducing the rate of interest to six per cent on the bonds held by them, and further declaring that, " what money is let to the Freeholders shall pay but six per cent and give security ; and that such persons as are able to let money out themselves, shall not have it unless they pay eight per cent, and that all persons without the corporation pay eight per cent." That resolution shows a peculiar regard of the worthy burghers for the poor. ' They not only reduce the rate of interest to them to six per cent, but to prevent the rich from taking advantage of the reduction by borrowing at the reduced rate, and then loaning at a higher, they require them to pay at the old rate. In the month of May, 1748, they made a further reduction of interest on their bonds to five per cent. On the 9th of April, 1729, an order was made by the trustees, which, if continued at the present day, and strictly enforced, with an extension to cigars and cigarettes, would in all probability save much valuable property from ascending in smoke to the heavens. It is as follows : " Ordered that if any body shall go along the HISTOKY OF KINGSTON. 191 streets, after sunset, with a lighted pipe in his mouth or hand, he shall forfeit three shillings for each offence, the one half for the informer, the other half for the Poor, and if a negro to be whipped thirteen lashes." At same meeting they adopted an ordinance prohibiting per- sons riding through the streets faster than a moderate trot under the same penalty. It appears that in those days not only was the whipping-post in use, but women were not exempted from the lash. By a reso- lution adopted at a meeting of the trustees, held on the 17th day of January, 1748, it was ordered that, in the event of a whip- per being needed in the case of a woman then under prosecution, Mr. Johannis Jansen should agree with one. The trustees were, from a very early date, greatly harassed by suits brought against them to settle their outside boundary lines, and to resist encroachments by adjoining proprietors, and also to defend suits brought by the attorney-general against some of the citizens which the trustees were called upon to defend. The suits first above referred to were not to be wondered at, owing to the loose, uncertain, and conflicting character of the de- scriptions drawn without actual survey. The other class of suits do not appear to have been based upon the least particle of right or justice. They were apparently brought under the idea that, from the manner in which the par- ticular court * to which resort was had was constituted, and with corruption existing in high places, either a recovery would be had, right or wrong, or they would prove profitable blackmailing bonanzas. The last-mentioned suits were brought for the recovery of quit rents reserved in patents granted before the date of the Kingston grant. But the Kingston patent included, within its description, the territory of all those former grants without any reservation or exception whatever, except a declaration that " nothing therein contained, shall be construed to enervate hurt or destroy any the right title interest property claim and demand of any person or persons holding by virtue of any -former grant." That reserves no right or interest to the grantor, it is a provision for the protec- tion of the grantee. After such absolute transfer by the crown to the trustees, for the crown to attempt to collect quit rents upon those former grants is the same as if a lessor, at the present day, should, after making an absolute sale and conveyance of the land covered by the lease, seek to recover the subsequently accruing rent from his former lessee. * The Court of Chancery, which had been recently established, without right or authority of law, by Governor Hunter, with himself as Chancellor. / 192 HISTORY OP KINGSTON. The trustees well considered that the patent to them operated as an assignment and transfer to them of all subsequently accruing quit rents upon those prior conveyances, and they had collected the quit rents, when they became due, as their right. Consequently, they were compelled to enter the lists and indemnify and defend. However plain the question may have appeared to them, and however just and equitable was their defence, they had to deal with the protegees of royalty sent here in the capacity of governors and attorney-generals to amass princely fortunes upon small sal- aries. The bulk of them, if they were not adepts in the science when they came, soon learned the way with willing and accommo- dating consciences to such an extent that great wondeiment was excited as to how and where the public funds had been appropri- ated. These tools of royalty evidently conceived that they had discovered a convenient prey in the sturdy burghers of Kingston. What may have occurred previously, or what entries may have been made in the book of minutes which is lost, is not known, but the first entry found, in reference to such suits, is in the recol-d of a meeting held by the trustees on the 24th of May, 1714. A state- ment is there made of an agreement made by the trustees with John Crooke (a Kingston lawyer) to go to New York to take care of the corporation affairs concerning quit rents. And it was also stated in the minutes that Mr. Tennis Ellison was sued in chan- cery for the quit rents which the corporation had received. The trustees resolved to defend the suits from the date of their charter, and claimed "that the Trustees have a right, as grantees of the fee, to receive the quit rents which Ellison is sued for." There are no further entries in the minutes in regard to the Ellison suits. But there are frequent entries stating the com- mencement of scores of other suits of the same character. The trustees having failed in repeated efforts made by them to stop the multiplication of suits and have the question tested in a single case to be brought to trial, passed a resolution at a meeting held by them on the 2d of March, 1723, as follows : " Resolved that Mr Livingston draw a petition to his Excellency, in order to stop the proceedings of Mr Canada, if possible, in issuing subpoenas against Freeholders of the Corporation of Kingston for their par- ticular quit rents, the corporation being already in action about the same cases." There is nothing in the minutes in regard to the result of such mission, but as the minutes show frequent receipts of more chan- cery subpcBuas in the years 1734 and 1735, during the administra- tion of Governor Cosby, it does not appear to have been successful. In May, 1737, during the administration of Governor Clark, the chancery subpoenas for quit rents were again showered down, and HISTORY OP KINGSTON. 193 the trustees were compelled to employ counsel and assume more defences. In April, 1741, they were favored with more refreshing showers of the same character, and of course directed their council to ap- pear and defend, at the same time requesting him to have one suit tried as a test case. From this it would seem that as yet there had been no trial, and if the former suits had not been settled, they still were all pending. It does not appear from any entries in the records what became of any of the suits, whether they contributed anything to the gov- ernor' s perquisites or not. Possibly the attorney-general may have been satisfied with the costs drawn by him on their account from the public crib, and thus let them die away, not daring to risk a trial after failing to alarm. At all events there are no further records of quit-rent suits. In the year 1738 a question arose as to the north bounds of Kingston, where it bordered on Albany County. This, of course, involved title of the parties within the disputed territory, who received their conveyances from the trustees. The question in- volved appeared to be this : Albany, in the original description, extended south to Sawyer's Creek ; Ulster is described as ex- tending to Albany County on the north. Sawyer's Creek empties into the Hudson, just north of the present village of Saugerties. Its rise, however, is a few mUes back from the river, but several miles to the north of its mouth. It runs a southerly course, nearly parallel with the river for several miles, and then, taking a short turn, empties into the river at the place above stated. Thus, Albany extending down to Sawyer's Creek, the question was. Did it stop when it reached the headwaters, or did it extend to the mouth ? The original survey, it was claimed, adopted the head- waters (" Steene Haert Fonteyne"), and the trustees made con- veyances, and the town assessors assessed the inhabitants accord- ingly. The assessors, fearing to be involved in trouble by making such assessments in the disputed territory, asked the trustees to indemnify them, which they did annually by a formal resolution. The question was brought at different times, through petitions and remonstrances, before the Provincial Assembly, but the matter never was definitely settled by them. It continued a controverted question of jurisdiction until the arrangement of towns and coun- ties under the State constitution. The question of title was after- ward disposed of and settled in the State Supreme Court by judg- ments in favor of the trustees in some ejectment suits involving the question. To show a very effectual mode adopted by some of the burghers in the early days of the settlement of the country to strengthen the 13 194 HISTORY OF KINGSTON. memory of their offspring, the following extract is given from the testimony of a witness perpetuated in one of those ejectment cases. The examination was taken November 27th, 1802, and is as fol- lows : " Margaret Snyder, the ''wife of Zachariah Snyder, being duly sworn deposeth and saith, that she is the daughter of Valentine Fiero, and near sixty seven years of age, that she was born and brought up at her fathers, and after being married removed to near the ' Steene Haert,' and lived there 'till about twenty years ago. When she was ten, twelve, or thirteen years of age, her father turned the cattle (as she believes about the 25 AprU) in the woods near the Steene Haert Fonteyne,* where one of the cows was entangled in the morass. She went to see, and found a cow, which she called her own, just drawn out. . . . " Her father having cut a switch took her to the north side of the Steene Haert rock, and 'taking her by her hair, told her that he would give her something to remember, that that side was Albany, showing her letters and gave her a smart whipping. After which he took her to the south side of said rock, and told her that side was Esopus, and pointed at letters on that side of the rock, and giving her a second whipping, told her to remember that he had been flag bearer, and Peter York and Mcholas Branden were chain bearers on the survey, and that was the line between Albany and Esopus, and after his death, if any dispute should arise she might remember it." ' In the year 17(32, a patent was granted in the reign of Queen Anne to Johannis Hardenbergh and his associates for a very large tract of land which bordered on the grant made to the trustees. As the descriptions contained in the royal grants of those days were necessarily very general, and not usually accompanied by any previous survey, there was much room left for litigation be- tween adjoining owners. That was the case in regard to the boun- dary line between the Hardenbergh patentees and the trustees of Kingston. A severe litigation arose between them, and was kept up for many years before final adjustment. It was terminated by arbitration in the year 1746, and Charles Clinton was employed by •the trustees to run the line as fixed by the arbitrators. During the pendency of that litigation, and in the year 1728, an order was made by the Supreme Court directing Jacobus Van- dyck, the sheriff of Ulster County, to make a general list of the Jreeholders in his Bailwyck (Ulster County), so that a special jury .could be struck therefrom. He made his return to the court on the 7th day of July, 1728. The following is a list of the names re- * The Steene Haert Fonteyne (spring) is understood to be the headwaters of Sawyer's Kill. HISTORY OF KINGSTON. 195 turned by him as the freeholders in the town of Kingston at that time ; it of course falls far short of the whole number of inhab- itants. It embraces the entire town as it then existed : Ths ffreeholders for the Town of Kingston, Viz* ■William Schepmoes Coenraet Elmendorp Esqr Doct Jacobus Elmendorp Simon Van Wagenen Tjerlk De Witt Walran Du Mond Gerrit Van Wagenen ^ohn Sleght Nicholas Hofman .Jif&ttys Sleght Petrus Bogardus Samuel Nights William Eltinge William Herrls Hendrlck Pruyn Major Johannls Wynkoop Mattys Persen William Doughty Phillip Vlely Lewis Dubois Junr Thomas Beekman Jeronomus Klyn Nicolas Dromboer Chrlstyaen Myer Peter Mouerse Jurya Overpagh Juryan Snyder Pelter Pier Peter Wynnen Lowrens Merkell Jacob Eutsen Junr Coll Wessel Ten Brook Johannls V. Steenberge Abraham V. Steenberge Johannls Swartt Philip Moore Johannls Jansen John Makleyn Doct Hans Kiersteeden Cornelius Delametre Johannls Delametre Coll Abraham Gaasbeek Chambers Christophell Tappen Mattys Van Keuren Abraham De Lametre Gisbert Van Denbergh Johannls Tappen Abraham Low Thomas Van Steenberge Jacob Ten Brook Esqr Johannis Ten Brook Jonas De Lange William Ploegh John Crook Junr Hendrlk Oosterhout John Oosterhout Junr Mattys Van Steenberge .^nthony Sleght Nathaniel Devenpoort Johannis Low Maj Johannis Hardenbergh Peter Tappen Tjerlk Van kueren Samuel Burhans Aldert Kiersteeden Evert Roosa Solomon Bunschooten Hendrik H : Schoonmaker Eghbert Schoonmaker Edward Whittaker Esqr Aris Van Steenberge Lowrens Hendrlk Andrles Heermans Johannis Turck Stephen Gasharle Cornelius Van kueren Cornelius Swartt Teunis adamse Swart John Davenpoort Basteyaen De Witt Tobias Van Bueren Teunis Swartt John Wels Johannls Masten Adam Swartt William Swartt Jacobus De Lametre Lowrens Swart Cornelius Elmendorp Johannis Schoonmaker Hendrik Jansen John Oosterhout John Ploegh John Wood Senr John Wood Junr Edward Wood John Legg Peter Luyks Peter Peele James Whltaker William Legg Peter Oosterhout Cryn Oosterhout John Peterse Oosterhout Jacobus Du Bois Arie Kuyckendall Jacobus A Van Etten Hiskiagh Du Bois Nicolas De Myer Hendrlck Brinck Cornelius Langendyck Barent Burhans Evert Wynkoop Esqr John Persen Arie Newkerk Johannis Snyder Johannis Wm Snyder Harmanus Hommel Prederik Merkel William Keel Andrles Hofl Gysbert Peele Peter Van Leuven Moses Cantyn Mattys Du Bois Wilhelmus HooghteUngh Peter Van Acken Boudwyn Lacount Manuel Gonsalisduck Manuel Gonsalisduck Junr William Traphagen Peek De Witt Arie Van Vllet John Freer Johannis Hd Schoonmaker Aldert Ariese Roosa Charles Brodhead Dedrick Soets John Wolf Christopher Wanbomel David De Lametre Hendrlck Prelingh William Smith j Hendrlck Ruyter Hlskiag Schoonmaker Jacob Mlddagh Coenraet Rightmyer Tjerlk Schoonmaker 196 HISTORY OP KINGSTON. The ffreeholders of WagaghTcemeTc : Harme barentae Van Emweegen Samuel Swartwout Peter Gomar Barnardua Swartwout Junr John Van Vliet Junr Jacob Kuddebeck The following is a " list of the military and civil officers in the county of Ulster, and also of the old officers and old men," as re- turned by the sheriff of Ulster Connty, in July, 1728, at the same time that he returned the list of freeholders for the struck jury in suit of Hardenbergh m. Corporation of Kingston, for the pur- pose, probably, of showing the exempts from jury duty : "A LEST OP THE COMMANDING OFFICERS AS WELL MILLETERY AND SIVEL. Collo Jacob Rutsen Major Jno hardenburgh Levt Collo Abram Gasbeek Chammers Adgedent Geysebert Van Denbergh Collo Henry Beekman Cap : Dereck Schepmoies Mr Arie Gerese Mr Eghbert Schonmaker Capt Mattya Mattyse Levt Jno heremans Mr Jno Wynkoop Mr. Ja Artsen Capt Joqem Schonmaker Mr Moses Dupue Mr Tuenes Osterhout Mr Jacob De Witt Mr Sander Rooaekrans Mr Cornels Swets Justices. Mr Corneles Coll Mr George Medaegh Mr Lodwyck horenbeek OLD OFESEKS AND OLD MEN Mr Geysebert Van Garden Capt Tomes Gerten Capt Cherels Brodhed Capt Richert Brodhed Mr Geysebert Crooem Mr Jno Coock Capt Abram hasbroiek Mr Lawies Bovie Mr Josef hasbrok Mr Jacobes Bruyn Mr Mattyse Janae Levt Sallomon Duboys Levt Beniamen Smedes Levt Nicolas meyer Mr Mattys Sleght Capt Conraet Elvendorp Mr Evert Bogardus Mr Tuenea tapen Capt Weasel tenbrok Mr Albert Rooaa" The following is a summary statement of the census taken of Ulster County in the year 1703, which it may be proper to give in this connection : CENSUS OF ULSTER CO. 1703. The Sererall Townes in the county *8 Si •r i^ 1 sl ll ll III! Ill's ^ Pals 40 67 55 34 187 2 3 4 14 23 56 37 31 159 32 107 49 41 207 25 83 61 42 146 5 9 11 12 46 2 3 5 7 19 \ 3 5 17 1 1 3 2 9 130 Rochester Marbletowne. , .. Hurley 334 327 174 Kings towne 804 383 33 305 436 357 83 36 31 15 1669 IflSTORY OF KINGSTON. 197 There was no regular ferry established across the river at Kings- ton untU the year 1752, and at that time the nearest established ferry north across the Hudson was at Albany, and toward the south at Newburgh. Jacob Kipp, who settled at Rhinebeck about 1680, owned a large tract of land there extending for a considerable distance along the river. He, after his settlement there, and until his death, was accustomed to carry passengers across the river without any permit or license. After his death his son Abraham did likewise. Moses Cantine, who owned Columbus Point on the Kingston side of the river, from about 1740, onward, had also built a dock and furnished boats to transport travellers across the river. On the 5th day of August in the year 1752, Grovernor Clinton, in accordance with the prayer of their joint petition, issued a patent to the said Abraham Kipp and Moses Cantine, granting to them, their heirs and assigns forever, " the full free sole and whole power, liberty and authority, privilege and right of setting up, establish- ing, using keeping and enjoying a public ferry to be duly kept and attended for the conveniency of passing and repassing with travelers and their horses, cattle and goods whatsoever, to and from the said landings of the said Abraham Kipp and Moses Cantine, exclusive of all others to keep and ferry within two miles above and below the said landings," with right to charge fees as therein particularly specified, except that they were not obliged to trans- port any person, cattle, or goods from the first day of November to the first day of March, after sunset, or from the first day of March to the first day of November, after eight o'clock at night, without double fees, and then only during that part of the year when boats could pass over the river without apparent danger from the ice. The ferry then established has ever since been conducted and maintained under the old charter, with changes in the character of the boats and their propelling power in accordance with the im- provements of the times, and changes of location of termini as de- manded for the public convenience. The first ferry-boat seen by the writer upon that ferry was a periauger, then the horse-boat was substituted, using horse-power to turn the wheels, and the next change was to the steamboat. On the 27th of July, 1753, the trustees agreed to build a market - house thirty feet long by sixteen feet in width, ahd appointed Petrus Smedes to superintend its construction. On the 19th day of October, some progress having been made toward the construc- tion of the building, the trustees by resolution granted an allow- ance to Petrus Smedes of a gallon of rum for a morning dram to the workmen. Although they made this liberal allowance for an 198 HISTORY OP KINGSTON. "eye-opener," they do not appear to have added anything for a "mid-day strengthener," but they directed a further allowance of " a reasonable accommodation of liquor to the People that shall raise the said market house," or, in other words, provided for a regular old-fashioned "raising bee." In those days the frames were made of hewn oak, not sawn timber, and of such size as not to be manageable without assistance, so the' neighbors were called in to help, and, cheerfully responding, were rewarded with thanks and the flowing bowl, turning work into play. The farmers, too, had their husking bees. As soon as the corn was brought into the barn and severed from the stalk, neighbors were called in to aid in husking. The barn being as well illumi- nated as practicable by candles, after the ordinary farm work of the day was finished, the gathering of the neighboring friends com- menced, and the work began. The jug, or flowing bowl, was fre- quently passed around, the evening enlivened with songs and stories, and not infrequently followed by a hot pot-pie supper at mid- night. The farmer could the next morning contemplate a large pile of com severed from the husks and ready for the market. Everything of that kind in those days had to be done by hand and without the aid of any of the labor-saving machinery of the pres- ent time, and hence the need of extra help outside of the ordi- nary working hours. By a law passed in 1743, the southern part of the county of Ulster was divided into three precincts, and an additional super- visor given to the corporation of Kingston and Manor of Foxhall. So that thereafter the town of Kingston, including Foxhall, was represented by two supervisors in the county board during the ex- istence of the colonial Government. In March, 1753, the trustees became very much troubled in re- gard to questions that were raised in reference to the legality and jurisdiction of their local court, as the sheriff refused any longer to execute their processes. They then appointed Messrs. Evert Wynkoop and Jan Eltinge a committee to go and consult with counsel in the city of New York, and if their counsel considered the charter defective, then they were to endeavor to get an explanatory charter. The report of the committee is not given, but it appears not to have been sat- isfactory, for in May they sent the same committee to consult with the chief justice in regard to the validity of their alleged power to hold a town court under the provisions of their charter, and if they had not the right what proceeding should be taken by them to acquire it. The response they received was against the validity of the charter, and in April, 1754, they sent another committee, Evert Wynkoop and Peter E. Elmendorf, to New York to pro- HISTORY OF KINGSTON". 199 explanatory charter." Although the trustees continued their efforts for many years to procure the charter amendments, they were not successful. But still they went through the form every year, until the formation of the State Government to desig- nate their local court and elect an officer to serve processes, etc. Each year they passed a formal resolution to indemnify him against any suits that might be brought against him on account of the service and execution of such processes. But the trustees do not appear ever to have been called upon to respond for any damages. In the year 1750, owing to the caU for buUding lots in the vil- lage, it became necessary for the trustees to lay out some additional lots. They appointed a meeting to be held on the 6th day of Oc- tober, 1750, " sun an hour high," at the house of Cornelius Elmen- dorf (comer of Maiden Lane and Fair Street), to see in what man- ner the house lots along the Armbowery should be laid out, and also to locate a burying-ground for the slaves. (Any trustee not attending was to be fined a pint of wine.) At that time, without doubt, St. James Street was located, and the burying-ground for colored people designated and laid out, on the west side of Pine Street, about two hundred feet south of St. James Street, where it is now covered by a lumber-yard. It was used as a burying-place for over one hundred years. On the 6th of October, 1736, the trustees resolved to build a dock at the landing where most convenient for the wood to be drawn, and appointed a committee to see whether "there was wood enough behind the island of Moses Cantine toward the Steep rocks." It is supposed that the dock thus authorized was the first regular dock built, and was located at Ponckhockie, where the Tremper Dock was afterward built, and which was obliterated when some of the present ship-yards in that vicinity were erected. On the 30th day of May, 1739, permission was given by the trustees to Cornelius Delameter to build a mUl on the west side of Eondout Creek above the Twaalf skill, " so far in the Creek that a sloop can come up to it." That, it is thought, must relate to the buUding of a miU below the falls at the place now called EddyviUe. It is not on but above the Twaalf skUl that the mill was located, and there are no falls in the creek below EddyviUe, which is at least a mUe above the Twaalf skill. On the 27th day of November, 1754, the trustees determining to send to England for a fire-engine, appointed Petrus E. Elmendorf to attend to it, and directed that eighty pounds in cash be handed to him for that purpose. It could not be procured in this country 200 HISTORY OF KINGSTON. by reason of the English prohibition against the establishment of manufactories on this side the water. The engine was received in the, spring of 1757, and at a meeting of the trustees held on the 15th of May, of that year, it was put in charge of William Eltinge " to take care of the same, and to clean and grease the same, and keep the same in good order, until March next for twenty shillings." There does not appear to have been a fire company organized at that time to work the engine, but volunteers were to be relied on in case its use became necessary. In the diary kept by Colonel Abraham Hasbrouck are recorded memoranda of extraordinary storms and unusually severe weather occurring in different years during the eighteenth century, which it may be interesting to notice. It appears also from his diary that there were great swarms of locusts in the several years, 1724, 1741, 1758, and 1775. He states that "in the month of June, 1724, there was a tem- pestuous shower attended with great wind and very severe thunder and lightning and rain, together with hailstones as large as pul- lets' eggs, to such an extent that the fields were in a short time overflowed with water, and grain, apples, and young fruit trees were destroyed." In June, 1751, there was a shower of a similar character. In the winter of 1737 there was a great fall of rain, which froze on the trees as it fell, and so loaded them with ice that " thousands of them broke in pieces by the great weight of the ice." On the 17th and 18th days of May, 1758, there was a very great flood of water, and on the 24th day of the same month there was a storm which he thus describes : " Then we had a tempestuous and violent shower with rain wind and hailstones very large. Wind N.I^.E. which destroyed aU the rye apples and gardens, and almost all the fruit trees are damaged. Almost all the glass lights in the houses and church facing to the N.N.E. are beat to pieces and broken. The very apple trees which are but young the bark was beaten loose by the weight and violence of the hailstones that fell. Some fowls of the air were struck dead by the hailstones that fell upon them." In the year 1770 there were vast quantities of worms during the month of July, and in 1773 large numbers of caterpillars doing great damage, the caterpillars making special havoc in apple and oak trees. In October, 1779, there was an unusually great flood, and on the 9th of May, 1781, there was another, which he thus describes : " There was a very high or great flood at Esopus. The Rondout Creek said to be higher than it had been in 88 years past. It was IIISTORY or KINGSTON. 201 about three feet higher than the flood of 1779 in October. It washed away a great deal of land, broke the banks of the Creek, carried away the MiU of Petrus Mynderts and did a great deal of damage, in many places horses and cows were lost, fences carried away etc. etc." It appears also from other sources that the summer of 1760 was a very remarkable one on account of the great rainfall and freshet. The appearance of the grain before harvest gave promise of very abundant crops, but during harvest they were visited with so much and such frequent rains that the greater part of the wheat was grown, and much of it entirely spoiled. The freshet is thus described in a letter dated August 11th, 1760, written by Charles I>e "Witt, of Greenkill : " But of all the showers of rain that ever I saw, I have seen none to equal that on Saturday the 26th ult, when here fell so much that the water came streaming down the street, or rather rolling wave after wave like a small river. My thoughts were very much fixed on the great foundation of the whole globe, when the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven opened, pouring the water down in such quantities as aged people have not before known. At Twaalf skiU it has made great devastation. Old Mr Delametters mill rendered entirely useless, 'till broke down and rebuilt, his son Abram cannot be ready in a short time. Mr John Du Bois fuUing mill broke aU to pieces. Mr Petnis Smedes mill, in Kingston, the dam broke and gutter gone, £100 wUl not make that. The whole loss here is very considerable, besides a very melancholy sight to see people's whole dependence of subsistence thrown to pieces. The loss in Mr Dela- metters mill of wheat, brown flour unpacked etc. I cannot guess." ************ " This year I think is a very remarkable year worthy of notice, and ought to cause us to reflect on the conduct of our life. It is a very signal visit from the Almighty God, these great rains which have thrown down strong buildings, and the continuance thereof day after day might cause any considerate person to fear that nothing would be left of the harvest the ensuing year ; but blessed be God who has yet in mercy left us plenty. May the judgments and mercies of God excite us to an earnest seeking, and deep humil- iation, before the throne of grace, imploring that God may be pleased to avert heavier strokes to fall upon our guilty heads which we justly deserve." At elections for trustees, originally, the votes were taken tiva toce. In February, 1770, under a law empowering the trustees to regulate annual elections for constables and other officers, a ques- tion was raised in the board in reference to the qualifications of voters, and also the mode of voting. The trustees determined that 202 HISTORY OP KINGSTOliT. none bnt freeholders could vote for town officers who have real estate to the value of forty pounds. As to manner of voting it was ordered that the votes should be given in on paper. One trustee was designated to receive it, another to indorse it with voter's name, then to be entered by the clerk and deposited in a box, the clerk's record to give name of voter and persons for whom he voted. When a voter was challenged, a note was to be made of it, and his right subsequently examined. The next year (1771) it was ordered that for trustees and officers named in the charter, all freeholders, freemen, and inhabitants, who have resided in Kings- ton for the space of forty days, could vote and give in their votes by ticket. One trustee was designated to read it to the clerk for entry, and another to put it on a thread and deposit it in a box. In 1772 the rule was changed so that any one challenged was to prove his right by oath before voting, and each party was entitled to appoint two persons to challenge and inspect votes. On the 28th of October, 1776, Kingston village was visited by a very destructive fire, which originated in the roof of the dwelling- house of Colonel Abraham Hasbrouck, which was situated in the outside western street of the village, now called Green Street, just below its junction with John Street. There being a very heavy wind the fire spread rapidly, and was soon entirely beyond the control of the inhabitants. Tt consumed everything inflammable about the house of Colonel Hasbrouck ; it crossed Green Street and destroyed the Van Keuren house and blacksmith shop ; it crossed John Street and struck the house of Abraham Low in Crown Street, then in that street destroyed successively in its progress, as stated by Colonel Hasbrouck in his diary, "Abraham Low's house barn and barrack, Johannis Masten's house, Petrus Eltinge's house and bam, where David Cox then lived in a small house, where John Carman had his Silver Smith shop, Jacobus S Bruyn's house and bam, all took fire and consumed, and several other houses in great danger. The loss was very great on the sufferers. Thank God no lives lost, nor any body hurt." On examining one of the maps of Kingston in a subsequent part of this book, and tracing the route of the fire from Green and John to North Front Street, through Crown Street, it will be seen that it ran over a large territory. During this century Dutch manners and customs were preva- lent. Although in all official transactions and records the English language was required to be used, still, in friendly intercourse, and in the family circle, Dutch was the prevailing language. The Christian messenger expounded the Scriptures, and exhorted men to repentance, from the pulpit, in that language. Social intercourse was free and familiar, unrestrained by the formalities of the pres- HISTORY OF KINGSTON. 