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CORNELL 

UNIVERSITY 

LIBRARY 




BOUGHT WITH THE INCOME 
OF THE SAGE ENDOWMENT 
FUND GIVEN IN 1 89 1 BY 

HENRY WILLIAMS SAGE 



THE EAGLE'S 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEEPSIE 



From the Earliest Settlements 



1683 TO 1905 




BY 



EDMUND PLATT 



F" I '^ 



tiimu. 



PUBLISHED BY 

PLATT & PLATT 

POUGHKEEPSIE 
1905 



COPYRIGHT, 1905, 

BY 

PLATT & PLATT. 




THE* V. H4I0HTC0, 

PBINTERS 

MUCHKEtPSIE 

NEW rORK 



PREFACE. 



Ever since the publication of the Souvenir Eagle at 
the time of the completion of the Poughkeepsie Bridge 
in 1889 I have had in mind the idea of writing a history 
of Poughkeepsie, and began then in a rather desultory 
way the collection of materials. It is doubtful, how- 
ever, if the plan would have taken definite form had 
not Mr. F. T. Smiley, of New York, induced the pub- 
lishers of the Eagle to enter into a contract with him 
for a History of Poughkeepsie. similar to the histories 
he had been publishing for other cities. Preliminary 
canvassing was done under his direction, which showed 
that a demand certainly existed for such a work, but 
finding that a satisfactory history could not be written 
without long study of a great mass of material, con- 
suming" much more time than had been anticipated, the 
contract was surrendered and the preparation of the 
history was turned over to me in November, 1903. 

Much material for a historv of Poughkeepsie had 
been collected since the publication of the two Dutchess 
County Histories (1877 and 1882). Continuous news- 
paper files had been brought together at the Adriance 
Memorial Library or at Vassar Institute, covering the 
period from 1806 to the present, and a few earlier vol- 
umes, together with many single copies of the old 
Poughkeepsie Journal had been collected by Mr. 
Henr\- Booth, Mr. Tristram Cofiin and Mr. Frank 
Van Kleeck. Mr. Booth and Mr. Coffin had long 
been collectors of local historical documents, very 
few of which had been made use of in the county his- 
tories. Mr. Van Kleeck had preserved in scrap books 
near!}- all the historical sketches and obituary notices 
of prominent citizens published during the last twenty- 
five years, and had also collected many rare old photo- 
graphs and prints. Mr. Charles N. Arnold had saved 
manv documents of interest and value, and Mr. Silas 
W'odell had made an excellent collection of local maps. 
To these gentlemen I am particularly indebted not 
onh' for the use of their collections, but also for many 
valuable srggestions and for aid in solving the prob- 
lems which have arisen at all stages of the work. Miss 
Helen \\'ilkinson Reynolds's genealogical studies and 
familiaritx with (he carl\ counl\ records have also been 
of great service. 



,Alany newspaper files and documents of historical 
interest still remain scattered in the hands of many 
owners, and ought to be brought together. A good 
many files of the early newspapers cannot be found, 
but others are treasured by their owners and are rea- 
sonabh- safe from destruction from everything but fire. 
I wish to acknowledge indebtedness for much assist- 
ance from the files of the Dutchess Observer and of 
the Poughkeepsie Telegraph, in the office of the News- 
Press and continuous from 181 5; from the Pough- 
keepsie Journals, 1831-1844, in the possession of Mr. 
A. G. Tobey, of the Courier ; and from the early files of 
the Guardian and of the Political Barometer belonging 
to Mrs. C. M. Nelson. Many other persons have 
assisted me with loans of papers, documents or photo- 
graphs, including Mr. John A. Roosevelt, Mrs. Isaac 
Tompkins, Mr. Alfred M. Frost and Mr. Helmus W. 
Barratt. 

The early county records, surprisingly complete 
when one considers that they have been through two 
court house fires, have been for the first time made 
easily accessible in the new court house. Thev contain 
much interesting historical matter which has previous- 
ly been overlooked. Two of the books of minutes of 
the old \'illage of Poughkeepsie have been lost, to- 
gether with many of the early ordinances and assess- 
ment rolls, but the first book of minutes is in good 
preservation (beginning 1803) and later deficiencies 
can generally be supplied from newspapers. The Town 
of Poughkeepsie records of elections are complete from 
1743 and ha\'e been placed in the citv librarw 

The State of New York has done much in recent 
)ears to make the work of the local historian easier and 
to add to his material. The publication of the Public 
Papers of George Clinton, now almost finished, is per- 
haps the most important recent State work, and as 
many of Governor Clinton's Revolutionary letters were 
written in Poughkeepsie, this work is of particular in- 
terest to the historian of Poughkeepsie. I am indebted 
to My. Hugh Hastings, State Historian, for proofs of 
one of the \-olumes of Clinton Papers not vet pub- 
lished. 

Many local historical sketches of Poughkeepsie were 



PREFA CE. 



written by Benson J- Lossing, long- a resident of the 
place, and by Isaac Piatt, who founded the Pough- 
keepsie Eagle in 1828, and began to put into print the 
stories he had heard and matters that he remembered 
in 1848, on the anniversary of the beginning of his ca- 
reer as a newspaper editor and proprietor. Later \tx- 
sions of these sketches, printed mostly from twenty 
to twenty-five years later than the originals, with num- 
erous additions and omissions, were the basis of many 
of the statements in the county histories, and account 
for their inaccuracies. The original sketches are very 
valuable as guides and in matters within the recollec- 
tion of their authors, but are not to be accepted against 
the direct evidence of the records. Ever-^- eft'ort has 
been made in the preparation of this history to trace 
statements to their sources and to obtain the main facts 
directly from unimpeachable records and contempo- 
rary documents. The completion of the book has been 
long delayed, but the delay has resulted in manv im- 
provements and important additions to the narrative. 
New material, in fact, is constantlv coming' to light, 
and the task of preparing such a historv is in a sense 
endless. The author, however, must make his final 
choice of material at some time and finish his work. 



During the past two }-ears I have published a num- 
ber of historical sketches in the Eagle with the purpose 
of bringing out additional information, and much of 
\alue has been obtained through letters from persons 
interested. 

Probably some of the genealogists will be disappoint- 
ed that the book does not include sketches of the leading 
families of the early days, but these seemed out of place 
in a chronological history and were not possible within 
the limits of the present volume. I have endeavored 
to indicate where some of the most prominent families 
came from and when they settled in the neighborhood, 
but in general ha\'e taken the names as I found them 
in the records. 

The photographs from which the excellent fac-sim- 
ile and other illustrations were made were nearly all 
taken by Mr. O. K. Seaman, whose work speaks for 
itself. A few are reprints from a series of plates made 
about twenty-five years ago by C. S. Lucas, and others 
are copies of rare photographs taken by various per- 
sons. 

EDMUXD PLATT. 

Poughkeepsie, June ist, 1905. 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. 



CllArXER I. 
The Name "Pougiikeepsie," Where it was 
First Given and \\'hat it Means — The 
Ai'OKEEPSiNC Derivation Not Sustained. .9-15 

CHAPTER II. 

Cl lEONI AE tllSTORY 16-33 

The First Settlers and the First Land 'i'itles 16-18 

Beginnings of Development, the Post Road 18-19 

Connty Organization and the First Court House.. 19-20 

The First Ta.x List 21 

Some Interesting Entries in the First Book of 

Records of Supervisors and .Assessors 21 

The First Dutch Church J2 

The First English Church 23-24 

Oaths Signed by Office Holders 24 

The Precinct or Town of Poughkecpsie 25-2(1 



Interesting Colonial Events... 

Signs of Growth 

Prominent Colonial Families. 



20-27 

27 

29-33- 



CHAPTER HI. 
The Ria-oei-tion 34-53 

Early Meetings and Development of Anti-British 

Sentiment 34-.^^' 

The "Associators" and the Tories 36-38 

^lilitary Organization 38 

Poughkeepsie's First Boom; Ship Building for the 

Continental Navy 39-41 

The Critical Year 1777 41-42 

Fall of Fort Montgomery and Vaughn's Raid.... 42-4'' 

Ponghkeepsie Becomes the State Capital 46-4>'^ 

Governor Clinton's Letters 4851 

Continentals in Ponghkeepsie S<-3- 

Last Years of the War; The Fishkill Beacons..., ,12-5,3 

CH-VPTER n' 

From the RiCvolution to 'i'iie In'cori'or.vtion oe 

THi-: X'li.EACE 17S3-17')'; 54-71 

James Kent .^45.^ 

The Ponghkeepsie Journal ,S.s-5'' 

Ratification of (he Constitution of the United 

Slates .ifi-Cit 

Early Politics in Town and County 61-62 

Rival Newspapers ^'- 

Slavery in Ponghkeepsie 62-04 

Town Development 64-6S 

The Churches ('*'< 

The First Stale School .Money 69 

Incorporation as a Village 6<)-7i 



CHAPTER \'. 

Fro.m tiiic Inc()ri'0r.\tiox of the A'ii.L.\(.;i; to 

THE Close oE tihc W'.vr of 1812 72-93 

Village Organization 72-75 

The Court House Fire, 1806 7.i-76 

The Village Streets 76-81 

River Industries and Freighting 81-83 

Other Manufacturing Industries 83-85 

The Vassar Brewery . ' 85-86 

De\'eloping a Business Centre 86-8S 

Some Popular Amusements 88-89 

Banks, Schools and Incorporated Companies 89-90 

Churches 90 

Newspapers and Politics 91-92 



CHAPTER \'I. 

FR0-^l Tiiic Close oe the A\'ar oe 1812 to the 

P.vNic OF 1837 95-127 

Gen. Talhnadge and the MissoiuM Compromise..., 96-97 

Lafayette's \'isit g8-ioi 

The Lottery in Ponghkeepsie ior-102 

Parly Changes; The Telegraph and the Dutchess 

Intelligencer 102-104 

l^ianks and Bankers 104-107 

The Improvement Parly 108-1 To 

Tlie Whaling Companies 1 10-115 

Other Industries 115-I17 

The Era of the Sleanilioat 117-719 

The Reser\oir and the Big Fire of 1836 119-120 

The h'ire Department 120 

Churches and Schools 121-126 

The Real Estate Boom 12O-127 



CHAPTER VU. 

I'ro.m Till'. P.XNicoE 1837 TO THE InCORI'OR.VI'IOX 

oi- Till-: City, 1854 128-152 

Political liffecls of the Panic, Senator N. P, Tall- 

madge and the Conservatives 128-135 

n'he Panic and Ihe linprox'enient Parly '35-139 

Building <if the I ludson River Railroad i,^9-t43 

Schools, the l~irst h'rec Schools 144-T45 

The Public Librarv and the L\'ceinn 145-146 

Xcu Churches 146-148 

riie Rural Cemetery 148 

.V Daily Newspaper and Gas Light 14S 

The ViUa.ne hire Department 149-150 

.\ Cily Charter 150-1 51 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER VIII. 
From the Ixcorporatiox of thr Citv to the 

Ci\"iL ^^'AR 153-174 

Beginnings of City Government 153-154 

The Dutch Church and Otlier Fires 154-156 

New Churches and Charitahle Institutions 156-157 

Business and Other Development 157-162 

Schools, the Law School and Eastman College. .. .162-166 

Founding of Vassar College 166-16S 

Sports — Base Ball. Ice Yachting 168-171 

Politics Before the War 171-174 

CHAPTER IX. 
The Civil ^^'-^R 175-195 

Earlj- Meetings and Enlistments 175-181 

The 128th Regiment 182 

The 150th Regiment , 182-183 

The 159th Regiment and the First Drafts 183-185 

Echoes of the Draft Riots — Home Events 185-188 

Politics — The Campaign of 1864 188-191 

Eastman College — Business Conditions 191-193 

The Sanitary Fair 193 

The Close of the War I93-I95 

CHAPTER X. 

From the Close of the \\'.\r to the Panic of 

1873 197-222 

Return of the Soldiers 197 

Wonderful Success of Eastman College 198-202 

Opening and Organization of Vassar College 202-204 

Changes Among City Schools 204-205 

Politics 205-206 

Churches and Religious Institutions 206-208 

The Hudson River State Hospital 20S 

Manufacturing and Other Industries 209-210 

Growth and Municipal Improvement, the Water 

and Sewer Systems 210-214 

The Poughkeepsie and Eastern and City Rail- 
ways 214-216 

The Real Estate Boom 216-219 

The Poughkeepsie Bridge 219-221 

Social Life,. Sports and Cluhs 221 

CHAPTER XI. 
From the Paxic of 1873 'I'o thf Present 

(1905) 223-267 

Reducing E.xpenses, The Charier of 1874 and Po- 
litical Changes 223-225 

Reorganization and Readjustment 225-227 

Building the Poughkeepsie Bridge 227-230 

The Old and the New — The River F'ront 230-235 

The Old and the New — Up-Town Industries 235-239 

The Charter of 1883 — Recent Politics 239-247 

The New Vassar College 247-248 

The Benefactions of Matthew Vassar, Jr.. and 

John Guy Vass.ir 248-250 

Other Benefactions and Organizations 250-251 

New Churches 251-252 

Recent Puhlic Improvements. Scho.ils 252-260 

The F'ire Department aiid the Military _'(io-2()3 

Social Life, Cluh, I-'raternilR---,. etc 263-jf)f» 

Conclusion 266-2(17 



APPEXDIX. 

Biographical Appendix 270-299 

Biographical and historical sketches of William Samuel 
.\ckert, M. D., Charles N. Arnold, Seward Barculo, Joseph 
F. Barnard, H. W. Barnum, M. D., Oliver H. Booth, Capt. 
John H. Brinckerhoff. Samuel H. Brown, Edward M. 
Burns, M. D., Allison Butts, Col. Henry F. Clark, Martin 
W. Collins, George Corlies, Jacob Corlies, John H. Cotter, 
M. D., The DeLaval Separator Company, John DePeyster 
Douw, The Dutchess Insurance Compan}-, The Eagle, Ed- 
\\'ard Elsworth, James Emott, Evertson Ancestr}-, Clement 
Carrington Gaines, Stephen G. Guernsey', Martin Heer- 
mance, James Hoyt, M. D., George Innis, John H. Ketcham, 
Francis G. Landon. Charles Edward Lane, Frank B. Lown, 
Luckey, Piatt & Co., George W. Lumb, John E. Mack, J. 
Marill, M. D., Thomas McWhinnie, Joseph Morschauser, 
George Nagengast. William Nelson, Stephen Palmer, D. D. 
S.,E. H. Parker, M. D., A. H. Peckham, M. D., J. \\'il6on 
Poucher, M. D., Poughkeepsie Glass Works, Poughkeepsie 
Savings Bank, Poughkeepsie Trust Company, Poughkeepsie 
Underwear Company, William Thacher Reynolds, River- 
view Military Academjr, James E. Sadlier, M. D., Robert 
Sanford, Jacob Schrauth and Sons, Oscar Nelson Seaman, 
John Sutclifife. Albert Tower, Robert K. Tuthill. M. D., 
David B. Ward, M. D., Charles Wheaton, James L. Wil- 
liams. 

Gexer.vl Appendix 300-313 

Inscriptions on Stones in Old Dutch Burial Ground — 
300. Signers of the Revolutionary Pledge of Associa- 
tion, 1775, Poughkeepsie Precinct — 300-301. Those Who 
Refused to Sign — 301. Names of Persons in the Precinct 
of Poughkeepsie Whose Personal Property was Confiscated 
and Sold in 1777 — 301. Persons Who Manumitted their 
Slaves in the Town of Poughkeepsie — 301-302. Persons 
Who Registered Slave Births under Act of March 29, 1799 — 
302. One of the Forms for Registering the Birth of a 
Slave under .\ct of 1799 — 302. Militia Officers 1786- 
1799 — ,?02-303. Trustees of the Village of Poughkeepsie 
1799-1854 — 304-305. First Ordinances Naming Streets — 
305-306. Population Statistics for County of Dutchess. 
Town. Village and City of Poughkeepsie — 306. Sale of 
Poughkeepsie Hotel in 1804 for Political Headquarters, with 
List of Subscribers to the Stock — 306-307. Names of 
Signers of the First Paving Petitions on Main Street (1812), 
Cannon Street (1814), Garden Street (1833), Mill Street 
(1833), ^larket Street (1831), Lower Main Street (1831) — 
307-308. Clinton Catechism (1811) — 308-309. Appeal 

of the Conservatives of 1821 against Revision of the State 
Constitution, with list of Signers — 310. Buildings in 
Poughkeepsie in 1841— 310-31 1. Postmasters of Pough- 
keepsie— 31T. Subscribers to Hudson River Railroad 
Stock. January, 1847— 311. Names of Original Plot Hold- 
ers in Reformed Dutch Cemetery on Hyde Park Road, just 
north of City Limits (1810) — 311. Names of Original 
Plot Holders in Baptist Burial Ground on Garden Street 
(1812)— 312. The First Lamp District (1851)— 312. 
List of Poughkeepsians Who Served on the Steamboats 
Reliance (Vidette) and Dutchess (Lancer) in the Civil 
War— 312. List of City Officers. Mayors. Recorders, 
Cit}- Chamlierlains. City Treasurers, City Attornexs, and 
Chief F,nf;ineer^ of the Fire Department — 312-313. 

Adiii: \ii.\ .\xi) Err.\t.\ ti , 

I>^i'i:>: 315-3^8 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 



Map of Poiighkeepsie and Vicinity in 1798 8 

The Waterfall at the Mouth of tlie Fall Kill 13 

Scene on the Mahwenawasig or Wappingers Kill 15 

The Van Kleeck House (Lossing, 1838) 19 

English Church "Glebe House" 24 

The Hoffman or Sherman House 29 

Henry Livingston House in 1870 29 

Map of Poughkeepsie in 1770 31 

Rear View of Noxon House 33 

Fac-simile of Commission Signed by Governor Clinton.. 46 

The Everitt or "Clinton House," before alteration 47 

Fac-simile of State Currency Printed by John Holt 50 

Seal Used on State Commissions 53 

Fac-simile of "Extra" printed during the Constitutional 

Convention in 1788 60 

Map of Poughkeepsie in 1790 63 

House Purchased by Governor Clinton in 1799 66 

Episcopal "Parsonage House" 68 

Map of Poughkeepsie in 1799 71 

Court House and "Lawyers' Row," in 1870 76 

Court House and Hotel, from Turnpike Map 78 

The Winans, or Southwick House 83 

The George Booth House 84 

The Arnold Cotton Factory 84 

Cannon Street from Liberty west in 1875 88 

Fac-simile Middle District Bank Note 89 

Reynolds House 96 

Fac-simile Lottery Circular 100 

Building of Poughkeepsie Trust Company (formerly the 

Poughkeepsie Bank) 106 

The Vassar Street Brewery 108 

Fac-simile Stock of Poughkeepsie Whaling Company.... no 

Map of Poughkeepsie in 1837 in 

Fac-simile Note of Dutchess Whaling Company n2 

Poughkeepsie Glass Works n4 

Fac-Siniile Stock of Poughkeepsie Silk Company 116 

Northern Hotel n8 

City Hall, formerly the Village Hall n9 

Old Christ Church I2r 

Presbyterian, afterwards Universalist, Church 121 

College Hill School Building 123 

Fac-simile Stock of College Hill School 124 

Poughkeepsie in 1836 from College Hill 125 

The N. P. Tallmadge House 127 

I-'ac-simile Bill of Journal and Eagle I3t 

The Vassar Brewery at the River 136 

Poughkeepsie in 1840 I37 

Old Picture of Vassar Brewery 142 

The Lower Furnace ( 1880) I43 

The Cannon St. Methodist Church 146 

Presbyterian Church 147 

"Goose Neck" Fire Engine I49 

Old Phcenix Hose House 150 

Poughkeepsie in 1852 151 

Church of the Holy Comforter 156 

Red Mills Buildings 158 

Main Street in i860 160 

Dutchess Insurance Co.'s Building 162 

Corner Main and Market Streets in i86r 178 

I"ac-simile of Poughkeepsie War Shinplaslor (first scries) 191 
Fac-simile of Poughkeepsie War Shinplastcrs (second 

scries) 192 



Market Street in 1865 198 

Itastman Park in 1875 200 

The Soldiers' Fountain 200 

Vassar College in 1870 202 

The Filter Beds in 1875 212 

Poughkeepsie & Eastern Station 215 

Eastman Terrace in 1875 218 

Corner of Main and Garden Streets after the Fire of 

Dec. 26, 1870 2ig 

Old Buildings on the Site of Kirchner Hall 219 

Walter Adriance's Cartoon of H. G. Eastman 221 

187s Snow Scene, Main Street 227 

Bridge Caisson (1877) 228 

The Poughkeepsie Bridge 229 

Looking South from the Bridge (1889) 232 

The Poughkeepsie Iron Works 233 

De Laval Separator Company's Buildings 234 

N. Y. C. & H, R. R. R. Station ( 1880) 235 

Factory of Poughkeepsie Underwear Company 236 

Main Street in 1880 237 

Old Telegraph (Enterprise) Building 242 

The Frederick F. Thompson Memorial Li1)rary at Vas- 
sar College 247 

The First Dutchess County Academy 253 

The Building of Luckey, Piatt & Co 256 

Residence of the late Capt. John H. Brinckerhoff 273 

The Eagle Building 279 

Interior view Jacob Schrauth's Sons' Ice Cream Parlors 

and Salesroom 296 



PORTRAITS. 



Gov. George Clinton.... 45 

George B. Evertson 80 

Tunis Van Kleeck 87 

Hon. William Nelson. .. . 93 

George P. Oakley 99 

Matthew Vassar 108 

George Corlies 109 

Hon. Seward Barculo... 132 

Isaac Piatt 134 

James Emott 152 

George Wilkinson 154 

Charles W. Swift 15S 

Albert Tower 159 

Robert Sanford 163 

Rev. D. G. Wright 165 

Matthew Vassar 169 

Oliver H. Booth 170 

Charles WHicaton 177 

Dr. Robert K. Tuthill.. 180 

James Bownc 183 

Hon. Homer ,\ Nelson.. 184 

George Innis 187 

Judge Joseph F. Barnard i8g 

Hon. John H. Kctchani.. 195 

Albert Van Kleeck 199 

llarxcy G. Eastman 201 

Dr. lulward H. Parker.. 207 

TlKim.is McWhinnic .... 209 



William T. Reynolds.... 211 

John Sutcliffe 213 

Jacob Corlies 217 

Frank B. Lown 226 

John H. Brinckerhoff.... 231 

John I. Piatt 238 

Allison Butts 239 

Hon. Martin Heermance 240 

James W. Hinkley 241 

Hon. Charles N. Arnold 243 

Samuel H. Brown 243 

Joseph Morschauser .... 246 
Hon. Edward Elsworth. 249 

William W. Smith 252 

Martin W. Collins 254 

Clement C. Gaines 253 

Joseph B. Bisbee 256 

Dr. Charles E. Lane.... 257 

George \\'. Lumb 23S 

George Nagengast 261 

Dr. H. F. Clark 262 

Francis G. Landon 265 

Dr. H. W. Barnum 272 

John E. Alack 288 

Dr. Stephen Palmer.... 290 
William H. Schrauth... . 296 

Jacob Schrauth 296 

l'"d\vard L. Schrauth.... 296 




■•^MSKEiKEN 



CHAPTER I. 



The Name "Poughkeepsie/' Where It Was First Given and What It Means— The "Apokeepsing' 

Derivation Not Sustained. 



Poughkeepsie is one of the old towns of New 
York State, dating well back into Colonial times, but 
it was not one of the first settled, and from its earliest 
beginnings, near the close of the seventeenth century 
down to the Revolution, which made the United States 
an independent nation, its growth was very slow. 
The name goes back of the origin of the town itself 
to the time when the Indians held undisputed control. 
The first Dutch farmers and woodsmen found the 
name here when they came, and much fun has been 
made of their many and various attempts to spell it 
as they heard it pronounced by the Indians around 
them. Phonetic spelling was the rule in those early 
days, which should have delighted the spelling re- 
former. Even the commonest names were frequently 
spelled in two or three different ways in the same docu- 
ment. An extreme instance of phonetic spelling is 
found on page 33 of Liber A of Deeds, recorded in the 
County Clerk's Office of Dutchess County, where 
"hutchens river" is mentioned in the bounding of a 
piece of land. 

All historians who have had any occasion to men- 
tion Poughkeepsie have gravely informed us that the 
name has been spelled in more than forty different 
ways, whicK is after all not better than the record of 
Schenectady or of many other towns the Indian names 
of which are long enough to admit some variety in the 
arrangement of letters. Not all the various spellings 
were the work of the early settlers, and some have been 
added by the antiquarians and etymologists in their 
efforts to explain the derivation and meaning of the 
name. 

The word Apokeepsing, from whicli the name 
Poughkeepsie is generally believed to have been de- 
rived, is, I think I shall be able to show, a pure inven- 
tion. No such form is to be found in any recorded 
deeds or documents, and there is no evidence that it 
was ever used by the Indians here or anywhere else. 
Its origin is ascribed to Schoolcraft,' who was fol- 

II have not been able after considerable searching to find 
this in Schoolcraft's works, bnt see Riittenber's "Indian 
Tribes of Hndson's River," page 371. The word, with the 
popular definition "safe harbor," is given in a pamphlet on 



lowed by Benson J. Lossing and later writers. Mr. 
William Wallace Tooker, author of the Algonquin n 
Series of monographs on Indian names, and probably 
the leading authority on eastern Indian nomenclature, 
says of Apokeepsing, in a contribution to the Ameri- 
can Anthropologist (1899, V^S^ 170)' "no warrant 
can be found for that form nor for such a translation" 
(safe harbor). There has been some variety in trans- 
lation introduced, however, mostly by recent writers. 
The word has been defined as meaning " safe harbor," 
" place of refuge," " safe harbor for small boats,'' 
"pleasant harbor," "deep water,"' and "at the rock 
pool, "2 certainly a pleasing variety.^ Mr. Lossing and 
others seem to have been much impressed with 
the harbor idea, possibly from some such legend as 
that related in Lossing's Hudson (p. 188) about the In- 
dian maiden who is said to have fled with her lover 
across the river in a canoe, finding a "safe harbor" 
at the mouth of the Fall Kill. Having satisfied them- 
selves as to the proper translation the next thing was 
to provide a word to translate, not so ver^' difficult if 
you can combine scraps of the dialects of several dif- 
ferent Indian nations. "Apokeepsing," or "Apokeep- 
sinck," was the result. 

Now, unless we accept the legend, which did not 
originate, so far as we can find out, until long after 
the Revolution — if indeed it was not invented bv Mr. 
Lossing himself — there was no reason for construct- 
ing a word to mean '" safe harbor." Indian names 
were generally given to some conspicuous feature of 
the land or water, and there was no " safe harbor" at 
the mouth of the Fall Kill as a conspicuous feature. 
It must be evident to any one who will examine the 
locality that the falls were almost at the river's edge. 
Two hundred }'ears of erosion, as well as the filling 
in of the bay or " cove" between Reynolds' Hill and 
the Kaal (or Call) Rock, are to be considered. If the 

Indian names published by the U. S. government and compiled 
chiefly from Schoolcraft's works. 

i\V M Beauchamp — ''Indian Name in New York.'' p. 
19- 

2W. R. Gerard — American Anthropologist, 1899 ^'ol., p 
586. 

3"Diichcss'' County History, p. 357 and note. 



10 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEEPSIB. 



inlet was small and certainly not an important fea- 
ture, the broad cove could hardly have been worthy of 
special designation as a harbor, for there were doz- 
ens of other coves, many of them deeper, within short 
paddling- distance. Finally it may be worth while to 
remember that canoes navigating a river like the Hud- 
son do not stand in great need of harbors, but when 
wind or waves threaten can be run ashore and pulled 
out of harm's way wherever there is a bit of beach. 

While there is no evidence that such a word 
as Apokcepsing was used to describe either the lit- 
tle inlet or the cove at the mouth of the Fall Kill, 
and no reason why a word meaning " safe harbor" 
should have been employed to describe that partic- 
ular locality, there is the best of evidence that the 
word " Poughkeepsie" in a form very much like the 
present was used by the Indians to designate the one 
conspicuous feature of the neighhborhood-^the water- 
fall, which during much of the 3'ear, and certainly at 
all times of high water, must have attracted attention 
from all passing canoes or other vessels on the river. 
This waterfall is very naturally named in the first 
known deed to property within the present cit}^ lim- 
its, as will appear. A somewhat similar word was 
borrowed from the Indians and used by the first 
settlers as the name of the Casper Kill, which flows 
through the Vassar College grounds and empties into 
the river at Clinton Point. 

At length, long before there was any town of 
Poughkeepsie, or village of Poughkeepsie, the name 
was used to describe a considerable section of land, as 
many early deeds on record in the County Clerk's 
Office clearl}^ show. It certainly' belongs to the town 
of Poughkeepsie, as well as to the section included in 
the city. A curious print^ which purports to be "A 
\'iew in Hudson's River of Pakepsey & the Catts- 
Kill Mountains from Sopus Island in Hudson's River," 
is evidence of the wide application of the name. The 
print declares itself to be the reproduction of a sketch 
made "on the Spot b)' his Excellency Governor 
Pownal," and is a view looking northward from 
Esopus Island. Governor P(jwnal published a series 
of prints of scenes in America, and was in this countr\' 
between October, 1753, and June, 1760. Long before 
that time there was a court house and a church, a tav- 
ern or two, and the nucleus of a village well started on 
the hill where is now Poughkeepsie, but thev do not 
seem to have had exclusi\'e title to the name, though 
Governor Pownal stretched his license as an artist a 
good deal when he turned his back en them and car- 
ried the name abo\'e Esopus Island. 



The firsti certain mention of the word Poughkeep- 
sie that I have been able to find occurs in an Indian 
deed, the earliest known conveyance of property now 
in the corporate limits of the city, recorded among the 
notarial papers in the Fort Orange Records at the 
County Clerk's Office in Albany, and published in 
Documents of Colonial History, XoX. XIII, page 571, 
as follows : 

This fifth day of May 1683 appeared before 
me Adrian van Ilpendam, Notary Public in 
Xew Albany and the undersigned witnesses a 
Highland Indian, called Massany, who declares 
herewith that he has given as a free gift a 
bouwery to Pieter Lansingh and bouwery to 
Jan Smeedes, a young glazier, also a waterfall 
near the bank of the river to build a 
mill thereon. The waterfall is called 

Pooghkepesingh and the land Minnisingh 
situate on the Eastside of the river. He 
acknowledges this gift herewith in the presence 
of their Honors the Commissaries Cornells van 
Dyke and Dirck Wesselsen Ten Brock, who 
themselves have heard the Indians testify, one 
called Speck and the other \'echpaidmo, that the 
aforesaid Massany had surrendered the aforesaid 
land to the said Pieter Lansingh and Jan Smeedes 
without retaining for him or for his descend- 
ants the right to claim even a stuyver's worth 
from them ; also that the said Indian Massany 
is the lawful owner and inheritor of the said land. 

The foregoing has been interpreted in the 
presence of their said honors the commissaries, 
by the wife of Jurien Teunissen and the afore- 
said Indian has signed it with his own hand at 
Xew Albany, on the date as above. 

This is the mark 

made by -s/ Massany 

himself ^ which I 

certify 

.Adrian van Ilpendam, Not Public 

.-\s witnesses 

Cornelius van Dvk 
Dirck Wesslsen. 

The spelling by the Dutch scribe of the word the 
Indians used in describing the waterfall, Pooghkepe- 
singh, it will be noticed, is not so very unlike that 
which has come down to us as the official and final 
spelling of the name, first of the precinct or township, 
then of the village, and at length of the city which 
grew near the waterfall. 

There is, however, a still earlier Indian deed on 
rcco.rd in Albain- which gives a somewhat similar 
name to. a stream. It is quoted by Rutte.nber in his 
"Indian Tribes of Hudson's River" (p. 371), and 
here occurs the first questioning of the authenticitv of 



iln the .\driance Memorial Library, nortli side of en- 
trance. 



iSee aK(i Ir\'ing Elting's "Dutch Village Communities of 
the Hudson River," p. 40, note. 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEEPSIE 



11 



Apokccpsing. Ruttenbers custom was to look for 
documentary evidence of the earliest forms of Indian 
names, instead of accepting them on tradition alone. 
" In a deed to Arnot Veil, 1680, covering the tract," 
says he, " the boundaries are described as ' beginning 
at a creek called Pacaksing, by the river side;' in a 
petition from William Caldwell, the orthography is 
Pogkeepkc; in an affidavit by Myndert Harmance, it 
is Pokccpsinck; in other papers the prevailing or- 
thography is Pokcepkc. and finally it is found applied 
to a pond of water l\-ing in the vicinity of the city 
and its signification given: or 'muddy pond,' an ex- 
planation that accords well with the accepted interpre- 
tation of Ramcpogh — a simple generic term for pond, 
or ponds, modified by locality or character." 

Mr. William Wallace Tooker, in a paper published 
in the American Anthropologist in 1899, taking the 
evidence of the Veile deed, concluded that " Pough- 
keepsie" was one of a long series of names derived 
from the Algonquian term "Poquosin," which indi- 
cated, according to Mr. Tooker, a place where a stream 
overflowed in time of freshet, or where it opened out 
into a shallow pond. The term was applied by the 
early settlers in many places throughout the east to 
swamps and streams, and with a wide variety of 
spellings. 

The deed above quoted is in Dutch, and is recorded 
in the Fort Orange Records, liook 3, Deeds, p. ^2, and 
dated June 15, 1680, nr three years before there was 
any Dutchess County. It is the earliest deed I have 
found to land within the present limits of the county. 
There are two partial translations or abstracts of it 
which differ somewhat. < )ne is published in the Docu- 
ments of Colonial History XIII, 545, as follows: 

"Indian deed for Land given by the Indian 
owners Kashepan alias Calkoen, Waspacheck 
alias Spek,^ and Phillipuwas, having power of 
attorney from Awannis, one of the owners, to 
Arnout Cornelissen \'iele as a present. The land 
consists of three flats through which a kil called 
Mynachkcc runs, one being about 25 morgens and 
lying on the Northside of the Kil, the other two 
on the Southside containing together about 12 
morgens. The grant includes the above kil from 
the river to the second fall called Mataj^an, a (Us- 
ance of about three F.nglish miles, also the wood- 
land adjoining it and stretching about two Englisli 
miles to the North and one mile to the Sont'.i of the 
abo\e described land along the river and back 
from the river as far as the aforesaid sccoiid fall, 



including two small kils. one in the woods to the 
North, which empties into the river and is called 
Pakakeing, the other emptying into the large Kil 
from the South. 

The other translated abstract is in the State library 
in manuscript, and contains the important addition 
that the kill, here spelled JVynachkcc. on which the 
land lies is " opposite Danskammer." The kill in the 
woods to the north is here spelled Pakakcincg, which is 
the spelling of the Dutch deed, still a perfectly legible 
document as recorded. 

These early deeds, and also many of the land 
patents from the crown, were without punctuation, and 
the boundaries are very indefinite, sometimes doubtless 
purposely left so in order that the land might be taken 
up where it seemed most valuable. In this deed the 
words as to the location " opposite Danskammer" are 
in the margin. Now Danskammer'^ was a point well 
fixed at that time. Capt. Couwenhoven lay there in 
his sloop negotiating with the Indians after the mas- 
sacre at Wiltwyck (Kingston) in 1663, and it is 
frequently mentioned in the old records. The only 
kill that can be called " opposite Danskammer" is the 
Wappingers, and fortunately by a succession of docu- 
ments we can trace this land far enough to show defi- 
nitely that this is the stream called "IVynachkcc," 
and not the Fall Kill. In the notarial papers at 
Albany there was recorded only two years after the 
.•\rnout Cornelissen Viele deed, a " bond and mortgage 
gix'en by a Highand Indian, Tapieas, for a debt to 
Lawrence van Ale and Gerrit Lansing, secured h\ 
his land situate upon Hudson's River, on the Eastside, 
nearl>- opposite Danskammer, it being a flat on the 
West side of a Kil called IJ'ynacIikcc beginning at the 
second fall, where Aernout Cornelissen's land ends."- 

F>y 1685 crown grants or '' patents" were begin- 
ning to be given for large tracts of land in Dutchess 
County and the settlers on the Arnout Viele land, 
presently found themselves in danger of being dis- 
possessed despite their Indian deeds; hence in 1704 
we find \'iele, who was a well-known man, joining 
with Pietcr Lansing (either the same man mentioned 
with Jan Smeedos in the deed granting the Poogh- 
kcpcsi}igh waterfall, or his son), in an application for 
a patent to make his title good. This document is in 
English, and is in excellent preservation (page 183, 
\'ol. Ill, Land Papers) in the Secretary of State's 
Office. In it the boundaries become more easily fol- 



pp. 



lit will be noticed' th.il an Indian of the same name is 
mentioned in the Pooglikepe.singli waterfall deed. 



'See Rultenlier, "Indian Tribes of Hudson's River 
38.^ and 2g. 

2D0CS. C<il Illi-t XHI. 572. O'Callighan is certainly wron 
in placing" tbis land in Pntnam County. 



12 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEBPSIE. 



lowed and the name Wynachkce is not mentioned, 
but Pacaksing comes to the front. It reads as fol- 
lows : 

To his Excellency Edward Vicount 
Cornbur)', Captain General and 
Governor in Chief, etc. 

The humble petition of Pieter Lansing and 
Arnout Cornelisson Viele 

Sheweth 

That whereas 3'e above named Pieter Lansing 
by his petition formerly prayed a Patent for a 
certain piece of land in Dutchess County lying 
on Hudson's River beginning at a Creek called 
Pacaksing by ye river side running in a straight 
line three English miles Eastward into the 
woods thence to Matapan fall, thence westward 
along ye great kill, to Wappingis creek thence 
along Hudson's river Northward to' Pacaksing 
creek aforesaid which is the same land which 
certain Indian Proprietors thereof, the 15th day 
of June 1680 gave as a free gift and granted 
and conveyed ye same to ye above namd Arnout 
Corneliesson \'iele as more fully appears by a 
certain writing under 3'e seal of ye towne of 
Albany taken out of ye records there by ye said 
Arnout ; having had leave from Gr. Edmond 
Andros then at Albany to accept of ye same froni 
ye Indians in consideration of his long and 
faithful service to ye Government as Indian 
Interpreter. All which ye said Arnout b}' his 
jo^■ning in ve signing of this Petition does testi- 
fy and aver to be truth, and hereby acknowldge 
to have granted and conveyed ye said Pietor 
Lansing for a valuable consideration ye 26th 
day of June 1690. 

Your Petitioners therefore humbly pray your 
Ex'cy will be graciously pleased to grant a 
patent under his seal of this province to ye said 
Lansing for yc sd lands as above mentioned 
to his only use and behoof having a great charge 
of children under a moderate Quit Rent. 

And in duty bound shall 
ever pray 

Pieter Lansing 
Arnout Viele 

This interesting document is endorsed on the 
back: "Read in council 15 y\pril 1704 ordered to ly 
on the table 4th May 1704 granted." 

It is perfectly clear that the Pacaksing or Pakak- 
cincg Kill mentioned in these papers was the Casper 
Kill, and the grant to Veile, instead of covering the 
tract where Poughkeepsie now is, as Ruttenber 
thought, was to land between the Casper Kill and the 
Wappingers, the line running from the mouth of the 
Casper Kill to the second fall (Matapan) just 
above Wappingers Lake, and including the flats where 
the lake now is. The name IVviinchkcc properh- ap- 
plied to these flats which are known to ha\'c been 



cultivated by the Indians.^ The Schuyler patent,^ 
dated 1688, which included much of the present town 
of Poughkeepsie, was "Bounded on the South & East 
by a Certaine Creek that runs into Hudson's River on 
the North side of a Certain House now in the Posses- 
sion and occupacon of one Peter the Brewer, the said 
creek being Called by the Indians where it runs into 
the River Thanackkonek & where it Runs further up 
into the Woods Pietawicktquasseick." In a transfer 
from Schuyler to Sanders and Hannense (Lib. A, p. 
276, Dutchess Co. Deeds) the same long Indian name 
is given with the statement, "Known by the Christians 
for Jan Casperses Creek." I believe it the same name^ 
as Pacaksing or Pakakcincg, spelled with more let- 
ters. The name may easily have come from the 
Algonquin term Poquosin, which would have been 
appropriate enough for much of the upper part of the 
Casper Kill along which are a number of flood plains 
of considerable size for a hilly covmtry. The level 
plain, partly swamp, near the brick yard just beyond 
-Arlington, will be recalled as one, and also the flat 
lands along the tributary stream, the Fountain Kill, 
that crosses College Avenue and flows through Vas- 
sar College Lake. 

Indians applied such terms as Poquosin and 
Wynachkec, as descriptive terms to localities, and 
they were borrowed by the early settlers, who did not 
clearly understand their significance or limitations, 
and extended as names of streams throughout their 
courses. The same terms may have been applied by the 
Indians to some small flats along the Fall Kill and 
Pacaksing may have been appropriated b}' some of the 
settlers as the name of a pond within or near the pres- 
ent limits of the city of Poughkeepsie. The word niav 
thus have had an influence upon the extension of some 
of the forms of "Poughkeepsie" to a considerable 
stretch of territory, and may have contributed to the 
wide variations of spelling, but it disappears as a 
name of the Casper Kill, even in its long form, soon 
after the first transfers of land are made, and the 
Casper Kill is too far from the scene of the first set- 
tlements, too far from the mill-site and waterfall 
granted to Jan Smeedes to have been a determining 
influence in naming the growing hamlet. 

With this in mind I wrote jNIr. \\'illiam \\'allace 
Tooker, and asked him if the form Pooghkcpcsingh, 

iWy authority for this statement is Mr. William K. Roy of 
Wappingers Falls, who has studied the subject thoroughly and 
contributed many historical articles to the Chronicle and 
News-Press. The name Mawcnawasigh was given to the 
Wappingers creek in the Romhout patent which covered this 
same territory 1683. Book of Patents for 1680-1686. p. 72, 
also D. C. Histor}-, p. 41) 

2Book of Patents for 1686-1696, p. 325. 

3Sce Mr. Tooker'p letter at end of chapter. 



HISTORY OF POUGHKBEPSIB. 



13 



as given in the Jan Smeedes deed of 1683, could not 
have been rightly applied according to the principles of 




The Waterfall in 1904. 

Indian nomenclature as descriptive of the waterfall 

conve3-ed for a mill. He replied : 

As far as my own etymology of the name is 
concerned, as given in ni}' paper on the name 
Poquasson, the main stem of Pooghkcpcsliigh, is 
the same as I give there ; but this fuller form of 
the name, as is evident, warrants a different in- 
terpretation and application, for we know it was 
applied to a waterfall. The prefix Pooghkc — 
Mohegan Paivkc — denotes the act of breaking, 
opening, beating out, etc. The same base enters 
into many words having the idea of division or 
separation. In composition pc is the radical for 
■'water,'' j is the diminutive, ingh, locative, de- 
noting a place where the action is performed. 
Thus we have from this analysis Pooghkc-pc-s- 
ingli, "where the water breaks," "runs over," 
"falls down," or "opens out." The name will 
bear these translations and still be correct. This 
et}'mologv, as you will notice, and as 3'ou have 
believed, gives the name to the falls wliere it 
was originally bestowed according to the " High- 
land Indian Massany." I am glad to be able 
from your suggestions to modify m_\' former in- 
terpretation and application of the name. To tell 
the truth I have always had some doubts about 
the name being the exact equivalent of Poquasson 
or its varieties owing to the insistance of the 
early notations of its modern form, i e., Pogh- 
keepke, 1702, Pokcepsinck, 1703. Poghkeepsie, 
1760, Poughkipsingh, 1767. The present render- 



ing, which is now undoubtedly correct, makes the 
name decidedly more interesting and much more 
satisfactory in every way. 

In a postscript^ Mr. Tooker added : "It is quite 
possible that the name Pacaksing is entirely distinct 
from Pooglikcpcsingh and applied to some other 
portion of the stream." I have found no document- 
ary evidence that it was applied to any stream in 
this neighborhood except the Casper Kill. The Van 
Kleeck deed,^ 1697, one of the earliest transfers from 
the patentees, seems to show the influence of the In- 
dian deed of 1683 to Pieter Lansing and Jan Smeedes, 
for it refers to the patent as conveying " that Tract 
of Land called by the native Indians Mennisink and 
Poghkeepsing."^ 

This patent, to Robert Sanders and Meynardt 
Harmans, dated Oct. 24, 1686, was the earliest grant 
of land from the crown, or the provincial government, 
within the limits of Poughkeepsie. It is a puzzling 
document, of very uncertain boundaries. There is no 
mention of Poughkeepsie, but the land is called Minni- 
sink, as in the waterfall deed of 1683 to Lansing and 
Smeedes. It conveys " a certain Tract or Parcel! of 
Land Called Minnisink Lying on the East side of 
Hudsons River to the North of the Land of Savereyn 
alias Called the Baker with the arable and Wood Land 
Marshes with the Creeke Called Wynachkee with 
Trees Stones (or Tones) and further Range or out 
Drift for Cattle and the fall of Watters Called Pond- 
anickrien and another marsh to the north of the fall of 
Watters Called Wareskeechen."* 

Reference is then made to a preceding deed, dated 
July 30th, 1685, by which the Indian title was ex- 
tinguished. This patent is quoted here because of its 
mention of "the fall of Watters Called Pondanick- 
rien."5 A deed recorded in Book A of Deeds (page 
251) in the Dutchess County Clerk's Office, conveying 
part of this land in 1 7 10 to Leonard Lewis, quotes the 
patent as being " .V certain tract of land containing 

If had also asked Mr. Tooker for the meaning of Pough- 
quag. He replied that it is a very common name, and occurs 
frequently in many forms all over New England and upon 
Long Island. It means " open land" — land naturally clear. 
The word may be found in Documents of Colonial Historj' in 
several forms. 

^Robert Sanders to Balthazcr \'an Cleake, p. 533, Vol. 17, 
Deeds, Secretary of State's Office, also Van Kleeck Family 
History, p. 55. 

3In a considerable number of deeds the spelling is Poch- 
kcct>sing. or Pocghhec/'sing — See " Duchess" County History, 
p. 362. 

^W^areskeechen, on Livingston's map, 1798, is the name 
given the stream at the foot of Teller Hill, flowing through the 
W^ebendorfor place. 

'For the probable meaning of these words see letter 
quoted at end of chapter. 



14 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEEPSIE. 



twelve thousand acres^ in one entire piece * * * 
in Dutchess County aforesaid called Minnisinck,'' 
etc. The quotation continues through the men- 
tion of the two waterfalls, the first of which here 
becomes "Pendanick Reen." The reference to 
the "creek called WSnogkee" is quoted from the 
patent, but when this deed describes more particular!}- 
the land conveyed to Lewis there is no mention of this 
name, but instead references to " the creek having" 
Water Falls," and also " the Great Creek." The land 
conveyed was evidently along the '' Creek having 
Water Falls," but there is nothing to prove that the 
" creek called Wynoghkee" in the patent was the same 
stream, nor is there anything to show definitely what 
fall is called " Pendanick Reen." To add to the puzzle 
we find that in deeds made two and three years earlier 
the " Fall Kill" is named unmistakably, first in a con- 
veyance from "Myndert Harmcen" to "Jan Oosterom 
of Pogkeepsinck," June 17, 1707, and again in a deed 
to Peter U. Zelie, June 8, 1708. I have quoted all this 
because in a map of lands about Poughkeepsie made 
b}' Henry Livingston in 1798, "Pondanickricn" is 
placed as the name of the fall at the mouth of the Fall 
Kill, where Livingston's Mills then were, and persons 
in ignorance of the existence of the much earlier grant 
of this fall to Jan Smeedes with the name Poogli- 
kcpesingh, have supposed "Pondanickricn' or "rccn" 
to have been its Indian name, thus lending color 
to the assumption that Apokeepsing was applied to 
the hypothetical " safe harbor." Mr. Tooker thinks 
that Pondanickricn is the same as a word sometimes 
spelled Ponganitchcii'an, meaning " the shallow over- 
flow." In seasons of low water such a word would 
have been applicable to these falls, as well as to several 
other streams, not far away, but its use does not in 
the least destroy the force of the direct evidence for 
the much earlier use of the word Pooghkcpesingh, 
which had already begun to be employed as a name of 
the neighboring lands. 

It only remains to mention the latest defender o'f 
Apokeepsing, Mr. W. R. Gerard, a former well-known 
resident of Poughkeepsie. Writing in answer to 
Mr. Tooker's paper on " Poquosin," in the American 
Anthropologist (p. 586, vol. for 1899), Mr. Gerard 
says : 

" As Mr. Tooker attempts to connect the name 
Poughkeepsie with the word ' poquosin' and con- 

iThe Van Kleeck deed already quoted refers to this pat- 
ent as conve^'ing tvveh c hundred acres. A dispute arose over 
this question later, as shown by some of the Christ Church 
glebe papers. 



fidently asserts that " there appears to be absolutely 
no question as to its identity' with the latter, it 
may not be out of place to explain the meaning of 
the appellation of the city of the alleged 'safe 
harbor.' Having resided in Poughkeepsie many 
years, I am perfectly familiar with its topogra- 
phy and with the exact locality to which the 
name originally applied. This was a rocky cove 
or basin worn away at the foot of the fall near 
the river just north of the present railroad station. 
On May 5, 1683, a Highland (west side of Hud- 
son) Indian gave as a present to one Jan Smeedes 
a farm and also 'a fall on the shore to set a 
mill upon.' Smeedes erected a mill upon the 
site of a pool or basin near the foot of 
the fall whence he obtained his water power. 
In the deed of gift the Dutch scribe wrote the 
name of the mill-site ' Pooghkepesingh' for 
' Apoeghkipsing' a word which in German or- 
thography would have been Apuchkipisink. The 
word means 'at the rock pool,' or 'at the rock 
basin of water,' and accurately describes the 
locality to which the name was applied by the 
Indian owner." 

Of this Mr. Tooker saj's (p. 791 same volume) : 
" If there were nothing else that would show the 
worthlessness of Mr. Gerard's derivation, the taking 
of the Lenape inseparable apiichk, 'a standing rock' 
(Mass oinpsk), and employing it as a possible prefix 
to an impossible name, would be enough to condemn 
it. It is well known that this generic cannot be so 
used, and the fact bears witness that Mr. Gerard's 
criticisms are not based on the strict rules of Algon- 
quian nomenclature." 

It is perhaps unnecessary to add anything to this 
but I cannot refrain from pointing out that Mr. 
Gerard, knowing the locality and knowing of the 
Smeedes deed, threw over the "safe harbor" theory, 
but clinging to Apokeepsing as a word, looked 
around for a new construction and translation of it. 
In very much the same way Mr. Lossing, supposing 
the word JJ'ynoghkec to refer only to the Fall Kill 
reconstructed it into Winnikee and gave its meaning 
as " Leap Stream" in his Hudson. 

In conclusion, I think it may be said that the evi- 
dence of the Indian and other early deeds, and iNIr. 
Tooker's definition of Pooghkepesingh as a name 
properly given to the waterfall at the mouth of the 
Fall Kill, settle the derivation of our citv's name. 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEEPSIE. 



15 



Neighboring Indian Names Explained. 

Sag Harbor, N. Y., Dec. 3, 1903. 
Dear Mr. Piatt: — I have road your letter with much inter- 
est, and your researches show that you are on the right track. 
The deed quoted by Ruttenber which you found at Albany 
I also find in the Colonial History, Vol. XIII, pp. 545-6. 
Wynachkee is there, however, Mynachkee, an evident error. 
From the evidence so conclusively given I agree with you 
that the Pakaksing is the Casper Kill, and that Pickmvick- 
quassick is a variation of the same name. Wynachkee be- 
longed originally to land thereabouts and not to the kill. 
There is absolutely nothing in the name that would justify 
" leaping brook." It probably described one of the flats 
through which the 'kill runs," "W'iu-askcht," "fine or pleas- 
ant green place, plain or flat." If you will turn to page 545 
(Col. Hist.) you will notice another deed where a "great 
flat" is called ilachaclikcck — Mach-askcht, i. e. "the great 
green place or flat." \Vc have on Long Island a locality 
called "Coiiitu" originally H'innccoinac, varied as J}'ynco)nii\ 
"the pleasant or good field." Chelsea, Mass., was called 



U'iniscincl — Win-ashiiii-tit, "at the pleasant springs.'' "Mata- 
pan fall" in the above record denotes a " sitting down 
place," a "portage," <x name occurring in various parts of the 
country. "Matapony Creek," in Virginia, is the only one I 
now recall. I am inclined to believe that Minnissingh, as 
applied to the east side of the river, is a transfer from the 
Indian tribe bearing llie name. They moved about con- 
siderably (sec vol. XIII, p. 559, under Minnisings). They 
took the name from the "small island," perhaps the "Min- 
nissing Island" in the Delaware, where more than likely they 
had a fort for refuge (see Ruttenber, p. 96). Sauthier's map. 
quoted by Ruttenber, locates this island about where Van 
Der Donck locates the tribe on his map. Their name gave 
title to a large tract known as the "Minnisinck Patent (Cal. 
of land Papers in the ofiice of Sec. of State, p. 47, et seq.) 
Pondanickrien is probably the Massachusetts Poiig-anitchc- 
wan. "the shadow overflow," i. e. "shallow to ford or wade 
over." * * * * 

Yours sincerel}', 

Wm. Wallace Tooker. 




Siciif oil U'riiog/ikee, 3/a/iu't-iiau'asig or ]i'appiiigcrs Ki/I, 
eiigraz'ed by Lossiiig. 



CHAPTER II. 



The First Setti,ers and The First Land Titi,es— Beginnings of Development— The Post Road 
—County Organization and the First Court House— The First Tax List— Some Interesting 
Entries in the First Book op Records of Supervisors and Assessors— The First Dutch Church 
—The First English Church— The Precinct or Town of Poughkeepsie — Interesting Coloniae 
Events — Signs of Growth — Some Colonial Families. 



It is evident from the documents quoted in the 
preceding chapter that there were some persons be- 
sides Indians Hving in the neighborhood that was 
described as Poughkeepsie, before the first provincial 
land grants or patents were issued. There seems to 
be no conclusive evidence that Jan Smeedes built his 
mill at the Pooghkepesingh waterfall, but Peter Lan- 
sing, mentioned in the same deed, was certainly living 
within the limits of the town of Poughkeepsie not long 
after 1683, as will presently appear. The Indians of 
the Long Reach — that straight stretch of river from 
the Highlands to Krom Elbow — were generally peace- 
able, and there is little doubt that a few white people 
were living among them even before the first efl^orts to 
obtain titles to the land. Certainly a long enough time 
had elapsed since 1609, when that famous old Arctic 
explorer, Henry Hudson, sailed up the river that 
bears his name, to say nothing of the French trading 
expeditions of the preceding century, for somebody 
to have observed the advantages of the location. 

The first land patent, that to Messrs. Sanders and 
Harmans, as we have seen, locates the tract " to the 
north of the land of Sovryn alias called the Baker." 
This grant made in 1686, refers to an Indian deed of 
1685, so that it appears that Sovryn was here by that 
time somewhere, though no such man is recorded as 
having received any grant or deed. In later years 
a dispute arose as to the size and boundaries of the 
Sanders-Harmans tract, and when maps^ came to be 
made a " Sovrcyn Labout the Baker" was marked as 
living on the Casper Kill north of the brick-yard 
swamp, but it seems more likely that he lived at first 
nearer the river, and it is certain that Sanders and 
Harmans made settlements south of that point. 

The second patent to lands hereabout, that to 

iMap of Sanders-Harmans lands, apparently made by 
Henry Livingston bnt not dated, on file in Albany. The 
patent is recorded in Book of Patents 1680-1686, page 575, 
Secretary of State's Office. 



Colonel Peter Schuyler in 1688, does not mention the 
baker, but describes the tract as " Bounded on the 
North by the Lands of Robert Sanders and Myndert 
Harmense," and " on the South by a Certain Creek 
that runs into Hudson's River on the North side of a 
Certain House now in the Possession & occupacon of 
one I'cter the Brewer." This was at the mouth of the 
Casper Kill, as shown in the preceding chapter, and 
" Peter the Brewer" was none other than Pieter Lan- 
sing (Lansing or Lassing) who was therefore al- 
ready on the ground, with a house built two years 
before the land had been formally transferred to him 
by Arnout Corneilson V'iele, according to the state- 
ment in the application for a patent in 1704. It is 
probable, in fact, that he settled on this same land 
under the Indian deed of 1683, in which he is inen- 
tioned as having been given a "bouwerie ' (farm) at 
the time the Pooghkepesingh waterfall was granted to 
Jan Smeedes. Finding himself on land already 
deeded to Arnout Viele, title from him was also ob- 
tained in 1690. 

Whether this Pieter"^ was himself the well known 
Albany brewer, or his son, there is some doubt, but 
unquestionably, with his " great charge of children," 
he was the ancestor of the Lansing, Lossing and Law- 
son families, members of which are still living at New 
Hamburgh, as well as in Poughkeepsie and other parts 
of Dutchess. A Peter Lassing continued to live near 
the mouth of the Casper Kill for many 3'ears, and is 
frequently mentioned in the early road and other 
records of the county and of the precinct or town of 

lAccording to Munsell's or Pierson's Genealogical records, 
Peter Lansing, tbc Albany brewer, was born in Ainstcrdam in 
1620. He sold his interest in the brewery somewhere abont 
1683, and may have come to Dutchess himself. Benson J. 
Lossing claimed him as his ancestor, but his son has alwavs 
been given as the first of the family to settle here in 1699. — 
Sec Smith's Hist, of Dutchess Co., page 179. 

A deed on record in the County Clerk's Office defers to 
"Isaac Lawson otherwise called Isaac Lassing." 



HISTORY OF POUGHKBEPSIB. 



17 



Poughkeepsie. Gerret Lansing (a name persisting to 
the present time among local members of the Lansing 
family) and Lawrence van Ale seem also to have been 
in the neighborhood by 1683, as shown by the mort- 
gage given by "a Highland Indian, Tapias," for land 
on the Wynachkee or Wappingers Kill " where Ar- 
nout Cornelisson's land ends." Arnout Cornelis- 
son Viele himself probably did not settle on his land 
for any considerable time, if at all, for as an Indian 
interpreter, he was constantly traveling, and in 1690 
was stationed among the Onondagas ; but members of 
the Viele family were very early settlers, as shown 
by deeds already quoted. 

Nearly every early deed, in fact, mentions some- 
one on the ground still earlier, or indicates that the 
grantee was here before he obtained his title. The 
Van Kleeck family was certainly in the neighborhood 
before 1697, the date of the deed to the first Baltus or 
Balthazar, who is referred to as "of Long Rock in the 
County of Dutchess,' (probabl)' a misprint for Long 
Reach) and may have been here as early as 1692.^ 

It seems probable that the first settlements in the 
county were near Rhinebeck opposite Wiltwyck (Eso- 
pus or Kingston) which received its charter in 1661, 
while there had been a fort at Rondout since 1614; 
but the applications for Indian deeds in that section do 
not antedate the deeds for portions of the town of 
Poughkeepsie, nor do the Fishkill deeds, though the 
first patent to lands in the county of Dutchess (the 
Rombout patent, Oct. 17, 1685) included the Fish 
Kill and Wappingers valleys. The Dutch and the 
French Huguenots- were evidently here almost at 
the same time, and perhaps some of the first of the 
latter came from Wiltwyck or wandered through the 
woods from New Paltz, which was settled in 1677. 

It is not improbable that the influential persons 
seeking large land grants or patents first studied the 
Indian deeds on file to see where the land was likely to 
prove valuable, and then in some cases, after they had 
obtained their patents, ousted^ the poor fellows who 
were on the ground first. Indian deeds, as we have 
seen, did not give a good title unless authorized by the 
governor, and even when they were authorized, the 
same land was often granted to other persons. This 
was the case with the land near the mouth of the Wap- 
pingers. Disputes over titles there, due partly to this 
and partly to the fact that sales in that neighborhood, 

iSee Van Kleeck Family History, p. 24. 

2"Sovryn the Baker" was doubtless a Frenchman and 
Smcedes is a New Paltz name. 

3See Smith's History of Dutchess County for an account 
of the settlement of Nicholas Eighmie at Fishkill under an In- 
dian deed to land extending from Fishkill to Poughkeepsie. 



under the division of the Rombout patent, were sus- 
pended during the life of the minor Verplanck heirs, 
doubtless retarded settlement. 

In the upbuilding of a city at Poughkeepsie, slowly 
as it was accomplislied, most precedents were violated. 
The neighborhood at the mouth of the Wappingers, 
the largest stream in the county, was the natural place 
for such development. The stream furnished a high- 
way to the interior, and was to some extent navigated 
by the Indians in their canoes, as the Indian name of 
the second fall, "Matapan" (a portage), indicates. It 
is probable, however, that the falls prevented much nav- 
igation, and the course of the stream, bringing it not 
more than four miles from the mouth of the 
Fall Kill, doubtless led to the divergence of foot travel 
from the Wappingers to the Fall Kill valleys, as a 
shorter route to the river. Indian trails were very 
often the precursors of roads and even of railroads. 
The Wappingers valley was certainly well enough 
known long before the first mention of Poughkeepsie, 
for William Hawthorne, Capt. John Pyncheon and 
other Englishmen from Hartford caused old Governor 
Stuyvesant a good deal of uneasiness by proposing to 
" settle a town fifteen miles from the North river east 
of the Wappings Kill" in 1659.^ Permission was 
refused, and when settlers began to come, about twent\- 
years after the end of Dutch control, they pre- 
ferred the Poughkeepsie neighborhood. There was at 
one time an Indian village here, and a considerable 
number of arrow heads and other relics have been 
found in the neighborhood of Ship-Yard or Fox's 
Point,^ but this' village was not important enough to 
be mentioned on any of the Dutch maps or records 
and trade with the Indians was apparently not one of 
the inducements to white settlers. The only obvious 
advantages of the neighborhood were the mill site at 
the river, a better site for such mills as were erected 
at that time than the Wappingers falls afforded, and the 
existence of considerable comparatively level land up- 
on the hill, rather nearer the river than at other 
points. Probably some of this land was natural 
meadow land. 

Since "the Dutchesses County''^ bounds were 
defined before the first land grants " to be from the 
bounds of the County of \\'estchester on the South 
Side of the Highlands along the Eastside of Hudsons 
River as farr as Roelof Jansens Creeke and Eastward 
into the wood twenty miles," it is not impossible to con- 



iCalendar of Dutch 1 Colonial Manuscripts, p. 3J1 ; also 
Dutchess County History, p. 56. 

-By Messrs. Henry Bootli and Clarence Lown. 
SDongan's Laws, Nov. i, 1683. Docs. Col. Hist. XHI, 575 



IS 



HISTORY OF P OU GH KEEP S J E. 



ceive that the Sanders, Heermance, Schuyler, Ten 
Eyck^ and other early patentees were shrewd enough 
to foresee the probable location of the county seat at 
such a central point. That Sanders and Heermance 
started to settle their tract as a village community 
seems a fair inference from the fact that the earliest 
deeds nearly all contain stipulations for rights in "com- 
mon lands." The A^an Kleeck deed of 1697 grants 
the land " with privilege of Commons belonging to 
said patent (that is to say) the dividend thereof pro- 
portionate to the Quantity of land hereby granted." 
Pasturage and wood cutting were the usual privileges 
of Commons, and Mr. Irving Elting in his "Dutch 
Milage Communities of the Hudson River" shows 
that the Dutch brought this custom b}' inheritance 
from remote Germanic ancestors. 