203 ent day. The social gatherings were usually confined to neigh- borly aitemoon visits, in which the whole afternoon, until an early tea, was passed in social chat, while the knitting-needle was in- dustriously plied in preparing comfortable coverings for the feet. Large evening parties were not common, and when they were held, the time was not spent in dancing by the young, but in plays of different kinds. Dancing was reserved for the ball-room, with music discoursed on the violin. Occasionally, however, a dance was indulged in at private houses to the music of the "jews- harp^'' played by one of the colored gentry of the kitchen. Quilt- ing bees were frequent, when, after spending the afternoon at that work, the quilt and frame would be removed, tea discussed, and after tea the young men would come in to have a jolly time with the girls. Apple cuts were also common in the faU to supply material for apple-sauce and pies for the winter ; then the young people also had a gathering for a good time when the work was done. Although the social manners and customs of those days were simple, and not burdened with the formalities of the present fash- ionable life, still there were castes and grades in society as strongly marked and as rigidly observed in social intercourse, if not more so, than at the present time. The holidays — Christmas, New Year, Paas, and Pinxster — were never suffered to pass without notice and the usual observance. On St. Nicholas or Christkinkle day, which occurred twelve days before Christmas, being December 25th, old style, the fire- place jambs at night were decorated with rows of the children's and slaves' stockings, in expectation of a visit from that liberal old saint. At funerals, although simple and inexpensive as compared with those of the present day, pipes and tobacco, with some liquor, usually gin, were furnished to the friends in attendance. Quiet and decorum on the streets were enforced on the Sabbath day ; the penalty incurred by its violator was a season for reflec- tion and repentance furnished him in the court-house yard while enjoying the comfort of the stocks. CHAPTER XIII. THE KINGSTON CHUECH. IT seems to be an appropriate time now to revert again to early times, and take a brief review of the progress and transactions of the early settlers and of their descendants, during the colonial period, in the religious field. It is not intended to give a full his- tory of the church, that of itself would furnish material for a vol- ume. But, considering the character of the first settlers, the causes for which they left the luxuries of the Old World for the trials, hardships, and privations of the New, and their object being the enjoyment of that freedom of conscience and religious worship denied them by governments and people on the other side of the water, it is not surprising that the churches organized under such circumstances should have had a great, not to say controlling in- fiuence upon the politics and policy of the government and munic- ipalities of the country. It is therefore essential for a complete history that its rise and progress should be briefiy noticed. The early settlers having thus come to this country for con- science' sake and the enjoyment of religious freedom, it is reason- able to suppose that they would be solicitous to procure an early enjoyment of a complete religious organization, with its accom- panying services. They brought with them a precentor to officiate on the Sabbath, with prayer and reading selections from the Bible, with commentaries, and to give instruction in the catechism ; but that only partially supplied the need, the power of administering the ordinances was wanting. The inhabitants, therefore, addressed repeated and earnest solicitations to the mother church in HoUand for the establishment of a church. After a time the Classis of Amsterdam listened to their persistent entreaties, and sent Domi- nie Hermanns Blom to them in the year 1659. On the Sabbath following his arrival he conducted the services and preached for them twice. The settlers immediately thereafter organized a church, and tendered him a call to become their pastor. The call or invitation was signed by Willem Jansen, Jan Broersen, Dirck Hendrixsen, Mattys Roelofsen, Albert Goverts, Hendrich Cor- nelissen, Jacob Jansen Stol, Thomas Chambers, Juriaen Westphael, Jacob Jansen Stoutenbergh, Jan Jansen, and Cornells Barent Slecht. HISTORY OF KINGSTON. 205 Dominie Blom at once signified his acceptance of the call, and returned to Holland in September, 1659, to submit to final exam- ination, receive ordination, and have his call formally approved by the Classis of Amsterdam. He returned from Holland on the 16th of February, 1660, bring- ing with him his license, of which the following is a translated copy: " Whereas it is indispensably required, that the honour of God and the Salvation of men be promoted to the best of our abil- ities, and for this end religious meetings ought to be instituted and encouraged by the pure preaching of the word of God, the lawful administration of the Sacraments, the publick invocation of the name of the Lord, and what further is belonging to the duti- ful worship ; and whereas the Situation of Esopus in New-Nether- land requires, that a duly qualified person, be sent thither as a lawfully ordained Minister, who can execute there the ministerial functions in every particular part in conformity to the church Government and the word of God, and in unison with the laudable usages of the Reformed Churches in this country and who is able to maintain and defend these. Therefore, We, the Ministers of the word of God and Elders of the congregations of Christ, belong- ing to the Classis of Amsterdam, after the invocation of the name of God, and in his fear, with the approbation of the noble Direc- tors of the West India Company, after a faithful examination in the principal doctrines of the Christian Reformed Church — and after having received satisfactory evidence of the pious life and requisite talents for the ministry of the Gospel, and after he signed the Netherlands Confession, the Christian Catechism and canons of the National Synod, have ordained the Reverend pious prudent and learned Minister Hermanus Blom vdth the Solemn imposition of hands, to preach there, both on Water and on the Land and in all the neighbourhood, but principally in Esopus, the Holy and only Saving doctrine of the word of God, in its purity, to administer the Sacraments agreeably to Christ's institution, with propriety to give an example to his congregation of publick prayers, to keep them with the aid of his consistory in a good discipline and order, all in conformity to the word of God and the formularies of the Netherland Churches and the Christian Catechism, Soliciting all our Brethren to accept him as a Lawful Brother, and lawfully called Minister of the Gospel of Christ, to honour him for the sake of his Ministry, and to assist him whenever it is in their power. So that he may officiate unmolested and cheerfully, to glorify God's name and the conversion and Salvation of Souls. " The Almighty God, who has called this Minister to the Ser- 206 HISTOBT OF KINGSTON. vice of Ms church, enrich him more and more with all talents and the blessings of his Holy Ghost, so that his labours may be crowned with abundant success, to the glory of his name, and salvation of men, and reward and adorn him, at the appearance of the great Shepherd of Sheep with the never fading crown of eternal glory — " Done in a Classical meeting in Amsterdam 16 Febr. 1660 " In the name and by order of aU (was signed) Petkus Proeleus, Eccles. Amstelodamensis, et De- putatorum ad causas In- dicas P' scriba' ' Immediately after his arrival at Wiltwyck, Dominie Blom entered upon the duties of his pastorate. On Christmas Day, the 35th of December, 1660, occurred the first administration of the Lord's Supper in Esopus, and that was when, on that day, he, Dominie Blom, distributed the sacred elements to his little flock, consisting of Anna Blom his wife, Jacob Joosten, Jacob Burhans, Mattice Blanshan and Maddelyh his wife, Antone Crispel and Maria his wife, Andries Barents and Hillitjen his wife, Margaret Chambers, Geertray Andrise, Roeliff Swartwout and Eva his wife, Cornells Barent Slecht and Tryntje his wife, Albert Roosa and Weylke his wife. He appears to have been a man of sincere piety, and especially weU qualified for the position he occupied. He soon became very popular, and discharged all the duties devolving upon him with very great satisfaction to his congregation. In 1661 a building was erected for the church inside of the stockade, at the comer of what is now Main and WaU streets, where the old stone church subsequently stood. It was built of logs, and said to be "substantial and convenient." It was regularly dedi- cated for public worship, and there the ordinances of religion were statedly administered. The following year the parsonage was built for the Dominie. It must have been a very comfortable and complete building for the times, costing about twelve hundred dollars. It was undoubt- edly built of stone, and the roof covered with Holland tiles, which were in common use at that day for roofs in the mother country, as they appear charged in the statement of the cost of the build- ing. The location of the building is not definitely known, but the writer of the historical sketch in the History of Ulster County must be mistaken in locating it at the corner of Clinton Avenue and Pearl Street. That would place it outside of the stockade. But the list of old and new surveyed lots (see Chapter II.) in Wiltwyck, made out in 1662, locates the minister's house and lot as No. 4 in HISTORY OP KINGSTON. 207 the list of old surveyed lots ; consequently, it must have been within the old village and within the stockade. Again, Governor Stuy- vesant had just compelled aU the inhabitants to build and locate themselves within the stockade as a protection against the Ind- ians ; he certainly would not allow them to locate the dwelling of their clergyman outside of the line of safety. It is true that the MiUer map of the stockade, made in 1695, over thirty years subse- quent, locates a building outside of the stockade at about the jixnc- tion of Pearl Street and Clinton Avenue, which he designates as ' ' the minister' s house. ' ' That forms no evidence that it was built in 1661. Why it was designated as the minister's house is not known. But it is also thus designated in an official order for its repair at the public expense on account of its being used as a court-room. Although it is thus improbable that the house outside of the stockade, as shown by MiUer on his map, was the minister's resi- dence, the question still remains, if not, What was it ? The only plausible answer the writer can give to the question is necessarily mere conjecture. The treaty of Grovemor Mcolls with the Indians in 1665, pre- viously referred to, in the third clause requii-ed " that a convenient house shall be built where said Indians may at any time lodge ^^•ithout the ports of the said town, in which house the Indians are to leave their arms, and may come without molestation, to sell or buy what they please from the Christians." Thus is a house out- side of the stockade accounted for (Chapter IV., ante). Then in September, 1669, as appears in the preceding pages (Chapter IV., ante), Governor Lovelace appointed a commission "to go to Esopus and regulate the affairs of that place." That commission, on the 23d of September, made an ordinance whereby the scout and commissaries were strictly enjoined "to repair the Dominies house or town house* in Kingston, which now grows ruinous, to prevent further damage, it being of absolute necessity to keep that house in good repair, in regard to the frequent use of it both for religious duties and cioil affairs.'''' And the repairs were then further directed to be made at tJie pvhlic expense. This explains the use to which the " Dominie's" (or, in the English clergyman's language, " Minister's") house was put, which, by his map, is located " without the ports of the said town." It requires no stretch of the imagination to conceive when the great Indian scare was over, that the house designed for their use should also be ap- propriated for some other public purpose ; and may it not have also acquired the synonym of " the Dominie's house" from the ex- hortations made therein by the faithful clergyman from time to time to the assembled natives ? Dominie Blom was at Wiltwyck when the murderous attack 208 HISTORY OF KINGSTON. was made by the Indians in 1663, and, regardless of all danger, was particularly active in driving oflf the savages, and in administering to the wants of the wounded and the dying. In 1666 he met with a very severe domestic affliction in the loss of his wife. When visiting New Amsterdam, in September of that year, she was taken sick and died there. After that, he deter- mined to leave and return to his friends in Holland, and on the 26th of January, 1667, he resigned his pastorate, giving the loss of his partner as one of the reasons, naming also some irregularities in the payment of his salary. The Consistory accepted his resig- nation with very great reluctance, and he left at once and returned to Holland. When he resigned the number of members in his church had largely increased. The church now continued for upward of eleven years without a pastor. The regular Sabbath services were conducted by their precentor. The pulpit was occasionally supplied, and ordinances administered, by a clergyman from Fort Orange or New Amster- dam. The Rev. Petrus Tesschenmaeker occupied the pulpit as a supply for a time in the summer of 1678, and until the arrival of Dominie Laurentius Van Gaasbeek in the month of September in that year. Mr. Yan Gaasbeek had been sent out from Holland by the Classis of Amsterdam as pastor to Esopus. He commenced his pastorate and took charge of the congregation immediately upon his arrival. He was a man of talent and education, and very active and zealous in the discharge of his duties. He had charge of the churches of Hurley and Marbletown, as well as Kingston. The next year the congregation built a new and substantial stone church, 45 X 60 feet, upon what is now the northeast comer of Main and Wall streets ; it is said to have been highly finished, and decorated with stained glass, coats-of-arms, etc. It was so far completed as to be dedicated about the 1st of January, 1680. Mr. Van Gaasbeek was taken sick, and died the following month, February. Dominie Johannis Weekstein succeeded to the pastorate in 1681 ; he died in March, 1687. He was succeeded in June of that year by Dominie Laurentius Vanden Bosch. He was guilty of such immoralities that a dissolution of his connection was procured in October, 1689. The church was then without a pastor for about six years, until the arrival of Johannis Petrus Nucella, in 1695. He continued nine years in charge of the churches of Kingston, Hurley, Marbletown, and Mumbaccus, giving a year alternately to each. In March, 1704, he resigned his pastorate and returned to Europe. This vacancy occurred during the administration of Lord Corn- HISTORY OF KINGSTON. 209 bury, and it was at this time, as recorded elsewhere in this work, that an effort was made to force a minister of the Church of Eng- land, Eev. Mr. Hepburn, upon the congregation, which signally- failed. In March, 1706, Eev. Henricus Beys arrived, having been sent by the Classis of Amsterdam, and took charge of the congregation. He was neglectful of his duties and remained only a very short time. In December, 1710, Dominie Petrus Vas arrived from Amster- dam to assume the pastorate. He was a man of learning and ability and well fitted for his work, and under his ministration the church flourished. The Consistory, with Dominie Vas, in 1712, determined to make an effort to have the church incorporated. They accordingly pre- sented to the governor a petition, of which the following is a copy, and which is here accompanied by a copy of the report made by the Council thereon : Petition of the Dutch Church of Kingston. " To his Excellency Robert Hunter Esq"^ Cap' Gen" Gov' in Chief of her Maties Provinces of 'New York & New Jersey and the Territories depending thereon in America & Vice Admirall of the same &" and the Hono'''° Councill of the Province of New York. " The Petition of Petrus Vos Minister of the Protestant Re- formed Dutch Church of the Town of Kingston in the County of Vlster Jacob Ausen, WesseU ten Broek Jacob Du Bois Elders Jacobus Elmendorp, Gerret Wyncoop, Hen- dick Pruym and William Elten Deacons of the same — " Humbly Sheweth, " That the members of the Protestant Reformed Dutch Church in the said Town and their predecessors having for many years since erected a Church in the said Town and dedicated the same to the Worship of God according to the Constitution of the Re- formed Churches of the United Netherlands Established by the National! Synod of Dort held in the years 1618 & 1619, and have allso purchased about half an acre of ground for a Cemetry or Church yard all at their own Charges & Expenses. " They therefore humbly Pray for her Maties grant under the great seal of this Province to incorporate them and their successors into a body Corporate and Politick by the name and stile of the Minister Elders & Deacons of the Protestant Reformed Dutch Church, of the Town of Kingston in the County of Vlster as near 14 210 HISTORY OF KINGSTON. as may be to the Charter granted to the Dutch Church in the City of New York, " And yo' Pet'' as in Duty bound shall ever Pray &° " By their order Kew York 1" of May " Hene Beekman ]712. Jacob Ausen." Report op the Committee Of the Councill on tJie Foregoing Petition. " May it please yor. Excellency " In Obedience to yo' Excellencies Order in Councill of j" ffirst of May Instant We have Examined into j" matter Referred to us on j' Petition of Petrus Vas Minister of y'' Protestant Re- formed Church of y" Town of Kingstown in y' County of Ulster, Jacob Aerson WesseU ten Brook Jacob Du Bois Elders Jacobus Elmendorp, Gerrett Wyncoop Hendrick Pruym and William Elton Deacons of y'' same praying for her Maj"°° Grant under y^ Great Seale of this Province to Incorporate them and their Successors into a body Corporate and poUitick by y" name and stile of the Minister Elders and Deacons of y° Protestant Reformed Dutch Church of y° Towne of Kingstown in y'= County of Ulster as near as may be to y" Charter Granted to y° Dutch Church in y^ City of New York, And Wee are humbly of opinion that yo"^ Excellencie may Grant the said petitioners the Charter prayed by their said petition Which is nevertheless submitted by ' ' Yo' Excellencies most Obed* humble Serv" "AD. Peyster JN"ew York S. Staats 2" May 1712. R Walter Rip Van Dam John Baebarie A. D. Philipse" This report was not acted on, and, subsequently, another peti- tion of the same character received favorable action, as follows : " May it please yo' Honour " In Obedience to your Honours order in Council of this day Referring to us the Petition of Petrus Vas Minister of the Re- formed Dutch Church of Kingston in Ulster County, and of Abra- ham Delameter Captain WesseU Ten Brook, Guysbert Vander- burgh and Thomas Jansen Elders and of Captain Nicholas Hof- man, Lambert Cool, Captain John Rutsen and Tirck Van Keuren HISTORY OF KIKGSTOW. 211 deacons of the same Churcli. Wee have Considered of the same, and are of Opinion your Honour may grant a Patent of Incorpo- ration to the said Minister Elders and Deacons and their Successors forever, for the free use and exercise of their religion and worship, with the like liberty and privileges, as are granted to the Minister Elders and Deacons of the Dutch Eeformed Church in the City of New York, with this difference only, that the rents of the lands and tenements, to be held by them, shall not exceed the sum of three hundred pounds per annum. And that you may likewise grant a patent of Confirmation, of the ground and Cemetery or burying place, mentioned in the said petition, under the yearly quit rent of one pepper com if demanded ; all which is neverthe- less humbly submitted by Your Honours most humble and most obed't Servt's (Signed by) "AD Petster K Walter Gerard Beekman Rip Van Dam Caleb Heath Cote New York John Barbarie Nov 16. 1719 'A D Philipse— " Favorable action came at last, and the second favorable report of the Council was supplemented on the next day, the 17th of November, 1719, by a charter of incorporation duly granted in the name of the king, and signed by Peter Schuyler as President of the Council, etc., incorporating Petrus Vas, Minister ; Abraham Delamater, Captain Wessels Ten Broeck, Guisbert Van der Bergh, and Thomas Jansen, Elders ; Captain Nicholas Hoffman, Lambert Cool, Captain John Rutsen, and Tjerck Van Keuren, Deacons ; and their successors by the corporate name and style of the " Minister Elders and Deacons of the Reformed Protestant Dutch Church of Kingston." It conferred upon them the usual powers of religious corporations in such cases, and confirmed the title to their lands. Dominie Vas continued with and ministered to his people until his death, which occurred in 1752, m the ninety-sixth year of his age. During the latter years of his life he was assisted by Dominie Mancius as his colleague. Dominie Vas was very successful in his ministry, and the church was largely increased and strength- ened. During the early part of his pastorate, the house of wor- ship was very thoroughly repaired, and a small building added to the front called a " doop huys," an appendage which was frequent in those days. It was used, or, at least, designed for catechetical and consistorial purposes, and formed also a con- venient lobby or anteroom for the church entrance. The front 212 HISTORY OF KINGSTON. door of that addition had for its cap a stone in which were cut the letters P. VAS. MDCCXXL, thus indicating the time of its erection. The stone continued to occupy the position of capstone for the front door of the ' ' doop huys' ' of the church until some time in the third decade of this century, and was often noticed in its place by the writer, when as a lad he frequently passed under it on his way to church service and catechetical instruction. The congregation having thus repaired the building, for some reason concluded that they should have a new bell. Whether the old one had been worn out in notifying the inhabitants when it was noon, and in the evening when it was time to retire, besides calling them to the regular religious services, or whether it proved too small for their improved house, of course is now not known, but certain it is that, on the 8th day of April, 1724, a delegation from the Consistory appeared before the trustees of the corpora- tion of Kingston, at their meeting held at that time, and applied to them for assistance in procuring a new bell. That application resulted in the adoption by the trustees of the following resolu- tion : " Kesolved, That the Corporation should pay one half of what money shall be wanting with this old bell to purchase a new one ; the Consistory paying the other half, and the said new bell to go for the use of the Church and the Corporation." The last clause is explained by the fact that the church bell, besides being used for church meetings and funerals, was tolled when a citizen was dying, and indicated his age by the number of strokes, and was rung every day at noon, and also at eight o'clock in the evening for the benefit of the inhabitants. It is presumed, therefore, that the congregation were soon gladdened with the music of a new bell. The trustees, consisting, as they generally did, of the most prominent inhabitants, always exhibited great liberality to the church. At an early day after their incorporation, they conveyed to the church several hundred acres of land in the northern part of their patent. The precise number of acres cannot be stated ; it is supposed to have been nearly, if not more than one thousand. It was disposed of, from time to time, in parcels by the Consistory, as opportunity offered, they, at times, reserving in their convey- ances an annual rent for the benefit of the church. The trustees also afterward frequently aided the church with liberal contribu- tions, some of which will be referred to hereafter. It appears that under the ministrations of Dominies Vas and HISTORY OF KINGSTON. 213 Mancius the church prospered to such an extent that it out- grew its conveniences. The Consistory, therefore, to supply the wants of the congregation, proceeded to enlarge their church and OLD CHURCH BEFOKE THE REVOLUTIOlir, N. W. VIEW OP TOWEB END. increase its accommodations. That building was the one whose interior was consumed by the fire when Kingston was burned during the Revolution, and the old walls were used in the repair or rebuilding. The main building remained standing until 1832, although the " doop huys," projecting from the front far toward the middle of the street, with the marked capstone over the front door, had been torn down a few years previous. The old resi- dents of this place, now living, are therefore familiar with the location of the old church and the character of its walls. It was a very massive structure, with the " doop huys" in front at the south end projecting far into the street, and the bell tower at the north end projecting toward the burying-ground. The walls were all built of the rough limestone so abundant in this vicinity. The main building was not far from sixty feet square. Its walls were from three to four feet in thickness, and the church 214 HISTORY OF KINGSTON. was a beautiful model of masonry of its kind. The walls wlien torn down, notwithstanding the action of the conflagration in 1777, were as firm and solid as when first erected, and the workmen found no easy task in effecting its demolition. After the death of Dominie Yas, his colleague, Dominie Man- cius, continued his ministrations in the church, and discharged the duties of the pastorate in a very acceptable manner until his death, which occurred on the 6th of September, 1762-. Before proceeding any further, it will be necessary to make a short digression in order that the reader may fully compreliend the troubles which, during the next pastorate, arose in the Kingston church, shook it to its very foundation, and threatened its con- tinued existence. , The churches organized in New N'etherlands, when under the Dutch Government, worshipped in the manner of the Protes- tant Belgian established churches, having ministers sent to them from the Classis of Amsterdam. That, of course, was the case with the Kingston church. Under such circumstances the Classis of Amsterdam naturally gave directions, and exercised a certain con- trol over the Dutch Church organizations in this country. When IN'ew Netherlands was surrendered to the English, the eighth article of the capitulation provided that " The Dutch here shall enjoy liberty of conscience in Divine worship and church discipline." The Dutch settlers remaining in the country, their churches increased in numbers and in strength, and continued their former mode of worship and discipline, ac- knowledging their dependence upon the Classis of Amsterdam for the examination and ordination of their ministers, and considered themselves in subordination to their ecclesiastical control. The coetus was an ecclesiastical assembly of the Dutch churches in this country, consisting of the minister and one elder from every congregation. The fourth clause of the fundamental articles of the ccetus, as approved by the reverend Classis of Amsterdam, in 1738, was as follows : " 4. None but ecclesiastical matters, and those in an ecclesias- tical way, shall be taken up and decided in the Ccetus ; and always in subordination to the Classis of Amsterdam." The first ccetus met and was organized in 1747, in the city of New York. The ccetus soon assumed the regular jurisdiction of a classis in the examination of candidates and ordination of ministers. The Classis of Amsterdam, denying the assumed power, wrote to the coetus a lengthy communication, of which the following is an extract : " The Classis then, for mighty reasons which are also approved of by the Synod of North Holland, always have been of opinion, HISTORY OF KINGSTON. 215 that tlie power and right to become candidates, and ordain minis- ters do, with respect to the churches of New Netherland, belong only to the Classis of Amsterdam, and not to the Ccetus ; also that the ministers of the churches are, and ought to be, subordinate to them, and not to the Coetus. That the Ccetus is an ecclesiastical body subordinate to the Classis of Amsterdam." The ministry of a portion of the churches— those who disap- proved of the action of the coetus, and acknowledged the exclusive jurisdiction of the Classis of Amsterdam — met for consultation and designated themselves as the " conferentise." They held regular sessions and correspondence with the Classis of Amsterdam. Thus was a division created in the Dutch churches. It was not confined to the churches as such, but extended to the membership. Dom- inie Mancius was a warm supporter of the conferentise, and al- though the congregation of Kingston was divided, a large majority of its members sympathized with the conferentife. The pulpit at Kingston having become vacant by the death of Dominie Mancius, the Classis of Amsterdam, upon the application of the Consistory of the church, sent Hermanns Meyer to them as their pastor. He arrived in Kingston in November, 1763, and at once entered upon his pastoral duties. He is reputed to have been a man of " ardent piety, profound learning, and varied scholar- ship." Unfortunately for both pastor and people, he reached his charge at a time when contention and party spirit upon the questions above mentioned were disrupting the entire Dutch Church, and were particularly violent at Kingston. A majority of the settlers were of Dutch descent, and many of the others were descendants of those who had fled to Holland for an asylum and been harbored there, and as was natural, were strongly attached to the "fatherland" and prejudiced in favor of every- thing belonging thereto, and opposed to sundering any of the re- maining links, however light, by which they might be connected therewith. A majority in the Kingston church, and the entire Consistory, opposed the change, and stood by the " conferentise," the organization under the old order, and opposed to the " coetus." Dominie Meyer at first attempted to steer clear of actual identi- fication with or manifestation of preference for either party. It is seldom that revolutions of a radical character are ever accom- , plished without arousing and exciting feeling to the lowest depth, and often unseating reason from its throne. When party spirit in such contests reaches a certain pitch, involving an important fun- damental question in the church, or its organization, it is not in the power of mortal man holding the position of pastor long to re- main neutral. Something wiU turn up, or some question or action 216 HISTORY OF KINGSTON. will be accidentally or designedly forced upon Mm, by which, he will be placed in antagonism to one side or the other. Such was the experience of Dominie Meyer. The oath of allegiance, as prescribed by the British Govern- ment, contained the following paragraph : " I do sincerely promise and swear that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to his Majesty King George the third. . . . And I do declare, that no foreign prince person, prelate, State or potentate hath, or ought to have, any jurisdiction, power, superi- ority, dominion or authority ecclesiastical or spiritual within this realm." It was held and insisted by the coetus party, that subordination to the Classis of Amsterdam was inconsistent with the oath of alle- giance, and in taking that oath all subordination to the Classis of Amsterdam was abjured, "and that all those who held them- selves subordinate after taking such oath are perjured." Colonel Abraham Hasbrouck and Abraham Van Keuren, resi- dents of Kingston, and two advocates of the coetus, but holding no office in the church, made complaint under an English statute, against Dominie Meyer, to two justices of the peace, and demanded that he should be compelled to take the oath of allegiance. Dom- inie Meyer and four of his Consistory were accordingly summoned, and appeared before the justices. They demurred against taking the oath, and demanded an adjournment for three weeks to take advice of counsel, which was granted by Major Pawling, one of the justices in attendance. They advised with Mr. Crannell, a counsellor residing at Poughkeepsie, who was of the opinion that they were obliged to take the oath, but he desired to consult later statutes, and would then advise further. The further advice did not come within the three weeks, and the oaths were administered and taken. After the deed was done, the further advice from Mr. Crannell was received, that the justices in Ulster had no jurisdic- tion to take the oaths without a particular authorization. But it came too late. This administration of the oath was followed in a very short time by the marriage of Dominie Meyer to the daughter of Colonel Hasbrouck. These occurrences took place in the summer of 1764, and put an end to neutrality and all pretence of it. Now the feeling in- creased in bitterness and intensity daily. To have their pastor the son-in-law of one of their leading opponents, and, as they in- ferred, under his control, was more than they could stand. The f oUoMdng extract from a letter written by a prominent member of the church, under date of September 3d, 1764, just after the mar- riage, is some evidence of the feeling engendered : " The Col., it seems, will now endeavor to gain the Honorable HISTORY OF KINGSTON. 217 seat of a Pope, but I hope his mercenaries are too weak to raise him to that exalted station. They have however, though few in number, opened their last and most formidable battery against this peaceable congregation, and have thrown as yet but one bomb into it. I hope it hath done no more damage than throwing the congregation into confusion. The consequence of which is, that such a quarrel is commenced, which I fear never will have an end. You cannot possibly have a proper idea of the dismal situation we are in, unless you were an ear and eye witness. And this is caused by a very few persons, in particular Col Abraham Has- brouck and Abraham Van Keuren, who, when a caU was made on the present minister, refused to contribute a single copper. This we take very hard of the minister, that he should honour such people before his KerJcenraad (Consistory), and I may say the whole congregation." The conferentije portion of the congregation were determined in some way to rid themselves of Dominie Meyer, but on consulta- tion with counsel, they found that nothing had been done which would legally justify his removal or forfeiture of his salary. But the ill-feeling and bitterness increased and intensified daUy, and it became evident that force would be used if necessary. Individual fights and broils among excited disputants had be- come frequent. It soon became apparent that it would not end with individual broils, but if the pulpit was not vacated in some other way, violence would be resorted to in the house of worship. That was a course which the Consistory were anxious to avoid. In the interest of peace, they sent an invitation to the Kev. Gerhardus Cock, pastor of the church at Germantown, to come to Kingston and attend a meeting for the purpose of settling, if possible, the difficulty between pastor and people. He obeyed the summons, and attended in good faith as the messenger and advocate of peace and reconciliation. His errand was unsuccessful. Instead of re- ceiving the thanks of the coetus party for his kind errand and in- tentions, two of their number, Levi Pawling and Johannis Har- denbergh, as justices of the peace, issued a precept against him as " a dangerous person to the Governme7it and a common disturber of the Peace of his Majesty's liege subjects," and, as such, com- manded him " to appear before them and take the oaths prescribed by law." Under that precept he was arrested by a constable and taken before those vigUant guardians of the peace. Upon his appearance before those liberal dispensers of the hos- pitality of Kingston, the astonished dominie was required to take the oath of allegiance and supremacy, and in case of his refusal to do so, he was informed that they would commit him to prison unless he paid a penalty of five hundred pounds. 218 HISTORY OP KINGSTOIT. He then chose to take the oath under compulsion, but he did not put such construction upon its terms as to be forced into the ccetus party. He advised with counsel, and was informed that the action of the justices was illegal, and they had no jurisdiction. He then presented a petition to the governor and council, demand- ing redress and the removal of the officiating justices from office. Whether the petition was ever acted upon by the governor and council does not appear. In view of the intense feeling aroused in the Kingston church by the compulsory administration of the oath of allegiance and its assumed eifect, the reader may feel interested to peruse the opin- ion delivered by James Duane, an eminent counsellor of that day, written in reference to the case of the Rev. Mr. Cock, and on which, it is understood, was based his application for the removal of the justices. The following is a copy : " Two Justices of the Peace of the County of Ulster having re- quired the Dutch minister at Esopus to take the oath of allegiance and supremacy, etc and taken them from him, There hath arisen a question whether these Justices, by their commissions as such, had any authority to tender the oath, etc, and if not, whether they are punishable and how ? "It is supposed that they have founded their authority upon the statute of 1st George, which is in these words, " ' That it shall and may be lawful to and for two or more Jus- tices of the Peace or any other person or persons, wTio shall he hy Ms Majesty for that purpose specially appointed, by order of the Privy Council or by Commission under the great seal, to adminis- ter and tender the oaths, hereinbefore appointed to be taken, to any person or persons whatsoever, whom they shall or may sus- pect to he dangerous or disaffected to his Majesty or his Oovern- ment, and if any person or persons, to whom such oaths shall be tendered, shall neglect or refuse the same, such Justices or any other person or persons specially to he appointed as aforesaid, tendering the said oaths shall certify the refusal thereof to the next quarter sessions of the county, riding, liberty, City Borough town Corpo- rate or place in which such refusal shall be made. And the said refusal shall be recorded among the rolls of the next sessions, and shall be from thence certified by the Clerk of the peace of such county, etc. . . . And that every person, so neglecting or re- fusing to take the said oaths, shall be from the time of his neglect or refusal taken esteemed and adjudged a popish recusant con- met, and as such to forfeit and be proceeded against.' " I have considered all the statutes relating to this subject. I think there is none can give the Justices a colour for assuming a HISTORY OF KINGSTON. 219 right to administer the oath, but the clause of the 1st George 1st above recited, and with respect to this, I am of opinion, that it does not extend to the Colonies, not only because it is a penal law, made since we have had our own Legislature, but because it is plain, from the terms of it, that it was intended only for Great Britain, the Navy, Jersey, and Guernsey ; and the sixth section in an especial manner shews that it was not to affect persons beyond sea, or to authorize their qualification there. The only method, by which these oaths have been administered here, is by Dedimus under the great seal of the Colony, and the only persons, I believe they ever were exacted from, were the officers Civil and Military. " Whether the Justices are punishable, in the present case, is another question, as they may have erred in judgment in the con- struction of this act. Besides, to aim at prosecuting them for ten- dering these oaths to a foreigner, who was willing to take them, seems to have an appearance not well to be reconciled. Had he refused to comply, and they done anything illegal, by way of com- pelling him, the case would be something altered. " Supposing them criminal, the method of punishment would be by information, in the name of the Attorney-General. "Jas. Duane." William Smith, Jr., another celebrated counsellor, residing in New York, upon similar questions being submitted to him by ad- vocates of the ccBtus, in his opinion, stated : " The laws of Great Britain and this country do not permit the exercise of any manner of authority or privilege, by foreign judica- tories, civil or ecclesiastical, within these dominions, besides all the king's subjects are compellable to take the oath of supremacy, wherein they swear that ' no foreign prince, person, prelate. State or potentate hath or ought to have any jurisdiction, power, superi- ority, pre eminence, or authority, ecclesiastical or spiritual with- in this realm.' And though the primary intention of the laws of this head was to destroy the influence of the see of Rome, yet pro- hibiting words are broad, and their general policy is such, that in my opinion they wiU be construed by our Judges to interdict the claims of the Classis of Amsterdam to government of the Dutch Church in this country, and that the subjects who voluntarily submit to the decisions of any foreign, even though a Protestant body, are punishable. " I think the claims of the Classis to the subordination of those churches, not in the least supported by the articles of surrender or any of the Treaties between us and the States-General. The de- sign was not to vest any power in any body of men abroad, but to secure the enjoyment of certain privileges to those who were con- 220 HISTORY OP KINGSTON. quered, and remained here. This distinction is natural and obvi- ous, if the Dutch churches in this country are undisturbed in their worship, and left to govern themselves upon the Belgic, vrhich is the Presbyterian model, they can justly claim nothing more upon the faith of the capitulation. The words are thus satisfied, and the door shut against the mischief intended to be prevented by our laws against foreign appeals. And this construction wUl, I con- ceive, appear to be more solid, if the claims of the Classis of Am- sterdam to a Supremacy over the churches, and their denial of any right in those ministers to license and ordain others are repugnant to the word of Gfod, as understood by the Reformed Churches in the United Provinces, and the frame of that Ecclesiastical govern- ment they have adopted ; if this can be shewn and perhaps it may, the articles receive an exposition not favorable to the subordina- tion exacted, for it will appear very reasonable to suppose the benefits intended to be secured were consistent with the avowed tenets of their own churches, and according to these sentiments I think the churches here will expose themselves to danger by a submission to, and not by their non-compliance with, the authority challenged by the Classis." A council of the neighboring ministers of the Kingston church and their elders was convened, and the situation of the church and the difficulties between pastor and people brought before them, and upon their action the Consistory withheld Dominie Meyer's salary, and declared the pulpit vacant. The following Sabbath the con- ferentise people encouraged by such action determined to prevent Meyer from occupying the pulpit at all hazards. They accord- ingly carried their clubs with them to church, prepared for battle, if necessary. Meyer entered the pulpit as usual, but before the services commenced was notified to vacate. He, noticing the prep- arations that had been made, and well aware of the determination of the parties, left the desk in tears, and as he came down the steps of the pulpit, repeated the following passage of Scripture : " How often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not." Notwithstanding this rupture, Dominie Meyer continued to preach and. perform ministerial services at private houses, until November, 1772, when he received and accepted a call and removed to New Jersey. As long as Dominie Meyer remained, of course, there was no reconcilement of the parties, and no successful effort made to pro- cure another pastor. After he left the heated passions began to cool, so that in the year 1775 Dominie George J. L. Doll, who was then preaching at Albany, was called. He accepted, and was in- stalled into the pastoral ofiice. Under Dominie Doll the Kingston HISTORY OF KINGSTOTf. 221 church took an independent position, and did not unite with the ecclesiastical assemblies in this country, although the ccetus and conferentise had settled their differences and formed a single eccle- siastical body in 1772 with the concurrence of the Classis of Am- sterdam. He ministered to the people during the entire struggle for independence, and until he became superannuated in 1808. There were none more zealous than he in the cause of liberty, nor more ardent in advocating the cause of his divine Master, and by 'j"^.^'/ttAVA^^g S. W. VIEW OF CHURCH AS REBUILT AFTER THE BEVOLUTIOlf, SHOWING "DOOP HUYS " IN FRONT, TOWER IN REAR. endearing the people to himself he early in his ministry healed all violent dissensions. At the sacking of Kingston by the British, the church, of course, did not escape the fury of the vandals, but was visited with the same fate as the other buildings in the place. All that was combustible in or about it was reduced to ashes. The first care, of course, of the unfortunate inhabitants was for the comfort of their wives and children ; but as soon as they had attended to their immediate wants and procured necessary shelter for those dependent on them, the repair of their desecrated house of worship early received their attention. The walls remaining HISTORY OF K1N6ST0K. firm, and having sustained little if any injury, the work of repair was soon commenced, and completed as early as practicable. Of course their old bell was ruined through the combined in- fluence of the fire and its fall from the top of the tower. Colonel Rutgers, a friend of the church, and whose family had participated before the fire in the hospitality of the inhabitants of Kingston, presented the church with a new bell, which led to some amusing circumstances connected with the procuring and hanging of the present church bell, whose loud but sweet, silvery tones, prior to its present cracked condition, excited the admiration of all who heard them. The bell presented by Colonel Rutgers was like a ship's bell in appearance and sound, and after it was mounted proved very disagreeable to the inhabitants. They wanted something that was not a constant reminder of the English man-of-war's bell and were determined to have it. The trustees being, as usual, appealed to, promised their assistance. An arrangement was accordingly made through Jacob Leroy & Son, merchants of New York, to obtain one from Holland. Some time afterward, in 1794, the new bell arrived from Hol- land, and was accompanied by a letter in Dutch, of which the fol- lowing is a translation : " Right Honorable Sirs " Upon your worshipful request, to my friends, the Messrs Jacob Le Roy & Son, of New York, and through their worships presented to me, on your behalf, about a Church Bell with a clap- per, for the Congregation of Jesus Christ at Kingston, my breth- ren ; so I reckon it no small honour to me to have received this request, but at once by those to be in a condition to know and to obey or fulfil it ; and I send the same, insured, by Capt Gilcrist of the ' Minerva,'' hoping and wishing that it may arrive safe, and may answer its true design ; so that when, on the day of rest, she lets her voice be heard, the Congregation may diligently come up to the House of the Lord, to hear his word with profit and to make needful use of it. " This bell, with all its apparatus, was cast within this city ; thus it is a genuine Holland Amsterdam Bell. I have tolled it several times to try it, and the sound of it close by is very good. I have not doubted since, but that when it comes to be hung on high, it will give more satisfaction. " But you will please to instruct the manager at the hanging up of the same, to mark well that it hangs exactly perpendicular, that is to say, on all sides alike straight up and down ; for if it is turned or hung over too much on one side, a body runs the risk of HISTORY OF KINGSTON. 223 cracking it, and this can with caution be prevented by fixing the strap in the right place. " The account of the cost I have sent to the Herrn Jb. Le Roy & Son, and debited their worships for the price. This you will well find with them. Next having myself felt for in your wor- ships' favor and love, as a brother of our new modelled reformed religion, so I reckon it my honour, with true and friendly greet- ing, to name myself to you and the dear brothers and sisters, " Right Honorable Sirs your dear and dutiful servant and brother Paulus Kuk " Amstebdam, the 10th May 1794." The bell as soon as possible was unpacked with great care and raised to its appointed place, and hung with all the skill of their best workman. When it was tolled, however, great disappoint- ment was depicted on every countenance, and the unanimous ver- dict was that it was good for nothing, that any piece of iron would sound as well. Many consultations and much discussion were had over the matter, when it was suggested that the trouble rested in the clap- per being fastened with a leather strap, sent with the bell, instead of an iron hook ; but the change did not remedy the difficulty. It was then concluded to return the bell from whence it came. A letter was accordingly sent to Colonel Rutgers, requesting him to make the necessary arrangements for that purpose. The colonel, feeling confident that the trouble rested elsewhere than in the bell, at once wrote and inquired into the manner in which the bell was hung. He then ascertained that it was hung on a straight axis. He at once suggested to them that that was the difficulty, that they could not, with a bell of that size on a straight axis, give sufficient force to the clapper ; it should be hung upon a crooked axis, and gave them the proper directions. The hanging was changed ac- cordingly, and a crooked axis adopted, by which the apex became elevated about midway above the horizontal part of the axis. That solved the difficulty. After the change, the old sexton could bring sufficient strength upon the bell to give the necessary force to the clapper, and bring forth the loud and full mellow tones of one of the best bells ever hung in America. Then the old burghers be- came satisfied, and smoked their pipes with comfort. Tradition says they turned their Rutgers bell over to the court-house. A fac-simile of the original bill of lading, in the Dutch lan- guage, for the church bell is here inserted as a matter of interest, followed by a literal translation thereof. 224 HISTORY OF KINGSTON. J> -^ ^ ayi-t-^^fy-r" e.e-t^f-cJ ^i f'^-*-r(^^ Af^rt:^^ X. e,^vi!*l-«?^^<.-^?fe?'zi»5<«-^«.^^r»^.'/^>^ - 5»llS»*K*. f^t*^ ''/!t^-i,r-r7^/^-i^-i/-r-t»^-c^*i^^^ ^St^^A^^ =Aa>ii!^E?^J^ — ,; !'','S!il!<;|!{|i]i|J!!l|| . J iP-'dUi! >! i ■ ,'i !! Mil, i,i!"ilf;i<; jij!" I IPS' TAPPEN HOUSE, EXECUTIVE CHAMBER. " You will be pleased to observe, that all offences committed in this county against the peace of the People of this State, from treason to trespass, are proper objects of your attention and enquiry. " You will give particular attention to the practice of counterfeit- ing the bills of credit, emitted by the general CONGRESS or other of the American States, and of knowingly passing such counter- feits. Practices no less criminal in themselves, than injurious to the interests of that great cause, on the success of which the happi- ness of AMERICA so essentially depends." On the 1st of August, the time fixed for the meeting of the Leg- HISTORY OF KINGSTOJSr. 275 islature at Kingston, the condition of the country was such that the governor deemed it advisable to prorogue it until the 20th, and again until the 1st of September. Governor Clinton when in Kingston made the house, in North Front Street, of his brother-in-law, Christopher Tappen, his head- quarters, and there performed his ordinary executive duties. When, however, he met the Legislature in joint convention it was at the Court House. Colonel Levi Pawling, of Ulster County, was one of the senators elected from the middle district, and was the only representative of Ulster County in the Senate. The Senate met and organized at the house of Abraham Van SENATE HOUSE. Gaasbeek. This house was located on the west side of East Front Street, now Clinton Avenue, near the corner of North Front Street. It was a long, low, one-story stone building with a steep roof. The main hall was near the north end, with a room on each side. At the south end was a room with a direct opening or doorway into the street. There is nothing in the legislative minutes showing in what room the Senate met, but from the fact that the south room was the largest, and also had a direct communication with the street, it is presumed that that was the actual Senate Chamber in which the first Senate of the State of New York met and was organized. John Cantine, Johannis G. Hardenbergh, Matthew Rea, Corne- lius C. Schoonmaker, Colonel Johannis Snyder, and Henry Wisner, Jr., were the representatives from Ulster County in the Assembly. HISTORY OF KINGSTON". HODSE WHERE FIRST ASSEMBLY MET. The Assembly met and organized at the public house of Evert Bogardus, situate at the northwest corner of Maiden LauB and Fair Street. They were unable to meet at the Court House as the Supreme Court was then in session there. By reason of the want of a quorum in the Senate the Legislature did not become fully organized until the 10th of September. With the organization of the Legislature the State government became operative and complete in all its three departments — ^the executive, the legislative, and the judicial — within the bounds of the then village of Kingston, and the wheels of government were there put in full perpetual motion. The legislative session was brief, and was cut short by the invader's approach. The burning of the village in October put an end to any hope that might have been entertained of making Kings- ton the permanent seat of the State government. The Legislature after that partook for a time of a migratory character. When not specially convened by call they met at such place as had been fixed by resolution of adjournment at the last previous meeting. When no place was fixed, then at the place of their last meeting. By special resolutions from time to time prior to their final location at Albany upon the completion of the Capitol, they met at Kingston in August, 1779, in April, 1780, and in March, 1783. CHAPTER XVII. CAMPAIGN OF 1777, INCLUDING BURNING OF KINGSTON. IN the last chapter was chronicled the complete inauguration of the State government and the starting of its wheels in full oper- ation, but still surrounded with perils and dangers on every side, threatened by enemies from without, requiring its entire strength for defence, at the same time that the homes of its loyal citizens and the lives of their families were threatened by bitter and deadly foes from within. It becomes necessary to go back again in our detail to the fall and winter of 1776-77 to note the movements of troops and preparations for continuing the deadly conflict. On the part of the British, General Howe, the commander-in- chief, chagrined at the failure of the campaign designed to crush New York in 1776, and finding that General Burgoyne, command- ing the Northern army, had retired to winter quarters without accomplishing anything, figured out extensive and crushing oper- ations for the year 1777, designed, as he wrote in his official com- munication to Lord George Germaine, under date of November 30th, 1776, "if possible to finish the war in one year by an extensive and vigorous exertion of his Majesty's arms." He should have added, with tJiose of Russia and Germany. His plan is thus set forth in his letter : " 1st. An offensive army of 10,000 rank and file to act on the side of Rhode Island, by taking possession of Providence, pene- trating from thence into the country towards Boston, and if pos- sible to reduce that town ; two thousand men to be left for the defence of Rhode Island, and for making small incursions, under the protection of the shipping, upon the coast of Connecticut. This army to be commanded by Lieut Gen Clinton. " 2. An offensive army, in the province of New York, to move up the North river to Albany, to consist of not less than 10,000 men, and 5,000 for the defence of New York and adjacent posts. " By the last information from the northward, I learn the army from Canada was obliged, by the severity of the weather, to repass the lake, from Crown Point on the 5th instant, from which event, and a consideration of the difficulties that army must meet with before it reaches Albany, in the course of the next campaign, it is 278 HISTORY OF KINGSTON. reasonable to conclude this will not be effected earlier than Sep- tember. " 3rd. A defensive army of 8000 men to cover Jersey, and to keep the Southern army in check, by giving a jealousy to Phila- delphia, which I would propose to attack in Autumn, as well as Virginia, provided the success of other operations will admit of an adequate force to be sent against that province " South Carolina and Georgia must be the objects for winter. But to complete this plan, not less than ten ships of the line wiU be absolutely requisite, and a reinforcement of troops to the amount of 15,000 rank and file, which I should hope may he had from Hussia, or from Hanover and other German States, particu- larly some Hanoverian chasseurs, who I am well informed are exceeding good troops. " By this calculation the army, in the Southern district, would consist of 35,000 effective men, to oppose 50,000 that the American Congress has voted for the service of next campaign. . . . Were the force I have mentioned sent out, it would strike such terror through the country, that little resistance would be made to the progress of his majesty's arms in the provinces of New England, New York, the Jerseys and Pennsylvania after the junction of the JSTorthem and Southern armies." Such was the plan set forth by General Howe for the consider- ation of the ministry. In addition to this magnificent programme from below, preparations were being made for a crushing blow against New York from Canada at the North. General Carleton was superseded by General Burgoyne in the supreme command of the Northern army, and he made his preparations upon a grand and magnificent scale. His programme was to enter the State with his army in two divisions. The left wing, comprising the main branch, to be commanded by himself in person, was to enter through Lake Champlain. The right wing was to be under the com- mand of Colonel St. Leger, and was to enter the State by crossing Lake Ontario near its entrance into the St. Lawrence, and there to form a junction with their Indian and Tory allies. As it was not expected that General Burgoyne could reach the upper Hudson until September, General Howe left a part of his forces in New York and some in Rhode Island under the command of Sir Henry Clinton, and then took the main body with him by sea to operate elsewhere. Such delay on the part of the British to attempt the passage up the river with their fleet enabled the Americans to perfect their plans for the obstruction of the river in the narrow passes of the Highlands. They having no naval force worthy of the name, the only way to check the passage of the British fleet up the river was HISTORY OF KINGSTON. 279 by obstructions in the channel, with forts located to command the passage. To accomplish this object the Americans stretched a chain across the river at West Point and erected Forts Mont- gomery, Clinton, and Constitution in the vicinity. As long as those forts were in the possession of the Americans, and well manned, and the chain of sufficient strength to resist the force of vessels under full headway, the obstruction was com- plete, for the enemy could use no other means to remove the chain under the fire of the forts. There was also a chevaux-de-frise at Polopin Island, but without forts for protection. It was vitally important, therefore, that the forts should be sufficiently manned at all times. But many circumstances com- bined to render that almost impossible. New York was hemmed in on the north by the invading forces from Canada, which gave employment for all, and more than all, the strength of Northern New York. On the south was the British army, with a naval force ready to transport it in any direction, or to any unexpected quarter, which gave employment to all the forces which could be gathered below the Highlands from all directions. So that Ulster, Orange, Duchess, and a part of Westchester, were substantially all that were left to furnish troops. Add to this that sufficient men had to be left in the border counties of Ulster and Orange to protect their outer settlements from Indian raids and incursions and to keep the Tories in check, and further consider the great hesitancy evinced on the part of adjoining States to aid New York with needed re- enforcements, and it can create no surprise that those forts were seldom, if ever, sufficiently garrisoned. The foDowing correspondence is of interest to show the great insufficiency of the forces under General George Clinton to defend the forts and protect the river : " Head Quarters " MoERiSTOWN 19th Feby 1777 " Sir Information being lodged, that many of the inhabitants, living near the Passaick Falls, are busily employed in removing their provisions and forage within the enemy's reach, with a de- sign of supplying them, obliges me to beg the favor of you to let me know what success you have experienced in collecting the troops voted, by the Convention of the State of New York. The presence of some men in that neighborhood would be attended with much good ; add to this the well grounded probability, that the enemy, being lately reinforced, will make some movement soon, and you will I am satisfied use your utmost exertions to bring a reinforcement to our assistance. At present I cannot check the above mentioned practice, least the detachment, sent that way, may be more wanted for other purposes than this. I therefore 280 IIISTOBY OF KINGSTON. hope that some of your troops will take that duty off my hands, and that you will further enable me effectually to oppose any designs of the enemy. " I am Sir Your Most obedt Servt " Geo Washington " Oen Geo Clinton N&w Windsor — " It may be noted here that the above urgent call was rendered necessary by some Americans having more regard for the dollar than for their country. " New Windsor 23 Feby 1777 " Dear Sir " On my arrival home last night, I received a letter from his Excellency General Washington, of which the enclosed is a copy. By this you will find that more is expected of me than is in my power. Even tho' the 500 men ordered to be raised in Duchess and Westchester were completed, unless they were to join me on this side the river, I should be able to afford but a very inconsider- able reinforcement to the main army (if any at all) after posting sufficient detachments at the pass, for effecting the business more particularly 'recommended in his Excellency' s letter. Col Pawling' s regiment consists now of only 361 including officers, and they occupy three different posts, to wit Sydman's bridge, Cloyster and Hackensack, all equally, if not more necessary, than that men- tioned by the General, and I don't immagine he means they should be abandoned. I fear that sending a detachment out of this small force, (already much divided) to Pasaic falls will be endangering the other posts ; at any rate it will render the duty on the men exceed- ingly hard. I will however order a Lieutenant's party there, for the present, in hopes that some way may be devised to supply this place. Useless as the rangers have been, would it not be best to an- nex Belknap's and De Witt's companies to Col Pawling' s regiment on this occasion. I have issued orders to the Militia Colonels, to complete their complement of men, which they were to have raised, some of whom have been much more deficient in this respect than I could have thought. " This, and the number that have enlisted, out of Col Pawling' s regiment, in the standing araiy, and some desertions, of Tory drafts, to the enemy, are the reasons why it falls so much short of its complement. * * * * * * * * *.* * * " I am with due respect your most Obedt Servt " Geo Clinton " To the Hon The Prest of the Convention of the State of N. F." HISTORY OF KINGSTON. 281 On the 26th day of February, 1777, the Council of Safety ap- pointed Messrs. Taylor and Cuyler a committee to confer with Generals George and James Clinton and General McDougall, and inform themselves in regard to the forces requisite for defending the forts and passes in the Highlands, and afterward wait upon the commander-in-chief. General Washington, " with the intelli- gence they had acquired." On the 12th of March, 1777, they made their report to the con- vention, which was then in session. By the report it appeared that the obstruction to the navigation was in a state of great forwardness ; that it would require one thousand men at least to defend Fort Montgomery ; that Fort Con- stitution, from its disadvantageous situation, might be easily taken if besieged with artillery. On the 18th of March the convention adopted and forwarded letters to Congress, with others from General Washington and General McDougall, urging the strengthening, arming, and man- ning the fortresses in the Highlands, and the appointment of Gen- eral George Clinton to their command. On the 25th day of March, 1777, resolutions were passed by the State Convention authorizing General George Clinton to call out the whole or any part of the militia of the counties of Ulster, Duchess, Orange, and Westchester, whenever he should deem the same necessary, either on the requisition of His Excellency General Washington, or at his own discretion, and station them in such manner as might be most proper for securing the forts and passes in the Highlands, and frustrating the attempts of the enemy to make incursions into this State. The resolutions also directed that whatever sums General George Clinton should certify to be due to any body of the militia so called into service, should ' ' be forth- with paid out of the Treasury of the State." He was further authorized to impress carriages, horses, teams, boats, and vessels, and take care that the wages or hire for the same be punctually paid ; and whenever satisfaction could not otherwise be speedily obtained, he was authorized to draw on the convention. This extraordinary power vested by the convention in a single man exhibits in a high degree the confidence placed by the sages of that body in the judgment, honor, and integrity of General Clinton, and it is a pleasure to know that their confidence was neither misplaced nor abused. On the same day, the 25th day of March, the Continental Con- gress passed a resolution that a commandant of the forts in the Highlands be appointed with the rank of brigadier-general, and 282 HISTOEY OF KINGSTON. immediately appointed General George OHnton to such command, and promoted him to the rank of brigadier- general. His commission was immediately forwarded to the New York Convention, and received on the 1st day of April. His former commission was under State authority ; this was from the general government. General Clinton issued orders on the 31st day of March, 1777, requiring that one third part of the militia of the counties of Ulster and Orange be forthwith called into actual service, and that for that purpose " the Colonels of the respective regiments by ballot, or any other equitable manner, immediately detach the third part of their Regiment under proper officers of each company, to con- sist of sixty two privates, as near as may be. That the men, thus raised, be divided into three regiments commanded by Col Pawling, Lt Col McClaughry Major Logan " Snyder " Hardenbergh Jr " Hooghteling " Heathom " Cuyper " Muffelt That the Companies of Horse turn out their Quota, and that the exempts be included in the third part of the militia to be raised." On the 27th of April, 1777, a further order dated at Fort Mont- gomery was issued, as follows : " It is essential to the safety of this post, that Colonel Pawling' s and Col Snyder's regiments be immediately completed to their full complement of men ; which being the case will supersede the necessity of calling out any further part of the Militia in this busy season of the year. It is therefore ordered in the most express and positive terms, that the Colonels or Commanding officers of the Militia Regiments do forth-' with furnish their respective quotas of Men, as fixed by the order for raising and marching the above two regiments to this post, and that they also return Muster rolls of their said Regiments to the General. " As many of the men belonging to said Regiments, now at this post, being principally persons hired by others who were drafted, are without arms and otherwise unprovided ; it is ordered that the persons who were so drafted do immediately provide and deliver arms and accoutrements to those whom they have so hired, or in failure thereof they be immediately brought to this Post to per- form their own duty " Albert Pawling Major of Brigade'' Such were some of the movements and orders made to put the country in as good a situation for defence as possible. But it was also necessary that some means of communication should be estab- lished between the Northern and the Southern armies in the State. HISTORY OF KINGSTON. 