Colonial deeds are of course all dated from the 
3'ear of the reign of the King or Queen of the time, 
and Dutchess deeds begin with William of Orange. 
The land was at first held "acording to the Tenure of 
East Greenwich in the County of Kent within his 
Majesties Realm of England" upon a quit rent of so 
man)' bushels of wheat, and quit rents were collected 
from time to time, though often much in arrears, until 
a statute was passed for their commutation in cash 
and final abolition. 

Beginnings of Development — The Alb.\ny Road. 

The first development of the tract of land called 
"Mennisink and Pogkeepsing" began when the part- 
ners in the first patent, " Robert Sanders and Mjenardt 
Hermans by their joijnt consent did make Division and 
particon of part of the said Land adjoijning to Hud- 
son's River aforesaid called Pogkeepsing," as we learn 
from the Van Kleeck deed, which, however, does not 
give the year of the contract of partition. Baltus Van 
Kleeck, called Balthazar Van Cleake in the deed, but 
whose name before coming here is gi\'en as Baltus 
Barents, was a brother-in-law of Robert Sanders, 
which accounts for his early arrival. Sanders is 
always described in the deeds as " of the City of New 
York," and Hermans, whose name is spelled in 
three different ways in this one deed, was the 
resident partner. We find that by the time 
of this deed, June 3, 1697, the property was 
already in part divided into "Lotts, sixty-eight 
Rood" "in breadth fifront and rear" and that the 
Van Kleeck purchase was bounded on the south 
bv "four parcells or Lotts the which is now or 

iThe Ten Eyck or Poiiglikeepsie patent is referred to in a 
deed (Lib. A, p. 25) conveying property to John Rodman and 
William Hnddleston, 1698. It included the same property 
granted in earlier patents, and was declared fraudulent. 



lately hath been in the Tenure possession and occu- 
pation of Mynardt Harmens, Balthazar Barnse, Hen- 
drick Ostrom and Symon Scoute," evidently the begin- 
nings of a little community containing the germs of a 
village. There was doubtless a saw mill at the Poogh- 
kepesingh waterfall before this time because we find it 
referred to in a deed from Col. Peter Schuyler, the 
second patentee to lands hereabouts, to Sanders and 
Harmense in 1699, as follows: 

"All that Certain Tract or Parcell of Land Scituate 
Lving and being on ye East side of the Hudson's 
River in Dutchess County at a Certain Place caled ye 
Long Reach Slenting over Against Jufifrows Hook At 
a Place Called the Rust Plaest, Runs from Thence 
East Ward into the \\'^ood to a Creek Caled by the 
Indians Pietawickquasick Known by the Christians 
for Jan Casperses Creek Northwarde to a Water fall 
where the Saw Mill belonging to Myndert Harmense 
Aforsaid Stands Upon and so Southwarde Alongst 
Hudson's River Aforesaid to said Rust Plaest." — 
p. 278, Liber A, County Clerk's Office. 

It does not seem to me that this deed was as impor- 
tant as the authors of the Dutchess County histories 
have supposed. Sanders and Heermance had al- 
ready settled part of the tract, as shown above from 
the Van Kleeck deed, and it does not appear from the 
patents that Schuyler's title to it was any better than 
theirs, but the transfer made the titles of the grantees 
good and furnished a definite boundary, the "Rust 
Plaest" being the stream which flows through the pres- 
ent Rural Cemetery grounds. Juffrows Hook was the 
southeast corner of the New Paltz patent, (granted 
1678) and was generally taken to be what we now call 
Blue Point.i 

The first impetus towards concentration and im- 
provement, once the titles were secure, was furnished 
when the Colonial Assembly in 1703 authorized the 
construction of what afterwards became the Post 
Road, 2 from "King Bridge aforesaid to the Ferry at 
Crawlew over against Albany." 

There must have been some sort of a trail along the 
east side of the river before this time, and we may be 
sure that the commissioners for Dutchess, "Mr. Baltus 
\'an Clifft, Mr. Johannes Tarbus and Mr. Robert 
Livingston" did something towards its improvement. 
The act required that the road be finished "as well for 
the Carriage of goods as the passage of Travellers 
within the space of eighteen months." Had a good 
road suitable for travelers in coaches been constructed 
at once this would have been relatively as important 
as the building of the railroad some one hundred and 



lOn this, however, see letter of Frank Hasbrouck in New 
Paltz Independent, Nov. 19, 1893. 
2Colonial Laws, Vol. I, p. 533. 



HISTORY OF POUGHKBEPSIE. 



19 



fifty years later, but one paragraph of the act pro- 
vided that the people of Dutchess "are not hereby 
Obliged to Clear or maintain any other path or High- 
way than for Horse and man only." By 1712, how- 
ever, there is a reference to it as "The waggon path 
leading to Poccpsink."i and in the course of a few 
years more it became known as the King's Road. 
Traveling was nevertheless mostly on horseback even 
between Poughkcepsic and Fishkill for a long time 
after this, but the laying out of the road determined 
the building of Poughkeepsic on the hill rather than 
on the river front. 

It is impossible to tell from such of the old surveys 
as remain just what the original route of the road was, 
but I have found no evidence that it followed the 
line of Jefferson Street through to Bridge as some 
people have thought. No early map shows a road 
across that section of Poughkeepsie. The post road 
has been many times relocated for short distances. 
It once ran through a part of what is now Eastman 
Park, according to tradition, following the line of the 
street to the west of the Soldiers' Fountain, and was 
west^ of the Freartown settlement until after 1799. 
but in general it was kept well up on the hill, out of the 
swampy places, and in the central part of Poughkeep- 
sie the evidence is that it followed about the line of 
the present Market street from very early times, then 
curved around partly on the lines of Washington, Mill 
and Bridge Streets to an easy fording place over the 
Fall Kill. 




fail KIceck House, from Lossiiig's IVood Cut f'Mishcd in 
the Family Magazine in 1838. 

The Van Kleeck house, a substantial stone 
building, had been already built (1702) on the road 
leading to the mill, when the post road act was passed, 

iDeed from Elsie Sanders to Jolines Pruiii.— Lib. A, 
p. 19. 

2The 1798 map (frontispiece) ; also Lib. 14. Deeds, p. 195. 



and there is every reason to believe that the two roads 
were the same in front of this house, which stood "on 
the premises now known as Nos. 224 and 226 Mill 
St." The Van Kleeck house was not, of course, the 
first house in Poughkeepsie, for Van Kleeck bought a 
house and barn with his land in 1697, as his deed 
shows, but it was probably the first stone house, and 
long served as an important gathering place, where 
meetings were held and travelers were entertained. 
It was loop-holed for muskets and was strong enough 
to serve as a fortress against Indian attacks in case 
of necessit)'. 

County Organization and First Court House. 

Whether Sovryn the baker was living on the Casper 
Kill east of Poughkeepsie as early as 1686 or not, 
there were certainly some settlements in that neigh- 
borhood by 1700 and soon afterwards also in the 
Wappingers valley over the ridge. A trail or road 
led from them to the mill at the river, following 
somewhat the lines of the present Main Street and the 
junction of this trail with the King's Road became the 
natural place for the location of the first blacksmith 
shop.' Incidental references in early documents seem 
to show that a little hamlet had already begun to 
spring up at the crossroads when the county organiza- 
tion was first determined upon, but it must have been 
a very insignificant hamlet, for according to the census 
taken in 17 14 there were but 445 persons in the whole 
count}', of whom 29 were slaves. 

The county had been attached to Ulster 
until the year before when (Oct. 23, 1713) a 
provincial act had requested the Justices of 
the Peace to issue warrents for the election 
of one supervisor, a treasurer, two assessors and 
two collectors, but there is no evidence that any elec- 
tion was held for several years. On July 21, 1715, an 
act was passed requiring the Justices of the Peace to 
call together the freeholders of the county to elect two 
of their number "to be Supervisors and Directors 
for the building and erecting a County-House and 
Prison within the said County, at such a convenient 
place as to them shall be meet and convenient, for 
the most ease and benefit of the Inhabitants of the 
said County." The act directed that the building 
must be erected "within two years next after the pub- 
lication hereof," and that a tax be levied on the 
county not to exceed "the Sum of Two hundred and 
fifty Ounces of good Mexico, Pillar or Sevill Plate" 

iThe first mention of a blacksmith occurs in a deed dated 
1713, Peter U. Zelie (or Velie) to William Titsoor. — Lib. A, 
p. 33. See also Smith's "History of Dutchess County," p. 179, 
"Until 1712 the nearest blacksmith to the Fishkill settlers 
was at Esopus, then called Wiltwyck." 



20 



HISTORY OP POUGHKBBPSIB. 



to pa>- for it. There is no record to show that any- 
thing was done under the act and surely the necessity 
of a county house and prison was not very pressing, 
but the project was not given up. 

Some sort of a county organization was formed by 
this time, for Richard Sackett became the first county 
clerk in 1 815, and Leonard Lewis represented the 
county in the Fifteenth Assembly (1713-1714). In 
the Sixteenth Assembly (1715) Baltus Van Kleeck and 
Leonard Lewis were both members and continued in 
the next assembly until Van Kleeck's death in 171 7. 
Both lived in the neighborhood called Poughkeepsie 
and Lewis had been appointed the first Judge of the 
Court of Common Pleas in 1716. Their influence 
was doubtless of weight in the passing of the second 
act for the construction of a county or court house. 
May 27th, 1717, and in providing for its location "at 
or near the most Convenient place at Poghkepse" 
This act allowed three }'ears for the completion of 
the work, and despite the assertions of the two his- 
tories of "Duchess" County that the first court house 
was not built until 1745 or 1746, the proof is convinc- 
ing that it was finished within the time limit fixed 
in the act of 1717. The first book^ of the supervisors 
and assessors shows that a meeting of the "frie bould- 
ers" was held at the house of Leonard Lewis June 22, 
171 7, and that Barendt Van Kleeck and Jacobus \'an 
den Bogert were chosen as a building committee. A 
few pages further on we find the tax levies prefaced 
by the statement, "It is amongst other things enacted 
-that the County hose and preson shall be built wid- 
in three years." The entries do not clearly show liow 
much money was spent, but it is certain that the 
building, surely not a ver}' elaborate structure, was 
ready for use soon after the passage of the act of 
July 6, 1720,- which provided that "from henceforth 
there shall be held and kept at Poghkepson near the 
Centre of said County, a General Sessions of the 
Peace, on the third Tuesday in May and the 
third Tuesday in October." In the records of 
a meeting of supervisors and assessors held 
in 1722 at "Pockkepsinck" pursuant to a colonial act 
for the improvement of the roads, these words are 
used describing the post road: "Also Persuing from 
the County house b\' Jacobus Van Den Bogert 

iThis book was probably unknown to the authors of the 
two histories, as well as to Benson J. Lossing, though there 
arc quotations 'from it in a historical sketch in the Weekly 
Eagle of July 8, 1876. It covers the period from 1717 to 
Dec. 17, 1722, and contains also receipts for taxes paid in 
New York in 1715. 

^Documentary History of New York, Vol. Ill, 972, I do 
not find this act in the Colonial Laws as published by the 
state in 1894. The county records however show that the 
first court of General Sessions was held here in 1721. In 
1722, Harmen Rynders was appointed "Stebo or bell ringer." 



* * * to the Bridge of Jan Kasper's Creek as 
the Rod is now used and so to Peter Lassings." 
The second record book of the supervisors and asses- 
sors, beginning 1722, contains direct statements that 
meetings were held in the court house, and to coin- 
plete the proof that the building was there one has 
only to turn to the Colonial laws (Vol. Ill, p. 336, 1894 
edition) and read the act authorizing the construc- 
tion of the second court house, passed Dec. 17, 1743 ; 
"An Act to Enable the Justices of the Peace in Dutch- 
ess County to build a Court House & Goal or to en- 
large and Repair the old one." It has been stated that 
the property on which the court house was built was 
conveyed b}^ Jacobus Van Den Bogart to Barendt Van 
Kleeck, Justice of the Peace, in 1718, but there is 
no deed on record to this effect. The earliest deed to 
the property seems to be that of Nov. 13th, 1747, a 
"lease and release" of the land "with the court house 
and goals already built on the same" to Isaac Van 
Den Bogert, Jacobus Ter Bos, Anthony Yelverton, 
Lewis Du Bois and John Tenbruck "four of his 
Majesties Justices of the Peace." The parchment 
release is preserved in the County Clerk's Office among 
the maps. It provides that the property shall revert 
to the Van Den Bogart family if used for any other 
purpose than that for which it was granted. 

It is interesting to find in Liber I of Deeds, page 
29, confimiation of the tradition that the A''an Den 
Bogart and Heermance families are the same. In 
July, 1709, "Myndert Harmse of poghkeepsink in 
Dutchess County Yoeman and helena his wife for 
divers good Causes & Considerations them thereunto 
moving but more especiall}- for and in Consideration 
of ye Love and affection which they bare unto their 
Eldest Sunn Jacobus Van den bogart" conveyed a 
considerable amount of land to the latter, and the 
court house stands on a part of it. This Jacobus is 
said to have planted the first apple orchard in the 
neighborhood, the word "bogart" (modern Dutch 
"boomgaard") meaning orchard. 

Liber A or I of deeds in the Dutchess County 
Clerk's Office was begun in 1718, but many earlier 
deeds, as we have seen, were recorded in it. Most 
of the deeds dating back of 1700 were recorded in 
Ulster County, in Alban)' County, or in the records 
of the Colonial Government at New York. The last 
named are now in the Secretary of State's Office in 
Albany, while those originally recorded at Albany 
are among the Fort Orange Records in the Albany- 
County Clerk's Office. Although the Dutch language 
was spoken by the great majority of the people of 
Dutchess County until almost the time of the Revolu- 
tion, none of the records arc in Dutch, except the first 
will in Liber A of Wills. 



HISTORY OF POUGHKBEPSIB. 



21 



The First Tax List. 

the; inhabetunts, residents, sojorners and i?rie- 

holders of dutchis county are rated & as- 

sesed by assessores chosen for ye 

SAME THE DAY OE l/lj^ 

EOR YE MEEDEL WARD, 

VIZ : 





£ 


£ 






Thomas Sanders, 


35 


02 


12 


3/2 


Elias Van Bunschoote, 


10 


00 


12 


I 


Zacharias Flegelar, 


04 


00 


04 


10 


Hendrick Van Der Burgh, 


S3 


03 


04 


/a 


Jacob Titsort, 


04 


00 


04 


10 


Josias Crego, 


o6 


00 


07 


3 


Evert Van Wagene, 


10 


00 


12 


I 


Johannes Van Kleck 


II 


00 


13 


3K2 


Myndert Van Denbogert, 


20 


01 


04 


3/2 


Harmon Rynderse, 


01 


00 


01 


2/2 


Jan Ostrom, 


13 


00 


01 


2/2 


Barenet Van Kleck, 


35 


02 


02 


3/2 


Fransoy Le Roy, 


24 


01 


09 





Lowarance Van Kleck, 


05 


00 


06 


oy2 


Jacobus Van Den Bogart, 


05 


00 


06 


7K2 


De Weden Van Baltus X'an Kleck 


.58 


03 


10 


I 


De Weden Van Myndert harmese 


52 


03 


02 


10 


Jan De Graef, 


II 


00 


13 


3 


Bartholomeus Hoogeboom 


05 


00 


00 





Leonard Lewis, 


55 


03 


06 


5 


De Weden Van Jan keep. 


05 


00 


06 





Pieter Vielee, 


22 


01 


06 


7 


Hendrick Pels, 


13 


00 


15 


8 


William Titsor, 


13 


00 


15 


8/2 


Magiel Palmetier Jun, 


03 


00 


03 


7/2 


Magiel Palmetier Siniure 


45 


02 


14 


4/2 


Pieter Palmetier, 


14 


00 


16 


II 


Hendrick Buys, 


03 


00 


01 


7/2 


John Egerton, 


01 


00 


01 


2/2 


Thomas Lewis, 


01 


00 


01 


2/2 


Thomas Chadwick, 


02 


00 


02 


5 


Jonas Scoot, 


02 


00 


02 


5 


Richard Sackett, 


10 


00 


12 


I 



The first column of figures is of course the assess- 
ment and the next three the tax in pounds, shillings 
and pence, colonial money. A curious outcropping of 
Dutch will be noticed in "De Weden Van," for "the 
widow of." A few years later Zacharias Flegelar's 
name drops out and "De Weden Van Zaacharias 
Flegelar ' appears on the roll. Notice also the method 
of dating "the day of 171 J^" which means Jan. i, 1 7 18. 
Dates between January and March were often written 
both "old and new style" like this J/r. This first as- 
sessment roll, when the other two wards are included, 
contains 120 Dutch, 2 French and 8 English names, 
and the last assessment in the book, 1722, contains 171 
Dutch names, 2 French and 14 English. The scarcity 
of French names seems to show that the Du Bois, 
Freer and other Huguenot families from New Paltz 



had not yet arrived. The increase of the English is 
also noteworthy. 

Some Interesting Records. 

The little supervisors' book from which this assess- 
ment is taken contains a number of entries that throw 
light upon the life of the people. There are records 
of several payments to the Indians, but without clear 
indication of their purpose. Probably some of them 
were bounty payments for killing wolves, as several 
Colonial acts were passed to authorize such bounties in 
Dutchess County. Here is an entry which shows that 
bad spelling was not the only vice of our ancestors : 

Dutches County 
frebruary the 19 

Annocj 171 J-^ At a Specal Sesiones 

heald at Pockepsink 

Present 
Leonard Lewis Judge 
Capt Barendt Van Kleeck 
Machill Palmater, Esqurs Justices 

Have Tacken Information of Barthoolomeus Hoog- 
enboom and Franseys Van Den Bogard Rachal Buck- 
ley That John De Grafe has Retald Stong Licquors 
by Smal Measure as apereth b}' thare Several 
Afedafides. 

Dutches County 
febrary 28 Annoq 

171^ Upon Request of Mr. John De Grafe 
The Gusteses of Sd County Meet 

Present 
Leonard Lewis Esq. Judge 
Capt Barendt Van Kleeck 
Machil Parmentier Justices 

The Said John De Grave Being Sincebell of his 
Erore beged the Justiss to be Exqused of his fine and 
promisith for the time to come not to fall in the lick 
Erorss Wareupon the Justices have taken it into con- 
sideration to be of mean Capasity and a Great famely 
to meantain they have ackquitted the said John De 
Grave of five Pound which de said John De Grafe 
is fifalen under. 

A study of the assessment rolls makes it a little 
doubtful whether John was of "mean Capasity." In 
the first assessment he is down at in, while only four 
years later, 1722, his wealth had risen to £30, show- 
ing that there must have been some profit in the sale 
of "Strong Licquors by Smal Measure." Once again 
in July, 1719. he got into trouble, but the record does 
not show clearly whether he escaped his fine or not. 

Another interesting entry is the following under 
date of January 20th, 1721 : 

To jMr. Jacob Plough for Sarviss Done for the 
Countv for Tow Viges from Kips berge to pockepsink 
upon the Business of a Negro of Johanns Dickman 
that was Burnt and forgot to bring it to the County 
Charge afore and is allowed 12s. 



HISTORY OF POUGHKBBPSIB. 



This is obscure enough, but it may refer to the 
burning of a negro at the stake. Two such horrible 
incidents have been related in historical sketches of 
Poughkeepsie, usually with a later but not very definite 
date. Isaac Piatt in a historical sketch published in 
the Weekly Eagle in May, 1858, spoke of the burning 
of a white man and negro "on the eve of the Revolu- 
tion," and stated that it took place on the ground next 
south of John Thompson's place on Market Street. 
Punishments were often harsh and brutal in Colonial 
days, and there are several references in the early 
books of the supervisors to a whipping post, and to 
chains and stocks for securing prisoners. The records 
also show that prisoners were in need of better 
security than the jail afforded, for its locks and bars 
were a source of much expense and were not infre- 
quently broken. 

The First Church. 

The first deed' in Liber A of Deeds is that which 
conveys the lot on which the first church was built, 
from Jacobus Van Den Bogert to "Capt. Barendt Van 
Kleeck, Mr. Myndert Van Den Bogert, Mr. Pieter 
fielee and Mr. Johannes van Kleeck All Yomen." It 
is dated December 26th, 1716, and was recorded Au- 
gust 20th, 1718, by Henry Van Derburgh, the second 
County Clerk. The congregation had been organized 
Oct. loth, 1716, when Re\-. Petrus Vas, pastor of the 
church at Kingston, installed Michael Parmenter and 
Pieter du Bois as elders, and Elias \'an Benschoten 
and Pieter Parmenter as deacons, and also baptised 
Marytjen, daughter of Frans De Langc and Marytjen 
\^an Schaak. Rev. A. P. \'an Gieson has translated 
many of the early Dutch records for his history of 
the church and he tells us that the first Church 
Master's book contains copies of subscription lists 
that were circulated in 1 717 to raise money for the 
building of the church. 1,427 guilders^ were sub- 
scribed in money and 61 days work estimated at six 
guilders per day. Evidently community life was 
taking form at this time and the future of the little 
hamlet at Poughkeepsie was assured, with the court 
house on one side of the King's Road and the church 
on the other. The church was finished in 1723 and is 
said to have been of stone. Its location is clearly 
shown by the description of the property in the deed : 
"Scituated Lying and being in pochkepseng in the 

'Printed in full in the "History of the First Reformed 
Church of Poughkeepsie," by Rev. .-X. P. Van Gieson, D. \). 
(p. 122). 

-The guilder wa.s commonly reckoned at one shilling 
(i; 1-2 CIS.) New York currency. The term disappears 
from the Poughkeepsie Church records in 1740. — Dr. Van 
Gieson's History, p. 85. 



afore said County, butted and Boundett Vz on the 
Nort Sid to the Rood that Runs to the Eastward to 
the fore said Cap't Barendt Van Kleecks and on the 
west along the Rood that Runs to the Sout." This 
was of course on the southeast corner of Market and 
Main street, and the church still owns the property, as 
will appear in subsequent chapters. 

That the early Dutch settlers who built the church 
and the court house were not devoid of enterprise is 
apparent. They were so few in numbers that the 
church was united with that organized about the 
same time at Fishkill, and it was not until 1 73 1 that 
the first minister. Rev. Cornelius Van Schie arrived 
from Holland to take charge of the two backwoods 
congregations. If Dominie Van Schie received what 
the two churches agreed to pay him in the call (which 
Dr. Van Gieson prints in full) he got the princely 
salary of £70 ($175) New York money, the time of 
his salary "to begin with the lifting of the anchor of 
the ship on which he shall sail from Amsterdam.'' He 
was also furnished with firewood for summer and 
winter "to be piled by his house" and was presented 
with a brown horse which cost "four pounds & Teen 
shillings.'' A house, "three morgens of pasture, also 
a garden in suitable fence, " and several minor in- 
ducements were included in the call, but as he re- 
mained less than two years he may not have received 
all these good things. The parsonage, pasture, etc. 
were to be located either at Poughkeepsie or Fishkill, 
and Dominie Van Schie was to be perfectly free to 
decide which place he preferred for his residence. He 
preferred Poughkeepsie, and here the two congrega- 
tions jointly purchased the land on a part of which 
the present church stands and built the first parsonage, 
probably in 1732. In a call sent to Holland in 1734, 
it is described as "A new and suitable residence, fortv- 
five feet long and twenty-seven broad, having three 
rooms, and a study upstairs, a large cellar under the 
house, and a well with good water, a garden, and 
an orchard planted with 100 trees." 

Dominie Van Schie went to Albany in 1733 and it 
was twelve years before another minister could be in- 
duced to come out from Holland. The salary had 
then been raised to £110. The calls of course had to 
be sent through others by power of attorney, as it 
was impossible for the consistory of the little churches 
in Dutchess to know what young ministers were avail- 
able on the other side of the ocean. When the second 
minister, Rev. B. Mcynema, arrived and had looked 
over the ground he asked, among other things, "that 
he might be reimbursed for any expense in riding 
to the church, or from the church to his home, on 
account of storms, high water, and necessity of bein.3- 
helped through the creek," and the request was o-rant- 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEEPSie. 



23 



ed. This of course, referred to the long ride to and 
from Fishkill. 

What happened to destroy the first church is not 
known. Rev. Samuel Seabury,' the English Church 
missionary, writing about 1756, says, "The Dutch 
Church at Poughkeepsie was not enclosed or under- 
pinned but standing on blocks, nor floored or preached 
in though raised for several years." If the date of 
this letter is correct it seems as if it must refer 
to a second church building, though according to the 
church records the second building was not determin- 
ed upon by the Consistory until Feb. 15th, 1760, at 
which time the minutes state that the walls of the old 
church had fallen. Boudewyn Lacounte, Elias Van 
Benschoten, Leonard Van Kleeck and James Liv- 
ingston were the building committee, and this church 
was erected on the North side of East Lane, as Main 
Street is called in the deed from Gale Yelverton con- 
veying the property, October 25th, 1760. It stood 
until 1822, on the lot just to the east of the 
present Nelson House Anne.x opposite the end of Mar- 
ket Street, and there are still a few interesting grave 
stones^ remaining in the rear of the buildings there. 
After this church was built the old church lot, on the 
corner across the road, continued to be used as a 
burial ground until well into the nineteenth century. 

Before the second building was determined upon 
the dissension between the Coetus and Conferentie 
parties had begun and the harmony of the Dutch 
church was not restored until the Revolution. The 
Coetus party held that, minsters could be ordained 
in America, while the Conferentie party maintained 
that the onl>' authority was in Holland. When the 
fourth pastor of the Poughkeepsie and Fishkill 
churches, Dominie Henricus Schoonmaker arrived in 
Poughkeepsie in 1764 for ordination he found the 
church in the possession of the opposing (Conferentie 
or Holland) party and the service took place under a 
tree not far from where the present church is located, 
the officiating minister, Rev. John H. Goetschius, 
standing in a wagon. Elder Peter Van Kleeck and 
Deacon John Conklin of the Conferentie party or- 
ganized a bolting consistory and called Rev. Isaac 
Rysdyck from Holland. He accepted, and from 1765 
to 1772 the Poughkeepsie and Fishkill churches had 
two pastors. Dr. Rysdyck left the Poughkeepsie 
church to take charge of the Fishkill, Hopewell and 
New Hackensack churches in 1773, which marks the 
separation of the Poughkeepsie church from Fishkill. 
It is interesting to note that Mr. Schoonmaker, who 
was in his time said to be the most eloquent preacher 



iRev. H. O. Ladd's "Founding of the Episcopal Church in 
Dutchess County," p. 22, note. 
2See appendix for names. 



in the Dutch language, left Poughkeepsie in 1774, 
largely because he could not preach well in English. 
The Dutch language was steadily losing ground and 
disappears entirely from the church records in 1783, 
though occasionally used in preaching until 1794. 
The first record of preaching in English was in 1 740 
and in Dominie Schoonmaker's time it had become 
customary to hold services alternately in Dutch and in 
English. The church was evidently then much in the 
position of the Lutheran church of to-day. 

The First English Church. 

The increase of the English population and of 
the English language, as well as the dissentions in the 
Dutch church made a place for the Church of England 
(Episcopal) and for the Presbyterians. The latter,^ 
it appears, were first in the field with an organization 
as early as 1749. but failed to maintain themselves on 
a permanent basis or to erect a building until some 
time after the beginning of the 19th century. They 
held frequent services, however, first in connection 
with Fishkill and afterwards in connection with 
"Charlotte Precinct," which included Washington 
Hollow and Pleasant Valley, until 1772, and then the 
records show only an occasional sermon for a long 
period. At Pleasant Valley, on the other hand, the 
denomination increased in strength, and the first 
church was built there about 1770, when Rev. Wheeler 
Case left the Poughkeepsie congregation to become 
its pastor. The Pleasant Valley congregation was 
built up by immigration from the north of Ireland 
and soon became stronger even than the "Pittsbury 
Church," organized at what was afterwards called 
Washington Hollow, in 1746. 

The Church of England started in Poughkeepsie 
with a vigorous organization in 1766, as a result 
of meetings held during a number of visits from 1755 
by Rev. Samuel Seabury of Hempstead, Long Island, 
who was in the service of the "Society for the Pro- 
pagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts." It con- 
tinued to flourish until the Revolution was well start- 
ed, when prejudice against it became so strong on 
account of the lo}'alty of many of the members to 
the King, that services had to be suspended. Christ 
Church- in connection with Rombout (Fishkill), Beek- 
mans and Charlotte, in the year of its organization 
called Rev. John Beardslcy of Groton, Ct., to be its 

iThe History of the Presbyterian Church in Dutchess 
County has never been fully written, but see Daily Eagle, 
June 8th, i8gs. 

-Daily Eagle, May 25, 1895. The records of this church 
are in good preservation and a complete history is in couree 
of preparation by Miss Helen Wilkinson RejTiolds of Pough- 
keepsie. 



24 



HISTORY OF POUGHKBBPSIE. 



first rector, and the next year purchased a farm or 
"glebe' of 87 acres from Gideon Ostrander on the 
Filkintown Road (Main St.) The "glebe house," or 
rectory, built of brick in 1767, is still standing nearly 
in its original form on the north side of Main Street 
opposite the end of Church Street. At the meeting 
which extended the call to Mr. Beardsley, Barthole- 
mew Crannell, Peter Harris, Johannes Ferdon, Johan- 
nes Midlaer and Charles Moss were present from 
Poughkeepsie. A royal charter was granted to 
Christ Church, March 9th, 1773, by King George III, 
under the corporate title of "The Rector and Inhabi- 
tants of Poughkeepsie in Dutchess County in Com- 
munion of the Church of England, as by law es- 
tablished," and by it a grant of two hundred acres 
of land previously regarded as "common land" was 
added to the glebe. This land in after years caused 
the church many law suits, as squatters settled on it 
and claimed title by right of occupation. 




^^^"^^^^^^^m^i^i 



English Church Glebe House — Taken 1904. 

Rev. H. O. Ladd in his "Founding of the Episco- 
pal Church in Dutchess County" makes Trinity 
Church, Fishkill, antedate Christ Church by virtue of 
a subscription paper circulated for the building of a 
church in 1756, but no organization was formed at 
Fishkill until ten 3'ears later in connection with Pough- 
keepsie, and it does not appear that the church was 
built until 1769. The first Christ Church building was 
erected in 1774 on land given b}' Lewis DuBois. facing 
the Post Road, where the State Armory now is. 
There was some opposition to the establishment of the 
Church of England from the staunch old dissenters 
who had come into the county bringing with them the 
memory of the Stuarts of England, but the Dutch in- 
habitants do not seem to have been greatly disturbed. 
In fact Dutch names began to appear on the records 
ver\- soon after it was fairlv settled. 



^Original parcliment in Savings Bank, in the care of 
Major J. K. Sague, one of the wardens. 



Oaths Signed by Office Holders. 

Something of the rehgious prejudices of Colonial 
days, as well as the English fear of a return of the 
Stuarts to the throne and of Roman Catholic influence, 
are shown in the oaths of abjuration and fealty re- 
quired to be taken by office holders in Dutchess 
County. These oaths were long, and abounded in 
every sort of legal repetition and prolixity. The 
shortest of them, as used in 1729, was as follows: 

I, A. B., do swear that I do from my heart abhor Detest 
and abjure as Impious and Heretical, that Danmable Doctrine 
and position that Princes Excommunicated or deprived by 
the Pope, or any Authority of the see of Rome may be 
deposed or Murdered by their subjects or any other what- 
soever, and I do declare that no Person Prelate State or 
Potentate has or ought to have any Jurisdiction Power Superi- 
ority Preeminence of authority; Ecclesiastical or Spiritual 
within this Realm 

So help me God 

The oath of fealty declared "that our Soveraigne 
Lord George the Second is Lawful and Rightful King 
of this Realm * * * ^j^^j j ^^^ Solemnly and 
Sincerely declare * * * that the person pre- 
tended to be Prince of Wales during the Life of the 
Late King James and since his Decease pretending to 
be * * * King of England by the name of 
James the third hath not any Rights or Title whatso- 
ever," etc. 

A third oath declared that "in the Sacrament of the 
Lords Supper ; there is not any Transubstantiation," 
etc., and that various practices of the Church of Rome 
are "Superstitious and Idolatrous." 

A copy of one of these oaths found in the attic 
of the old Court House contains the following sig- 
natures for the dates given : 

1729. 

Benthusen, Jan — captain. 
Du Bois. Piter — justice. 
Du Lang, Frans — captain. 
Hermans, Hendricks — captain. 
Hussey, James — captain. 
Kip, Jacob, Jr. — captain. 
Kip, R'd — justice. 
Knickerbacker, Lowerens — captain. 
La Roy, Frans — captain. 
Muntross, John — captain. 
Oosterhout, Lowerens — captain. 
Sanders, Thomas — 
Scheefer, Henrie — 
Scott. William — coroner. 
Swartwout, Jacobus — 
Swartwout, Rudolf — sheriff. 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEEPSIB. 



25 



Ter Bos, Jacobus — 

Ter Bos, Johannis — 

Van Benshoten, Elias — captain. 

Van Cleec, Lowerens — captain. 

Vanderburg, Henry — dark. 

Van Etten, Jacobus — 

Van Kleeck, Barent — major. 

Van Cleck, Pieter — justice. 

Van Clock, Johannis — 

Van Wagenen, Evert — captain. 

Westfalle, Wouter — 

1730. 
Kip, Jacob, Jr. — captain. 
Van Wagenen Gerrit — captain. 

1734- 
Brett, Francis — ensign. 
Brinkerhoff, Abraham — 
Bumshoten, Elias — captain. 
De Witt, Jacob — leftenent. 
Du Bois, Metthis — justice. 
Filkins Frans — judge. 
Hussey, James — captain. 
Kip, R'd — justice of the quorum. 
Livingston, Gil. — major. 
Osterhout, Jan — ensign. 
Scott, William — coroner and justice. 
Squire, William — sheriff. 
Swartwout, Bernardus — 
Swartwout, Jacobus — justice. 
Tebos, Jacobus — justice. 
Terbos, Johannis — judge. 
Van Campen, Jacob — captain. 
Van Cleec, Lowerens — leftenent and justice. 
Vanderburg, Henry — 

Van Kleeck, Barent— leftenent and colonel. 
Van Kleeck, Machiel — leftenent. 
Vanwyck, Cornelius — 

1735- 

Beekman, Henry — justice. 

* Crawler, Peter. 

*Crandler, Peter. 

Haber, Fragharys— 

Knickerbacker, Lourens— ji-istice. 

Spater, Johannis— minister. 

Wilson, James — sheriff. 
It is a little difficult to tell from the old paper just 
what the offices held were in all cases. The list does 
not exactly agree with the colonial civil list as pub- 
ished by the State, which does not give Rudolf Swart- 
wout among the sheriffs. The two persons whose 
names are preceded by a star could not wnte their 
names and are marked -'naturalized," as is also Mr. 



Spater, the minister. There are two later colonial lists 
on file among the county papers. 

The Precinct or Town of Poghkeepsie. 

The County of Dutchess, as has already been 
shown by the first recorded tax roll, was divided into 
three wards as soon as it had enough population to 
warrant a division, "The South Division to begin at 
the South side of the Highlands & Northward to 
Wapaingers Creek, the Middle Division to begin at 
the aforesaid Wapaingers Creek, & so Northward 
to Cline sopas Island, & the North Division to be- 
gin on the Northside of the Midle Division, and end- 
ing on the Northernmost bounds & extent of the 
County."! ]\Tq eastern boundaries were assigned, 
"Cline sopas Island" is the present Esopus Island, not 
far from Hyde Park. The Middle Division was 
therefore very much the smallest of the three, indicat- 
ing that the population was mostly concentrated there. 
In 1737 the county was further divided into seven pre- 
cincts, in general corresponding to the great land 
grants, except the "Poghkeepsie Precinct," which in- 
cluded "all the Lands to the Northwest of Wappingers 
Kill or Creek from the mouth thereof And up along the 
said Kill or Creek & Hudson's River until it meets 
the Patent Granted to Heathcote & Company called 
the Lower Nine Partners." Thus the precinct or 
town of Poughkeepsie came into existence with practi- 
cally its present boundaries. This act provided for the 
election of supervisors, assessors, etc. the first Tues- 
day in April, but there was no provision for a Town 
or Precinct Clerk until 1741. In 1749 the "Precinct 
of Poghkeepsie" — this was the official spelling until 
after the Revolution — bought a book and copied in it 
the records from 1742, and from that time the records 
of the town elections are complete. Town meetings 
were of course held in Poughkeepsie and the town 
clerk's office remained here for many 3'ears. The first 
page of the town book is as follows : 

At a meeting of the Inhabitants of Poghkeepsie 
Precinct in Dutchess County on Tuesday the Sixth 
Day of April 1742 when by a Plurality of Votes were 
chosen for the year Ensuing viz : 

John Van Kleeck Supervisor 

"Lewis Du Bois { Assessors 
Bowdewine La Count \ 

Barent Lewis, Overseer of ye Road to ye Northward 

Benjamin Van Keuren Do To )'e Southward 

John Tappen Do To ye Eastward 

John Maxfield Do To ye North East 

Henry Livingston Town Clerk 

John Ten Brook Collector 

iColoiiial Laws, Vol. I, p. 1033. This act is dated June 
24, 1719, but it appears from the tax roll quoted that the di- 
vision had been made as early as 1717. 



26 



HISTORY OF POUGHKBUPSin. 



Abraham Freer Pound Master 

Peter Viele | ^ ... 

Frans La Roy [ ^ence Viewers 

Bartholemew Noxon ( ■ Overseers of the Poor 

Henry Van Den Burgh ( r^ * ui 

Johannes Swartwout \ Constables 

In the next year John Conklin, Jacobus Van 
Bomell, Moses De Graff and Augustus Turick come 
on the hst of precinct officers and Abraham Freer is 
designated "Pounder." The overseers of the roads 
in 1743 were 

Henry Livingston — Overseer of ye Road to ye 
Northward. 

Isaac Lassing — Do To ye Southward. 
Myndert Van Den Bogert — Do to Du Bois. 
John Rynders — Do To ye nine partners. 

Nearly all these men lived in or near the present 
city limits of Poughkeepsie. The references to the 
roads are clear except that "To Du Bois." In the 
record of the next year's election, 1744, the road "To 
ye nine partners" becomes the road "To filkintown." 
Henry Filkins was sheriff from 1743 to 1748 and the 
settlement named from him was in the neighborhood 
of Mabbettsville. In the 1744 records five roads are 
mentioned and among the overseers are: 

Matewis Kip — from Lewis Du Bois to Callrugh. 

Gerret Davis — from Lassing's to Du Bois Mill. 

In 1745^ the roads are designated simply "North," 
"South," "filkintown, "Simeon La Roy" and "Lewis 
Du Bois." In 175 1 Gulian Ackerman is mentioned as 
overseer to "Du Bois Bridge" and Peter Du Bois to 
"La Roy's Bridge," while a sixth road "from Perdon's 
to P. Lassings" comes in. In 1754 Clear Everitt was 
overseer "To Larroys Bridge" and Francis Littamore 
"From Gedion Duboys to P. Road." Clear Everitt 
became sheriff in 1754 and he lived, I believe, at the 
mouth of the Fall Kill and owned the milP there. 
This leads one to conjecture that the road in his 
charge might have been Mill Street and that there was 
a bridge across the Fall Kill somewhere near him call- 
ed La Roy's Bridge. In 1755 the road masters were: 

Post Road South Roelif Westerfelt 

Post Road North James G. Livingston 

From Gidion Duboys to Post Road James Lucky 

Filkintown Road Gabriel H. Ludlow 

From Call Rugh to Simeon Larroy's Bridge John DeGraff 

From Ferdon's to Hock Landing Abraham Lassen 

"Call Rugh" must be our Kaal or Call Rock and 
early maps show a road leading around from it to 
Mill Street about at the junction of Mill and Clover 

iTunis Van Vliet comes on the records as road overseer 
in this year and Casparus Westerfelt in 1746. 

~K deed from Henry Bayeau.x to Anne Everct, dated 1761, 
refers to him as owner of this mill. 



Streets. It has all sorts of spellings and in the I759 
records becomes Call Bergh and is once or twice 
spelled Colburgh. There was evidently a landing 
place there with an authorized town road leading to it 
as early as 1744. It comes all the way down in the 
records to 1790 with occasional omissions. Mr. Loss- 
ing says that the rock received its name because 
it was the place from which passing sloops were 
signalled, and the fact that the landing place there 
was used as early as 1744 and appears to have been the 
principal Poughkeepsie landing place for a time, makes 
it seem possible that he was right, though a derivation 
from the Dutch word Kahl (bald) has been sug- 
gested as more probable. The road mentioned in 1744 
"from Lewis Dubois to Callrugh" is puzzling. If 
Dubois lived where road surveys of the same date 
seem to place him, on what we now call the New 
Hackensack Road, and where he certainly was living a 
few years later — DuBois's Mill was in 1770 at the out- 
let of what is now Vassar College Lake — then there 
must have been a road regarded as continuous all the 
way from his neighborhood to the Call Rock landing, 
certainly evidence of the importance of the landing. 
No map shows such a road, unless it may be taken to 
include the New Hackensack Road to Main Street, 
and the winding way on about the lines of Washington, 
Mill and Clover Streets. The old road books contain 
many such puzzles and modern surveyors who have 
gone through them searching for the early lines have 
marked a considerable number of the roads "un- 
known." Doubtless the location of some has been 
so entirely changed as to be unrecognizable, but the 
puzzles presented by most of them could be worked 
out by a careful comparison of old maps, deeds and 
traditions as to where the people mentioned lived. 

Some CoIvOniai, Events. 

There were a number of events of sufficient excite- 
ment to lend variety to the life of the little hamlet of 
Poughkeepsie in Colonial days, but they were gen- 
erally county matters brought to the county seat for 
legal action. The examinations in 1744 at "Pikipsi" 
of the Moravians, Buttner, Ranch and Mack, who had 
established a successful mission among the Indians 
at Shekomeko, reflected the bitter religious prejudices 
of the times and the fear of the French. The driving 
of these noble, unselfish Christians from the county 
was an episode of which no one can be proud. The 
history of the Moravian mission has been pretty fully 
written, and is well covered in the Dutchess County 
History published in 1882. There is little evidence 
that the persecuted missionaries found much sympathy 
among the inhabitants of Poughkeepsie, who doubt- 
less shared the insane suspicion of the day that the 



HISTORY OF POUGHKBBPSIE. 



27 



Moravians were in some way acting in the interest 
of the French. That fear of the French was not al- 
together absurd at this time the following letter to 
Henry Livingston, the County Clerk, fiom his brother- 
in-law, shows : 

Rinebeek Novem. 23 — 1745 
IvOving Brother, 
*" " , We are att presnt in good health, hope 

by^god s Blessmg this may find you & family the same 

I Recieved this Morning at 5 oclock a letter from 
Uncle P. Livingston to witt— that there was 600 
french & Indians near hosick Drawing Down to the 
English Settlements which news came Post Down to 
him & he sent it Likewise to me, his Letter was Dated 
Last night 12 oclock 

I Emiediately sent it over pr post as your father 
was the nearest Colonell 

I Dount Doudt but you have heard of the murder 
committed att scharightoga were they kild all they 
could gitt both man & beast, as for the particulars we 
have not yet heard, it is supposed that Mr. Philip Schy- 
ler is first shot & then burnt in his own house 

my wife son & self joyn in Love to you sister & 
Gille & am your to command, 

Jacob Rutsen. 

On the side of the sheet are written the words 
"In great haste." News carried by direct messengers 
on horseback was not so slow as we are inclined to 
imagine, but additional particulars were hard to ob- 
tain and alarm was proportionally greater. Here is 
another letter which shows something of the feelings 
of one Dutchess County boy pursuing the French far 
away from home. 

Launciston June ye ist, 1745 
Loving Brother this is to let you know that I am 
in good health and I hope this will find you in the 
same dear brother I am very sorry that I did not stay 
at home with you for I do repent very much my 
coming in a man of w^r for here is nothing else but 
Cursing and swaring every day Now we are Cruising 
of Capertuny i8th of last may we took a french man 
of war of 64 Guns Brother I wish I was now with 
you at home out of this miserable place I hope you and 
sister and Cousin Gilbert are in good health, no more 
at present but am your Loving brother 

Samuel Livingston. 

During the French and Indian War Governor 
Hardy called out the militia of Dutchess and Ulster 
Counties, after the surrender of Oswego to the French 
in 1756. There \va.^ much traveling by important 
personages up and down the river throughout the war, 
for Albany was the military headquarters. The Earl 
of Loudon marched an army from New York to Al- 
bany by the Post Road, which we are told was opened 
by him through the Highlands where it had been 
merely a trail before. The Dutchess militia were 
sent to reinforce his army at Lake George and prob- 
ably a few residents of Poughkeepsie town spent 



the fall of 1756 in the wilderness at Fort William 
Henry, watching the French at Ticonderoga, and then 
in the winter returned home leaving the work to the 
British regulars. Probably also some of them were 
among Webb's provincials at Fort Edward, who 
failed^ to go to the relief of Fort William Henry in 
time to prevent its capture by Montcalm the next year. 
In 1766 there were soldiers again at Poughkeepsie, 
British regulars, and we learn from a letter^ written 
by Sheriff James Livingston that there was a skirmish 
between the military and the people. This skirmish, 
however, took place in the eastern part of the county 
near Quaker Hill and was a part of the "anti-rent 
war" against the great land holders. One of the 
anti-rent leaders, William Pendergast, was brought to 
Poughkeepsie and his trial is one of the causes cele- 
bres of Colonial days. He conducted his own defense 
assisted by his wife, but the jury found him guilty. 
The wife, as soon as the result was announced, started 
at once on horseback for New York, obtained a re- 
prieve from the Governor, and was back in three days. 
Such a woman could hardly be expected to fail in what 
she undertook. She followed up her success with an 
application to the King himself, and in six months a 
full pardon came from George HI and Pendergast 
and his noble wife went home amid great rejoicings.^ 
The eastern Dutchess people were mostly Yankees 
from Connecticut and not so deliberate in their move- 
ments as the Dutch of the river neighborhoods. 

Some Signs of Growth. 

The development of a town in the neighborhood of 
the Court House and Dutch Church was about as de- 
liberate as anything could be, but after 1750 the Coun- 
ty of Dutchess began to grow rapidly and the popula- 
tion was almost doubled between 1749 and 1756, the 
census of the latter year putting it at 14,157. In 1756 
William Smith, the historian of New York, said of the 
county, "The only villages in it are Poughkeepsie and 
the Fishkill, but they scarce deserve the name." It 
is something to know that Poughkeepsie was called a 
village at that time, forty-three years before it was 
officially incorporated, and it may also be some satis- 
faction to know that Xewburgh wasn't yet heard of. 
Of Orange County Smith says, "Their villages are 
Goshen, Bethlehem and Little Britain." Kingston, on 
the other hand already had "about one-hundred and 
fifty houses, mostly of stone, is regularl\' laid out on a 
dry, level spot and has a large stone church and court 



iParknian's "Montcalm and Wolfe," Vol. I, pp. 439-497 
and Vol. II, p. 2. 

-Calendar of English Manuscripts, Sec. of State's Office, p. 

763. 

3Sketch in Weekly Eagle, May 17th, 1856. 



2S 



HISTORY OF ROUGH KEBPSIE. 



house near the centre." He might have mentioned the 
fact that we had a pretty good Court House also ai; 
that time, judging from the time required to finish it. 
The second Court House was authorized as we liave 
seen, in 1743, when an appropriation of £300 was 
made, then in 1745 £300 more were appropriated, in 
1750 £130 more and in 1753 an additional £50, ac- 
cording to the Colonial acts. Presumably, therefore 
this Court House was finished for something less than 
$2,000, but money purchased a great deal more in 
labor and material then than it does now. In 1764 
another £70 was authorized for converting "one of the 
Jury Rooms in the County House into a Jail," and 
in 1765 £200 was added to this. Both the Court House 
and the jail were certainly large enough to be of 
a great deal of service during the Revolution. 

By 1756 the English population had so much in- 
creased, as we have seen, as to attract the occasional 
services ot a missionar)' of the Church of England, 
and the Presbyterians were also on the ground. Rev. 
Samuel Seabury, the Church of England missionary, 
is authority for the statement that a considerable num- 
ber of families from Long Island were settling in 
Dutchess County at this time. 

The river trade was becoming of some im- 
portance in Poughkeepsie, as references already 
made to the "Call Rugh" road show, and doubt- 
less there was also a landing place at the mouth 
of the Fall Kill. According to tradition the old grist 
mill, which preceded the dye-wood mills, was raised 
on the day of Braddock's defeat in 1755, and stood 
until 1849, when it was burned. It was during this 
period that the two crooked roads to the river that we 
now know as Pine Street and Union Street originated. 
In a deed^ from William Van Derburgh to Richard 
Davis, dated Oct. 9th, 1761, the three acres of ground 
conveyed are described as "Beginning at a white oak- 
tree standing at the South side of a small Creek called 
the landing place Killetje," and there is a stipulation 
for ''a convenient open road of the breadth of three 
rodds from the post road through the other lands of 
the said William Van Derburgh to a Store House that 
may be hereafter built or building to be and remain a 
publick and open road forever." This was the road 
marked on the maps of a few years later as "Richard 
Davis's Road" and after 1800 was named Pine Street. 
It followed a winding course seeking an easy grade 
into the valley of the Killetje (little kill.) l->idently 
the landing place had been used before that time, but 
had not been improved. Four small streams converg- 
ed at this landing place, as shown on the 1798 and 
17()9 maps, — see frontispiece, also Chapter V — 



iLiber 14, p. 254. 



and the last of tliem has only recently been put into the 
sewer. One^ of them flowed through Eastman Park, 
coming down between Montgomery and Noxon 
Streets, but the ground has been so completely chang- 
ed by filling that its course is difficult to trace. The 
cove at the mouth of the Killetje was as much of a 
"safe harbor" as that at the mouth of the Fall Kilj^ v, 

John De Graff, (either the same man mentioned in' 
the first supervisors and justices' records or his son), 
owned the next farm north of William Van Derburgh, 
and had also built a store house at the river front by 
1766. In 1767 a road was laid out by the town com- 
missioners (Book C, Roads, p. 74) on petition of John 
De Graff and his son-in-law James Winans "petition- 
ers having both a Dwelling and a store House near 
Hudson's river * * -^ and being desirous to have 
a public Landing place there and not having an open 
road from the Kings Road to the premises." The 
road is described as beginning "at said Store House 
thence along the Bank to the Dug way thence up the 
Bank as the road now goes to the Top of the Hill 
thence along the east side of the Hill to the west of 
the Brook till it comes to the Creek thence over the 
same as the road is now opened To the Kings road at 
the south side of the Court House." Who could 
recognize all this for Union Street, except by the ter- 
minus at the south side of the Court House ? A little 
consideration of old maps and the situation of the 
ground will show pretty plainly that the "Dug Way" 
and the "top of the Hill" must refer to the lower part 
of Union Street (the road up from the old Lower 
Furnace). This landing place during or soon after 
the Revolution became known as the "Union Landing" 
and the road to it was called "The Union Store Road." 
James Winans in the meantime had built himself a 
store house and a landing further south, near Richard 
Davis's store house, but on the north side of the 
Killetje. The fact that a branch road from the Union 
Store Road led to it (a road which became the end of 
South Water Street) appears to indicate that the 
Killetje was not bridged so that Davis's road could 
be reached from that side. 

When the first store house was erected at the 
mouth of the Fall Kill we do not know, but it prob- 
ably antedated all the others, and a deed from Clear 
Everitt to Nathaniel Seaman in 1764 refers to "Houses, 
.Mill, Mill House, Store Houses," etc. Down to this 
time this property, the site of the first mill in Pough- 
keepsie, can be clearly traced through deeds on record. 
It passed from Myndert ITeermance to Leonard Lewis 
in 1710, from Lewis to his wife by will, dated 1723, 

lit furnished the water for flooding the old Eastman skat- 
ing park. 



HISTORY OF POUGHKBEPSIE 



'iit 



and then to Anthony Yelverton in 1740. He sold 
in 1755 to Martin Hoffman of Rhinebeck, which seems 
to mark the coming of the Hoffman family, who lived 
in that neighborhood many years. Hoffman sold 
(perhaps not all the property) to Clear Everitt in 1760 
and Everitt sold to Nathaniel Seaman, as noted, in 
1764. There tlic record stops. Robert L. Livingston 
of Clermont came into the possession of the mill after 
this in some way, but perhaps not until after the 
Revolution. He is said to have built the substantial 
stone house, afterwards the home of the Hoffman and 
Sherman families and recently the home of Mr. Charles 
N. Arnold. This house of course originally had a 
peaked roof. 




The Hoffman or Shcniiaii House — Taken 1904. 

PuGMiNENT Colonial F.^miliES. 

.\n interesting little survey- map^ of the Hudson 
River from "the mine point to the crum elbow" — a 
map upon which Gilbert Livingston endorsed a state- 
ment in 17<)4 that it was made by his father about 56 
years earlier — has the mill marked "Lewis Mill." If 
Henry Livingston did make the survey and map as 
early as 1738. it was made before he came to Pough- 
keepsie, or at least before he bought property here. 
The marks on the map indicating buildings and their 
owners, etc., were certainly later additions, for a "ship- 
yard" is indicated in the neighborhood afterward 
called "Ship Yard Point" and "Richard Davis's Store 
House" is .so marked. Near the "Rust platts Killitie" 
is a house marked "Conklin's," wliicii would seem 
to show that Gili)ert Livingston or one of his brothers 
wrote the names on the map, for they naturally knew 
all about that place. Henry Livingston,- the first of 
his name in Poughkecpsie, was a son of Gilbert Liv- 



ingston and Cornelia Beekman, and was born at Kings- 
ton, Sept. 8th, 1714. His father was a son of the 
"first lord" of Livingston Manor. He married Susan 
Conklin and purchased his property here from John 
Conklyn, as the name is spelled in the deed, Nov. i6th, 
1742, and the same 3'ear became county clerk, an office 
which he retained until 1789, and in which he was 
succeeded first by his son Robert Henry Livingston 
and then in 1804 by another son, Gilbert Livingston. 

Henry Livingston's brother, James G. Livingston, 
was sheriff of Dutchess County from 1761 to 1769 
(succeeding Clear Everitt), and also lived in Pough- 
kecpsie. Philip J. Livingston of Livingston Manor, 
the Tory sheriff of early Revolutionary times, prob- 
abl}' also lived here during his term of office. Besides 
these and their families there was Robert L. Living- 
ston already mentioned as owning the mill at the mouth 
of the Fall Kill at one time. He is said to have lived 
at Rhinebeck, where he also owned mills, but may have 
resided here for a time, as one of his daughters 
married' John Crooke of Poughkeepsie, and his son, 
Robert G., married Marthe de Reimer of the same 
place. 



EM* 


M 


^P 


^^ 


^i^:^ 


f.^i^ 


^^^&S 


^E^^^^ 






r^SI 


v^^^i 


11 


ii 




^H 


\m<i 


it^N''^~ 


^B 






ii^^# 

^^^'^i^' 



iMap 5, Coinih- ClcrU's Onicc. 

■\\ i;oo(1 sketch of Uic f.nmily will Ik- found in the Sunchiy 
Courier, Foh. :;i. tSoj See also C^ E. Smith's History of 
Rhinebeck, p. 77. 



Henry LIz'ingslon House — Taken about 1S70. 

The house built by Henry Livingston, probablv 
soon after his purchase in 1742 of a part of the Conklin 
property just south of Poughkeepsie, on the river front, 
is still standing, though much disfigiired, and is now 
used as an office by the Phoenix Horse Shoe Com- 
pany. It was a delightful country seat far into the 
]irescut century and was occupied by descendants of 
Henry Livingston until about 1S70, though the rail- 
road destro\ed much of its attractiveness. Henry 



'History of Rhinebeck, p. 7S. 



30 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEBPSIB. 



Livingston's children, of whom we shall learn more in 
subsequent chapters, were Beekman, Robert, Henry, 
John H., Gilbert, Catherine, Joanna, Susan, Alida, 
Cornelia, and Helen. Some of them were buried in the 
little family burying ground now in a neglected con- 
dition on the old Livingston Place. 

A Kingston family, the Tappens, begin to appear 
on the Poughkeepsie town records not long after the 
Livingstons, Tennis Tappen, who is mentioned as a 
road ove. seer in 1751, being apparently the first of the 
name. Bartholomew Crannell, whose father had been 
sheriff of New York, settled in Poughkeepsie about 
the same time and became the law partner of Henry 
Livingston, and also owner of a large tract of land now 
in the heart of the city, mostly north of Main and east 
of Catherine Street. His wife was a Van Kleeck, ac- 
cording to the genealogists, and his three daughters all 
married in Poughkeepsie — one of them Gilbert Liv- 
ingston, a son of Henry Livingston, another Peter 
Tappen and the third Rev. John Beardsley, first rector 
of the English Church, of which Mr. Crannell was per- 
haps the most prominent member, the Livingstons and 
Tappens being members of the Dutch Church. In 
1764 Bartholomew CrannelP gave to Gilbert Living- 
ston and Catherine his wife, "Daughter of the said 
Bartholomew Crannell," property on the north side of 
the Filkintown Road, and they lived in a pleasant house 
which stood for many years where the First National 
Bank is. Catherine Street thus obtained its name. To 
Peter Tappen and Elizabeth, his wife, Mr. Crannell 
presented adjoining property to the eastward, and 
Crannell Street marks about the location, as will appear 
in another chapter. Bartholomew Crannell himself 
lived in a house which stood on the south side of the 
road, near what is now the corner of South Clinton 
Street, and he owned the mill on the Fall Kill near by. 
When the first mill in this neighborhod was built I 
have no evidence, but Crannell owned it as early as 
1767. There was also a road at that time leading 
from the Filkintown Road, from about opposite Cran- 
nell's house, across the Fall Kill below the dam and 
taking about the direction of Smith Street. It first 
appears on the town records in 1760 as the "New Laid 
out Road threw the Commons." 

Crannell's house was built in 1744, as appears from 
the following entr}^ in the account book of Francis Fil- 
kin, who was probably the proprietor of the first shop 
or store in Poughkeepsie : 

Bartholomewus Crennel 

1744 I Carted all what Belangs to his building of 
his house and vidling he and wife 5 monts and vidling 
all his workmen of his house and my people workt sev- 



1 Liber 19, p. 395. 



eral weeks at said house which Came to thirty pounds 
which I never had one farding for it. 

Filkin was apparently keeping shop in Poughkeep- 
sie as early as 1730, and he left an account book which 
is partly also a diary and full of interesting entries. 
This book is partly in Dutch and has curiously enough 
been preserved in the County Clerk's Office among the 
records, possibly because no one has known just what 
it was. He married Cathrena Lewis, daughter of 
Leonard Lewis and widow of Pieter Van Kleeck, Sept. 
8th, 1733, and his account contains his whole family 
record, and a good deal about other people in the 
neighborhood. Among other things "June 25, 1744, 
don is trintie van Kleck Getrout met Bartholomewis 
Crennel by domini Wise." 

Not everybody in Poughkeepsie was married by a 
dominie in those days. Filkin was a justice and per- 
formed a considerable number of ceremonies himself, 
of which he leaves the following interesting record : 

heer onder stan de personen Ghe schreven dien ick 
Ghe trout heb als Justies 
desm 1735 Baltus van Kleck jnr met anna van 

drburgh 
Janr 17 1736-7 Lowerens Gebrants met mery de Graf 

wedo 
mey 1738 Rollef de duiser met trintie Rinders 

mey 1737 Arry de Langh jnr met margrita 

vlegelar 
Apr 1738 Ened Mccgriery met Getrui vleglar 

Nov 1738 Louwerens de Langh met neltie par- 

montir 
May 4 1739 Simon Laroy wer: met blandina v 

Kleck wedo 
Actor I 1735 necklas van wagene met hester de 

Graef 
desm 21 1739 Getrout de ouste son van Isack Lass- 

ing met selitie Coke her hiet piter 
Aprl 26 1740 Ghe trout piter van kleck met trintie 

van Kleck docter van Louwerens v 

Kleck 
Supm 1740 Ghe trout Isack Hegeman met nela 

d Graef 
desm 1740 Ghe trout mindert vilen met Rebacka 

palmetier 
April 18 1741 Ghe trout Abraham de Graef met 

marritie van wagene 
mey 13 dagh Ghe trout Isack wite met helcna 

Rinders by een Justies 
desmr 1742 dan Getrout Hendrick pels met Jan- 

natie osterom 
.\ugt 9 1744 dan Ge trout William alien met Sara 

Hegeman 
Janvi 1744-5 dan ge trut Clear Everet met magh- 

dalena van dr burgh 
mey 6 1745 dan Getrout daved Roomin wer: met 

marya Freer in de Cerck 

I bleve I married John Jarmon with Elesabcth Fil- 
kin T vergat to sat it down. 



HISTORY OF POUGHKBBPSIB. 



31 




POUGHKEEPSIE IN IT TO. 

Par/ of map of lands luid under the Sanders-Hannans Paleiil, made by Will Coekbtini. 



32 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEBPSIE 



Indeed the order of some of the dates above seems 
to indicate that he "vergat to sat" any of them down 
until some time after the weddings took place. Most 
of these dates indicate times when there was no Domi- 
nie in Poughkeepsie, and Kingston Church records 
show that some Poughkeepse couples went there to be 
married. 

Will Cockburn's map, a part of which is shown on 
the opposite page, gives the names of the principal 
landholders in the present limits of Poughkeepsie. 
Crannell, it will be noticed, was one of the largest, 
with 102^ acres mostly on the north side of the Fil- 
kintown Road, but with a considerable tract about his 
house on the south side. Lewis Du Bois was a lead- 
ing landholder on the south side of the road, his land 
lying mostly east of Academy Street, which is indi- 
cated as a lane. James Livingston, the sheriff, owned 
a large tract, from Richard Davis's (Pine Street) 
South and to the Henry Livingston place, which we 
have not included. Myndert Van Kleeck, John De 
Grafif, Leonard Van Kleeck, Richard Snedeker, Bode- 
wein La Count, Barent Lewis, and other names will 
be noted on the map. We shall meet these names in 
subsequent chapters. 