283 The country being new, and sparsely settled, communication between distant points was slow, and none regularly established. Some special arrangement to that end was therefore necessary. With this object in view, on the 5th day of August, 1777, Captain Salisbury, of the Kingston Light Horse, was ordered to furnish a detachment consisting of a non-commissioned officer and six privates to be stationed at Kingston and at other points between that and the Northern army to serve as expresses ; and an equal number at New Burgh of Captain WoodhuU's company, between that and Fort Montgomery, and thence to headquarters. In preparation for an attack from below. Captains Pawling' s, Snyder's, Graham's, Freer' s, Humphrey's, and Sutherland's regi- ments were ordered to hold themselves in perfect readiness to march on a moment's warning, and if the enemy should approach the western frontier. Colonel Pawling was directed to send detach- ments from his and Colonel Snyder's regiment to protect the inhab- itants, besides the frontier companies of Allison's and McClaughry's regiments, which were left at home for the same purpose. On the near approach of fall it became necessary to prepare for the worst, for the enemy, if they designed striking a severe blow at all, must do it soon. The Council of Safety, therefore, turned their attention to the National Congress, and on the 7th of August, 1777, addressed a letter to the delegates of this State in that body in reference to their unsatisfactory condition, stating, among other things, that, ' ' as the defence of this State is intimately connected with the safety of America, the convention have not only exerted their utmost strength, but cheerfully agreed to sacrifice local attachments, and a great share of their property, to the attainment of these desirable ends. . . . That by far the greater part of the levies ordered, by the Congress, to be raised from our Militia, are completed and at their several stations. . . . The whole number of drafts from the Militia of this State, exclusive of the Conti- nental Battalions raised therein, will amount to about nine thou- sand men. The stations, the last levies will occupy, being on our frontiers, in the Highlands and on Long Island, prevent their adding to the strength of the army at New York, much as it needs their assistance. " It gives us great pain to inform you, that the aid received from our sister States is very inadequate to our expectation, none of them having yet completed the levies directed by Congress ; which leaves us reason to fear, that instead of using every means that human wisdom dictates for insuring success, we shall (with inferior numbers) on the doubtful issue of a single battle, hazard the glorious cause for which we have hitherto struggled." Among other matters the letter suggested that the forces em- 284 HISTORY OF KINGSTON. ployed on the frontiers were of general utility, and the immediate demand for them required the payment of considerable bounties, and therefore they should be taken into the pay of the general government. "But," the letter proceeded to state, " should the Congress think otherwise, we propose to retain them at our own expense, since we are determined to neglect no measures, (however burdensome) if within our reach, which we conceive necessary for the safety of America." The object has been to give a sufficient part of this letter to show to what extent Jfew York was in fact left to rest upon her own resources, and the patriotic spirit which animated her repre- sentatives. On Tuesday, the 12th of August, 1777. the Council of Safety received information of a reported design on the part of some Indians and Tories to make a descent upon Kingston on the follow- ing Friday night, to bum and destroy it. They placed but little confidence in the report, but advised Colonel Pawling thereof, and requested him to take such precautionary measures as would render the scheme abortive. The time passed without any appearance on the part of the Indians. Their attention was then called in another direction for the relief of loyal citizens in an adjoining county. Information was received that one Captain Man had organized a band composed of Tories and Indians in Schoharie to operate against the loyal citi- zens, and that Colonel Vrooman and a party of Whi^s were besieged there by a band of Tories. Colonel Pawling was on the 12th of August ordered out with a detachment of two hundred men from his regiment, to proceed to Schoharie for the destruction of Man and his party, and the relief of the Whigs and loyal citizens. General Burgoyne in the latter part of June had his (the left) wing of the invading army gathered at Crown Point, composed of nearly eight thousand men, and on the 2d of July he succeeded in capturing Fort Ticonderoga. Thus far he drove everything before him, and apparently had a kind of triumphal march through the country. But General Schuyler not having an army sufficient to oppose his progress, resorted to tactics of obstructing the roads and tearing down bridges to such an extent that General Burgoyne occupied twenty-four days in marching twenty-six miles, thus giving time for the Americans to gather re-enforcements. Ulster County was then called upon to send troops to the north to strengthen the Northern army in that great emergency. But General Clinton, on the 13th of August, wrote to the Coun- cil of Safety that, though he most anxiously wished it was in his power to re-enforce the Northern army, and give succor to the HISTORY OF KINGSTON. 285 brave and much- distressed inhabitants of Tryon County, yet he could not be induced to think it would be prudent to draw the militia from so far down as this to the northward until the design of the enemy' s Southern army could be more fully ascertained. General Schuyler by letter of the same date to the President of the Council of Safety, set forth the plight in which he was then placed. He stated that he had on the previous night received a letter dated the 9th from Governor Trumbull, of Connecticut, from which he was given to understand that he must not exxject any aid from that State. The general further stated that by letters re- ceived on the 11th, he had been advised as to Massachusetts that orders had been issued for the march of one sixth part of six regi- ments in the county of Worcester, and one in the county of Middle- sex ; that when they arrived, if they ever did, it would increase the number of his army about six or seven hundred ; that his whole Continental force of effectives did not exceed three thousand four hundred rank and iile ; that he had about forty militia from this State, but none from any other. About the same time the Council of Safety communicated to the delegates from this State in Congress the information they had acquired in regard to the respective forces on both sides ; that they had no positive information, but as near as they could gather, from examination of prisoners and other sources, the whole number of regular troops in the Northern army with Burgoyne was about six thousand, besides a large number of Tories and Indians, who had joined him since the evacuation of Ticonderoga ; that about eight hundred Regulars, together with four hundred Canadians, Tories, and Indians, were besieging Fort Schuyler. In reference to our own Northern army it was stated that it did not exceed four thousand men. The communication further stated that about two thousand of our militia went up when the army retreated to Fort Edward, and about twelve hundred came in from the Eastern States and the Grants. As it was the height of harvest, and the militia were very uneasy at their stay, the general thought it advisable to dismiss part of them, on condition that the remainder would continue three weeks, by which time they expected to be relieved by Conti- nental troops or militia. One thousand of the militia had remained until that time. Most of them, who had then come away, had found it necessary, on account of the retreat of the army, to re- move their families. The governor had ordered the whole militia of Albany to supply their places, but fear was expressed that his order would not be obeyed, as the disaffected had gained ascend- ancy in many places, and not only refused to go themselves, but compelled the Whigs to side with them. He had, however, sent 286 HISTORY OF KINGSTON. up from Ulster and Duchess counties five hundred men, to remain until the 1st of November ; he had also ordered two hundred men to Schoharie, where the Whigs were besieged by Tories and Indians. He had seven hundred militia out in Tryon County, and about two thousand men in passes of the Highlands, seven hundred of these being drafted to continue until the 1st of No- vember, and the rest were the whole militia of the counties of Orange and the lower part of Duchess and Ulster. The letter proceeded : " You gentlemen who know our weak- ness, the great drains we have had, the troops we are obliged to keep on posts to guard the disaffected prisoners in every quarter, the number that are pressed into service as wagoners, bateaumen, etc and that this whole force is drawn from four counties out of fourteen, that we once possessed, will think it much beyond our strength, but we are resolved if we do fall to fall as becomes brave men." Albany was not included in the above computation for reasons already stated, although it was probable a small force might be drawn from there. These were dark and desponding dajs for the Whigs of New York, apparently left almost entirely to their own insufBcient resources. But soon rays of light darted forth in the Northern horizon ; the nobly-fought battle of Oriskany, under General Herkimer, on the 6th, with the Canadians and Indians, followed on the 16th by the triumphant victory of General Stark with his brigade from the Granite State and the militia and rangers raised in Vermont, over not only the British detachment sent for the possession of Bennington, but also the large re-enforcement sent by Burgoyne to their support, and further supplemented on the 21st by the precipitate retreat of General St. Leger and the entire breaking up of the right wing of the Northern invading army, at once raised the hopes of the desponding, and gave new and in- creased vigor and strength to the firm and determined Sons of Liberty. Soon after the news of these glorious triumphs was spread throughout the country enlistments made rapid progress, re-enf orce- raents to the Northern army came pouring in, and General Bur- goyne soon found himself within the meshes of a net which he could not break, and was forced to surrender. As has been previously stated, the design of the British in the conduct of the war was by overpowering armies and a strong naval force from New York, to form a junction with Burgoyne at Albany. The Americans relied upon their fortifications and obstructions HISTORY OF KINGSTON. 287 in the Highlands, with the troops garrisoning the forts, to pre- vent it. Notwithstanding their gi-eat importance, not only for the safety of this State, but for the whole country, so great was the pressure upon New York in every direction, and so dilatory were her sister States in coming to her aid, that the Highland forts and passes were never at any time sufficiently manned. The garrisoning of those forts and pi'otection of those passes on the west side of the river were not only left substantially to be cared for by the Ulster and Orange Coimty troops, but the necessities at the noi-th had drawn away a large number of men from the northern part of , Ulster to aid in the defeat or capture of Burgoyne. It was thus that while the State was necessarily strengthening itself in the north, it was dangerously weakening itself in the south. The forts referred to above were built mainly for the river front, but were, of very light construction on the reai* or landward side. Sir Henrj' Clinton, who was then in command of tlie land forces at New York, became aAvare of those facts through infonnation gleaned from the Tories, and determined at once to capture the forts by an overwhelming force. Accordingly on the 3d day of October he proceeded to the attack with between four and five thousand tix)ops, and a large naval force and transports. A few of his forces were landed on the east side of the river for a cover. Some of the ships also were sent up the river, one to take a station so as to pre- vent any re-enforcements being despatched by Genei"al Putnam from the east to the west side of the river by Peekshill Ferry ; the othere to engjige Fort Montgomery in front, so as to divert the attention of the garrison from the rear. The main body, three thons;xnd and upwai-d strong, landed south of Stony Point, on the west side of the river, and were fi'om thence piloted by a Tory, whose name the writer has not been able to ascertain, a circuit of about twelve miles thi'ough the wUderaess to reach the fortifica- tions in the rear. The British troops reached the advanced party of the Americans stationed at Doodletown, about two and one half miles fi-om the fort, at about ten o'clock in the forenoon. The Americans i-eceived the enemy's fire, returned it, and retreated to Fort. CKnton. They soon received intelligence at Fort Montgomery that the enemy was advancing on the west side of the mountain to attack the garrison in the rear. Governor Clinton then ordered Lieutenant-Colonels Bmyn and McClaughry, with upward of one hundred men, toward Doodletown, and a brass field-piece, with sixtj- men, to be used at every advantageous post on the road to the furnace. They were all soon attacked bj^ the enemy in their full force. They de- fended -svith gi-eat spirit, and made much slaughter iu the ranks of 288 HISTOiRT OF KIKGSTON. the invaders, but of course they were overwhelmed and had to re- treat. The party on the furnace road were strengthened to over one hundred ; they kept their field-piece in full play until the men who worked it were driven off with fixed bayonets ; then they spiked it, and retreated to a twelve-pounder which had been ordered to cover them, and from thence to the fort. Very soon after the advance parties had been driven in, both Forts Montgomery and Clinton were invested on all sides, and an incessant fire kept up until night. When the sun was about an hour high the British commander summoned the Americans to surrender as prisoners of war within five minutes and prevent the shedding of blood. The demand was refused, and about ten minutes afterward the enemy made a desperate assault and forced the Knes and redoubts at both forts. The garrison being determined not to surrender, as many of them as could fought their way out and escaped through the forest. Governor Clinton slid down a precipice toward the river and escaped in a boat, which he found on the shore, to the other side. General James Clinton also escaped through the woods. The forts were, without doubt, defended with great and com- mendable spirit, and against overwhelming odds. The loss on the part of the patriots was about one hundred killed and two hundred and fifty taken prisoners. The enemy lost seven field officers and upward of three hundred and fifty rank and file killed. Sir Henry Clinton commanded the British force in person, and had three gen- eral officers with him. A deserter who came in after the taking of Fort Montgomery stated that the attacking force of the enemy consisted of five thousand men, of whom three thousand were British troops and Hessian yaughers, the remainder new levies under Brigadier-General B,obertson and Colonel Fanning. Sir Henry Clinton reported his force at three thousand. After the surrender of the forts on the west side, as above. Fort Constitution was demolished by the garrison and abandoned. The fortifications being thus silenced, the enemy was enabled without hindrance to remove the obstructions which the Americans had placed in the river, and thus enjoy a free passage northward. Governor Clinton, the same night in which he escaped from Fort Montgomery, proceeded to General Putnam's quarters to con- sult in regard to future movements. It was there agreed that General Putnam should withdraw his army to h very defensible pass in the mountains, about three miles below Fishkill Village, and call out the militia of the Eastern States ; that Governor Clinton should rally his scattered forces, and call out all the militia of Orange and Ulster counties. As soon as the enemy passed the chevaux-de-frise both armies HISTORY OF KINGSTON. 289 were to move northward, so as to keep pace with the enemy, cover- ing those parts of the country which would be their greatest object. Grovemor Clinton wrote to the Council of Safety at Kingston that as soon as the ships were likely to pass the chetaux-de-frise he would make a forced march to Kingston and endeavor to save that town ; that he was persuaded if the militia would join him, he could save the country with the exception of scattered buildings. But he soon afterward wrote again that the militia would not respond to his call. They were well disposed, but anxious about the im- media,te safety of their respective families, who for many miles back were removing farther from the river ; that they would come in the morning and return home in the evening, and he never knew when he had them or what his strength was. He further stated that the moment the enemy moved up the river he would take the route on the west side of the Wallkill to Kingston ; that he desired some small works to be thrown up toward Esopus Land- ing to cover it and secure the defiles leading to the town, and that every man who could fire a gun should be immediately impressed and employed on those works. The Legislature remained in session at Kingston until Tuesday, the 7th day of October. On that day news was received by express of the reduction of the forts in the Highlands, that at once spread consternation throughout the country. The Senate adjourned untU. the next morning, but so many members of the Assembly at once absented themselves, some on military service, others for the necessary care of their families under the then existing circum- stances, that there was not a quorum of the House left for, the transaction of business. ' But the state of affairs required action upon many important measures looking to the defence of the country and the safety of the inhabitants, and therefore the members of the Senate and Assembly in attendance at Kingston formed "a joint convention for the State to provide for the public safety." From Ulster County Mr. Pawling, of the Senate, and Messrs. Hardenbergh, Snyder, Schoonmaker, and Rea, of the Assembly, were in attendance at the convention. Pierre Van Cortlandt, the President of the Senate, was unani- mously appointed president of the convention. By the first resolution passed, the several county and district committees within the State, which were in being on the last pre- vious 13th of September, and the commissioners for detecting and defeating all conspiracies in the State, were continued in being, and respectively vested with all powers and authorities they had pre- viously had and exercised, and the members thereof respectively continued in office. 19 290 HISTORY OF KINGSTON. They also directed the committees to load the vessels at once with all kinds of provisions found in the immediate vicinity of the river and ship them to Albany, giving proper receipts therefor, and also move into the interior all cattle and live stock except such as in their judgment might be necessary for the immediate use of the inhabitants ; and directed keepers to be appointed to have charge of the live stock, and with authority to impress pasture therefor. The convention then appointed William Floyd, John Morin Scott, Abraham Yates, Johannis Snyder, Egbert Benson, Robert Har- per, Peter Pra Van Zandt, Levi Pawling, Daniel Dunscomb, Evert Bancker, Alexander Webster, William B. Whiting, and Jonathan Langdon, or any seven of them, a Council of Safety, vested in the recess of the House, with the like powers and authorities which were given to the like Council of Safety appointed by the last con- vention of the State ; that every member of the Senate and Assem- bly of the State, and of the delegates to Congress from this State, be entitled from time to time to sit and vote in said council ; that they, or any seven of them, continue a Council of Safety as long as the necessities of the State require it. The Council of Safety met at Kingston on the 8th of October. Mr. Floyd was chosen president. The cOuncU ordered that the prisoners confined in jail, and the fleet prison at Kingston, be forthwith sent to Hartford, Conn., to be confined in such manner and at such places as the Governor of that State should direct. A letter to be sent to Grovemor Trumbull with the prisoners was adopted by the House, as follows : " Kingston October 8, 1777 " Sib You will, before this time, have heard the fate of Forts Montgomery, Clinton and Constitution. While assiduously em- ployed in strengthening Gen Gates and the Northern Army, from an opinion that the fate of America would greatly depend upon our exertions in that quarter, the passes of the Highlands have been of necessity neglected. Add to this, that General Washington had called away almost- all the Continental troops, which were in those posts, and you will readily perceive that we are entirely ex- posed. In this situation, it would be imprudent to keep a number of Prisoners in this State. We have therefore, by the bearer, sent to your care the several persons mentioned in the enclosed list " Yours etc " PiEEEE Yan Cortlandt Pros' dt " To Govt Trumbull—^'' HISTORY OP KINGSTON. * 291 On the same day the convention enclosed to General Gates the despatch which had been received from Governor Clinton in> a letter, as follows : " October 8, 1777 " Sib By the enclosed copy of the Governor's letter, you will perceive the situation we are reduced to ; and most probably will agree with us, that no time should be lost in reinforcing the South- ern army ; for which purpose it is our earnest request to you, that at least the militia from the counties of Ulster and Duchess, should be sent forward immediately if consistent with the safety of your department " Yours etc *' PiEERE Van Coetlandt Pres'dt ' ' Major Oen Gates''' At a meeting of the Council of Safety held in Kingston on the 10th of October, 1777, Colonels Pawling and Snyder were requested to issue the necessary orders to have all the male inhabitants of the districts in their respective regiments, of sixteen years and upward, capable of bearing arms, immediately equipped and pro- vided with arms and ammunition, and to appoint proper alarm posts and places of rendezvous in case of the approach of the enemy. It was ordered that Gerard Bancker, Vice-Treasurer of the State, do immediately cause all the moneys and property belonging to the Treasury of the State to be conveyed to Rochester, and that he consult with Hendrickus Hoornbeek, Johannis G. Hardenbergh, and Comfort Sands relative to the proper places for securing the same. After having cared for the moneys, he was required to attend the council from day to day, constantly provided with £1000 to answer such drafts as the council might from time to time order. That John Henry, commissary of the clothing store, do imme- diately cause all the clothing of the State to be packed up in pack- ages and taken to Rochester. That John McKisson and Robert Benson, secretaries of the council, forthwith cause all the public papers under their care to be put into chests and packages and conveyed to Rochester. It was also ordered that Abraham Hasbrouck, Joseph Gasherie, Dirck Wynkoop, Jr., Christopher Tappen, and Samuel Bayard, Jr., or any two of them, do forthwith cause the public records, which were transported to this place from the city of New York, to be put in proper packages or chests and conveyed to Rochester. That Dirck Wynkoop and Oke Sudam cause the records of the county of Albany, of the county of Ulster, of the General Com- mittee of the county of Albany, and the records belonging to the 292 HISTOEY OF KINGSTON. office of the receiver-general of the colony of New York, to be put into boxes or chests and conveyed to Rochester. All the aforesaid records, papers, clothing, etc., were to be deposited in such places; as the said Messrs. Hoombeek, Hardenbergh, and Sands should recommend. On the 11th of October the Council of Safety advised the gov- ernor that they had ordered the militia in the vicinity of Shawan- gunk to repair to that place, and the residue to rendezvous at Kingston. It was at the same meeting ordered that Captain Benson cause all the armament and the accompanying apparatus on board of the armed vessel under his command to be landed, and that he should then take on board such provisions as the assistant commissary- general might think proper, and take the same to Albany. On the 10th of October a picket guard of Colonel Webb's regi- ment, under the command of Lieutenant Brown, in the neighbor- hood of Little Britain, Orange County, captured Daniel Taylor, a first lieutenant in Captain Stewart's company of the Ninth Regi- ment of the royal army, who was on his way at the time as a messenger from Sir Henry Clinton to General Burgoyne. A por- tion of the picket guard were clothed in British uniform — red coats, which had been recently captured in a British transport. Taylor, deceived by the uniform, considered himself among friends and discovered himself. When arrested he asked the name of the commanding general. He was answered, " Clinton." Deceived further by the identity of the name, he requested to be conducted into the presence of the general. Upon reaching headquarters, instead of meeting Sir Henry Clinton, the commandant of the royal troops, he found himself in the presence of the American general, Governor George Clinton. He was observed to immediately put something in his mouth and swaUow it. Dr. Moses Higby, a neighboring physician, was called upon, and administered a power- ful emetic, which had the desired effect, and brought it forth ; but, although very closely watched, he had the skill to conceal it a second time. Governor Clinton supposing it to be, as it was, a silver ball containing a letter, demanded its immediate production, or in case that was not done he would instantly hang him up and cut him open to search for it. The baU was then produced. It proved to be a small silver ball of an oval form, about the size of a fusee bullet, and which closed by a screw in the middle. Within was found a letter, of which the following is a copy : " Fort Montgomery October 8th 1777 » " Nous-y-voici, and nothing now between us but Gates. I sincerely hope this little success of ours may facilitate your opera- HISTORY OF KINGSTON. tions. In answer to your letter of the 28tla. Sept. by C C. I shall only say, I cannot presume to order, or even advise, for reasons obvious. I heartily wish you success. " Faithfully yours " H Clinton " To Gen Burgoyne'^ Taylor was detained, and tried by a general court-martial on the 14th of October, 1777, charged with " lurking about the camp as a spy from the enemy by order of Gren Clinton." Colonel Lewis Du Bois was president. The prisoner was found guilty, and ad- judged to suffer death, to be hanged at such time and place as the general should direct. On the 12th of October the Council of Safety received a letter Irom Governor Clinton enclosing a copy of the letter thus taken from Taylor the spy. In that communication to the Council of Safety the governor, after referring to the favorable news from the north, wrote thus in regard to the intercepted letter : " By a copy of a letter from Gen Sir Henry Clinton to Burgoyne, now enclosed to you, you will observe that Clinton (Sir Henry) is no way confi- dent of their being able to form a junction of their armies, though there are nothing but bars between them. I wish nothing more than that Clinton may attempt it. I am persuaded that though the chance of war may at times occasion our prospect to appear gloomy when the enemy push hard, yet it is in that way their ruin must and wiU be effected ; and I greatly hope that Clinton, not wise enough to improve by example, will, like Burgoyne (flushed with his late success) give stretch to his forces, or at least send parties out to try the affections of the inhabitants ; in either case I have no doubt he will meet with the same fate. Should this not be the case, I hope in a few days to have strength enough to be the assailant." After the enemy had obtained the control of the American forts in the Highlands, they, of course, found no difficulty in removing the obstructions at West Point ; but it was still hoped that the c7ievaux-de-frise which had been sunk from McoU's Point to PoUopel Island would form a serious obstruction. Great was the disappointment of the Americans, however, when they saw a part of the British fleet come gliding along in single file, and, after the first vessel had made a momentary stop to reconnoitre, all pass through under easy sail in rotation. The mystery was soon explained ; in building the obstruction a secret passage had been left for the river craft, and one of the artificers acquainted with its location had deserted to the British the night before and piloted the vessel through. Such wily secret enemies, coveting British 294 HISTORY OP KINGSTON. gold, appear to have wound themselves into misplaced confidence everywhere that an opportunity offered for betrayal. The British commander, Clinton, after securing a passage through the obstructions for the fleet, despatched Captain Sir James Wallace with a galley, a schooner, and three small vessels up the river on a reconnoitring expedition. They proceeded above the Highlands on the 11th ; they went to within about three miles of Poughkeepsie and then returned, having burned Van Keuren's Mills and a number of buildings on the east side of the river, and all the sailing craft that came within their reach. Upon the return of this reconnoitring expedition the marauding expedition of General Yaughan was organized. It consisted of the following naval vessels under the command of Captain Sir James Wallace, who sailed in the Friendship, 22 guns ; the MoUoy, Cap- tain A. J. Pye ; the Diligent, Lieutenant Farnham ; the Depend- ence, Lieutenant Clarke ; the Spitfire, Lieutenant Scott ; the Crane, Master Hitchcock ; the Raven, Captain Stanhope, and twenty galleys and flat-boats. On these vessels were embarked, as near as can be estimated, about sixteen hundred men, under the command of Major-General John Vaughan. This force embraced the Seventh, the Twenty- sixth, and Twenty-third regiments. The expedition sailed from PeekskUl on the 14th of October with a fair wind, and on the night of the 15th anchored off Esopus Island. On the morning of the 15th they were discovered by the Light Horsemen on guard at I^ew Windsor, in their progress below Butter HiU under cover of a heavy fog. Governor Clinton was at once notified, and immediately, at 9 a.m., despatched a letter by express to the Council of Safety at Kingston, informing them of the movement of the vessels, and in which he stated, " Had it not been for this movement of the enemy, I intended this day or to-morrow to have drawn my few troops from this place toward the rear of Fort Montgomery, but I must now desist, and watch their motions ; and should they land and march against me, with any considerable force, I shall be constrained with my present numbers to retreat before them, annoying them only if favorable opportunity shall offer. I was in hopes 'ere now, to have received the reinforcements from the northward, which you mentioned ; not a man of which has yet arrived. I wish Col Pawling with his regiment was with me. Since writing the above the enemy's fleet, consisting of thirty sail, have passed Newburgh and with crowded sail and fair wind, are moving quick up the river, the front of them are already at the Dunskamer. There are eight large square rigged vessels among them, and all appear to have troops on board. " My. troops are parading to march to Kingston. Our route III8T0KT OP KINGSTOlSr. 295 will be through Shawangunk to prevent delay crossing the Paltz river. ' ' I leave Col Woodhull' s, McClaughry' s, and part of Hasbrouck' s regiments as a guard along the river. Hawthorn's has gone to the southward, to guard a quantity of arms towards headquarters. . . . Let the Militia be drawn out ready to oppose the enemy : I will be with you if nothing extra happens before day ; though my troops cannot "I am Yours etc " Geo Clinton" In the mean time the Council of Safety continued holding two sessions daily, morning and evening, at Kingston, endeavoring to transact the necessary current business and provide for the safety of the public property and records. The last session at Kingston was held on the afternoon of the 15th of October, at the tavern of Conrad Elmendorf , situated at the southeast corner of Maiden Lane and Fair Street. The members in attendance at that session were : Colonel Pierre Van Cortlandt, President, and Messrs. Yates, Dunscomb, Floyd, Van Zandt, Parks, Scott, Webster, Rowan, Harper, Pawling, and Morris. At that meeting a letter was received by express from John Barclay, chairman of the Albany committee, giving information of the capitulation of the army of General Burgoyne. The bearer of said letter was Bemardus Hallenbeek, to whom the council at once voted a reward of £50. CONEAD elmendorf' S TAVERN. 296 HISTOKY OF KINGSTON. The council immediately at about five o'clock in the after- noon forwarded that despatch by express, together with a letter, to Grovernor Clinton, informing him that " we have Just received information from the Landing, that about thirty sail of the enemy's vessels appeared opposite the Esopus Island, and are standing up the river. Some works have been thrown up below, according to your Excellency's requisition. Alarm guns have just been fired. We have not any particulars, on this occasi6n, more than already mentioned. We shall forward any further information to you, as it may from time to time occur, without the loss of a moment. In the meantime Sir, give us leave to assure you, that we will contrib- ute all in our power to enable the militia ofiicers, who command here to make the best possible defence, at this post during your Excellency's absence " I have the Honor to be Your Excellency's Most Ob't Serv't "Pierre Yan Courtlandt Pres'dt '^ His Ex Gov Clinton'^ The express messenger to whom this letter and above-mentioned despatch were intrusted for transmission to the governor was Cornelius Cole, the same Light Horseman who had been summoned on the 9th of October before the Council of Safety upon complaint of neglect or refusal on his part to do his duty when called upon. He did not appear to have improved any under the warning of the Council of Safety, as instead of pressing forward with his de- spatches,, to hasten if possible the arrival of the troops, he studied his ease and comfort, and stopped for the night at a farm-house by the wayside, where he was found the next morning by another and subsequent express leisurely preparing to depart on his Journey. His residence, unfortunately, did not happen to be in the threat- ened village of Kingston. In Kingston there was, of course, the greatest excitement and commotion, the inhabitants striving to get away themselves, and moving as much of their worldly possessions and valuables as possible out of reach of the vandal hordes. All who were able billeted themselves upon their friends, principally through Hurley, Marbletown, Eochester, and Warwasing. Governor Clinton arrived with his staff about nine o'clock on the evening of the 15th, having left his army to press forward as rapidly as possible. After learning the situation of affairs, and transmitting several despatches, he left on the morning of the 16th for Marbletown. Finding that it was impossible for the main body of his army to reach Kingston in time to be of any service, he sent o.rders for them to halt and proceed no farther. The British fleet, on the night of the 15th of October, came to HISTORY OF KINGSTON. 297 anchor near Esopus Island, and next morning, the 16th, they weighed anchor at an early hour, and arrived at the mouth of Rondout Creek, opposite Columbus Point, about nine o'clock. The Lady Washington galley was at that time lying in the mouth of the creek opposite Ponckhockie, The British from their fleet soon opened a heavy fire upon the said galley and upon two batteries or earthworks which had been hastily thrown up on the high ground back of Ponckhockie, since known as Breastwork Hill, and where five light pieces of cannon were in position. The firing was continued for some time on both sides with but little damage. Soon after noon the British made preparations to land in two divisions, one, comprising about four hundred men, in Rondout Creek, where the old Cantine Dock, afterward known as the Tremper Dock, was formerly situated, and the other in the cove above Columbus Point. The Lady Washington galley was then run up the creek and scuttled near Eddyville. A party of British seamen who were in chase of that vessel landed on the south side of the creek, where South Rondout is now situated, and burned the house of Wilhel- mus Houghteling, Jr. Other British seamen, with boats from their respective vessels, boarded and set fire to the fleet prison and other vessels lying in the creek. The division of the English invading, or, rather, marauding force, which landed at the Ponckhockie Dock, at once attacked and carried the breastworks at the point of the bayonet. The de- fenders, only one hundred and fifty in number, under Colonels Levi Pawling and Johannis Snyder, remained until the last min- ute, then spiking the guns, retreated up the creek. The English at once burned the only houses that were then standing along the creek at the landing, three in number, and when that hraxie feat was accomplished, they proceeded to form a junction with the other division and attack the village of Kingston. The main body of the force, commanded by General Vaughan in person, landed on the beach in the cove just above Columbus Point. They seized a negro and compelled him to act as guide, and then took the direction to Kingston, mounted the hill, and united with the other division, which had marched up the landing road, at or near the present junction of Union and Delaware avenues. On their way they fired the house of Moses Yeomans, but the fire was extinguished by his slaves before much damage was done. General Vaughan was met by Jacobus Lefferts, a Tory from the city of New York, who was residing with his family in Kingston. He informed him that a despatch had been received in Kingston the evening before alleging the capitulation of General Burgoyne. The invading force marched to the village without resistance- Some accounts state that there was a scattering fire kept up by 298 HISTORY OF KINGSTON. ' a few men stationed in the woods near where the City Hall now stands, but the writer has been told by a number of Kingsto- niahs living at that time, some of whom were members of the militia, that there was a small detachment of militia stationed iu the woods in that locality, about one hundred strong, and the men were anxious and begged to be permitted to fire and pick off the officers ; but the officer in command would not allow, but for- bade it. Such, in the early days of the writer, was the traditional and generally received opinion in this vicinity, confirmed by the statements of contemporaries. If the commandant of that detach- ment had not been the nobler man of the two, and thus careful of the lives of British officers, General Vaughan might not have lived to set forth in his official report the wilful and base falsehood, as a justification for his act of vandalism, that " on our (the British troops) entering the town, they (the citizens) fired from their houses, which induced me to reduce the place to ashes, which I accordingly did, not leaving a house." The truth is that the people had fled from their homes, and no resistance at all was offered after the troops reached the village. The manufacture and promulgation of the falsehood, however, shows that he appreciated the villainy of his conduct, and was not altogether devoid of shame. As soon as the troops reached the village they were divided into small parties and led through the different streets, firing the houses and outbuildings as they proceeded. They did not tarry long, but made haste to complete their work of destruction, as they were informed by the Tory Lefferts, and knew from other sources, that Governor Clinton was en route with his army to meet them, and could not be very far distant. They therefore hastened in their work, gathered what plunder they could, and returned to their ships within three hours of the time of their embarkation. Thus was the village of Kingston, then the third place in size and importance in the State of New York, wantonly destroyed iind the inhabitants punished for their patriotism by the destruction of nearly all their worldly stores, and in some cases reduced to actual poverty and want. The advance division of Governor Clinton's forces reached the high grounds at Kuyckuyt, on the Greenkill road, overlooking the village, in time to see the whole village in flames and the invading forces retiring in haste to their ships. On the next day, the 17th of October, desiring to make a further display of their valor where there were no opposing forces to stay their progress, and that their official despatches might blazon forth the statement that " the officers and men upon this occasion behaved with the greatest spirit," they landed about four miles HISTOEY OF KINGSTON. 299 above Kingston, at the isolated farm-honse of Petrus Ten Broeck, on the west side of the river, and, finding no one to welcome or oppose them, burned his house, storehouse, and barn. That prop- erty is still in the hands of the immediate descendants of Mr. Ten Broeck, and the marks of the burning are still visible upon a tree which stood within a few feet of the house, and which, having re- covered from the effects of the fire, is still standing, of large pro- portions, with its century's growth. They at the same time in the same way visited their vengeance upon the sterling Whig families, the Whittakers. The following are the ofiicial accounts of the British ofiicers in regard to the burning of Kingston : " On Board the Friendship off Esopus ) October 17, 10 O'clock Morning f " Sir I have the honor to inform you that on the evening of the 15th instant I arrived off Esopus ; finding that the rebels had thrown up works and had made every disposition to annoy us and cut off our communication I judged it necessary to attack them, the wind at that time being so much against us that we could make no way. I accordingly landed the troops attacked the batteries drove them from their works, spiked and destroyed their guns. Esopus being a nurse) y for almost eoery viUaiii in the country I judged it necessary to proceed to that town. On our approach they were draicn up with cannon tohich we tooTc and drove them out of the place. On our entering the town they fired from their houses which induced me to reduce the place to ashes, which I accordingly did not leaving a house. We found a considerable quantity of stores, which shared the same fate. " Sir James Wallace has destroyed all the shipping, except an armed galley which ran up the creek, Avith everything belonging to the vessels in store. " Our loss is so inconsiderable that it is not at present worth while to mention. " I am etc " John Vaughan" " Galleys and Armed Vessels off Esopus Ckeek ) Oct 17, 1777 S "Sir We proceeded up the river destroying a number of vessels as we saUed along without stopping till we arrived at Esopus Creek where we found two batteries one of two guns the other of three guns erected, and an armed galley at the mouth of the creek who endeavored to prevent our passing by their cannon- ade. Gen A'aughan was of opinion such a force should not be left behind. It was determined to land and destroy them, and imme- 800 HISTORY OP KINGSTON, diately executed, without retarding our proceeding up tlie river. The general marched for the town and fired it. The boats from the armed vessels went up the creek burnt two brigs, several armed sloops and other craft with aU their apparatus that was in store upon the shore. Lieut Clarke of the ' Dependence ' with two or three others, in firing the stores was blown up, but we flatter our- selves not dangerously. " The officers and men on this occasion hehaved with the great- est spirit. " By all our information I am afraid that Gen Burgoyne is retreated if not worse. " I have etc " Jas Wallace " Commodore Hotham " In the official report of the commanding general. Sir William Howe, to Lord George Germaine, dated October 25th, 1777, is con- tained the following passage : " I have the satisfaction to enclose to your Lordship a report just received of a viery spirited piece of service performed by Major Gen Vaughan and Sir James Wallace up the Hudson river." The following notice of the proceedings of the expedition up the Hudson appeared in the New York Gazette, November 3d, 1777 : " October 15 Three sloops taken in attempting to escape to the FishkiU, and two pettiangers destroyed " The house mill and outhouses, and a sloop belonging to Col Francis Stoutenburgh at Crum Elbow, burned. Two sloops on the East side burnt that evening " October 16 Set fire to two brigs, etc and burnt Kingston " October Yi The house, storehouse, barn, etc of Mr Petrus Ten Broeck, a rebel General, the house, barn and outhouses of Robert Gilbert Livingston and a house and mill belonging to Judge Livingston on the East side of the river burned. " October 18. Another house belonging to Judge Livingston, one to Mr John Livingston, with three others destroyed in like manner " Oct 22 — Two houses one the property of Judge Smith, on the east side a sloop and bam likewise two houses, with their append- ages on the west side were burnt and on the 23rd a sloop was burned on the stocks " In the town of Kingston, a large quantity of powder, and a large number of fire arms together with many valuable stores were destroyed." The Gazette then further proceeds to state that : " Another more accurate account from Esopus informs us that on the landing of Gen Vaughan with the troops under his com- HISTOET OV KINGSTON. 301 mand the rebels without the least prospect of advantage to them- selves fired upon them from a breastwork just thrown up and which they did not stay to defend. This joined to an insolent and provoking behavior occasioned the army to march up and set fire to the town which was presently entirely consumed. " There were destroyed 326 houses with a bam to almost every one of them, filled with flour besides grain of aU kinds much valu- able furniture and effects, which the royal army disdained to take with them. Twelve thousand barrels of flour were burnt, and they took at the town four pieces of cannon, with ten more upon the river, with 1150 stand of arms with a large quantity of powder were blown up. The whole service was effected and the troops re- embarked in three hours." Governor Clinton immediately after the burning and the arrival of his forces, concentrated them at Hurley, and wrote the follow- ing letter to General Gates : " Makbletown 17th Octr 1777 " De Geneeal " Yesterday afternoon about four O'clock, the enemy took pos- session of and bum't the town of Kingston. For want of a proper number of troops, no resistance could be made. I have now the body of men under my command, which marched from New Windsor to my assistance, and shall immediately proceed to the ruins of Kingston, which the enemy have abandoned. I have sent off a party of Lighthorse to reconnoitre, and shall act in such manner as the motions of the enemy may direct. . . . " I have the honor to be etc " Geo Clinton " P. S. — A prisoner, by no means intelligent, says that the enemy are two thousand strong commanded by Gen Vaughan." When General Gates received the news of the burning of Kings- ton, just after the surrender of General Burgoyne, he forwarded the following letter to General Vaughan by the boat carrying Lord Petersham with despatches from Burgoyne to Sir Henry Clinton informing him of his surrender : " Albany 19 October 1777 " SlE " With unexampled cruelty, you have reduced the fine village of Kingston to ashes, and most of the wretched inhabitants to ruin. I am also informed, you continue to ravage and burn all before you on both sides of the river. Is it thus your King's gen- erals think to make converts to the Royal cause ? It is no less surprising than true, that the measures they adopt to serve their 303 HISTORY OP KINGSTOJ!f, master, must have quite the contrary effect. Their cruelty estab- lishes the glorious act of Independence, upon the broad basis of the general resentment of the People. " Other Grenerals, and much older oflBcers than you can pretend to be, are now by the fortune of war in my hands ; their fortune may one day be yours, when, sir, it may not be in the power of any thing human to save you from the just vengeance of an injured People " I am Sir Yr most obedt hum serv't " Horatio GrATES *' The Hon John Yaughan Majr GeneraV CHAPTER XVIII. EXTENT OF DAMAGES— MAP, AND LIST OP SUPPEEERS— RELIEF FURNISHED — SOME TRADITIONS STATED. HAVINGr thus recorded the act of vandalism by the high-toned Britons, it will be interesting to pause and contemplate, as far as we are able, the extent of the damage and the names of the suffering patriots. In the absence of any official record the opinion has generally prevailed, based upon tradition, that Kingston was entirely con- sumed, only one house and one barn having been left standing. The house was understood to have been that of Tobias Van Steen- bergh, Jr., which is still standing, having undergone some slight alterations, on the west side of Wall Street, directly opposite to the western terminus of Bowery Street. The barn was that of Benjamin Low, which stood on the east side of WaU Street, directly adjoining the north end of the burying- ground. It was afterward moved back about seventy-five feet, to make room for a building put up by one Noah Wells, a subsequent owner, for a hatter's shop. The barn remained standing there until a short time before the savings-bank building was erected, covering its original site. E,i vington' s New York Gazette (a Royalist paper) of October 27th, 1777, contains an abstract from a letter written on board the British fleet at Esopus, which states that " every house except that of Alderman Lefferts of New York, was set on fire and consumed." Alderman Lefferts' s house is understood to have been the house then standing, where Mr. Hayes's house now stands, on the north side of Albany Avenue about three hundred feet distant therefrom. At that time the eastern boundary of the settled part of the village was East Front Street, beyond which street the Lefferts house was more than half a mile distant. All beyond East Front Street, out- side of the fence above the brow of the hill, was lying in commons, and called " the plains." That may account for the Lefferts house not being included generally in houses saved in the vil- lage. The New York Packet of October 23d, 1777, says that " the conflagration was general, and in a very short time that pleasant 304 HISTOET OP KINGSTON. VAN STEBNBERGH HOUSE, THE ONLY HOUSE WHICH ESCAPED THE FIRE. and wealthy town was reduced to ashes — one house only escaped the flames." There is still another tradition that a brewery situated on the south side of North Front Street, a short distance west of Greene Street, was not burned. The tradition in reference to that building is that a negro slave of the proprietor rolled out the beer-barrels and treated the soldiers bountifully with their national drink, at the same time accompanying the act, in the negro's melodious voice, with singing English national songs, with which the soldiers in their hilarity were so much delighted, that they spared the buUding for his sake, and enthusiastically joined in the choruses. Colonel Abraham Hasbrouck, who was a resident of Kingston at the time, in his diary, which is stiU in existence, and was kept by him with regular entries for many years, states that "the enemy burnt all the houses and barns except one house and ham in the town." The only official document giving the names of the sufferers at the burning of Kingston is the list of names reported by Andries De Witt, Edward Schoonmaker, and Benjamin Low, who in June, 1786, were appointed a committee by the trustees of the corpora- tion of Kingston " to make a list and estimate of the persons enti- tled to, and having an interest in the donation of lands, made by Chancellor Livingston to the Inhabitants and residents of this HISTORY OF KINGSTOTSr. 305 town, who are the sufferers in the late conflagration of the said town." The particulars of the donation will appear in a subsequent chapter. It was of five thousand acres of land to be disposed of by the trustees " in such way as will be most advantageous to the suffering inhabitants of Kingston." The tract was divided by the trustees in one hundred fifty-acre lots. The committee reported only a sufficient number of names to equal the number of lots to be distributed. So far as it goes it is reliable, but does not name all the sufferers. Upon what basis the selection was made does not appear. In 1886 some parties in looking over bundles of old papers which had been packed away in the loft of an office by Peter Marius Groen, the grandfather of the writer, including some of his personal papers, as well as some which came into his hands as administrator of the estate of Peter Van Gaasbeek, long since deceased, an old paper was found purporting to be " a true account of the Dwelling houses. Barns, outhouses and Barracks destroyed at Kingston 16 Oct'r 1777 by our enemies under the command of Maj G. Vaughan." It contains 113 names, 115 dwelling-houses, 103 barns, 146 bar- racks, 17 storehouses, including a market and brew-house ; also a church, an academy, 2 school-houses, and court-house. It has the appearance of being and undoubtedly is an ancient paper ; but there is nothing upon it to indicate when it was made or by whom. In appearance it indicates more clearly a rough draft than a carefully prepared statement. It omits the names of several persons who are reported as suf- ferers in the official statement above referred to. Nathan Smedes's mill in North Front Street, Jacob Tremper's house in Greene Street, were all unquestionably burned, and they are put down as only having had barns burned. In it the brewery is put down as having been burned and as belonging to Dirck Wynkoop, whereas it belonged to Johannis Sleght, and according to tradition was not burned. Both papers will be set forth in full in the Appendix. A rate Mil of the English school, for six months immediately preceding and up to the day of the burning, with names of parents and scholars, will also be given in the Appendix, and be particularly referred to in a subsequent chapter. The large number of barns and barracks burned at a time of the year when the entire season's crop must have been gathered in a locality noted for its fertility, and the then great grain-producing region of the State, indicates a loss to the farming community which must have been great and cannot be estimated. 20 306 HISTOEY OF KINGSTON. It has been generally supposed that the Lefferts property escaped destruction by reason of the rank Toryism of the owner. But if the memorandum previously referred to, and contained in the Appendix, is correct, his bam and two barracks were burned. On account of a hole in the paper it cannot be seen what report it made as to the house. There is also a tradition in regard to the Lefferts place, that the soldiers, after firing the barn and barracks, were determined also to burn the house, and while Mrs. Lefferts was parleying with them to prevent it, the return call sounded and the soldiers left, leaving the house untouched. In reference to the Yan Steenbergh house there are various accounts given. One is, that Mrs. Hammersly, a prominent Tory lady, lived there, and the house was spared on her account. That does not appear very probable, judging from the conduct of the red-coats on other occa- sions. Another is, that they set fire to the house, but the recall was sounded before the fire had progressed much, and was quickly extinguished by the slaves, who were concealed in the woods in the immediate neighborhood. Another account given is that, it being a hotel, one of the slaves who remained behind rolled out a barrel of rum, knocked in the head, and treated the soldiers to their hearts' content until the recall sounded, when they left, leaving the house untouched. As to the brewery, the account of its escape is also accredited to beer-barrels being rolled out by a slave and the contents freely distributed among the soldiers, as before stated. The following is a list of the sufferers at the burning of King- ston, October 16th, 1777 : Cornelius Beekman 65 Evert Bogardus 83 Nicholas Bogardus 1 Abraham Brinckerhoff 63 Petrus Burhans David Cox 24 Abraham De Lametter 48 Johannis B. De Witt 43 Egbert Dumont 36 Peter Dumont 81 Abraham Elmendorf 93 Benjamin Elmendorf 94 Coenraedt J. Elmendorf . . . Jan Elmendorf Dr. Jacobus Elmendorf ... 89 WiUiam Elsworth 14 William Eltinge 9 John Beekman 75 Gertrey Bogardus 6 Petrus Bogardus 60 Isaac Burhans Coenraedt Crook 87 David De Lametter 105 Eev. George J. L. Doll. . . 53 John Dumont 38 Ariantje Elmendorf Coenraedt Elmendorf 85 Cornelius Elmendorf 11 Mary Elmendorf 52, 62, 102 Abraham Eltinge 16 Elizabeth Eltinge 41 HISTORY OF KINGSTON. 307 64 40 25 79 19 Anthony Freer 12 Solomon Freer Abraham Hasbrouck 67 Elias Hasbrouck 51 Jacob Hermance 90 PhiKp Houghteling 69 Petrus Hudler 112 Johannis Janse 71 Dr. Thomas Jones 82 Dr. Luke Kiersted 37 Benjamin Low 56 Jacobus Low 58 John McLean 77 Benjamin Masten 91 Ezekiel Masten 87 Johannis Masten, Jr 90 Matthew Persen 30 Frantz P. Roggen 31 -Henry Sleght 42j^enTj Sleght, Jr 21, 23 Johannis Sleght 3 & 4 petrus Sleght Nathan Smedes 2 Oke Sudam. 26 Benjamin Swart Philip Swart Benjamin Ten Broeck Matthew E. Thompson 20 Abraham Turck Christopher Tappen 15 Philip Van Buren Nicholas Vanderlyn 27 Abraham Freer 101 Johannis Freer 55 Joseph Gasherie 8 James Hamilton 89 Abraham Hasbrouck, Jr. . Abraham Hermance 88 Anthony Hoffman 5 Teunis Houghteling 97 Cornelius Janse 37 Richard Inglis Catharine Kiersted William Kirby Abraham Low Cornelia Low Jacob Marius Grroen Abraham Masten ■Cornelius Masten 108 Johannis Masten 10 Johannis Persen 29 James Roe 7 ^-Johannis Sleght, Gerrett Van Keuren 34 Abraham Van Gaasbeek . . 18 Ann Van Steenbergh . Matthew Van Steenbergh. 92 Tobias Van Steenbergh, Jr. (not burned) 95 Dirck Wynkoop 72, 68 Cornelius Wynkoop 76 The Academy 33 Two Schoolhouses 104, 114 MiU 2 Jr. Teunis Sleght Johannis Snyder 84 Adam Swart 100 Petrus Swart 80 Tobias Swart 50 Jacob Ten Broeck 109 Jacob Tremper 46 Jacob Turck . Tobias Van Buren Cornelius Van Keuren .... Johannis Van Keuren Abraham Van Gaasbeek, Jr. Lena Van Steenbergh Tobias Van Steenbergh Cornelius Velie 66 81 98 59 103 21 Johannis Wynkoop 17 Church 54 Market 110 Brewery (not burned) 3 HISTORY OF KINGSTON". 309 Those whose property was located within the village are given in alphabetical order, and the location of their houses desig- nated, as far as practicable, by corresponding numbers upon the accompanying map. Those whose houses were not within the village, bxit on the creek or river, are stated below. Some of them were burned a few days subsequent to the burning of the village, bat by the same marauding expedition. Those whose houses cannot be located have no numbers. It vrill be found that there are several houses located by number on the map which have no corresponding number on the list, because the then owner cannot be positively designated. Jacobus Lefferts's property, located north of 109 and beyond range of map. Sufferers along water front, Rondout Creek and Hudson River, outside of village : Moses Cantine, Wilhelmus Houghteling, Jr., Petrus TenBroeck, John Whitaker, Petrus Whitaker, Samuel Whitaker. In another chapter an account is given of a large fire which originated in the house (No. 35 on map) of Colonel Abraham Has- brouck, in October, 1776, by which houses located at points num- bered on the map as 10, 13, 34, 35, 40, and 41, were burned at that time. Some were rebuilt wholly or partially before October, 1777, and some were not. The colored burying-ground is numbered on the map as 113. It is reasonable to suppose that when the British approached Kingston the unarmed inhabitants who had not already fled from the village made what expedition they could to get out of harm's way. They did not all take it as easy as the two industrious burgh- ers who were so intently engaged at work in a field on the " Arm- bowerye" near the village, as tradition asserts, that they did not notice the approach of the enemy untU they were directly upon them, when, in the height of their astonishment and alarm, one cried out, "J/e Tiaave oopP^ and the other in chorus said, ^' Ek oke .'" thus, in the tremor for their lives, acknowledging themselves the dutiful subjects of the King. Whatever may have been their expedition, however, whether speedy or laggard, it gave rise to the following Dutch doggerel : " Loop, jongens, loop, de Eooje Komme. Span de wagen Voor de paerde, en vy na Hurley toe." The translation is as foUows : " Run, boys, run, the red-coats are coming. Harness the horses before the wagon, and to Hurley ride." v310 PISTOET OF KINGSTON. After the British had completed their work of destruction and returned to their shipping, those of the inhabitants who were in the immediate vicinity returned to endeavor, if possible, to recover something from the smoking ruins. But the destruction generally was complete, and nothing but ashes and bare walls left Qf their once comfortable homes. Many who, notwithstanding the tax- ation and burdens of protracted war, had accumulated some prop- erty, found themselves by this act of vandalism again reduced to poverty. AH were obliged for a time to throw themselves upon the hospitality of their friends. As soon as practicable, the suffer- ing inhabitants commenced building temporary shelters to with- stand the blasts of approaching winter. Those whose homes had been of stone were enabled to rest their huts, in the form of a Jean-to, against the standing walls. The cry of indignation and shame at the uncalled-for brutality was heard from every part of the land, and the true American heart, which ever beats in sympathy for the wronged and the oppressed, sent forth sympathetic resolves and donations from yarious portions of the country. A country impoverished by war and oppression could not be expected to do much for the relief of others, but what they did was received with the thanks and the prayers of those whose burdens, to some extent at least, were lightened thereby. Noblest among all of our sister States in that day of trial stood South Carolina, as shown by a letter stiU extant, written in behalf of her citizens to Governor Clinton. " Chaklestown 31 March 1778. "Sir " I do myself the pleasure to send you, herewith, the sum of £3711 10 equal to £927 17 6 New York currency. This money has been received for the charitable purpose of alleviating the distress- es of the now indigent inhabitants of the town of Kingston, who by the ravages of the enemy are reduced to poverty and want. A much larger sum would have been collected had not a melancholy accident by fire called the immediate attention of many liberal souls to dissipate the wants of many of the inhabitants of the capital of this State, who are reduced to beggary by the late dreadful con- flagration. " From a personal acquaintance with your excellency, I per- suade myself you will readUy excuse the trouble I give, in request- ing your attention to a proper distribution of this donation. I have the pleasure to be with sentiments of esteem and respect " Your most obedient Hum'l Serv't " Abm LiviwasTOK ^^ His Excellency George Clinton^'' HISTOEY OF KIKGSTON. 