This map, which is on file at Albany, appears to 
have been made as a result of a "petition of the inhabi- 
tants of the town of Poughkeepsie praying a warrant 
to la)' out the lands purchased by them under the 
grant to Robert Sanders and Myndert Harmanse, 
and that they may obtain letters patent for the 
same."^ There was evidentl}' much litigation and 
questioning of titles at this time, as shown by numer- 
ous documents preserved in the land papers in 
Albany, from 1769, the date of the petition, to 1772. 
The land holders apparently' all had to sue for sep- 
arate grants from the Colonial government. Many of 
these grants may have been to lands previously re- 
garded as commons and undivided. The map does 
not indicate all the roads laid out, and does not men- 
tion all the land holders of the neighborhood. Clear 
Everitt, for instance, is not on it, nor his son, Richard 
Everitt, but a deed on record from the former to the 
latter dated 1767, conveys "All that certain lott 
piece and parcel of land lying in poghkeepsie pre- 
cinct bounded easterl)- on lands belonging to Hugh 
Van Kleeck, Northerly on the fallkill or Mr. Cran- 
nell's mill pond westerly on a lott of land belong- 
ing to Leonard Van Bummel and southerly on the road 
leading from the Court House to Filkintown." This 
was unmistakably the lot on which the stone house, 
now called the Clinton House or Museum, stands. The 
lot forming the eastern boundary will be noticed on 

iLand Papers, Vol. 25, p. 58. 



the map with the initials H. V. K. This map was a 
land map, made to show boundaries, and may not give 
all the houses then built, but as it does show many 
houses it seems a fair inference that it would at least 
have indicated the ownership of this lot, had so fine 
a house as this was been standing at the time, though 
the deed to Richard Everitt was not filed until 1796. 
The house was probably built soon after 1770, but 
there is no evidence as to whether Clear Everitt or 
Richard Everitt built it. The questions as to its use 
during the Revolution will be discussed in the next 
chapter. Leonard Van Bummel, who owned the 
next lot west, is said to have changed his name in af- 
ter years to Maison. 

Surveys were made in 1770 of four tracts of land 
belonging to Leonard Van Kleeck in Poughkeepsie 
Precinct, and May 4th, 1771, Richard Snedeker and 
Lewis Duboys requested the Colonial governor that 
"the lots laid out for them in the map returned by Mr. 
Wm. Cockburn and surveyed at the request of the in- 
habitants of Poughkeepsie may be returned in the 
name of Leonard Van Kleeck." In the same )'ear 
various inhabitants of Poughkeepsie asked for grants 
from a tract of SSjyi acres of undivided land con- 
tiguous to their farms. In 1772 Richard Davis pe- 
titioned for a grant of 500 feet of land under water op- 
posite his lands, "for the purpose of erecting docks," 
and there were several other grants of land under 
water. 

Further information as to the important Colonial 
families of this time is to be obtained from town and 
county records aread}' quoted, particularly from the 
assessment rolls. The total assessment of the "Pogh- 
keepsie precinct" in 1771 was £808 and there were 235 
persons on the roll. The largest taxpayers were 
Leonard Van Kleeck, assessed at £32, Henry Living- 
ston £30, Robert Hoffman £22, Richard Snedeker £22. 
James Livingston, Zephaniah Piatt, Isaac Balding,^ 
Henry and George Sands, each £16, Peter Harris £14, 
John Bailey, Jun. £13, Peter Van Kleeck £12, John 
Frost £12, John Freer £11, Joshua Owen £11, John 
Conklin, Jacobus Palmatier, Arie Van Vliet and Rich- 
ard Davis £10 each. Clear Everitt is assessed at only 
£3 and Richard Everitt at £1, Bartholomew Noxon at 
£2, and William Emott at £1. Bartholomew Noxon's 
house on the Post Road was certainly built at this time 
and is said to have been built in 1741. It is still stand- 
ing, though the front has been so modernized that it 

iThis is, I think, the same man recorded as Isaac Baldwin 
during the Revolution, as refusing to sign the Pledge of 
Association. Our own county records contain evidence that 
Bclding, Balding, Belden, Bolden and Baldwin are all vari- 
ations of one family name. 



HISTORY OF POUGHKBEPSin 



33 



looks like an old house only when seen from the rear, 
and is probably the oldest building in Poughkeepsie. 

Houses are sometimes mentioned in the tax lists 
and seem to have been assessed at a uniform rate oi £i. 

The last census of Dutchess County before the 
Revolution was taken in 177 1, and showed a popula- 
tion of 22,404, which placed the county very nearly at 
the head of the counties of the colony. Still the 
county seat remained a hamlet of not more than thirty- 
five or forty houses (see 1790 map, Chap. IV, for 
houses built before 1770.) The town officers for this 
\car were : 

Supervisor — Richard Snedeker. 
Essessors — Mindert Van Kleeck. 

Peter Harris, Esq. 
Town Clerk — John \^an Kleeck. 
Poor Masters — Mindert Van Kleeck. 
John Van Kleeck. 
Joel Du Rois. 
Constables — Richard ^^''arncr. 
Joel Du Bois. 
Francis Leroy. 
Collector — Johannes Fort. 
Fence \'ie\vers — ,\braham Van Bummel. 

Abraham Frear. 
Pound Master — Francis Lero}'. 

Pathmasters as follows : 

Post Road North — Michael Pels. 



Post Road Centre — James Livingston. 

Post Road South — Cornelius Brewer 

Kings Road to Hook Landing — Aron Medler. 

from ye Call Rugh to Bleekers — ^John Childs. 

from Bleeckers to Leroys Bridge — Jacobus Frear. 

Filkin Town Road — John Low. 

New Road Leading through ye Commons — Joshua 
Moss. 

from Capt Harris to Cap Van Keurens — Peter 
Lyster. 

from Capt Harris to Thorns Bridge — Joseph Scott. 

from Snedekers farm to the Cross Road leading 

to the Hook Landing — Isaac Lassing Jr. 

The Hook Landing was the old name of New 
Hamburgh. A considerable increase in the number 
of roads is shown from the first record in 1742 and 
the town in the neighborhood of Poughkeepsie was 
evidently pretty well settled and much of the prime- 
val forest must have been cleared. This town meet- 
ing of 1 77 1 "voted also that sheep are not to be free 
Commoners." 

The Dutchess representatives in the last Colonial 
Assembly, 1769-1776, were Leonard Van Kleeck and 
Dirck Brinckerhoff. Philip J. Livingston of Liv- 
ingston Manor, was the last Colonial sheriff, and 
Beverly Robinson, who lived down in the Highlands 
and owned a large part of what afterwards became 
Putman County, the last Colonial judge of the Court 
of Common Pleas. 




A'fiir I'icu' o/W'oAoii Housi\ igo4. 



CHAPTER III. 



The Revoi<ution — Early Meetings and Development of Anti-British Sentiment — The "Associ- 

ATORS" AND THE ToRIES — MILITARY ORGANIZATION — POUGHKEEPSIE'S FiRST BoOM — ShiP BuILDING 

for the Continental Navy — The Critical Year, 1777 — Fall of Fort Montgomery and 
Vaughn's Raid — Podghkeepsie Becomes the State Capital — Governor Clinton's I^etters — 
Last Years op the War. 



No battle was fought at Poughkeepsie during the 
war which brought the United States into existence 
as a nation, and from a military standpoint the town 
was not notable ; but it became the center of great 
activity at an early period, was made the State capital 
after the eventful year 1777, and emerged from the 
war a town of much consequence despite its small 
population. We have but scanty records of the period 
preceding the outbreak of actual war in 1775, but 
Lossing tells us that a meeting was held at the Van 
Kleeck house to protest against the Boston Port Bill, 
and it is probable that there was some local action 
at the time of the Stamp Act Congress in 1765. We 
do not know whether the sturdy Dutch and English 
residents of the little town were much stirred by the 
earlier agitations that excited the New England and 
other sea-port towns, but we may be sure that though 
considerabl}' divided in sentiment they were not much 
behind the times. 

As early as the summer of 1774 they were certain- 
ly in line with other patriotic neighborhoods, as we 
find from the following report of a meeting, Aug. 
loth, with the resolutions adopted. (American 
Archives, Vol. I. p. 702) : 

Poughkeepsie (N. Y.) Resolutions. 

At a Meeting of the Freeholders and Inhabitants 
of Poughkeepsie Precinct in Dutchess County, in con- 
sequence of an advertisement of the Supervisors of 
said Precinct, on the loth of August, 1774 

Zephaniah Piatt, Chairman 

The question was put, "Whether we will choose a 
Committee agreeable to a request contained in a Letter 
from Mr. Isaac Low, Chairman of the Committee of 
Correspondence in New York" 

Which was carried in the Negative. 

The following Resolves were then unanimously 
entered into : 

1st Resolved. That although the members of this 
meeting (and they are persuaded the inhabitants of 
America in general) are firm and unshaken in their 



allegiance to his Majesty King George, and are en- 
tirely averse to breaking their connection with the 
mother country, yet they think it necessary to de- 
clare, that they agree fully in opinion with the many 
respectable bodies who have already published their 
sentiments, in declaring that the unlimited right claim- 
ed by the British Parliament, in which we neither 
are, or can be represented, of making laws of every 
kind to be binding on the Colonies, particularly of 
imposing taxes, whatever ma}' be the name or form 
under which they are attempted to be introduced, 
is contrary to the spirit of the British Constitution, 
and consequently inconsistent with the liberty which 
we, as British subjects, have a right to claim, and, 
therefore, 

2d Resolved, That it is the opinion of this meeting 
that letters of Instruction be directed to the ]\Iembers 
of the General Assembly for the County of Dutchess, 
desiring that at the next meeting of the General As- 
sembly for the Province of New York, they will lay 
before that honourable House the dangerous conse- 
quences flowing from several late Acts of the British 
Parliament imposing duties and taxes on the British 
Colonies in America, for the sole purpose of raising 
a revenue, and that they use their influence in the 
said House, and with the several branches of the 
Legislature, to lay before his Majesty an humble Peti- 
tion and Remonstrance, setting forth the state of our 
several grievances, and praying his Royal interposi- 
tion for a repeal of the said Acts. 

3d Resolved, That in the opinion of this meeting, 
that they ought, and are willing to bear and pay such 
part and proportion of the national expenses as their 
circumstances will admit of, in such manner and form 
as the General Assembly of this Province shall think 
proper ; and that like sentiments, adopted liy the Legis- 
latures of other Colonies, will have a tendency to con- 
ciliate the afl^ections of the mother country and the 
colonies, upon which their mutual happiness, we con- 
ceive, principally depends. 

Ordered, That the Chairman of this meeting for- 
ward a copy of these our proceedings to the Chairman 
of the Committee of Correspondence in New \ ork, as 
also a copy to one of the Printers of the public papers 
in New York, to be forthwith published. 

By order of the Meeting, 

John Davis, Clerk. 



HISTORY OF P U G H K BBPSI B 



35 



There is no evidence of any hysterical demands 
for "Hberty or death" in these well-written resolu- 
tions. Not only is complete loyalty to the King ex- 
pressed, but there is a spirit of fairness in the sugges- 
tion that "they ought, and are willing to bear and pay 
such proportion of the national expenses as their cir- 
cumstances will admit," though "in such manner and 
form as the General Assembly of this province shall 
think proper." There is distinct denial of the right 
of Parliament to impose taxes directly. On the whole 
the resolutions were those of a conservative, order- 
loving community, desirous of peace but not unmind- 
ful of the principles at stake. The conservatism of the 
people of the Poughkeepsie Precinct is also shown in 
their refusal at this meeting to appoint a committee, 
but it appears from the minutes of the Provincial 
Convention' that in the same month a county meet- 
ing called to nominate delegates to the first Continent- 
al Congress elected as a "Standing Committee of 
Correspondence" Anthony Hoffman, John Van Ness 
and Egbert Benson, probably without the support of 
Poughkeepsie. 

The opponents of the early plans for resisting 
British authority at this time called themselves 
"Friends of Constitutional Liberty" and included 
several of the large landholders of the Poughkeepsie 
Precinct. They had the law and the General Assem- 
bly on their side and saw no good reason for so 
much bluster over petty matters of taxation. They 
did not propose to bind themselves not to buy tea 
and other articles taxed or brought over in British 
ships. In fact a number of them entered into an 
association at a meeting held on Jan. 15th, 1775,- de- 
claring "That we will upon all occasions mutually 
support each other in the free exercise and enjoyment 
of our undoubted right to liberty in eating, drinking, 
buying, selling, communing and acting what, with 
whom and as we please, consistent with the laws of 
God, and the laws of the land, notwithstanding the 
Association entered into by the Continental Congress 
to the contrary." They declared that "our Sovereign 
Lord King George the Third, is the only Sovereign to 
whom British Americans can or ought to owe and 
bear true and faithful allegiance" and that "our 
Representatives, in General Assembly convened, are 
the only guardians of our Rights and Liberties ; that 
without them no laws here can be made to bind us, 
and that they only are the channel through which our 
grievances can properly be represented for redress," 
etc. 



iRefcrence to the year before in the minutes of April 21st. 
1775. — American Archives, Vol. II, p. 356- 
2 American Archives, Vol. I, 1164. 



In this we see an indication of the state of affairs 
in the colony of New York. While in Massachusetts 
and Virginia the provincial legislatures had taken a 
leading part in the struggle, in New York the major- 
ity of the Assembly, which did not hold its last ses- 
sion until April 3d, was at first loyal to the King and 
refused to send delegates to the Continental Congress. 
The election of delegates in this colony, first by coun- 
ties and afterwards by provincial conventions, was 
therefore more distinctly extra-legal and revolution- 
ary than in some other colonies, and there was more 
force here in the plea that the Acts of the Continental 
Congress were not binding. It will be remembered 
that the first Continental Congress in the fall of '74 
adopted artioles of association against trading with 
Great Britain, and this meeting of protest in Dutchess 
was doubtless called soon after the news reached here. 
We have not the names of the signers but may be 
certain that they were good citizens. 

Party feeling between the Whigs and the Tories 
was running pretty high in the spring of 1775 and 
"On the 2 1st of March a few friends to liberty met 
at the house of Mr. John Bailey, about two or three 
miles from Poughkeepsie and erected a pole on his 
land with a flag on it, bearing on one side the King, 
and on the other tlic Congress and Liberty; but the 
Sheriff of Dutches County the next day, attended by 
a Judge of the Inferior Court, two of His Majesties 
Justices of the Peace, and a Constable, with some 
others, friends to constitutional liberty and good order, 
cut the same down as a publick nuisance."' The 
"friends of constitutional liberty" even when accom- 
panied by Sheriff Livingston, two justices and a con- 
stable, evidently felt it necessary to be out in some 
force, and the story is doubtless true that there was an 
altercation- and threats of arrest, whether or not 
"Zephanaiah Piatt seized a club and threatened to 
brain the sheriff." 

Early in April of the same year when meet- 
ings-' were held to select delegates for the provin- 
cial convention which was to send representa- 
tives to the second Continental Congress, Poughkeep- 
sie Precinct again showed its conservatism, voting 
1 10 to yy against sending delegates, and Charlotte 
Precinct, the next east, was of the same opinion by 
140 to 35. The county was nevertheless represented 
through the action of other precincts by Robert R. 
Livingston, Jr., Egbert Benson and Morris Graham, 

IN. Y. newspaper account in American Archives, Vol. II, 
p. 176. 

-Benson J. Lossing in "Sketches in Local History,' 
Dutchess Farmer, Dec. 12, 1S76, and "Duchess" County His- 
tory, p. 130. 

^American Archives, Vol. II, p. 304. 



36 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEEPSIB 



but it looked a little doubtful whether these men real- 
ly represented the sentiment of the county. 

All this was before the first fighting at Concord 
and Lexington, news of which reached New York on 
the 23d of April, the day after the provincial conven- 
tion adjourned. Now the people were really stirred 
and the Revolutionary committees went to work ener- 
getically and systematicalh^ A call was sent out by 
the committee of New York City for a new provincial 
convention or congress and we find that "At a county 
meeting in consequence of notifications for that pur- 
pose on the i6th of May Dirck Brinckerhoff, Anthony 
Hofifman, Zephaniah Piatt, Richard Montgomery, 
Ephraim Paine, Gilbert Livingston and Jonathan 
Landon Esqurs., and Messrs Gysbert Schenck, 
Melancthon Smith and Nathaniel Sackett were by a 
majority of voices Elected Deputies for the term of 
Six months to represent the county of Dutchess in the 
Provincial convention to be held at the city of New 
York on the 22nd instant."^ This appears to be the 
first record of Poughkeepsie representation in the 
Revolutionary conventions, at least two of these men, 
Gilbert Livingston and Zephaniah Piatt, being from 
this precinct. The Poughkeepsie Livingstons were 
early supporters of the cause of American freedom, 
thought some of their relatives up the river were 
Tories. Piatt lived out at what is now the Frank De 
Garnio place on the Wappingers Creek and the 
house still standing is said to have been built by him. 
Dirck Brinckerhoff of Fishkill was a member of the 
Colonial Assembly', never to meet again but still offi- 
cially in existence, and was evidently not of the Tory 
majority. Richard Montgomery of Red Hook was 
soon to become a famous general and one of the early 
martyrs to the cause. Most of the others we shall 
also hear from again. Of almost equal interest are 
the names of some of the signers of the certificate of 
election. Beverly Robinson, County Judge, heads the 
list, a man who afterwards became the leader of a 
noted Tory Regiment, which is evidence that some 
of the most conservative men were at this time 
supporters of the cause of the colonists, though they 
could not approve actual separation from England. 
The other signers were James Smith, Abraham 
Bockee, Cornelius Humphrey, Roswell Hopkins, An- 
anias Cooper, Jacob Swartwout, Jonathan Lewis and 
Egbert Benson. 

The Pledge of Associ..\tion and the Tories. 

Among the acts of the Provincial Convention or 
Congress to which the meeting of May i6th elected 
delegates was the endorsement of the "Pledge of Asso- 

1 Calendar of Revolutionary Papers, Sec. of State's Office, 
Vol. I. 



ciation," which had been formulated by "the freemen, 
freeholders and inhabitants of the city and county of 
New York" for the purpose of binding all who signed 
"to adopt and carry into execution whatever measures 
may be recommended b}' the Continental Congress or 
resolved upon by our Provincial Convention." Com- 
mittees were immediately appointed to circulate this 
pledge, and the districts covered were small enough 
so that every man could be seen. The names of those 
who refused to sign as well as the signers were put on 
record, and very soon the former began to find their 
position uncomfortable. It is recorded that even 
while the pledge was circulating here in Dutchess 
County in June and July many men changed from the 
"no" to the "yes" ranks. There were 1820 signers' 
in the county and 964 were returned as refusing. The 
Poughkeepsie precinct was apparently divided into six 
districts. The return of one of the sub-committee- 
men shows 32 signers and none refusing, of another 
32 refusers and 21 signers. Of the leading land 
owners shown on the 1770 map Lewis Du Bois, Mj'n- 
dert Van Kleeck, James Winans, Leonard Van Kleeck, 
Richard Snedeker, James Livingston, Williain Forman 
and Richard Davis are recorded as signing and Bar- 
tholomew Crannell and John De Graff as refusing. 
Some are not mentioned at all and a few of these had 
probably died between 1770 and 1775. In place of 
Jacob Conklin appear the names of John, Matthew 
and Nathaniel Conklin as signers, also James Lewis 
instead of Barent Lewis, and several Swartwouts, Van 
Kleecks, and Van de Bogerts, in place of those given 
on the map. The Van Kleeck family was divided, two 
members refusing to sign. Of other prominent resi- 
dents William Emott, Bartholomew Noxon, Ebenezer 
Badger, five Van Deburghs and several Ferdons were 
returned as refusing. The Everitts are not mention- 
ed, and there is evidence from the assessment rolls 
that Richard Everitt was a Tory and was absent 
during a part of the Revolution at least. Clear Ever- 
itt, the former sheriff, may not have been an open 
supporter of the King. The minutes of the Super- 
visors for June ist, 1784, contain the following: "To_ 
Clear Everitt for the use of his room for the use 
of the Court of Oyer and Terminer to set in in 
June 1778 ii.' Compensation for the use of Torv 
property was not usual at that time. 

Some of the papers returned b>- the sub-com- 
mitteemen show the strong feeling of the Revolution- 
ary organizers against those who refused to sign. 
Silas Marsh, who made the canvass for one district of 
North East Precinct encloses the names of three men 



iSec Appendix for Pouglikeep.sie Precinct list; also Ameri- 
can Archives, Vol. Ill, and Calendar of Revolutionary Papers, 
Vol. I, pp. 77, 78 and 79. 



HISTORY Of POUGHKEEPSIB 



37 



in a black border, inscribes them "The black Role of 
Tories," and adds, "Tho out of my limits I am com- 
pelled to remind you Gentlemen of James Smith, 
Esqr. who is notoriously wicked." The lists of "As- 
sociators" are not conclusive evidence as to opinions 
throughout the Revolution, for some of the signers 
like Richard Snedeker were afterwards known as 
Tories, while a few who were on the "black list" after- 
wards supported the cause of American liberty warm- 
ly, and others after they saw themselves powerless to 
stem the popular current ceased outspoken opposition. 
Something like forty or fifty residents of the town of 
Poughkeepsie incurred the suspicion of the local com- 
mittees so strongly that their personal property was 
sold under forfeiture, possibly because they had aban- 
doned it, in 1777, but I think very few of them en- 
tered the British service. Bartholomew Crannell was 
one of the few, and was the only person in the neigh- 
borhood of the village whose real estate was confis- 
cated, so far as I have been able to find. The account 
of the sales of personal property has been preserved in 
a book now in the care of the Custodian of Records in 
the State Library at Albany. Each article sold is 
enumerated with the price, and the faithful certainly 
obtained some fine bargains in horses, cattle and even 
in mahogany furniture. It is rather difficult to tell to 
what precinct or town the persons^ whose property 
was sold belonged in all cases, for the arrangement is 
somewhat confused, but only a small proportion of the 
names of those who seem to have belonged to the Pre- 
cinct of Poughkeepsie are to be found in the list of 
men who refused to sign the Pledge of Association. 
They included, however, Henry Van DerBurgh, Rich- 
ard Van Der Burgh, Jacob Ferdon, several of the Las- 
sings, John Beardsley, the rector of the English 
Church, and Bartholomew Crannell. Here again there 
is no mention of the Evcritts. 

In spite of Crannell's unswerving loyalty to the 
King, his two daughters, Mrs. Livingston and Mrs. 
Tappen, became equally strong adherents of the popu- 
lar side, and are said to have offended their father 
very early in the dispute by wearing aprons em- 
broidered "Liberty and "No Tea" in his presence. 
The Tories were disarmed and closely watched, and if 
they refused to take the oath of allegiance, after the 
Declaration of Independence had been proclaimed, 
were arrested and kept in confinement or assigned to 
certain limits. Many of them also were sent within the 
British lines in exchange for Whigs. They were al- 
ways suspected of furnishing information to the 
enemy, of harboring British recruiting agents, or of 

iFor list of persons who appear to have li\ed in the Town 
of Poughkeepsie, see Appcndi.x. 



encouraging the bands of marauders that later in the 
war made cne naine of Tory so thoroughly detested. 
The}' were rounded up, not all at once but at various 
times, according to the exigencies of the occasion, as 
will be shown. 

Some of the arrests were unjustifiable; it is 
stated that a sixteen-year-old boy was arrested near 
FishkiU, brought to Poughkeepsie and hung, an inci- 
dent which nearly caused a riot. Of one youth, Wil- 
liam Haff, who got into trouble during the Revolution, 
a romantic story is told. He lived a short distance 
east of Poughkeepsie and was doubtless a somewhat 
wild, roystering youth, but withal a great favorite 
among the people, and especially among the young 
women in his neighborhood. He had incurred the 
animosity of a justice of the peace before whom he 
was brought fot^some prank, and who made use of his 
authority by senteiicing Haff to be publicly whipped. 
This was entirely too much for the proud spirit of the 
young man, and he forthwith pitched into the justice, 
gave him, so the story goes, a sound licking and then 
ran away to the southward, where he ultimately joined 
the British army. After a while, becoming homesick 
for the sight of some of his old friends, and especially 
for a certain joung woman with whom he was ac- 
quainted, he ventured up into the vicinity of his old 
home, was captured, tried and convicted as a deserter, 
and sentenced to be hung. While awaiting execution 
he was confined in the jail in Poughkeepsie, which was 
guarded by soldiers. At certain times the prisoners 
were allowed the freedom of a hall, or corridor, which 
extended from the front of the Court House on Mar- 
ket Street, to the rear of the building, facing west- 
ward, for air and exercise. Haff did not lose his 
spirits because of his perilous situation, but, as among 
his other accomplishments, he was a fine singer, oc- 
casionally would stand at the front window and sing, 
his fine strong voice often attracting a crowd of people 
who stood in the street below to listen. Whether he 
had planned his subsequent action from the beginning, 
or whether it was suggested by the fact that he noticed 
the soldiers stopping their patrol to stand beneath the 
window with the crowd while he sang, is not known, 
but one day at noon Haff appeared at the front win- 
dow and sang with unusual vig'or and expression. 
There was a little pause, during- which the sentries 
made the circuit of the building to see that all was 
safe, and Haff began singing again before they got 
back. A few minutes later there was another pause, 
and the soldiers remained on the Market Street front, 
waiting for him to resume, but this time he failed to 
reappear, and after waiting a few minutes they 
marched round the Court House, to find when thev 
reached the west side that the window opening from 



38 



HISTORY OF POUGHKHBPSIB 



the hall was open. Haff had jumped out and was 
already out of sight in the woods which then lay 
between the Court House and the river. An alarm 
was at once sounded and parties started to capture 
the daring prisoner, but they never saw him again 
till the war was over. Then among the conditions 
of peace there had been established a full amnesty for 
all military offences, whereupon Mr. Haff returned to 
Poughkeepsie, sporting his red coat and full British 
uniform as he marched up and down the streets, to 
the chagrin of his former persecutors, but to the great 
admiration of some of the young people, including 
the young woman for whom he had risked his life, 
and whom tradition appropriately says he afterwards 
married. 

The Declaration of Independence was the turning 
point which many good citizens felt that they could 
not approve, and it put the Church of England at once 
in a serious position, dependent as it was upon the 
authority of the Bishops of the mother country. In 
the Christ Church records is the following minute : 

"At a vestry meeting held at the house of the Rev. 
Mr. John Beardsley on Saturday, July 13th, 1776, to 
consider of the Rector stoping divine service in the 
church (In consequence of the Independency being 
declared by Continental Congress) until the vestry can 
hear from New York. Present the Rev'd John 
Beardsley Rector ; Isaac Baldwin church Warden ; 
Bartholomew Crannell, William Emmott, Isaac Bald- 
win , Jr. ; Robert Noxon, Eli Emans, John Davis, 
vestrymen. 

Taking the above affair in consideration Resolved 
that the Rector do from this time stop all Divine Ser- 
vice in the church until word can be had from the 
Rector of New York or from a convention of the 
clergy." 

Whether this was a purely voluntary act or 
whether public clamor against the well-known opin- 
ions of the rector and several of the vestry had its 
influence does not appear. Mr. Crannell was prob- 
ably arrested and sent to New York not long after this 
time, if the statement that he reached there before the 
British took possession is true, but the permission to 
go to New York for "The Reverend Mr. John 
Beardsle}', his Wife and five Children His Negro 
Wench & three Negro Female Children with the 
Wearing Apparel, necessary Bedding for the Family 
& provision for their Passage,"' is dated January 
17, 1778. Mr. Beardsle^'s removal had been ordered 
in December, 1777, according to the church records. 
He became chaplain of I'.cverly Robinson's regiment 
of Loyal Americans and after the war settled at 

iClinton Papers, Vol II, p, 574. This permission included 
Henry Vandenburgh and famil}', Mrs. Catherine Clopper and 
several others. 



Maugerville,^ New Brunswick. Some of his des- 
cendants, particularly his youngest son Bartholomew 
Crannell Beardsley, attained considerable distinction 
in Canada. 

Military Organization. 

As the war progressed every man was forced to de- 
clare himself, and pretty nearly every able-bodied man 
was forced to serve in the army at some time, or sub- 
ject himself to arrest. Under the Colonial system all 
able-bodied men were required to enroll in the militia, 
and when the Revolution was organized the system 
was continued. A special "black list" of those who re- 
fused to sign the "Pledge of Association" was kept for 
each company. Dutchess County had seven regiments 
during the war, according to the rolls published by the 
State, though probably not all were in existence at the 
same time. They included two regiments of "Minute 
Men," one commanded by Col. Jacobus Swartwout, 
which appears to have been numbered the First Regi- 
ment. The 2nd Dutchess Regiment was commanded 
by Col. Abraham Brinckerhoff, the 3d by Col. John 
Field and Andrew Morehouse, the 4th by Col. John 
Frear, the 5th by Cols. William Humphrey and John 
Vanderburgh, the 6th by Cols. Morris Graham and 
Roswell Hopkins and the 7th by by Col Henry Luden- 
ton. The organization of the militia regiments was de- 
cidedly loose, there was little discipline, and they often 
failed when most wanted, but weak as they were, they 
always formed a reserve for emergencies and rendered 
some important service. Despite their unwillingness 
to turn out and leave their homes, there were times 
when the American cause would have fared much 
worse had it not been for the militia of Dutchess 
County, which during part of the war was the largest 
and strongest county in the State, both in population 
and in taxable wealth. Besides the militia, though 
formed from it, there were independent companies 
specially organized to drill and prepare for service. 
One such was formed in Poughkeepsie in 1775 with 
John Schenck, Captain, Dr. Peter Tappen, ist Lieuten- 
ant, John Child, 2d Lieutenant, and Matthew Van 
Keuren, Ensign. When their commissions arrived in 
September they found themselves attached to Col. 
Swartwout's regiment of minute men, and on Oct. 
26th they petitioned to be kept independent, apparently 
a local manifestation of the unwillingness to serve 
under general officers. 

The real soldiers of the Revolution were those of 
the Continental Army, enlisted for a term of years. 
Warrants for enlisting recruits in Dutchess County 
were issued June 28, 1775, to Captains Henry B. Liv- 



1 Eaton's "The Church in Nova Scotia," p. 161. 



HISTORY OF POUGHKHBPSIB 



39 



ingston, Ivouis DuBois, Andrew Billings and Rufus 
Herrick; to First Lieutenants Jacob Thomas, Elias 
Van Benschoten, Jr., Ezekiel Cooper and Charles Gra- 
ham; and to Second Lieutenants Roswell Wilcox, 
Cornelius Adriance, John Langdon and Jesse Thomp- 
son. Of these men Henry B. Livingston became 
colonel of the 4th Line Regiment of Continentals, 
Rufus Herrick a captain and Roswell Wilcox and 
Jesse Thompson lieutenants. In the third line regi- 
ment, commanded by James Clinton, are found the 
names of Andrew Billings, Elias Van Benschoten, 
Lewis Duboys and Ezekiel Cooper as captains. The 
others do not appear in the lists published. Ezekiel 
Cooper seems also to have commanded a company 
known as the rangers during part of the war. There 
were certainly many enlistments from Dutchess and 
among the records of the Committee of Safety, dated 
July 12, 177s, is a letter from Capt. Andrew Billings 
of Poughkeepsie stating that he had enlisted seventy- 
two men and asking for orders. He was directed 
to put himself under the command of Col. Clinton. 
When Richard Montgomery of Red Hook had been 
commissioned a General and selected as a leader in the 
daring invasion of Canada in the fall of '75. many 
men from Dutchess accompanied him. Elias Van 
Benschoten was one of these and was recommended 
by Gen. George Clinton for promotion at a latter peri- 
od, because of his service under Montgomery. 

Poughkeepsie's First "Boom" — Ship Buieding for 
THE New Navv. 

Mr. Joel Benton has been quoted as saying: "In 
colonial da^s few were the people here; but they 
were a bright and stirring handful."^ They accom- 
plished enough during the Revolution to justify this 
assertion, and the little town was a wonderfully busy 
place during most of the war. The fact of its location, 
far enough above the Highlands to be considered 
safe from the British, attracted a few families from 
New York, and also caused its selection as the place 
at which to build two of the thirteen frigates author- 
ized by the Continental Congress in December, 1775. 
This selection gave the town its first importance, and 
at about the same time it became the centre from 
which the Revolutionary correspondence of the county 
was conducted, having been previously barred by its 
conservatism. December 7th, 1775, Egbert Benson 
of Red Hook wrote to the Provincial Congress stating 
that the county committee had appointed "Col Freer, 
Capt. Piatt, and Messrs. John Child, Paul Schenck 
and Peter Tappen (all residing in Poughkeepsie) a 
Committee of Correspondence," because they were 

'Bacon's Hudson, p. 426. 



more conveniently located than he to communicate 
with all parts of the county. During this month there 
was some correspondence about certain persons who 
refused to recognize the authority of the county 
committee to compel them to testify concerning the 
presence and business of one John Harris, who was 
charged with enlisting men for "the Ministerial army." 
The Provincial Congress authorized the imprisonment 
of these persons and some were sent to the Pough- 
keepsie jail. The weeding ovit of Tories was evidently 
well started, but the following communication seems 
to hint that the Poughkeepsie precinct was not yet to 
be trusted too far. Writing of one Timothy Doughty 
from Rhinebeck, Jan 29, 1776, Mr. Benson says; 
"Not only from the disaffection of the county, but as 
there will be an election at Poughkeepsie on Tuesday 
next and a vast number of people necessarily assemble, 
we thought it prudent to commit him to the jail in 
Kingston."^ 

Preparations for building the two frigates for the 
nav}' were probably by this time in progress and 
bringing to Poughkeepsie some important visitors. 
The spring of 1776 was fortunately an early one, and 
we learn from a letter written by Robert Erskine to 
George Clinton, dated Feb. 29th,2 that six tons of iron 
had been shipped by sloop from New York to New 
Windsor by that time, "to be forwarded from thence, 
by the first opportunity, to Messrs. Samuel Tudor & 
Aug't Lawrence, Superintendents, to the Shipbuilding 
near Poughkeepsie." The opportunity came before 
long and Mr. Lossing states that lumber was brought 
down the river from Gen. Schuyler's mills at Sara- 
toga about the middle of March, men and materials 
having been forwarded from New York still earlier. 
The reference in the letter above quoted to the 
"Ship-building near Poughkeepsie," together with a 
comparison of maps shows pretty conclusively that the 
Continental ship-3'ard was on the Livingston property 
just south of the town. There was a ship-yard in that 
neighborhood before the Revolution, and "Ship-yard 
Point" was carried on all the early maps well down 
into the 19th Centur)- as the name of what we now 
call Fox's Point. h\ 1800 also there was a division 
among the heirs of Henry Livingston of the"Ship- 
yard Property,' a map of which is on file. Smith's 
History of the county, however, says that the "Conti- 
nental navy yard was on the site of the late Edward 
Southwick's tannery, near the Lower Landing." 
Sloops and schooners, as will appear, were built in the 
latter neighborhood after 1800, but I have seen no 
evidence that any such work was done there during 

1 American Archives, Vol. IV, p. 1118. 

2 Public Papers of George Clinton, Vol. I, p. 226. 



40 



HISTORY OF POUGHKBEPSIB 



the Revolution, though there was considerable boat 
building of various kinds here during the war, and it 
maj' not have been confined to one locality. 

General Washington himself ordered that fire rafts 
should be built at Poughkeepsie early in the summer 
of 1776 and it appears from letters of Jacobus Van 
Zandt, of the secret committee then in session here, 
that at least fourteen such craft were launched in 
July. (Clinton Papers, \''ol. I, pp. 254 and 275.) 

The theatre of war had now been shifted from 
New England to New York, a British fleet was in 
possession of the harbor and a British army was 
gathering on Staten Island ; the Declaration of In- 
dependence had been signed and accepted, and the 
Colony or Province of New York had become a State. 
The Convention, successor of the Provincial Congress, 
sent John Jay with five others to Poughkeepsie, "to 
devise and carry into execution such measures as to 
them shall appear most effectual for obstructing the 
channel of Hudson's River or annoying the enemy's 
ships." This committee "held its first meeting at the 
house of Mr. Van Kleeck in Poughkeepsie," accord- 
ing to Pellew's Life of John Jay (page 62), "and at 
once .sent Jay to the Salisbury Iron Works in Con- 
necticut for cannon and shot," which he at length 
obtained.' 

The critical period of the Revolution was be- 
ginning and all depended upon holding the Hud- 
son. Poughkeepsie became the centre of the develop- 
ment of plans for defense and besides the fire rafts 
above mentioned old sloops were rigged up to be sunk 
for obstructing the channel, and an immense iron 
chain, which had been used in an attempt to keep Brit- 
ish vessels out of Lake Champlain, was sent down 
from Ticonderoga. Theophilus Anthony and other 
blacksmiths in the neighborhood were set to work 
forging additional links to piece it out so that it would 
be long enough to reach across the Hudson at Fort 
Montgomery, which had been constructed near the 
lower entrance to the Highlands. ^»- 

Of course when the British began to tlTfeaten New 
York many of the Tories seized the opportunity to 
show their colors, and anticipating trouble the Pro- 
vincial Congress had, on June 20th, passed a resolution 
providing for the raising of three companies of 50 
men each in Dutchess and Westchester counties to 
keep them in check. Melancthon Smith and John 
Durlin were appointed captains of the Dutchess com- 
panies, but it appears that most of the serious dis- 
affection was in the lower part of the county, now 
Putnam County. When at length the British army 

iFor his report see Correspondence and Public Papers of 
John Jay, Vol. I, p. 75- 



was Strong enough to move to attack General Wash- 
ington, there was great alarm throughout the Hud- 
son river counties. On the 27th of August, 1776, two 
days after Washington's defeat at the Battle of Long 
Island, the State Convention resolved to call out the 
militia of Westchester, Dutchess, Orange and Ulster 
Counties, but on Sept. 4th there was a report against 
such action on the ground that the militia of the 
four counties did not exceed 3,100, while the "dis- 
armed and disaffected" numbered 2,300 and the slaves 
2,300. From Dutchess County Col. Swartwout's and 
Col. Morris Graham's regiments were nevertheless in 
the field and took part in the battles at White Plains 
and Harlem. Many Tories were arrested during this 
summer and fall and the jail at Poughkeepsie was full. 
Between the hurrying of the defenses of the High- 
lands, the mustering of the troops in response to the 
numerous alarms and the surveillance of the Tories, 
the local committees led a strenuous existence. The 
general expectation was that the British would seek 
to push past the defenses in the Highlands for the 
purpose of destroying the two big frigates building at 
Poughkeepsie, and messengers were constant!}' dash- 
ing up the Post Road with news that the British ships 
were about to advance or had advanced towards Fort 
Montgomery. Most urgent letters were sent by Gen- 
eral Washington, General Israel Putnam, General 
George Clinton, and the Convention, to induce all 
possible haste in the construction of the war ships and 
the big chain. At the same time the members of the 
Poughkeepsie committee were often without money, 
and at their wit's ends to keep things moving. The 
following letter from their secretary to the Conven- 
tion will serve as an illustration of some of the prob- 
lems at hand : 

In Committee, Poughkeepsie Aug 9, 1776 

Sirs : From the present situation of publick affairs, 
the Committee of Poughkeepsie labor under many 
difficulties for want of cash, as well to answer publick 
accounts already due, which they have become bound 
for, as to answer emergencies of which the following 
are instances : Colonel Clinton wrote us to send him 
a number of boards down to Fort Constitution, to 
make shelter for the troops then ordered there, which 
the barracks would not contain. On his request we 
purchased a quantity of Mr. Child and sent them 
down. On return of the sloop Mr. Child received an 
order on us for the money, which we could not pay ; in 
consequence of which he returned the order to Colonel 
Clinton, which we are informed remains yet unpaid. 
Colonel Clinton also drew on us to pay the freight of 
the above boards. 

Major-General Schu^-ler sent down a party of men 
for stores from the shipyards. These men called on 
us to provide. them provisions. We have to request 
the honorable the Convention of the State of New 



HISTORY OF POUGHKBHPSIB. 



41 



York would intrust the Committee of Poughkeepsie 
with a sum of money * * * 

John Schenck, Secretary. 

The ship carpenters more than once went on strike 
with good reason, for they received scarcely enough 
to buy the barest necessities of life, and worst of all 
were often without rum. In November the ship- 
wrights, who were then getting eight shillings per 
day, declared in a petition^ signed by George Peek 
and Robert Hatton that the lowest they would work 
for was "14s per Day & a half Pint Rum" for the 
foreman and "lis per Day & half pint Rum" for each 
of the journeymen. The Revolutionary correspond- 
ence shows that rum was quite as necessary in carry- 
ing on war as powder and pork, and gave the com- 
missary officers almost as much concern. 

In spite of all difficulties the work went forward. A 
letter^ written by John McKesson at Fishkill, Nov. 3, 
1776, says, "part of the chain went down to the forts 
yesterday," and adds "One of the Frigates at Pough- 
keepsie is to be Launched to-morrow at Eight o'clock 
in the morning." It may be worth while to state here 
that nearly all local historians have confused this 
chain with the one stretched across the river two 
years later at West Point. The chain which was part- 
ly forged here in 'y6 went to Fort Montgomery (there 
was no fort at West Point at this time), and though 
great things were expected of it there was trouble 
from the first to make it so much as bear its own 
weight. As to the frigates, they were duly launched 
and sent to Rondout Creek for the winter, but were 
not rigged until the summer of 'yy, were never fully 
armed or manned, and never got to sea, as will pres- 
ently appear. 

The Critical Year. 

It is well to remember that there were two distinct 
periods in the defense of the Hudson, as in the Revolu- 
tion itself — the first ending with the capture of the 
lower forts by Sir Henry Clinton, Vaughn's raid to 
Kingston and Burgo>nc's surrender at Saratoga. 
The best writers agree that the Revolution was really 
won on the Hudson River b\' the events of the autumn 
of 1777 — later events were in the nature of holding 
on, though often serious enough, and depending much 
on keeping the British from a second dash through the 
Highlands. 

The critical period began in the spring of 'yy, and 
from that time until Burgoyne's surrender the alarms, 
first from the Highlands and afterwards from both 



lA later petition was signed by Piatt Titus and Stephen 
Seaman.— Calendar of Revolutionary Documents, Vol. I. 
zCHnton Papers, Vol. I, p. 412. 



north and south, were almost continuous. The militia 
of Dutchess County was ordered out so often that 
it became very difficult to get the men to respond at 
all when the danger seemed most urgent. They 
were generally sent down to help garrison Fort Mont- 
gomery, Fort Independence or Fort Constitution, or to 
replace some of Putnam's Continentals whom Wash- 
ington needed elsewhere. As garrison troops the 
militia was almost worthless, especially when farm 
work at home was pressing. April 24th, 1777, the Con- 
vention passed resolutions and appointed a committee 
to enquire why "a great Part of the militia of Dutch- 
ess County have neglected to obey the orders of Gen- 
eral Clinton * * * {Q Garrison the forts and 
guard the passes in the Highlands." In May, Egbert 
Benson and Peter Cantine, Jr., were in Poughkeepsie 
as a commission to detect conspiracies and were hav- 
ing great difficulty to obtain enough soldiers to guard 
the jail. Richard Snedeker was one of the Tories 
arrested at this time. No enemies at home were to 
be tolerated, for affairs were becoming verj' threaten- 
ing. 

At first it was believed that Burgoyne's advance by 
way of Lake Champlain would be checked at Ticon- 
deroga, and when the news of the fall of that strong- 
hold reached Poughkeepsie early in July, the time 
which really tried men's souls had arrived. Had 
General Howe known enough to send an expedition 
up the Hudson then, probably nothing could have 
stopped him, and the colonies would have been effect- 
ually divided. How strenuous the efforts of Wash- 
ington were to prevent such a disaster his letters, as 
well as those of George Clinton, Israel Putnam and 
others well show. There was great relief when it 
was found that the British general had sailed off to 
attack Philadelphia, and Washington resolved to 
keep him there, feeling that Putnam and Clinton 
could now look after the lower Hudson and that 
the militia could be depended upon to defeat Bur- 
go}'ne, for they could fight when their homes were 
threatened. Gen. Schuyler at once began making 
most urgent demands for reinforcements and Putnam 
sent Nixon's brigade from the Highlands up the river 
in sloops, ordering out militia to take their places, 
while at the same time a draft of 500 men was made 
upon the militia of Dutchess and Ulster to march to 
Albany under Cols. Graham and Humphrey. "Every 
man that can bear arms must on this occasion be 
brought to the field," wrote Clinton on August 22nd, 
then just elected the first governor of the state. In 
the meantime, as no attack from below seemed as 
imminent as the danger in the north, Putnam, on 
Aug. 14th, had sent two more regiments from the 
Highlands to Gates, who had superseded Schuyler. 



4:2 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEEPSIB 



How nobly the militia of Dutchess responded to the 
draft to go to Albany in this crisis, the most serious 
of the war, may be judged from the following report 
made by Col. Humphrey to Governor Clinton, Aug. 
28, 1777: 

Hond. Sir — Agreeably to order, I met Colo Graham on 
the fifth instant, and agreed to raise 74 men, on the eighth I 
had the batallion together and drafted the number, and or- 
dered them to appear at Poiighkeepsie on the 12th instant, 
and appointed one captain and one lieutenant. Accordingly 
the officers met at Poughkeepsie, and finding a small num- 
ber of men appear, the captain was dissatisfied and resigned 
his commission. I then appointed another captain and sent to 
the several captains of the battalion to muster their drafted 
men; they sent me word that the chief part of their men were 
gone away or concealed ; I then wrote warrants to each 
captain to send out guards and search for them, and ap- 
pointed them and the captain to meet and march with as 
many as we could find, and all that would refuse to go, 
send them to the county jail. * * * We raised a bounty of 
nine pounds per man, and have paid twenty-seven the bounty; 
and several farmers have given thirty pound to men to go 
in their place. On the 36th instant I met them, when forty 
men appeared with the officers, at the house of Capt. Rey- 
nold. The men seemed willing to march, when the captain 
told me he would not march unless he had fifty men ; I went 
out in order to tell the men I would get another captain, and 
order them to be ready to march on the shortest notice ; but 
when they found the officers declined, they dispersed im- 
mediately, and I could not get them together again any more. 
Several of the men have enlisted in the standing forces to 
avoid going to Albany. I do not know what farther to do, 
and shall wait your orders. 

William Humfrey, Colo. 

This looks like collusion between officers and men 
to find every excuse against obeying orders, but it 
appears from Col. Graham's letters that part of 
his regiment was in camp at \'an Scliaick's Island, 
near Albany, by the 21st. This was about the dark- 
est period. The news of the British defeat at Benning- 
ton came a few days later and then the reports from 
the north were steadily better. Burgo^'ne was held 
in check, and Howe, instead of going to join him, was 
fighting Washington around Philadelphia. However, 
after the battle of Brandywine, in September, Wash- 
inton again drew on Putnam for reinforcements, and 
on the 15th "the whole of the Militia as far north on 
both Sides of the River as Poughkeepsie" was order- 
ed to march immediately to join Putnam at Peekskill 
and to strengthen the garrison at Fort Montgomery. 

Fall of Fort Montgomkry .and Destruction of 
THE Fricates. 

It appears that only 300 men out of six regiments 
had responded' to this urgent call by the 29th. 

'George Clinton papers. Vol. IT, p. 349. A postscript to 
orders to Col. Field, Lndinton, PirinckerhofT. ITumphrcy. 
Sutherland, Freer and Swartwoul. 



The tension had relaxed in the north somewhat but 
alarm was greater in the Highlands. This time it 
was no cry of "Wolf, wolf, when there was no wolf." 
Oct. 4th Gen. James Clinton reported from Fort Mont- 
gomery that the enemy was moving up the river, 
"that the inhabitants at Peekskill are moving away, 
and are in the Utmost Confusion," but still "there is 
very few Militia yet come Down." George Clinton 
hastened to the assistance of his brother. The British 
under Sir Henry Clinton had outwitted Putnam and 
crossed to the west side. On the 6th they broke the 
famous chain, took Fort Montgomery and the river 
was open. George Clinton reported' his defeat on the 
9th to Washington and says : 

"I have to add that by some fatality the two Con- 
tinental frigates were lost, they having been ordered 
down by General Putnam to the defense of the chain ; 
but being badly manned, they could not be got off in 
time, though I ordered the ship Congress to proceed 
to Fort Constitution [opposite West Point] the day 
before the attack, lest she should meet with a disaster ; 
and the ship Montgomery, which lay near the chain, 
having neither anchor nor cables to secure her, it 
being the ebb of tide and the wind failing, fell down 
so near the chain, that Captain Hodge was constrain- 
ed to set her on fire to prevent her from falling into 
the hands of the enemy. The Congress, unfortunate- 
ly getting aground on the flat near Fort Constitution, 
shared the same fate." 

So much for the two fine ships built here. 
Governor Clinton had taken the cables from the Mont- 
gomery and stretched them across the river in front of 
the great chain, a piece of utter foolishness which 
made the ship helpless. Sir Henry Clinton had 
proved his superiority to the two American Clintons 
and to General Putnam, but his dilatory proceedings 
after he had captured the forts and opened the way to 
Albany lost him all the advantage gained. News of 
Burgoyne's defeat at Bemis Heights reached Pough- 
keepsie only a day or two after the fall of Fort Mont- 
gomery and it was of course supposed that Sir Henry 
would immediately advance up the river to his aid. 

Vaughn's Raid. 

Putnam had retreated to Fishkill and Oct. 8th 
Clinton wrote to the Committee of Safety, "I am this 
moment informed that the eastern militia come in very 
fast ; that he is confident that he will soon have ten 
thousand men with him ; in which case he will keep 
posts as far as Poughkeepsie and .Rynbeck to head the 
enemy should they push up the river." The alarm 
was now sufficient to stir the militia to action. People 
began moving back from the river in a great panic. 
Mrs. Clinton had been at Poughkeepsie in charge of 



1 Clinton Papers, Vol. II, pp. 380 to 395. 



HISTORY OF POUGHKBEPSIB 



43 



her brother, Dr. Peter Tappen, who wrote as follows 
to Col. Hughes at Fishkill : 

Plisent Valleyi about 8 miles Back of Poughkeepsie 
Oct'r loth, 1777. 
Sir, I just now Received you' Latter. I have got 
Mrs. Clinton as far as Mrs. Barnes Eight miles from 
the River where I hope we may be safe; However if 
you Should think the Enemy would penetrate Farther 
into the Country we should be glad of a Couple of 
Covered weagons. I Suppose the Intention of tlie 
Enemy is to go up to Albany and if they can do that, 
will not penetrate into the Country as far as this. I 
sent the sloop with the Governors affects to Eusopus 
Excepting a little Close and Some of her Bedding. I 
have given Directions they might be Caried into the 
Country there as it was Impossible for me through 
the hurry to git them up from Poughkeepsie. I will 
leave the sending of Weagons holely to you ; if you 
think it necessary you will Send them to this Place. 
If you see the Governor be kind Enough to let him 
know Mrs. Clinton is as well as Common 

I Remain you humble Ser't 

Peter Tappen. 

The governor himself was on the west side of the 
river ready to march to Kingston via the Wallkill. 
On the 1 2th "An armed Schooner, two Row Gallies 
& a small Brigg passed the Cheveaux Defrize & are 
ought of Sight up the River," wrote Governor 
Clinton from Little Britain, near New Windsor. The 
chevaux-defrise was a timber crib with sharpened 
points sunk in the river opposite New Windsor to 
Pollipel's Island. It was not entirely finished and the 
British had little trouble in passing it. One wonders 
whv this little reconnoitering fleet was not badly pep- 
pered as it went up the river but the Governor ex- 
plains. "If we had Round Shott for our 24 Ib'r we 
might make this small fleet ver>- uneasy in the River 
but this we have not, nor do I know any nearer than 
Albany to which place I begg you would send for 100 
of that size and 200 for 4 Ib'rs." Hard indeed to do 
much fighting without shot ! Sir Jame.s Wallace was 
in command of this little fleet, which proceeded with 
little opposition as far as Theophilus Anthony's (the 
Gill place about three miles below Poughkeepsie), 
where they burned the little shop which had helped 
forge the great chain and also burned the mill^ but 



>George Clinton Papers, Vol. 11, p. 400 

2This expedition is reported in the 1882 Dutchess County 
History to have burned "Van Buren's Mills" evidently a mis- 
print for Van Keurcn's. Theophilus .\uthony had purchased 
the mill from Matthew Van Keuren only a year or two he- 
fore. According to tradition in the Gill family the British 
after burning the mill went to the house and asked for bread. 
No one had remained at home but a slave woman, who had 
iust finished baking and had the kitchen tables covered with 
loaves. These the red coats took and departed satisfied. 



spared the house, which is still standing. They then 
turned back and reported the river clear. 

Already Burgoyne was in a desperate position, 
about to surrender, but it was not until the 15th that 
Sir Henry Clinton started General Vaughn and Sir 
James Wallace up the river with a forinidable force. 
There were thirty or forty vessels in this expedition, 
some of them large full rigged ships, doubtless the 
largest fleet that ever navigated this section of the 
Hudson. They passed Poughkeepsie on the after- 
noon of the 15th and anchored for the night just 
above Hyde Park. General Putnam followed on this 
side of the river with a part of his army from Fish- 
kill and Gov. Clinton on the other side. Putnam ap- 
pears to have been half a day behind the ships, for he 
did not reach Red Hook until after the British had 
landed and burned a number of buildings. He wrote 
on the 1 6th, "Yesterday about forty sail passed up the 
river, crowded with troops, and are at anchor above 
Poughkeepsie — the wind not favoring. We were on 
our march after them when I met the agreeable news 
of Burgoyne's surrender."^ This was the day of the 
burning of Kingston, which Clinton was unable to 
prevent, though he was there in time and wrote 
General Gates that morning (Oct. i6th), "the En- 
emy's Fleet consisting of upward of thirty Sail an- 
chored last night about six miles below the Landing 
Place at this Town, which the}^ now lie directly op- 
posite and appear to be making dispositions for Land- 
ing."2 

Oct. i8th Putnam wrote to Clinton from "Leroys 
Statsford'"^ above Poughkeepsie, at 5 o'clock in the 
morning: "Yours of the 17th Recei'd last night, and 
am sorry to hear of the Enemy Destroying the Several 
Houses &c. Last night I arrived here & all the Troops 
excepting General Sillimans Brigade which I expect 
will join me in the morning ; Colonel Samuel Willis 
with his regiment are about 6 mile a Head, I am just 
setting off and this morning expect to reach the 
Shiping." In a postscript he adds: 

"General Parsons Remains at Peekskill with about 
2000. Colonels Humphrey's & Brinckerhoff Regi- 
ments of Militia are Left at Fishkill, Colonel Piatt with 
ab"t 150 at Poughkeepsie." 

.'\t noon the same day Clinton replied, advising that 
more troops be left at Poughkeepsie and Fishkill. 
"The Enemy," he says, "is 8 or 10 Miles above this 
burning away * * * j mean at present to 
continue where I am now in front of the most valu- 
able settlements & were the Stores & Effects from 

'Cutler's Life of Putnam, p. 317. 
-Clinton Papers, Vo\. IT, p. 444. 

3Clinlon Papers, ^'ol. 11, pp. 469 and 470. Is this Staats- 
hurgh? 



4i 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEEPSIE 



Kingston are removed. I imagine the Enemy will 
not proceed much higher up the River & that on 
their Return they will attempt to lay waste the Places 
they have passed going up after our Troops are drawn 
from them." In this connection the following letter' 
is of special interest : 

Poughkeepsie, Oct'r 22d, 1777 
Sir: 

I received your Excellency's favor of the i8th In- 
stant on yesterday. I have heard nothing of any re- 
inforcements coming from Gen. Putnam. My Corps 
at present consists of about 120 Men. And Col 
Fraer's Regiment by the last returns consisted of 108 
Arms and 63 without arms. I am using my best en- 
deavors to collect all the well affected people who 
have arms, and are not already out, but have no rea- 
son to expect any considerable addition to my pres- 
ent Force. You may rest assured I shall exert myself 
to protect the inhabitants & oppose the Enemy's land- 
ing at this place, as far as the Force I have with me 
will enable me. Your Excellency however must be 
sensible, that with the force here at present, no op- 
position can be made to purpose should the Enemy 
Land with their whole Force, I submit it therefore 
to 3'our Excellency, whether it would be proper to 
make any further application to Gen. Putnam on the 
subject. 

I have the honor to remain Sir, 
Your very humble servant 

Zepha Platt. 

To His Excellency George Clinton, Esqr. at Hurley. 

On the day that Col. Platt wrote (Oct. 22) Putnam 
was at Red Hook and the enemy had retired at his 
approach to their ships. Putnam feared they might 
attempt to march over to Salisbury, Ct, to destroy 
the iron furnace, v\'hich was a great source of supply 
for cannon, but Burgoyne had surrendered, the people 
were thoroughly aroused, and militia from New Jersey 
were beginning to arrive in considerable, numbers 
at Newburgh and New Windsor. Vaughn's return 
might easily be cut oiT and Putnam had a fair chance 
to defeat him if he should attempt a long march. 
He turned back and sailed down the river on the 
24th, to the immense relief of the people of Pough- 
keepsie, who doubtless fired a few shots at the ships, 
and received a few in return, both harmless. Col. 
Jacobus Freer is said to have been stationed under 
cover of a thick grove of cedars on the hill just south 
of Kaal Rock, with his regiment or company of 
Dutchess Invincibles." According to the County his- 

iClinton Papers, Vol. II, p. 470. 

^Philip H. Smith's History of Dutchess County. The story 
that Richard Davis stood on his wharf and sliouted "Hurrah 
for King George," and then pointed to James Winans, his 
rival in business, as a rebel, I believe may be true. The ships, 
it is said, fired at AVinans or his building and Mrs. William S. 



tories this was on the 15th, when the ships passed up 
the river, but it is not improbable that the firing from 
Freer 's men and from Re3'nolds Hill, of which stories^ 
have come down to us, was mostly on the return and 
retreat of the fleet. One shot from the ships struck 
near the old Vassar Brewery on Vassar Street and 
another struck the Livingston Mansion, south of the 
city, where its mark is still visible. It was an iron 
ball some four inches in diameter, and is preserved in 
the Washington's Headquarters museum at Newburgh. 

The presence of Putnam's army in the near neigh- 
borhood undoubtedly prevented any attempt to do ex- 
tensive damage in Poughkeepsie. The wind was so 
light that he was able to keep almost even with the 
ships on their retreat, and the rapidity of his march 
is shown by the following letter written on the 26th 
by Governor Clinton from Poughkeepsie to Gen. 
Gates; "The next evening after the fleet left the 
River at Kingston I crossed over on this Side in 
hopes to have mett Genl. Putnam to advise with him 
of the proper Measures to be pursued but unfor- 
tunately found he had moved down the Day before 
with his Army. I rode till midnight in hopes to 
have come up with him at this Place but was again 
disappointed. He had left this about Noon for Fish- 
kill. I then concluded it best to move my small Force 
down to New Windsor & accordingly sent them Or- 
ders 3'esterday." 

There is one interesting little local record of 
Vaughn's raid, to be found in Book G of Writs and 
Processes in the County Clerk's Office. Both the 
Court of General Sessions and the Court of Common 
Pleas had been suspended for a time after the Decla- 
ration of Independence. The May court in 1776 was 
held as usual, then come the following entries : "Oc- 
tober Court 1776 No Court Opened the Judges did 
not attend," "January Court 1777 the like," "May 
Court 1777 the like." Following this is a page of 
writs and processes issued under authorit)' of a resolu- 
tion of the Council of Safety "passed June the 5th 
1777 at Kingston," and then on the next page (259) 
this record : 

"October 1777 no Court held here principally Oc- 
casioned by the Enemy Coming up the River with an 
army and fleet and on the sixth of October Took Fort 

Morgan, his granddaughter, tells me that she had often seen 
the marks of the bullets when a girl. She remembers hearing 
that the British sent a boat ashore and had a conference with 
Davis, but this seems hardly likely unless the shore there- 
abouts was left entirely unguarded. Davis appears to have 
remained in business, for in Nov., 1779, he is recorded as 
receipting for goods brought up on a sloop under flag of 
truce. — Clinton Papers, ^''ol. V, p. 376. 

iHistory of Dutchess County (1882), p. 136. 




GOVERNOR GEORGE CLINTON. 

From portrait in Washington's Headquarters, Neivbicrgh. 
[By comiesy of Newbuj'gh Journal.) 



46 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEEPSIB 



Montgomery in the High Lands and proceeding up the 
River as far as red hook and Burned Kingston in 
Ulster county and diverse Houses Mills Barns &c in 
this County and by reason of the unsettled Condition 
of this state and no Officers of the Court Properly ap- 
pointed there was no Court in January 1778 — But this 
Winter the assembly sitting : There was a Law passed 



was to become still more than before the centre from 
which such work was directed. Kingston had been 
burned just as the newly formed State Government 
was about to be organized there, and Poughkeepsie 
became the most available place for the State capital. 
Governor Clinton had been in Poughkeepsie frequent- 
ly before this time, either to visit Dr. Peter Tappen, 




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'ju^u7^ti!^v/na ^y\avt/ tj^/ti-g 



'Y^ /7u' c/ai^/ri' 17 fi. 



- ^'7jp ip<mtmatiaf7 III 
•1/ Cyi7t7jfnt^ itin ^nii 




■J^>:. 



Coiinnission signed by Cover 

by the governor Senate and Assembly that all Courts 
in future Should Sit on Such day as formerly were 
appointed by Ordinance." 

This is not dated but immediately precedes the 
records of the May Court. 

Poughkeepsie the State CAriTAL — Governor Clin- 
ton's Residence. 
From the retreat of Vaughn and Wallace begins 
a new period in the Revolutionary history of the 
Hudson River and of Poughkeepsie. The British 
abandoned all they had gained, but destroyed the cap- 
tured forts in the lower Highlands. New defenses 
had to be planned and constructed, and Poughkeepsie 



nor Clinton in Poughkeepsie. 

his brother-in-law, or to look after the work of con- 
structing the frigates and the various appliances for 
obstructing the river. His first published letter from 
Poughkeepsie is dated January 24th, 1776. After his 
arduous campaigning at the time of Vaughn's raid, he 
spent some time here resting and was joined by the 
Council of Safety, to which the legislative functions 
of government had been hastily intrusted when Kings- 
ton was threatened. Thus Poughkeepsie became the 
seat of government, and after a visit to his home at 
New Windsor the Governor returned here in Decem- 
ber and issued his proclamation to call together the 
scattered legislators as follows : 



HISTORY OF POUGHKBBPSIB 



47 



A Proci^amation : 

The Honorable the Congress having by sundry 
Resolutions, recommended several important Matters 
to the Consideration of the different States : The Sen- 
ate and Assembly of this State are therefore hereby 
required to meet at Poughkeepsie in Dutchess County, 
on Monday the fifth Day of January next, to proceed 
on Business; of which all the good People of this 
State are to take Notice, and govern themselves ac- 
cordingly. 

Given under my Hand and Seal at Arms, at Pough- 
keepsie aforesaid, the fifteenth Day of December, in 
the Year of our Lord, One thousand seven hundred 
and seventy-seven. 