311 Robert R. Livingston, too, richer in lands than in personal property, and embarrassed by the destruction of his house and the ravages of the enemy upon the same marauding expedition, made the munificent gift of five thousand acres of land for the relief of the inhabitants of Kingston. The fact is simply noted here, as it will be necessary to refer to it more fully hereafter. There are some family incidents and traditions connected with the burning of the place which may be of some interest, and will be noticed here, embracing in some cases the reasons why some buildings supposed to have been saved were not burned. Before stating those traditions, however, it deserves special mention here that the family of Christopher Tappen, who was deputy county clerk and also clerk of the trustees of the corpora- tion of Kingston, devoted their entire energies, upon the approach of the British, toward the preservation of the public and corporate property in his charge, at the expense and loss of all his chattels and private papers, which were left behind and consequently rifled and destroyed by the British. Benjamin Low lived opposite the Court House in Wall Street. A short time before the burning of Kingston a well-dressed, gentle- manly-looking man on horseback stopped at the door and saw Mrs. Low, Mr. Low being away from home. He wanted to stop there ; said he was sick, and could not go any farther. She told him it might not be safe for him to do so, and he might be a British spy. He said he came from Newburgh, and was going to Rochester to teach school. His horse was put out, and he came in, and she showed him to a room where he could lie down. When Mr. Low came home and found a strange horse in the barn he wanted to know whose it was. Mrs. Low told him that a man had come there, complained of being sick, and she could not turn him away. Mr. Low replied, "He is a British spy, I know he is." He re- mained there a week, and Mrs. Low doctored and cured him, so that he got up and walked round the place and premises. One night when Mr. Low came home he said to his wife, " Becky, they are going to arrest that man in the morning as a spy ; leave the back door unlocked, as they will come very early." He said he would not sleep any, and when they went to bed he spread Mrs. Low's gown out and laid on it. He did get asleep, however, and she then slipped her gown from under him and made her way quietly up- stairs. She found her guest sitting up and writing ; he had a brace of pistols and a sword lying on the table, and his boots standing on the floor at the side of him. As soon as he saw her he came up to her and said in a whisper, " My good little Dutchwoman, I am a British spy. I have heard all tha,t was said, and will get away and be off.!' She said to him, " Prom- 312 HISTORY OP KINGSTON. ise me one thing, that you will not burn Kingston." He said he could not do that, but he would promise that " that house would not be burnt, and the family would not be injured." He told her if he got away safe he would write to her. (But she never heard from him. ) He offered her a bag of gold, but she refused to take it. She then left him and slipped quietly to bed without having aroused her husband or being missed by him. Yery early in the morning the men came, passed very quietly up-stairs, to find "the bird flown." They soon came down, making a thundering noise. As soon as it was known that the British were coming up the river the women and children in the family were sent to Hurley. After they were there Mrs. Low told her husband that she wanted to wash. He told Peter, their colored man, to harness up the team and take Mrs. Low to town. While she was at the house a woman came in and said the British were on the plains. She then called Peter, and when he came to the house with the team she got in the wagon ; the British were then coming round the church corner, firing the buildings as they came. She looked round, and recognized the first man on horseback as her lodger. Mrs. Low thought their house had not been fired, but had caught by sparks from other buildings. This statement is given as it was told by Mrs. Low herself to her daughter, the mother of Benjamin Newkirk, one of the oldest and a highly respected inhabitant of this city. This family tradition seems to explain the exemption of the barn from the general destruction. If that had been fired, consid- ering the inflammable material in barns at that season of the year in a farming community, it is not probable that it could have escaped ; and adjoining the burying-ground, unless the wind was from the north, there was no dangerous exposure. A woman and her daughter, at the time of the burning of King- ston, had been boarding for some time with a widow lady, Mrs. Cornelia Low, at her house standing at the southeast corner of Wall and John streets. When it became apparent that Kingston was the objective point of the British, marked for destruction, and Mrs. Low commenced prei)arations for the removal of her goods, this lady told her that she was the wife of a British officer, and would stay and protect her property from destruction, and urged her not to move anything. Mrs. Low placed no confidence in her protecting power, and, in the first place, buried the best part of her china in the garden. The next day she had a wagon at the door loaded with her choicest furniture, and her daughter Catharine on horseback, with a tea-caddy containing her sUver spoons, ready to depart for a place of safety, when her brother John came and in- HISTORY OF KINGSTON. 313 sisted upon putting everything back in the house, saying that he did not believe the British would burn the village. Mrs. Low and her daughter went to Kyserike to a brother's and left everything behind, and this British officer's wife in charge. When the red-coats came this M'oman, true to her word, pro- tested against anything being touched, claiming exemption and protection as the wife of a British officer. Her plea was of no avail ; they hooted her and said, " You will all claim to be British officers' wives now." They seized her chest, drew it into the street, broke it open, and rifled it of everything that was valuable ; fired the house, and dragged the daughter away with them, the mother following with screams and cries. Finally when they reached the plains, where the Academy now is, they tore the earrings out of the daughter's ears and let her go. This statement comes direct, substantially as above related, from the grandmother of the writer, who was the person on horse- back ready to leave with the spoons. To digress, it may be said the result of this protection was very similar to that of Kobert R. Livingston on the opposite side of the river. There were then some sick British officers staying at Mr. Livingston's under parole and nursed by the family. When the British were marauding on that side of the river Mrs. Livingston made preparations to remove what goods she could. The officers then advised her not to do so, and offered to protect the property. She did not feel it safe to rely on their promises. She caused to be piled what furniture they could upon a couple of carts, and the last load was not out of sight when she turned around to see the dwelling in flames. Gratitude and kindness have saved many lives from the toma- hawk and scalping-knife, and buildings from the savage torch, but they made no impression upon the wearers of the British red-coats in that day. Some years ago, when improvements had been commenced and were in progress upon some of the table-land rising above Ponck- hockie, the workmen exhumed, about three feet below the surface, twenty-nine six-pound cannon-shot in a heap, and a straggling one a short distance from the rest. By the balls was a decayed stump. A few yards from this spot were found four wrought-iron axles of a gun carriage, about a foot below the surface. The balls were coated with rust, and the axles hardly oxidized. Those things were found on a table-land somewhat higher than the Ponckhockie level, and the trace of a breastwork at that time was distinctly visible. This was undoubtedly the locality of the breastworks hereinbefore referred to as erected and manned by a 314 HISTORY OP KINGSTOlf. few of our militia, and stormed and taken by the detachments landing at Ponckhockie. It may be a relief from the dull prose of history, and not en- tirely inappropriate, to close this chapter with a short but beauti- ful extract from one of Cooper's novels, " The Pioneers," in which his hero, Leatherstocking, after describing the beauties of the Otsego Lake and its surroundings, proceeds to say : " ' I have travelled the woods for fifty -three years, and I have made them my home for more than forty, and I can say that I have met but one place that was more to my liking, and that was only to eye- sight and not for hunting or fishing.' " ' And where was that ? ' asked Edwards. " ' Where ! why, up on the Catskills. I used often to go up into the mountains after wolves' skins and bears ; once they bought me to get a stuffed painter ; and so I often went. There is a place in them hills that I used to climb to when I wanted to see the carryings-on of the world that would pay any man for a barked shin or a torn moccasin. You know the Catskills, lad, for you must have seen them on your left as you followed the river up from York, looking as blue as a piece of clear sky, and holding the clouds on their tops as the smoke curls over the head of an Indian chief at a council fire. Well, there is the High Peak and the Eound Top, which lay back like a father and mother among their children, seeing they are far above all the other hills. But the place I mean is next to the river, where one of the ridges juts out a little from the rest, and where the rocks fall for the best part of a thousand feet, so much up and down that a man standing on their edges is fool enough to thiak he can jump from top to bottom.' " ' What see you when you get there 1 ' asked Edwards. " ' Creation,' said Natty, dropping the end of his rod into the water and sweeping one hand around him in a circle ; ' all creation, lad. I was on that hill when Vaughan burnt ' Sopus, in the last war, and I seen the vessels come out of the Highlands as plain as I can see that line scow rowing into the Susquehanna, though one was twenty times further from me than the other. The river was in sight for seventy miles under my feet, looking like a curled shaving, though it was eight long miles to its banks. I saw the hill in the Hampshire Grants, the highlands of the river, and all that God had done or man could do as far as eye could reach. You know that the Indians named me for my sight, lad, and from the flat on the top of that mountain I have often found the place where Albany stands ; and as for ' Sopus ! the day the royal troops burned the town the smoke seemed so nigh that I thought I could hear the screeches of the women.' HISTORY OP KINGSTON. 315 " ' It must have been worth the toil, to meet with such a glori- ous view.' " ' If being the best part of a mile in the air, and having men's farms and .houses at your feet, with rivers looking like ribands, and mountains bigger than the vision seeming to be haystacks of green grass under you gives any satisfaction to a man, I can recom- mend the spot.' " CHAPTER XIX. FEOM THE BURNING OF KINGSTON, 1777, TO THE CONCLUSION OF THE WAR, 1783. LEAVING- the sufferers at Kingston for a. time, presumably erecting temporary protections for themselves and their fam- ilies, the attention of the reader will be called to some movements and operations of the military. After the burning of Kingston, and as soon as Governor Clin- ton's army arrived, he concentrated his forces at Hurley, and his plan and intentions are best developed by the extracts from letters which follow. On the 17th of October, 1777, he wrote to General Gates as follows : " Yesterday afternoon about four O'clock, the enemy took possession of and burned the town of Kingston. For want of a proper number of troops no effectual resistance could be made. I have now the body of men under my command which marched from New Windsor to my assistance, and shall immediately pro- ceed to the ruins of Kingston, which the enemy have abandoned. I have sent off a party of Light Horse to reconnoitre, and shall act in such manner as the motions of the enemy may direct. " The following is appended to the letter as a postscript : "A prisoner, who is by no means intelligent, says that the enemy are two thousand strong commanded by Gen Vaughan." On the 18th he wrote from Hurley to General Putnam as fol- lows : "I am this moment favored with yours of this morning. There is nothing new happened in this quarter since I wrote you yesterday. The enemy is 8 or 10 miles above this burning away. ' But as there are no capital settlements there, on this side the river and the situation of the country such, as with my present force I cannot advance opposite to them with safety to my artillery, I mean at present to continue where I now am in front of the most valuable settlements and where the stores and effects from Kingston are removed. I imagine the enemy will not proceed much higher up the river, and that on their return, they will attempt to lay waste the places they have passed going up, after our troops are drawn from them." On the 2l8t of October Governor Clinton wrote to General Gates, HISTORY OF KINGSTON, 317 describing the situation so fully that although quite lengthy, it is inserted entire. " Hurley 2 Miles and a half from Kingston Oct 21 1777 " Dear Sir " I have repeatedly done myself the Honor to inform you of my situation, and think it my duty again to do so, that if any of those consequences should happen, which may now be easily fore- seen, the blame if any may not lie at my door. " When I undertook at the request of Gen Putnam, to put myself at the head of a body of men to protect the western shores of Hudson River, and to throw myself between the enemy and your army, should they proceed up the river, I represented to him in strong terms the situation of this part of the country, thinly inhabited, and the interior part unsettled, and separated from all assistance by a chain of mountains. In consequence of which representation, he agreed to let me have 3000 men, if the Eastern MUitia should come in as he expected they would, of which num- ber however he hath not sent four hundred. I then clearly saw that it would be impossible for me, to protect the country, unless I could be reinforced from the Northern Army, which from your letter I had reason to expect ; I wrote also to Gren Dickinson of New Jersey upon the same subject, and I am informed that he, notwithstanding the exposed situation of his own State, has ordered six hundred men to my brother's assistance at New Wind- sor. Kingston hath been destroyed merely because I have been so deceived in my expectations of assistance, that it was impossible to take measures for its security. " I am now, sir, at the head of little more than one thousand men, to cover the most valuable part of the couQty of Ulster. ' ' The enemy have lain stiU yesterday, and the day before, with a strong southerly wind, from whence it is evident, that a knowl- edge of Burgoyne's fate hath changed their intentions against Albany. If they land in force, I must either retreat, or sacrifice my few men and lose seven very valuable pieces of field artillery. If I retreat, this whole country will be ravaged and destroyed, and that at a season of the year when the Inhabitants (who are warmly attached to the American cause) will want time to provide cover for their families against the inclemencies of the ensuing winter. " WhUe we act merely on the defensive, two thousand men on the river will find full employment for twelve or fifteen. But if four thousand are left to cover Albany, two thousand here, and two thousand on the other side of the river, it will be by no means impracticable, to recover the passes in the Highlands, in which case the greater part of the army, now along the banks of the river, 318 HISTORY OP KINGSTON. inay be brought to act offensively against tlie enemy and perhaps render the present campaign decisive in our favor. " Col. Malcolm, who is the bearer of this letter, wiU do himself the honor of stating and explaining to you my ideas upon this subject ; and you will do me a particular favor, if in answer to this, you will inform me what I am to expect, and what is expected from me. " I am Dr Genl with particular esteem . " Your most obt servant " Geo Clinton " To the HorM Maj Gen Gates, Albany ^ If General Vaughan had in truth intended to proceed up the river to Albany, the plan was abandoned upon receipt of the confirma- tory news of Burgoyne's surrender. He then, after having partially satiated the cruelty of his nature by burning and destroying what residences and private property he could reach, proceeded down the river on the 23d of October, and after anchoring over night opposite Kingston Point, joined the British forces in the High-- lands the evening of the 24th. After the enemy had thus returned from their marauding ex- pedition the troops were withdrawn from this section and pro- ceeded to New Windsor. The convicted spy, Taylor, was executed by order of the gov- ernor at Hurley, in the presence of his troops, on the 18th of October. The Council of Safety, after the burning of Kingston, convened at the house of Andrew Oliver, in Maibletown. The president, Pierre Van Cortlandt, and ten members were in attendance. After attending to some business in reference to the discharge of some prisoners, some under parole and others in confinement, they passed the following preamble and resolution : " Whereas the late destruction of the town of Kingston, and a vast number of dwelling houses, improvements, grain, and, fodder, on each side of Hudson's river, by a cruel, inhuman, and merciless enemy, has deprived many persons and families, the good subjects of this State, of shelter and subsistence for themselves and their cattle, Calamities which by the blessing of God on the fruits of this land, those, who have not shared in so uncommon a misfor- tune, are enabled in a great measure to relieve, Resolved therefore that it be and it is hereby most earnestly recommended to the several and respective general and district committees of the Counties of Ulster, Dutchess, Orange and Westchester to make or cause to be made a proper, and proportionate distribution of the aforesaid distressed persons and families and their cattle, to the IIISTOKT OF KINGSTON. 319 OLIVER HOUSE, AT MARBLETOWif. end that they may all be provided for, as the circumstances of the country will permit ; and it is hereby most strenuously urged on all those, who have not shared with them in their af&ictions, to receive the aforesaid persons, families and cattle, and furnish them with shelter and subsistence at a moderate price." The Council of Safety continued in session at Marbletown for a time, when they adjourned to Hurley, Ulster County. They held regular sessions at Hurley until the 17th of December, when they adjourned to Poughkeepsie, where they continued until the 7th of January, 1778, when the Provincial Convention, consisting of the members of the Senate and Assembly of the State, commenced their sessions at Poughkeepsie in joint convention. The citizens of Kingston, after the burning of their homes, together with their outbuildings, in which were stored the gather- ings of their harvest and their other crops, were, of course, put to very great straits in regard to all the comforts of life. Without a shelter, except such as might be afforded temporarily through the 320 HISTORY OP KINGSTON; compassion and hospitality of friends, many built huts and tern-, porary abodes with the materials they could gather. As the buildings originally were principally of stone, and many of them with kitchen additions projecting out in the rear, some were able to finish that part off with temporary roofs, so as to make them, to some extent, comfortable for the winter, others made temporary additions or lean-tos against the standing walls, and a few made temporary covers or huts in the best way they could for shelter,; HOUSE AT HURLEY WHERE COUNCIL OF SAFETY MET. making preparations for the restoration of their buildings the fol- lowing spring and summer. Judging from the old ruins and old neglected cellars, which could be seen in different parts of the village when the writer was a youth, many buildings after the fire were entirely abandoned and never rebuilt. The winter was employed by those who were able to do so in preparing timber for permanent reconstruction the ensuing year. They had much trouble in procuring boards and neces- sary sawed material by reason of their scarcity, and that ex- plains a portion of Mr. Livingston's letter, which will soon be referred to. The committee of Kingston, in order to obtain some relief for HISTORY OF KINGSTON. 321 the inhabitants, on the 9th day of February, 1778, addressed a communication to the governor as follows : " To ?ds Excellency Oeorge Clinton Esq Governor and Com,' mander in Chief of the State of New TorTc " The humble address of the Committee of Safety and Observa- tion of the town of Kingston shews — " That in the dispute raised between America and the King of Great Britain touching and concerning taxation, America held that such taxation was unjust and illegal, and unwarranted by the Con- stitution of Britain, and soon entered upon and into measures to prevent such illegal taxation. Kingston unitedly joined in and seconded the measures taken to prevent the expected oppression by early embarking in the cause of liberty. Their persevering and continued exertions in support thereof have undoubtedly incurred the bitterest resentment of the enemy, and to vent such resentment the expedition up the North river was determined upon and the destruction of Kingston thereby effected to the great loss and damage of the inhabitants. " Many of the sufferers would fain build who are discoujaged by the enormous prices of materials and labor. They have always supported the cause with proper spirit, have always submitted to the present government, cheerfully turned out their number of men on all detachments and those ordered to be raised to re-enforce the army, and always acted with spirit and resolution whatever might be the situation circumstances and difficulties. " The committee therefore conceive it to be their indispensable duty to address your Excellency in behalf of the sufferers of King- ston and ask that your Excellency will be pleased to interest your- self in devising means whereby the poor sufferers may obtain relief. Their spirit to rebuild the town is good, but their abilities weak. Assistance for that purpose would be exceedingly agreeable and greatly revive the drooping spirits of many of the poor sufferers. " The Committee may it please your Excellency conclude by praying that your Excellency will use all your influence and inter- est to obtain relief for the poor sufferers of Kingston ' ' By order of the Committee "Andries De Witt Junr CKv)'' \ To which petition the governor replied as follows : " PouGHKEEPSiE 17th Feb'y 1778 " Andries De Witt Jun CKn " Sir I have received the address of the Committee of King- ston dated the 9th instant respecting the distresses of the inhabit- ants of Kingston and the aid required to enable them to rebuild the 31 322 HISTORY OF KINGSTON. town. You may rest assured, gentlemen, that whatever may be in my power to render them shall not be withheld but most cheer- fully afforded. I have already suggested to sundry members of the Legislature the propriety of rebuilding the Court house and gaol at public expense and have reason to hope it will be done. I have likewise mentioned the propriety of exempting such number of artificers as shall be necessary from military drafts and duty, providing they agree to work at rebuilding the town for reasonable wages, which likewise I hope I shall be enabled to do. ************ " I am with due respect " Your most obed't serv't " Geo. Clintojst" Subsequently orders were issued in military matters on the 30th of May, and agaia on the 23d of July, 1778, exempting from service in the militia, or upon drafts for the time being, the two companies of militia of the town of Kingston, and such persons as were actually employed in rebuilding the town. During the season some were fortunate enough to get their houses finished, others completed only a section for habitation, some finished oif their rear kitchens, leaving the main building untouched, and a few abandoned their ruins to their fate. The first meeting of which we have any record after the fire was the meeting for the annual election of trustees and other officers, held on the first Taesday of March, 1778, only a few months after the fire, at the house of Mr. Tobias Van Steenbergh, Jr. This is evidence that that house was then standing. The meetings were continued there until the 2d day of October. On that day an order was made to have the lead which was stored in Mr. Low' s bam run into bullets. This is looked upon as circumstantial evidence that those two buildings were not, in fact, burned. As previously stated, for the alleviation of their distress, the citizens of Kingston received considerable assistance from abroad. The letter of Robert R. Livingstdn, the Chancellor, referred to above, was dated March 1st, 1778, addressed to the trustees of Kingston, and was as follows : " Gent " The inconvenience I daily experience from the destruction of my house, and the ravages of the enemy, serve only to increase my sympathy with the inhabitants of Kingston, and animate my desire, in proportion as they lessen my power, to contribute to their relief as liberally as I wish. My inattention to my private HISTORY OF KING8T0K. 323 affairs for three years past, and tlie disaflfection of my tenants, who have during this controversy very generally withheld their rents, put it out of my power to contribute, what might perhaps be of more immediate use to my distressed friends at Kingston. Yet, I iiatter myself, that my present proposal may meet with their approbatibn, and be attended with permanent advantage, and in this view I am induced to make it. I mean a grant of 5000 acres of land, in any part of Hardenbergh's patent, that falls to my share — which I promise to make to the Trustees for the use of the Inhabitants thereof under the following restrictions. 1st to be taken in a regular square, 2nd not to be located in Woodstock or Shandaken, nor at any other x^lace, on which a settlement has been made, — and that the location be made within three months from the date hereof, and a survey returned in order to perfect the grant. This land the Trustees will dispose of, in such way as will be most advantageous to the suffering inhabitants of Kingston. " As I have been informed, that many of them have been dis- appointed in not being able to procure boards, I have prevailed upon my mother, to suffer Mr Saxe to dispose of all but her third, which she reserves for her own use. I shall be happy if this, or anything else in my power can in the least contribute to the ease or convenience of those whose attention to me early in life entitles them to my friendship, and who are more endeared, by the gener- ous cause in which they suffer ■• ' I am Gentlm with great regard " Your most obedt Hum Servt " RoBT R Livingston" The preceding letter of Mr. Livingston was read at the meeting of the trustees of Kingston held at the house of Tobias Van Steen- bergh, Jr., on Friday, the 27th day of March, 1778, and it was thereupon " Ordered that Mr Cockburn be requested to attend this Board, in order to enable the Trustees to make the location of the lands contained in the above grant." Mr. Cockburn attended with a map of the Hardenbergh Patent, when it was resolved that the location of the said lands be made either on the Schoharie Kill, or between the Packatakan branch and the Delaware or Fishkill, in Lots Nos. 39 and 40, or in such other place as a committee to be appointed for that purpose shall judge most valuable in quality and situation. Mr. Henry Jansen and Mr. Philip Houghteling, two of the trustees, were appointed a committee to view and locate the lands to be donated by Mr. Chancellor Livingston, and employ Mr. Cockburn to survey the same. At a meeting of the trustees held on the 12th day of February, , 324 . HISTORY OF KINGSTON. ,1779, the speaker stated that the chancellor had requested that the five thousand acres to be donated should be located as early as practicable. The trustees at once ordered that Mr. Cockbum be requested to attend with his map in order to make the location. Accordingly, at the next meeting, on the 15th day of April, 1779, Mr. Cockburn attended with a map of the Great Patent, and after full consultation with Mr. Cockburn, Peter Dumont, Jr., and Peter Hynpagh, they located the tract at a place called the Platte- kill, near Packatakan, in Great Lots Nos. 39 and 40. And Mr. Tappen was designated to draw the deed and wait on his honor the chancellor therewith for execution. At a meeting of the trustees on the 18th day of October, 1782, a deed was received, duly executed by the Hon. Robert R. Livings- ton to the trustees, for five thousand acres of land, as located by them as before stated, as a donation to the suffering inhabitants of Kingston. The deed was at once ordered to be accepted, and a letter of thanks prepared and sent to the said Hon. Robert R. Livingston for his benevolence. The trustees by resolution directed Mr. Tappen, their clerk, to inquire by letter of Chancellor Livingston what character of suf- ferers he designed to benefit by his real estate donation. The re- ply does not appear in the recorJI^ but on the 19th day of June, 1786, the trustees by resolution appointed Andries De Witt, Edward Schoonmaker, and Benjamin Low a committee " to make a list and estimate of the persons entitled to and having an interest in the donation of lands made by Chancellor Livingston to the Inhabitants and residents of this town, who are the sufferers in the late conflagration of the said town." Subsequently, under the direction of the trustees, the tract was divided into fifty-acre lots, and then arranged into ten classes of ten lots each. The allotment of the several classes is set forth in the Appendix, as giving an official statement of the greater part of the heads of families who suffered at the conflagration. It evi- dently does not include all, as there were more than one hundred sufferers. Notwithstanding the trials through which the town of Kingston had passed, we find their patriotism and zeal in the cause of their beloved country was neither mitigated nor abated, for at the annual election of trustees held on the first Tuesday of March, 1779, little more than a year after their town had been laid in ashes, the trustees-elect immediately qualified, and at once " Ordered that the Treasurer deliver to Edward Schoonmaker one thousand two hun- dred pounds to put in the Continental loan office and procure a certificate for the same." After the surrender of Burgoyne and the burning of Kingston, HISTORY OF KINGSTON. 325 Sir Henry Clinton hastily abandoned his marauding expedition and returned to New York, and thus ended the operations of the British regular troops in this vicinity. But Ulster County was not thereby relieved entirely from the horrors of bloody strife. The Indian allies of the British, and the Tory blood-hounds, stirred up by British emissaries, were constantly menacing the border settlements, which required continual watching and action. Al- though but little humanity and much brutality during that war was exhibited under cover of the British red-coat, still, that was not to be compared with the brutality of the Tories, who, covering themselves with war paint in imitation of the savage warriors, appeared thereby to div3st themselves of every vestige of humanity, and to aim at throwing the brutality and heartlessness of the In- dian far in the shade. Sometimes a feeling of humanity was aroused, as in the case of Brant, when in one of his raids he found a number of helpless school children in terror, weeping around the corpse of their murdered school-mistress ; he dashed his ex- emption mark of black paint upon the clothing of each one of them, and told them to hold that up when an Indian appeared, and they would not be harmed. Then with a savage war-whoop he rushed into the woods. Many Indians passed, but the children remained uninjured. Search will be made in vain for a similar tale in reference to any one of the paint-bedaubed Tories. The hatred of their country and of their liberty-loving countrymen appeared to have blunted all the finer feelings of their nature. Tradition gives a tale of a Tory and an Indian in one of these raids. Having entered a house, they found a child sleeping sweetly in a cradle. The infant's smile in its sleep made the Indian draw back and withhold the intended blow with the tomahawk ; but the Tory, marking the hesitation of the Indian, stepped forward, and in a single blow clave the skull of the sleeping innocent. Some of them in the hypocritical guise of friends served as spies for the Indians, to gain knowledge and carry information to their savage friends in order to facilitate deadly raids, and to designate the proposed victims and the most favorable time, so that in the border settlement no man was safe who openly advocated the principles of liberty, and indeed even to disclose them in private. Such were some of the hardships under which the war for inde- pendence was prosecuted. The following is given as an example : In 1777, in the vicinity of Pine Bush, in the town of Rochester, near the extreme northern border of the town, three families re- sided in the neighborhood of each other, respectively named Baker, Miller, and Shurter. Shurter was one day approached and charged with being a Tory ; he denied it, and gave strong assurances of at- 326 HISTOEY OF KINGSTON. tachment to the cause of freedom. Not many days elapsed before the report of firearms was heard in that vicinity, and soon the smoke and flames of several conflagrations were seen ascending heavenward. The neighboring townsmen rushed to the scene to find the houses and outbuildings in flames or in ashes, Shurter lying in one place with his brains dashed out, Miller in another perfo- rated with bullets. Baker was never found or heard of, probably carried away for torture to enliven some of the midnight savage orgies. Scarcely a year passed during the entire Revolutionary War but the border settlements of Ulster County were visited to a greater or less extent by these savage raids. In the early part of the war they were not conducted under any organized expedition, but were carried on by small predatory bands of Indians, with Tory allies, for marauding and robbing purposes, and to procure scalps for redemp- tion by British heroes. Many sensational stories have been written in reference to those raids, but a few only will be noticed here. None of them actually reached the territory of Kingston, but the assistance of its inhabitants was necessary in furnishing money and troops for protection. Block-houses were built, and houses in suitable localities in the neighborhood of settlements picketed and turned into forts, as places of refuge for the inhabitants in case of danger. Patrol parties were constantly kept out scouring the woods as a protection against surprises, to whom the block-houses and forts afforded necessary shelter. Yet notwithstanding all these precautions the wily savages frequently eluded their vigilance. During the early period of the war, and untU the fall of 1777, when the defeat and capture of Burgoyne put an end to the hopes of British victories in that quarter, the British had drawn their Indian allies to their assistance in the northern part of the State and along the northern frontier settlements. But after that, in 1778 and 1779, expeditions under Brant and Johnson were organ- ized for havoc and destruction along the borders of Ulster and Orange. In the fall of 1778 Brant, with a band of Indians and Tories, appeared on the frontiers of the county of Ulster and carried dis- may through the settlements. The inhabitants with their families rushed to the interior, and to the forts, block-houses, and other places of safety. The approach of the savages was heralded by the burning of buildings and the screams of the unfortunates who had found no place of safety. One of the forts in the valley on the west of the Shawangunk Mountains was called Fort Gumaer. Captain Cuddeback, who was in charge, had only nine men with him besides the women and children who had come there for protection. Feeling that his HISTORY OF KINGSTON. 