Geo. Clinton. 
God save the People. 



direct reference to the Everitt house. Tradition,' 
however, points so strongly to its use for important 
purposes during the Revolution that the State has been 
induced to purchase it and it is now in the custody 
of the D. A. R. and known as the Clinton Museum. 
It is the only house in Poughkeepsie that has survived 
the years with any tradition of association with Revo- 
lutionary leaders, and it is not improbable that Clinton 
did occupy it at some time during his residence here, 
but that it was the first gubernatorial mansion or the 
principal one in Poughkeepsie is extremely doubtful. 
The little map dated 1790 (see page 65), has the 
Crannell house marked, "Occupied by G. Clinton dur- 
ing the Revolution," and in support of this is the fol- 
lowing document indorsed : 




T/ic Everitt House as it appeared before alteration. Copyrighted 11)04, h Heliiuis 11'. Barratt, 
as "I'/ie Residence in Pouff/i/ceepsie of Governor George Clinton " 



From this time Governor Clinton's letters show 
him to have been living in Poughkeepsie, and there 
has been much discussion as to what house or houses 
he occupied. In connection with this subject it is to 
be remembered that a number of prominent Tories 
had already left Poughkeepsie and their property had 
been taken temporarily for the use of patriots. There 
is evidence, either in the Clinton papers published by 
the State or in other records, that the State paid for 
repairs of two different houses in Poughkeepsie on 
Governor Clinton's orders. One of these was the 
Snedeker house and the other the Crannell house, but 
the searches instituted by members of the Daughters 
of the American Revolution have failed to find anv 



Ca/i/aw North's Rccci/'t for Boards, etc., for the Refair of the 
House Formerly Belonging to Cranncl- 

1780 State of New York to Robt. North Dr. 
Oct 10 for the freight of 600 bricks from Albany 

to Pokeepsie (n' ^ pr Hhd £ o : 

for 100 iiicli bord 6/^ 2 10: 

Nov'br for 32 floor bords @ 2 6d 4: 

for 5 plank @ 3 o: 



£15: 7: o 

Received of George Clinton, Esqr. Gov'r of the State, sixty 

four Pounds twelve Shillings for the above articles in the new 



iSec article by Tristram Coffin, Esq., in Daily Eagle, Feb. 
21, 1904. 



^Clinton Papers, Vol. VI, p. 50. 



48 



HISTORY OF P U G H KEEP S I E 



Emission computed at four for one in Specie being supposed 
the present passing Value, this 23rd July, 1781. 

Robert North. 

Besides this direct evidence for the Crannell house 
it seems entirely natural and probable that Gilbert 
Livingston and Peter Tappen, whose influence w^as 
locally all powerful, would desire to protect their 
father-in-law's property by assigning it to the govern- 
or as his residence. The Crannell property, further- 
more, was not sold under confiscation until 1788, and 
then Livingston and Tappen purchased it.i How long 
the house stood after the Revolution I have not 
been able to determine, nor have I seen any evidence 
to indicate whether it was built of stone, brick or 
wood, but as Crannell was one of the rich men of the 
day, it is a fair assumption that his house was one of 
the best in town, and for that reason alone likely to 
have been assigned to the governor. The following 
statement of the Tory New York Gazette, July 4th, 
1 78 1, has been held to point to the Everitt house: 

"There is a set of mob legislators met at Pough- 
keepsie ; a little time will show whether they mean to 
expose themselves to all the vengeance of which the 
majority of the late Assembly and Senate live in con- 
stant dread, many of them changing their lodgings 
to elude the search of the avengers of the innocent 
blood they have shed. Mr. Clinton, the titular Gov- 
ernor, has fortified his hut against a sudden surprise, 
and the rebel slaves of Poughkeepsie guard it every 
night." 

Philip H. Smith's History of Dutchess County 
interpolates after the word "hut" "the fine stone man- 
sion of Clear Everitt," but on what authority no one 
has been able to determine. Smith's history was pub- 
lished in 1877, and he is said to have had the assist- 
ance of Benson J. Lossing, but I know of no state- 
ment in Ivossing's early writings in support of this 
assertion concerning the Everitt house. Assum- 
ing on the evidence of the assessment rolls and 
of traditions, that Everitt was a Tory and was absent, 
there is no doubt that his house was used^ by the 
Revolutionary leaders in some way, for they had need 
of all the buildings they could obtain, as the little town 
was often crowded with distinguished visitors during 
the sessions of the legislature. That Washington and 
Lafayette were entertained there is not improbable. 
The house has been called "The old fort," the "Head- 
quarters house," and the "prison house," with prob- 
ably some reason for all three. The Poughkeepsie 
jail could not have held all the Tory prisoners that 
were sent here at various times, and it was not usual 

1 Liber 27 Deeds, p. 129. 

-An act creating a Board of Sequestration to take charge 
of and lease the property of Tories who had left their homes 
was passed in May, 1777- 



to confine well-known and respectable persons in jail 
if it could be avoided. Ann Lee, the Shaker leader, 
we are told, was confined in the old Van Kleeck house, 
and it is certain that prisoners of similar standing 
were confined in other stone houses in the neighbor- 
hood, though I doubt the statement that the cellar 
of the Everitt house was used as a dungeon. 

Governor Clinton, according to the records, paid 
taxes on property somewhere in the town of Pough- 
keepsie as early as 1778, and is known to have pur- 
chased property here at various times, though most of 
his deeds were not recorded. The property at the 
mouth of the Casper Kill in the neighborhood still 
known as Clinton Point, was not purchased by him 
until 1804, as papers in Volume 42 of the Clinton 
Mss. in Albany show. 

Governor Clinton's Letters. 

Several hundreds of the letters of George Clinton 
were written in Poughkeepsie, but I have found in 
them nothing to indicate what house he occupied. 
They contain much of local interest, however, and 
from them could be constructed a history of the Revo- 
lution, nearly complete, and containing much new 
material. They show, among other things, that 
Poughkeepsie and Dutchess County were of para- 
mount importance during the second period of the 
war. Dutchess was the only county not at some time 
invaded by the enemy, it paid more taxes than any 
other county, furnished a very large proportion of the 
provisions necessary for the army, and also a large 
number of soldiers. In emergencies Dutchess was the 
main stay of the State. Without its aid, without the 
aid of the sturdy band of patriots in Poughkeepsie, 
it is hard to see how the Highlands could have been 
held, perhaps it is not too much to say, how the Revo- 
lution itself could have been won. The difficulties of 
building the new fortifications, of finding provisions, 
of raising money, of keeping the army together 
during the years of holding on, were serious 
enough, as will appear. As to the importance of 
Dutchess County the following statement' of taxes 
paid by the counties of the State from the Declaration 
of Independence to Oct. ist, 1781, is significant: 



Albany 

Dutchess 

Ulster 

Orange 

West Chester 

Tryon 

Charlotte 



£ 875,720 

1,116,141 

620,008 

280,741 

79-450 

32,450 

3,821 

£3,008,479 



iClinton Papers, Vol, VII, p. 366. 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEBPSIE. 



49 



It must be remembered that New York, Kings, 
Queens, Suffolk, Richmond and a part of Westchester 
Counties were in the possession of the enemy. Char- 
lotte County is now in Vermont and Tryon became 
Montgomery after the war. 

Writing from Poughkeepsie to General Washing- 
ton, December 20th, 1777, Governor Clinton advised 
against attempting to rebuild the forts destroyed by 
the British at the lower entrance to the Highlands, 
and suggested the fortification of West Point as a 
better location. This suggestion met with approval 
and was acted upon during the next year, Clinton 
doing his utmost to help forward the work. Among 
other things he negotiated for cannon to be cast at 
Salisbury, Ct, for West Point. Some of them were 
hauled in wagons to Poughkeepsie and here fitted with 
carriages. Others were shipped via Rhinebeck. The 
governor was constantly called upon to forward ma- 
terials and provisions, but the great iron chain stretch- 
ed across the river at West Point was made by the 
Sterling Iron Works of Orange County under con- 
tract, and Poughkeepsie did no work upon it. Dur- 
ing the winter of '78 he collected provisions also, to 
■ be sent to Washington's army at Valley Forge. 

From a letter dated March 26th, it appears that 
Kosciuszko, who had been appointed to take charge 
of the work at West Point, came first to Poughkeep- 
sie to consult Clinton, who gave him a letter of intro- 
duction to General Parsons stating, "I believe you 
will find him an Ingenous Young Man & disposed to 
do every Thing he can in the most agreeable Manner." 
Lafayette had been here in February on his way to take 
command of the projected "Northern Expedition," one 
of Gates's schemes that served only to hamper the 
West Point work and was happily not carried out. 

The legislature, which met in January, after the us- 
ual delay in obtaining a quorum, passed a number 
of important measures which belong rather to State 
than to local history. Among them may be mentioned 
the resolutions of February 25th, giving the New York 
delegates in Congress authority to ratify the Articles 
of Confederation. 

Clinton remained in Poughkeepsie, as his letters 
show, after the adjournment, April 4th, busy with 
many matters of importance. It has been stated that 
the legislative sessions were held at the old Van 
Kleeck house on Mill Street, but there is every reason 
to believe that they could not have been held else- 
where than at the Court House, or possibly in one of 
the churches. The legislative journals afford no cer- 
tain evidence on this point, but there are a number of 
references to an "Assembly Chamber" and a "Senate 
Chamber," which seem to shut out the churches. The 



Van Kleeck house was too small for anything but 
committee meetings, and the Court House was the 
natural place. It is significant that after it was burn- 
ed in 1785, the legislature did not return here until a 
new building had been finished in 1788, and the rec- 
ords appear to show also that important sessions of 
the courts were not held while the legislature was meet- 
ing here. For instance on the 13th, 14th, 15th, i6th, 
17th and i8th of April, shortly after the first adjourn- 
ment,i "John Jay Chief Justice of the Supream Court 
of Judicature of the State of New York, John Sloss 
Hobart one of the Puisne Judges of the said Court 
and Ephraim Paine first Judge of the inferior Court 
of common Pleas for the County of Dutchess" held 
"a Court of Oyer and Terminer and General Goal 
Delivery" at Poughkeepsie. 

Much of the governor's correspondence was about 
the granting of passes to visit New York or about 
the exchange of Tories for adherents of the American 
cause. Sloops frequently plied up and down the river 
under flags of truce, and privileges were occasionally 
abused. A pass to visit in New York was granted 
to William Emott in November, 1777, which excited 
the suspicion of the local Revolutionary leaders. 
Emott was pretty well known to be of English sym- 
pathies, though he had taken the oath of allegiance and 
had not followed Bartholomew Crannell and other 
leading members of the English Church into open sup- 
port of the British. November 23d, Peter Tappen and 
Gilbert Livingston wrote to the governor, then at 
New Windsor, stating that he was believed to be "a 
Sly, Crafty, Designing Tory," advising against the 
pass and forwarding a protest signed by Augustiss 
Lawrence, George Peek, And'w Billings, EUhu Mar- 
shall, Stephen Seaman, Robert Hatton, James Prich- 
ard, Stephen Hendrickson, Sam'l Tuder, Daniel Law- 
rence, Daniel Shaw, Alexd'r Litch Miller, Richard 
Warner, Piatt Titus, Malcom McEuen, Lancaster 
Burling and George Smeart. The pass was revoked. 
Some of the signers of this protest were shipbuilders, 
and they were several times in distress after the com- 
pletion of the frigates. Clinton appealed to the Coun- 
cil of Safety on their behalf and in 1778 they were 
given some work constructing gunboats for the 
defense of the River. 

From several letters it appears that there was a 
strong suspicion that some persons in Dutchess Coun- 
ty were carrying on a contraband business in flour, 
which was much wanted for the army. Clinton and 
Putnam said, in a joint letter to Governor Trumbull 
of Connecticut, "The most exhorbitant Prices given 

iCliiiton Papers, Vol. Ill, p, iSi. 



50 



HISTORY OF POUGHKBEPSIB. 



for that Article by the People concerned in this Trade 
is alone Presumptive Evidence against them ; their 
sending it from Poughkeepsie by the Way of Norwalk 
for Boston Strengthens the Presumption especially 
from Mills & Stores, as high up the River as Pough- 
keepsie & North of that."i It was believed that much 
of this flour found its way to Long Island and to the 
British in New York. 

In the latter part of April Clinton heard of the 
French alliance, and later in the year 1778 the British 
again concentrated their forces at New York and there 
was another succession of alarms, with mustering 
of militia to the defense of the Highlands. Washing- 



stated that he once spent several weeks here with 
headquarters in Valentine Baker's house,i afterwards 
known as the Brush house, corner Union and Market 
Streets. This seems improbable, but is not impossible. 
Proof could be found that nearly all the prominent 
Revolutionary leaders visited Poughkeepsie at some 
time during the years of Governor's Clinton's resi- 
dence. John Adams mentions in his diary a brief 
visit, when he had to ride to Poughkeepsie from Fish- 
kill in order to find ice strong enough for crossing the 
river. Chancellor Kent in his memoirs speaks of the 
benefits he received while in Poughkeepsie from "the 
great men that visited there, such as George Clinton, 




[Face.] 



[Back.] 
Fac-shiiile of State Currency, printed by John Holt in Poughkeepsie. Original in possession of Messrs. Gilbert and George Foot'e. 



ton moved his headquarters to Peekskill and his army 
formed its long line from there across New Jersey, 
a position maintained with little change until the final 
departure in 1781 for Yorktown. Probably during 
this period he sometimes visited Poughkeepsie, the 
State capital, though the first definitely recorded visit 
was on December 27, 1782, according to the minutes 
of the Solomon's Lodge, No. i, of Free Masons. 
There is also proof that he visited Poughkeepsie in 
Mav, 1783,2 his headquarters having then been estab- 
lished for some time at Newburgh, and it has been 

iClinton Papers, Vol. IT, p. 501. 

2Address by Miss Myra L. Avery, Daily Eagle, March 
23, i8g6. 



Washington, Hamilton, Lawrence, Schuyler, Duer, 
Duche," etc. 

The Tory and Indian raids of 1778 occupy much 
of Governor Clinton's correspondence and show how 
small the State of New York was at that time, with 
its frontiers no further west than the Catskill and Sha- 
wangunk Mountains, through which the treacherous 
enemy roamed at will, striking the settlements most 
unprotected. The massacre of Wyoming, in July, 
greatly stirred the people of Poughkeepsie, for it hap- 
pened that a considerable number of those who escaped 
the Indian tomahawk fled eastward and found their 
wa\- here. The story of their sufferings was printed in 

1 Local newspaper article, April 16, 1884. 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEBPSIE. 



51 



John Holt's Journal^ and was copied in nearly every 
newspaper in the country. Holt had fled from New 
York to Kingston with his printing press in the sum- 
mer of 1776, and set up his establishment in Pough- 
keepsie after Kingston was burned in the fall of 1777. 
He remained here until the British evacuated New 
York in 1783 and was the official State Printer. Dur- 
ing part of his residence he appears to have lived in the 
neighborhood we now call Arlington. 

There was naturally another round-up of Tories 
in the fall of '78 and also a series of Courts Martial 
to bring the militia to a keener sense of duty. Spe- 
cial arrangements had to be made to provide a suf- 
ficient guard for the Poughkeepsie jail. Writing to 
Sheriff Isaac Nicholl of Goshen, Orange County in 
November, Governor Clinton says : "We have 
Claudius Smith, Austin Smith and several other Capi- 
tal Offenders in Prison here. They are well secured 
with Irons and added to this the Principal people of 
the Place to the -Number of thirty have voluntarily 
divided themselves into Parties of six each Night. 
They sit in the Court Room and visit the Prisoners 
every Hour, and mean to continue this Duty until the 
Goal is discharged. Let me therefore recommend 
similar Measures to be pursued by the Inhabitants of 
Goshen who I trust have at Least equal Zeal for the 
public Security." 

A little later than this, according to a reference in 
a Court Martial report, the neighboring militia were 
divided into classes by lot to furnish a guard for the 
Governor as well as for the jail. Stories of a British 
attempt to kidnap the Governor are mentioned in his 
correspondence, and had probably already begun to 
occasion apprehension. 

Continentals in Poughkeepsie. 

In the winter of 1778- 1779 a regiment of Conti- 
nental troops was quartered in Poughkeepsie by order 
of General Alexander McDougall, commanding in 
the Highlands. The Governor at first vigorously pro- 
tested against this, writing to McDougall, December 
15, 1778, "This little town (now almost the only one 
left us) is already so full of Refugees as to afford 
but very Indifferent Accommodation for the Mem- 
bers of Legislature. * * * The public Offices of the 
State are now fixed at this Place. The)' cannot easily 
be removed to another & they must be near the 
Legislature." Furthermore he added, "The Forrage 
Masters assisted by the Civil Magistrate, have already 
impressed for the use of the Army, all the Forrage 

iFor statement of some of Holt's troubles as a Publisher, 
and for some of his financial views, see Clinton Papers, Vol. 
V, p. 622. 



the Inhabitants have, leaving them only a very small 
Supply to bring through the Winter their own stock." 

McDougall in reply drew a harrowing picture of 
the condition of the troops in the Highlands, two regi- 
ments being still in tents at Fishkill, about four hun- 
dred men in the hospitals and all much pressed for 
subsistence. "The severe weather is fast approach- 
ing. In this state of the Troops and of the Post, I 
was reduced, and still am, to the utmost Difficulty to 
cover them, and to provide them for winter ; when 
I was informed there were Public Buildings sufficient 
to cover two hundred men at Poughkeepsie ; Boards 
near it to aid in covering the rest and public Wood Cut 
on the other side. * * * As to billeting or quarter- 
ing the Troops in Houses, I meant no more than bare 
House Room for them a few Days. And if such of the 
inhabitants as can spare it, according to Law, will not 
chearfully give it, when officers and Soldiers are ex- 
posed to most violent Storms of Rain & Snow, they 
do not deserve to be free." 

Clinton feared the troops would interfere with the 
Legislature, would appropriate all the fencing for fire 
wood, etc., but he finally yielded and on the 3d of 
February, when the Regiment, which numbered less 
than two hundred men and officers, was about to 
be withdrawn, it is pleasant to find him writing : 

"The Troops stationed at this Place has behaved 
in the most orderly manner & have made themselves 
very agreeable to the Inhabitants & having by inde- 
fatigable Industry repaired their Barracks & laid in an 
ample Supply of Firewood their Quarters is become 
very comfortable & therefore extreamly loath to 
leave them."^ 

One wonders what the public buildings were that 
would cover two hundred men. Evidently there were 
rough barracks here of some sort, but in all prob- 
ability Christ Church, then unoccupied, was used by 
the troops. Their huts were somewhere on the south 
side of the town. 

The Legislature^ held three sessions in Poughkeep- 
sie in 1778 and the winter session of 1779. August 
nth to October 25th, 1779, it met in Kingston; Jan- 
uary 27th to March 14th in Albany (for the first time) ; 
April 22nd to July 2nd in Kingston ; September 7th 
to October loth, 1780, in Poughkeepsie; January 17th 
to March 31st, 1781, in Albany, and after that always 
in Poughkeepsie until the end of the war. The State 
officers evidentl)' remained here and the Governor's 
family remained here generally, even when the Legis- 
lature was in session elsewhere, as shown by incidental 
mention in several letters. October 5th, 1779, for in- 

1 Clinton Papers, Vol. IV., p. 542. From this letter it 
appears that four months' pay was due the regiment. 
"See New York State Civil List. 



52 



HISTORY OF PO U GH K E E PSI E. 



stance, Clinton says in a letter to John Jay : "I received 
your favor of the 29th Ultimo on my way from Kings- 
ton to this Place whither I was called by the Indis- 
position of my little Boy, who is so extremely low as 
to leave us but little hope of his Recovery." 

Last Years of the War — The Fishkiei, Beacons. 

When the British advanced up the river in the 
summer of 1779 and fortified Verplanck's and Stony 
Points, most of the militia of Dutchess County was in 
the field and the rest was ordered to be ready to march 
to the defense of the Highlands at a moment's notice. 
The Governor, as Commander-in-Chief of State 
forces, went to the front himself for a time, and on 
his return wrote to John Jay, June 23rd : "On this 
occasion I have the Pleasure to inform you, that the 
Militia, particularly of this County, behave with an 
alacrity and Spirit that does them great honor." He 
nevertheless preserved for posterity a long list of the 
delinquents of some of the regiments. 

It was during this summer that beacons were con- 
structed on the hills south of Fishkill and on Butter 
Hill (Storm King) in order to arouse the country, 
without making it necessary to take the farmers from 
their work until the last minute. The first suggestion 
for this method of signalling to the country north 
of the Highlands was contained in letters written 
by General Washingon in March, 1779, to General 
McDougall and to Governor Clinton,^ but it appears 
that the plan was not carried out before the middle 
of June. I have seen no evidence in support of the 
statements of Tossing and Smith that beacon fires 
were lighted, or even suggested, in 1777, when Fort 
Montgomery fell and Vaughn started his raid to 
Kingston. After the gallant storming of Stony 
Point by Wayne in July the danger was over for a 
time, but the beacons were manned in the fall, when 
there was a renewal of alarms. There appears no 
record that they were ever intentionally lighted, but 
the brush pile on the hill near Fishkill (presumably 
North Beacon) caught fire accidentally on May 7th, 
1780, and Captain Abraham Williams sent an express 
rider to Poughkeepsie to notify the governor that it 
was not intended for an alarm. An)' extraordinary 
gathering of troops and ships at New York was sure 
to produce uneasiness up the Hudson and cause steps 
to be taken for increasing the garrisons at West Point 
and elsewhere in the Highlands, but early in the win- 
ter of 1779-1780 the British, after making some feints 
up the river to attract attention, sailed awaj' to 
Charleston, and fighting from that time was mostly in 
the South. 

1 Clinton Papers, Vol. IV, p. 636. 



This winter was one of the most severe on record. 
New York Harbor was frozen over for weeks so that 
cavalry and cannon were taken across the ice.^ There 
had been a prolonged drought in the fall of '79 and 
it was only with the utmost difficulty that the Conti- 
nental army was supplied with flour. Wheat was 
scarce, prices enormous, the Continental currency al- 
most worthless, and the mills had no water to grind 
with. Governor Clinton, at Poughkeepsie, was exert- 
ing every effort to collect and forward supplies, and his 
services were of inestimable value at this time, when it 
was necessary to enforce the recently passed act for 
impressing wheat from the farmers. He convened the 
purchasing commissaries in Poughkeepsie late in De- 
cember and stirred up the officials and the people, but 
it was scarcely possible to feed the army from day to 
day, to say nothing of accumulating stores to enable 
the garrison at West Point to stand a siege. On Jan. 
6th, Clinton wrote : 

"Our present situation is more distressing than 
any Thing we have experienced since the commence- 
ment of the War. It has been with the utmost 
Difficulty notwithstanding the great Exertions of the 
State that we have been hitherto able to Feed the 
Troops Stationed at the different Posts in the High- 
lands by a precarious Supply brought in daily. We 
have now near three Feet Snow on the Ground & 
most of the Mills in the Country either Froze up or 
without water." 

Certainly the situation was desperate, and the 
soldiers at West Point and elsewhere went frequently 
several days without bread and with scanty rations 
generally, but they pulled through. An attack upon 
the Highlands was feared again in the summer of 1780, 
when some of the militia were ordered out, and in 
September came the treason of Benedict Arnold. 

The spring and early summer of this year was 
an exceedingly busy one for Governor Clinton. The 
Legislature was in session during all of May and 
June at Kingston. ^ At the same time Sir John John- 
son's Tories and Indians were so troublesome that 
in the latter part of May the Governor personally 
took the field against them in an expedition to Lake 
George. There were at the same time reasons why 
he would have Kked to spend a little more time at 
home, as we learn from the following paragraph in 
a letter written July 13th to Abraham Yates: "Mrs. 

iSee letter of General James Pattison to Sir Henry Clin- 
ton. — Clinton Papers, Vol. V, p. 448. 

2The session began April 22nd, and was possibly called 
to meet in Kingston because of the trial in Poughkeepsie 
of Huddleston, the spy, captured near Yonkers. According 
to Lossing's Field Book (pp. 383-384), he was tried, con- 
demned and executed in April, 1780, the scaffold being 
erected on Forbus Hill. 



HISTORY OF POUGHKBEPSIE. 



53 



Clinton, after waiting till the alarm below and the 
great hurry of Business was over very decently pre- 
sented me with a fine Girl. She joins me in our best 
Respects, your lady and family.'' 

The Legislature was in session at Poughkeepsie 
when the news of the surrender of Cornwallis at 
Yorktown was received, and both houses with the 
Governor,! we are told, proceeded to the Dutch 
Church, and there offered thanksgiving to God for 
the great deliverance. Rev. John H. Livingston, 
then pastor of the Church, afterwards President of 
Rutgers' College, conducted the service. Cannon 
were fired, bon-fires Hghted in the streets and there 
was general rejoicing. At that time there were only 

iDutchess County History (1882), p. 142. These state- 
ments are doubtless substantially correct, though I have not 
found their original source. 



two Stores in Poughkeepsie, one kept by Beekman 
Livingston, on the site of the News-Press Building, 
corner of Market and Cannon Streets, and the 
other by Archibald Stewart, adjoining the Dutch 
Church. Stewart, it is said, was a Tory and would 
not illuminate his store. 

We should like to have a contemporary descrip- 
tion of the busy little town at this time, but none 
has been found. De Chastellux, the French traveler, 
passed through Poughkeepsie in the winter of 1780, 
but finding the Legislature in session and "all the 
taverns full" he passed on to Pride's Tavern, three 
miles north, and had little to say of the town. Farm- 
ing must have been still the chief occupation of the 
people, with tavern keeping, milling and ship building 
engaging the services of a number of men. State 
officials and lawyers added variety. 










V^x 



>r 



Seal used on State Commission, page 4$. 



CHAPTER IV. 



From the Revolution to the Incorporation of the Village, i 783-1 799 — James Kent — The First 
lyOCAL Newspaper, the ' ' Poughkeepsie Journal ' ' — Ratification of the Constitution of the 
United States — Early Politics in Town and County — Rival Newspapers — Slavery in Pough- 
keepsie — Town Development and the 1790 Map — Incorporation as a Village. 



When the British troops finally left New York 
City, November 25th, 1783, some of the families 
that had fled to the country returned and the Legis- 
lature began to hold its sessions there in 1784, though 
the State offices apparently remained in Poughkeep- 
sie for a number of years. The resumption of river 
traffic doubtless more than made up for any losses 
to local business. Dutchess was at this time one 
of the largest counties in the State, and its growth 
was continuous and rapid. From 22,404 in 1771 it 
had increased in population to 32,636 in 1786, and in 
1790 became the second county in the State, (with 
Albany first and New York third), a position main- 
tained until Putnam"^ was set off in 1812. A con- 
siderable section of central Dutchess, including most 
of the rich Wappingers Valley, naturally shipped its 
produce to New York by sloops from Poughkeepsie, 
and the three or four crooked roads to the river 
were doubtless often filled with teams waiting their 
turn at the landings during this period. The local 
inn-keepers and shop-keepers profited. Between 1770 
and 1790 the number of houses in the central section 
of Poughkeepsie about doubled (see map page 65) and 
there is evidence that this growth was in large part 
after 1783. At the same time much of the prestige 
as a social and legal center, gained during the war, 
remained. A number of the most eminent lawyers in 
the State continued to live here, and many others, like 
Hamilton and Jay, were frequent visitors during 
Court sessions. 

James Kent in Poughkeepsie. 

Here in November, 1 781, came James Kent to 
study law in the office of the State Attorney Gen- 
eral, Egbert Benson, then "the acknowledged leader 
of the New York Bar," and afterwards distinguished 
in several high judicial positions, though now chiefly 

1 Putnam's population was only about 9,000 at that time. 
For statistics of Dutchess County and the town and city of 
Pouglikeepsie, see Appendix. 



remembered because of the greatness of his pupil. 
Kent was admitted to the bar in 1785 and for a few 
months tried unsuccessfully to obtain a foothold in 
Catron,^ a hamlet on the outskirts of Dutchess 
County, where we are told, a committee of citizens 
one day made him a visit, informed him that the peo- 
ple regarded lawyers as destructive of the peace and 
good order of the town, and requested him to leave. 
He soon returned to Poughkeepsie, entered into part- 
nership with Gilbert Livingston, then surrogate, and 
the same year married Elizabeth Bailey, daughter of 
Col. John Bailey, and a sister of Theodoras Bailey, 
who afterwards became a United States Senator and 
was one of the most prominent citizens of the State. 
"I was twenty-one and my wife sixteen when we were 
married," wrote the Chancellor many years later, 
"and that lovely girl has been the idol and solace of 
my life, and is now with me in my office, unconscious 
that I am writing this about her. * * * After board- 
ing a year and a half at my father-in-law's, I had 
purchased and prepared and fitted a snug dwelling 
house in town." His father-in-law lived a little way 
out and was probably the same John Bailey near 
whose house the first Liberty Pole was erected early 
in the Revolution. 

There is much in the Chancellor's Memoirs about 
his early life in Poughkeepsie : "I owned one acre 
of ground and fitted up, in neat style for that day," 
he wrote, "a snug and endearing little cottage, and I 
cultivated an excellent garden, and my income by 
practice did not reach an average above $500 a year. 
* * * I studied in my little cottage mornings and 
devoted an hour to Greek and another to Latin. I 
soon increased it to two for each tongue in the twenty- 
four hours." Indeed the amount of reading he tells 
us he did would fairly stagger the average young 
man of to-day. The snug little cottage and excellent 
garden, to which the great Jurist's mind so often re- 
verted in later years, was located where the Morgan 

iHistory of the Bench and Bar of New York, p. 379. 



HISTORY OF P OU GH KEEP S IB. 



55 



House now stands, on the north side of the Filkin- 
town Road, and a goodly mortgage was necessary 
in its purchase (Liber 4 Mortgages, page 335). He 
retained the property until 1799, when he sold to 
Abraham Brinckerhoff. Neither Kent nor his 
brother-in-law, Theodorus Bailey, who lived next 
east of him, was well enough known in 1790 to be 
named on the map of the town made in that 
year, though the two houses are shown, with Gilbert 
Livingston, Kent's partner, marked as living next to 
them. The fact that Livingston's office is also marked 
on the map throws some doubt upon the local tradi- 
tion that Kent's office was in the little building on 
Cannon Street, torn down in 1898, to make room for 
the Hinkley building. The map furnishes evidence, 
however, that the Cannon Street building was there 
at the time, and it is not at all improbable that Kent 
may have made it his office at a later date. Dr. Peter 
Tappen, of Revolutionary fame, lived not far east of 
the Livingston place — both Livingston and Tappen, it 
will be remembered, on property given them by their 
father-in-law, Bartholomew Crannell. Opposite Gil- 
bert Livingston lived Major Andrew Billings, also 
of Revolutionary fame and a noted silversmith and 
jeweler. Letters preserved in various collections 
show that Billings made silver cups or did other 
work for General Washington, Lord Stirling and 
other prominent Revolutionary leaders. He married 
Cornelia Livingston, sister of Kent's partner. Nearly 
all the prominent families of the town were related or 
connected with each other by marriage and they must 
have enjoyed some social advantages. Kent's Mem- 
oirs unfortunately do not describe much of the life 
of the time, and no contemporary letters have been 
found that add anything of consequence. 

Kent took strong ground in favor of Jay and 
against the counting in of Clinton in the contested 
election of 1792, when the vote of several counties 
was thrown out on technicalities, and this produced 
so much feeling among his Poughkeepsie friends, 
strong partisans of Clinton, including his partner and 
his wife's relatives, as to cause him to remove to New 
York, the climax in the estrangement coming when 
his brother-in-law, Theodorus Bailey, ran against him 
and beat him for Congress in 1793. He wrote to his 
brother. Moss Kent, on March 14th: "Mr. Bailey 
carried his election by a majority of 132 votes. The 
evil reports circulated on the eve of election in the 
newspapers * ^- * contributed not a little to this 
event. Besides the influence and exertions of Mr. 
Bailey and family, of Judge Piatt, the Hoffmans, etc. 
in Poughkeepsie were great. That town never gave 
so man>' votes before. Kycry elector turned out." 
Kent seems to have cherished no grudges, however, 



for we find him returning to visit the Baileys for six 
weeks in the autumn of 1795 to escape an epidemic 
of yellow fever then raging in New York, and in 

1798, on his appointment as a Supreme Court Judge, 
he hoped to be able to live here permanently, and did 
return for a year, selling his house in New York. The 
increasing necessity of "riding the circuits" in the 
central part of the State then caused him to remove 
to Albany, recently made the permanent State capital. 
He first conducted court in Poughkeepsie June 11, 

1799, according to the Oyer and Terminer Records. 
Poughkeepsie has been the home of many brilliant 

lawyers. One of James Kent's own pupils in 1788 
was Smith Thompson, who practiced law here for 
several years, and afterwards became Secretary of 
the Nav}' under President Monroe, and still later 
Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United 
States. James Tallmadge, Jr., James Emott, the 
elder, Cadwallader D. Colden, Thomas J. Oakley and 
Jonas Platt^ (son of Judge Piatt) were among young 
men afterwards distinguished in high office who lived, 
studied law and practiced their profession in Pough- 
keepsie at a period only a few years later. 

The Poughkeepsie Journal. 

From the spring of 1785 Poughkeepsie had a local 
newspaper of its own, a successor in a sense to lohn 
Holt's Journal, though there appears to be no definite 
evidence that it made use of his equipment or local 
subscription list. The earliest bound file begins with 
December 22, 1785, and extends into 1787, with many 
numbers missing. Few bound volumes remain for 
the period before 1806, but many single copies have 
been preserved by local collectors, and a few also 
are in the possession of the New York Historical 
Society. 

The first number, so far as is known, is not in 
existence. It is stated- that the paper began publi- 
cation April nth, 1785, but if that date is correct, 
it was not at first issued every week. No. 10, dated 
October 13th, is in good preservation in the Adriance 
Memorial Library in this city. It contains the open- 
ing announcement, which had probably been kept 
standing since the first number, as follows : 

To The Public. 

The Subscriber, being encouraged by a num- 
erous collection of the Inhabitants of Dutchess 
County, has set up, and established a Printing 
Office in this town, where he publishes this Pa- 
per once a Week every Thursday morning ; and 

'Jonas Piatt afterwards settled near Utica. He married 
Helen, one of the daugliters of Henry Livingston. 
-Dutchess County History (1882), p. 401. 



56 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEEPSIB. 



takes in Subscriptions at the low price of Four- 
teen Shillings a year, one Dollar to be paid at the 
Time of subscribing, or an equivalent in any kind 
of Grain, and the remaining Six Shillings at the 
end of the year. The price given by the mer- 
chants in this place will be allowed. 

He returns his sincere thanks to those Gentle- 
men who have already shown their Willingness to 
support this useful and beneficial Undertaking, 
and flatters himself that his steady Attention to 
Business, and Endeavours to give general Satis- 
faction to the Public, (being a young Beginner) 
will lead the Generous to give him every En- 
couragement in their Power — And while he 
solicits the Assistance of the learned, for the 
Favour of publishing their Productions, either 
useful or entertaining assures them this Paper 
shall neither be a Conveyance of Scandal or per- 
sonal Abuse. 

Any Essays, Articles of Intelligence, Adver- 
tisements, &c., will be gratefully received by 
The Public's devoted 
Very humble servant 
N. Power. 

The paper at this time was called The Country 
Journal and Poughkcepsie Adziertiser and it was 
printed "a few doors east of the court house." By 
1791'^ it had become simply The Poughkcepsie Jour- 
nal and in all probability the long title had been drop- 
ped before this time. Kent calls it the Poughkecpsie 
Journal in his memoirs and tells us that he started to 
publish in it an abstract of The Federalist when the 
constitution was under discussion in 1787 and 1788. 
He states that it was the only newspaper published in 
New York State, outside of New York and Albany, at 
the time of the Constitutional Convention. In 1792, its 
editor, Nicholas Power, became the first Poughkcepsie 
postmaster, according to the official records in Wash- 
inton, and later issues of the paper bear the line 
"Published at the Post Office." The location of the 
office was on the north side of Main Street, not 
far above Van Kleeck's^ hat store. 

In calling the Journal the first local newspaper, I 
must not be understood as implying that it published 
local news. Few newspapers, even in the largest 
American cities, did that until a much later period, 
with the exception of an occasional report of a fire, 
a Fourth of July celebration, or a public meeting of 
importance. The news was mostly from Europe by 
sailing vessel a month or two late. One may study 
the French Revolution and the campaigns of Napo- 
leon's armies from tlic columns of the Poughkecpsie 
Journal and may get an excellent summary of the 

^Copies for Dec. 22, 1791, and May 22, 1798, in the collec- 
tion of Tristram Coffin, Esq. Nov. 16, 1796, Aug. 8, 1797, 
Nov. 6, 1804, and March, 12, 1805, in City Library. 

2 See Chap. V. 



debates in Congress, but there is little about Pough- 
kecpsie except in the advertisements. An exception 
is found in the paper of Dec. 22, 1785, which contains 
the following: "Saturday last sailed from hence the 
Sloop Dolphin, Captain Christopher Hughes, belong- 
ing to this place, with 37 horses &c. on board. And 
on Sunday sailed the Sloop Sally, Capt. Clark, belong- 
ing to Claverack, with 20 horses, both bound to the 
West Indies." From this and from many advertise- 
ments of stallions it appears that Dutchess county was 
largely engaged in raising horses. One of the papers 
in 1798 has nearly a page of stallion advertisements. 

Occasionally also there is news in the laws pub- 
lished. On the 4th of April, 1785, an act was passed 
by the legislature giving Isaac Van Wyck, Tallmadge 
Hall and John Kinney "an exclusive right of keeping 
Stage- Waggons on the East Side of Hudson's River 
between the cities of New York and Albany for the 
term of ten years." They were required to provide 
"at least two good and sufficient stage waggons, to be 
drawn each by four able horses" * * * jjjfj 
the fare "shall not exceed four-pence per mile includ- 
ing the liberty of carrying fourteen pounds of bag- 
gage, * * * and such stage waggon or wag- 
gons shall proceed at least once in every week." 

In March, 1798, the Journal proposed the establish- 
ment of a literary weekly "to contain sixteen pages 
octavo" and to be called The Rural Casket. The 
subscription price was fixed at $2.50 a year, and no 
advertisements were to be admitted, "as this work is 
intended to combine the flowers of fancy with the 
fruits of judgment, and designed alone to please and 
improve." The Journal of May 22nd, announced that 
the first nuiTiber would be issued "on Tuesday, the 
Sth of June next." It probably did not last very 
long, but its publication was characteristic of the 
ainbitions of the times. 

Ratification of thf Constitution of the United 
States. 

The Court House in which the Legislature had so 
often held its sessions during the Revolution was burn- 
ed early in 1785, the date being nearly fixed by a law 
passed April 4th, giving the sheriff (Harmon Hoff- 
man) authority to "imprison and confine certain debt- 
ors and criminals in the Goal of Ulster County" be- 
cause of the destruction of the Dutchess County jail. 
The records of the Board of Supervisors contain rnuch 
about the building of the new Court House and show 
that it was finished sufficiently for occupancy by the 
end of 1787, and in January, 1788, we find the Legis- 
lature returning to hold its winter session here after 
a long absence. That session was undoubtedly held 



HISTORY OF P U G H K nUP S I a. 



in the new Court House and it was there that the pro- 
posed new Constitution for the United States was sub- 
mitted to the members for their action. Governor 
CHnton had gone to New York to hve in 1784, but he 
may have retained a residence in Poughkeepsie. At 
any rate some of the State officers had remained here 
imtil at least 1788 and probably the statement made by 
Benson J- Lossing (letter published in Daily Eagle, 
Feb. 18, 1888), that Poughkeeiisie was still the State 
cai^ital is substantially true. 

Governor Clinton was so strongly opposed to the 
new constitution that in laying it before the Legisla- 
ture he made no reference to it whatever, and would 
have preferred to have it ignored by the members. 
Egbert Benson, of Poughkeepsie, was one of the lead- 
ers of the fight in favor of calling a convention to con- 
sider the question of ratification, but the opposition of 
the Governor and his friends was so strong that the 
resolution passed by a majority of only two votes. 

The convention thus called to meet at "the court 
house in Poughkeepsie" on June 17th, was the one con- 
sjiicuous historical event that has taken place here, 
and the only event of which there has been a local 
centennial celebration. Much interesting information 
about its deliberations, and the causes which led to the 
formation of the Constitution at Philadelphia, as well 
as to its tardy ratification at Poughkeepsie, may be 
obtained from the address delivered at the Centennial, 
July 26th, 1888, by Mr. John I. Piatt, and also from 
an address delivered a few years later by Rev. A. P. 
\'an Gieson, D. D., and pHblishe<l in pamphlet form. 
.Mr. Lossing in his Field Book of the Revolution 
stated that the convention met in the old Van Klceck 
house, but in a later edition corrected this statement. 
There still remained, ho\\e\-er, some doubt as to the 
place of meeting; Dr. Van Gieson, therefore, examin- 
ed all the evidence and showed conclusively that the 
Court House was the place. 

The period immediately preceding the formation 
of the Constitution has been called "The Critical Period 
of American History" by John Fisk, and the import- 
ance of the ratification by the State of New York at 
the Poughkeepsie convention has not been exagger- 
ated, except possibly b>- Martha J. Lamb, who says in 
her History of New York (page .V'l, vol. 2), "This 
turned the pivot in the history of the English speaking 
race." The critical period, as we have seen from 
Governor Clinton's own letters written in Poughkeep- 
sie, was beginning in the se\'ere winter of T77i)-l78o, 
when the Continental currency would no longer pur- 
chase provisions for tlie arni>- and when it became 
necessary to seize the wheat and other produce of 
the farmers under impress warrants in order to keep 



the army together. During some of the first efforts 
to obtain a better form of government, insuring a 
stead}' revenue. Governor Clinton was favorable to in- 
creased national powers, but he nevertheless became 
"the bitterest hater of the Constitution that could be 
found anywhere in the thirteen states." In explana- 
tion of his change of ojainion, it must be remembered 
that after the war the relative position of the State of 
New York began to change until it soon became ap- 
parent that the revenue of her unsurpassed sea-port 
would afiford ample means for the payment of her 
own debts and if shared with the other states would 
contribute largely to the payment of their debts. 
George Clinton was not quite great enough to view the 
situation from a national standpoint, and his chief ob- 
jection to the Constitution was 'against surrendering 
this revenue. 

It has been generally conceded that all the Dutch- 
ess County delegates to the convention were chosen as 
opponents of the Constitution, but one may question 
whether they were not so classed largely because they 
were friends, and some of them former neighbors of 
the governor. Egbert Benson represented this district 
in the Assembly which met in January and was a lead- 
ing champion of the Constitution, as already stated. 
James Kent was elected to the legislature as a Federal- 
ist only two )'ears later. The people of the neighbor- 
hood of Poughkeepsie were at least open to conviction 
as to the merits of the Constitution and there is no 
evidence that they were not entirely satisfied with the 
\-(5tes of their representatives, Melancthon Smith, 
Zephaniah Piatt and Gilbert Livingston, in its favor. 
These were able men who had served in many positions 
during the Revolution, as we have seen in the last 
chapter, and continued to serve in high positions after 
the Constitution had been adopted. All three had been 
memliers of the Provincial Congress. Melancthon 
Smith and Zephaniah Piatt had been members 
of the Continental Congress. Smith was the first 
sheriff of the county after the formation of the State 
government, Piatt was at the time of the convention 
the county judge and Livingston the surrogate. Smith 
had been a resident of Poughkeepsie most of the time 
since 1777, but is said to have been living in New 
York when chosen a delegate to the convention. This 
is not singular when we remember that Governor 
Clinton himself sat as a delegate from Ulster. 

The elections of delegates for the convention 
throughout the State turned out "beyond exjioctation 
fa\ora1)le lo the Anli-Federal party. They ha\c a ma- 
jority of two thirds in the Conx'cntion, and according 
lo the best estimate I can form of about four sevenths 
in the eomnnuiit\-," wrote Hamilton to Madison on 



58 



HISTORY OF POUGHKBEPSIB. 



June 8th. 1 On the 2ist John Ja)'" wrote to his wife as 
follows, from Poughkeepsie ; 

Mj- dear Sally 

A gentleman now in town, and who will set out for New 
York in about an hour, gives me an opportunity for writing 
you a few lines. The convention assembled with unusual 
punctuality. There are not more than two members that I 
can recollect absent, and the house has entered in the business 
with great assiduity and regularity. As yet these proceedings 
and debates have been temperate and inoffensive to either 
party. The opposition to the proposed constitution appears 
formidable, though more so from numbers than from other 
considerations. What the event will be is uncertain. For 
my part I do not despair on the one hand, although I see 
much room for apprehension on the other. 

On the 19th, H. Knox wrote to Rufus King,' still 
a resident of Boston : 

The majority of the Antis is so great at Pough- 
keepsie that I ask no questions. Some person com- 
pelled me to hear that Gov. Clinton was chosen presi- 
dent on Tuesday, 51 members present. 

The Antis, however, had made a serious mistake 
in postponing action upon the Constitution so long. 
Eight states had already ratified when the convention 
met on June 17th, and onl}- one more was needed to 
bring the new government into being. Alexander 
Hamilton and the Federalist leaders were shrewd 
enough to take every advantage of the strength that 
would come from the news of ratification by New 
Hampshire or Virginia, where the conventions were 
also in session. Hamilton had written to Madison, May 
19th, "As Clinton is truly the leader of his party and is 
inflexibly obstinate, I count little on overcoming op- 
position by reason. Our only chance will be the pre- 
vious ratification by nine states which may shake the 
firmness of his followers, and a change in the senti- 
ments of the people, which have for some time been 
traveling toward the Constitution.'' New Hampshire 
was known to be favorable to the Constitution and 
Hamilton had arranged that express riders should 
bring the news of its ratification to Poughkeepsie at 
the earliest possible moinent. The horseman with the 
expected news came galloping into town on the 24th 
of June, and on the 30th John Jay wrote to General 
Washington, "The greater number are, I believe, ad- 
verse to a vote of rejection. Some would be content 
with recommendatory amendments ; others wish for 
explanatory ones, * * * anil I am much mis- 
taken if there are not a few w'^^^ 'Prefer a separation 
from the Union to any na government whatever. 

* * * Tht people, however, are gradually com- 

1 Works of Hamilton, Vol. I, p. 454. 

2Jay Papers, Vol. Ill, p. 340. Of the 65 delegates 21 were 
classed as for ratification and 44 agninst. — Memoirs of James 
Kent, p. 303. 

'Life and Correspondence of Rufus King, Vol. I, p. 335. 



ing right, notwithstanding the singular means taken 
to prevent it. The accession of New Hampshire 
does good and that of Virginia would do more." 
Isaac Roosevelt,' one of the New York City delegates, 
wrote to Hon. Richard Varick of New York, July ist: 

"I wish it was in my power to inform you that 
our Convention had agreed to adopt the Constitution 
or even what the probable event will be. Our oppo- 
nents keep themselves much at a distance from us, 
and we cannot collect any of their sentiments, either 
out or in doors, by any means whatever. 

In our discussion on the Constitution we have got 
only to the 8th Section of the first Article. The time 
is mostly taken up in reasoning on the impropriety 
of their proposed amendments. 

I now only can suggest that the event of Virginia 
may influence their determination. Should they re- 
ject, I think it probable our Convention will, but 
should they adopt I am not clear ours will. They may 
propose an adjournment to collect the sense of their 
respective constitutents." 

Governor Clinton was evidently afraid his sup- 
porters were weakening, but Melancthon Smith de- 
clared that the change of circumstances made no 
change in his views. He was the "anti-champion" in 
debate, adding "the subtelty of Locke to the candour of 
Sydney," in the words of one who described the con- 
vention in a letter published in the New York Journal, 
July 4th, 1788. The doors of the convention were 
open and the people of Poughkeepsie availed them- 
selves of the opportunity to hear the greai speakers. 
Hamilton was described as the "the political porcu- 
pine, armed at all points," and pouring a "stream of 
eloquence deep as the Ganges and irresistible as the 
Gadaraqui." Mr. Jay's reasoning was said to be as 
"weighty as gold, polished as silver, and strong as 
steel." Chancellor Livingston was also a strong in- 
fluence for the Constitution. The weight of eloquence 
and logic was certainly with the Federalists, and the 
debates as published- are good reading to-day. The 
very extravagance of the Antis, who described the Con- 
stitution as a "tripal-headed monster" and said that 
"The dagger of ambition is now pointed at the fair bo- 
som of liberty,' with much else of the same sort, was 
l)robabIy beginning to react. June 27th Hamilton wrote 
to Madison that "there are some slight hopes of relax- 
ation in some of the leaders, which authorizes a gleam 
of hope, if you do well, but certainly I think not other- 
wise." At this very moment a letter was on its way 
from Richmond, coming as fast as horses could, 
bringing the news that \'irginia had done well. Ben- 



' Great grandfather of Mr. John A. Roosevelt (who has 
the letter quoted), and a lirother of the great grandfather 
of President Roosevelt. 

2Fac-simile, 1905, Ijy Vassar Brothers' Institute. 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEUPSia. 



59 



son J. Lossing has published the following interview' 
with one who was present when the news arrived : 

"It was about noon, on a very hot day," said the 
old man, "when I saw an express rider, on a power- 
ful bay horse flecked with foam, dismount at the 
Court House door and placing his bridle reins in the 
hands of a negro boy standing by, hasten to the door 
of the Convention chamber, and deliver a sealed pack- 
age to Mr. Uarclay, the door-keeper. The courier was 
Colonel William Smith Livingston, who had ridden 
express (changing horses several times) from l^ew 
York City to Poughkeepsie, a distance of eighty-one 
miles, in less than ten hours. Tiie package he brought 
contained a despatch from the President of the Vir- 
ginia Convention at Richmond and a letter from Mad- 
ison to Hamilton, announcing that Virginia had, on the 
25th day of June, unconditionally ratified the constitu- 
tion. The reading of that despatch gave great joy 
to the Federalists in the Convention, and they cheered 
loudly. Many people out of curiosity had gathered 
in front of the Court House after the arrival of the 
courier, and when his errand was made known, a part 
of them formed a little procession, and led by the 
music of a fife and drum, marched around the Court 
House several times. In the evening they lighted a 
small bonfire. Before sunset Power had printed an 
'Extra' on a sheet of paper seven by ten inches in 
size which contained the form of the ratification by 
Mrginia." 

The governor's friends seem now to have begun to 
see that the Constitution must be ratified, and turned 
their efiforts towards its amendment. The celebration 
of the Fourth of July was a pleasant relief from the 
tension of daily parliamentary battle and served to pro- 
mote good feeling. John Jay wrote to his wife on 
the 5th, "Yesterday was a day of festivity and both 
parties united in celebrating it. Two tables, but in 
different houses, were spread for the convention, and 
the two jiarties mingled at each table and the toasts 
(of which each had copies) were communicated by the 
sound of drum and accompanied by the discharge of 
artillery." 

In the novel entitled "The Conqueror" is present- 
ed an imaginary picture of the scenes of the conven- 
tion with the statement that there were charming 
women and pretty girls in Pouglikecpsie then, who 
knew how to entertain the great men at receptions 
and dinner parties. Contemporary letters are uncom- 
monh- silent about these events. Besides the celebra- 
tion of Independence Day almost the only outside di- 
version John Jay mentions is the following: "Last 
night m\- .sorrel mare was taken out of the stable, and 
I think it is very doubtful whether I shall see her again. 
I am much obliged to the thief for leaving the horse. 
You see it might have been worse." 

Isaac Roosevelt, writing on the 5th of July, omits 
1 Poughkeepsie Daily Eagle, Feb. 18, 1888. 



all reference to the 4th and outlines to Mr. Varick 
a change of tactics on the part of the friends of the 
Constitution. "We now permit our opponents to go on 
with their objections and propose their amendments 
without interruption. When the)' have gone through 
we may more fully learn their intentions. We have 
now got to the 3rd Article on the Judiciary Depart- 
ment." 

Days passed in debate and then, on the 15th of 
July, Melancthon Smith moved for ratification "upon 
Condition" that a new convention of the states be 
called to pass amendments. Hamilton at once wrote 
to Madison, then in New York attending Congress, 
and received in reply by express messenger a state- 
ment that an}' condition would vitiate the ratifica- 
tion. The State of New York must either join the 
Union now already formed or take the responsibilit)' 
of staying out. All felt the gravity of the situation. 
On July i8th, "the convention met, but such was the 
deep sense of responsibility that no one olifered to 
speak. Silence prevailed and after a time the House 
adjourned." In New York City news from the con- 
vention was awaited with great anxiety and on the 
2lst an imposing Federalist parade was held there 
planned to influence "the obstinate bod}' at Pough- 
keepsie." The obstinacy of some of the opponents of 
the Constitution was gradually breaking down. "The 
members generally assumed a more conciliatory tone," 
wrote James Kent, and what followed is well told in 
his own words : 

"The spirit of the House was liberal and cheering, 
and at last Samuel Jones,-^one of the Anti-Federal 
members, had the magnanimity to move to substitute 
the words 'in full confideifte' in lieu of the words 
'upon condition.' He was Supported by Melancthon 
Smith, who had so eminently distinguished himself 
throughout the whole course of the session, and bv 
Zepheniah Piatt, then first judge of the County of 
Dutchess, who made a few observations expressing 
in a plain, frank manner, his sense of duty on that 
occasion and his determin^lion to follow it. The 
niembers who came over from .the Anti-Federal side 
of the house were twelve in number,. being four mem- 
bers from the Dutchess, four from Queens, three from 
Suffolk, and one from \A'ashington, and, uniting them- 
selves with the nineteen Federal niembers from New 
York, ^^'estchester, Kings and Richmond, thev con- 
stituted a majority of the Convention."' 

This does nc" '-'" ciuite the whole story. The 
Jones motion was ca /uly 25th b}' a bare major- 

ity of two votes, 31 to 20 in committee of the whole. 

"Mr. Lansing then moved." wrote Isaac Roosevelt 
the same day, "that the words should follow the 
ratification, 'Reserving to this State a Right to With- 



iLetter to Mrs. Hamilton. 1832 — Kent Memoirs, p. 311 



.'; ^, 



-^. 






July 2d, 1788, 



f Y |: X p R E s s, 

The Ratification of the Np«r r> n- • 






.- raihe, to be exL- >-'?°''"""<'P. ought 

of "buiniog^A^'.^^;,''^. *■"■ ' " 'PC 
""^ Ra.ifiJioo • ■""" P'"""" ■» 

do by ihefc p,ef.n,. jflid, ,° ^''g'°."- 
[H«ecom„iB.i„Coofll,„,jo-v 






JOURNAL OFFICE ^ "'^^"^^EPSIE 
Original in possession of S' I h . p 

■ ,;, ;X::— ^,;^^;;.;^. .. ,. ^ ._._ "^- ^°hn A Roosevelt, 



^-r;;^|^^^*f?S^;SS*#l^ 



i.f :^-iSj; 



HISTORY OF POUGHKBBPSIE. 



61 



draw from the Union if the Constitution is not re- 
vised by General Convention.' * * On this de- 
bates Ensued, which tool< up the day and it was not 
known how the 'Brittle Blades' would vote, the tak- 
ing of the question was waved till to-morrow." 

Gilbert Livingston had announced that he should 
vote for ratification and it was stated that Hamilton 
closed the debate in a speech of three hours duration. 

There was a majority of three against Lansing's 
last amendment and the final vote on Saturday, the 
26th, was by the same narrow margin, 30 to 27 for un- 
conditional ratification, but Kent says that several 
other members would have voted for ratification "but 
could not be brought to desert Governor Clinton who 
remained inflexible. Had he consented to vote for 
the Constitution, the final ratification of it would pro- 
bably have been unanimous." 

It is perhaps not too much to add that Dutchess 
County saved the day. Kent pays a high tribute to 
the "men who made this memorable and unbought 
sacrifice of prejudice, error and pride on the altar 
of patriotism. * * * It was quiie an heroic 
effort to quit such a leader as Governor Clinton, and 
such men as Yates and Lansing, who had been mem- 
bers of the General Convention." Dutchess had seven 
delegates, and besides the three mentioned, John De- 
Witt voted for the Constitution, Ezra Thompson was 
absent and Jacobus Swartwout, the doughty colonel 
of the Revolutionary Minute Men, with Jonathan 
.Akins voted no. There seems to be no evidence that 
those who broke away from Clinton's boss-ship on this 
occasion incurred his enmity. Smith stumped the 
State for him in 1 792 when he ran for the sixth time, 
and \vc have already noted the feelings of Gilbert 
Livingston and Judge Piatt when Kent declared that 
Clinton's counting in on that occasion was fraudulent. 

Early Politics ot? Town and County. 

A year after the convention a wave of sympathy 
for the French Revolution, in which Lafayette was an 
early leader, swept over the new American Republic, 
and then, as the excesses of the French began to ex- 
cite a reaction among the more conservative, party 
feeling in America was greatly intensified. The 
friends of Jefferson, embracing most of the Anti- 
Federalists, continued to espouse the cause of the 
French, even at the risk of involving the United States 
in another war .with England, while the Federalists, 
under Hamilton's leadership, came more and more into 
a position of hostilil\' to the French. Governor Clin- 
ton, though he prevented the fitting out of a French 
privateer in New York harbor, was in synipathy with 
their ])laris and one of his daughters, in 1793, became 
the wife of the notorious French minister, "Citizen 



Genet," who remained in America. It is altogether 
probable that Kent's defeat for Congress in 1793 was 
partly at least due to the French partisanship of the 
governor's friends in Poughkeepsie, though the town 
was certainly not entirely carried away by the French 
craze. Men of strong English sympathies, suspected 
of being Tories in the Revolution, were restored 
to favor sufficiently to hold town offices soon after 
the war, and their names continue on the town books. 
Richard Everitt and William Emott, for example, 
were almost continuously office holders from 1788 
until well into the 19th century. Everitt became town 
clerk in 1795 and Emott a justice of the peace in 1798, 
both offices of much importance at that time. In 
1800 Squire Emott, as he was called, was elected to 
the Assembly. He was the father of the elder James 
Emott, a very prominent Federalist in the early part 
of the 19th century. 

It is difficult to tell much about the politics of 
Poughkeepsie before 1800, except from the few hints 
given by Kent's Memoirs and from items in the few 
copies of the earl)' newspapers. By comparison of 
these with the civil list of the State it is evident that 
the county was debatable ground and was drifting 
away from the control of Governor Clinton and his 
friends. The Federalists were likely to win in off 
years and not infrequently elected their .Assemblymen 
even when Anti-Federalists were sent to Congress. 
Thus the Assembly delegations of 1794. 1795. 1796 
and 1797, appear to have been Federal. .\11 four in- 
clude Jesse Oakley, who is known to have been a 
strong Federalist, and the first three include David 
Brooks of Poughkeepsie. Theodoras Bailey, however, 
was reelected to Congress in 1795. but David Brooks 
succeeded him in 1797. In 1798 John Jay, Federalist 
candidate for governor, carried the county by a small 
majorit)', receiving 998 votes to 991 for Robert R. 
Livingston. The town of Poughkeepsie voted Living- 
ston 90 and Jay 82. To complete the see-saw, Theo- 
doras Bailey was again elected to Congress in 1799. 

It was during this period of political change and 
probably parti)' because of it that Zephaniah Piatt, ^ 
who was succeeded as Judge of the Court of Common 

iThere were three or four families of Platls in Dutchess 
County before this time. Israel Piatt, who lived in Eastern 
nutchess, was a captain of one of tlie militia regiments in 
the Rcvolnlion and was the ancestor of the late Mrs. John 
P. Adriance. Eliphalet Piatt, who lived near Pleasant 
Valley, was a militia lieutenant in the Revolution, and was 
the Rrandfather of Isaac Piatt, founder of the Poughkeep- 
sie Eagle, and also of Dr. Eliplialet Piatt, first president of 
the village of Rhinebeck. .A John Piatt is also mentioned 
ill the records Israel, liliphalet and John were probably 
brothers and cousins of Zephaniah. All came from the 
neighborhood of ITuntingtoti, Long Island, at apparently 
about the same time. 



62 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEBPSIE. 



Pleas in 1795, by David Crooks, left Poughkeepsie 
and with his brothers, Dr. Charles Piatt and Nathaniel 
Piatt, went to Lake Chaniplain, whither another 
brother, Daniel Piatt, had preceded them as early 
as 1792, and founded Plattsburgh. John Bailey, 
father of Theodoras, and probably some other Pough- 
keepsie people, also went to Plattsburgh. 

Rival Newspapers. 

The first rival of the Poughkeepsie Journal seems 
to have been the Republican Journal, started in 
179s by Nathan Douglas of Danbury, Ct. It 
doubtless represented the party of Jefferson and 
George Clinton, and indicates that the older Journal, 
though admitting communications of all shades of 
opinion, was already regarded as a Federalist organ. 
I know of only one number of this paper, "Vol. I, 
No. 41," dated Wednesday, July 6, 1796. ^ It bore the 
motto : 

"Pliant as Reeds, where streams of Freedom Glide — 
Firm as the Hills, to stem Oppression's tide.'' 

and was "printed and published b}' Richard \''ander- 
burgh & Co., near the Court House." It contains 
the statement, dated June 29th, that Nathan Douglas 
had sold the paper to Mr. \^anderburgh "and will 
shortly return to Danbury, Ct., to conduct the pub- 
lication of the Farmer's Chro)iiclc." Fourth of 
July, says this paper, "was ushered in by the firing of 
cannon and the ringing of bells.'' There was a parade 
of the officers of Col. Van Bunschoten's regiment of 
militia, Captain ^'emont's light horse and Captain 
Mott's riflemen. Then one company of men con- 
vened at Colonel Van Bunschoten's for a banquet 
and another at Captain Hendrickson's. There is a 
suggestion of partisanship in the separation and in 
the lists of toasts. 

In this paper Nathan Myers advertised for sale 
a stone house "containing two large rooms on the 
lower floor, on the Post Road leading to --\lbany and 
on the road leading to the upper landing." This must 
have been a near neighbor of the old Van Kleeck 
house. \n early gazetteer states that most of the 
houses in Poughkeepsie were of stone at this time. 

\^andcrburgh evidently formed a partnershi]) with 
Xicholas Power and the Republican Journal was ab- 
sorbed by the Poughkeepsie Journal, but this partner- 
ship was soon dissolved, as we learn from a notice in 
the isstie of Nov. 16, 1796, which also contains an 
advertisement of a small printing office "with every 
necessity to begin a country newsi)aper — to be sold 
cheap." \^''ere it not for this advertisement I shotdd 
think it possible that there had been only one paper 

'111 the iiosscssion of Mr. Frank Van Kleeck. 



all the while, and that Power had sold the Pough- 
keepsie Journal in 1795 and taken it back in 1796, 
the temporary proprietors making a slight change 
in the name and numbering^ the issues as if it were 
a new paper. 

On January 8, 1798, another newspaper, The 
American Farmer and Dutchess County Advertiser, 
made its appearance, printed by John Woods. It did 
not openly support Jefiferson, and its editor announced 
that he should "endeavor to conduct the paper by the 
line of impartialit}'." The French Revolution seems 
to have been still the leading issue, and the following 
excellent example of early editorial eloquence implies 
that the doings of the French had not hitherto been 
impartially reported : 

While the Genius of Liberty is yet struggling 
with the Demon of Tyranny and oppression ; 
while the blood-stained steps of Slaughter are 
still smoking in the desolated fields of Europe ; 
while fell Discord with her brazen trump is 
sounding the alarm of zmr through our happy 
land where Party Spirit seems assuming the 
garb of General Good ; while Political Frenzy 
appears to predominate over each quarter of the 
globe and while the party mind is raised to the 
summit of expectation no one surely can stand 
an indififerent observer of these awful scenes, or 
not wish to be regularly informed of the im- 
portant events which are about to close the 
eighteenth and usher in the nineteenth centurv. 

Isaac Mitchell was the editor of this paper for 
a time, and he stated a few years later^ that it failed 
soon after he left it. Only the first copy is known to 
be in existence. 

Slavery in Poughkeepsie. 
Every issue of the early newspapers contains at 
least one advertisement ofifering a reward for the 
return of a runaway slave, and this one is rather 
surprising : 

FIVE DOLLARS REWARD. 

RUNAWAY— From the subscriber, bis Negro man. Gill, 
about twent\-five years of a.t{c, a short stocky fellow ; he 
wears a watch, a claret coloured coat, and brown cloth 
watch-coat lined with green baize. The above will be paid 
for confining him in any Goal, and notice given that he may 
be had with all reasonable charges, by 

RlCH.\RD D.wis. 

Poughkeepsie, Feb. 5, 1798. 

Watches were very much of a luxury at that time, 
but there is no intimation in the advertisement 
that this watch was stolen, or was not the rightful 

'The volume and number never afford conclusive evidence 
as til the origin of a newspaper, and I know of no copies 
of the Poughkeepsie Journal for the early months of 1796. 

-Opening editorial Political Paromeler, June H, i8oj. 



HISTORY OF POUGHKBEPSIB. 



63 



property of the slave. A few letters of the period 
before the Revolution indicate that some of the brutal 
features of the institution of slavery were to be found 
in this neighborhood, but very soon after the Revo- 
lution slavery itself began to fall into disfavor. One 
or two of John Jay's letters as President of the Manu- 
mission Society were written about the time of the 
Constitutional Convention and probably from Pough- 
keepsie. He says that slaves in this section of the 
country were "treated as well as other servants," and 
many stories and traditions are handed down, show- 
ing their frequent devotion to their masters and the 
easy position they held in many families. The convic- 
tion was growing that slavery, no matter what its con- 
ditions, was inconsistent with the expressions in the 
constitution of the rights of human liberty, and 
manumissions were becoming more common. 

The first recorded manumissions of slaves in New 
York State were made under an act passed February 
22(1, 1788, at Poughkeepsie, and the Legislature was 
careful to provide that the persons set free should not 
become town charges. This act, Chapter XL, Laws 
of the Eleventh Session, declares that : 

"When the owner or owners of any slave under 
fifty years of age, and of sufficient ability to provide 
for himself or herself, shall be disposed to manumit 
such slave, he or they shall, previous thereto, pro- 
cure a certificate, signed by the overseers of the poor, 
or the major part of them, of the city, town or place, 
and of two justices of the peace of the county where 
such person or persons shall dwell or reside * * * 
certifying that such slave appears to be under fifty 
years of age, and of sufficient ability to provide for 
himself or herself, and shall cause such certificate of 
manumission to be registered ; * * * then it shall 
be lawful * * * to manumit such slave without giv- 
ing or providing any security * * * and the clerk 
for registering such certificate shall be entitled to two 
shillings and no more." 

In accordance with these provisions former At- 
torney General, Egbert Benson, registered the first 
manumission in the town of Poughkeepsie, as follows : 

Entered tins nineteenth day of November 1790 the following 
Coppy of the mannmission of a negro slave i. e. 
We Peter Tappen & Tnnis Tappen two of the trustees of 
the peaec for the Counl\' of Dntchess and William Emott 
and William Terry overseer of the Poor for the town of 
Poughkeepsie in the Connty aforesaid, do hereby Certify, 
that it appears to ns that Erancis a Male Negro Sla\e of 
Itgbert r.enson of the Said Town is under the age of fifty 
years and of Sufficient abilities to provide for himself. 

Dated as above. 

Prn!K T.MTEN. 

Trxis T.M'i'i'N, 
\\'ii.i.i.\M Emott. 
\\'ll.l.(,\M Tkrrv, 



I the above named Egbert Benson do hereby manumit 
and set at Liberty the above named Erancis — dated the day 
and year above mentioned. 

Egbert Benson. 

John Frear, 1794, records the second manumis- 
sion,' "a Negro boy named Bill, aged four years, and 
nine months, being a Son of my Woman Slave named 
Susan." Judge Zephaniah Piatt's application for a 
certificate of manumission, the third, begins, "Agree- 
ably to the Republican Spirit of the constitution of our 
country." 

On March 29th, 1799, was passed an act "for the 
gradual abolition of slavery," and April 8th, 1801, an 
act "concerning slaves and servants" provided that 
"Every child born within this state after the fourth 
day of April, 1799, shall be free, but shall remain 
the servant of the owner of his or her mother * * * 
until the age of twenty-eight years, if a boy, and 
twenty-five years, if a girl." This act, as well as that 
of 1799, required the registry of all births of children 
in slavery, under penalty of five dollars fine, and the 
first person to comply with the requirement was Smith 
Thompson," May 26th, 1800, already a prominent 
lawyer and to begin his public career the same }ear 
as a member of Assembly. 

The records of births in the books of the town of 
Poughkeepsie extend down to 1815, and the manumis- 
sions down to 1825. Few of the early certificates show 
any family names for the negroes set free, but 
soon after 1800 such names were g'enerallv given. 
In some cases the names were of the former 
owners, in others, names probabl}' chosen by 
the negroes themselves. Abraham Adriance in 
1815 set free a slave named Grace Vanderbilt. A 
few agreements are recorded similar to the usual 
apprenticing articles, showing that owners occasion- 
ally leased, or bound out, their slaves for a term of 
years, at the end of which, if faithful service had been 
performed, the slaves were given their freedom, and 
a good many slaves were freed by will at the death 
of their masters or mistresses. Some of the slaves 
who had grown much attached to the families in 
which they had been brought up virtually refused to 
accept freedom, and not a few of the older and more 
helpless ones were supported until their death bv their 
former owners, who would not allow them to become 
town charges. On the other hand there are two or 
three records of young children delivered over to the 
town as paupers under the provisions of one of the 
abolition acts. One record shows that negroes them- 

iFor full list of manumissions recorded, and list of per- 
sons recording births of slaves under act of April 8, 1801, see 
.\ppcndix. 

-Certificate in full in .\ppeudix. 



64: 



HISTORY OF POUGHKBBPSIB 



selves might hold slaves, that of "Toney Fox, a 
black man of the town of Poughkeepsie," who received 
a certificate for the manumission "of his wife and 
slave, Margaret," October 29th, 1804. 

It has often been said that slaver}' was abolished 
in the Northern States because it was unprofitable, but 
there is little, if any, local evidence that this was 
true in 1799 or before. Slaves were occasionally 
sent South for sale, indicating a better market there, 
but the results were not always satisfactory. Christ 
Church, for instance, once owned a slave left it by 
will. He proved a very undesirable piece of property 
for a church, ran away into Connecticut, and was 
finally sent to the South where the expenses of his 
sale amounted to more than the proceeds. Steady, 
able-bodied slaves, however, brought fair prices at 
home, if one may judge from the advertisements in 
the early papers, but there seems to have been some 
sentiment against selling them, as indicated by an 
occasional advertisement in which a slave girl is 
offered "partly by her own request." There are also 
a number of curious notices offering merely nominal 
rev/ards, as low as two cents, for the return of run- 
aways, as if their owners were merely complying 
with some technicality of the law. 

Town Duvixoi'ment. 
Among the laws passed by the Legislative session 
of the winter of 1788 at the new Poughkeepsie Court 
House were acts for the division of the State into 
counties and the counties into towns. These for the 
most part were merely re-enactments of earlier colo- 
nial laws — the boundaries of the tuwn of Pough- 
keepsie^ were the same as of the old precinct of 
Poughkeepsie, — but they were followed here by con- 
siderable activity on the part of the town authorities, 
especially in the matter of laying out new roads and 
improving old ones. The first street in Poughkeep- 
sie, as distinguished from the roads that met at the 
Court House or led to the river, was Cannon Street. 
It is described in a deed of 1786 as "the new lane or 
Cannon Street." Its name probably came from some 
Revolutionary incident, and tradition has several 
stories to account for it, the most plausible of which 
seems to be that its intersection with the Post Road 
was once marked with old cannons stuck upright in the 
ground. The name, at any rate, was evidenth' given 
bv common consent, before it was ratified b}' town 
authority. Church Street was also named in the same 
way only a few years later. In 1788 the Town Road 
Commissioners, Peter Tappen and E. Van Picnschoten, 
straightened out the New Plackensack road and car- 
ried branches to the Filkintown road and to the Post 



iChaptcr LXIV, Sciiiun Laws, March 7, 17S8. 



road. These branches became Montgomery Street, 
Academy Street and Hamilton Street. The main sur- 
vey carries the road through Academy to Cannon 
and down Cannon Street to the Court House. Then 
Academy is extended to Main Street, Church Street 
is laid out and the branches above mentioned. The 
landmarks in surveying Academy Street were Baltus 
Van Kleeck's "white house" on the south and Gil- 
bert Livingston's house on the north. Onl}- Cannon 
Street and Church Street are named. 

Academy Street was originally a lane' leading to 
Van Kleeck's "white house," which stood as the 
accompanying map shows, just south of Montgomery 
Street. The street is named "Ragged Lane" on the 
map, but deeds on record show that several efforts 
were made to give it other names, before the Dutchess 
County Academy was built on the corner of Cannon 
Street in 1791 or 1792. This 1790 map, the original 
of which was long in the possession of the late John 
F. Hull and is now the property of Mr. Henry Booth, 
has been the subject of some controversy. It is not 
on record and its genuineness has been disputed b)' 
those who believe the Everitt House to have been 
Governor George Clinton's residence during the Revo- 
lution. This matter was discussed in the last chapter, 
and it remains only to add that the map is of un- 
doubted genuineness. Reference to deeds recorded in 
Liber II, pp. 384-386, show that a map was made by 
Henry Livingston, Jr., dated September 25th, 1790, 
for the purpose of describing and dividing into lots 
the property on Church and Cannon Streets where 
the lots are numbered. The first of these deeds is 
dated November 9, 1791, and is from Thomas Ellison 
and George Ludlow of New York City, "assignees 
and trustees for the creditors of Myndert Van Kleeck, 
survivor of Leonard A'an Kleeck, and I^Iyndert \'an 
Kleeck," to James B. Clark of New York, attorney at 
law. V,y the second deed, dated November 10, the 
same property is deeded back to the assignees. The 
lot numbers as referred to in the deeds are not exactly 
the same as in the map here reproduced, but the dif- 
ference is trifling. There is one less number on the 
south side of Church Street and two more on the north 
side. Nine lots are convened on the north side, begin- 
ning at the south-east corner of the burial ground of 
the Episcopal Church, "being known on above map" 
as lots 9, 10, u, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 and excepting 
lot No. 12. "commonly called the school house lot." 
The "school house" lot is not numbered in the map as 
here given. It is evidenll\- the same lot now occupied 

Mil dcfd from Lcwi^ ]Ju LSois to Myiidcrl Van Klccck 
(1773) referred to as "the lane leading from the farm of 
the late Lawrence Van Kleeck, deceased, to the Filkintown 
road." — Lib. 2, 269. 



HISTORY OF POUGHKBBPSIE 



65 



by School No. 2, or "The Alexander Hamilton 
School.'' 

In these deeds also the eastern boundry is "Lud- 
low Street," not Ragged Lane, which was evidently 
not acceptable as a name. In the deeds to the 
Academy trustees. May 8th, 1792, and December 18, 
1792 (Lib. 21, pp. 466 and 530), the street is called 
"Charles Street," evidently an attempt to name it 



Van Kleeck's "white house," so often referred 
to, was evidently an important place. It is described 
in an advertisement which ran for some time in the 
Poughkeepsie Journal in 1785, as "situated on a very 
pleasant eminence, within a quarter of a mile of the 
town of Poughkeepsie, commanding the full view of 
the same. The house being two and a half stories 
high with four genteel rooms on a floor, and a com- 



- 




f t_ 

* n 


5 








a 


(fi 


fl 


M 


> / A 

ii i 


m 







from Dr. Charles Crookc, who had owned the lot. 
Crooke had recently died and the property was sold 
to pa\- his debts. Mis widow vcr)' jiromptly mar- 
ried William Ketcltas, and the first deed, dated May 
8th, conveys her dower right to the lot "on which an 
Academy is now erected." The building could not 
have been finished mucli before this time, for the 
Academy was incorporated h\' the regents in i/^i. 
It soon gave the final name to the street. 



modious cellar under the whole, with good well of 
water, and about si.xty-two acres of good land, with 
a good meadow and orchard belonging to the same." 
One cannot but suspect that some of the important 
Revolutionary meetings said to have been held at 
"Mr. \'an Kleeck's house" may have been held here, 
especially if its Revolutionary owner was the same 
lialtus, who refused to sign the pledge of Associa- 
tion in 1775. At any rate the number of houses 



66 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEEPSIB 



occupied or owned by Van Kleecks in 1790 suggests 
doubt as to the reliability of the traditons which have 
assigned so much Revolutionary importance to the 
oldest, and probably the smallest of them all. This 
""white house" property was in part at least situated 
on what had been "The Little Commons' (see map 
p. 31) and was also in part at least the property which 
afterwards came into the possession of Bronson 
French, and then into the possession of Christ 
Church and other parties as mentioned in Chapter 
VI. It used to be said that French obtained title 
to much of it simpi}' as a squatter and by pushing 
his fences more and more out into the "Common." 
The following advertisement dated July 12, 1802, will 
show that the squatting was done before French's 
time : 

The subscriber has returned to town for a few 
days, and offers for sale a number of lots on the Com- 
mon or White House lot. 

N. B. It has been maliciously asserted that my 
title to this land is not good and sufficient — I invite 
any person, capable of paying the costs of suit, to 
come forward and publicl}' declare it. 

Law L. Van Kleuck. 

There are many interesting things about the 1790 
map. It will be noticed that what is now called the 
Swift house is among the buildings built between 1770 




Mouse purchased by Governor Clinic u in lygg. Kozv the 
Residence of Rev. and Mrs. .1. P. I'an Cicson. 

and 1790, on the south side of Cannon Street. This 
house is particularly interesting, as the only one, so 
far as we know, that was ever owned by Governor 
George Clinton within the corporate limits of Pough- 
keepsie. The lawyers have traced this property back 
tu a mortgage made in I7()2 b\- William Piailey, 
merchant, to "the new loan commissioners," and the 
mortgage (\'o\. 2. p. 325, Loan of 1792) contains 
on its back endorsements showing that Clinton was 
one of those who ])aid interest on it. The Clinton deed 
is not on record but his field book tells of the pur- 
chase. October iCtli, 1799, and the opening sentence 



of the entry seems to imply that he owned a part of 
it before William Bailey did, and may possibly have 
built the house himself. The entry is as follows: 

House and Lot in Poughkeei'sie Dutchess County. 

Oil the loth day of October 1791 by Indenture of Lease 
and Release conveyed to William Bailey a certain Mes- 
suage or Lot of Land in the Town of Poughkeepsie and — 
Thomas Norton the 30th of March 1792 in like manner con- 
veyed to the said William Bailey one other Messuage or 
Lot adjoining the above and 

William Bailey being so seized in Fee of the afore- 
said two Messuages or Lots mortgaged the same to the 
Loan Officers of Dutchess County to secure the Payment 
of a certain Sum of Money he had taken on Loan from 
that Office and afterwards to wit, on the 4th day of Feb- 
rnray 1794 (the said Mortgage being unredeemed & in full 
force) by Indenture of Release conveyed the said two Mes- 
suages and Lots to Cadwallader D. Colden in Fee for con- 
sideration of £625 — and the said Colden and Maria his 
wife executed a Mortgage of the Premises for securing the 
Payment of £525 due to said William Bailey, and on 

The lolh November 1796 the said Cadwallader D. Colden 
and Maria his Wife for the Consideration of £800 by In- 
denture of Release duly made and executed by them con- 
veyed the said two Messuages & Lots to James Scott Smith 
Esquire in Fee Simple. — And the said James Scott Smith 
on the day of executed a 

Mortgage of the same for securing the Payment of 
a Debt due from the said James Scott Smith to him as 
will appear by the Register of the same in the Clerks Office 
ill said Count}'. 

In the Term of April in the \ear 1799 John Starks 
Robinson obtained a Judgment in the Supreme Court of Judi- 
cature of the said State against the said James Scott Smith 
for 18564 Dollars & eleven Cents and a Writ of Testatum 
Fieri Facies was thereupon issued out of the said Court to the 
Sheriff of Dutchess County who in virtue thereof (and for 
Want of Goods and Chatties of said Smith to satisfy said 
Judgment) seized the said Messuages and Lots of Land and 
having advertised the same according to Law exposed the 
same to sale at public Auction and the said George Clinton 
being the highest Bidder they were struck off to him ac- 
cordingly and — 

William RadclifF the Sheriff aforesaid by Indenture bear- 
ing date the i6th day of October 1799 under his Hand and 
seal duly made and executed as Sheriff aforesaid comeyed 
the same and all the Estate Right Title and Interest of the 
said James Scott Smith therein or thereto to the said George 
Clinton in Fee Simple for the consideration of 100 Dollars. 
The said Messuages and Lots, being bounded and described 
as follow^, to wit 

All that certain Messuage or House and Lot i)f Ground 
situate lying and being in the Village of Poughkeepsie in 
the County of Dutchess Beginning at the Northeasterly Cor- 
ner of the Lot of Thomas W'aruer running thence along the 
s.iid Thomas W.arners t,ot Southerly one hundred and sixtv 
five feet. Thence Masterly one hundred and one Feet to the 
Southwest Corner of Thomas Molt's Lot — Thence Northerly 
along the said Thomas Mott's Lot one hundred and si.xty 
five feet to the street called Cannon Street — Thence west- 
erl\' along the said Slreel to the Place of Beginning — Con- 
taining one f|uarter of an .\cre and twenty one Perches 
and seven thirly thirds of a Perch of Land. 



HISTORY OF POUGHKBBPSIE. 



67 



Besides this there are many papers in the Clinton 
Manuscripts in Albany (Vol. 42) referring to this 
property and showing that there was considerable liti- 
gation over it. Clinton was out of office in 1799, and 
was rather closely associated with several prominent 
residents of Poughkeepsie and Dutchess County in 
real estate and other business matters. It seems likely 
that some tradition would have connected his name 
with the Cannon Street house if he had ever lived in 
it, but he was certainly often in Poughkeepsie from 
this time until his election as Vice-President in 1808. 
He was elected Governor again in 1801 and served 
till 1804, and about at the expiration of his term pur- 
chased of Samuel Pinkney the Casper Kill farms, 
where he built a house which stood until a few years 
ago at what is now called Clinton Point. This house 
he certainly lived in at least as a summer residence. 
The deeds for the place arc not on record, but the 
consent to sell, November ist, 1814, is recorded in 
Liber 25 of Deeds, page 66, signed by Elizabeth Tall- 
madge and Maria Beekman, "daughters and heirs of 
the late Vice President George Clinton, Esq.," George 
Clinton Genet, Henry James Genet, Maria Louisa 
Genet, Charles Alexander Genet, Cornelia T. Genet, 
grandchildren ; Ann \'arick, a devisee of George 
\Vashington Clinton, son of George Clinton, and 
George \\^illiam Floyd Clinton (infant), son of 
George W. Clinton. 

It remains to be said of the Cannon Street house 
that nearh' all its known occupants and owners were 
prominent men. Cadwallader D. Colden, afterwards 
Mayor of New York, was a law>'er of high standing, 
and a grandson of one of the last Colonial Governors. 
James Scott Smith, whose wealth is shown by the size 
of the judgment against him, was the first president 
of the Village of Poughkeepsie. The endorsements 
on the back of the mortgage to the loan conmnission- 
ers show that Jeremiah Hageman paid several install- 
ments of the interest before Clinton's purchase. 
Smith's payments are recorded, but no payment from 
Colden. This mortgage remained in force until it was 
paid by George B. Bvertsou in 1813. The big chim- 
neys and other features of the house are evidences of 
antiquity, but it seems unlikely that it was built before 
the street was opened. Tlic interior contains e\'idence 
that the western section of the house was an addition, 
but made at a very early period, and it is probable that 
the rich men who owned it during the first half of the 
Nineteenth Century changed it considerably. The 
eastern wing is of course a comparatively recent addi- 
tion. 

Returning to the 1790 map, it should be noted that 
Myndert \^an Kleeck lived on the corner of Market 
and Cannon Streets. He sold in 171)9 '" Theodorus 



Bailey, whose name appears there on the village map 
made in that year. The William Bailey mortgage, 
and George Clinton's field book, describe the Clin- 
ton property as beginning at Thomas Warner's north- 
east comer. Warner had purchased, in 1785 (Liber 
10, 319), a lot beginning at the northeast corner of 
Myndert Van K^leeck's garden fence along "the new 
street," and this is the first deed to a lot on the street 

I have seen. As already noted, it was called "the 
new lane or Cannon Street," in a deed of the next 
year, 1786. (Van Kleeck to Melancthon L. Woolsey to 
"the second lot from the east end thereof".) The 
names Market, Main and Pine Streets are perhaps 
later additions to the 1790 map. They may have been 
used at that time, but were certainly not fixed, for 
Market Street is called Main on maps and deeds of 
later date. Probably none of the names had yet been 
given with authority, and it does not appear that any 
of the new roads or streets surveyed in 1788 and 
mapped in 1790 were actually worked b_v the town 
authorities before the incorporation of the A^'illage of 
Poughkeepsie. At any rate I have been unable to 
identifv them in the descriptions of roads or road 
sections of which pathmasters were appointed. These 
in 1798, were as follows: 

r From Court House to Baltus l^rairs Robert No.Kon 

' From Frairs to Major Forts encluding the Road 

from Gills to .\uthonys Elias Trave 

3 From Authonj' Hoffmans to John Wilsons 

Thomas Nelson 

4 From John Wilsons to Bartholeme Ga\'S. .Abraham Pells 

5 from the House of George Stewart Dec's'd to the 

old Store encluding by Gerret Lansings over the 

fall kill Joseph Bowman 

6 from Court Honse to James Winans Encluding the 

Road to the Uning Store George B. Everson 

7 from Samuel Smiths to Richard Davis Store 

Richard Davis 

8 from Anthony Hoffmans Encluding from him to the 

house late of William Rider John Beckwith 

g from the honse late of William Riders to Clinton 

line Encluding to Platts Bridge Elias Delong 

10 from Semones house to the medel of the bridge 

at Duncan Engrems Isaac Hoffman 

I I from Engrems stone house to Natz Brewers En- 

clud Booth Roads to the Crick Peter Burgan 

I J from Engrems to Spacken Kill Elias V. Bonschoten 

13 from i\l\ndert Van Kleecks to Clinton Line Enchid 

from T. Frairs to Elias Dnboys John Pahnatier 

14 from Casper Ivill to Mesiers Bridge. .. .Nazareth Brewer 

15 from Cornelius Brewers to Peter I^croys. Peter L. Lawsin 

16 from Burlingams to James Welses Caleb Bishop 

17 from Bates to the Hook .Vbrahara Van W\ck 

18 from Van Brnmmcls to Clinton line, near Soles.. 

Evert Pells 

ic) from Records to Clinton Line William Davis 

JO from John Van Anden to Theodoris Bales Enclud- 
ing the road to John Burums John \'an Anden 



68 



HISTORY OF P U GH KEEP S I B. 



21 from Barnegat to Luckeys Land Encluding the 

Road to Major Forts Peter Miller 

22 from Vanseckles to Pells Mill— No path Master Chosen. 

After this year roads were entered in the town 
book only by numbers. It is of course difficult to 
identify most of these roads. Nos. i and 2, how- 
ever, are plainly the Post Road south, as Major Fort 
lived near the Casper Kill, in the old stone house still 
standing on the east side of the road. No. 14 is 
another section of the Post Road to Wappingers Falls 
(Mesiers Bridge). No. 6 is Union Street and No. 7 
Pine Street, Nos. 3, 4 and 5 are perhaps sections of 
the Post Road north, the last including also Mill 
Street. Nos. 8 and 9 may be Main Street, and the 
Filkintown Road, the last (to Piatt's bridge) including 
what is now generally called the Ayrault road. Nos. 
ID, II and 12 may be parts of the New Hackensack 
road and branches from it. No. 20 seems to include 
Cherry Street, "the road to John Burums." Some of 
the others may be studied out by reference to the map 
made in 1798, (see frontispiece). 

The Churches. 

The survey of the street leading to the Episcopal 
Church on the Post Road suggests the return of its 
members as the prejudices of the Revolution began 
to lessen. The organization of Christ Church had 
never entirely lapsed, for elections of wardens and 
vestrymen were held every Easter Tuesday through- 
out the war. The first rector after the war bore the 
Dutch name of Henry Van Dyke, who took charge 
of the churches of Fishkill and Poughkeepsie in 1787. 
For several years the church had a hard struggle and 




Episcopal " Parsointi^L' I louse y 
Photoi^raplicd /go/. 

in 1797 Trinit\' Church of Xew York assi.sleil it with 
a gift of /500 for a "parsonage house.'' ,\ building, 



upon which the church had taken a mortgage in 1796, 
opposite the Academy, was purchased in 1799 and 
is still standing, now used as a blacksmith shop. It 
was at one time the home of the Street family, and 
Mrs. Levi P. Morton is said to have been born in it. 

The Dutch Church, by dissensions over the lan- 
guage question, seems again to have made an oppor- 
tunity for the Episcopalians or for some one else. 
After having had the very able services of Rev. John 
H. Livingston during the last years of the war it 
remained for seven years without a settled pastor. 
The Dutch language was finally given up during this 
period and the church was incorporated in 1789, with 
Henry Hegeman, Peter Tappen, Isaac Romine, John 
Frear, Myndert Van Kleeck, Henry Livingston, Jr., 
Abraham Fort and Benjamin Westervelt as elders 
and deacons. 

The Presbyterians were not yet strong enough to 
organize permanently, and Methodist circuit riders 
were only just beginning to come into the neighbor- 
hood. The first recorded Methodist sermon^ in 
Poughkeepsie was in 1796. when Rev. Freeborn Gar- 
rettson preached in the Dutch Church. 

The First State Schoge Money. 

In January, 1795, the Legislature returned for a 
final and very short session in Poughkeepsie, January 
6th to 14th, then adjourned to New York, where the 
session was resumed on the 20th. In his message, 
read at the organization in Poughkeepsie, Governor 
Clinton recommended "an act for the encouragement 
of schools," and in accordance with his recommenda- 
tion the legislation which became the foundation of 
the system of State aid to the schools was passed near 
the close of the session in New York. LTnder this act 
the following apportionment of school moneys was 
made in Dutchess County, as recorded in the town 
book: 

"Whereas. By an Act of the Legislature of this 
state Entitled an Act for the Encouragement of 
schools, Passed the ninth day of April 1795 among 
other things Therein contained the sum of £2,100 is 
distributed to the county of Dutchess, to be Appor- 
tioned to the purposes therein mentioned among the 
Several Towns of said County. In pursuance then of 
the act aforesaid the Board of Supervisors for said 
county certify that to the Town of Rhinebeck is alloted 
the sum of £216 55. 3d.," etc. 

In the record book of the town of I'ougbkeepsie the 
allotments are written out as aku'c. but will be ni<.irc 
easily read if tabulated as subsequent allotments were. 



lRe\ 

P- 13- 



L. M. 



Vincent's ''Methodism in Ponghkeepsic 



HiSTOkY OF POUGHKBBPSIB. 



69 



i s. d. 

Town of Rhinebeck 216 5 3 

" North East 154 i o 

" Amenia 117 10 3 

" " Clinton 181 14 o 

" " Frankling 81 ig 3 

" " Pawling 192 1 1 3 

" " Phillips 116 ID 6 

" North East 1 15 10 9 

" " Stanford 97 15 3 

" " Poughkeepsie 152 i 6 

" Washington 120 9 6 

" Fishkill 267 12 3 

" Carmell 109 12 3 

" Frederick 80 19 6 

" " Beekmans 167 17 6 

"After the treasurer's fees are deducted Given 
under our hands and seals the 30th Day of May 1795." 

Tahna Morton, 
Richard D. Conktjn, 
Aaron STocKiior^M, 
JessR Oakley, 
Jgsi?pi-i Crane, Jr., 
Ezra Thompson, 
Samuel Towner, 
e. \''.bunsch0ten, 
Er.ENEzER MoTT, 
Edmd. Pek Lee, 
Joseph Noeev, 
WnjjAM Taper. 
Atte.^ts, RiciiARn En'Erett, 

Town Clerk. 

The first commissioners of schools for the town 
of Poughkeepsie were Jacob Radcliff, Archibald 
Stuart and Samuel Luckey, elected in 1796. 

Incorporation' as a \^iei.age. 
Advertisements of property for sale during this 
period usually refer to the "town of Poughkeepsie," 
as if the name "town" were popularly applied only 
to the central section shown on the map made in 
1790, where most of the stores were located, as well 
as the two churches, the Court House, the lawyers 
offices and the homes of leading citizens. By 1798, 
six stores were advertising in the Poughkeepsie 
Journal, and also Knower & Hobson's hat manu- 
factory. It is probable, of course, that there were 
several otliers not advertising. One or two of the 
stores were at the river, the rest on the hill in Mar- 
ket or Main Streets. John P. Vemont advertised, at 
his store, a few doors north of the Court House, 
"dr\' goods, ^^'est India goods, ironmongery, car- 
penters' tools, Crockery, &c." ; Van Kleeck & Thorn 
advertised a similar assortment ; John Cooke, "a few 
doors east of Anthony Hoffman's," ad\-crtiscd wines, 
rum, sugar, teas and a general stock of groceries, 
with tobacco, glass and stone ware, nails, &c. ; Dr. 
James L. ^^^n Kleeck advertised a "Cheap Medical 



Store," and stated that "Dr. Van Kleeck will give 
his advice to farmers, who shall call at his store for 
medicines without expense." Anthony Ernest ad- 
vertised "a wholesale and retail ironmongery and 
hardware store," with a long and tempting list of 
articles, from anvils and vises to tooth brushes, tinder 
bo.xes and ink powder. He flattered himself that 
country storekeepers would "save the time and ex- 
pense of sending or going to New York for such 
goods." Boards and planks were offered at "the Col- 
rock landing" by William Rider, Innkeeper, and a 
variety of articles at the general store at the upper 
landing, where also Robert L. Livingston's mill ad- 
vertised boards and planks, plaster, etc. No name is 
signed to the first upper landing advertisement,'^ but 
it contains this interesting note at the end : 

"N. B. The FERRY is now established upon 
a regular plan, and Travellers to the Westward 
will find it much to their convenience to cross 
the River at the above place, as it shortens their 
journe)', and they may be assured they will meet 
with no detention." 

This doubtless indicates the beginning of regular 
ferry service at Poughkeepsie, though the ferry had 
probably been established for several 3ears. Rich- 
ard Davis, Gilbert Livingston, Valentine Baker, Wal- 
ter Livingston, Peter Tappen and Noah Elting ap- 
plied for grants of water lots "opposite Poughkeep- 
sie and New Paltz" in 1791, which seems to imply 
an intention to start a ferry. Gilbert Livingston and 
Peter Tappen then owned the Union Landing and 
land was granted to them in 1792. Noah Elting 
lived on the west side of the river and is there said 
to have established the first ferry, but local tradition 
has usually assigned the beginning of the enterprise 
to the Hoffmans on this side. There seems to be no 
record of a franchise from the State. Doubtless 
travellers before T798 usually had crossed at the older 
Van Keuren Ferry, later Theophilus .Vnthonv's (Mil- 
ton Ferry), four miles below Poughkeepsie. The 
first local ferry is said to have been a barge or scow 
rowed by slaves. 

All this shows that the little town near the Court 
House had begun to specialize in storekeeping, re- 
quired better facilities of travel and would naturally 
soon be looking for incorporation as a village. Just 
what agitation, if any, preceded incorporation, is not 
known. 

The first charter, passed March 27th, 1799, says 
in its preamble, "it has been represented to the Legis- 
lature by the inhabitants of the A'ilhige of Pough- 
keepsie, that the existing laws are inadequate to an- 

'All tlieso are from tlie Poughkeepsie Journal of May 
22. 1 70S. 



70 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEBPSIE 



swer the end of enabling them to regulate their in- 
terior police." The word "police" must not be taken 
in its present meaning ; there was no police force be- 
sides a watchman or two and the town constables for 
man}' years. The charter created a board of trustees 
to be composed of "five discreet freeholders" elected 
annually on the third Tuesday in May, by the "free- 
holders and inhabitants of the said village, qualified 
to vote at town meetings." At the same time the 
voters were authorized to choose "not less than three 
nor more than five judicious inhabitants, being free- 
holders, as assessors ; one treasurer, being also a free- 
holder ; one collector, and as many fire wardens as the 
trustees '' * * ma}' direct." Any one who should 
refuse to serve as trustee, assessor or fire warden was 
liable to a fine of $25.00. 

The trustees were given power to make "such 
prudential by-laws, rules and regulations, as they 
from time to time shall deem meet and proper, and 
such in particular as are relative to public markets 
* * * streets * * '' and draining, filling up, paving, 
keeping in order, and improving the same ; relative 
to slaughter houses and nuicances generally ; rela- 
tive to a town watch and lighting the streets ; relative 
to the number of taverns or inns to be licensed ; * * * 
relative to restraining geese, swine, or cattle of any 
kind ; relative to the better improving their common 
lands ; relative to the inspection of weights and 
measures ; relative to erecting and regulating hay- 
scales, and relative to anything whatsoever that may 
concern the public and good government of the said 
village ; but no such by-laws shall extend to the regu- 
lating or ascertaining the prices of any commodi- 
ties or articles of provision, except the article of 
bread,' that may be offered for sale." 

lA special section is devoted to bread. This matter is 
co\'ered in the next chapter. 



Firemen were to be exempted "from serving as 
jurj'men, or in the militia * * * except in cases of 
actual invasion of- this State, or insurrection there- 
in : Provided that the number of firemen do not 
exceed twenty." 

The boundaries of Poughkeepsie as given in this 
first village charter remain the boundaries of the 
City of Poughkeepsie to-day, as follows: 

Beginning at the mouth of a small brook fall- 
ing into Hudson's river, at a small distance south 
of a point of land commonly called ship 3'ard point, 
which mouth of said brook is on the land of the late 
Henry Livingston, deceased ; thence east, as the mag- 
netic needle now points, one hundred and thirty 
ciiains to a stone set in the ground, on which is 
engraven the word "Corporation ;" again, from the 
mouth of the brook aforesaid, northerly along Hud- 
son's river, including the flats or shoals between high 
waters' mark and the channel of the said river, to 
the mouth of another small brook, or where the 
same joins the waters of Hudson's river aforesaid, 
which last mentioned brook is commonl}' known b}' 
the name of Ividney's creek or kill, and divides the 
land of Robert L- Livingston from the land of Abra- 
ham Pells ; then from the mouth of the said brook 
last mentioned up the middle of the same, however 
it runs, to the post road ; thence due east as the 
magnetic needle now points so far as that on a 
straight line due west it will be one hundred and 
thirty chains from Hudson's river, to a stone set in 
the ground, on which is engraven the word "Cor- 
poration ;" and thence in a direct line to the stone set 
in the ground first above mentioned. 

Henry Livingston's map, made at the time of in- 
corporation, shows just what the village of Pough- 
keepsie was then. There is no record of a census 
apart from the town for a number of years but the 
village must have had more than 1,000 inhabitants in 
rSoo, for the town had 3,246. 




■i^^»\ r 




jf 



\ii' 



III 







iH)i'<;iiKi:i<:i'siK in itod. 

.V(i/> iiituli- liy //tiny /.ii'ii/xs/n" at Hif liiiu of /iicoif oration . 



CHAPTER V. 



From the Incorporation of the Village to the Close of the War of 1812 — Village Organi- 
zation — The Dutch Church and the Market — The P'ire Department — The Village Streets 
— River Industries — Fall Kill Industries — Other Manufactories — The Vassar Brewery — 
Developing a Business Centre — Banks, Schools, Etc. — Churches- Newspapers and Politics, 



For some reason, of which I have found no record, 
the village of Poughkeepsie seems to have made two 
starts before it fairly got going. The "freeholders and 
inhabitants" were directed to meet annually on the 
first Tuesday of May and choose "five discreet free- 
holders" as trustees. They did so meet in 1799 and 
elected James S. Smith, \''alentine Baker, Andrew 
Billings, Ebenezer Badger and Thomas Nelson, the 
first of whom became president of the board. Doubt- 
less at the same meeting assessors, a treasurer, a col- 
lector and fire wardens were also elected. Several 
ordinances' passed by the trustees in 1799 have come 
down to us, among them that establishing the "bee 
hive" as the device on the corporation seal, an ordi- 
nance for the collection of taxes and "a law to prevent 
horses running loose in the streets and highways, to 
prevent racing and violent riding and driving from 
yards &c into and upon the streets," etc. There is 
therefore no doubt that the corporation was organized 
and that the officials elected exercised the authoritv 
conferred upon them by the charter. Possibly there 
was a drawn battle over the second election — it was a 
time of strong political feeling — possibly merely some 
technical failure to comply with the law. At an}' rate 
the charter was reenacted in exactl}' the same lan- 
guage by the legislature on April 8th, 1801. No village 
ordinances for the 3'ear of 1800, and no list of trustees 
for that year have been handed down. It would seem, 
however, that the corporate life of the village was re- 
garded as continuous, because ordinances passed in 
1799 continued in force apparently without reenact- 
ment. Regular minutes of the proceedings of the 
trustees were not kept until 1803 and we have the 
names of only the presidents of the board for the 
years 1801 and 1802. That of G. B. Van Ness, 1802, 

'Much of lliis information is from a pamphlet printed in 
1S43 hy Piatt & Ranney, entitled "Charter and Laws of tlie 
Corporation of the Village of Poughkeepsie," and also from 
an earlier pamphlet not dated hnt apparently printed ahont 
1820. 



was but recently found in a newspaper for that year, 
but not a single complete copy of a Poughkeepsie 
newspaper for 1800 is known to exist. The first book 
of minutes covers the period from the election of May, 
1803, to Oct, 8th, 1817, and the first page is as follows : 

Records of the Corpor.-vtiox. 

At a meeting of the trustees of the Village of 
Poughkeepsie held at the Court House in said village 
on the third Tuesday in May 1803 the following per- 
sons were dut}' elected by the freeholders and inhabi- 
tants of said village, officers for the ensuing- )-ear, 



Andrew Billings 
Ebenezer Badger 
Robert Noxon 
Jesse Oakley & 
Robert H. Livingston 

Richard Everitt ] 
Robert Noxon 
John Manne}' 



Trustees 



Assessors 



Peter B. Morgan ] 

Matthew Caldwell I- Fire Wardens 

John N. Baile> J 

Leonard B. Lewis, Collector. 
William Emott, Treasurer. 

\^oted. 

That the sum of two hundred and fifty Dollars be 
raised in this village for the purpose of digging wells ; 
or otherwise supplying the fire engine with water, for 
repairing or procuring fire-hooks and hozen to the 
engine, and for other contingent purposes for the en- 
suing ^•ear, — 

On the next page is the record of a meeting "held 
at Baldwin's Hotel on the twenty-sixth dav of Mav, 
1803, ' at which meeting .Vndrew Billings was elected 
President and was directed to procure "a large folio 
liook well bound in which are to be transcribed the 
Charter &• I^aws of the Village — and also a smaller 
book in which are to be kept the minutes of the pro- 
ceedings & accounts of the cori^oration." .\mong 
other things it was resolved : 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEEPSIB. 



73 



That that part of the Law passed March 2nd 1803 
entitled "An act to prevent damage being done by swine 
in the Village of Poughkeepsie," which refers to 
the Pound Masters advertizing be and hereby is re- 
pealed — and that instead thereof the following is or- 
dained viz : That the Pound Master shall affix one 
advertisement at the door of the Pound, one at the 
Market and one at the Court House door. 

There was therefore, already a fire engine, a pound 
and a village market, perhaps all three inherited from 
the town organization. In fact there was also a fire 
company, as appears from the minutes of a meeting 
held July i8th, when the firemen petitioned for "the 
privilege of nominating persons to fill all vacancies 
which may happen in the said company." The market 
stood on the southeast corner of Market and Main 
Streets, adjoining the Dutch burying ground. The 
stalls or stands in it were sold each year at public 
auction and in 1803 went to John Arden, $7.00; James 
Slater, $3.00; Mr. Jefferies, $3.00 and George Markle 
$3.00. Michael Verien also rented a stall for a part of 
the year. The market, the firemen and the corporation 
wells and pumps fill up a good dead of space in the 
early records. The first especialh- gave trouble. 

In November, 1805, the Consistory of the Dutch 
Church gave a lease of the old grave-yard for 21 years 
to Tennis Van Kleeck, John Everitt and Randall S. 
Street, and at a special meeting of the trustees, on the 
13th, these gentlemen appeared with the demand that 
the "Market House now standing opposite the Dutch 
burial ground be moved." The trustees showed fight 
at once and required the "applicants to produce the 
title Deed under which the Trustees of the Dutch 
Church claim the land in question." A public meeting 
was called for Dec. 5th at the Court House and there 
was a large attendance. William Emott, George P. 
Oaklcv and John Savers, the trustees present, made a 
long statement (covering more than three pages of 
the minutes), of their position and read a copy of the 
deed of 1718, whicli they said, "conveys the land in 
question to several persons in trust for the neighbor- 
hood in order that they might build a church and inter 
their deceased friends there." The question was at 
once raised as to the right of the church to use or 
allow the use of the land for any other purposes, and 
the people voted b\- a large majority not to move the 
market, but to raise $100 to defend their position. 
Suit was begun in chancer\' !)>■ the village to determine 
the issue, and the lessees of the proiiertv also brought 
ejectment suits against the lessees of the market stalls. 
The matter dragged along for a >-ear, the Chancellor 
meanwhile having granted an injunction against the 
erection of buildings on the ground. There was 
an agreement in November, 1806, to postiwne 
action and under date of Jan. igtli, 1807, it 



was "Resolved unanimously that the market be 
removed to the west side of Market Street 
opposite to where it now stands and adjoining the 
Court House yard." Bills for $75.85^ were audited 
in May for the removal, and from that time until 1814 
or later the building stood in the middle of the street, 
though it is probable there was no roadway on the 
west side of it until after the Court House fence and 
yard were abolished. In 1814 Tallmadge & Bloom, at- 
torneys, advised the trustees that they could not "main- 
tain the market in the street in opposition to the High- 
land Turnpike," which then controlled the Post Road 
and had entered complaint. Another series of public 
meetings was held and finally the building was sold, 
Sept. 7th, for $65. It was removed but was rebuilt by 
order of the trustees in 1818, and some persons are 
still living who remember it. One or the other of 
these old market buildings was removed to the east 
side of Academy Street, No. 31, and converted into a 
dwelling which remains in use. 

Although the lessees of the burial ground seem to 
have won their case, only small buildings of a tem- 
porary nature were erected there until after 1830, and 
interments are said to have continued there until about 
1817. Samuel Neilson, the Irish patriot, who died 
of yellow fever in Poughkeepsie in 1803, was doubt- 
less buried there, and his body was moved about 
1830 by Egbert B. Kille>', then one of the editors of 
the Telegraph, to the Episcopal Cemetery (purchased 
1828) on Montgomery Street. It was again disin- 
terred, Sept. 15th, 1880, and removed with appropri- 
ate ceremony to a plot in the Rural Cemetery. The 
following interesting account of Neilson's life and 
death is taken from The Political Barometer of Sept. 
6th, 1803: 

"Died in this village, on Monday, the 29th ult., Mr. 
Sanniel Neilson, a native of Ireland, and lately from 
that country. He was one of those famous Irish pa- 
triots wlio, with Fitzgerald, Grattan. O'Connor. Bond. 
Tone, M'Revin, &c., headed the United Irishmen in 
their attempts to obtain a reform in parliament, and 
their subsequent struggles for liberty, which finalh- 
brought upon them the severest vengeance and crueltx- 
of the British government, after the failure of the 
French expedition to assist them. He, for some years, 
conducted the celebrated paper, the Northern Star : 
his oroperty was destroyed or confiscated, and he 
was kejjt in clo.se confinement, for the space of about 
six >ears, the latter part of which time, he assisted 
in negotiations between the United Irishmen and the 
British government. * * * Mr. Neilson was never liber- 
ated from prison until he was sent on board shi]x 
with a number of other prisoners, at a few hour.^ 
warning, without even being allowed the liberty of 
bidding his dearest friends adieu: he arrived in this 
country, we understand, about to or Ti months ago 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEEPSIB 



"Some few weeks since Mr. Neilson issued pro- 
posals for publishing an evening paper in New York ; 
driven from thence by the calamitous disease which 
now prevails in the city, he was taken sick on his 
passage up the river, landed here on Sunday, and 
died on Monday morning; his remains were decently 
interred in the Dutch Presbyterian burying ground in 
this village." 

There was evidently an engine house for the fire 
engine on the Court House lot before 1803, though the 
first reference to it in the minutes of the trustees is 
under date of March 7, 1804: 

That the President employ some person to repair 
the two public pumps in this village and also the door 
of the Engine House by clearing away the obstructions 
occasioned by the ice and snow — and that the engine be 
cleaned and oiled. 

Apparenth' the engine had not been much in use 
during the winter. The first corporation well was at 
the Court House corner, and Sept. 12, 1803, a second 
well was ordered to "be digged * * * nearly op- 
posit the drain made by the turnpike company opposite 
the lane between the houses of James Tallmadge and 
Stephen Durando." This was on the north side of 
Main Street, the lane mentioned afterwards becoming 
Garden Street. Even before this the matter of a gen- 
eral water supply had been agitated, as appears from 
the following under date of July 6, 1803 : "Ordered 
that the trustees view the situation of the ground 
around the village in order to determine the practibil- 
ity of conducting water to the village for the purpose 
of extinguishing fires." At the samfe meeting two 
good ladders "and also one good strong fire hook on 
each side of which is to be affixed a chain" were or- 
dered. At the meeting of May 2nd, 1804, the firemen 
reported "the following persons as constituting their 
compan}- to wit : 



Richard Harris 
John Nelson 
John Armstrong 
Wm. Smith 
Moses Yelverton 
John Field 
Chris Marglea 



Joshua Degraff 
Simeon I. Frcar 
Joseph Powel 
Joseph Ma.xon 
John E. Pells 
Casper Hillequist 
James Tallmadge, Jun. 



William R. Barnes Geo. P. Oakley. 

" Mr. Joseph Powel was elected Captain of said 
company in the place of John Smith dec'd. The 
trustees also chose four firemen whose places were 
vacant — viz William Kidne)', John Hobson, Matthew 
Caldwell & John Swartwout. Messrs. Gilbert Living- 
ston. Jesse Oakley. John Davis, Valentine Baker, 
Stephen Hoyt & Lev\' McKeen were chosen "Bag 
Men" whose duty it is in case of fire to take charge 
of all property which may be endangered & deliver it 
over to the owner on application being made." 

On Jan. 3d, 180c;, it was resolved "that there shall 



be proper persons appointed and denominated as Hook 
and ladder men," and soon afterwards a new fire 
house was built on the southwest corner of the Court 
House lot " adjoining the house of Peter B. Morgan." 
This was evidently on Union Street. James Emott's 
barn on Market Street was used as an engine house 
in 1806 and he was paid for its use "by balancing the 
fine laid * * * of 5 dollars for unlawfully burn- 
ing his chimney.'' Well No. 3 was dug 1805, in the 
neighborhood of Hamilton and Main Streets opposite 
William Emott's. In Sept, 181 1, a second engine com- 
pany was organized and a house was built for it "near 
Mrs. Livingston's office," (north side of Main Street 
east of Catherine), and Well No. 4 was dug close by. 
April S, 1814, a third fire engine was purchased of 
George Booth, and a third company was organized. 

Along with the minutes of a special meeting held 
Sept. 23, 1805, the following inventory of village prop- 
erty is recorded : 

I Market House 
I Common Seal 
I Statute Book 
I Record Book 

3 Wells — pumps 

I Fire Engine House 

I Fire Engine & Apparatus 

4 Fire Hooks 

1 Fire Pole 

4 Ladders — No. i, 2, 3 & 4. 

2 Takle blocks — with a fall & a spare piec_e of rope 
A Tri-Shares for the purpose of assisting in 
cleanmg out wells. 

2 Tubs for do do 

I Pail 

I Iron pump Hook 

I Iron spare Pump Handle 

A piece of Iron part of pump aparatus — lost 

A parcel of Plank & Timber which was taken from 

the old fixtures of Well No. I & 2 
A Map of the Village with Wm. Emott. 
A Screw for HoeS' — with do 
The exemplification & other papers relative to the 

\'illage now (June 24, 1806) with \A''m. Emott 

President. 
I Pair of Scales & Beams & Sett copper or brass 

weights from T-ifi oz up to 2lb inclusive for the 

use of the Bread Inspector. 

It will be noted that fire buckets are not included 
in the inventory. They were the property of the citi- 
zens and every house was required to be provided 
with them. There are numerous records of punish- 
ment or prosecution threatened for failure in this 
matter, and all male citizens "from the ages of 12 to 
(lo" were expected to turn out at fires and assist the 
firemen b\' forming lines and passing buckets. In an 
ordinance dated Jan. 27, 1806, the firemen are direct- 
ed "to collect all the buckets and leave them at the 



HISTORY OF POUGHKBBPSIB. 



75 



court house," after a fire. The ordinance seems to 
have been passed for the purpose of organizing a new 
company or of reorganizing the old one. It pro- 
vides that among the officers shall be "three fire en- 
gineers and four managers of hooks and ladders and 
eight persons to be denominated the committee of 
trust to take charge of the property endangered by 
fire." 

The Bread Inspector above mentioned was an im- 
portant officer in early village days. The first one 
named was John Forbus, 6th July, 1803. The charter 
(Art. 5) provided that the trustees should have power 
to enact an ordinance prohibiting any baker or other 
person "from selling an\' bread at any higher price 
or rate than bread of the like quality at the time of 
such sale shall be assizcd in and for the City of New 
York." Such an ordinance was evidently enforced 
from an early date, as the following notice from the 
Political Barometer in 1802 shows: 

ASSIZU Q]? BREAD. 

At a meeting of the trustees of the Village of 
Poughkeepsie, on the 4th day of August instant. Ord- 
rrcil That the Assize of Bread after the nth inst. 
shall be as follows : lb. oz. 

I Loaf of superfine flour shall weigh i 1 1 for 6 cts 
[ Loaf do do 3 6 for 12 

I " com. flour 1 13 for 6 

I " do do 3 10 for 12 

1 " Rye -2 12 for 6 

I " do do 5 18 for 12 

G. B. y.\N Ness, President. 

Similar notices appear in the village minutes and 
in the newspapers for many }ears. F.very time the 
price of flour rose the bakers petitioned for a change, 
and when the price fell the citizens kept the trustees 
to their dut\-, of increasing the loaf or decreasin-y the 
price. From time to time lists of bakers were given in 
the village minutes. 

The Coue<t House Fire, 1806. 

The most important fire of this period was that of 
Sept. 2Sth, 1806, which consumed the Court House, the 
historic building in which the great men of 1788 had 
met to ratify the constitution. It is seldom that one 
gets much local news from the early newspapers, but 
the Journal departed from the rule this time, and in 
its issue of Tuesday, Sept. 30th, published this report: 

FIRE.— On Thursday night last, between the hours 
of ten and eleven, the inhabitants of this villai^e were 
alarmed by the cr)- of fire which proved to be in the 
Court House. It originated in one of the lower apart- 
ments of the jail, from which, notwithstanding the 
great ex(;rtions that were made to stop its progress, it 



extended between the ceiling and the floor in the sec- 
ond story, to the court room and in a little time the 
whole building was enveloped in flames. Several of 
the adjacent buildings were much exposed to the fire, 
particularly Mr. Morgan's two houses which were the 
buildings nearest to the Court House. But owing to 
the perfect calmness of the evening, and the dampness 
of the houses, in consequence of the rain which fell 
during the preceding afternoon Mr. Morgan's build- 
ings, by the exertions of the citizens, were preserved, 
and the fire extinguished without doing farther dam- 
age than destroying the Court House. 

Much credit is due to the citizens in general for 
their activity on this calamitous occason. 

It is not positively ascertained how the fire orig- 
inated, but it is generally supposed that it was design- 
edly communicated by some person confined in the jail. 

The difficulty which was experienced on Thursday 
evening in procuring water we think ought to suggest 
to our corporation the necessity of making such fur- 
ther arrangements in this respect as will prevent a 
future recurrence of the evil. 

On the next page of the same paper is the follow- 
ing notice : 

TO THE PUBLIC. 

The sheriff of the Count\' of Dutchess tenders his 
most sincere thanks to the Firemen and Citizens of 
this village and county, for their exertions, in his 
absence, in assisting Mr. Forbus to secure the crim- 
inals ; and their exertions to extinguish the fire at the 
late destruction of the jail and Court-House in this 
village. 

He informs the public that the criminals are now 
temporarily confined, and safely guarded, in the house 
occupied by Amaziah Blakesly, nearly opposite the 
Academy, in Cannon Street, where if occasion should 
demand prisoners will be received and secured. 

He further gives notice, that his office is now kept 
by Mr. Forbus, as usual, in the house lately occupied 
by George B. Everson, Esq., a few doors west of the 
.\cademy in Cannon Street; where all public business 
relative to his office will be attended to as heretofore. 

Joseph Thorn. Sheriff. 
Poughkeepsie, September 29th, 1806. 

John Forbus, the deputy sheriff, and his assistants, 
succeeded in saving the public documents entire, as 
he tells us in a notice appended to that of the sheriff, 
but doubtless some things that would have been of 
historical interest were burned in this fire as well as 
in that of 1785. No description of this historic Court 
House has been found. References to it in survevs 
etc., show, however, that it was built of stone or brick, 
had a steeple and was probably not much smaller in 
size than the building which succeeded it. Map.^ made 
durins: its existence seem to show that it covered 
the whole space from Main to Union Streets. (See 
pp. 65 and 7T, and also cut, p. y?<.') 

Very soon after the fire communications began to 
appear in the Poug^hhcepsic Journal in favor of rebuild- 



(6 



HISTORY OF P U G H K E E P S I E. 



ing in a new location. Levi McKeen, who owned a 
large farm north of Main Street, offered ground 
for the building free of charge, and it was stated that 
the old site on Market Street could be sold for $5,000, 
saving that amount to the county. Possibly some one 
unearthed the old Van den Bogart lease, providing that 
the property should revert to that family if used for 
any other purpose than that for which it was granted, 
but more probably public convenience determined the 
decision to rebuild on the old site. At any rate the 



originall}' covered with stucco, but have seen no record 
showing when the change was made. 

The Village Streets. 

The Levi I\IcKeen mentioned above, lived in a 
house a part of which, at least, stood until a few years 
ago incorporated in the Cottage Hill School buildings. 
It was perhaps originally the Bodewein Lacount place 
shown on the 1770 ma]), and the lane leading to it be- 
came Garden Street, and was so named apparently be- 




T/ic Cotiii House and Old "J^muvcn' A'ow." IViotograph taken about ;Syo. 



supervisors did so decide and the Court House which 
stood for almost one hundred 3ears (until 1903) was 
built in 1809. The little building for the surrogate on 
the comer of Union Street, was erected much later. 
a|)|)arentl\- in 1847, ^"d the separate jail not until 
i860. Dungeons of the grim old type, characteristic of 
the days when the comfort and health of criminals 
were not considered worthy of thouglit, were provided 
in the cellar for the worst offenders. T have been 
I old that tlic slone •\\alls of the Court House were not 



cause it led to Levi McKeen's garden gate not far 
north of Mill Street. 

Occasionally one gets from the records of the 
trustees a little picture of one of the old streets. I'n- 
(ler date of Nov. 2nd. 1803, the trustees resolved, 
"That James Moore be allowed the sum of four Dol- 
lars to level and gravel so much of the old Dutch 
Cemetery as lies bet\veen the fence of the said ceme- 
tery and Ui? dilch of the turnpike." Main Street 
had i-ecenll\ been worked b\- the Dutchess Turnpike 



HISTORY OF POUGHKBEPSIE. 



Company from the Court House east, and there were 
deep ditches on each side. The same conditions pre- 
vailed in all the other streets and ver)' little grading 
had been done except to make the water run through 
the ditches. The resolution quoted seems to indicate 
also the first sidewalk improvement on the south side 
of Main Street. Poughkeepsie was undoubtedly a 
very muddy little village in wet weather, but im- 
provements were coming. For the present — the early 
part of the period before the War of 1812 — the chief 
business was laying out new streets, especially in the 
region west of the Post Road where they were demand- 
ed by the development of the river trade. The town 
(not the village) road commissioners had charge of 
this matter, and were particularly active in the year 
1800. On the 6th of May in that year they extended 
Main Street to the river, "'at or near the place Com- 
monl}' called the Caul rock landing," which had be- 
come too important to tolerate longer the winding ap- 
proach from Mill Street. The old road was straighten- 
ed out and extended south to the "road leading from 
the court house to Everson's store" (Union Street) and 
became Clover Street. Montgomery Street was ex- 
tended westward "to the Road of Richard Davis" 
(Pine Street) as a part of another road to the river, 
following the lines somewhat of Lincoln Avenue, 
Columbia and Prospect Streets, to John Reed's land- 
ing near Ship- Yard Point (Fox's). Prospect, Living- 
ston, Fayette, Commerce and Navigation Streets had 
been mapped in the same year in a partition of the 
"Shipyard Property"' among the heirs of Henry Liv- 
ingston who died in 1799. These streets were all 
soon afterwards accepted by the commissioners 
though some with changed names. Navigation Street 
is several times mentioned in later surveys and was 
intended to run along the water front. Washington 
Street became Jefferson, and Commerce Street was 
mapped about where the present Columbia is. There 
was of course an old road leading to the ship-yard and 
Reade's landing, but the rest remained "paper streets" 
for a considerable number of years. The first village 
ordinance^ naming the streets was passed Nov. 6th, 
1801, giving Market, Main, Washington, Academy, 

1 Papers in County Clerk's Office. Tlie commissioners for 
this division were Thomas Mitchell, Archihald Stewart and 
John Mott, appointed on petition of Oilhert Livingston, John 
H. Livingston, Henry Livingston, Rohert H. Livingston, Ge- 
rardus Dyckink, Melancthon L. Wolscy, Jonas Piatt, Paul 
Schenck, Smith Thompson and Cornelius Van Kleeck, (the 
last two assigns of Beekman Livingston, deceased). 

2For this ordinance in full sec Appendix. It will be 
noticed that Columbia Street extended from Reade's landing 
northeasterly to Jefferson. It included the road to the Pough- 
keepsie Yacht Club and a part of Prospect which was not 
named in the ordinance. 



Cannon, Church, Mill, Union, Pine, Livingston, Jef- 
ferson, Columbia, Clover, Bridge, and Montgomery 
their present names. 

On March nth, 1803, the commissioners laid out 
Water Street, froin Union "to the Creek opposite 
the South west corner of Martin Hoffman & Co. 
Lower Grist Mill," and in May it was extended south- 
ward to "the Road leading to Winans shipj-ard," and 
Jefferson Street was extended across Faj'ette to Liv- 
ingston. August 23d, 1806, Mill Street was extended 
east of Washington "to the publick road that leads 
fi-om the turnpike by the J\Iill of the said Gerardus 
Smith" (Smith Street), and Hamilton was extended 
north to meet it. By an ordinance passed Sept. l6th, 
1806, Laurel. Tulip, Hamilton, Smith, Water, John, 
Cherry, Mechanic and Garden Streets were named. 

Before this the improveinent of the roads leading 
into Poughkeepsie as turnpikes had begun. The 
Dutchess turnpike was surveyed in 1802 b)- Jehn 
Beadle, father of the late Dr. Beadle, who formerly 
owned the Tower place on the north road, and in May 
of that year advertiseinents appeared in the Pough- 
keepsie papers, the Journal and Political Ba- 
rometer, asking for subscriptions to the stock, 
the commissioners named being William Emott, 
Poughkeepsie ; Robert Abbott, Pleasant Valley ; Zach- 
eus Newcomb and Timothy Beadle, Clinton ; Rufus 
Peck, Amenia ; William Thorn, Washington : Isaac 
Smith, Ainenia, and Joseph Balding, Pawlings. The 
road was surveyed from "the North East corner of the 
Court House"' and the courses show much of interest 
about the old village. 

FROM THE SURVEY OE DUTCHESS TURNPIKE. 

Map 29 A. Filed Aug. 31, 1804. 

"Said road is in every place laid out four rods 

wide To wit ; Beginning on the southern side of sd 

road, at the North East corner of the Court House, 

thence : 

D. C. L. 

nSie o 35 to the East Side of the Court House 
yard Main Street 

S63E 3 70 to the Northwest Corner of M. Bos- 
worth the Baker. 

S53E II GO to the West Side of Acadamia Street. 

S30W o 20 along the ^^'est Side of Said Academy 
Street. 

S63E 9 25 to a fast stone marked near the house 
of William Emott, Esq. From thence re- 
turned to the place of Beginning. 

N34E I 25 to the South west post of Hotel. 

S64E o 81 to the South east post of the hotel. 

S60E 6 06 to spot in Col. Talmadge's door yard 
found nearly west of the South west cor- 
ner. 

S52E I 63 To the south east part of Stephen 
Dorinda's Sitting post. 



78 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEEPSIE 



S79E 7 25 Opposite the South East Corner of 

Smith Thompson esq, 9 hnks from said 

house. 
S30W o 20 to the South side of a locust tree op- 
posite said house. 
S62E 6 00 opposite the East end of Francis Le- 

Roy's house seven hnks from said house. 
S66E 4 25 to the South west Corner of the House 

of John Sayr. 
S73E 2 47 opposite the East end of the House of 

Moses Yelverton. 
N82E 5 25 to a stone marked with X near the 

House occupied by Jared Sloan. 
S63E 12 90 to a notch in the west fence of Stephen 

Harris Garden. 
S67E I 65 to a Hub in the Ground near the east 

end of a House of Francis Pells. 
S57E 13 75 Over the Old Road on the Land of 

Richard Everet to a black ash tree on the 

north loze (?) of the Road. 
S58E 16 16 Over the Old Road on the land of 

Temperance Cook to a stake in peter 

Deremer's Land East of his house and 

north of the Old Road. 
S72E 34 80 Over the Land of William Arnold 

Leonard Lewis and John Copeman to a 

stake near his oven south west of his 

house. 

The hotel referred to in the beginning- of this sur- 
vey is said to have been built in 1797, on the site of 




Court House and Hotels as di'aivn on the Map of the Dutehess 
Turnpike, 1804. 

the later Poughkeepsie Hotel. This final survey of 
the road with its branches to Dover and Sharon, was 



filed in 1804, after the work of improvement had be- 
gun. The road seems to have been completed in 1805, 
when the company advertised for persons to keep it in 
repair. Not long afterwards stages were run from 
Poughkeepsie to Litchfield, Conn., and provided a 
great stimulus to travel and trade: A year or two 
later the Post Road was resurveyed, relocated in sev- 
eral places, and became the Highland Turnpike. Its 
charter was repealed in 1833 but the Dutchess Turn- 
pike continued to collect tolls until 1888, when the 
last toll-gate, at what is now called Arlington, was 
abandoned. The "Beekmans and Pawling Turnpike" 
is first mentioned in 181 1, and probably the Manchester 
Road from Poughkeepsie was built as a part of it. 