327 force was not sufRcient to resist an attack by the savages, he re- sorted to a ruse for a display of strength. The fort being on a plateau having a commanding view for a considerable distance all around, he dressed up the women who were with him with hats and coats so as to resemble men, and armed them with guns and sticks. As soon as the Indians appeared in the distance he paraded his whole force in Indian file outside, and in full view of the distant Indians marched from the rear to the front of the fort, and enter- ing the fort, at once closed the barriers and made preparations for defence. The Indians passed them by without attack, simply firing a few shots upon their onward march, without injury to any one, and continuing their depredations, and destruction as they proceeded. The next year, 1779, Brant made another incursion, and during that raid occurred the celebrated battle of Minisink, in which so many of the citizens of Goshen were slaughtered, and to whose memory an appropriate and fine monument adorns the public square in that village. These raids, together with the horrible massacre in the Wyom- ing Valley in 1778, exhibited to the commander-in-chief the neces- sity of summary Indian punishment to break their power for evil and protect the inhabitants of the border territory. Accordingly an exxjedition was organized for that purpose, and the command intrusted to General John Sullivan. The expedition consisted of four brigades, including General James Clinton's brigade, which comprised four New York regiments. The Second New York Regiment, under command of Colonel Philip Van Cortlandt, was in camp at Wawarsing, and on May 4th struck their tents under orders of md,rch to Wyoming. When about starting the colonel discovered smoke ascending in a southerly direction, and received a messenger with information that the Indians were at a settlement about six miles distant, Fantine Kill, which they were burning and destroying. Colonel Van Cortlandt at once marched to their relief. He found Brant was there with about one hundred and fifty Indians, but on the approach of Colonel . Van Cortlandt he with his followers fled to the mountains. In that raid by the Indians the widow of Isaac Bevier and her two sons were killed, also the entire family of Michael Socks, consisting of seven or eight persons. The Indians had also attacked the house of Jesse Bevier, but the inmates succeeded in defending themselves until relieved by Colonel Van Cortlandt. On the 7th of May the regiment again struck their tents and marched to join the rest of the expedition. In three weeks' time the expedition broke the strength and com- pletely subdued the tribes of the hostile Indians, so that they sued 328 HISTORY OF KIKGSTOJiT. for peace and the burial of the hatchet. Predatory bands still loitered round in small numbers, robbing and murdering where they could, even until some time after the close of the Kevolutionary struggle. They were not the representatives of any tribe, but vir- tually outlaws and outcasts, generally aided and assisted by their painted Tory associates. In 1780 there was an Indian known by the synonym of " Shanks Ben" hovering about the frontier with a few Indian followers and bloodthirsty Tories. He was the terror of the country, and always succeeded in evading pursuit and capture. Negroes he never injured unless by some specific act they aroused his anger, but woe to the white man or woman who came within his power. In 1780 Johannis Jansen, who was a colonel appointed in the early period of the war in command of a regiment of Ulster County militia, and who had rendered service to his country as such, was at home at his farm residence in Shawangunk. The house was a large stone one, with a wing containing the kitchen, and standing on the north side of the road upon a slight elevation above the flat skirting the Shawangunk Mountains. Early one Monday morning, in the warm season of the year, when he had gone to his barn, he discovered some Indians and a Tory prowling around. He at once, being unarmed, rushed toward the house, and they after him, but did not fire for fear of alarming the neighborhood. When he reached the house he was almost within their grasp. But he suc- ceeded in getting inside of the kitchen and slamming the door shut, but could not fasten it. He held it shut against the Indian force by pressing against it with his arms and head. One of the Indians then seized a broad-axe which lay near and gave blow after blow upon the door. The door, with Colonel Jansen' s strength, still withstood the battering. The colonel then called upon his wife to get him his gun and pistols. The Indians then left the door, and the colonel stepped into the main building, closed the door behind him, and with his gun and pistols awaited their entrance. They entered the kitchen, ransacked that and the cellar, but made no attempt to enter the main building. A young lady from New York, who was stopping in the neighborhood with a connection of hers and who was engaged to do some spinning, came to com- mence her work while the Indians were in possession of the kitchen, and on entering it she was immediately seized and taken prisoner, and they, of course, were deaf to all her entreaties for release. A young man by the name of Scott was stopping at Mr. Jansen' s at the time, and had left the house before the Indians arrived. Mrs. Jansen, who was up-stairs, called loudly to Miss Hardenbergh, who was in another room, and inquired where Scott was. Miss HISTORY OP KINGSTON. 329 Hardenbergh replied in a loud voice that he had gone to Mr. Sparks 's. The Indians overhearing the question and reply, and knowing that Sparks was a near neighbor, suspected that he had gone for assistance. They at once gathered their booty, drove some of the negroes before them, and dragging the lady captive with them escaped to the mountain. The attacking party consisted of "Shanks Ben," three other Indians, and a Tory painted in Indian style. On their retreat, after putting an end to the cries and screams of their lady captive with the tomahawk, they proceeded up the mountain, and when near the summit saw a party consisting of an old man by the name of Mentz, his son and daughter. They suc- ceeded in capturing and murdering the old man and his daughter, but the son escaped by jumping down a precipice. With a sprained ankle and much pain he reached Colonel Jansen' s, where he found a number of the neighbors assembled. They at once started up the mountain, and found the murdered victims on the mountain-top ; but the Tory and his Indian allies escaped their vengeance. During the Revolutionary struggle Captain Jeremiah Snyder with his family resided near the Kaatsban Church, in the north- erly part of the then town of Kingston. Some time in the year 1779 he, with his son Elias and three others, were out upon a scouting party ransacking the neighborhood in quest of Tories, and to ascertain whether any enemies were prowling around. In the course of their wandering Captain Snyder and Anthony Van Schaack became separated from the rest of the party. They moved along very cautiously through the forest, but for some time saw no living creature. At length passing under the brow of a cliff, they were suddenly startled by the discharge of musketry, and five bullets penetrated the earth near the person of the captain. They looked up and saw the enemy on the top of the rock, who ordered them to lay down their arms ; but as their muskets were discharged, they preferred the chances of escape. They ran for their lives, and both escaped unhurt, although in all thirteen deliberate shots were fired at them. The next year, 1780, the Indian, " Shanks Ben," who figured in the attack upon Colonel Jansen as before related, was with a num- ber of his Indian and Tory followers on a marauding expedition through the mountains. On the 6 th of May they came suddenly upon Captain Snyder and his son Elias when they were working in a field near the homestead. Snyder and his son at once started on a run to escape, but they soon found their escape cut off by the enemy appearing in every direction and surrendered. Captain Snyder surrendered to John Runnip, one of the piirsuing party, at which the flanking party were very wroth, thinking they were 330 HISTORY or KINGSTON.' entitled, to Ms capture. A rule existed among the Indians that the one who first laid hands on a prisoner or obtained his scalp should be entitled to the reward from the British Government. A dispute as to the right was generally terminated by the death of the prisoner. The leader of the flanking party, being thus disap- pointed, advanced in a threatening attitude and struck his toma-' hawk at the head of the captain, but fortunately it glanced off and made only a deep cut near the ear. Runnip interfered, and event- ually saved the captain's life. After the capture they all proceeded to the house, which they found deserted, the family having sought shelter and a hiding- place in the woods. They made a general sack of the premises. The buildings were then fired, and the marauding party with their plunder set out for the mountains, carrying the captain and Elias away with them as prisoners. This occurred within four or five hundred yards of the residence of a Tory, who saw what he deemed sport, and kept out of hearing of any cry for help. The Indians and Tories proceeded with their captives and booty, crossing the Cauterskill where Palenville now stands. They passed to the south of Pine Orchard between two lakes, and thence to the east branch of the Schoharie Kill, which they crossed, and there bivouacked for the night. The next morning the Tories and Indians separated, the former taking the Continental money and guns, of which they had robbed the captain, while the Indians proceeded with the captives and the rest of the booty on their journey for Magara, under the leadership of Runnip, who assumed the command. On the 9th of May they ascended a lofty peak of the mountains where the snow, compact and hard, still lay four feet deep ; toward sunset they reached the east branch of the Delaware River. Two of the Indians then set off for Poghatoghhon (Middletown) in quest of potatoes, which the settlers, in their haste to abandon the country the fall previous, had left in the ground, and which were found to be still in a good state of preservation. Pour other Indians proceeded to fell an elm-tree for a bark canoe, and two others were left in charge of the captives. An Indian bark canoe was soon built. The process was as fol- lows : After the elm was felled the bark was ripped up to the length of the proposed canoe. The Indians then removed it with the utmost care from the trunk to prevent its bursting, after which they chipped off the rough outside so as to make it pliable, and bent it over, the inside out, with stiays of green withes fastened to the bottom and sides in the manner of ribs to preserve the shape. A spot on each side near one end was pared away so as to double up, and this being done, it assumed the form of a bow with a sharp HISTORY OF KINGSTON. 331 point. The stem was constructed in the same way. To prevent leakage at the doublings and knot-holes they pounded slippery elm bark into a jelly and calked them. After constructing their canoe in this way, and making their paddles by splitting a small white ash-tree, the eight Indians and their prisoners embarked therein the next day, Wednesday, and drifted down the east branch of the Delaware to Shehawcon (now Hancock), at the junction of the two branches of the Delaware. At this place they abandoned their canoe and continued their journey westward on foot. After marching a few miles, Runnip, one of the Indians, was seized with a violent attack of the fever and ague, which detained them until the next morning. At noon on Saturday they struck the Susque- hanna about sixty miles above Tioga Point. Here one of the Indians killed a rattlesnake and brought it to Runnip. " He skinned it, cleaned it, chopped it up in small pieces, made a soup of it, drank the soup and ate the flesh — and was a well many Here they constructed another bark canoe and floated down the current to Tioga Point. There they left the canoe and marched along the banks of the Chemung River. They passed the breast- work which the Indians had thrown up to resist the invasion of General Sullivan, and between that and the Genesee Flats Runnip pointed out two mounds which were alongside the path, and which were the graves of a scouting party of thirty-six men belonging to Sullivan's army which had been intercepted and killed by the Indians. At the Genesee Flats they met John Young and Freder- ick Rowe, two Tories from Saugerties, on their way to the frontier in company with Indians. Young had lived a number of years within a mile of Captain Snyder's. The Indians again resumed the journey with their prisoners, and finally delivered them over to the British at Fort Niagara. After spending some time in captivity, first at Niagara, then at Montreal, and afterward on an island in the St. Lawrence, they made their escape and reached home shortly before the close of the war. The five Continental regiments which were raised in the State of New York in the early part of the war made a record which should be appropriately noticed. In them were ofiicers and troops from Kingston, as well as other portions of Ulster County. The first, third, and fourth of the regiments were at Saratoga under Gates in 1777, and a portion of them at the forts in the Highlands under James Clinton. In July, 1778, the five regiments were brigaded under General James Clinton. In 1779 the third regiment, under General Clinton, formed a part of the expedition against the Six Nations. They were consolidated in two regiments on the 1st of January, 1781. 332 HISTORY OF KINGSTON. Of those regiments Mr. Ruttenber, in an address before tlie His- torical Society at Newburgh, said : "In their ranks were those who had borne the banner Excelsior from Quebec to Yorktown. Returning from the latter they were conspicuous in the entertain- ment of our French allies at Peekskill. As a part of the right wing (Gen Gates) 2nd Division Gen St Clair, First Brigade Col Cortlandt, they took up quarters in the JSTew Windsor encampment in November 1782. They had long been and continued to be the pride of the State — the pride of the Army — the pride of Baron Steuben — the pride of Washington, who in 1782 wrote thus, ' The commander in chief cannot conceal the pleasure he receives from finding the two regiments of New York in the best order possible, by the report of the Inspector General, which also concurs with his own observation.' " There does not appear to be any specific record of what services were rendered in the war by the citizens of the town of Kingston after the destruction of their village, and after the scene of the war was removed from their immediate locality ; still, they were not ex- empt from the trials of the conflict, nor from impending and appre- hended dangers. At a meeting of the trustees held on the 12th day of January, 1781, the following resolution was passed and adopted : On motion of Mr. De Witt, seconded by Mr. Tappen, after recit- ing " That as the frontier parts of this county are at present with- out any troops, and no prospect to have them supplied by men, before the next campaign, or even then, and consecLuently the enemy may make such inroads into the interior of the country as they may see caiise ' ' Therefore Resolved, that a petition be presented to the Hon Legislature now convened at the city of Albany, praying for a sufficient number of troops to defend the frontier parts of this county." At the next ensuing meeting of the trustees held on the 19th day of January, 1781, a petition to the Legislature, which had been prepared by Mr. Tappen under the direction of the preceding order, was presented, adopted, and signed by the trustees. As the peti- tion recites at. considerable length the warlike services they had been called upon to perform since the conflagration, it is inserted entire, as follows : " To the Honorable the Senate and Assembly of the State of New York in Legislature convened " The Petition of the Trustees of the Freeholders and Com- monalty of the town of Kingston in Ulster County for themselves and the Inhabitants of the said town Humbly Sheweth HISTORY OF KINGSTON. 333 " That your Petitioners, inhabitants residing in and near the Western frontier part of this County, have during the course of this unhappy war, by the frequent incursions of the Enemy, been extremely harassed and many actually reduced to great want and poverty " That your petitioners, during the course of this war, have clearly furnished their quota of men and supplies required of them, as well for the service of the United Army, as for this State in particular, that exclusive of this service they have by draft out of the militia in rotation kept up a guard for a length of time for the defence of the frontiers. " That to ease the militia from their monthly classes, in the course of the last campaign when by an act of the Legislature they were required to raise levies to re-enforce the army of the United States, they by the advice of his Ex the Governor of this State, at great expense raised one third more of the number of men than was required of them for the purpose of protecting their frontiers ; by these exertions and by the aid of divine Providence, they partly repelled, and partly escaped the cruelties of a barbarous enemy, " Permit your Petitioners to add, that though willing to sup- port the cause of their injured country, in which they have so early embarked, yet if unassisted, find themselves unable to withstand the shock of another campaign, which they have reason to appre- hend may be levelled at this and the adjacent towns of this county, having already completed the ruin and devastation of a great part of the Western frontiers of this State. Your petitioners naturally conclude themselves the next victims of their rage. And whether the fertility of their soil, and richness of their crops is considered, or whether their steady and distinguished opposition to the Engines of Tyranny is remembered, they equally appear additional motives of revenge to an implacable foe. Satisfied that the Hon Legisla- ture will be equally solicitous for their preservation and Safety " The prayer of your Petitioners thereof is, that a sufficient number of troops may be provided for the defence of the Frontier parts, of this county — and your Petitioners as in duty bound will ever pray" etc. On the 12th of March, 1781, the trustees, deeming it advisable to act for their own protection and not depend entirely upon out- side assistance, ordered that four men be employed to range the woods in order to discover whether any of their enemies were on the frontiers. The route to be covered by the scouts was to be the border line extending from the Hurley bounds to the bounds of Albany at the expense of the trustees. At the same meeting it was " ordered that Mr. Benjamin Low run the lead he has in his possession into bars, and sell the same to all 334 HISTOEY OF KINGSTON. persons who are within the township and are well attached to the liberties of their country ; but not exceeding three pounds to one person, at sixpence per pound." The trustees then also directed Captain Van Buren to cause the cannon and field-pieces belonging to the town to be put in good order at the expense of the trustees. Before the adjournment the trustees made an arrangement Avith Peter Hynpagh and Isaac Dumont to range the west half of the route at six shillings a day in specie or grain, the trustees to find provisions. The inhabitants of the town, fearful of attacks from Indians and Tories, were anxious to prepare for defence against them. There were so many emissaries of Great Britain still around that they felt at all times unsafe. Accordingly it appears that at a meeting of the trustees held on the 3d day of AprU, 1781, a committee of the in- habitants of the town waited upon the trustees, to inform them " that they were about devising ways and means to fortify the town against the common enemy, and that for that purpose it would re- quire a quantity of timber for stockades, and they were informed Mr. Jacobus Van Gaasbeek would sell a parcel of pine-trees for that purpose." The trustees thereupon resolved to pay Mr. Van Gaas- beek the sum adjudged to be the value of the trees, not exceeding three hundred in number. On the 16th of April the trustees sent Mr. Abraham Low to a Mr. Winers for one hundred and fifty or two hundred-weight of gunpowder at the expense of the trustees. On the 4th of June the trustees appointed Messrs. Elmendorf, De Witt, and Van Buren a committee to consult with Colonel Johannis Snyder in respect to the defence of the town. It will thus be perceived that the citizens were kept continually on the qui vive for protection against their savage enemies of the red and paint-bedaubed species. The battles of the war between the hostile armies subsequent to the capture of Burgoyne occurred in other portions of the confed- eracy, but Ulster County, including Kingston, throughout the whole period, and until the last shot was fired and peace proclaimed, furnished their full quota of men and materials for the support and defence of their country. The capture of Burgoyne, speedily followed by the acknowledg- ment of the independence of the United States by France, and the formation of an alliance between the two countries on the 6th of February, 1778, dissipated every cloud of doubt in regard to the ultimate result of the war. The fleet and armies of France were soon battling side by side with ours for the triumph of the right. It was not long thereafter that, decisive victories perching upon the allied banners, England was forced to give up the contest. HISTORY OP KINGSTON. 335 On the 16th of November, 1782, Kingston was honored by a visit from General Washington, on his way, by a circuitous route, from New Jersey to "West Point. After passing the night of the 15th with his companion-in-arms. Colonel Cornelius Wynkoop, at his homestead at Stone Ridge, which is still standing unaltered, and was for many years the residence of John Lounsbury, he proceeded on his way to Kingston. At Hurley he was greeted by an enthusi- COLONEL WYNKOOP'S HOUSE. astic crowd, and the following address of welcome was delivered to him by President Ten Eyck : " The humble addness of the Trustees of the Freeholders and Inhabitants of the town of Hurley " To Ms Excellency George Washington General and Commander in Chief of the American Army etc " SiE We, the Trustees of the Freeholders and Inhabitants of the town of Hurley, beg leave to approach your Excellency with hearts deeply sensible of the signal services you have rendered our common country, by a conduct, resolution, and courage so happily combined, and so dignified by the noblest virtues, that the latest posterity shall revere you as the protector of the country. Silence must muse our gratitude (for the power of language cannot display it) to the Supreme Being who has been graciously pleased to ap- 336 HISTORY OF KINGSTON". point a person of .your Excellency's virtue and ability, to be his happy instrument of rescuing these United States from the many dangers with which they have been threatened by a cruel and powerful enemy. We cannot refrain from joining in the universal .applause that awaits such distinguished merit. " May your Excellency enjoy the greatest possible blessings that heaven can bestow ; may you always be crowned with success ; HUELEY HOUSE. may your illustrious exploits and undertakings for the public good be productive of a speedy, permanent and honorable peace ; and after living a blessing to mankind, be rewarded with endless hap- piness in the mansions of the righteous " By order of the Trustees " Matthew Ten Eyck Speaker "Hurley Nov 1782" His Excellency, General Washington, replied, as follows : " Gentlemen " I return you my thanks for this very flattering mark of your esteem, and exceedingly regret that the duties of my station will HISTORY OP KINGSTON". 337 permit me to make but so short a stay among a people, from whom I have received the warmest proofs of regard, and for whose char- acter I entertain the highest respect. " It is peculiarly pleasing to me to find that my conduct has merited the approbation of my fellow citizens. If my endeavors shall have contributed to the freedom and independence of my country, that consolation will more than amply repay all my labour. " Geo WASHiNGTOisr " Hurley Nov 1782 " To the Trustees of the Freeholders and Inhabitants of the town of Hurley" The general with his staff then proceeded to Kingston. On his arrival there he was met by the trustees of Kingston and a large body of citizens, preceded by Henry J. Sleght, the speaker or pre- siding officer of the trustees, who in behalf of the trustees presented to him the following address : " We the Trustees of the Freeholders and Commonalty of the town of Kingston, for ourselves and in behalf of those we repre- sent, beg leave, with the most unfeigned love and esteem, to con- gratulate your Excellency on your arrival in this place " To a People, whose principles of Liberty were early decided, and whose actions have been correspondent, the appearance of a character among them, who by his wisdom has directed, and by his fortitude has led the armies of America to victory and success, affords a joy more sensibly felt than is in the power of language to express. While Sir we take a retrospect of the past campaigns, in every vicissitude of the war we observe your Excellency exhibit the most steady patriotism, the most undaunted courage ; and while as a consequence of this the ministry are sunk into negotia- tion and their armies into inaction, we trust, it is our prayer, that the same benign Providence which has hitherto guided will enable you speedily to terminate the present contest in the unmolested Glory and Freedom of this extended Empire. When that day shall arrive, and the welfare of your country prevail, may you then exchange the fatigues of the camp for the sweets of domestic retirement, may your weU earned fame run parallel with time and your felicity last through eternity." To which his Excellency made the following reply : " Your polite and friendly reception of me proves your sin- cerity " WhUe I view with indignation the marks of a wanton and cruel enemy, I perceive with the highest satisfaction that the heavy 22 338 HISTORY 01" KIWGSTOK. calamity wMch. befell tMs flourisMng settlement, seems but to have added to the patriotic spirit of its inhabitants ; and that a new town is fast rising out of the ashes of the old " That you and your worthy constituents may long enjoy that freedom for which you have so nobly contended is the sincere wish of " Grentlemen — Your most obedient humble servant "Geo Washington" The Consistory of the church in Kingston also united with their fellow-citizens in bidding the great hero welcome, and delivered to him the following address : " Sir — Amidst the general joy which instantly pervaded all ranks of People here on hearing of your Excellency's arrival to this place " We the Minister Elders and Deacons of the Protestant Ee- formed Dutch Church in Kingston participated in it, and now beg leave with the greatest respect and esteem to hail your arrival. " The experience of a number of years past has convinced us, that your wisdom, integrity and fortitude have been adequate to the arduous task your country has imposed upon you ; never have we in the most perilous of times known your Excellency to de- spond, nor in the most prosperous to slacken in activity, but with the utmost resolution persevere until by the aid of the Almighty you have brought us this year to Independence Freedom and Peace. " Permit us to add, that the loss of our religious rights was partly involved in that of our civil, and your being instrumental in restoring the one, affords us a happy presage that the Divine Being will prosper your endeavors to promote the other. " When the sword shall be sheathed and Peace re-established, and whenever it is the Will of Heaven that your Excellency has lived long enough for the purposes of nature, then may you enter, triumphantly thro' the Blood of the Lamb into the regions of bliss, there to take possession of that Crown of Glory, the reward of the virtuous and which fadeth not away." To which address his Excellency replied, as follows : " Gentlemen — I am happy in receiving this public mark of the esteem of the Minister Elders and Deacons of the Reformed Prot- estant Dutch Church in Kingston " Convinced that our religious liberties were as essential as our civil, my endeavors have never been wanting to encourage and promote the one, while I have been contending for the other, and HISTORY OF KINOvSTON. B39 I am highly flattered by finding that my efforts have met the approbation of so respectable a body. " In return for your kind concern for my temporal and eternal happiness permit me to assure you that my wishes are reciprocal ; and that you may be enabled to hand down your Religion pure and undefiled to a posterity worthy of their ancestors is the prayer of " Gentlemen " Your most obedient servant " Geo Washington" The arrival of the general and his suite was greeted with great rejoicings on the part of the citizens. He put up at the public house of Evert Bogardus, but accompanied by his staff he dined with Judge Dirck Wynkoop, in Green Street. In the evening there was a gathering of ladies in the Bogardus ball-room, which was honored for a short time by the attendance of the general, when the ladies were severally introduced to him. The next morn- ing at an early hour he left the village and continued his journey. Hostilities ceased in 1782. Soon after the surrender of Lord Cornwallis with his army of seven thousand men, the British min- istry entered into negotiations for peace, and a preliminary treaty was signed on the 30th day of November, 1782. But the definitive treaty acknowledging the independence of the United States, was not signed until nearly a year afterward, September 3d, 1783, and New York was not evacuated until the 25th of November following. Thus terminated British rule in this country, and the triumph of liberty over tyranny and despotism became complete. The final conclusion of the long and bloody war, during which much suffering had been endured and sacrifices made, followed by a full and absolute recognition of the independence of the United States as a nation, gave rise to rejoicings and jubilations in every section of the country. Kingston was not behind other places in the character and extent of her rejoicings. Its inhabitants had always stood among the firmest and foremost friends of liberty and advocates of the contest for independence. Their ardor had never been cooled or dampened, even by the tremendous sacrifices they had endured ; now it rather enhanced their joy at the glorious termination of the conflict, and they looked upon the result as a compensating reward for all their sufferings. By His Excellency GEORGE WASHINGTON, Esq.; General and Commander in Chief of the Forces of the United States of America. 