Cannon Street was extended east to Hamilton in 
1807, from the "Dwelling House of Andrew Billings" 
(the Thomas House still standing) across the lands 
of Rev. Cornelius Brower and William Emott, Esq. 
The survey of the south side of the street passed 
"along the north side of the parsonage house so-called 
belonging to the Episcopal Church" (see page 68) 
which is also mentioned as "now occupied by the 
Reverend Benjamin Bulkley." Major Andrew Bill- 
ings in 1790 and 1799 lived on the corner of Main 
Street, so the Billings (Thomas) house on the corner 
of Cannon Street must have been built between 1799 
and 1807. Tradition says it was built for Cornelia 
Billings soon after her marriage to Randall S. Street, 
formerly of Catskill, in 1802. There is still a window 
pane in the house on which "Cornelia Street" has been 
scratched with a diamond. This was probablv the 
work of one of Randall S. Street's children, of whom 
there were ten. They included William I. Street, 
Mrs. Levi P. Morton's father, who afterwards lived 
in the Episcopal parsonage house, and Alfred Billings 
Street, well known as a historical writer and as State 
librarian. Major Billings is said to have lived, dur- 
the last years of his life in the little white house 
(now the property of Charles Kirchner) near the cor- 
ner of Church Street. 

North Street (Parker Avenue) was surveyed and 
laid out by the commissioners as a private road in 
November, 1807, "from near the house of Richard Val- 
entine" (on the Creek road?) over lands of \'alen- 
tine, of Levi Mclveen, Thomas Nelson, Thomas Bay- 
eaux and George Parker, joining the "turnpike road 
lately surveyed" near Parker's house and twentv-one 
links from "the east side of the present post road." 
In October, 1806, a street was surveyed from Mill to 
Main on the division line "between the heirs of Baltus 
Van Kleeck and John E. Pells." This was first called 
Division Street, but was afterwards (1814) relocated 
as an extension of Bridge Street on petition of James 
Slater, George Booth, George P. Oakley, James Rev- 




GEORGE B. liVERTSON. 
/■';< 111 port rait in possession of his graiiddai(gliler, l\frs. E. C. J'titiiaiii. 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEEPSin. 



81 



nolds, Oliver Holden, James Wilson, John Armstrong, 
Richard Booth, E. W. A. Bailey, Martin Hofifman, 
Robert Hoffman and David Phillips. It seems not to 
have been opened until 1819 and Bridge Street north 
of Mill was altered in 1822 to make the ends of the 
two streets come together. The petitioners mentioned 
above asked also for a straightening of Mill Street 
and the survey for this reads, "Beginning at a point 
six feet north of the northeast corner of the Old 
Stone House on the south side of Mill Street for- 
merly belonging to Baltus Van Kleeck, deceased, now 
belonging to * * * Margaret Vassar * * * through 
the lands of said Margaret Vassar and James Vassar 
(after crossing Vassar Street), John E. Pells (after 
crossing Division Street) and Thomas Bayeaux," to 
a point near the northeast corner of Thomas Bay- 
eaux's old cooper shop. This survey shows the loca- 
tion of the old \'an Kleeck house, the Margaret Vassar 
mentioned being the mother of the late Matthew 
Vassar, Jr. (1809), and John Guy Vassar (1811), 
who were born in the house. Her husband, then 
recently deceased, was John Guy Vassar, a brother 
of the founder of Vassar College. At a subsequent 
widening and straightening of Mill Street, during the 
boom times of 1836, the line was run through the 
famous old house, which was then sacrificed to the 
demon of improvement. 

Perry Street was put through from Main to Union 
in 1814, and Front Street, called at first Navigation 
Street, and part of the plan before mentioned and 
already partly mapped for a street along the whole 
water front, was surveyed from opposite the house of 
James Reynolds (a frame house, probably not the 
one still standing) on Mill Street to Union Street. 
From Mill to Main Street it ran through the lands of 
George P Oakley, James Slater, William Davis and 
Stephen Pardee. The survey south from Main 
Street began "at the northwest corner of Cornelius 
Simpson's house, exclusive of the piazza." This 
house is still standing. 

From all this it is evident that the development 
of the town was at this period mostly in the territory 
between the Post road and the river. The division 
of several farms facilitated this growth. Divisions of 
the Van Kleeck and Livingston properties in 1800 
have already been noted. In 1804 the property of 
Tames Winans' at the lower landing, was divided 
among his heirs and mapped into lots and streets. 



iThe proporty was left 1)\' Jaiiios Winans, tlie elder, to 
his graiidchiklren (children of James and Joanna Winans), 
who were "Jolm Winans, James J. Winans, David Whians, 
Stephen Winans, Catalina Winans, Sarah Sprague. Mary 
Darrow, F.hzahcth Reynokls. and Joanna Winans, the 
>ounger." 



Some of these streets, owing to the nature of the 
ground (in the neighborhood of Adriance, Piatt & 
Co.'s factory) have never been opened. Tulip Street 
was laid out from Union Street south, apparently as 
a result of the Winans division, and in 1812 Prospect 
Street was extended to meet it. At the close of the 
War of 1812 the frame work of Poughkeepsie was 
constructed, and after a charter amendment, passed 
May 26th, 1812, paving and grading were begun. 

The first paving notice published in the Journal is 
dated August nth, 1812, and calls for "a meeting of 
the owners of lots fronting on that part of Main 
Street extending from the east line of the parsonage 
lot now in the occupation of the Rev. Cornelius C. 
Cuyler, to the east line of the lot occupied by John 
Brush, Esq.'' At the meeting which was held Septem- 
ber loth there were not enough votes to carry the 
whole section, but there was a majority (for names 
of voters see Appendix) in favor of paving from Mar- 
ket to Academy Streets, and the trustees accordingly 
entered into contract with Lewis Relay on October 
1st for the work. It was not until 1814 that a majority 
could be obtained for extending the pavement to 
W^ashington Street, and in the same year Cannon 
Street was paved to Academy. Market Street, on 
the other hand, fought shy of paving assessments 
1 through meeting after meeting until the business de- 
pression which followed the war put a stop to what 
may be called the early cobblestone era. 

RivRR Industries and Frkichting. 

During this period the freighting industry in 
sailing vessels reached the top of its climax and the 
steamboat made a beginning. Spafford's Gazetteer, 
published in 1813, mentions the "five serpentine roads" 
leading to the landings in Poughkeepsie, and says 
the trade is very extensive, requiring eight large sloops 
sailing weekly to New York. That vessels sometimes 
sailed to much more distant ports is shown by such 
advertisements as the following : 

For Boston and Passam.vouaddy. 

The new Schooner Jane Barnes, Allen ^^'ard- 
well. Master. For freight or passage apply at 



the store of 

June 30, 1806. 



G. B. EvERSOx.' 



George B. Everson, or Evertson, owned the 
storehouse and landing at the foot of Union Street, 
as we have seen. In 1806 he purchased of John 
Murray the handsome house on Cannon Street, men- 



iSee Appendix for historical Sketch of the Evertson 
family. 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEEPSIE. 



tioned in the last chapter as owned by Governor 
George Clinton. He probabl)' enlarged the house, 
which he occupied until his failure in 1827, when 
George P. Oakley, as trustee, sold it to N. P. Tall- 
madge. In 1835 Tallmadge sold to Anthony Rutgers 
and he in turn to \\'alter Cunningham in 1839. Soon 
after this Cunningham failed, as will appear in the 
next chapter, and in 1841 the house came into the 
possession of Henry Swift, a prominent lawyer. It 
has since been known as the Swift house, and is now 
owned and occupied by Henry Swift's granddaugh- 
ter. Evertson at the time of his failure owned nearly 
the whole block between Cannon and Church Streets. 
He sold the Union Landing property before 181 5, at 
which time he was one of the five largest taxpayers 
in the town of Poughkeepsie, with an assessment of 
$33,600. The others were Wilham Davis, $105,- 
000; Valentine Baker, $40,750; Henry Davis, $30,- 
000, and Levi McKeen, $25,000. Of these the first 
and third made much of their money in freight- 
ing. William Davis, or Davies^ came to Poughkeepsie 
before 1800 and bought considerable property in the 
lower part of the village, including the Kaal Rock 
Landing, which he greatly extended and rebuilt, fill- 
ing in a section of the water front. This became 
Main Street Landing when the street was opened 
through, but it seems to have been sold to Samuel Pine 
and then to Stephen Pardee soon afterwards. 
Henry Davis was a son of the Richard Davis 
who founded the Lower Landing. Martin Hoffman 
& Co. were assessed $15,000 on a farm, Mills and 
landing (foot of Mill Street) in 1815; Joseph Harris 
& Co. $12,500 on the Union Landing, Stephen Par- 
dee $3,500 on the dock and store house, foot of Main 
Street, John Pearce on store and landing, $6,000, and 
Thomas Sweet on houses, store and dock, $5,000. 

lit is difficult to tell whether there were two men, a 
William Davies and a William Davis, in Poughkeepsie, or 
whether William Davies, the father of Thomas L-, allowed 
his name to be spelled both ways. The familjf, at any rate, 
was distinct from that of Richard Davis, who with his 
brother John, settled in Poughkeepsie before the Revolu- 
tion. John apparently left no children but Richard, who 
died July 24. 1814, left three sons, Richard, Henry and 
Leonard, and one daughter, also grandchildren by another 
daughter, as shown by his will. As to the Davies family, 
in the first deed indexed William Davies, May 8, 1798, Lib. 
15, p. 273, the grantee is described as "William Davis of 
Sharon in the State of Connecticut Gentleman," and the 
name is spelled Davis throughout. The property conveyed 
was on Main Street. A second deed, April 9, 1798, from 
Catherine Lester conveyed the si.xty acres in the lower part 
of the village, fronting on the river, which descended to 
William A. Davies. I find a William Davis mentioned 
December i, 1802, as executor of the estate of Solomon 
Sutherland and a William Davies mentioned in a foreclosure 
notice in June of the same year. 



One of the last mentioned may have been at Barnegat. 
John Drake, Jr., was assessed $9,550 on docks, store 
and thirty acres of land, doubtless at what i? now 
New Hamburgh, then called Wappingers Creek, or 
Wappingers Landing. 

Fulton's first steamboat, the Clermont, passed 
Poughkeepsie going north, August 17th, 1807, to the 
great wonderment of the people. In 1808 an adver- 
tisement was printed in the leading papers along the 
river, stating that "The steamboat will leave New 
York every Saturday afternoon exactly at 6 o'clock 
and will pass * * * Newburg 7 o'clock Sunday 
morning, Poughkeepsie 11 o'clock Sunday morning," 
etc. It adds that "As the time at which the' boat may 
arrive may vary an hour, more or less, according to 
the advantage of wind and tide, those who wish to 
come on board will see the necessity of being on 
the spot an hour before the time." The fare from 
New York to Poughkeepsie was given as $3.50 — 
some advertisements' make it $4.00 — and it was not 
reduced until 1824, when the courts overthrew the 
monopoly which had been granted to Fulton & Liv- 
ingston. An advertisement dated April i, 181 1, in 
the Poughkeepsie Journal, informs the public "that 
the North River Steam Boat will leave New York on 
Tuesday evening at precisely 5 o'clock and arrive at 
Poughkeepsie on or about 10 o'clock Wednesday 
morning." The time had therefore not been reduced 
during the three years. At first the steamboats did 
not make landings at Poughkeepsie, but had begun to 
do so in 181 1, as indicated by the following words 
from an advertisement in the Republican Herald for 
November 27 : "The steamboat will come to the dock, 
so that passengers can step on board without being 
exposed in a small boat, except when the wind will 
not permit; in which case will be prepared for the 
reception of passengers." In 1813 George Crawford 
advertised a hotel at the foot of Main Street, together 
with the landing of the steainboats Paragon, Car of 
Neptune and North River, three boats a week each 
way. Stephen Schofield also advertised an "Authoriz- 
ed Steamboat House" in the same locality in the same 
year. 

In 1814 Poughkeepsie became a steamboat terminal, 
and appears to have been the first town so honored 
between New York and Albany (see Morrison's 
"History of American Steam Navigation," page 155). 
The Fire Fly, the smallest of the Fulton & Living- 
ston fleet, was the first Poughkeepsie boat and was 
first advertised March 26th to make two trips a week. 
On June 13th "The proprietors of the steamboat Fire 
Fly, anxious to accommodate the public as far as 



iSee Bacon's Hudson, p. 28. 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEBPSIE. 



S3 



in their power," announced in the Journal that the 
boat would run three times a week, Tuesdays, Thurs- 
days and Saturdays from New York, at 8 o'clock in 
the morning, and Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays 
from Poughkeepsie, at the same hour. "Her station 
in Poughkeepsie will be Pardee's dock, at the foot 
of Main street." 

Main Street Landing grew in importance with the 
growth of steamboat travel, but the centers of freight- 
ing continued at the Upper, Lower and Union Land- 
ings for many years and steamboats were not a strong 
factor in business until after the War of 1812. At the 
Lower Landing (Pine Street) an important group of 
industries began to grow early in the century. Win- 
ans's ship-yard, afterwards Darrow's, built sloops and 
schooners, and Zadock Southwick's tannery, estab- 
lished in 1807, soon obtained a large business. There 
was also a mill in this neighborhood, run by power 
from the small streams that converged there. Near 




£■-;-.., - - 



The IVinans House, built about 1808. 
(Long occupied by the Southwick Family.) 

the Union Landing a pottery had been established 
before the close of the eighteenth century. The rela- 
tive importance of the landings in the freighting busi- 
ness changed from time to time, but the Upper Land- 
ing soon became the most important of all, on account 
of the water power afforded by the Fall Kill and the 
increasing importance of the ferry. 11}- 1800, or soon 
afterwards, there were two mills in the neighborhood, 
a general store and probably two freighting firms. 
The Hoffmans, as we have seen, were there before 
the Revolution, then Robert L. Livingston of Cler- 
mont came into possession of a mill and landing there. 
F>y deed dated April ist, 1800, he sold to Martin Hoff- 
man, Isaac Hoffman and Rolicrt Hoffman, "of the 
town of Poughkeepsie," property "including dock and 
storehouse known as Poughkeepsie tapper Landing.' 
A blacksmith shop and a dwelling house, "now pos- 
session of John Starr and Joseph P.ownian," are also 
included. 



The Oakley family became interested in the indus- 
tries at the Upper Landing soon after 1800, when 
Jesse Oakley moved into Poughkeepsie from Peek- 
man. George Peters Oakley, Thomas Jefferson Oak- 
ley and John (Jakley were his sons. Jesse Oakley & 
Son had been in business since April 17th, 1802, "two 
doors west of the hay scales" (the hay scales at one 
time stood on the site of the Phcenix Hose Co.'s 
house), but dissolved partnership September 30, 1807, 
and on the same date George P. Oakley advertised the 
formation of a partnership with Martin, Robert H., 
Isaac H., and Abraham Hoffman, "in storing, 
freighting, ferrying, &c.," at the Upper Landing. The 
firm name was George P. Oakley & Co. On the 
same date also Martin Hoffman & Co. advertised to 
pay cash for rye and wheat at their "new mill." This 
mill was probably the upper mill. In a deed of prop- 
erty from Martin, Robert, Isaac and Abraham Hoff- 
man to George P. Oakley September i6th, 1807, a 
new mill, an old mill, and a plaster mill are men- 
tioned. James Reynolds, referred to in a deed from 
the Hoffmans and Oakley, in l8ro, as "of the village 
of Poughkeepsie, shipcarpenter," was .probably there 
before that time and soon afterwards entered into 
partnership with Aaron Innis in the freighting busi- 
ness. All of these old Upper Landing families were 
in partnerships with each other at various times and 
property was transferred back and forth among them. 
By 1815 there were two grist mills, a plaster mill, a 
saw mill and a nail factory, all using water power 
from the Fall Kill. The old Arnold chair factory 
building was built for a nail factory about this time, 
by George P. Oakley, who also built the large house, 
now generally known as the William C. Arnold house. 
It appears, however, that there was a still earlier nail 
factory in the same neighborhood, for June nth, 
1805, A'oice Plinckley and Frederick Pennoyer adver- 
tised cut nails for sale "at the house of \" Hinckley 
in Market Street, or at their Xail INIanufactorv, at 
Hoffman's Landing." A' Hinckley's house was also 
advertised as a tavern, known as "The Foul Anchor," 
and situated about midway between Cannon and 
Church Streets, on the east side of JNIarket. 

Other M.\nui-.\cturinc. Lxhustries. 

Only a little way up the Fall Kill was the impor- 
tant woolen factory of George Pooth. who built what 
was afterwards called Pelton's Pond, and is said to 
have brought from England the first wool carding 
machinery ever used in this country. .-\n advertise- 
ment in the Political Barometer, ^lay 14th, 1803. 
states that "The works are erected near the bridge 
on the road leading to Hoft'nian's Landing." July 3rd 



.S4 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEEPSIB. 



of the same year Mr. Booth informed his patrons that 
"he is now erecting machines at Wappings Creek near 
Mr. Meisers Mill and will be read}' to receive wool 
about the middle of this month." When the embargo 
and the War of 1812 put a stop to all foreign importa- 
tion the factory in Poughkeepsie was much enlarged 
to manufacture a considerable line of finished woolen 
goods. Mr. Booth received first prize at the State fair 




The George Booth House. 



"Dutchess Cotton ]\Ianu factory" and asked for ten or 
twelve men acquainted with weaving, but it is not 
clear whether these men were to be employed in the 
factory or outside. Spafford's Gazetecr, 1813, says 
there were 50 looms in families, in the town of 
Poughkeepsie, "which produce 20,000 yards yearly 
of cloth for common clothing.'' It has been stated that 
no cotton factory in the United States is known to 
have done both spinning and weaving under one roof 
until 1813. 

Among the outlying factories was a nail factory 
established at Hyde Park as early as 1813 by Hunting 
Sherrill and Henry INliller, and Spafford gives the 
names of a number of little manufacturing hamlets 
in the town of Poughkeepsie, not now in existence. 
He says there were fourteen grain mills in the town, 
showing that the County then raised much more grain 
than now. Four, or possibly five of these mills were 
in the village, and most of the others were along the 
W^appingers or Casper Kills, with one, still in exist- 
ence, at the mouth of the Specken Kill. 

The first iron foundry- of which I have found any 
record in Poughkeepsie, was advertised as "now com- 



in 181 1 for the best woolen cloth manufactured in the 
State. His residence, in which his son, the late Oliver 
H. Booth was born, is still in good preservation, op- 
posite St. Peter's Church. His second wife was Maria 
Vassar, a sister of Matthew Vassar. Some of the 
Booth factory buildings remained until a recent 
period. 

Not far from the Booth Mill Pond, and also using 
the Fall Kill water power, was a thriving cotton factory 
established about 181 1 by David'^ and Benjamin 
Arnold. This was called The Eagle Factory in Janu- 
ary, 181 5. when the proprietors advertised to "furnish 
cotton yarn for forty looms during the season which 
tliey wish to put out to weave at liberal prices." Ap- 
parently at this time the factor}' did only spinning. 
During the cold winter of 1812 it is said that cotton 
was brought to Poughkeepsie by teams overland from 
the South at a cost of 60 cents a pound. The building, 
partly of stone and partly of brick, is still standing at 
the end of Charles Street. 

Above the Arnold factory was Parker's grist mill, 
built in 1806 on the east side of Washington Street, 
and still further up stream the mills at Smith Street, 
afterwards known as The Red Mills. 

There was also a cotton factory at Manchester, 
established by Samuel Slee. Dec. 5th. 1814, Benjamin 
Herrick advertised yarn for sale, made at Slee's 

1 Grandfather of Ex-Mayor diaries N. .XrnoUl.— See Ap- 
pendix. 




The Old Arnold CoUon Factory. 

pleted and ready for operation," Nov. 9th, 1814, by 
David Phillips and Seth Howard, who called it the 
"Poughkeepsie Hot Air Furnace." It was "near the 
corner of Washington and Main Streets where they 
intend casting iron ware, machinery." etc. 

A neighboring Main Street industry is described 
in the following advertisement : 

FOR SALE THAT A'ALUABLE TANNERY 

Belonging to the subscriber, in the village of Pough- 
keepsie. 

Situate in Main Street, a few rods west of the 
Market. The works are judiciously arranged and suf- 
ficiently large for the employment of a handsome capi- 
tal. — The buildings are large and convenient forming 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEEPSIH. 



85 



a square on the north and west sides two stories high, 
and one-hundred and thirty-four feet in length and well 
calculated for the accommodation of the works, all in 
good repair. Between one and two thousand skins 
may be taken fresh from the market annually at a 
reasonable rate, and hides in proportion. Hudson's 
river running within half a mile will always supply 
any quantity of bark. The above works being 
without a rival in this populous and growing town 
renders the situation truly enviable. The terms will 
be liberal and payments made easy — possession given 
the first of March next, and if not then sold will be 
rented. The advanced age of the subscriber having 
induced him to relinquish the business. 

Also for sale — Three or four Building Lots ad- 
joining the above which are well calculated for the es- 
tablishment of either a Brewery, Distillery, Soapboil- 
ing & Chandlery, or Morocco Manufactory, there 
being on the premises a never failing spring of the 
best water, sufficient to supply any or all of the above 
branches of business. Any person inclining to employ 
a capital in any of the above lucrative branches of 
business, will do well to call and view 

Ebenezer Badger. 
June 2, 1807. 

Badger's tannery is shown on the 1799 map at the 
northwest corner of Main and Washington Streets. 
His name has been several times mentioned in preced- 
ing pages. He was a prominent citizen, and lived 
in a pleasant house, surrounded by a garden famous 
for its lilacs and other flowers, where the City Hall 
now stands. The tannery passed into the hands of 
John Gary of Troy, and a few years later David Doyd 
came there as a boy from Amenia, to learn the trade. 
Mr. Boyd afterwards purchased the tannery and lived 
in a house which stood on what is now the corner of 
'Washington Street and Lafayette Place. This house, 
in which his son, the late John G. Bo^d was born, is 
still standing, but has been turned half around to face 
the newer street. 

The Vassau Buewery. 

The reference in the tanner\' advertisement to a 
spring and site for a brewery indicates the source of 
water supply for the Vassar Brewery. James Vassar 
came to the neighborhood of Poughkeepsie before 
1798 from England, and on January 4th, 1803, inserted 
an advertisment in the Political Barometer stating that 
he had completed his brewery and was ready to suppl\' 
the people of Poughkeepsie with ale, etc. The location 
of this brewcr\' is not definitelx' known. It ma}- have 
been in the rear of the old \'an Kleeck house, or it ma>' 
have been on the site of the later N'assar Street 
ISrewerv. Mr. ^'assar seems to have been doing con- 
siderable business in 1807 when he published the fol- 
lowino" 



Notice. 
The subscriber wants to make a contract with some 
person who will agree to supply him with three thou- 
sand bushels of coals annually for a number of years. 
All kinds of hard wood burned into coals will answer 
his purpose. 

James Vassar. 
Poughkeepsie, Aug. 18, 1807. 

A new brewery, according to Mr. Lossing's "Vas- 
sar College and Its Founder," was built in 1809 in Vas- 
sar Street. This was burned May loth, 181 1, and the 
fire was reported as follows in the Journal of Wednes- 
day, May 15th: 

FIRE — About one o'clock on Saturday last the 
Brewery of Mess. Vassar in this village was discover- 
ed to be on fire. The alarm was immediately given and 
the citizens assembled with great alacrity. The build- 
ings were already so completely enveloped in flames 
as to render in a measure unavailing the utmost exer- 
tions of the citizens to save them. A considerable 
quantity of .\le and some other property was saved, 
but the buildings were entirely consumed. The loss 
is estimated at 13 or $14,000. We understand the 
property was insured for $10,000. 

Mr. Lossing says that Mr. Vassar had no insur- 
ance, and that he met with other losses of property 
at about the same time, in addition to the loss of his 
eldest son, John Guy Vassar, who in attempting to save 
some hops at the bottom of a vat among the ruins 
two days after the fire, was sufl^ocated by carbonic 
acid gas. It appears probable, however, from an ad- 
vertisement dated Dec. 4th, 1810, of the dissolution of 
the partnership of James Vassar & Co., that James 
Vassar may have retired from the brewing business 
before this fire, for persons having open accounts 
were ''requested to settle them with John G. and M. 
Vassar." James A^assar spent his last years on a farm 
a little north of the village and his second son, Mat- 
thew, made a new start. According to the accounts 
given by Lossing and others he sought the help of his 
brother-in-law. George Booth, who loaned him money 
and gave him the use of his dye house as a temporar\' 
brewery. Three barrels of ale were made at a brew- 
ing and Mr. Vassar carried it around to his customers. 
He then rented a basement room in the new Court 
House for a saloon and is said to have been the first 
to introduce oysters to Poughkeepsie. In January, 
1812, the business was advertised under the firm name 
of "M. \^assar & Co.," but with no indication of the 
name of Mr. X'assar'.s partner. Jul\- r4th. 1813, 
Thomas Pur.ser and M. A'assar informed the public 
that the\' had entered into partnership ''and that they 
are now rebuilding the llrewery in this village, * * * 
which they intend to ha\'e in operation the ensuing 
fall." Mr. Purser was an Eni^lishman of considerable 



86 



HISTORY OP POUGHKEBPSIE. 



fortune and doubtless furnished the capital, but did not 
remain long in the business, for on June loth, l8i5,the 
Poughkeepsie papers contained a notice that he had 
sold his interest to J. M. and N. Conklin, jun. The 
Vassar brewer)' was not yet making any fortunes but 
it was on the road to prosperity. 

DuvELOPiNG A Business Centre. 

Although new streets were laid out in the territory 
between the Post Road and the river, that section re- 
mained open fields with only a few straggling houses 
along the the older roads for many years, while on the 
hill the village was growing more compact. Soon 
after 1800 it was settled that Main Street rather than 
Market would become the chief business street. The 
former was gaining, though still mostly a residence 
street, with a garden and the usual village group of 
barns and sheds about each house. Gradually the 
lower floors of the old houses were converted into 
shops or stores, their proprietors living in the upper 
stories and in the rear rooms. A few of these old 
houses remain and in one of them the same business is 
carried on that was established there during this period 
— the business of DuBois Brothers at 321 Main Street. 
An advertisement in the Poughkeepsie Journal in 
November, 1814, states that N. Conklin has removed 
to "the store lately occupied by Paul Schenck, two 
doors east from Jesse Oakley in Main Street." A part 
of the present building was evidently the old Schenck 
house, built in the eighteenth centur}'. The business 
had been started a few years earlier by Nathan and 
Mulford Conklin, and remained in the partial posses- 
sion of their descendants until Nathan Trowbridge 
Boyd retired a few years ago. The firm became 
Conklin & Bowne (James Bowne) in the 30's and then 
ISowne and Trowbridge (Stephen B. Trowbridge and 
afterwards Nathan Conklin Trowbridge). Several 
other business establishments of the present date from 
this period and two of them are still conducted by the 
same family. The Van Kleeck hat business is the old- 
est. It was founded by Teunis Van Kleeck in 1799, 
and in 1808 was removed to a location very near the 
]5resent as shown by the following advertisement in the 
Journal : 

Teunis Van KlEEck. 

Informs his friends and the public that he has re- 
moved his Hat Manufactory to the house formerh 
occupied bv Nicholas Power, four doors east of the 
Hotel. 

Poughkeepsie, May, 2, 1808. 

The hats made at this time were described as "Gen- 
tleman and Ladies Beaver. Castor and Roram Hats.'' 



This establishment in July, 1853, was removed 'three 
doors west," and from this combination of advertise- 
ments we are able to determine just where Nicholas 
Power printed the Poughkccf>sic Journal and also 
where the Poughkeepsie post office was located. 

The following note appended to an advertisement 
of a partnership with John Field tells of the beginning 
of a business still in the same family, though not 
conducted continuoush' b}' its members. 

N. B. George Halliwell presents his respects to 
the public, and informs them : that from his thorough 
knowledge of the Watch and Clock making business, 
it will be much to the advantage of those who want 
Clocks, Watches, or repairs, to apply to him, having 
served his apprenticeship, and worked in some of the 
first shops in England, where business was con- 
ducted on a very extensive scale, has had a superior 
opportunity to most workmen in this country of per- 
fecting himself in general and detached branches. 
Poughkeepsie, May 10, 1806. 

Among other business men advertising during this 
period were David B. Lent, "Ladies' and Gentlemen's 
Saddles, Coach Lace, Feathers. &c., &c. ;'' Leonard 
Davis and Walter Cunningham, partnership in the dry 
goods business. May 23, 1814; Isaac Doty, Jr. re- 
moved, April 12, 1814, "to the brick building form- 
erly occupied by Joseph C. Dean two doors east of the 
Post Office ;" Adriance & Cook, clock and watch 
makers, "five doors east of Potter's book store ;" 
J. H. Cunningham, "corner of Main and Libertv 
Street and directly opposite P. Potter's book store," 
Nov. 8, 1814, (this is the first mention I have seen 
of Liberty Street) ; James Mills, cabinet maker 
Nov. 29. 1813, "opposite Storm and Wilson's ;" Barnes 
& Willoughby, drugs, etc.; Cornelius B. Swartwout 
and Richard Vanderburgh (dissolved partnership Sept. 
23, 1814), boots and shoes, opposite the Court House ; 
Jeremiah Martin, l)oots and shoes, "four doors east of 
the hotel ;" Thomas L. Davies, hardware, "Brick store, 
five doors east of the hotel ;" M. & E. Bailey, hat man- 
ufacturers, succeeding John Hobson, May 13, 1814; 
Oliver Holden, fish ; E. Metzler, ladies' tailor ; Richard 
S. Balding and Charles B. Tallmadge (dissolved part- 
nership Oct. 20, 1813) ; P. Everitt and Zephaniah 
Pells (dissolved partnership April, 1814). Elias Triv- 
ett was in the drug business on the west corner of 
Main and Mechanic Street and Benjamin Herrick, on 
the opposite corner in dry goods, etc. 

-'\ few small maufacturing concerns beside^^ those 
mentioned were to be found on Main Street. On Sept. 
12th, 1805, P. R. Maison and others complained to 
the village trustees that "Gerard S. Sloan has erected 
a soap and Candle manufactory in a certain section 
of Main Street that the ingredients used in such 
manufactory includes a certain quantity of putrid 




TUNIS \'AN KLEECK. 
Bom June I -I, jyyj ; Died September /, /Sj/ ; Great gnindsoii of the firsl Baltits Van Klecek. 



ss 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEEPSIE. 



animal substance which on being detached from the 
mass impregnates the air with noxious and offensive 
effluvia and also that he from time to time discharges 
into the water ways of the Turnpike Road large 
quantities of Salt Lye to the great annoyance of the 
neighborhood." 

Nearly all the business men mentioned were on 
Main Street, but Market Street had a number of 
shops and several small hotels or taverns. The busi- 
ness of the village, of course, nearly all came from 
the farmers, who drove into town with their produce 
to be shipped to New York. Many of them came 
from long distances and had to stay over night, which 
created a demand for taverns. The Poughkeepsie 
Hotel was apparently called Baldwin's Hotel in 1803, 
and I am not sure that it was ever advertised under 
the first name until it had been rebuilt about 1829 
and came under the management of A. S. Hatch. 
Ebenezer Baldwin was the proprietor until its pur- 
chase in 1804 by a committee of Anti-Federal or 
Republican politicians,' headed by George Clinton, 
for a political headquarters. Then, or soon after, Gar- 
wood Cunningham, father of Walter Cunningham, 
took charge and the hotel became known as Cunning- 




Caiinon Street from Liberty ivest in iSy^. 
Hotel on tlie rii> Itt. 



Otd Dutcliess 



ham's. The Forbus House, I think, was not built 
until after 1815, but Stephen ITendricksen's tavern 
' on the same site was an important place of refresh- 
ment and entertainment. Nearly all the taverns and 
hotels of the period were built \vith verandas across 
the whole front, the larger ones with twn-storv ^•^■r- 
andas. Amaziah Blakeslie advertised the Farmers 
T-Totel, in June, 1806, "in Cannon Street opposite the 

'For a list of the names from dccfl see A|)pciidi.x. 



Academy," and in 181 1 N. C. Minturn announced the 
opening of the Dutchess Hotel, in Cannon Street, 
corner of Mechanic. The last mentioned is still stand- 
ing, and still preserves part of its verandas. It was 
built by Benjamin Herrick, who doubtless owned the 
land all the way through to Main Street, where his 
store was. There were a number of taverns of the 
old type on the east side of Market Street, one about 
opposite Stephen Hendrickson's, another on the 
north corner of Cannon, and a third, already men- 
tioned as kept by Voice Hinckley, between Cannon 
and Church. The building afterwards known as the 
Franklin House, on the corner of Main and Wash- 
ington, was possibly built by. this time, but the hotel 
on the corner of Mill and Washington Streets, after- 
wards known as "The Northern Hotel," was erected 
later. 

Some Popular A.iaseMENTs. 

An interesting enterprise in 1806, was the exhi- 
bition for several weeks of a real African Lion. "This 
noble animal." says the advertisement in the Political 
Barometer, "is between three and four feet high. 
measures nine feet from the nostrils to the tail, and is 
of a beautiful dun colour, and when he stands on his 
tail is nine feet high. ITe is fifteen 3'ears old and 
weighs six hundred weight. His legs and tail are 
thicker than those of a common sized ox. He was 
caught in the woods of Goree in Africa when a 
Whelp. ' * ■' It is said by those who have seen Lions 
in the Tower of London and other parts, that he is 
really worthy of the contemplation of the curious." 
The advertisement also includes the following: 

TAKE NOTICE. 

On the 14th day of October next a 

GRAND BAIT 

Will take place between this Lion and 6 Bears 
and 12 Bull-Dogs, in Capt. Hendrickson's large 
field, where ample accommodations will be pre- 
)5ared for spectators. — Admittance on that day, 
for grown persons One Dollar, for Children 25 
cents. 

N. B. The subscriber will gi\-e a generous 
l)rice for 6 Bears delivered to him in Pough- 
keepsie. 

John .\rdi;n. 
Poughkeepsie. Sept. 26, 1806. 

Who says that our ancestors were so good that 
they did not not know how to enjo\' themselves? A 
few years later. Poughkeepsie had what was called 
a theatre. Se])tember i, r8i2, an advertisement a]i- 
l)eared in The Poiiirliheepsie loiinial as follows: "The 
public are respectfully informed that the Theatre 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEEPSIB. 



89 



which is building in Church Street will be ready by 
Friday next, Sept. 5th, when will be presented Kotze- 
bue's Celebrated play of The Stranger or Misanthropy 
& Repentence with the Musical farce of the Sprigs 
of Laurel. Box $1. Pitt 75 cts." A few days later, 
Sept. 14th, the play Guerre Ouverte was announced, 
"after which an entire new piece in one act written 
for the occasion by a gentleman of this town called 
The Naval Column or the Glory of Columbia's Tars, 
interspersed with singing. Dancing &c in honor of 
our great naval victories." George Barnwell was the 
proprietor. 

Banks, Schools and iNcoRPORA'njD Companies. 

Soon after the incorporation of the village there 
was enough business in Poughkeepsie to create a de- 
mand for banking facilities, and accordingly a branch 
of the Manhattan Bank of New York was established 



William Taber, Peter R. Maison, Henry A. Livingston, 
Levi McKeen, Thomas Nelson, Abram G. Storm, and 
Ezra Thompson, Jr., were named as the commissioners 
to efifect the organization in Poughkeepsie. Guy Hyde 
was the first cashier and Levi McKeen was probably 
the first president. Peter Everitt, son of Richard 
Everitt, became a heavy stockholder at an early period, 
and George B. Evertson was one of the early presi- 
dents. 

Levi McKeen was the postmaster of Poughkeep- 
sie from 1802 to 1819, and the post office was then 
on the south side of Main Street, just east of Liberty 
Street. He is said also to have been a private banker 
at one time and a good story is told of how he stopped 
a run on the bank. He announced that a wagon load 
of specie would arrive from New York on a certain 
steamer, and sure enough in due time a wagon filled 
with small kegs drove up from the steamboat landing 






^yf^^tOi, Wftors &(f ? of the ) fK 'myi 






v,~ 



■f? 



f'-*, 



I ' 'L -IkM 



%t 



m 



WXA 



w\v^ 



S 



Tra J)olI 







J^^JA> -i ll 



, /y^^ ^<V rP^ ,tg 



Facsimile Dtiddlc District Batik Note. 



in the brick building which had been the residence of 
Theodorus Bailey, on the corner of Market and Can- 
non Streets. As this was not a purely local institution 
the records do not appear to show just when it was 
started, but it was here before 181 1 as a newspaper 
reference shows (see Appendix). At that time its 
jjresident was James Tallmadge, Jr. George W. Evert- 
son is said to have been its first president and Daniel F. 
Coolidge and Guy Hyde were among its cashiers. It 
was assessed on various properties as late as 183 1. 
There was a demand for a Dutchess County Bank 
as early as January, iSil, but when the application 
for a charter came before the Legislature the plan 
was changed to make it a Middle District Bank, with 
a branch at Kingston. The charter was passed 
March 22d, 181 1, providing for twenty-one directors. of 
whom fourteen were required to be residents of 



Dutchess C(junty and seven o 



f Ulster. Theron Rudd, 



to the bank. Two men struggled into the building 
through the crowd of anxious depositors and note 
holders carrying one of the kegs, which at the proper 
moment slipped from their fingers and burst open, 
scattering coins in every direction. This demonstra- 
tion of wealth satisfied the people, but it was after- 
wards reported that all the other kegs were filled 
with nails. 

Poughkeepsie was already at this time laying the 
foundation for its reputation as an educational center. 
Tlie Academy was an excellent school for its time, 
and a number of private schools were advertised in 
the newspapers from time to time. "The Poughkeep- 
sie Boarding School for Young Ladies'' was advertised 
as early as 1801 by M. E. and A. Sketchley, and at- 
tained considerable reputation. I am not sure of its 
location, but have been told that it was in a frame 
building which stood on Market Street near the cor- 



90 



HISTORY OF POUGHKBEPSIB 



ner of Church, where the Hon. John Thompson after- 
wards built his residence. There was at any rate 
a building there which was used as a school for many 
3'ears, and some people are now living who obtained 
their early education in it. A Dutchess Seminary on 
Market Street, taught by Rev. John Phillips, was ad- 
vertised in 1806. That the residents of the little village 
were progressive and desirous of keeping themselves 
well informed at an early period is also shown by 
the following notice in the Journal of July 15th, 1806. 

PouGHKEEPSiE Library. 

The Proprietors of the Poughkeepsie Library 
arc requested to attend their annual meeting on 
Thursday the 17th inst. at 4 o'clock in the after- 
noon at the Court House, for the purpose of elect- 
ing their Trustees for the ensuing year — and 
adopting such measures as may be necessary for 
the benefit of the institution. 

Peter R. Maison, 

Librarian. 

Long lists of new books were advertised in the 
newspapers and a considerable number of books were 
published by the Poughkeepsie printers. March iith, 
1814, the Lancaster School Society was incorporated, 
with John Reed (rector of the Episcopal Church), 
Cornelius C' Cuyler (pastor of the Dutch Church), 
Leonard Lewis, William Emott, James Wilson, George 
Bloom and Paraclete Potter as trustees. This school 
was in line with the latest educational fad of the 
da)', the plan being to have the older pupils instruct 
the younger. Its building was on Church Street, on 
the same lot inentioned in the 1791 deeds as the 
■"school-house lot" and now occupied by School No. 2. 

The following notice published Tuesday, Septem- 
ber 23d, 1806, shows 'something of the beginnings of 
an important institution. 

DUTCIiESS MEDICAL SOCIETY. 

At a large and respectable meeting of the 
Physicians of the Count_v of Dutchess, at Cun- 
ningham's Hotel, Sept. 20th, 1806, agreeable to 
public notice. 

Resolved, That the Physicians present do 
form themselves into a society pursuant to "an 
act to incorporate Medical Societies for the pur- 
pose of regulating the practice of Physic and 
Surgerv in this state" passed the 4th of April, 
t8o6. 

This was not the,..^ctual beginning of the societv, 
but was noi 'B^/ISsars from it. .\t this meeting 
Samuel Bard V^o/r elected president, Benjamin De 
Lavergne, vice president, Robert Noxon, treasurer, 
and J. Livingston Van Kleeck, secretary. Dr. John 
Thomas was one of the censors for Poughkeepsie. 

A Dutchess County Insurance Compau}' \\as in- 



corporated in 1814 with Jesse Oakley, George B. 
Evertson, James Emott, James Tallmadge, Jr., Wil- 
liam Davis, Nathan Myers, Henry A. Livingston, 
Henry Davis, John Brush, Randall S. Street, Para- 
clete Potter, John Forbus and John Radcliffe, as its 
first directors. There appears to be no evidence to 
connect this with the later Dutchess County Mutual 
Insurance Company. 

Churches. 

The population of the village of Poughkeepsie 
was 2,981 in 1810, and according to Spafford's 
Gazetteer there were in 1812 seven or eight public 
buildings, five churches and 471 houses and stores. 
Two of the churches, as we have seen, were founded 
before the Revolution, two more, the Methodist and 
Baptist, soon after i8oo, and the fifth must have been 
an early Friends' Meeting House on Clover Street, 
said to have been built by Zadock Southwick. There 
appear to be no records of this Meeting House'^ but 
it certainly existed at this time. The Quakers had 
long been numerous in Dutchess County and were 
represented in Poughkeepsie by several prominent 
famihes before 1812, among whom may be mentioned 
Zadock Southwick, Valentine Baker, Levi McKeen. 
David and Benjamin Arnold. 

The Methodists built their first church about 1805, 
on the east side of Jefferson Street at a point still 
marked by a little abandoned grave-yard. Before this 
time meetings had been held for a year or two in the 
garret of Charles H. Duncomb's house on Main Street, 
(on the site of Luckey, Piatt & Co.'s store) . The first 
church was a building 50 by 40 feet with galleries, 
but, according to Vincent's "Methodism in Pough- 
keepsie," (p. 15), was left unplastered above the gal- 
leries, until 1814, when Poughkeepsie was for the first 
time made a Methodist station with a settled minister. 
Rev. J. M. Smith. 

The Baptists^ organized in July, 1807, at a meeting 
held at the house of George Parker on Washington 
Street, at which George Parker, William Goss, John 
Forbus, John Harbottle, William Young, Isaac Wad- 
dell, Benjamin Bonker, Benjamin Fuller, Jonathan 
Newhouse, Ann Vassar, Abigail Cornish, .Edy Bull- 
more, Ruth iJonker, Eleanor Waddell, Sarah Goss 
and Naomi Burton were enrolled. Rev, Francis Wav- 



'Mrs. William S. Morgan and others remember seeing or 
bearing of this building. See also Dutchess County History, 
p. 422; also, (as to absence of records). Daily Eagle, Julv 
13, 1895- 

2Baptist records are complete and well preserved, owing 
to the care of Rev. Rufus Babcock, three times pastor of the 
church. A history of the church prepared by him was pub- 
lished 1),\ Piatt & Ranney in 1841. 



HISTORY OF POUGHKBEPSIE. 



91 



land was called as pastor and during his four years of 
work a church was built on the site of the present Bap- 
tist Church in Mill Street, the lot having been donated 
by Col. James Tallmadge. 

NliWSl'APIfRS AND Poi^ITICS. 

From November loth, 1801, there have always 
been at least two newspapers in Poughkeepsie. At that 
date, and probably using the press of the earlier 
American Fanner, Jesse Buel and Nathaniel Joyner 
started a paper called The Guardian, which waj a 
pronounced supporter of Jefferson, then president. 
Apparently the patronage of this paper was not very 
strong for it went through many changes of hands 
and several changes of name, as will appear. June 
8tli, 1802, Jdyner's interest was purchased by Isaac 
Mitchell and the pajier came out as The Political 
Barometer.. Mitchell had been connected with the 
American Farmer and was evidently a man of ability, 
though apparently unfortunate. Little is known about 
him personally, except that he went to Albany after 
he had sold the Barometer and became editor of The 
Republican Crisis. Early in 181 1 he seems to have re- 
turned to Poughkeepsie. He was the authoi of 
".'Vlgn'zo and Melissa," which has recently been de- 
scribed as "one of the most popular novels ever pub- 
lished in America,"! but it is doubtful if he ever re- 
ceived any profit from it himself. The book was 
originally published in Poughkeepsie b\- Joseph Nel- 
son, with the title "The .\syeum, or Alonzo and 
Melissa, an American tale founded on fact by Isaac 
Mitchell." It came out in October, rSii, and was 
ach'ertised for a few weeks in the Barometer, and 
for a >ear or more in the Journal, but I have not 
been able to find any other local reference to it. In 
i8j4 it was republished without the title "Asylum" 
and without the introduction, with Daniel Jackson, 
Jr., named as the author. Then its popularity began 
and it ran through many editions. Jackson receiving 
all the credit. 

Jesse Puol, too, was a man of ability and destined 
to more success. lie and Mitchell for a time published 
both the Barometer in Poughkeepsie and The Plebeian 
in Kingston. In 1805 tliey dissoh'cd partnership, 
Mitchell retaining the Poughkecjisie newspaper and 
lUiel taking The Plebeian. lUiel afterwards went to 
.Albany and became the first editor of The -■lr(!;i(s. 
He was candidate for gi)\ern()r in 1836 against 
William L. ]\Iarc_\-. 

In their opening editorial in the Barometer 
Mitchell and lUiel declared among other things. 

'KcKvard B. Reed in New York lucniiis" Post, Dec. 10. 
1904. 



their determination to "hold up to public ex- 
ecration whatever shall appear to aim at aristocratic 
influence upon the understanding, the actions, or the 
possessions of the people. * * * We shall applaud 
plain and simple manners even if discovered in our 
chief magistrate." 

Not long after this the Federalists became divided 
into factions and the Republicans obtained control of 
Dutchess county. The Barometer, May 6th, 1806, says 
"In this town the Republican ticket succeeded over 
that of the opposition by an average majority of 4 
and 5 to I." The "Clintonians" — supporters of De 
Witt Clinton, then Mayor of New York, — are men- 
tioned as one of the factions of the opposition. 1806 
was a year of general change in the local newspaper 
situation, probably due to part}' changes. A new 
paper, The Farmer, was started, but so few copies of 
it have been preserved that its political position is not 
clear. Mitchell sold the Political Barometer in 
August to Thomas Nelson & Son, and the Journal 
also changed hands. Paraclete Potter, who was des- 
tined to become and remain for a long time a leading 
figure in local journalism and politics, was one of the 
new owners, the firm being Bowman, Parsons and 
Potter, which continued until May 24th, 1815, when 
Potter came into full control. During this period the 
paper was called The Poughkeepsie Journal and Con- 
stitutional Republican, the latter part of the title 
signifying an effort of a branch of the party to shake 
off the name Federalist. 

The Jeffersonian supremacy did not last long in 
Dutchess, and in 1808 the county elected to the As- 
sembly "2 Federalists, 2 Clintonians. and 2 Lewisites," 
while James Emott, Federalist, received a majority of 
1,100 for Congress. August 28. 181 1, the Political 
Barometer changed hands again, and changed its name 
for a second time, coming out as the Republican Her- 
ald, under the management of C. C. .\dams and D. 
Mac Duffee, who refer in their announcement to 
"The county of Dutchess long the sport of disunion 
and for some time past the seat of federal triumphs." 
The same sort of complaint is to be found in every new 
]>aper started as a Republican organ for the next 
twenty-five years, while the Journal, under Potter's 
able management, weathered all the storms and sur- 
\-ived. without loss of prcstitie, even its bitter and 
determined opposition to the ^^"ar of 1812. 

The war appears to have been unpopidar with the 
substantial citizens of Poughkeepsie, but must never- 
theless have aroused considerable enthusiasm among 
the rank and file. There was a repetition of Revo- 
lutionar\- excitement to some extent, with recruiting 
ofiices opened, troops passing up and down the river, 
and express riders galloping through the village on 



92 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEEPSIE. 



the Post Road. The Poughkeepsie Fusileers, a uni- 
formed company, were ordered out early in the strug- 
gle and their "former officers," T. Rudd, J. Brush and 
B. Herrick, gave them a banquet at Minturn's Hotel. 
In the Republican Herald for September 2, 1812, we 
read : 

"The uniform company of Artillery and infantry 
of this village, under the command of Capts. Nelson 
and Wilson, in compliance with the orders of the 
Governor, took passage on board the packet on Fri- 
day last for New York. After falling in with the 
companies from Barnegat and Newburgh and waiting 
the arrival of the governor with the northern com- 
panies on Saturday the whole proceeded together for 
New York. 

The alacrit)' with which the men composing these 
companies left their families, their homes, and their 
business, will entitle them to the esteem of their fellow 
citizens and the thanks of their country." 

These companies, I think, saw no actual fighting, 
but companies of Dutchess County militia were in ser- 
vice on several other occasions, and a considerable 
number of volunteers went into the arm}' from Pough- 
keepsie. Randall S. Street and Dr. William Thomas 
were among them, the former returning with the title of 
General. Dr. Thomas was in the Battle of New Or- 
leans. Some were doubtless called out by the draft, 
which the Journal vigorously denounced as tearing 
men away from the support of their families to prolong 
a war brought on by Jefferson and Madison for the 
sole purpose of increasing the power of their party. 

James Emott in Congress was equally outspoken 
in his opposition to the war, as his speeches printed in 
the Journal show, but this seems to have caused little 
interruption to his career, for after serving two terms 
in Congress he went into the Assembly for two terms, 
and then became county judge. That the Federalist 
control was not shaken as in so many other places, is 
shown by the establishment of another Republican 
paper, the Obscrz'er. apparent!}- a special organ of 
the Tammany faction, soon after the announcement 
of the treaty of peace in 181 5. Its opening editorial, 
March loth, contains this harrowing picture: 

Time was, when this unhapp\", deluded, and long 
abused County, presented a Republican phalanx to 



the front of its enemies, in an overwhelming majority 
of votes — at once the pride of the friends of the Repub- 
lic, and the terror of its foes. * * * No redeeming 
arm appears stretched forth to snatch this wandering 
prodigal from the error of her ways. * * * It is only 
to the well conducted public journal like the bow on 
the clouds which announces the storm is past, that 
the friends to Republicanism can look for as a pre- 
cursor to the assurement and triumph of their cause. 

Charles P. Barnum and Richard Nelson were the 
publishers of this paper. The Republican Herald 
passed into the hands of Stockholm and Brownjohn 
and continued to represent one of the numerous fac- 
tions of the day. It became bitterly opposed to James 
Tallmadge, Jr., and was sued by him for libel in 
1818. It was finally discontinued after the election of 
1823. 

Prominent local politicians during this period, be- 
sides those alread)' mentioned, were Thomas J. Oak- 
ley, Surrogate in 1810, elected to Congress in 1813; 
Randall S. Street, district attorney 1810 and again 
i8i3;David Brooks, three times County Clerk and sev- 
eral times Member of Assembly ; George Bloom, law 
partner of James Tallmadge, and Surrogate in 181 1 ; 
.\braham Adriance, several times Member of As- 
sembly and State Senator, Theodorus Bailey was per- 
haps the most prominent man of the early part of this 
period. He was elected to the United States Senate 
in 1803, but soon afterwards resigned from the Senate 
to become postmaster of New York City, DeWitt 
Clinton resigning the same office at the same time to 
become Mayor, His residence after that, I think, was 
in New York, Thomas J, Oqkley purchased and for 
a long time lived in the house on the corner of Cannon 
and Market Streets, where Bailey had lived. Philo 
Ruggles, who became Surrogate in 1813, was another 
prominent man of this time. He built about 1800 
the fine house still standing on the west side of Mar- 
ket Street, which afterwards became the home of 
James Hooker, and is now used as an office building, 
George Bloom lived on Cannon Street, in a house 
where there is now a vacant lot, next east of the 
George Van Kleeck house (Dr, J, P, Wilson's resi- 
dence), James Emott lived on Market Street directly 
opposite Cannon, in the brick building still standing. 




Hon. WILLIAM NELSON. 

.-/ son oj Thomas Nelson and brother of Joseph Xe/son, editors of the "Politieal 
JSaronieter," William Nelson was edneated at the Dutchess County Aeadeiny. 
and studied la-w in the office of Thcron Rudd. After admission to the bar he 
remoi'cd to Peelcskill, where he became very prominent. {See Appendix for 
further sketch of his career.) 



CHAPTER VI. 



From tiii': Close of the War of 1812 to the Panic of 1837 — General Tallmadge on Slavery in 
Missouri — I^afayette's Visit — The I^ottery— Political Changes — The "Telegraph," The 
"Dutchess Intelligencer" and The "Eagle" — Benson J. IvOssing — New Banks — The Im- 
provement Party — The Whaling Industry and Other Entjcrprises — The Era of the Steam- 
boat — The Cannon Street Reservoir and the Big Fire of 1836 — The Fire Department — 
Ni:\v Churches — College Hill and Other Schools — The Real Estate Boom. 



In the )'ear 1815 Poughkeepsie was a vigorous, 
growing village, and during the period covered by 
this chapter was to experience a rapid development, 
culminating in a real estate boom of proportions which 
we are now accustomed to associate only with new 
towns in the West — a boom which left the place laid 
out into streets and lots almost as it is at present. In 
fact it required tlie work of nearly half a century to 
complete the improvements, and build up the streets, 
planned before 1837. 

The years immediately following the treaty of 
peace with England were nevertheless years of falling 
prices, and of considerable depression. The Hood of 
foreign importations ruined several thriving local in- 
dustries, including the Booth woolen mills, th; Arnold 
cotton factory and the Oakley nail factory. There 
was a great scarcity of currenc)', particularly of small 
change, which caused the printing of shinplasters by 
private firms and even by village corporations. D. & 
B. Arnold of the Eagle cotton factory and the Village 
of Pleasant Valley issued shinpla.sters in 1815, the lat- 
ter signed by Robert .\bboll, w hich have been preserv- 
ed in local collections. The long continued popular 
reckoning in shillings and pence was partly due to 
the large number of foreign coins' that came into cir- 
culation at all periods of financial depression prior 
to the debasement of subsidiary coinage in 1853. The 
first record book of the Village of Poughkeepsie shows 
most of the accounts in dollars and cents, but the cash 
book beginning at the end of the year 1817 is mostly 
in pounds, shillings and pence. 

i'efore iS.'o recovery was in progress and the vil- 
lage began to reach out for more trade, with an enter- 
prise that suggests the later days of railroad and 
bridge building, as the following entries in the village 
casli book for January 3r(l, 1 820, show : 

'Eagle editorial, "Down with the Pence," April 2nd, 1853 



To George P. Oakley and others. By 

order of a \'ote of the N'illage for 

iheir expenses in exploring a Route 

for a Turnpike Road West of the 

Shawangunk Mountain to intersect 

the Turnpike of Lucas Elmendorf 

at or near ^Var War Sink £5 : i8s : lod 

To expenses pd G. P. Oakley and others 

to defra}' expenses for advertising 

for alteration of the Turnpike West 

of the Hudson River for advertising 

in Kingston and Albany papers £2: o: o 

It seems rather extraordinary that the village as 
a corporate bod}' shoidd have been interesting itself 
in roads so far away, but these are by no means the 
only instances. The second entry seems to imply that 
the New Paltz road had already been made a turnpike, 
though Mr. LeFovre, in his History of New Paltz, 
says the turnpike was made after 1830. 

The incorporation of the Poughkeepsie and New 
Paltz Ferry Company in 1819, for the purpose of 
building "a Team Ferry Boat" to take the place of 
the sail ferry, also implies closer connection with 
New Paltz. The company organized in June. 1819, 
and elected Nicholas Thorne, John Green, Gilbert 
Wilkinson, James Reynolds and Henry Elting direc- 
tors. The landing on this side was "between the 
south side of the dock of George P. Oakley and the 
north side of the dock of Martin Hoffman." and on 
the west side of the river "at the dock of Henry D. 
Elting." The Team Ferry Boat was the first "horse 
boat" at Poughkeepsie, the motive power furnished by 
two horses in a treadmill, the earlier ferry having been 
a "periauger" or scow, with both sails and oars. Great 
things were expected of the team boat in the ^\■ay of 
bringing trade to the village from the west, and also 
from the eastward. One of the arguments in its 
favor was that it would bring this way a part of 



i^6 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEEPSIE. 



the stream of westward emigration. Ohio wagons, 
it was stated, were frequenth' seen on the Dutchess 
Turnpike as far west as the second toll gate, whence 
they made their wa)' over rough roads to Fishkill, 
where a team boat had already been established. The 




Reynolds House, built by James Reynolds near Upper Landing, 
{and ferry), about i&2j. 

sail ferry was uncertain and inconvenient, and accord- 
ing to a statement made many years later by Nathan 
Gitiford, would not accommodate more than one or two 
wagons, and was entered from the side. Often the 
horses were unhitched, and tied behind the boat to 
swim across. The team boat, or horse boat, was evi- 
dently successful, for there were two on the route a 
few years later, one sailed by Deyo Elting and the 
other by Henry Ogden. Horse ferries also ran from 
Milton, New Hamburgh and I-fyde Park, at a little 
later date. The Milton horse boat was the last on the 
river and ran until after 1850. 

In 1825 there was another strong efifort to at- 
tract trade from the west side of the river, and com- 
mittees were appointed to endeavor to make New 
Paltz Landing the terminus of a great state road 
which was expected to extend to Bufifalo. The break- 
down of the Fulton & Livingston monopoly of steam- 
boat navigation in 1824 was then also a stimulus to 
river traffic, and in 1830 the horse ferry was super- 
seded by a steam ferry. That was almost at the 
beginning of the period of expansion and speculation. 

The cholera epidemic of 1832 was a serious inter- 
ruption to business, and was long remembered. It 
gave rise to what was probably the first local board 
of health, comprising the village trustees, together 
with Elias Trivett, the druggist, and Dr. William 
Thomas. Cholera had been raging in New York for 
several weeks before it reached Poughkeepsie, and 
had even passed us and broken out in Albany, but 
in the latter part of July a few imported cases were 
reported in the lower part of town, and before the 



end of August the dread disease had claimed about 
eighty victims. A number of families left the village 
in order to escape and never returned. Says the 
Dutchess Intelligencer of August 15th: "From Sun- 
day, the 5th, to Saturday, the nth, it seemed to be at 
its worst and the state of things became truly alarm- 
ing. A general gloom seemed to rest upon every 
countenance, business was at a stand, and anxious 
inquiries were constantly made about the cholera.'' 

Occasionally social events attracted sufficient 
notice in the newspapers of the daj' to show that 
young people enjoyed themselves much as they do 
now. In August, 1819, the West Point cadets, two 
hundred strong, marched to Albany, and encamped 
for a week at Poughkeepsie, under command of Cap- 
tain John R. Bell. On the evening of August i6th 
a big ball was given in their honor, "which was at- 
tended by about one hundred of the Cadets and 
graced by most of the beauty and fashion of the 
village." 

General Talemadge and Slavery in Missourl 

Politics absorbed a large share of attention, and 
with such men as Thomas J. Oakley and James Tall- 
madge, Jr., as leaders, Poughkeepsie was at the front 
in both State and National matters. The so-called 
"Era of Good Feeling" which the historians tell us 
followed the War of 1812, was not very marked 
in New York State, certainly not in Dutchess 
County, where the Federal Party did not break down 
until the time of Jackson. James Tallmadge, Jr., 
usually called General Tallmadge, was one of the 
most notable of the representatives of Dutchesss Coun- 
ty in Congress. Elected to fill a vacancy, he at once 
took high rank, and in February, 1819, when the 
question of the admission of Missouri as a state came 
up, it was he who moved the amendment that pre- 
cipitated the first great debate over the extension of 
slaver}'. The amendment provided : 

"That the further introduction of slavery or in- 
voluntary servitude be prohibited, except for the pun- 
ishment of crime, whereof the party shall have been 
fully convicted, and that all children born within the 
said State, after the admission thereof into the Union, 
shall be free at the age of twenty-five years." 

The debate started by this amendment was a heated 
one and accompanied on the part of the Southern 
representatives by threats of disunion. Replying to 
the opponents of the amenduient, who included the 
speaker of the House, Henry Clay, Mr. Tallmadge, on 
February i6th, used these words, as reported in Ben- 
ton's Abridg-ement:! 



iBcnton's Abiidgemeiit of Deb.itcs in Congress, Vol. VI, 
p. 3.S0. See also p. 333 and note. 



HISTORY OF P U G H K E E P S I n. 



97 



"Sir, if a dissolution of the Union must take place, 
let it be so ! If civil war, which gentlemen so threaten 
must come, I can only sa}', let it come ! My hold on 
life is probably as frail as that of any man who now 
hears me ; but while that hold lasts, it shall be devoted 
to the service of my country — to the freedom of man. 
If blood is necessary to extinguish any fire which 1 
have assisted to kindle, I can assure gentlemen, while 
I regret the necessity, 1 shall not forbear to contribute 
my mite. Sir, the violence to which gentlemen have 
resorted on this subject will not move my purpose, nor 
drive me from my place. I have the fortune and 
honor to stand here as the representative of freemen, 
who possess intelligence to know their rights, who 
have the spirit to maintain them. Whatever might 
be my own private sentiments on this subject, stand- 
ing here as the representative of others no choice is 
left me. I know the will of my constituents, and 
regardless of consequences, I will avow it; as their 
representative I will proclaim their hatred of slavery 
in every shape ; as their representative here I will hold 
my stand, until this floor, with the constitution of my 
country which supports it, shall sink beneath me." 

The Tallmadge amendment was adopted by the 
House, but rejected by the Senate, and the controversy 
was not settled until the next year — by the famous 
Missouri Compromise. From a local standpoint the 
question is, did Mr. Tallmadge correctly represent the 
prevailing opinion of the people of Dutchess when in 
the course of this noble speech he proclaimed "their 
hatred of slavery in ever)- shape?" He had already 
been defeated for re-election to Congress by Randall 
vS. Street eight months before he made the speech 
(elections were held in May until 1828) but that was 
simply because Street was a Federalist and Tall- 
madge a Tammany Republican or Democrat. His 
anti-slaver}' speech was published in full in the 
the Dutchess Observer of April 7th, which also copied 
from other newspapers, including the Nciv York 
Coliiiiibian, various notices of approval of his action, 
but made apparently no comment of its own. I can- 
not find that the Federalist organ, the Journal, made 
any reference whate-\'cr to the speech, or to the Gen- 
eral's attitude on llic admission of Missouri. The 
investigation of General Jackson's conduct in the 
Seminole War monopolized attention. The Repub- 
lican Herald abused Tallmadge roundly, but not be- 
cause of this action, so far as one can tell from the 
answers to its articles in the Observer. (No copies of 
the Herald for that year have been found). General 
Tallmadge was nominalcd by the Clintonian faction 
for the State senate in the spring of 1819, and was 
beaten, which seems to show at least that hatred of his 
constituents for slawry was not yel a moving political 
force. His \-ote in the town of Poughkeepsie and also 
in Dutchess was considerabl)- larger, howe\'er, than 



that of his colleague, or than that received by either 
of the successful candidates, but was smaller than 
either of the Federalist candidates received. The vote 
of the county was : Federalists — Philip J. Schuyler, 
1,042, James Morris, 808; Clintonians — James Tall- 
madge, Jr., 754, Pierre Van Courtland, 527 ; Anti- 
Clintonians — Peter R. Livingston 680, John Town- 
send, 605. As senators were the.i elected on general 
tickets in large districts and Dutchess had been at- 
tached to the southern district, with New York and the 
Long Island Counties since 1815, the Federalist vote 
of the river counties was overwhelmed by the anti- 
Clintonian vote of New York. 

In 1820 the pendulum swung away from the Fed- 
eralists and the Observer, May 3d, said: "Dutchess 
Count}' has nobly done its duty. This is the first time 
that Republican Assemblymen have been elected in 
this county in fifteen years.'' At the same election 
the county gave De Witt Clinton, for governor, a 
majority of 158 over Daniel D. Tompkins, indicating 
the shifting of the Federalists to Clinton. In the next 
year General Tallmadge came to the front again and 
was elected a delegate to the Constitutional Conven- 
tion. 

The small total vote of Dutchess, less than 3,000 
out of a population of 46,000, has doubtless been 
noticed. Under the first State constitution, ownership 
of property valued above £20, or the renting of prop- 
erty at 40 shillings or more a year, was required, and 
evidently shut out a good many votes. The local 
results, it must be admitted, were good. Even the 
smallest town offices ^\■ere filled by men of promi- 
nence and standing, and commanded an amount of 
respect from the community hard to realize no^^'. 
When the call for a new Constitutional Convention 
had gone forth in 182 1 in response to the ad\'ocates 
of tile repeal of the voting qualifications, Poughkeep- 
sie and Dutchess County contained a strong element 
in opposition to change and the following appeal was 
issued: 

"TO THE CITIZENS OF DUTCHESS COUNTY. 

"Our constitution was framed by wise and patriotic 
men, at a time when among the common friends of 
our country the spirit of genuine libertv prevailed, 
without the allo>- of part\- feelings or interests. Un- 
der this constitution the good people of the state have 
cnjo\ed for near half a century, all the blessings of 
a free government, and have arrived to a degree of 
national prosperity and happiness, unexampled in the 
history of the old world. A\^e feci and we trust you 
all feel, that a constitution which in its practical 
results has been thus happy, ought to be approached 
with the utmost caution ; that no alterations ought to 
be made, except such as experience has shown" to be 
clearly nccessar>-, that no wild plans of innovation 



98 



HISTORY OF P OU GH KEBPSIB. 



ought to be indulged, that party spirit ought not to 
be suflfered to intrude," etc. 

This was signed by a considerable number^ of the 
substantial citizens of Poughkeepsie and of the 
county, who called a meeting to be held June nth, 
at the house of Luther Gay in the town of Washington, 
"for the purpose of agreeing upon candidates." The 
party papers, Observer and Journal, waged bitter war- 
fare over the matter. The former said that under a 
show of independence "few but Federalists and de- 
cided Clintonians had signed this address," and in- 
dulged in vigorous criticism of Chancellor Kent and 
of all who had opposed the convention. The Journal 
in reply said: "We have seldom seen condensed in 
so small a compass so much spite and ill nature as is 
contained in the Observer of last week," with much 
in defense of the conservatives. The meeting at 
Luther Gay's house was duly held and nominated 
Morgan Lewis, James Emott, James Grant, William 
Taber, and Thomas Tillotson, but they were defeated 
by Peter R. Livingston, James Tallmadge, Jr., Abra- 
ham Schenck, Isaac Hunting and Elisha Barlow, des- 
cribed in the Journal as "advocates of a party con- 
vention," and also as "worshippers of St. Tammany." 

Lafayette's A^isit. 

The visit of Lafayette to Poughkeepsie^ Sept. 
l6th, 1824, was an event long remembered and often 
referred to, a pleasant interruption to the political 
agitation of the times. He arrived at Poughkeepsie 
early in the morning, on the steamboat James Kent, 
and was received by several regiments of militia, com- 
manded by General Brush, and a great crowd of peo- 
ple. The procession moved up Main Street to 
Academy and down Cannon to Forbus's Hotel, where 
the distinguished visitor was received by the trustees 
of the village. Solomon V. Frost was president of 
the village at that time, and it is related that being a 
Quaker he would not ride in the procession in which 
a brass band and several militia regiments took part. 
The address of welcome was made by Col. Henry 
A. Livingston, from the piazza in front of the Forbus 
House. "In this village," said he, "the immortal 
Washington was frequently the guest of the venerable 
George Clinton. In this village that Constitution 
which is the palladium and pride of United America, 
was adopted by the Convention of New York, nor 
were the resplendent talents, and commanding elo- 
quence of a Hamilton, the wisdom of a Chancellor 
Livingston, or the sagacity of a Jay, displayed in 

iFor list of signers see Appendix. 

^Reports in the Poughkeepsie loiirnal and in the Re- 
publican Telegrapli, Wednesday. Sept. 22d, 1824 



vain. To these prominent eras, permit us to add, as 
their apex, the transactions of this memorable occa- 
sions," etc. "To this address," says the Poughkeepsie 
Journal, "the General made an appropriate and feeling 
reply, in the course of which he adverted to his 
former acquaintance with the village, and to the great 
and astonishing changes, which, in common with our 
country generally, it had undergone." Neither of the 
newspapers of the day reported Lafayette's speech in 
full. 

From the Forbus House the party proceeded to the 

Poughkeepsie Hotel, where breakfast was served, at 
the expense of the village, for sixty-five people. Op- 
posite Lafayette, we are toldS sat Major Swartwout, 
a soldier of the Revolution, then 95 years old. Waltei 
Cunningham acted as marshal of the day, and among 
those at the table were James Tallmadge, Thomas J. 
Oakley, James Emott, Smith Thompson, Matthew 
Vassar, General Brush, Paraclete Potter, Nathaniel 
P. Tallmadge, Alexander J. Coffin, John Armstrong, 
Jr., and Dr. William Thomas. Interesting side lights 
are thrown upon this celebration by the following 
entries in the village cash book, for September i6th : 

Samuel Henderson. To ringing court house Bell 

for La Fayette $ o 75 

John Cornish. To ring Episcopal Church bell 

La Fayette i 00 

Joel Du Bois. To ringing Dutch Church bell La 
Fayette i 00 

Paraclete Potter. To printing 1,000 hand bills for 

La Fayette 8 50 

John Cowles. To express to West Point and New- 
burgh 5 00 

John Francis. To printing 500 Arrangements 4 00 

Peter B. Myer. To sixty-five breakfasts for La 

Fayette and suite 65 oo 

Philo C. Brush. To four carrages for La Fayette . . 15 00 

Charles Butler. To four carriages for La Fayette .... 15 00 

Myers & Osborne. To printing 500 bills La Fayette ... 4 00 

A noteworthy item in this list is that payment of 
$5 to John Cowles. So anxious were the villagers to 
have their welcome all ready that they provided an 
express rider to gallop up the post road and bring the 
good news that the steamboat was coming. The boat 
arrived here at 2 :30 in the morning and a great bon- 
fire on Kaal Rock was one of the features of its recep- 
tion, with salutes of artillery. Doubtless Lafayette 
had learned how to get along without sleep during 
the trying days of the Revolution. He left here not 
long after breakfast and proceeded to the residence oi 
Governor INIorgan Lewis, near Staatsburgh. 

The best dcscriptioiis of Lafayette's visit arc curi- 
ously enough not from the newspaper reports, but 

•Dutchess County History, p. 378. 



HISTORY OP P O U G H K HEP S J n. 



99 



from the lottery advertisements of George P. Oakley, 
whose geiiuis as an "ad writer" was of the highest 
order. He had announced in the papers of Sept. 15th, 
along with "New York State Literature Lottery No. 




GEORGE P. OAKLEY. 

2," the following: "My fellow citizens will not forget 
that L.\ Fayette; is coming, and that he is welcome to 
our country, to our homes, and to our hearts. They 
will likewise not forget that the only La Fayette 
tickets in the village, are to be found at the Temple." 
In the papers of the next week, Oakley wrote, also in 
his advertising space : 

"On Thursday last our much beloved and much 
respected General honored us with his company. — lie 
came with the rising Sun, and exhilarated and en- 
nobled the moral, as that warmed and enlightened the 
natural world. * * * * 

"It is not my business to give a history of the da\'. 
I shall therefore be laconic, though it is difficult to be 
so on a subject so diffuse. * * * 

"The breakfast room at Myer's Hotel which I was 
so fortunate as to see the day before the jubilee, was 
splendidly decorated with an elegance altogether cred- 
itable to the taste and industry of the ladies who volun- 
teered in this patriotic employment. Brevity forbids 
a detailed description of this apartment of Portraits, 
and Banners, and Emblems, and Everg-reens, and 
Flowers, and Festoons, and Garlands, and Temples, 
and Plate, and Porcelain, and Arches, and Mottos. It 
was indeed a fairy scene, and the beauties of nature 
and of art were so happil}' combined, that, though the\- 
strongly vied for precedence, all was harmony. 

"W'ashincton" appeared in laurel leaved letters 
over one mantle piece, and "L.\ FavivTTE" o\'er the 
other, both encircled with wreaths of flowers. Over 
the folding doors appeared "Welcome La Fayette" 



in letters made entirely of the rich blossoms of the 
china-astor — These letters, having the symetry, and ac- 
curacy of beautiful types, were wrought by two sisters, 
3'oung ladies of our village, who merit for their in- 
genuity and industry the highest encomiums, and if 
these desirable qualities are to be found, in the same 
perfection, in their domestic concerns, of which the 
performance in question is indicative, the man who 
would want a better wife than either of these, ought 
to live a bachelor till he should be as old as Francisco. 

"The General received the address of Col. Living- 
ston and answered it, on Forbus's upper piazza, which 
then, by evergreens and flowers and grace and beauty 
in festoons and clusters, was made more than ever an 
allusive picture of Eden. He received the salutations 
of the citizens in front of the lower piazza which 
likewise was tastefully ornamented. 

"The scene at Forbus's was highly interesting and 
if a view of it was permitted to the immortal Mont- 
gomery, he beheld it with heavenly complacenc)'. This 
illustrious martyr to his devotion in the American 
cause was brought to my recollection, at the moment, 
by the old sign which hung above, and which has 
been fanned by the breezes and bleaclied by the snows 
of fortj'-seven summers and winters. 

"Major Bailey's tree of Liberty, which grew in 
front of his shop, pleased me. My limits will not per- 
mit me to say more about it than that it was very 
green and flourishing, and was bending with the ricii- 
est fruits personifying Washington and La Fayette, all 
the e.x-presidents, some of the presidential candidates 
and all the signers of the Declaration of Independence. 

"The miUtary on the cal-rock, at break of day 
made a very martial appearence, which I understand 
was spoken of b}' the General and his retinue in terms 
of applause. The salute fired from the rock was un- 
commonly fine, and its echo and re-echo bounded as 
merril}' and proudly among the western hills as if a 
band of Tritons, inspired by the occasion, had left 
their coral groves to ramble and blow their thousand 
shells in the green woods of Ulster. 

"La Fayette Tickets are now selling rapidly at 
the Temple of Fortune," etc. 

When Lafayette died, in 1834, Poughkeepsie, in 
common with many other places in the countr}', ren- 
dered public honor to his memory. A special meeting 
of the trustees on June 30th, at which Alexander 
Forbus, Isaac I. Balding, James Mills, Richard Pud- 
ncy and Josiah Burritt were present, made the follow- 
ing arrangements which are recortled on the minutes : 

'".■\t Sunrise on Thursday the 3d July next a salute 
of 24 guns will be fired from Pines Hill, Alansion 
Street and one gun every half hour until sun set. At 
10 o'clock .\. M. a procession will form at the Hotel 
and proceed through ^\^asliington. Mill, Catherine, 
Main and Market Streets to the Episcopal church, 
under G'en'l Leonard Maison. Grand Marshall of the 
day, in the following order 



X TEMPLE OF FORT05^eJ\ 

1:%:., JVetB'York, Januartf 19, I8Z6. ^ 

Thfe^'drawi^^ttf ^e JLdterature Xott^rj^ No^ 3 for 

' ■'- i '2-:i7, 21, T, 85, -6,':3^'C- 



The next Loltery is the Uniou Canal, No. Id, au<l 
draws in Philadelphia, on Wednesday, Febi-aary Isl. 

trizes, - 



^'-■^v 



50,000 Dollars, 
20,000 Dollar!,, 
mSiOO Dollars, 
10,000 Dollars, 
5,000 Dollars, 



5^00 Dollars, 
5,000 Dollars. 
3,970 Dollars, 
3^970 Dollars!, 



AM 189 from 100 to 1,000 Dollars, &c. ; 

..^.,, . 5.1^ - TicketB 89,00 Quurtci-s'aJIS 't I 

I Prizes in all the curpent jpbttel-iesv jmd by 4 

. , : - GE0.i^04KIJSY»; ■;%:v^sj 

' \ * v ..,, ; ; ^ PQughl:eep sie.\ ' 

' Ti^UIi Kratitude tod ploasowj Igivo to jny friends and ^uj public <jji84;^«i^g^^ 

! ■ unvfirntsired liistory. i*J(<l I oni jndufcd to do it not becauso 1 wisU to pubUil^^ ' -1 

own good fortune, buibceanse it would b«;vel7 difficult and ti-0ublo6omc to concM^.; 

it, because 1 *ish -to gratify public euiioulty, anj because it will pierout many iJ^^^ 

i TOBfous reports »McU noiild oUterw'isc naturally proceed from (Juch «^ccurrence,=^^ 

j AmoniE the tickets wliich I jiurtUaaejl of .the luanagers iu litw:M.«n! Lotler.v, j|k 

' NoTthc drawing of wIiicL appear? above, vae, a half tlclcthaviogfitrit? MmWr;^ 

ualionr 17 «< This half 1 offered Jbr side for some time to inycu«(oroets,wl»tU>|^ 

I anpteUeuded I sliould have a sujplue of tietet? left on hand, and thoreforc sci»^*|| 

it. mtU some others, to a worthy frieud in KeRvYoA to bo sold. Pc cndeavSOTeiJ|^ 

without success to effect a sale, and returned the whole to me, when they "cre o%fe>^ 

cd aeain and again, and when the evcningof the iBth of January ftn!>ed, I naift^r^ 

sniall surplus of tickets remaining, including the ofoiesaid half Vi4.t»";<?« «tli^'»' -I 

Tliese four hall cs were I'cpealedly, but unsuccestsfiJly, «ffeiti;d o^ Jlj.e d^, of the ^ 

dravi ine and during the evening a company of gentlemen wefc pi'o»8ingljS>tftTItcd - 

clinsc them at a reduced price, which they declined rlheconsciuei^,^ was - 



as 




di'aw will, ll.e said hulf ticket the half of One Hundred Jbousand. i-oM^'-^^^-^iiS^: 

Jliavi sold In my .usio.ncr:,, besides numerous J^'^, WsUjf f^''^'^ l'?3 ;5f , 

thercuC oia.iv of One Hundred and scleral of Rvc IKindred Dullars,«ii^ 1 tWia >4J 

ll.at sJveral'r. -peeluble prizes have been drawn iB 1<«<! HKJWC-Jj^g;^^^!^ 

«cre puirliascd clsenbcre. „ ., , „ . j%: " ^ "^ 

J cc.i.'i'aiiilalc \n\ fellow cilizcus of Vutehess County nnd i& ^^. 

. lurn ori-oud rorluu'c.aiiJ am vcr^frespcctTuUv, their Obe%nl&rv«nt«. ''^-■*?.; 



L^ ''.( r'^cniKI'lU'Sir. Jak- iP^O. ' V^ vyvtoaw ft. Jf.AKA^Aj^faiiAM.VAif-^ 




HISTORY OF POUGHKEEPSIE. 



101 



Grand Marshall 
Capt. Slater's. Company of Artillery 
Horse caparisoned in funeral dress 
The Reverend the Clergy 
Orator of the day, Rob't Wilkinson, Esq. 
Trustees of the Village 
Revolutionary Soldiers 
Military Officers 
Judges of the Courts 
Members of the Bar 
Sheriff of the County of Dutchess 
Magistrates of the Village 
The Board of Trade 
The Fire Companies 
The Benevolent Cordvvainers Socict\' 
Officers and Students of the Academy 
Citizens Generally 

Black crape to be worn on the left arm. The Bells 
of the \^illage will be tolled during the procession. 
The Trustees request masters of vessels and proprie- 
tors of public houses to have their colors hoisted half 
mast during the day." 

The Lottery in Poughkeepsie. 
Lafayette's visit was at the height of the lottery 
craze, which seems to have begun about 1820. In The 
Poiii;hkcc[^sic Journal for May 3rd, 1824, there are 
more than a column and a half of lottery advertise- 
ments, from G. P. Oakley, W. Cunningham, A. G. 
Storm & Co., and Conklin & Bowne. Before 1820 lot- 
tery ad\'ertisements were not conspicuous, though 
there was generally one in each of the local papers. 
Here is one of Storm & Wilson's announcements pub- 
lished in March, 181 1 : 

#25.000. 

UNION COLLEGE LOTTERY 

No. 2. 

Will commence its drawing in tlie cit> of New York on 

the fourth Tuesday in April ne.xt and will continue to draw 

Si.K Hundred Tickets per day till finished— The scheme of 

which contains 3 prizes of $25,000 one of $10,000 and one of 

$5,000, and many other valuahle prizes. Tickets, Halves, 

Quarters and Eighths, for sale in a variety of Nos by 

Stoum and Wilson. 

Lotteries were conducted for all sorts of causes. 
Churches and colleges were built from their proceeds, 
and the largest jirizes at the time of the Lafayette visit, 
or a little later, were in the Literature Lotteries for the 
benefits of the State schools and guaranteed by the 
State of New York. The early drawings seem to have 
been mostly on the '"Si.N; hundred tickets a day" plan, 
but later there were all sorts of plans and the big 
lotteries were often advertised to be "finished in a few 
minutes." Thus tlie "Washington Lodge Lotteries." 
under the "authority of the State of Rhode Island," 
advertised the "150 numbers binary combination and 
permutation — 28 ballots drawn." There were 22,350 



tickets at $2.20 each. The numbers drawn were com- 
bined 1st and 2nd, 2nd and ist, etc. In another Rhode 
Island lottery, with 19,600 tickets, only 6 ballots were 
drawn. 

George P. Oakley was the leading lottery agent 
in Poughkeepsie from 1823 to 1826, and when he sold 
out the business he had won the largest lottery prize 
ever taken in this neighborhood. He was earlier, as 
we have seen, in the milling a.nd freighting business 
with his father, Jesse Oakley, at the Upper Landing. 
In 1819 he failed and the mills went to the Middle Dis- 
trict Bank and were deeded' in 1821 to James Rey- 
nolds and Aaron Innis, who had previously been in the 
freighting business. The deed included a plaster mill 
and a grist mill on the north side of the stream, and 
mentions also a nail factory and a saw mill on the 
south side. Oakley was a man of too much ability to 
be kept down and was soon engaged in keeping a gen- 
eral store. His "Bulletin No. i," announcing the open- 
ing of his "Temple of Fortune" "opposite Potter s 
Book Store," is dated Aug. i, 1823, and the location 
was about on the corner of Libert\' Street, which had 
probably not long been opened. In this bulletin he 
states that two $20,000 prizes had recently been won 
in Poughkeepsie and that two similar ones had pre- 
ceded them. In his bulletin No. 10, dated Dec. 17th, 
1823, he gives the following list of "Some of the many 
prizes which have enriched our citizens, in the course 
of a few vears," as follows : 



I Prize drawn by Valentine Baker of 



$10,000 
3,000 



I " " " James Sands of 

I " " " the Fire Company & Messrs 

Angevine Elmore & Jay- 
cocks each one quarter of 1,000 
I " " " .\ company of Gentlemen in 

Poughkeepsie of which I 
was one 500 

I " " " A Gentleman of 500 

I " " " Cornelius Wiltsie and 

George Brinckerhoff of 5,000 

'/4 " " " The Messrs Ellirwre of loo.ooo 

I " " " Mr. Flagler of 1,000 

I " " " George P. Oakley of 1,000 

I " " " Gilbert Wilkinson 1,000 

I " " " -Abm P. Knapp and others of 500 

1 " " " Peter Everitt of 1,000 

34 " " " A. C. \\^arner of 20,000 

I " " " .\ number of Gentlemen in a 

package of 2nd class, of 20,000 
I " " " i\lartin Hoffman Jr. of 1.500 

.\nd last though not least Isaac Germond and 

Geo. P. ()akloy (selected by the latter) 10,000 

Evidently fortime came Oakley's way with some 
rapidity and a good share of it went to other Pough- 

'This deed (Lih. 63, p. 162) contains an interesting agree- 
ment as to water riglils on the Fallkill. 



102 



HISTORY OF POUGHKBEPSIE. 



keepsians. Oakley does not omit to mention the prizes 
sold or won by his competitors, who in addition to 
those already given included Isaac T. Doughty, Hayes 
& Adriance and Peter Everitt. Thus he tells us that 
W. Cunningham, whom he sometimes refers to as 
"Sir Walter,'' won half of a $10,000 prize, the rest 
of which he had sold to persons in the county. Decem- 
ber 28th, 1824, Oakley says: "One day last week I 
enjoyed the pleasure of paying to Miss Elizabeth 
\\'ard $8,500 and also $8,500 to Mr. Seneca Howland," 
both of the town of Washington. "These worthy 
persons are both single," he adds, "and had the good 
luck to purchase of me jointly." In readable qualities 
and cleverness Oakley's advertisements are models : 
"Who would pinch through life without being able to 
do one generous action, when with money enough and 
to spare he might give liberally to the oppressed 
Greeks, at the grand military ball which will be cele- 
brated in the city for their benefit on the anniversary 
of the battle of New Orleans." Again in January, 
1825, he begins a bulletin, "Any man who is fool 
enough to burn Lehigh Coal at the Commencement of 
the New Year instead of buying a ticket in this lot- 
tery.'' 

This is the first local reference to coal I have seen, 
and indicates that it .was a decided luxury. In fact, 
it was rather an interesting experiment than a luxury 
at this time, for many people found much difficulty in 
making it burn. The first Lehigh coal is said to have 
been much harder than most of the anthracite now in 
use and it could rarely be made to burn in a grate 
without keeping the blower up almost continuously. 
Coal was served to customers for a number of years 
in big lumps which had to be broken up with a ham- 
mer. Dr. Thomas was one Of the first men in Pough- 
keepsic to use it, and it was not generally of much 
service until after the Delaware and Hudson Canal had 
been opened and after stoves had been specially con- 
structed for burning it. David C. Foster was the first 
local dealer to make its sale a leading feature. 

The decline of the lottery craze, which reached such 
a point that it demoralized business and people, came 
about partly from the growth of public sentiment 
against it. but more from the opening of newer and 
larger fields of speculation with the organization of 
stock companies. Oakley's crowning achievement was 
the wimiing of a prize of $50,000 in partnership with 
Cjillx'rt \\'ilkinson, his brother-in-law, who, however, 
had brt a one-fourth interest in it. He thought it nec- 
essary' to explain their good luck in an elaborate circu- 
lar, a fac-simile of which is gi\en on l)age 100. 
He was not only a good advertiser, but was evidently a 
man of careful business methods, for all his lottery cir- 
culars were pasted in scrap books which have been 



saved. He seems to have continued in the lottery busi- 
ness until about 1826, and probably sold to Richard 
Pudney, who advertised "The Temple of Fortune" 
after that time. Oakley became County Treasurer and 
then cashier of the Poughkeepsie Bank at its organiza- 
tion in 1830. 

Party Changes — The Telegraph and the Dutch- 
ess Intelligencer. 

After the adoption of the constitution, which abol- 
ished most of the voting qualifications, as well as the 
Council of Revision^ and Council of Appointment, 
we find the Journal in 1824 favoring the next great 
step towards democracy, the proposition to allow the 
people to vote directly for presidential electors, 
which was not, however, carried in time to be available 
before the election of 1828. Parties were then much 
broken up and in a state of transition. As a result of 
the turmoil the Poughkeepsie members of the Re- 
publican party became dissatisfied with the Observer 
as an organ, bought an entirely new newspaper outfit 
and established the Republican Telegraph, placing 
William Sands and Isaac Piatt in charge, the latter be- 
ing but 21 years of age and having recently completed 
his apprenticeship in the office of the Journal. 

In one of his reminiscences, published many years 
later, Mr. Piatt said that most of his early education 
v>-as obtained in the printing office and in Paraclete 
Potter's book store. He had the privilege of reading 
many of the books in stock and was assisted in select- 
ing them by Horatio Potter, a nephew of the pro- 
prietor and clerk in the store, afterwards Bishop of 
N'ew York. Potter's book store was a great village 
institution, a sort of club where all those who were 
fond of literature and of discussion were wont to 
gather. 

The political committee which controlled the new 
paper was James Hooker, Leonard Maison, Abraham 
G. Storm, John S. Myers, Jacob Van Ness, Ebenezer 
Nye and Obadiah Titus. The first number was print- 
ed May 5th, 1824, "a few doors south of the Court 
House"." From the opening announcement we hear 
again the story, "For a considerable period and until 
within a few years past the old Federal party have 
had a majority in this county, which at every succes- 
sive election enabled them to return to the Legislature 
their members of Assembly," and alas, after two years 
of Republican success the county in 1823 had gone 
back to the Federalists or Clintonians again. Nor 
was the Republican Telegraph able to hold it. The 



lit is worlliy of note that in the Council of Revision 
which decided the fate of the act passed in 1816 for building 
the Erie Canal were three former Poughkeepsi.ms ; Chancellor 
Kent. Judge Smith Thompson and Judge Jonas Piatt. 



HISTORY OF POUGHKBBPSIB. 



103 



paper started with opposition to De Witt Clinton just 
when his removal from the canal commission aroused 
i:)ublic indignation to such an extent that he was again 
elected governor, while in the same year the party 
lost the support of the national administration through 
the election of John Quincy Adams to the presidency. 
General James Tallmadge was nominated and elected 
Lieutenant Governor at this time, and might have had 
the nomination for governor, according to Thurlow 
Weed,i if he had consented to denounce the removal 
of Clinton from the Canal Commission. That he con- 
sented to run on the ticket with Clinton shows the 
generally mixed-up condition of political affairs. 
Tallmadge then was a leader of the Tammany faction, 
and had strenuously opposed the Erie Canal and its 
chief advocate. The Poiii^^hkccpsic Telegraph sur- 
vived the succession of party disasters, but ceased to 
Ik' a party organ the next year and was sold to Charles 
P. Barnum, one of the proprietors of the Observer. 
The two papers were then combined and published as 
The Telegraph and Observer until 1828, when the 
name of the older paper was dropped. 

In the wreck of old parties the Journal, still 
published b\- Paraclete Potter, lost its moorings and 
drifted with the popular tide into support of Jackson 
for the Presidency in 1827, several months ahead of 
the Telegraph. Then early in 1828 another new pa- 
l)er. The Dutehess True American,'-' was started by 
I'eter K. Allen, who also shouted for the Hero of 
Xcw Orleans. Apparently everybody was for Jack- 
son, but there were a few Adams men left in old 
Dutchess and presently they got together a nondes- 
cript, second-hand outfit and established The Dutch- 
ess Intelligencer, which published its first number 
.\pril 30th, 1828. Charles F. Ames, a young man 
from Hudson, was hired as editor, with Frederick T. 
Parsons to look after the type setting. The opening 
editorial stated that "a great and absorbing question 
agitates the minds of the citizens of this vast Repub- 
lic * * * Who shall be our next president? 
John Quincy Adams or Andrew Jackson? the ac- 
complished civilian, the unrivalled statesman, the up- 
right man, and the unassuming Republican, or the 
\ ictorious, but sanguinary and remorseless soldier?" 
In another column of the same issue we read: "At 
the ne.xt annual election the citizens of this State will 
for the first time since the organization of the govern- 
ment, exercise the important privilege of choosing at 

lAutobiograpliy of Tlnrrlow Weed, p. 108. 

-I know of no copies of lliis paper in e.xistence, but it was 
discontinued after one year and moved to Ulster Couutx-, 
according to .1 liistorical sketcli of tlie Press of Poughkeepsie. 
written by Isaac Piatt for the J51I1 anniversary of the found- 
ing of the Eagle and published April 30tb, 1853. 



the Polls the Electors of President and Vice President 
of the United States." Ames soon retired from the 
editorial management of the Intelligencer and Parsons 
ran a few issues alone. Then the owners gave the 
plant to Isaac Piatt, Parsons remaining as a partner. 
Their announcement is in the issue of Aug. 20th. The 
paper now began to bristle with vigorous editorials, 
but Jackson's "hurrah campaign" carried the county 
in November by a large inajority. The Intelligencer 
ascribed his victory locally "to the political depravity 
and want of principle in a few leaders of both the old 
parties * * * -who formed an alliance for the 
sole and only purpose of bartering away the vote of 
this county to Gen. Jackson," and adds, "The demo- 
cratic party split in two nearly equal parts, leaving a 
small majority in favor of Mr. Adams. But the inove- 
ments of Messrs Potter & Co. [the Journal] carried 
a great majority of the federal part}' and federal in- 
fluence in favor of Jackson." 

Judge Sinith Thompson of Poughkeepsie was the 
nominee of the Administration or Adams party for 
governor in 1828, but was overwhelmed in the land- 
slide. He received 4,558 votes in Dutchess, and Mar- 
tin Van Buren, the "wizard of the Albany Regencw" 
received 3,257. This was the first election at which 
the Anti-Masonic party became an influence. Thur- 
low Weed in his Autobiography devotes several pages 
(303-307) to an effort to show that had Francis Gran- 
ger been noininated by the Adams men, instead of 
Judge Thompson, Van Buren might have been defeat- 
ed. Granger, however, ran for Lieut.-Governor along 
with Thompson. The feeling against the Free Masons 
was not yet a force in Dutchess Countw or in this part 
of the State, but was strong in some of the western 
counties. Mr. Weed states that after the nomination 
of Thompson he spent a day or two trying to recon- 
cile the Anti-Masons of the western section, and finding 
his efforts in vain came to Poughkeepsie to endeav- 
or to persuade Judge Thompson to withdraw in favor 
of Granger, so as to prevent the nomination of an Anti- 
Masonic ticket. He reached here by steamboat just 
as the committee that had notified Judge Thompson 
of his nomination was leaving. They had obtained 
the Judge's acceptance of the nomination with con- 
siderable difficulty, and when Mr. ^^^eed wanted them 
to go back with him to the Judge's residence and ask 
him to withdraw his acceptance they were naturally 
very reluctant, but at length consented, some of them 
for the express purpose of combatting Mr. \N''eed's ar- 
guments. The mission proved very embarrassing- for 
all, and the Judge, having once made up his mind to 
run, decided to stand by his decision. His vote in 
the State was 106,415, wiiile Van Buren had 136,78^, 



104 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEBPSIB 



and Solomon Southwick, the Anti-Masonic candidate, 
33,335. The combined Adams and Anti-Masonic votes 
would have elected the Adams candidate, but it is by 
no means certain that Granger or anyone else could 
have held them all. Southwick got only 113 votes in 
Dutchess. 

So discouraging was the outlook for the Intelli- 
gencer at the close of its first year, that Mr. Parsons 
declared he could not live on his share of the profits, 
and withdrew from the partnership, but was prevail- 
ed upon to remain as an employee at a salary of $7 
a week.i l!y 1830 the paper had nevertheless obtained 
a good patronage, and maintained it in spite of the 
fact that the factional differences of the times gave 
rise to two more papers, the Inquirer in 1829 — a suc- 
cessor to the True American — and the Dutchess Re- 
publican in July, 1 83 1, started by Thomas S. Ranney 
as an "Anti-Regency" paper, opposed to Martin Van 
Buren's control of the party in the State. The Anti- 
Masonic movement was sweeping over the State then, 
and as the Intelligencer refused to become its organ, 
after the election of 1830, the Inquirer was purchased 
and its name changed to The Anti-Mason. The feel- 
ing locally was strong enough to close up the old 
King Solomon's Lodge which Washington had visit- 
ed and Masonry was not revived in Poughkeepsie until 
1852. 

In 1833 ^lessrs. Piatt and Ranney united their pa- 
pers, beginning on the last Wednesday of April the 
publication of the Intelligencer and Republican, a title 
so awkward that the next }-ear it was changed to The 
Poughkeepsie Eagle. Meanwhile Jackson had carried 
the county in 1832 by a considerably reduced majority, 
and \''an Ruren carried it again in 1836 b\' a still 
smaller majorit)-. After that Dutchess County be- 
came doubtful territory, and so remained until after 
the formation of the Republican party, a few years be- 
fore the Civil War. In 1832 the Intelligencer called 
itself the organ of the National Republicans, but before 
1836, in common with other supporters of Henry Clay, 
it had taken the name of Whig and was referring to 
its opponents as Tories. 

The Telegraph continued for several years to call 
itself Republican and to refer to Clay's party as 
Federalists. Egbert B. Kille_\- and Aaron Low had 
been publishing this paper for a number of years, but 
in 1835 Mr. Low sold his interest to ISenson J. Los- 
sing, and this marks the entry of another notable 

1 Isaac Plall often used to tell t1iis story, as an illustration 
both of the (liffiailties of his early career and of the prevailin<>- 
rate of wages at that time. He received help and encourage- 
ment in his venture from the .Vdams committee: John H. 
Davis, Judge Edmund IT. Pendleton, Abraham G. Storm, 
.Alexander J. Coffin, Stephen Cleveland and Gen. John Brush. 



figure into Poughkeepsie journalism. Mr. Lossing had 
been before this a member of the firm of Henderson 
& Lossing, jewelers, advertising "Gold and Silver 
^Vatches," etc. When he began newspaper work he 
soon saw the value of illustrations and turned his 
skill as a jeweler to wood engraving. Always inter- 
ested in history and in general literature, Mr. Lossing 
revived the old Poughkeepsie Casket, wrote many 
articles for it and illustrated them himself. In 1838 
he was also engaged in editing and illustrating the 
Family Magazine of New York, and began writing 
historical articles, preserving the recollections of the 
old people about him of Colonial and Revolutionary 
events. His "Pictorial Field Book of the Revolution" 
made him the most popular historian of the day. 
Though never a very careful student of records or 
other original sources of accurate information, Mr. 
Lossing's books are always readable and served great- 
ly to stimulate interest in American history. Among 
his contemporaries in the jewelry business may be 
mentioned E. D. Morgan & Son, the son being William 



S. Morgan. 



Banks and Bankers. 



As early as 18 16 an effort had been made to pro- 
cure a charter for a Dutchess County Bank. Nov. 
15th of that year Nathaniel Ferris. Nathan Conklin, 
Jr., Albert Cook, Jacob Green and Benjamin Herrick 
met at Balding's Hotel and signed an application. 
Presumably the financial depression stopped this enter- 
prise, but there was at least one private bank in Pough- 
keepsie then or soon afterwards, known as the Ex- 
change Bank. A note payable "at my Exchange Bank," 
signed b\' Henry Davis and by Walter Cunningham 
cashier, Sept. 15, 1819. is still in existence. This 
bank was probably conducted at Davis's house, which 
has been rebuilt as the Fallkill National Bank. Cun- 
ningham afterwards became prominent in politics and 
it was largely through his influence' at Albany that a 
charter was obtained, April 12, 1825, for the Dutchess 
Count)- Bank. The capital authorized was $150,000, 
but when the books were opened, in May, the subscrip- 
tions^ were found to amount to $700,000, and in 1836 
the capital was increased to $600,000. The organiza- 
tion took place on July 12th, Henry Davis becoming 
the first president and Walter Cunningham the first 
cashier. ( )ther directors then chosen were James Tall- 
madge. John T. Schryver, Thomas L. Davies, James 
Grant, Jacob Shook. Gilbert Thorn, Caleb Barker. 
Solomon \' Frost, Matthew Vassar, Henry Conklin 
and James Hooker. 

lAutohingraidiy of Thnrlow Weed, p. 106. 
-Telegraph, May J5, 1825. 




Pouglikcepsic Bank Building, now tlic I'oiighkccpsic Trust Company, (sec Appendix) 
The addition to the right was recentlv built. 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEEPSIE. 



107 



The careers of Cunningham and Oakley were not 
the only ones that connect the lottery business with 
local banking. A. G. Storm, president of the Middle 
District Bank, Peter Everitt, chief stockholder of the 
same, James Grant, Jr., who became cashier of the 
Farmers and Manufacturers on its organization, and 
several other prominent bank officials had conducted 
"lottery and exchange" offices. They occupied appar- 
ently much the same position in the community that 
the leading brokers do to-day, and the transition from 
the lottery business to banking was not unnatural, for 
the lottery men nearly all advertised to deal in uncur- 
rent bank notes and became experts in discounts and 
in detecting counterfeits. A notable example was 
John Thompson, who first taught a private school in 
Mill Street, and then in 1828 advertised as a dealer in 
lottery tickets. He at length removed to New 
York, established "Thompson's Bank Note Re- 
porter,'' a most important publication for many 
>'ears, and became a leading organizer of several 
prominent banking institutions in the metropolis, in- 
cluding the First National Bank. He lived for a num- 
ber of years in the house still standing back of the 
West Shore station opposite Poughkeepsie, and was the 
father of the late Frederick Thompson, who has been 
so prominent a recent benefactor of Vassar and other 
colleges. 

The Middle District and Dutchess County banks 
were in business on the north side of Main Street, the 
former on the site of the Taylor Building, and the 
latter on the site of the present Merchants' National 
ISank. Between thcni, in 1828, was a "Plough and 
Stove Factory" conducted by Coffin & Schofield. The 
failure of the Middle District Bank, May 28th, 
1829, brought to light some interesting features 
of the banking methods of the day. George P. Oak- 
Icy, N. P. Tallmadge, Fctcr Everitt and Thomas L. 
Davies were appointed a committee to examine the 
bank; they found' that $275,000 of the capital of 
$500,000 was held by Peter Everitt on a note, and that 
he also owed the Kingston branch $61,000. He had 
been receiving six per cent dividends on the bank 
stock and paying five per cent, on the loan. Truly 
there were financiers in those days ! The bank had 
deposits of $21,885.95 in Poughkeepsie, $10,104.96 
in Kingston, and $140,967.00 notes in circulation. Its 
good resources were put down as $118,367.89 and 
doubtful resources at $i07,543-55- Its notes were 
freely taken at par as soon as the committee made its 
report, but afterwards went down to 75 cents on the 
dollar and perhaps lower. Up to March 17th, 1830, 



1 Dutchess Intelligencer, June 24tli, 1829. 



dividends of 62 1-2 per cent had been paid to note 
holders and depositors, and in 1833 all the remaining 
effects were advertised for sale, but items in the news- 
papers seem to indicate that the final settlement was 
much later. The State held $50,000 of the stock, 
fully paid in. Noteholders and depositors were paid 
almost in full. This was the only bank failure in the 
history of Poughkeepsie. 

In the same year, 1829, the Safety Fund Act, 
which made New York bank notes the best in the 
country, was passed, and in 1830 the Poughkeepsie 
Bank was organized with a capital of $100,000. The 
first directors, elected June 17th, were Thomas L. 
Davies, James Thompson, Albro Aikin, Thomas Taber 
2d, James Hooker, N. P. Tallmadge, Nathan Conklin, 
John Lockwood, Aaron Innis, Richard Pudney, Alex- 
ander J. Coffin, Matthew Vassar, and Gilbert Wilkin- 
son. Thomas L. Davies was chosen president. 

The Farmers and Manufacturers Bank, the second 
inder the Safety Fund Act, was organized as the 
result of a meeting held at Hatch's Hotel (The Pough- 
keepsie) May 23d, 1834, at which Homer Wheaton, 
Gideon P. Hewitt, James Grant, Jr., .\aron Innis, 
William Schell, Jacob Van Benthuysen and James 
Hooker were appointed to receive subscriptions. On 
the 19th of July the first board of directors, which 
included William A. Davies and Matthew Vassar, was 
elected ; James Hooker was made president and James 
Grant, Jr.. cashier. The old Myer Tavern, corner of 
Cannon and Market Streets, was purchased and torn 
down, and in February, 1835, the bank began business 
in its present building. Matthew Vassar had then 
become the president. 

The Savings Bank, chartered' April i6th, 1831. 
began bu.^iness in 1833 in the old Middle District 
Bank building. William Davies, James Emott. Fred- 
erick Barnard, Matthew Vassar, Teunis Van Kleeck, 
Thomas ^V. Tallmadge, Nehemiah Conklin, Griffin 
Williamson, Henry A. Livingston and Stephen Arm- 
strong were named as trustees. Col. Livingston- was 
the first president. 

iChapter 134, Laws of 1831. 

2C0I. Henry A. Livingston was a leading man in Pough- 
keepsie as already indicated. He was a son of Rev. John H. 
Livingston and a grandson of Henry Livingston, so long the 
colonial county clerk. He lived in the old Livingston man- 
sion (see p. 29) which went to him after the division of the 
property in i8oo._ He was not always popular, though many 
times elected to important offices, and in 1806 a blackmailing 
attempt was made against him, the record of which was pub- 
lished in the New York Sun in December, 1891, and was 
republished in the Poughkeepsie Eagle 241)1 Feb., 1905. Co' 
Livingston died June qth, 1849, 



108 



HISTORY OF POUGHKBEPSIE. 



The Improvement Party. 

George P. Oakle}' and Walter Cunningham began 
to invest their lottery winnings in real estate and local 
enterprises soon after 1830 and, with Nathaniel P. 
Tallmadge, became the leaders of the Improvement 
Party, which pla)'ed a very important part in the devel- 
opment of Poughkeepsie, though its operations cul- 
minated in a great real estate boom which collapsed 
and left nearly all its promoters penniless. N. P. 
Tallmadge, who has been already mentioned as a bank 
director, was perhaps the most important man of the 
period. He was a son of Joel Tallmadge, and was 
little or no relation to General James Tallmadge. He 
was a Member of Assembly in 1820, postmaster of the 
village in 1821 ; in 1827 became president of the vil- 
lage trustees; in 1830 State Senator, and in 1833 
United States Senator. 

The term "Improvement Party" seems to have 
been used in the newspapers of the time to designate 
those who favored pushing all sorts of municipal im- 




MATTHEW VASSAR. 
From a Dagutircotypc, pho/oiirap/ied by Mr. Hairy Booth. 

provemcnts, new streets, pavements, etc., but was 
afterwards applied to the promotors of the many 
enterprises of the day. At the charter election of 
1835 what was described as the "Moderate Improve- 
ment Party," whose candidates for village trustees 
were Isaac I. Balding, Nchemiah Sweet and David 
Boyd, ran against J. \'an llenthuvsen, Gideon P. 



Hewitt and Samuel B. Dutton of the "Ultra Improve- 
ment Party," with Matthew Vassar and Edward C. 
Southwick on both tickets. The "Moderates" elected 
Balding and the "Ultras" Van Benthuysen and 
Hewitt. Matthew Vassar was chosen president of 
the board. 

Much had been done to improve the streets before 
this time, the second cobblestone era beginning about 
1830. Isaac H. Ver Valin, who then lived on the 
southeast corner of Main and Academy Streets, Wil- 




The Vassar Street Brewery, Bridge Street front, from a 
draiving made by Henry Whinfield in /S;^y. 

Ham Thomas, Thomas Piatt and Leonard Davis peti- 
tioned for the paving of Academy Street between Main 
and Cannon, July 28th, 1830, about at the beginning of 
the movement. INIarket Street did not escape this time, 
and the pavement from Main to Church was ordered 
at a meeting of the trustees September 14th, 1831.' 
Not long afterwards the Main Street pavement was 
extended to the river and from Acadeni)' to Hamilton 
Street. Before 1837 all the principal streets had been 
cobbled, and excluding macadam, the area of pave- 
ment has not been greatly increased since. The old 
brick sidewalks, mostl}' discarded within the past 
twenty ^ears, date also from this period. May i8th, 
1831, the following paper was presented to the 
trustees : 

W'e. the undersigned owners of lots fronting on 
Main street in Poughkeepsie between the court house 
and the river do hereb}' engage to pave or flag the 
sidewalks before our said lots in such manner as the 
trustees of the village shall direct as witness our 
hands this third day of Nov., 1830. 



H. CONKUN, 

Wm. Turner, 
P. Potter, 
Marinus Pierce, 
J. M. Nelson. 



Wm. Davies, 
Stephen .-Xrmstrop^g, 
M. Vassar, 
A. Beakeslee, 



This was evidently before the village had begun 
to require paved sidewalks, while they were still a 



iFor list of signers on Market, Garden and Mill Streets 
sec Appendix. 



HISTORY OF POUGHKBBPSin. 



109 



matter of individual enterprise, and doubtless with 
many intervals of gravel and mud in front of the 
premises of the less enterprising. The first sidewalk 
order I have found is dated September 8th, 1831, and 
requires that "the Sidewalks in Main Street from 
Washington to Academy Street be pitched and Flaged 
with Brick in good and substantial manner — under the 
direction of the trustees — and that they cause a tax 
to be assessed. Levied and collected on the owners of 
the Lots for that purpose." Sidewalks were ordered on 
"Academy Street from Washington Street to Can- 
non,"! at the same time. The word "flag" evidently 
did not imply blue stone, but the records show that 
stone was occasionally used. The village was lifting 
itself out of the mud and preparing for the great pe- 
riod of expansion that was to come. The following 
petition presents a glimpse of the old life when Main 
Street, at least above Academy, was a residence street, 
at the beginning of the improvement period. 

TO THE TRUSTEES OF THE VIEEAGE OE POUGHKEEPSIE. 

The undersigned respectfully represents that the 
inhabitants of that section of Main Street which lies 
between the corner of Isaac H. Ver Valin and the 
corner of Hamilton and Main Streets have been sub- 
jected to greater expense in paving that section by 
reason of the increased width of the street than the 
inhabitants of any other section will be subjected to. 
That in the section named there are no crossings ex- 
cept at Ver Valin's corner. The undersigned respect- 
fully suggests that in said section there should be at 
least two crossings, one nearly opposite the pump at 
the easterly end of said section and one opposite the 
brick house occupied by Doctor Tapping. The reasons 
therefore are as follows : My family, the families 
living in the two houses West of me ire obliged to 
get their water at the pump mentioned, their yards 
being too rocky to admit of wells being dug therein. 
The families living in the houses on the corner of 
Hamilton and Cannon streets get all their water at 
the pump mentioned. The children of almost every 
family living on the south side of Main Street are 
sent to Dr. Tapping's school. These with other con- 
siderations of general convenience render it desirable 
that there should be crossways at the places mention- 
ed," etc. 

Leon'd Maison. 

Poughkeepsie, 20tli Julw 1831. 
The "Doctor Tapping" bore mentioned was a son 
of Dr. Peter Tappen, the Revolutionary leader, whose 
widow was still living in August, 1 824, when the town 
commissioners laid out Cramiell Street, "by and with 
the consent and approbation of Elizabeth Tappen, the 
proprietor of the land." The surxcy began from the 
corner of her house and the street was of course 
named for her father, Piartholomew Crannell, who had 

'So in origin.il. Probably means Main Street to Cannon. 



given the land to her husband so many years before. 
Catherine Street was surveyed from Theodoras Greg- 
ory s house (on the site of the Morgan House) in 
1831, and was extended through to Cx)ttage in 1834, 
when Mansion Street and many of the other streets 
north of Mill were laid out. It was named from 
Catherine Livingston, Gilbert Livingston's widow, 
who died in 1830. Dr. Tappen built some of the first 
houses on Mill Street above Catherine, including what 
is now called the Wimpleberg house. One of his 
daughters married James Bowne. Leonard Maison, 
signer of the petition, was a famous character, a very 
able lawyer and politician. 

The real estate projects with which the leading 
members of the Improvement Party were most closely 
associated were generally on the north side of Main 
Street, but during the boom farms were cut up into lots 



K' ■ 


1 ' 




■Mm '^QS^ 


A 


\k*^ ' '■^.^^. 


i 


i^^y 



GEORGE CORLIES. 

and sold at auction in all sections. Dr. John Barnes, 
Richard A. Varick, George Corlies and Caleb Barker 
put through one of the largest deals, when they pur- 
chased the Bronson French farm, extending from 
Montgomery Street to Holmes and from Hamilton to 
Market, with the exception of the section purchased 
by Christ Church in 1828. the greater portion of which 
was used as a burying' ground, where now the church 
it.self stands. On this farm they mapped' and staked 
out the extensions of Academy and Hamilton Streets, 
south of Montgomery, and laid out Carroll, South 



iMaps 74 and 84 County Clerk's Office. Barclay and 
I fohiics arc mapped tbrough to Marl<et. The Church proper- 
ly originallv extended to Hamilton, and the former rectory, 
corner Hamilton and Barclay, wa'^ built in 185,^ 



ilO 



HISTORY OF POUGHKBEPSIB. 



Liberty, Barclay, Franklin and Holmes. According 
to the late Henry D. Myers\ who did part of the sur- 
veying, the first day's sales at the auction of lots on 
this tract amounted to $8o,000, and lots on South Lib- 
erty Street (now Garfield Place) brought $25 a foot. 
George Corlies^ was the leading spirit in the develop- 
ment of this property, now one of the principal resi- 
dence sections of the city, and he is said to have been 
the first to plant shade trees along the streets. The 
farm next south of this was mapped not long after- 
wards and was advertised for sale in June, 1836, by 
Solomon V. Frost and George P. Oakley, as "the Eden 
Hills.'' "These hills," says the advertisement, "are 
raised on sixty acres of land, situate in the south part 



opened and are to this day mostly pasture land or 
meadow. Many of the maps of the period are on 
file and some others are to be found in collections. 
On a map made to advertise a sale at auction, Sept. 
14th, 1836, of land bounded by Cherry, Mansion, Main 
Streets and the Fall Kill, the line of White Street is 
run through a part of the kitchen wing of the old 
Everitt stone house, which was doubtless lopped ofif 
when the street was opened. Jas Bleecker & Sons 
were the leading auctioneers of the day. 

Until this period nearly all of the successful up- 
town business and professional men lived over their 
stores on Main Street, or not far away in Mill, Can- 
non or Market Streets, while persons engaged in 



PPUGHKEEPSIE WHALfNCl (COMPANY. -^ 



M is the proprietor of <irifxyiu »-. — <-~- — Sliares of 

g the Capital Stock pfihePooGHKEEPSUEWHiiiHG Company-, transferable 
^ on the hooks of the said Company, at -the office: of , the Treasurer by 
|5,^t»L(L,_Oj:_a^-.__attorney, on^surrender of tbjs certificate. ifft:£^£:A/i^\ 

9i ^icj / U^^^ite^ J^ ^,i.,jU^ df M-CU^ ll'-'^S) iJirCeJt^ "-^dVy^ Ot^/^ 'ivj \ 

wliaIL ^/La-^D -^ In Witness- whereof the seal of the said ! 
pi ^-r-. Company is hereunto affi.xed at Pougb- 

I ,.',-- '-^'"X . keepsie,the ^t^ day of <j?^,^^^ 

J-V • \ . 183.2/ 




„P*tOTo »-r O. ft. SKAMA". 



'^//^mW^lr^^^^A^^^*- 



% '^^^i^;^Treasnr^r. 



•x: 



■^^H 



Slock of the Foughkeepsie Whaling Company. 



of the village of Poughkeepsie, adjoining the Highland 
Turnpike, and the land lately sold by Mr. French to 
Mr. Barker and others, and the elegant mansion site 
of Mr. Holmes." Obadiah Holmes, from whom 
Holmes Street was named, owned the place which 
came into the possession of Hubert Van Wagenen in 
1839, and at his death in 1853 was sold to lienry L. 
Young. The house was probably built by Mr. Van 
Wagenen. 

This was well out into the country at that time, but 
still further in the woods were some of the tracts 
laid out on the north side. The map of Poughkeepsie 
published in 1837, shows a whole section of streets, 
Star. Willow, Morton, etc., that have never been 

iTalk with an Old Citizen.— Eagle July 30, 1884. 
2 For biographical sketch ^cc Appendix. 



the profitable river trade lived near the landings. 
With the real estate boom began a migration to more 
distinct residence sections, but the boomers did not 
think it probable that many people in business at 
the river would ever care to live up-town, hence 
they planned Delafield Street to be a street of hand- 
some residences, each to be placed at least fifty feet 
back with a fine lawn in front. In order to give value 
to this property they established their leading indus- 
tries in the neighborhood of the Upper Landing, al- 
ready an important centre. 

The Whai,ing Companies. 

The most important of the new enterprises of this 
period were the Whaling Companies. That great 
ships were sent to sea from Poughkeepsie for whale 



il2 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEEPSIB 



oil, in competition with such places as New Bedford, 
seems strange enough now, but Hudson, Newburgh, 
and other towns equally remote from the ocean, were 
doing the same thing. The Poughkeepsie Whaling 
Company^ was incorporated April 20th, 1832, "for the 
purpose of engaging in the whale fishery in the At- 
lantic and Pacific Oceans and elsewhere, and in the 
manufacture of oil and spermaceti candles." James 
Hooker, Matthew Vassar, Gilbert Brewster, Thomas 
ly. Davies, Paraclete Potter, Nathan Conklin, Alex- 
ander J. Coffin and Richard Pudney are named as 
organizers in the charter. James Hooker became 
president and Alexander Forbus treasurer. The 
Dutchess Whaling Company was incorporated a year 
later (April 30, 1833), by Nathaniel P. Tallmadge, 



mont on a four years cruise, during which the crew 
mutinied and killed their captain. The ship Siroc 
wrecked at Valparaiso, Chili, was fitted out in 1834 
and in the same year the ship Elbe was purchased. 
The Eagle of May 13th, 1835, says, "The whaling 
business made a worse beginning at this town than at 
any other place but is now looking up." The ship 
Siroc is mentioned as lying at Cape Town completely 
dismantled. The Poughkeepsie Whaling Co. then had 
two ships at sea and two in port refitting. Not long 
after this the company moved its headquarters to the 
Whale Dock, where the Dutchess Company was al- 
ready established. The late James F. Marble'^ came to 
Poughkeepsie in 1834 with others from New Bedford, 
Mass., to go into the employ of the Dutchess Whaling 




^^^ ^5>tjrvCr 



iu::/:i 



y^^^:Wpte4t,^^i5u*?-f<«--<i^ The Dutchess 



•*^ g I Jt'halirig Company /wm,:^, lo f,ay 







s 



I The Dfltcliess Ckrantjr Bank m ^eu^/^e/uu:. '^a&c ztaiva/. . In Ifiltwss vi&mi/ 1^ 



5f, 



tea-jazfrr of 



<1 




4^a,^f/!lti^Z5M/f3. 






Treasurer. 



-PKcrrp B» O. N. SKAMAN, 



Nolc of the Dutchess Whaling Company. 



Jacob Van Benthuysen, Walter Cunningham, Aaron 
funis, John Adriance, Peter P. Hayes, Caleb Barker, 
Abraham G. Storm, Paraclete Potter, George P. Oak- 
ley and John Green. Most of the numerous news- 
paper sketches of the old whaling business confuse 
these two companies hopelessly, and some do not 
mention the second and most successful company at 
all. 

The- Poughkeepsie Whaling Company began busi- 
ness^ between the foot of Main Street and the Vassar 
Brewery, which was not built, however, until three 
or four years later. This company, of which Captain 
Frederick Barnard, father of the late Justice Joseph 
F. Barnard was the fii^st agent, sent the barque Ver- 

iChapter 208, Laws of 1832 

-"Our First Shipyard.s.'' — Courier, 1886. 



Company, of which David S. Sherman was the local 
agent. The house built by Captain Sherman on 
North Water Street, near Whinfield, is still standing. 
Captain Barnard lived on the North Road until about 
1845, when he purchased the large house built by 
Walter Cunningham in Cannon Street, still known as 
the Barnard house. 

The Eagle of May 20th, 1835, says of the Dutch- 
ess Whale Dock:" "On Friday last the company's 
new store was raised. It is 50 x loo feet. * * * 
Upon this dock are also a cooper shop, thirty feet 
by fifty, two stories high and a large shed, with a 
rigging loft, attached to the ship yard of Messrs. 
Tooker & Hait. Other buildings, among which are a 
large candle factory and a shop for boat building will 

iSouvenir Eagle, p. 19. 




POUGHKREPSIK GI^ASS WORKS, 
On the site of llic Whale Dock. 

For account of organization of Company sec Cliapter XI and Appendix. The liltle building at 
the right in the picture icas the blacksmith shop of the Whaling Company. 



HISTORY Of POUGIIKBBPSIE. 



U: 



be put up as soon as possible. Both whaling com- 
panies are determined to have all the work of building, 
rigging and fitting out their ships done here, so that the 
town may have all the benefit of their patronage." 
The local papers by this time had certainly learned to 
print local news, and the same article states that the 
Dutchess Company was planning to build a new ship 
as soon as the "Newark" was ready for sea, and men- 
tions a large building on the corner of Mill and Dela- 
field Streets, "intended to be occupied as an extensive 
coach factory." The new ship planned was doubtless 
the "N. P. fallmadge," launched in 1836. 

The "New England," one of the Dutchess Com- 
pany's ships, was given some notoriety by mention 
in R. H. Dana's Two Years Before the Mast, pub- 
hshed in 1840 as a true record of a voyage in the brig 
"Pilgrim"' from Boston, and still a popular boys' book. 
Under date of Friday, Nov. 14, soon after the Pil- 
grim had rounded Cape Horn going westward, Dana 
writes : 

"At two p. m. we saw a sail on our larboard 
beam and at four we made it out to be a large ship 
steering our course, under single-reefed top-sails * 
* * He ran down for us, and answered our hail as 
the whale-ship New England of Poughkeepsie, one 
hundred and twenty days from New York * * ^s 
.Vbout half-past ten (the next day) their whale boat 
came alongside, and Captain Job Terry sprung on 
board, a man known in every port and by every 
vessel in the Pacific Ocean. * * * * His boat's 
crew were a pretty raw set, just out of the bush, and 
as the sailor's phrase is, 'hadn't got the hayseed out 
of their hair.' 

***** One of the lads who came in this 
boat, a thoroughly countryfied looking fellow, seemed 
to care very little about the vessel rigging or anything 
else, but went round looking at the live stock and 
leaned over the pigsty, and said he wished he was 
back again tending his father's pigs." 

As this narrative indicates, a considerable num- 
ber of Poughkeepsie and Dutchess County boys ship- 
ped for a voyage or two on the old whalers, and some 
of them went round the world. A very few survivors 
may still be found who can spin the old-time yarns 
about their cruises. The Dutchess Whaling Com- 
pany at one time had a fleet of six or seven ships, and 
the "Whale Dock" with its ship-yard, cooperages, re- 
pair shops, etc., was a \'ery busy, and a \'ery odorifer- 
ous neighborhood. < )f all the buildings only tin' old 
blacksmith shop, now a dwelling, remains. This is 
On the south side of Dutcliess .\ venue just east of the 
location of the old ship-yard. The glass works oc- 
cupy the site of most of the Whale Dock buildings. 
The end of the industry will be noted in the ne.xt chap- 



ter, but here are some statistics from U. S. govern- 
ment publications : 

WHArjNC. INDUSTRY OF POUGHKliEPSIE. 



'ear 


Number of 


Bbls. of 


Bbls. of 


IJw. of 




Ve,ssels 


Sperm Oil 


Whale Oil 


Bone 


1835 


I 


500 






1836 


I 


800 






1837 


2 


1300 






1839 


6 


? (2045) ? 




1840 


6 








1841 


7 


500 


200 




1842 


4 








1843 


3 


1770 


5700 


57000 


1844 


I 


700 


1600 


13000 



Other Industries. 

The other leading industrial establishment of the 
Improvement Party, the Poughkeepsie Silk Company, 
might have become a great establishment, if it had 
been launched at a more ausj5icious time. Incor- 
porated in 1835, its chief building, erected in that 
year, was long a centre of important manufacturing, 
and, as rebuilt after the fire of 1854, is still in use. 
The company constructed an elaborate plant for the 
day and even went into the culture of silk worms, 
growing mulberry trees on a tract of land near the 
junction of Delafield Street and the Post Road. It 
had not succeeded in obtaining much of a foothold in 
the industrial world when overtaken bj' the panic. 
Charles M. Pelton in 1837 rented the third floor of 
the building temporarily for the manufacture of car- 
pets, but it did not become the Pelton factory until 
1850. 

Other projects of the Improvement Partv were 
the "Dutchess Rail Road Company," the origin of 
the plan so long in abeyance for a railroad eastward, 
incorporated March 28th, 1832, with \\'illiam Davies, 
Henry Conklin, Paraclete Potter, arid Morgan Car- 
penter as organizing commissioners ; the Poughkeep- 
sie Locomotive Engine Company, started after the 
panic of '2,7, and described in the next chapter; the 
"Poughkeepsie Manufacturing Company," chartered 
April 25th, 1832, "for the purpose of manufacturing 
cotton and woolen goods and machinery," and the 
Poughkeepsie Screw Manufacturing Company, also 
described briefl\ in the next chapter. The Dutchess 
Mutual Insurance Comjiany was chartered April I2tli, 
1836, and its first board of directors was James 
Emott, James Mabbett, Alexander Forbus, Thomas 
Tabor, Abraham Bockee, Daniel D. Akin, Homer 
W'heaton, William H, Bostwick, J. T. Schryver, Steph- 
en Thorn, Silas Germond, John N. Ketcham. and 
James Mncent. It was perhaps not distinctly an 
Improvement Party enterprise, and has survived all 



116 



HISTORY OF POUGHKBEPSIB. 



vicissitudes and grown into a strong and important 
institution. Among other industries of this period 
were two iron foundries, one of which survives as the 
"Poughkeepsie Foundry and Machine Company" with 
a new plant on the north side of the city. It was 
established about 1831 on the site of the recently 
abandoned Main Street plant of the company, by 
Solomon V. Frost and Benjamin Vail. The Dutch- 



360 Main Street. By 1835 this was becoming a rather 
populous neighborhood for a tannery, and Mr. Bo3''d 
about that time purchased some property in the Red 
Mills neighborhood and established a large tannery 
there. He also for a time conducted a tannery on the 
the north-east corner of Hamilton and Main Streets. 
Soon after this the Southwicks established a store and 
depot for the purchase of hides at 370 Main Street, " 










^/.>/2'>f^y 



/'^?-^^=^ = =■ --i= — ==-— .///y/rcj /■ // //j: 











I-HOTO «T O "^ OJ-'AMAIV 




W-v. 



Slock of the l^oui^hkccpnc Silk Company. 



ess Foundry, east of Hamilton Street, was started still 
earlier, and continued in business until after 1880. 