1^ H E S E arc to C ER TI F Y that the Bearer hereof in the (J/^-^i-*!*':^^ ^i^^^^^i^^f^t^eglment, ha v jog -faithful ly feiv«d the United States /^^.Ct P ' \mn II and being inllfted for the War only, is hereby Discharged from the American Army, GIVENatHEAD-QuARTEKs the By Br sExcELLENcys Command. REGCS TE R E D In the Eooki of the Regiment, 'Adjutant, THE above /^^fc^:^ ^^Saa^-Tr ^:^e^i^ baj beei honored with the Baboe of MekiT fot ^^A^t^t^ .Years^fithful Service, j^ ^ -__,, ^^ ^ CHAPTER XX. RISE AND PROGRESS OP EDTJCATIONAL MATTERS IN KINGSTON, CULMINATING IN THE ESTABLISHMENT OF KINGSTON ACADEMY — ITS HISTORY. IN the preceding chapters the general history of Kingston has been brought down to the close of the national struggle for in- dependence, and it is now proposed to revert to early years and trace its educational history. As has been frequently stated, the great body of the early settlers in this country were driven by religious persecution from their fatherland, and came here to enjoy liberty of conscience and entire religious freedom. Emigrating as they did from the old world usually in companies, they brought their religious teacher with them. He in addition to his religious duties and catechetical instruction was also the instructor of the youth. The worthy burghers had such a man with them at Esopus. A Reformed Dutch Church, as hereinbefore stated, was regularly organized at Esopus, and Dominie Harmanus Blom settled over it in 1661. We have no reason to suppose that the education of the youth was thereby interrupted. After the organization of the trustees of the freeholders, etc., of the town of Kingston, that corporation interested itself in the cause of education. Its particular doings and appropriations dur- ing the early years of its existence we are unable to specify, by reason of the loss of the minutes. Among the earliest minutes extant, and under date of the 26th day of March, 1722, the trustees, by resolution, set apart out of their invested corporate funds bear- ing interest five hundred pounds, the annual interest of which was to be appropriated toward the maintenance of a Dutch school- master in keeping a school to be pree to the inhabitants of the corporation. This is without doubt one of the earliest progressive steps toward the free education of the masses. By the following letter of Charles De Witt it wUl appear that education in those days received some share of attention in neigh- boring towns, including improvement in the buildings : " Hurley August 1763 " Dr Sir ************ " We have the greatest crops of wheat here, that we have had 342 HIST0E7 OF KINGSTOIT. for many years past, and tlie most fruitful year that I can remem- ber ever to have seen every way. I am in hopes the poor laborer wiU be better able to rub along this year, as wheat, rye, feed, corn etc are vastly cheaper than they have been for a long time. Other things continue pretty much the same. We manage in general as usual, only we have taken a particular turn this year to build schoolhouses,— which at present are more plenty with us than schoolmasters. The upper end of Marbletown at Daniel Can- tine's, they have built one after the old fashion, viz A large heap of white oak, black oak and perhaps other sorts of timber piled up to convenient height, and two or three holes cut in for the children and light to pass. This building is not so magnificent, as another buUt, near father De Witt's, of stone, a shingle roof, two floors, but they tell me the upper floor is not planed very smooth, the joists ugly etc ; however two large sashes are made therein, besides another place where the master and his children pass and re- pass . . . " Now I have yet to tell you that we have built a schoolhouse amoDg the crowd also . . . " It is 29 and 24 feet in length and width, built of good large limestone, we have a good cedar shingle roof on. One large sash window next the street and another opposite thereto next the garden, another smaller window at one end near the fireplace, for the master to sit at. We intend to have our boards neatly planed and everything finished in the best manner . . . and finally we have a good master to take possession." The tenor of this letter shows that attention to educational matters was not a new thing, but that it was something that was improving and advancing. The trustees of Kingston, however, representing through their annual elections the wishes of the people, were not content with the simple provision for a schoolmaster ; they were continually looking forward for improvement in education and seeking the attainment of something better and higher. Thus we find they were soon moving in the direction of the establishment of a classi- cal school of the highest grade, as appears by a letter of which the following is a copy : " FisiiKiLL April 19th 1769 " Sir I received your favor of the 28th ult advising that you had received a letter from Mr Justice Livingston acquainting you of my design of opening an academy in Albany or Kingston, pro- vided I met with suitable encouragement in either of those places. I am much obliged to you Sir, for the early opportunity you took to lay my design before some of your Trustees . . . HISTORY or KINGSTON". 343 " I have lately been advised, that a gentleman, from Kingston, has been down, and among other things made it his business to inquire into my character, and the reason he gave was my design of opening an academy, which made me hope they had not wholly laid aside all the thoughts of so laudable an institution — but in hopes of the honor of your further advice " Remain good sir your most obliged humble serv't " Chauncey Graham "CA. Be Witt Esq:' This shows that the important question was then under serious consideration, and agitating the minds of the people. Soon there- after, however, and in 1778, everything proved ripe for action. In that year, under the administration of Johannis SleghlJ^ Antfiony Hoffman, Dirck Wynkoop, Jr., Joseph Gasherie, Wilhelmus Houghteling, Jr., Johannis Du Bois, Ezekiel Masten, Adam Persen, Silvester Salisbury, Johannis Persen, Abraham Van Gaasbeek, and Christopher Tappen, as trustees of the corporation, an important step in advance was taken, as will be seen by the following extract from the minutes of a meeting of the trustees held on the 11th day of October, 1773 : " On motion of Mr Sleght, that in consequence of frequent con- versations with regard to the building of a school house, or acad- emy for the education of children in this town, the necessity thereof must be well known, and the public good that may arise from so laudable an undertaking collectively considered, must make it matter of the greatest moment. The members of the cor- poration having taken the same motion into consideration it was Resolved '■^ First That a house for the convenience of such a school or academy be built purchased or hired as soon as conveniently may be. " Second That two capable persons be provided for the tuition of the scholars, one of whom to teach the Languages and Sciences, and the other the English and Mathematics. " Third That the tutors or masters of the said School shall be called by and remain under the care and direction of the Trustees of the Freeholders and Commonalty of the town of Kingston for the time being. " Fourth That the Honourable William Smith and the Rev Dr John H Livingston be desired to provide the said school with a Latin Master or Tutor, if in their power, and that they be author- ized in behalf of said Trustees to agree with such master at the rate of £100 per annum, to be engaged for two years, and that they cause the same to be pixt in the public prints, and also that the said School shall be opened on the first Monday of May next." 344 HisTOEY or Kingston. This was the seed that was sown, the germ that was started, which soon grew into a flourishing plant and made Kingston for many years the central point for education in the State. It was the germ from which Kingston Academy sprung and was organ- ized, than which no institution in the State for many years sus- tained a higher or more enviable reputation. It was the alina mater of a large proportion of the distinguished men of T^ew York who flourished in the early part of the nineteenth century. On the 10th of December, 1773, the trustees appointed a com- mittee to purchase a house and lot for the use of the school. On the 4th of March, 1774, they directed Mr. Tappen to •' write to Dr. Livingston to know whether he had procured a Latin master for the school, and also to request him, and Mr. Smith to cause an advertisement to be inserted in the public papers that the school would be opened on the first Monday of May then next." The trustees purchased for the school the house and lot on the southwest corner of John and Crown streets, which is now occu- pied as a private residence, and secured the services of John Addi- son as principal of the academical department. On the 9 th of May, 1774, they appointed one of their number to procure the ser- vices of a tutor in the Latin department. The English department of the school was not opened until the second Monday of May. At a meeting of the trustees held on the 14th of February, 1775, they made arrangements to procure a set of maps for Mr. Addison for use in the school-room, and also additional seats and a table. The school appears to have met with very great success from the commencement. It undoubtedly was very much needed in the country, and reaped the reward of its early establishment. Mr. Addison, the principal, was a man of nerve, of learning, and of first-class educational talent. The school under him took a very high rank and earned it by its works, and not by boasting. It continued uninterruptedly through the war until the vandal's torch reached the school-room. Then there was necessarily a sus- pension, but it was only temporary. They had men of determina- tion as well as lovers of learning at the helm in those days. As a matter of historic interest, a copy of the rate-bill of the English department, with the names of parents and scholars up to the very day of the conflagration, from the 15th of May, 1777, to the 16th of October, 1777, will be found in the Appendix. It can be relied on as an official paper. The copy is complete, the mem- oranda of studies pursued and arrearages of tuition only omitted. It is regretted that the one for the classical department could not also have been found. The repair of the school-house and putting it in condition for the use of the school, was proceeded with as soon as practicable HISTORY OF KINGSTON. 345 after the destruction of the woodwork therein by the Englishmen's torches. The suspension of the school was of such short duration that at a meeting of the trustees held on the first Tuesday of March, 1778, less than four months from the date of the conflagra- tion, the board being advised of Mr. Addison's need of an assistant, at once appointed a committee to procure one. The minute-book has the following entry in the proceedings of a meeting of the trustees held on the 2d day of October, 1778, a few days less than one year after the conflagration : " Mr Addison having informed the Trustees that he would have his pupils ready for examination, by the second "Wednesday of this month, it was ordered that the Clerk draw an advertise- ment and cause it to be published in Mr Holt's paper, setting forth that a public examination, of Mr Addison's students, will be on the 2nd Wednesday of this month at the house of Capt Evert Bogardus, in this town, at 10 O'clock in the morning." At a meeting held on the 12th of October, it was " Ordered that Messrs Osterhoudt, Jansen and Elmendorf prepare benches etc at Captain Bogardus for the spectators, at the examination, and that they request Capt Bogardus to have a dinner prepared on Wednesday next for twenty men." The examination was held at the appointed time before the trustees and as large an audience of spectators as could be accom- modated in the room, and everything passed off with great eclat and satisfaction, and was followed by a month's vacation. On the 18th day of November, 1778, the school was opened with a large attendance of pupils, and on the 8th of December following the trustees entered into an agreement with Mr. Addison to pay him a salary of £214 for the then current year, commencing with the said 18th day of November. They then established the rate of tuition at £8 per annum, and added £14 as a bonus to Mr. Addi- son' 8 previous year' s salary. On the 12th of February, 1779, the trustees " Ordered that Mr Houghteling be empowered to agree with Mr Peter Van Steenbergh, or some other person, to serve as Tutor ia the English School, for a sum not exceeding' £180 and also to hire Mr Jacob Turck's house for the accommodation of the said Tutor's family." And on the 15th day of April, 1779, they " Resolved that the lot belonging to the school house, now in Mr. Addison's possession, be put in good fence, and that the rubbish and dirt about the door be carted away and levelled." And appointed Mr. Hoffman to superintend the work. At the same meeting they passed the following preamble and resolution : " Whereas by the present indeterminate value of the paper cur- 346 HISTORY OF KINGSTON, rency, the salaries of the Tutors of the Academy of this place are by no means adequate for their support, Eesolved that from and after the ensuing vacation the price of tuition for each student shall be as formerly £5 per annum, to be paid either in specie or produce or in continental money equal to the exchange, as the same shall be when the payment shall become due." And at the request of Mr. Addison, they fixed his salary for the then ensuing year, to commence on that date, at £100 per annum in specie. On the 3d day of August, 1779, at a meeting of the trustees, Abraham Van Vechten, who in subsequent years for a long time stood highest in the front rank among the leading members of the bar of this State, attended before the trustees and informed them that he had for some time, at Mr. Addison's request, assisted him as an usher, and desired a reasonable compensation for his ser- vices. The trustees agreed to allow him a salary of £135 currency per annum, but required him to give three months' notice of his intention to quit the service. This Mr. Van Vechten was the first man who received a license to practice in the Supreme Court under the State Constitution, and for that reason, and for his eminent standing in the profession, was designated as the father of the New York Bar. The inhabitants of Kingston, it appears, were not content with a successful academy, but desired also to be honored with the loca- tion of a university or college within their territory. The follow- ing entries appear in the trustees' minutes under the respective dates, as specified : August %d, Yll'd. — " Whereas several deliberations and conver- sations have heretofore been had, respecting the obtaining a charter to erect and establish a University or College in this town, Eesolved that the Trustees will do every thing in their power to encourage and promote so laudable an undertaking." They thereupon also appointed Judge Wynkoop, Mr. Tappen, Mr. Gasherie, and Mr. Addison a committee to consult with his excellency the governor, and the Hon. Robert R. Livingston, respecting the said college or university, and to prepare a petition to the Legislature of this State, at the next session, praying for leave to bring in a bill for that purpose. January lltTi, 1780. — " The Trustees, having at the last session of the Legislature of this State, proffered a petition to that body, for leave to bring in a. bill to erect or establish a College or Univer- sity in this town, and the Assembly of this State having given leave to bring in a bill for that purpose, by their resolve dated October 20. 1779 " Ordered that Derick Wynkoop and Christopher Tappen repair to Albany, in order to consult the Hon Robert Yates and Mr Egbert Benson and such other gentlemen as they shall HISTORY OF KINGSTON, 847 think proper, to draft and complete a bill for that purpose, and that the Trustees will reimburse them the expense etc for the com- pletion thereof." Under these proceedings nothing was accomplished. Subse- quent proceedings were taken by and in behalf of the trustees of the academy for the same purpose in the year 1804, which will be set forth in a subsequent part of this chapter. Mr. Addison continued in charge of the academy until 1784. He was succeeded by John McMillan on the 23d day of November, 1784, under an engagement for one year. On the 6th day of February, 1785, the trustees determined that ACADEMY. it was desirable that the academy should be furnished with a beU, and appointed a committee for that purpose. The committee sub- sequently, on the 16th of February, reported that they had been to Mr. Nathan Smedes to purchase a bell, that he had declined to take any compensation therefor, and had made a present of the same to the academy. And they further reported that Mr. Smedes had in addition offered to give the tnistees as many cedar posts as might be necessary to build a steeple on the academy buUding to accommodate the bell. The trustees accepted the gift and made a suitable expression 348 HI8T0ET OF KINGSTON. of thanks to Mr. Smedes for his liberal offer. They at once desig- nated one of their number, Mr. Schoonmaker, to fetch the posts. In June, 1788, Mr. McMillan resigned as principal, to take effect at the close of the then current term. The trustees at once wrote to Dr. Witherspoon, requesting him to recommend to them for the place " a gentleman whose ability and moral character wiU add a reputation to the school, and whose assiduity and attention to the progress of Ms pupils will render it (the academy), as it formerly has been, a general blessing to this part of the Country." In the course of their communication they expressed their pref- erence for a married man, as he " when happily situated is not so apt to change his situation, as young'gentlemen who are generally fond of making experiments." They closed their communication,- after setting forth the conveniences, etc., of the academy, by say- ing that " they think it unnecessary, on the present occasion, to enumerate the qualifications which the gentleman ought to possess as a teacher. You are the proper judge, for the Corporation of Kingston ; it will be sufficient for the Rector of their academy to be a gentleman of Dr Witherspoon' s recommendation. A man, whose long and unwearied services in promoting the felicity of mankind, will ever be remembered by the virtuous and the wise with gratitude and applause." On the 24th of October, 1788, the trustees entered into a con- tract with George Barnes Ewart to take charge of the academy and teach the Greek and Latin languages and the higher English branches for the term of six months. Mr. Ewart did not appear to give entire satisfaction, as may be judged from the fact that on the 18th of December, 1789, the trustees appointed a committee to consult with Dominie Doll and Mr. Addison to procure an able instructor in the place of Mr. Ewart as soon as possible. That did not result in any change, and on the 28th day of January, 1791, the trustees resolved " that the corporation become a member of the University of New York. " In the month of March, 1791, the dissatisfaction of the patrons of the academy arose to fever heat, so that on the 4th of March Messrs. Oke Sudam and Samuel Freer presented a petition to the trustees, signed by thirty-six of the patrons of the academy, which alleged that the fathers paid their money, but the children did not learn ; that the academy was in a declining state, and urging such measures to be taken as would restore it in the future to a high and flourishing condition. The trustees at once summoned Mr. Ewart before them, and gave him the requisite three months' notice to leave the academy. Messrs. Gerrit Van Keuren, Tobias Van Buren, and Peter HISTORY OP KINGSTON. 349 Marius Green were appointed a committee to ascertain the sense of the people in regard to what measures the trustees should take to procure a teacher. The academy was vacated by Mr. Ewart at the close of the term, and it remained closed for nearly a year, owing to the diffi- culty of securing a satisfactory principal. They were well com- pensated for the delay, however, as they then secured the services of a most competent and faithful instructor in the person of Tim- othy Tredwell Smith. The trustees gave the following notice in the public papers : " Kingston Academy. " The Trustees of Kingston, in Ulster county, take this method of giving public information that they have again established the Academy in this place under their particular direction and inspec- tion. A gentleman of competent education and abilities has been procured who at present presides over it. The Greek and Latin languages, and in general the various branches of education usual in academies are taught here. The healthy situation of the town, the convenient and cheap boarding that can be procured, it is expected, will encourage parents and guardians to patronize this institution by sending their children and those under their care to it. The Trustees assure the public that from specimens of the proficiency of the scholars already afforded, they have the fullest confidence of giving general satisfaction to all those who may honor them with their attendance. "Kingston, December 1, 1792." After the reopening of the academy it again resumed its coarse of prosperity and celebrity, and on the 21st day of February, 1794, the trustees of Kingston applied to the regents of the University of the State of New York for the incorporation of the institution which had been thus established and nurtured by them. A few days after making such application, and anticipating the favorable action of the regents, the then trustees of Kingston, Peter Marius Groen, Moses Yeomans, Jeremiah Du Bois, Gerrit Van Keuren, Philip Swart, Tobias Meyer, Tjerck C. De Witt, Evert Bogardus, and Samuel Swart, by deed of conveyance, bearing date March 1st, 1794, conveyed to John Addison, George J. L. DoU, and others trustees of the academy in Kingston all that certain messuage, etc. (describ- ing the academy lot at the comer of Crown and John streets in this village), " To have and to hold the said lot of ground with the hereditaments and appurtenances unto the Trustees of the Academy in Kingston and to their lawful successors forever to and for the sole and only use, benefit and purpose of promoting literature in 350 HISTORY OF KINGSTON". the said Academy in Kingston, and to and for no other use, benefit and purpose under any pretence whatever." It appears that the regents of the university made no response to the first application, and therefore the trustees of . Kingston renewed their application on the 5th of January, 1795. This time their petition received the favorable action of the regents, and Kingston Academy was duly incorporated by a deed of incorpora- tion, a copy of which is here inserted as a matter of historic interest. " The Regents of the University of the State of New York to all to whom these presents shall come or may concern, greeting : Whereas the Trustees of the Freeholders and Commonalty of the town of Kingston, in the County of Ulster and State of New York, by two several instruments in writing under their hands and Cor- poration Seal, bearing date respectively, the 21st day of February, 1794, and the 5th day of January, in the year 1795, after stating among other things that they have had for several years an estab- lished academy in the said town for the instruction of youth in the learned languages, and other branches of useful knowledge, and have purchased and appropriated to that use and purpose a lot of ground with a large and commodious building thereon, in the said town, did respectfully make application to us, the said Regents, that the said Academy might be incorporated, and become subject to the visitation of us and our successors ; and that John Addison, George J. L. Doll, Petrus Van Vlierden, Moses Yeomans, Peter Marius Groen, Cornelius Jansen, Jeremiah Du Bois, Abraham Van Gaasbeek, Jr., Peter Van Gaasbeek, Coenradt Edmundus Elmen- dorf, Evert Bogardus, Petrus Myndertse, Peter Roggen, Henry Eltinge, James S. Bruyn, Peter Vanderlyn, Petrus Elmendorf, Jr., Samuel Freer, Moses Cantine, James Oliver, Abraham Van Home, Gerrit De Witt, Joseph Hasbrouck, and Johannis Bruyn, might be the Trustees of said Academy, by the name of The Trustees of Kingston Academy : Now know ye that we, the said Regents, having inquired into the allegations contained in the said instruments in writing, and found the same to be true, and it appearing to us by due proof that the said applicants have contrib- uted more than one half in value of the real and personal property and estate collected or appropriated for the use and benefit of the said Academy, and we conceiving the same calculated for the pro- motion of Literature, do by these presents, pursuant to the statute in such case made and provided, signify our approbation of the Incorporation of the said John Addison, George J. L. Doll, Petrus Van Vlierden, Moses Yeomans, Peter Marius Groen, Cornelius Jansen, Jeremiah Du Bois, Abraham Van Gaasbeek, Jr., Peter Van Gaasbeek, Coenradt Edmundus Elmendorf, Evert Bogardus, HISTORY OF KINGSTON. 351 Petrus Myndertse, Peter Eoggen, Henry Eltinge, James S. Bruyn, Peter Vanderlyn, Petrus Elmendorf, Jr., Samuel Freer, Moses Cantine, James Oliver, Abraham Van Home, Gerrit Be Witt, Joseph Hasbrouck, and Johannis Bruyn, the Trustees of the said Acad- emy, so as aforesaid named by the founders thereof, by the name of The Trustees of Kingston Academy, being the name mentioned in and by the said request in writing. In witness whereof we have caused our common seal to be hereunto affixed this third day of February, in the nineteenth year of the independence of the United States, Annoque Domini, one thousand seven hundred and ninety- iive. Witness : George Clinton, Esquire, Chancellor of the Uni- versity. " By the command of -^^^^-^ the Chancellor. i ) DeWitt Clinton, I hs [ Geo. Clinton, Secretary. ' ) Chancellor." On the 10th day of June, 1795, the deed of incorporation having been received, the trustees named attended in the Academy HaU and took upon themselves the charge thus committed to them. After hearing an address suitable to the occasion from Mr. John Addison, the senior trustee, who acted as president, they pro- ceeded to the choice of the necessary officers, and Peter Van Gaas- beek was chosen Secretary, and Peter Vanderlyn, Treasurer ; the duties of President devolving upon the senior trustee, by the title of " Mr. Senior." After which it was " Resolved unanimously that the following plan of education be adopted, and the following Rules and Regu- lations observed for the government of the Principal Tutor, Usher and Students of this Academy, viz. : " 1st. There shall be taught in this Academy the Greek and Latin languages, Elementary and Practical Geometry, Mathematics, Logic, Moral and Natural Philosophy, Ancient History, Geog- raphy, and the History and Government of the United States. " 2nd. The terms of tuition for any one of the above branches of Education shall be at and after the rate of five pounds per annum ; one-third of which sum to be paid by the Student to the Treasurer of the Trustees of this Academy on the day of his en- trance, and the remaining two-thirds at the expiration of the year, and so in like manner for every year he shall continue therein. Each Student shall in addition to the above annual sum, furnish two loads of fire-wood for the use of the Academy, or pay the cur- rent price thereof to the Principal Tutor. " 3d. The hours for teaching shall be, during the Summer Session, from half -past eight in the morning until twelve at noon, 352 HISTORY OF KINGSTON. and from two until five o'clock in the afternoon on each day (Sat- urdays excepted), which portion of the week is deemed necessary for recreation, both of the Teachers and Students ; and during the "Winter Session, from nine in the morning until twelve at noon, and from half -past one uintil five o'clock in the afternoon on each day (Saturdays excepted.) " 4th. There shall be two vacations in every year, of three weeks each, to commence on the first Monday of May and October. And on the Friday immediately preceding each vacation a general and public examination of the Students in the presence of the Trustees and such other persons as may choose to attend. " 5th. That every morning the Principal Tutor, Usher, or a Master shall open the exercises of the Academy with prayer. " 6th. That there shall be quarterly visitations of the Academy by the Trustees, or a committee of them, in order to examine into the improvement and progress of the Students, and to propose such alterations and arrangements as may be found necessary and con- venient for the good government of the Academy." It was also at that meeting, after reciting that they had agreed with Mr. Timothy Tredwell Smith, the former preceptor, to con- tinue his charge of the academy. " Eesolved that Timothy Tred- well Smith be and he is hereby appointed to take charge of the Academy as Principal Tutor thereof for two years, to commence on the 14th day of May, 1796, and that he be allowed for his ser- vices for the first year, to terminate the 14th day of May, 1797, the sum of 170 pounds ($425), and for the year next thereafter the sum of 185 pounds ($462,50)." From the plan thus shadowed forth in the'preceding resolutions, it is evident that the trustees started with a determination to main- tain the established character of the institution, and conduct therein a school of a high and severe grade. The establishment of semi-annual examinations in the presence of the trustees evinced the watchful care with which they intended to foster and watch the progress of the institution. These semi-annual examinations were kept up for many years, and were punctually attended by the fuU board, all the trustees making it a matter of pride and duty to attend, unless prevented by sickness or some other unavoidable cause. The distinguished character of that institution for many succeeding years, and the names of the eminent men enrolled among its alumni, testify to the wisdom of the policy. The semi-annual recurrence of that event was looked forward to with great expectations of delight and pleasure by the citizens of Kingston and surrounding country, both old and young, and weeks preceding the event preparations were made for its fitting celebration. Every house was thrown HISTORY OF KINGSTOIT. 353 open for the reception and entertainment of strangers and visitors, who flocked to the village on these occasions, and freely and happily partook of the cordial hospitality of our Dutch ancestry. Upon the morning of the day fixed for the examination, the Board of Trustees convened at a public house which was then situated at the corner of Fair Street and Maiden Lane. They were escorted in procession from that place by the students, preceded by music, and amid the merry ringing of the village bells, proceeded to the Academy Hall, when the examination, rigid and thorough in its character, took place. The examination was followed by a public dinner, of which both students and trustees, as well as distin- guished strangers, partook. After dinner, in the spring examina- tions, the literary exercises of the day were closed by declamation in the Dutch Church, then the only church in the village. In the faU the literary exercises of the examination day were closed by an exhibition in the court-room, at which dialogues, disputations on questions proposed, and speeches were delivered by the students. Originally the exercises of the evening were enlivened and inter- spersed by the performance of scenes from tragedies, farces, and comedies. This was prohibited by a resolution of the board adopted on the 10th day of December, 1805, when it was " Resolved that hereafter there shall be no public exhibition of any tragedy, comedy, or farce by the scholars after the semi-annual examina- tions ; but their exercises may consist of dialogues, dissertations on questions proposed, and other fit and proper speeches and orations as may tend to qualify them for public speaking." After the literary exercises were closed the younger portion of the visitors and citizens united with the students in the merry dance, and thus joyously spent the rest of the night until the small hours of the morning. The writer found among the papers of his mother several invitations to the Commencement balls, and fac-similes are here inserted as matters of historic interest. Among the managers will be found the names of several who be- came distinguished as judges, and in the learned professions and political Ufe. The public dinner was abolished by special order of the Board of Trustees, on the 23d day of April, 1813, when it was " Resolved, that hereafter no dinner be paid for by the Treasurer, and that the Trustees have no public dinner hereafter." Such pleasing observances of the semi-annual examinations con- tinued for many years. They waned, however, with the declining prosperity of the academy. By the time the academy had degen- erated from a high-toned institution, devoted entirely to the classics and higher English branches, to a mixed school for all classes and ages and progress of advancement, the semi-annual examinations 23 354 HISTORY OF KINGSTOK. g S THE HONOR OJ i,'^ %\ /company IS REaUESTED AT 5 & % a oeaii, % 8? At Mr, DE WAAL'S, on Friday next, r o'dock. ^^ §5 JOHNSUDAM, -) ^gp- g S HERMAN RUGGLES, f jfa„fl~,. S 2fe 1:5 JULIUS WHITE, (^"""^