As this was the period of cattle raising in Dutch- 
ess County the tanning business reached considerable 
importance. David Boyd opened a leather store in 
Main Street above Market (about 262) in 1821, and 
a few years later abandoned the old tannery on the 
corner of Washington Street and established one at 



where the leather business is still carried on by the 
same family. Mr. Boyd then, to meet this competition, 
built a small wooden building on the comer of South 
Clinton Street and placed his son, John G. Boyd, there 
to intercept the farmers as they came into town. This 
was soon abandoned, but the little building is still 
standing, having l,een moved to front Clinton Street. 
The Red Mills Tannery was conducted by John G. 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEEPSIE 



IIY 



Boyd and Abraham Wiltsie, then by Thomas Long- 
king, until the purchase of the property by Robert 
Sanford. One or two of the buildings, including the 
engine room and chimney are still there. 

The wool business also attained much importance 
during this period, and David Boyd dealt considerably 
in this staple as an adjunct of the tanning business. 
Conklin & Bowne were also large dealers in wool and 
built the brick warehouse which still bears the letters 
"wool'' in tlie rear of 311 Main Street. Under the 
heading of "Poughkeepsie Wool Market" the Bagle of 
June 24th, 1835, says : "The speculations in wool dur- 
ing the last week have been large and at good prices. 
We understand that at least 100,000 pounds have been 
sold at prices varying according to quality from 40 to 
85 cents a pound cash." 

It was during this period that Nathan Gifford 
started the cutting of dye woods in Poughkeepsie, af- 
terwards and for many years one of the most impor- 
tant industries of the place. Mr. Gififord had worked 
for Beria Swift at Mechanic (now Millbrook), who is 
said to have invented the first machinery for cutting 
d>c woods used in America, and came to Poughkeep- 
sie in 1816, to work as a machinist in the Reynolds & 
Innis mills. Reynolds & Innis dissolved partnership, 
probably before the dye wood business began, James 
Rcxnolds and his sons taking the ^freighting and 
grocery business, the last of which has now become 
one of the leading wholesale establishments on the 
river, while Aaron Innis retained the mills. At Mr. 
Innis's death in 1838 Howland R. Sherman, who had 
l)cen bookkeeper at the .-itorehouse on the dock, enter- 
ed into partnership with Nathan Gifford and the 
grinding of ilye-woods was made a specialty. The 
firm became Gifford, Sherman & Innis in 1847, when 
Mr. Innis's eldest son, George Innis, entered it. 

The Eka of Till-: Steamboat. 

During this period, 1815-1837, the river steamboat 
reached the highest point of its commercial usefulness, 
a fact whicii had much to do with the growth of 
Poughkeepsie. In 1825, with competition for the 
Fulton and Livingston Company, passenger fares had 
begun to conic down, and by 1834 a fare of $1.00 to 
,Vew York was advertised. March 30th, 1827, a 
Poughkeepsie Steamboat Company was incorporated 
by fames Tallmadge. Thomas J. <")akley, Peter Everitt, 
James Hooker, N. P. Talliuadge, William Davis, 
Sanuiel Pine, IIenr\' Conklin, .Aaron Iimis, Matthew 
N'assar, James Reynolds, John C. Van ^'■alkenburgh, 
Nathan Conklin. Jr., and Jt)hn Green, but apparently 
they did not carry out their plans, for in 1835 the 
iiaiiers were advocating the establishment of a local 



company, and at a village meeting held December 2nd 
Matthew Vassar, Peter P. Hayes, Henry Conklin, 
John Brush, Isaac Piatt, Gideon P. Hewitt and Elias 
Trivett were appointed a committee to see if they 
could not secure a line to the village. This mus: 
have been an effort for a fast passenger day line, for 
there were already at least four boats each week to 
New York towing barges and according to Gordon's 
Gazetteer two steamboats were principally owned in 
Dutchess County. Advertisements show that the 
steamboat Congress was towing the "tow-boat" (this 
was the old name for barge) Clinton from the Upper 
Landing, J. R. Gary & Co., every Wednesday after- 
ternoon ; the Union was towing the Hudson from the 
Union Landing, Vincent, Hayt & Co., every Friday 
U. Gregory & Co., who conducted the Lower Land- 
ing, were not advertising in 1835, in either the Baglc 
or the Telegraph, but in 1836 they announced a change 
of firm to Gregory, Hunt & Co., and also the 
sailings of the new and substantial barge "Poughkeep- 
sie." In 1836 G. I. Vincent & Co.^ advertised the "tow- 
boat" Union from Main Street Landing. The first 
mention I have seen of "Tow Boats" was in the Tele- 
graph, June 29th, 1825, when they were brought into 
use for passengers, who were thus carried "at such a 
safe distance as to be out of all danger should any 
accident happen to the boilers and free from the noise 
of the machinery." They were soon popular and were 
in use at most of the Poughkeepsie landings before 
1830. Back in 1831 Ver Valin, Adriance & Co.,- at 
the LTnion Landing advertised that they had bought 
the Steamboat Richmond, which would run to New 
^'ork every Wednesday for passengers and freight, 
and in 1837 G. Wilkinson & Co.^ at the Upper Land- 
ing announced the puchase of the steamboat Emerald, 
which would run to New York. 

The Newburgh and Albany Line was started in 
1835, and there was also a line from Hyde Park to 
New York, stopping at Poughkeepsie. Gordon men- 
tions a steamboat pl\'ing "twice a day from Povigh- 
keepsie to Newburgh." Regular lines of sloops were 
still holding a share of the business, and in 1835 the 
sloop Marian, Capt. Joseph Tice, of the "Troy and 
Poughkeepsie Line," ran from "Marinus Pierce's Lum- 
ber Yard, foot of Main Street, north side of Steam- 
boat Mouse," and the "Poughkeepsie and Albau}' 



'G. 1. Vincent, Thomas M. Vail, H. Conklin and Robert 
Marshall. 

-Isaac IT. Ver Valin, John .Adriance, Hiram H. Van Vliet, 
and David Ver Valin. — Dntchess Repnblican, Aug. -'4, 1831. 

^Geo. Wilkinson, Aaron Innis, James R. Carv and How- 
land R. Sherman. — Telegraph 1837. The personnel of these 
freij;hting hrms changed almost from year to year. 



lis 



HISTORY OF POUGHKBBPSIB. 



Line," packet sloop Index, Capt. Abraham Under- 
wood, from the Upper Landing. 

The strong rivalry between the various up-river 
steamboats that landed at Main Street is well shown 
b\' an article in the £0^/1? of April 22, 1835, under die 
head of : 

STEAMBOAT DEWITT CLINTON — A MEAN TRICK. 

It is universally admitted, we believe, that the 
steamboat DeWitt Clinton is one of the best night 
boats in the United States * * * We therefore 
deeply regret to find ourselves under the necessity of 
recording a very mean and unwarrantable trick, per- 
formed by the officers of this boat on the 12th inst. 
* * * There were on that evening three boats 
coming down the river ; the North America between 
two and three miles ahead of the others, and the 
Westchester just far enough ahead of the De Witt 
Clinton to reach the landing first. The two first boats 
made their regular landings, but about twenty pas- 
sengers waited to take the DeWitt Clinton, not doubt- 
ing that she would stop. To the surprise of every- 
body she sent her passengers ashore at the Upper 
dock with a small boat, and then dashed gallantly past 
giving the passengers who had waited for her an 
opportunity of witnessing her energetic movements, 
and reflecting at leisure on the pleasure of being 
left behind till the next night. 

As to the freighting business the steamboats and 
"tow boats" did in 1835, the following from the Eagle 
of Dec. 1 6th is interesting: "The amount of pork 
and other freight taken to New York by our tow 
boats for the past three week.s has been almost in- 
creditable. They have left four times each week and 
have carried upon an average nearly or quite three 
hundred tons of freight each. * * * Our streets 
have been constantly crowded with teams from all 
))arts of this county, with many from different parts 
of Columbia and Ulster Counties, and also some from 
Connecticut." There was a special cause for this 
rush, a.-; a cold snap had closed the river above Pough- 
keepsie, and that very day, according to the next 
week's Eagle, the thermometer began to go down until 
it reached 22 degrees below zero at the Academy on 
the 17th, "being the coldest weather ever known at this 
place since thermometers have been used except the 
famous cold Mondav of last \car, when it sunk to 
2y." 

This was a period of great development for the 
hotels everywhere, a by-product of tlie freighting busi- 
ness. The Exchange House at the foot of Main Street 
was built in 1834, and Capt. Warren Skinner, one of 
the earh' proprietors, is said to have made a fortune 
there. It was a popular summer resort for New 
Yorkers. About 1831 Theodoras Gregory bought the 
Kastcni Tldusc, corner of Main and Catherine Street.^, 



developing it from a small tavern to a good hotel, later 
to acquire fame as a temperance house. Isaac 
I. Balding's Northern Hotel, corner of Mill and Wash- 
ington, was also flourishing. Traveling ever3'where 
was greatly stimulated by the steamboat, but in winter 
the stage coach still held sway, even on the Post Road. 
"Owing to the bad travelling to the north," says the 



^^fB^ 




jSSSH^HH 


0- 4- 


1 


.^v^s^Sal 


f/i/*'. »** "i^aS* 


^' 


''"^■^^^^^^M 


Ik- ^^^^ 




iM^.iffi^^l^SM 


■f.-.*^^ 




^gJgfi^'it 


■ 




|[ 


g^j 



Northern Hotel, from photograph made about iSy^. 

Intelligencer of March 27th, 1833, "or to the attract- 
iveness of our village and the excellent hotels it con- 
tains, we have been favored for a few days with the 
presence of several gentlemen direct from Washing- 
ton. Among them were Hon. Silas Wright, John A. 
Collier, Gen. Root and Gen. Pitcher. They appeared 
in fine health and spirits, the recent campaign against 
nullification notwithstanding.'' 

There is ample testimony^ as to the growth of the 
village at this time. Gordon's Gasettecr (1836). be- 
fore quoted, says, "The increase of the village in the 
last six years has been 100 per cent," and adds : 

"Since 1831 more than $ioo,ooo have been ex- 
pended in opening, regulating and pavin»g streets ; over 
$25,000 in the construction of a reservoir, pipes, etc., 
for supplying the village with water for the extin- 
quishment of fires, and the following valuable im- 
provements have been made : 1000 feet of dock and 
bulkhead including the new shipyard and dock of the 
whaling companies (which alone have a water front 
of 450 feet) a new brick brewery near 200 feet long, 
a silk factory of brick 4 stories high, 36 x 100 feet, 
a new market and village hall at a cost of $20,000, 2 
Episcopal churches, a new Baptist church on the site 

lA little volume entitled "Lctter.s about the Hudson" 
(l<'recni;in, Hunt & Co., New York, 18,37), contains several 
letters from Pouglikeeijsie describing its advantages and its 
growth. 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEEPSIE. 



ir.i 



of the old one, a Roman Catholic Church, a second 
Presbyterian Church, a collegiate school yy x loo feet, 
a young ladies' seminary of large dimensions, two 
elegant banking houses, a new post office and raiige 
of offices attached, a new park or square highly orna- 
mented and stocked with deer, a splendid mansion 
house opposite and about 40 fashionable modern dwel- 
lings mostl}' of brick in the immediate vicinity. Four 
whaling ships have been built or fitted for sea, and 
the keel of another lately laid, besides numerous 
schooners sloops and tow boats. Within the last year 
upwards of 160 buildings have been erected, proper- 
t\- has risen greatly in value, and in 1835 there was 
not a single unoccupied tenement in the village." 

This quotation from Gordon indicates about the 
date of the erection of a new Christ Church (the 
old one torn down in i88c)), the building of the Con- 
gregational Church (first organized as a Second 
Presbyterian) and of the first Roman Catholic church 
in Poughkeepsie. Some of Gordon's items deserve 
more than passing notice. The "new market and vil- 
lage hall" mentioned was authorized at a village meet- 
ing in the spring of 1831. On May 24th the trustees 





& 


^ 




^n 



7/i,- nilaof Hall, //or.' ///<• City J lull. PliolOiirafylicJ in iSSo, 
u'licii llic irnr hiiihiiiig u\u iirclcd. 

\oted the payment of ^6.000 to Paraclete Potter and 
trilbert Prewslcr for the site, and on June 13th an 
additional piece of land was purchased of Benjamin 
Ilowland at a cost of $1,000 "for the purpose of 
sleighting the Market site and giving sufficient room 
for the fish market." The corporation borrowed 
$12,000 for the expenses of building and lot, and July 
uth ordered notices published for proposals "for 
building a public market qo feet long and thirty-six 
feet wide two stories Migh to be built of brick in a 
good and substantial manner and the upper part to 
be finished for public room.^." John ?>. Forbus, 
lames V>. Frear and .\. J. Coffin were the building 
committee, and in August Ihcy contracted with John 



G. Sturgis and Wm. Carey, who agreed to put up 
the building for $7,200. It was finished before win- 
ter, and remains serviceable, though considerable ad- 
ditions have recently been made in the rear to accom- 
modate the city police and public works departments. 
The use of the lower floor as a market continued un- 
til about the time of the war. 

The Ruservoir and the Big Fire of 1836. 

The establishment of the first central water supply, 
was not effected without a long struggle. A water 
company was incorporated in 183 1, but seems not to 
have done any work, and apparently its incorporators, 
Walter Cunningham, James Hooker, Gilbert Brews- 
etr, William Thomas and Alexander Forbus, did not 
oppose action by the village. The first definite action 
recorded was the resolution of March ist, 1833, 
passed by a "Meeting of the Trustees together with 
Freeholders and inhabitants" as follows: 

Resolved that the Trustees be Authorized and em- 
powered to purchase a Lot in their disgression for the 
purpose of erecting a cistern or fountain sufficient 
to supply the village with water from the Fallkill for 
the extinguishment of fires and leading the same over 
the village in pipes, if it shall be found expedient so to 
tlo and the following' gentlemen shall be a committee 
associated with the Trustees for the purpose of 
determining as to the E-xpediency. Viz : James 
Hooker, Walter Cunningham, Matthew A'^assar, Rich- 
ard D. Davis and Rufus Potter. 

The committee began to meet difficulties at the 
start, the most serious from the owners of mill 
privileges and water rights on the Fall Kill. Henrv 
Swift, one of the leading lawyers of the day. gave 
a formal opinion that the trustees had the right In 
take water from the creek, and John Brush g:ave a 
contrary opinion at a meeting held July 25th. There 
was also a remonstrance from James Reynolds. Aaron 
Tunis and other owners of mill privileges, and another 
from "Thomas Sweet, Jaines Emott and ninety-one 
other individuals" asking that action be deferred. The 
trustees, under the presidenc\- of George P. Oakle\ . 
nevertheless went ahead. .-Vt a special meeting .\ugust 
1st "it was resolved unanimously that the Trustees 
proceed to build the reser\-oir, and lav pipes from it 
to the Dutch Reformed Church." They had already 
chosen the Reservoir site on land purchased for St, 000 
of Captain Joseph Harris on the top of the hill since 
known as Cannon Street Hill. .-V meeting of the 
"Freeholders and Inhabitants" authorized an expendi- 
ture not to exceed $15,000. Then there was a law 
suit over water rights, but finally on ^^lav iQth, 18^4. 
it is recorded that "Captain Harris delivered the deed 
to the vilkige for Reser\-oir lots" and the Eai'lc of 



120 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEEPSIB 



November 4th, 1835, rejoiced that the reservoir had at 
last beeen completed at a cost of $30,000, and con- 
troversies settled. It was to be nsed only for extin- 
guishing fires. 

The severe drought of that fall prevented it from 
getting any water until after the middle of December, 
and it was temporarily out of water again, undergoing 
repairs, on the memorable night of Thursday, May 
I2th, 1836, when "Poughkeepsie was visited by the 
most extensive fire that has ever been known in this 
place," words still true to-day. From the brick build- 
ing now occupied by Charles L. Dates it burned all 
buildings on the south side of Main Street to Acad- 
emy. When the fire broke out at 11.30 in the shop 
of Messrs. Gorman & Nelson, cabinet makers, there 
was a strong south wind blowing and the flames 
spread very rapidly. Sparks set fire to the roofs of 
several houses on the north side of the street "being 
all of wood and dry as tinder." The destruction of 
all the northern pa'rt of the village seemed inevitable, 
but, "At this critical and frightful juncture, (the forc- 
ing pump for supplying the reservoir having been 
put in operation almost as soon as the fire appeared) 
an abundant supply came down from the reservoir, 
and most fortunately at this time also the wind sub- 
sided to a calm." By truly heroic efforts the firemen 
and citizens put out the fires on the north side of the 
street and managed to confine the destruction on the 
south side to the frame buildings. Meantime people 
had moved out their goods and furniture from most 
of the buildings between Garden and Catherine streets, 
and from some much further away. Even Primrose 
Green (Brookside) the new residence of George P. 
Oakley, "half a mile away,'' was considered in danger 
at one time. The loss was given as $50,000 and the 
buildings burned belonged to David B. Lent, Henry 
Flagler, Leonard Maison, Wm. T. Livingston, N. G. 
Cairnes, Mrs. Leonard Davis and the estate of Charles 
Warner. They were occupied by the stores of J. A. 
Wendover, Wm. Frost and Henry Powell, the Cold- 
stream tobacco factory, Llaggadorn's shoe store. Lent 
& Bogardus's saddle and harness stores, Harvey's 
Confectionery, Miss Pell's millinery, Flagler & Ad- 
riance's grocery and several minor establishments. 

The Fire Departme.xt. 

This fire occurred just before the annual village 
election, of May T7th, at which a resolution was 
passed to establish fire limits — "the lots on both sides 
of the streets now paved" — within which "all build- 
ings hereafter to be erected shall be required to have 
their outer walls constructed of brick or stone and 
their roofs of Slate, Tile or Metal." The following 



appropriations were carried at this election, the last, 
by the way, which was held in May, later village elec- 
tions occurring in March : 

For the Village Watch $2,000 00 

New Engine and for a Engine & Hook & 

Ladder house on the Market Ground . . 2,500 00 
For a new Engine House near the Booth 

Pond 300 00 

For a lot on which to erect the same 200 00 

For a Hose house near Academy & Main 

Street 200 00 

For contingent expenses 3,000 00 

For a new Hay Scales on Market Ground . . 200 00 

The fire department was already pretty well de- 
veloped, with three engine companies, two hose com- 
panies and a hook and ladder company. The hose 
companies appear to have been organized soon after 
the completion of the reservoir and hydrants on Main 
Street in 1835, the first mention of Hose Co. No. i 
being the appointment of Israel P. Hall as foreman, 
March Sth. Eli Jennings was commissioned as fore- 
man of "Engine Co. No. 5," at the trustees meeting 
of May 29th, but this company was organized as 
Hose Co. No. 2, afterwards known as Howard Hose. 
The organization of Engine Co. No. 4^ was authorized 
at the same time, but was not carried out until after the 
appropriations voted at the next annual meeting, 
quoted above, and is recorded in the minutes of Nov. 
3d, 1836. The hook and ladder house erected on the 
Market ground as a result of the 1836 vote was prob- 
ably the old Phoenix house^. The village minutes do 
not seem to show the date of the formal organization 
of the hook and ladder men into a company. There 
was a foreman of "Hooks" as early as 181 1, and the 
village, October 17th, 1831, paid Paraclete Potter 
$67.50 for rent of a lot for Hook and Ladder House, 
but the ladders seem to have been carried to fires by 
the members up to March 25th, 1836 when the chief 
engineer was authorized to purchase a "Hook and Lad- 
der Carriage," and 1836 appears to be the first cer- 
tain date of "Hook & Ladder Co. No. i" in the reg- 
ister of firemen's certificates. The name "Davy Crock- 
ett" was probably given in 1838, when it was first 
painted on the truck. On March 30th, 1837, the 
trustees of the village "Resolved that another Hook 
& Ladder Company to be called Hook & Ladder Co. 
No. 2, be established and the following persons be 
commissioned as Firemen to be attached to said com- 
pany." The list is missing from the records. 

There are occasional reports in the papers of this 
period of the visits of firemen from other towns, but 

'For list of cliarlcr members of No, 4, .see Appendi-K. 
2Tliis buildiiiR w;is IntiU in 1837, according to a com- 
miltce report made April ji, 18^1. 



HISTORY OF POUGHKBBPSin. 



121 



I have seen none in which the home companies were 
given names. 

Churches and Schools. 

The building of the new churches mentioned by 
Gordon indicates that the growth of the village had 
brought in a share of the foreign immigration then 
coming to America. The two Episcopal churches 
indicate the coming of Englishmen, and the arrival 
of North of Ireland immigrants and occasional Scotch- 
men doubtless helped to bring the Presbyterian 
strength up to a point where a permanent organiza- 
tion, a building and a settled pastorate were possible. 
As we have seen, the Presbj'terians were very early on 
the ground, but were not able to build a church. Some 
of them doubtless entered the Dutch Church' after the 




0/d Christ Church, erected 1S33. Torn down to make rociii 
for the Armory, iSSg. 

use of the Dutch language had been abandoned, but 
they again formed an organization in 1817, and in 
1821, acquired the little burying ground on Main 
Street, east of the junction of Church. This, I be- 
lieve, was the old Lewis famil)' burying ground. One 
of the headstones indicates that the first Leonard 
Lewis, who died in 1730, was buried there. For a time 
services were held in the Lancaster School building, but 
in September, 1826, thc\' purchased of Dr. William 
Thomas the Cannon Street lot next west of the Du^ch- 
lA recent letter from Mr. Henry J. Rnggles, who lived 
as a boy in the Ruggles (afterwards Hooker) house on Mar- 
ket Street, until his family moved away ni tRj4, says: "I 
do not remember any Dutch Church, so called, in Pough- 
keepsie. But possibly the Presbyterian Church was a Dutch 
Reformed. Of this a Dr. Cuyler was pastor. It was situated 
on Main Street on llie south side some little distance west- 
ward from the Court House." 



ess County Academy. There were then eighteen mem- 
bers' and Joseph Allen, David Hibbard, William Wil- 
liams, and Marquis de LaFayette Phillips were chosen 
as ruling elders. The trustees were George B. Evert- 
son, Nehemiah Conklin, David B. Lent, Joseph Allen, 
John S. Meyers, M. D. L. F. Phillips, John B. Swart- 
wout, Samuel Lee and John Beckwith. The building 
was dedicated on December 19th and the next day Rev. 
Alonzo Welton was installed the first pastor. In 1827 
the trustees bought of David B. Lent the lot on Church 
Street, in the rear of the Church, and there built the 
first parsonage, which is still standing. 




Presbyterian Church, on the site of the Y. W. C. A. Building. 

At the time the church was built the controversy 
that in 1837 divided the denomination into "New 
School" and "Old School," was raging, and, findin;; 
his congregation much divided, Mr. \\'elton left in 
1831. After an absence of four years he returned 
and organized a Second Presb3'terian Church, to 
which seventy-one persons were dismissed from the 
first church. Mr. Welton is said to have been a "New 
School" man, but his church had disbanded before the 
actual division of the denomination, and when that 
division took place the older organization became and 
remained "New School." Probably his following was 
largely personal. In June, 1835, the Second Presby- 
terian Church asked the parent congregation to give 
it the old \^an Kleeck burial lot, on the west side 
of Vassar Street — a lot which had come into the 
hands of the Presbyterians — as a site for a church 
edifice, but the trustees found that they had no legal 
power to do this, and the seceders thereupon obtained 
property on the corner of Mill Street and Vassar, and 
erected the building which still stands, now a Jewish 
Sj'nagogue. Being few in numbers and heavily in 
debt Rev. Jedediah Burchard, a noted evangelist, was 
engaged to hold a revival, which was notable not onlv 
as adding more than two hundred members to the 
new church, but because it stirred up a controversy 

•Sketcli of Presbyterian Church history, compiled by Mr, 
James B. l^latt, in Year Book for igoo. 



123 



HISTORY OF POUGHKBBPSIB. 



which created much feeling and called forth a pam- 
phlet from John Thompson, then a young lawyer, 
afterwards one of the leading lawyers in Poughkeep- 
sie and an elder in the Presbyterian Church, on 
"Burchardism vs. Christianity." The new church went 
to pieces in the panic of '37, and had to give up its 
building, but in July of that year many of its mem- 
bers organized as a Congregational Church^ called 
Rev. Almon Underwood as their pastor, and the 
next year were strong enough to repurchase the edi- 
fice. 

Roman Catholics were comparatively few in 
Poughkeepsie until the days of railroad building, but 
the abundance of work provided by the operations of 
the Improvement Party had brought enough of them 
by 1832 or 1833 to warrant an occasional efifort to get 
them together by mission priests sent out from New 
York. The first mass was said, according to the best 
obtainable information, in the old Van Kleeck house 
on Mill Street, about this time. It was occupied then 
by George Belton, who with his brother, William, 
came from Ireland in 1831, and settled here the same 
vear. The first church, where the present St. Peter's 
is located, was erected about 1837 on a lot conveyed 
by "John Delafield of the city of New York," one of 
the 'men who furnished capital for the Improvement 
Party, "to the Right Reverend John DuBois-, Catholic 
llishop of New York." There is no definite record of 
names of the first priests in charge. 

It was during this period that the Dutch Church, 
under the able pastorate of Rev. Cornelius C. Cuyler 
(1809-1833) built its third building, the first on the 
present site (1822) and again entered upon the policy 
of disposing of its surplus Main Street land by long 
leases, the previous controversy having been settled. 
These were made before the real estate boom had 
gained headway, but nevertheless at a time when the 
town was rapidly growing. Three lots on the north 
side of Main Street, where the second church 
had stood, were first leased to Henry D. Myers, 
but the principal lease was made May ist, 1830, to 
Gilbert Brewster for a term of 100 years at an annual 
rental of $550. The lot so conve^-ed had a frontage 
of 62 feet on Main Street and 61 feet 10 inches on 
Market Street. The church authorities agreed to re- 
move the buildings (small frame afi^airs) on the prop- 
erty and "to dig up and remove the corpses in 
the premises." Here was erected the "Brewster 
Block," long considered the finest business block in 
town, and still an important building. Of equal date 
and term with this lease to Brewster were leases 

iDaily Eagle, July 27, 1895. The information came from 
the late Jame.s H. Dudley, who was one of the organizers. 
-Daily Eagle, July 6, 1895. 



for Main Street frontages of eighteen feet to John 
B. Forbus, eighteen "feet to Griffin Williamson, eigh- 
teen feet to Stephen Frost and Townsend E. Gidley, 
each at an annual rental of $108; of 21 feet 8 inches to 
John Caswell at $129 and of 4 feet at $20 to James 
B. Freer, whose lot formed the eastern boundary of 
the church property. Thomas W. Tallmadge had 
previousl}' leased a lot between the last two. These 
lots are about 92 feet deep. The lessees agreed to 
erect substantial brick buildings of uniform height 
and appearance. For the church those who signed the 
agreements were "Cor. C. Cuyler, Minister, J. E. Van 
Valkenburgh, David Ver Valin, Sidney M. Livingston, 
Amos T. DeGroflf, Abraham Overbaugh, Isaac Roose- 
velt, Robert Forrest, Law I. V. Kleeck, Peter A. 
Schryver and Charles W. Tallmadge." The leasing 
of the property, and especially the removal of the 
"corpses" caused a heated controversy, remembered by 
some persons still living. 

The Friends, in 1820, had abandoned their old meet- 
ing house on Clover Street and erected a new one 
on the rear of a Washington Street lot^ purchased of 
Samuel Pine in the name of John Green and Caleb 
Barker. The town assessment book of the year 1818 
gives a list of Quakers taxed $4 each, as follows: 
James Downing, Silas Downing, Zebulon Haight, 
Joseph Howland, Peleg Howland, Henry Kelly, Jno. 
Lockwood, Caleb Powell, Henry Powell, Edward 
Southwick, Robert B. Southwick, Jos. Thorne, Jr. 
William White. What the occasion of the special 
tax was I have not found out, but it was probably 
something in connection with military service, and 
certainly did not include all the Quakers in the neigh- 
borhood. After the separation of the Hicksite and 
Orthodox Friends, the latter were strong enough in 
1829 to purchase a lot on Mill Street, not far above 
Garden on the north side, and there built a meeting 
house, which is now a dwelling on Conklin Street. 
The Hicksites when Lafayette Place was opened in 
1841 traded their Washington Street frontage and 
turned their meeting house around to face the new 
street. It was altered into a double dwelling house in 
1894. when the present meeting house was built ad- 
joining. 

Shortly after the Quakers had built on Washing- 
ton Street the Methodists^ followed, and in 1826 Josi- 
ah Williams purchased for $650 the lot where East- 
man College now stands, and the new church there 
was dedicated December 27th of that year. The 
Methodists at that time had but 182 members and 
were $900 in debt on the old Jefferson Street building, 

'Daily Eagle, July 13, 1895. 
2Vincent's "Methodism in Poughkeepsie,'' p. 18. 



HISTORY OF P O U G H K E E P S 1 E. 



123 



but by 1837 they had increased to 616 and were talk- 
ing of organizing a second congregation. 

St. Paul's Church was part of the plan to build 
up the neighborhood around Mansion Square. It was 
organized in August, 1835, at a meeting of the boom- 
ers held at the Mansion House, a new hotel" (now the 
home of the Jewett family) and was built in the pre- 
vailing Grecian Doric style in 1837 on land donated 
by Walter Cunningham, Geo. P. Oakley and Para- 
clete Potter. Part of the funds were subscribed by 
the real estate owners, but Trinity Church, of New 
York, added $5,000. The first rector was Rev. F. W. 
Hatch, called from Washington, and the vestry was 
as follows : John Delafield and George P. Oakley, 
wardens ; Elias Trivett, N. P. Tallmadge, Charles H. 
Ruggles, Paraclete Potter, James Grant, Jr., A. S. 
Hatch, Hiram \^eltman and Samuel Dutton. 




College Hill School Building. 

As they built churches so also the Improvement 
Party, built schools, and it was due to their energy 
and wisdom that Poughkeepsie academies and semi- 
naries attained something like preeminence in the 
state, attracting pupils from all parts of the country. 
The crowning achievement was the purchase and im- 
provement of a commanding elevation, north of the 
village, and the erection of that famous imitation of 
the Parthenon, so long known as College Hill School. 
This property had been improved early in the cen- 
tury- by Thomas Fenner, who is said to have built the 
fine house at the foot of the hill — the house now known 
as the Morgan Homestead — and also the road to the 
summit of the hill. His land extended all the way to 
the Dutchess Turnpike, and it was from his executors 



iWashington Davids, grandfather of the present city edi- 
tor of the Eagle, was one of the first proprietors. After a 
few years as a hotel the building was long used as a Quaker 
school. 



that David B. Lent purchased his Smith Street prop- 
erty. Fenner died in 1815, and Levi McKeen occu- 
pied the place for several years. In 1834, when Henry 
Whinfield made his map of the village, the house on 
Oakley Street and the hill were in the possession of C. 
P. Adriance, and the hill is marked "Adriance's Hill." 
It had already obtained some renown as a sightly loca- 
tion when the Improvement Party purchased it. 

The Collegiate School was incorporated in 1835 by 
N. P. Tallmadge, George P. Oakley, John Delafield, 
Peter P. Hayes, Walter Cunningham, Paraclete Pot- 
ter, Stephen Hendrickson, Gideon P. Hewitt, Elias 
Trivett, Gamaliel Gay and Jacob Van Benthuysen. 
Charles Bartlett, who had been conducting a school 
at Fishkill Landing, became its principal in 1836, when 
it was opened. 

The Poughkeepise Female Seminary was incor- 
porated in 1834 by almost the same men except that 
James Bowne, Henry Conklin and Stephen B. Trow- 
bridge appear among them. This compan\- purchased 
of Henry A. Livin'gton two lots on the north side 
of Mill Street, each 33 feet wide, June 9th, 1835, and 
in 1836 purchased an additional piece of land ex- 
tending to the Fall Kill (Lib. 57, p. 171 and Lib. 58, 
]i. 41). There is no mention of Garden Street in 
these deeds and the property evidently did not include 
the old Levi McKeen house, Cottage Hill, which was 
afterwards called the "Seminary," and had been used 
as a school, before this time. .Apparently this incor- 
porated Female Seminary was merged- with the Fe- 
male Academy which built the large school building 
in Cannon Street (now the W. C. T. U. building), 
and opened in May, 1836, with Miss Arabella Bos- 
worth as the first principal. Miss Bosworth was a 
teacher of high reputation and had conducted success- 
ful girls' schools in several locations about the village, 
one of which was the old Dutchess Hotel building, 
corner of Mechanic and Cannon Streets. In 1838 
Mrs. Isabella Holt was principal of the Female Acad- 
emy, which advertised board and tuition in English 
and Latin for a term of 22 weeks at $73. "Mons. 
-Aweng" was the teacher of French, and continued an 
active teacher until almost the time of his death a 
few years ago. 

Mrs. Ccjngdon's Seminary was advertised in 1833. 
and Miss Lydia Booth's Female Seminary^ must have 
started not long afterwards in the Cottage Hill build- 
ing. Miss Booth was a step niece of Matthew Vassar, 
and in "Vassar College and Its Founder" (p. 59). Mr. 
Lossing says the Cottage Hill building had once "ac- 
quired no little fame as the shelter of the exiled 



iThe first of Miss Booth's advertisements I have seen was 
in 1S38, She issued her "14th semi-annual circular" in 1S43 



124 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEEPSIE. 



Bourbon of the Orleans line, Louis Phillippe, after- 
wards king of France, who was accompanied by Prince 
Talleyrand." I know of no evidence in support of 
this statement, but in later years Mr. Lossing lived in 
the house next south of Cottage Hill on Garden Street, 
and he may have had information not now accessible 
about its early history. 

One of the most important school improvements 
of this period was the building of a new Dutchess 
County Academy on the corner of Hamilton and 
Montgomery Streets, a location then pretty well out- 
side of the village. The old building was sold in 



Most of the important buildings mentioned in this 
chapter can readily be identified in the excellent pic- 
ture of Poughkeepsie in 1836, on the opposite page. 
The large house in the foreground is still standing, 
on the corner of North Clinton and Oakley Streets, 
though much changed in appearance by the loss of 
its Grecian columns and the addition of verandas. 
It was for a long time the home of David Arnold. 
At the left is Mansion Square, with the Mansion 
House (now the Jewett House), the large building 
on the southwest corner of Clinton Street and Man- 
sion Square, and the old Thomas L. Davies house. 



THE POTJOHTOBEPSXE! OOIjXiIHJIA'rB SCHOOL, lncorporatdaMay*26,T 
1000 shares of 100 dollars each, jnaMiis 100,000 dollarajcjiiMi^ , 



:,tsth 




Stto U to cef fiHf f p that 

pqi^Jhesian ind^sed ^ .„ «.> 

M^-ra ordered by the mard of Trustees,, transferable OTp,y on. the books of 
this'Cqrporalion, at the office of the Treasurer, by fU^li/^ or /Lc^ 
aMor%ey, on surrender of this certificate. 

aSJ WaaSjaSS WSaSJaOS? "»« ^eal of this corporation, 
aTid the signatures of its President and Treasurer are 

,$^aay If £iAnjLy isaj/ 

> . *^., President: ' 

J. . 

Treasurer.' ■ 




hereunto affixed the 



Stock of the Poughkeepsie Collegiate School. 



1837 to John Forbus and was removed from the street 
to which it gave its name to the corner of Thompson 
and North Clinton Streets, where it still stands. One 
of the last principals in the old building was Eliphaz 
Fay, who in 1835 went to the New Paltz Academy 
for a time, then entered the ministry, and finally re- 
turned to Poughkeepsie to conduct a private school 
still well remembered by older residents. He died in 
1854. William Jenny was the first principal of the 
new Academy, and at that time there were one hun- 
dred and twelve pupils. Many ])crsons of prominence 
were educated in the Academy. 



conspicuous. St. Paul's Church was not yet built, but 
a little further west is the Matthew J. Myers house, 
in 1836, and for several years later the home of Gid- 
eon P. Hewitt. More in the background are 
the Dutchess County Acadeni)', the Presbyterian 
Church, Christ Church, the Female Academy, the 
Court House, and the Dutch Church. The little 
church almost at the extreme right is probably the 
old St. Peter's. The picture presents in the fore- 
ground the chief neighborhood which the Improve- 
ment Party was booming, with the newest buildings 
particularly prominent. Mansion Square was evi- 



126 



HISTORY OF P OU G H KEEP S I B 



dently not yet inclosed and it is very doubtful if Gor- 
don ever had any warrant for his statement that it 
was "stocked with deer." (See p. 119). It is also 
•difficult to pick out the "40 fashionable modern dwell- 
ings mostly of brick in the immediate vicinity'." The 
exaggeration usual at a time of real estate booming 
was doubtless to be expected. 

The Real Estate Boom. 

A few words in closing this chapter should be 
said about the culminating speculation of the period. 
The boom was well started in Poughkeepsie by 1835. 
The Eagle of May 27th, says: 

"As an instance of the rise in real estate in this 
village, we will mention that two lots in the northern 
section, which last year were sold for $3.75 per foot, 
again changed hands last week and brought $20 per 
foot." 

Truly a fair profit ! Who would buy lottery tickets 
or speculate in stock exchange securities, with so 
good a chance to get rich right under his nose at 
home ! The Eagle of Oct. 28th, describes one of the 
big sales as follows : 

The public sale of village lots by Geo. P. Oakley, 
Esq. on Thursday last, went off with Spirit and activ- 
ity which many did not expect. Every lot advertised 
— sixty-nine in number — was sold and at a fair price, 
ranging from $12 to 75 cents a foot, the lots seilmg 
lowest being situated on low ground and on the mar- 
gin of the red mill pond. The total amount of the 
sales was $11,750,77. We understand that upon these 
sales Mr. Oakley realized an advance of more than 
$6,000." 

It was natural in the midst of such a boom that 
the census of 1835 should prove unsatisfactory, and 
fail to show as many people as the improvement party 
hoped. The local papers complained vigorously and 
even refused, to print the figures — 6,281, according to 
Williams's American Register (1836) compared with 
5,023 in 1830. The enumerator must nevertheless 
have counted most of the boarding school girls, for 
there was a large excess of females, and Freeman 
Hunt', in a letter dated Sept. 25th, says : 

"If you have an}' 3'oung men in your goodly city 
in want of wives, and good ones I have no doubt — 
some of the fair are certainly very beautiful — I advise 
you to send them on forthwith to the care of our 
gallant young friend of the Poughkeepsie Hotel, (A. 
S. Hatch), as there are in the village, according to the 
census just completed, one thousand one hundred and 
thirteen unmarried young ladies, ready doubtless, to 
enter into the blissful state of matrimony." 

Apparently the advance of property continued with 



iLetters About the Hudson, p. 19. 



little interruption up to the early part of the year 1837, 
when Walter Cunningham was advertising as follows : 

DESIRABLE Village Lots eor Sale. 
5 lots upon Main St. lying nearly opposite the residence of 

Mr. Vassar. 
10 '■ " Union St. next Mrs. Taylor's residence. 
5 " " Jefferson street 

15 " " Academy street 

16 " " Holmes " 
27 " " Montgomery 
30 " " Church \ 

32 " " Cherry V near the reservoir and Main street 

20 " " <^edar | 

10 " " Mansion street near the Mansion House and 

Mansion square 

11 " " Cottage street 

8 " " Clinton 

10 " " Hamilton " 

15 " " Catherine " 
5 " " Conklin " 

9 " " Mansion street, near the Seminary property. 
5 " " Washington " 

18 " " Delafield 

16 " '' Tallmadge " 

21 " " Water " 
20 " " Dock " 

TO " " Hudson street and the river lying directly south 

of the Whale dock. 
5 " " Dutchess Ave., fronting on the Park near the 
residence of N. P. Tahnadge Esq. 
A credit of 5 years with interest annually will be given to 
those who purchase to improve. 

Some of these lots doubtless have not yet been 
built upon, and would not bring as high a price now 
as they did then, and some streets mapped during the 
boom have remained unopened or have been opened 
on different lines and with different names only re- 
cently. Despite all the activity in real estate, and the 
laj'ing out and grading of many new streets the village 
north of Mill Street and south of Montgomery was 
still mostly "on paper" only, a fact rather graphicalh' 
illustrated in the newspapers of the day whenever a 
circus came to town. The circus grounds were on 
Mill Street, "near the hotel of Isaac I. Balding" — the 
old Northern Hotel, corner of Washington Street. 
"The Green," on the opposite (southeast) corner, 
where the militia had trained probably as late as 1820, 
was only partly built up and Mill Street still show- 
ed vacant lots and ample space between houses. 

On the south side there were very few houses south 
of Cannon Street, except on Academy and Market 
and on the old part of Church Street, between Acad- 
emy and Market Streets. 

Tlie leaders of the Improvement Party, however, 
showed their faith in the future by building large 
houses for themselves in the new sections. Senator N. 
P. Tallmadge built on Delafield Street the house af- 



HISTORY OF POUGHKBBPSIE. 



127 



terwards purchased by Captain Luther Elting, and 
George P. Oakley built Brookside, then called Prim- 
rose Green, though he lived there only a very short 
time, the place passing into the possession of Judge 
Charles H. Ruggles. This house was originally an 
exact duplicate of the house built by Gilbert Wilkinson 
on Garden Street, afterwards for a long time the 
home of Abraham Wiltsie. 

It may interest some people to know that even in 
those busy times Poughkeepsie had its "haunted 
house.'' Henry Brush was the owner and the house 
was located on the corner of Pine and Tulip Streets. 
The words "haunted house'' appear in the occupant 
column of the assessment roll. 

Unfortunately most of the old assessment rolls are 
not to be found and most of those available are for the 
Town of Poughkeepsie. and not for the village. Of 
these I have found none covering' the years of the 
real estate boom. In 1831, however, the town assess- 
ment was $956,302 real estate and $699,350 personal, 
making a total of $1,655,652. In 1839 t'l^ '^otal had 
increased to $4,458,060, made up of $2,624,342 real es- 
tate and $1,833,718 personal. The 1839 list shows 
that a considerable number of non-residents had been 
drawn into the real estate movement. John Delafield 
was the largest real estate holder among these. Jethro 



Delano was another, and he owned among other lots 
several on Jay Street, the occupants of which are put 
down as "Blacks." The Poughkeepsie Silk Company 
was assessed on many pieces of property, among others 
on "The Hoffman farm, north of Mill Street," and 
"The Phillips farm." The latter, I have been told, was 
the property now known as the Whitehouse Knolls, 
where it is said the company intended to raise mulberry 
trees. Of course Cunningham and Oakley and Tal- 
madge occupy a good deal of space in the assessment 
rolls of the day, and among others who owned more 
than four lots, or parcels of property each, were John 
Barnes & Co., assessed on the old French farm, south 
of Montgomery Street (see p. 109), Peter P. Hayes, 
Gideon P. Hewitt, Henry Brush, Caleb Barker, Solo- 
mon V Frost, John Giles, Smith Thompson, Henry 
A. Livingston, David B. Lent, James Hooker, Joseph 
Harris, Uriah Gregory, Theodorus Gregory, William 
Davies, Thomas L. Davies, Henry Conklin, Nathan 
Conklin, Estate of Gilbert Brewster, Abel J. Gunn, 
Maria Tappen and Helen Overbaugh, Joseph Wright, 
Joseph Williams, Dr. Elias Trivett, James Mills, Abra- 
ham G. Storm, Jacob I. Eckert and Eli Jennings. 
The Forbus and Vassar families had large assessments, 
but on only a few parcels of property. 




T/n- X. P. 'Tathnadgf House. Long tlic Home in nrt'ii/ ]rars 

of Captain Lulhcr Elting. u\'ou< the home of 

C. U '. H. Arnold, Esq. 



CHAPTER VII. 



From the Panic of 1837 to the Incorporation of the City of Poughkeepsie, 1854 — Political 
Effects of the Panic — Senator N. P. Tallmadge and the Conservatives — The Panic and 
THE Improvement Party — Building of the Railroad — The First Free Public Schools — The 
Public IvIbrary and the IvYCEUm — New Churches — The Rural Cemetery — First Daily News- 
papers — Gas Lighting — The Village Fire Department — A City Charter. 



The panic of 1837 followed a period of extraordin- 
ar}' real estate speculation throughout the country, 
stimulated b_v a great extension of credit from shaky 
banks. In Poughkeepsie, however, and in New York 
State generally the banks were able to weather the 
storm, though some of them had backed the boomers 
to a dangerous extent. 

On the nth of May, the New York city banks, by 
concerted action, suspended specie payments, and the 
three Poughkeepsie banks of course had to follow 
them, as soon as they heard of the action. That same 
evening a public meeting at the Village Hall, presided 
over by Henry A. Livingston, passed resolutions ex- 
pressing approval of the suspension, pledging the sup- 
port of the people and asking the Legislature to sus- 
pend "until February next the operation of the law re- 
quiring banks to redeem their notes in specie." The 
real estate boom had flattened out two or three months 
before this and by March there were many items in the 
local papers complaining of the increasing hard times, 
and on the part of the Whig organ, charging the 
troubles all to Jackson's anti-bank policy and Van 
Buren's persistence in the same course. The final 
blow, nevertheless, seems to have been unexpected, 
and to have caused an almost total paralysis of busi- 
ness for a short time. In addition to the collapse of 
credit, the disappearance of all small change made it 
impossible to carry on retail trade. The Eagle de- 
risively asked, "Where is the boasted gold currency 
that appeared in the hands of the stool pigeons in 
1834? Where the vaunted 'yellow boys,' 'Benton mint 
drops,' and 'Jackson gold' that were soon to glitter in 
the purses of the citizens ? Where the 'constitutional 
currency' that Gen. Jackson exerted his 'humble ef- 
forts' to restore ? ^^''hcre the prosperity of the country 



that was so sagely attributed to the wisdom of the ad- 
ministration?" 

The panic caused a tremendous outburst of parti- 
sanship and against the fierce invectives of the Whigs, 
who saw at last the legitimate outcome of the financial 
policy they had been so long denouncing, the two 
Democratic organs made a rather feeble resistance. 
The publishers of both the Telegraph and the Journal 
joined with Senator Tallmadge in the call for a county 
convention, issued a few days after the supension, to 
demand the repeal of the law forbidding the issuing 
of small bills, although that law had been passed by 
their own party only a few years before. In the mean- 
time private bills of all sorts were put in circulation to 
keep business going, a fact which inspired a number 
of satirical squibs in the Baglc, like the following from 
the issue of June 3d : 

"Our readers will please to excuse any errors they 
may find in this paper, for we have so many shin 
PLASTERS to print that we can hardly spare time to 
give it necessary attention. Down with the 
banks! !" 

Having taken his stand against one of the chief 
policies of his party. Senator Tallmadge gradually be- 
came the leader of a faction known as the Conserva- 
tives, who opposed the establishment of a sub-treasury 
and the withdrawal of government deposits from the 
banks. The Journal warmly supported him and 
hoisted at the head of its editorial columns the motto 
"Small Bills and no Sub Treasury." The breach 
with the regular Democracy, upon whom the term 
"Loco-Foco" was now fastened, steadily widened until 
Tallmadge was finally read out of his party, and in the 
spring of 1838 he was proposed as a Whig candidate 
for vice-president of the United States, as we learn 
from the following editorial in the Baglc of May 19th 
under the head of: 



HISTORY OP P U G H K BEP S I n. 



129 



Conservative; Nominations. 

The New York Times — the leading conservative 
paper in this state — of Thursday last, displays the flag 
of Henry Clay, for the next presidency, and Nathaniel 
P. Tallmadge for the vice presidency. This movement 
is an important one, and it is said by those who profess 
to know that it will be followed by the conservatives 
of Virginia. We look upon Mr. Clay's nomination by 
our National Convention, and subsequent election, to 
be as certain as any other future event. Towards Mr. 
Tallmadge we cherish the most friendly feelings per- 
sonally, but he must furnish evidence of repentance for 
his political sin of voting for the damning expunge of 
the tyrant Jackson's administration, and submit his 
claims to the national Convention, to obtain the sup- 
port of the Whigs. 

Presumably Senator Tallmadge furnished evidence 
of repentance when he supported, and virtually elected, 
William H. Seward governor of the State over Wil- 
liam H. Marcy in the fall. The Conservatives had a 
separate organization in Dutchess County in 1838, 
their central committee being Joseph Harris, Henry 
Conklin, Paraclete Potter, Gilbert I. Vincent, Samuel 
B. Button, William Broas, Peter P. Hayes, John M. 
Cable, Barnet Hawkins, John Adriance and Joseph H. 
Jackson. The last of these was the editor of the 
Poughkccpsie Journal, which had been in the posses- 
sion of Jackson & Schram since 1834, and had been a 
Democratic paper since 1828. In September, 1838, it 
hoisted Seward's name above Marcy's for governor 
and became thereafter virtually a Whig organ, the 
Telegraph meanwhile, after some wabbling, which 
called down upon it occasional criticism from ex- 
treme Loco-Focos, swung back into line before the fall 
election. The Democratic or Loco-Foco Central Com- 
mittee of Dutchess County in this campaign was Elias 
T. Van Benschoten, Seward Barculo, Caleb Morgan, 
Elias Westervelt, George C. Marshall;, Egbert B. 
Killey, Robert Mitchell, Elijah Baker and Isaac Nash. 
The Whig committee was Henry A. Livingston, Gilbert 
Wilkinson, John Cowles, Isaac I. Balding, Josiah Bur- 
ritt, Matthew Vassar, Jr., Isaac Piatt, John G. Parker, 
H. R. Sherman, William I. Street, and Jacob De Groff. 
The combination of Whigs and Conservatives car- 
ried everything, and the Whig legislature of 1839 
rewarded 'N. P. Tallmadge by re-electing him to the 
United States Senate, where he had become a leader 
of national importance. 

During the summer of 1839 t>o*^''' President Van 
Buren and Henry Clay visited Poughkeepsie. Van 
Buren, who had been here several times before he 
became President, arrived via the post road from the 
south on July iSth. He was met at Channingville by 

iThurlow Weed's Autobiography, p. 460. 



Hon. Charles H. Ruggles, then a circuit judge, and a 
considerable number of enthusiastic Democrats from 
Poughkeepsie. The ardor of the reception on the 
arrival of the President in the village was somewhat 
dampened by a steady rain, but marshalled by Gen. 
Leonard Maison, with Col. Henry Pine and David 
Barnes, Jr., as assistants, the procession traversed the 
most important streets and ended at the Poughkeepsie 
Hotel, where President Van Buren remained over 
night. There were speeches and receptions, and the 
Telegraph said, "More than two thousand persons 
must have shaken the President by the hand during the 
day.'' These included very few of his opponents, for 
so intense was the partisan feeling that Conservatives 
and Whigs remained at home or came out only to jeer 
and taunt the Democrats. The Journal said of the 
President: "He comes among us like a snake in the 
grass, seeking under his official character to forward 
party measures," and the Eagle printed a long mock 
address to "His Majesty, King Martin I." In the 
morning President Van Buren drove down below town 
to call upon Hon. Smith Thompson, who lived where 
the Rural Cemetery is now located, and then paid a 
visit to the school at College Hill, the pride of the 
village. 

Henry Clay's visit to Poughkeepsie occurred on 
Monday, August 19th. He came down from the north 
on the Steamboat Erie, accompanied by Senator Tall- 
madge and Gen. Brush and was welcomed by a great 
crowd of citizens from all parts of the county. He 
was escorted to the Poughkeepsie Hotel, then kept by 
Leonard B. Van Kleeck, where an address of welcome 
was delivered by Robert Wilkinson, Esq., to which 
the great Whig leader eloquently responded, address- 
ing the cheering crowd in the streets from the piazza 
of the hotel. "Who that visits Poughkeepsie," said 
Mr. Clay, "while admiring the beauty and pleasantness 
of the place, can forget the gallant band of Conserva- 
tives in this and adjoining counties, who burst asunder 
the shackles of party to unite with their former op- 
ponents and preserve their country and its institu- 
tions." This prefaced a warm personal tribute to Mr. 
Tallmadge. There was a reception at the court house 
and a dinner, attended by three hundred men, at the 
hotel, and in the afternoon Mr. Clay must needs be 
taken to visit the schools. At College Hill "he was 
introduced by Mr. Bartlett to a large number of 
ladies." He next visited the "flourishing Friends' 
Boarding School" on Mansion Square, and "in the 
evening he received the calls of ladies who repaired 
to the hotel in great numbers to see him. The rooms 
were also constantly thronged until ten o'clock by citi- 
zens." The next day Mr. Clay drove in a barouche to 



130 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEEPSIE. 



Fishkill, escorted by a cavalcade of horsemen from 
Wappingers Falls and a large number of his friends. 
The Eagle report says that a spectator on the steps 
of Christ Church counted eighty-six carriages in the 
procession at it passed down Market Street, and adds, 
"At no period in our history, the reception of La- 
Fayette included, has such enthusiasm been witnessed 
among our people." A rather ungracious comparison 
was made with the reception of President Van Buren, 
who was described as "a haughty aristocrat with his 
coach and out rider, a dandy in tights displaying a 
courtly grace to the aristocracy and too proud to dine 
with the people." 

The disappointment of the Poughkeepsie Whigs 
was keen enough at the failure of the Harrisburgh 
convention of December, 1839, to nominate Clay for 
the presidency, though the Eagle bowed to the "wis- 
dom of the convention" and even managed to say on 
the next week that the nomination of Harrison and 
Tyler gave "universal satisfaction." No local refer- 
ence seems to have been made at the time to the 
fact that Senator Tallmadge had refused' the nomina- 
tion for vice president on the ticket with General Har- 
rison, along with several other friends of Henry Clay. 
Could he have foreseen that "Tippecanoe and Tall- 
madge too" might have become a popular alliteration, 
he would probably not have thrust aside his one 
chance for the presidency of the United States, and 
Poughkeepsie's, chance of being the home of a presi- 
dent. He seems to have repented his rashness before 
the next presidential campaign, for in 1843, the 
Poughkeepsie Journal carried his name at the top of 
its editorial column with Henry Clay's. I think there 
is no evidence that he had any very good chance for 
the nomination at that time, though he would doubtless 
have been a stronger candidate than Frelinghuysen. 
It is notable that during this time of partisan bit- 
terness the record of long tenure of the Poughkeepsie 
postoffice was made^. Col. Jacob Van Benthuysen had 
been appointed postmaster b}' President Jackson in 
1829. The extreme Loco Focos of Van Buren's 
administration made some efforts to prevent his re- 
appointment and the Whigs objected somewhat to his 
retention under Harrison and Tyler, but he held the 
office to the time of his death in July, 1846, when 
President Polk appointed Egbert B. Killey, editor of 
the Telegraph. The office, it is said, had been in the 
old "Lawyers' Row" — the site of the present post- 
office — in Market Street before Col. Van Benthuv- 
sen's time, but he moved it to Garden Street, doubtless 
to "the new post office" referred to in the quotation 
from Gordon's Gazetteer in the last chapter (p. 119). 

'Carl Schiirz's "Henry Clay" Vol. II, p. 180. 

-For list of postmasters of Poiiglikeepsie see Appendix. 



This building stood on the east side of the street, and 
was a part of the property burned in the big fire of 
Dec. 26th, 1870. Mr. Killey continued the office there 
and it remained in the same place until May, 1851, 
when Isaac Piatt moved it back to Market Street, to 
the old Brush house, on the corner of Union Street, 
where it remained until Albert Van Kleeck took the 
more commotlious quarters in the lower floor of the 
City Hall after the war. 

Mr. Albert S. Pease, who succeeded Isaac Piatt 
as postmaster in 1853, was a clerk in the old Garden 
Street office during Mr. Killey's term, and with An- 
drew Ely, another clerk, slept in the office. He relates 
that Mr. Killey had "a large and very noisy bell" 
suspended over their bed, so that they could be awak- 
ened if the mail arrived in the night, the bell being 
connected to a knob outside. It was not long before 
the boys and the general public learned the location of 
the knob "and it soon seemed to become the duty of 
every person who went through Garden Street, at any 
and all hours of the night, to give that knob a yank 
and make the clamorous, sleep-murdering bell ring 
like — Sheol." In those days, before the building of 
the railroad, the mails from north and south were 
still brought by stage coach when the river was closed 
in the winter. 

"The stages were due to arrive at some uncertain 
hour in the night — hence the supposed need of that 
accursed bell. Sometimes the stages from the north 
would be a day or two behind time, by reason of depth 
and drifts of snow. The mail they carried was all in 
one great leather bag as big as a hogshead, the whole 
contents of which had to be dumped out upon a great 
table and looked over, and after all matter for Pough- 
keepsie and such county offices as had stage connec- 
tion from Poughkeepsie had been extracted, all the re- 
maining matter, together with that to be sent from 
Poughkeepsie, was returned to the great bag and 
hoisted upon the stage and safely secured in the 
'boot,' and away she went behind four weary horses 
wet with ice, snow and perspiration, which steamed 
from their warm bodies in clouds of mist." 

Garden Street was a favorite neighborhood for 
lawyers' offices at this time, the "Law Building" on 
the west side of the street — where Frost & Luckey 
are located — having been recently erected. The Sur- 
rogate's office was there for some time before 1847 ; 
then after a contest of more than usual spirit, in which 
John P. H. Tallman defeated John Thompson, the 
little building on the corner of Market and Union 
Streets was erected b)' the county. It was built 
originally with only one room in order to prevent the 
Surrogate from carrying on his own law practice 
there. 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEEPSIE. 



131 



In 1845 Daniel Webster was in Poughkeepsie ap- 
parently for several days, but his visit was not politi- 
cal. The Telegraph of Nov. 26, ih its report of circuit 
court cases on trial at the Court House, has the follow- 
ing under date of Nov. 21st: 

"Derrick Lansing and others vs. David Russell and 
wife and others. This is an issue from the Court of 
Chancery, sent here from the third circuit to try the 
validity of two deeds executed by Cornelius Lansing, 
in his life time, and alleged by the plaintiffs to have 
been obtained by fraud. The cause commenced this 
morning and occupied all day, all day Saturday, Mon- 
day and Tuesday, and was still going on when our 
reporter left. * * * For the plaintiff Judge Buel of 
Troy, Messrs. ISarculo & Swift of Poughkeepsie. For 
the defense Hon. Daniel Webster of M^ss., Samuel 
Stevens of Albany- and Gen. Maison of Poughkeep- 
sie." 



was the official celebration, but each of the political 
parties had planned to take advantage of the occasion. 
The Democrats started the idea and then the Whigs 
determined to outdo them. Excursions by steamboat 
came from many river towns, and the crowd was esti- 
mated at from 10,000 to 15,000. The Democrats were 
content at length with a crowded meeting in the vil- 
lage hall, but the Whigs had a monster parade mar- 
shalled by Charles W. Swift, and a great mass meeting 
at College Grove, on the west side of College Hill, 
where Senator William C. Preston of North Carolina, 
and Hon. Henry A. Wise of Virginia, were among the 
speakers. A dinner at the Poughkeepsie Hotel, and 
more speaking in the evening, from a platform in front 
of the Court House, followed. 

The log cabin, raccoon and hard cider, and the 




To the Journal & Eagle Priiiliiig EsUiblisliiiiciil. Dr. )Hj.g W 



Received Payment, 



.^.-/l /<?. 



PHOTO B^ O, i57 §K>0*IAWr- 

Bill of Journal and Eagle. 







^^'ebster summed up for the defense, the court 
room being crowded with people, including many 
ladies. The lawj'ers are still telling stories as to how 
much brandy he consumed the night before, and one 
of the traditions is to the eft'ect that he had to be 
helped to the court room. There is naturally no proof 
in support of these assertions. The Telegraph (un- 
friendly to Webster's part\) said on Dec. 3d: "We 
think the argument of Daniel \\'ebster on that occasion 
not only did credit to his great abilities, but was such 
a feast as wo are not often treated wilh. The jury 
after being out but a short time came with a verdict 
for the defendants." 

The campaign of 1840 deserves more than passing 
notice. It included a monster celebration of the Fourth 
of July, often referred to in later years, and described 
as a sort of triple celebration. In the morning the 
military held the usual parade, marshalled by Col. 
Henr\' Pine, with William I. Street as orator. This 



torchlight parades, so popular everywhere, were 
not wanting in Poughkeepsie. The log cabin was 
erected on the north side of Main Street below \\'ash- 
ington, about where Mrs. Foster's soda bottling works 
are located. Robert Fanning, a respectable citizen, 
was raising a flag on it soon after its completion when 
he slipped and fell to the ground and was killed. It 
was the subject of numerous cartoons in Benson T- 
Lossing's Fire of the Flint, a paper started for this 
campaign only, though revived in 1844. With all 
the enthusiasm of. the marching and song singing 
Poughkeepsie was carried by the ^^lligs by but a small 
majority, while the county went Democratic and Rich- 
ard D. Davis was elected member of congress. The 
\\'higs did not again win the county until 1844, when 
Poug-hkeepsie gave Cla}- 463 majority. 

At the close of the year 1843 the old Poughkeepsie 
Journal ceased to have have a separate existence. Mr. 
Jackson sold his interest, William Schram entered into 




Hon. SEWARD BARCULO, 
County Judge 184^, Supreme Courl Judge 1S4J. 



HISTORY OF POUGHKBEPSIB. 



133 



partnership with Isaac Piatt, and on January 6, 1844, 
the first number of the Journal and Bagk was issued. 
The double title was retained until 1850 when the 
name "Journal" was dropped. In August, 1844, the 
publishers installed a new press described as a "Napier 
double cylinder, and calculated to roll out news at 
the rate of fifteen hundred or two thousand an hour 
without puffing at all." During the campaign of that 
year Messrs. Piatt & Schram published a paper called 
The Club in opposition to Losising's Fire of the Flint. 
It was advertised at 75 cents per annum or 
"from its commencement until Henry Clay's election 
to the Presidency at fifty cents." 

One of the young men who learned the printer's 
trade in Poughkecpsie, in the office of the Telegraph, 
not long before this' time, was Isaac Van Anden, who 
went from here first to White Plains, and then to 
Brooklyn, where, in 1841, he established The Brooklyn 
Eagle, named presumably from the Poughkeepsie 
Eagle. He was afterwards joined by Samuel W. 
Hester, his brother-in-law, a well-known Poughkeepsie 
builder. 

A story often told by the late Judge E. Q. Eldridge 
illustrates how news was obtained before there was 
either railroad or telegraph. A few days after the 
election in 1840, a big crowd of Democrats, jubilant 
in the knowlege of having carried Dutchess County, 
assembled at the foot of Main Street with a brass band 
to await the arrival of the steamboat from the south 
with the expected news of Van Buren's reelection. 
Presentl>- the watchers on Kaal Rock reported the 
steamer in sight and Van Buren cheers rent the air. 
As the boat drew nearer the sound of music on board 
could be faintly heard and it was noticed that she was 
decorated with flags. Surely she had the news, but 
what news? The crowd was silenced while all ears 
were strained to try to make out what the band on the 
boat was nlaying. Could it be — yes it was "Tippe- 
canoe and Tyler Too !" There was a stir in the crowd, 
the news spread rapidly, and a lot of people were 
observed making their way back up Main Street hill. 
By the time the steamboat reached the landing there 
was just as large a crowd as before and unbounded en- 
thusiasm, but all ^vere W^higs ! 

The issues growing out of the Panic of 1837 held 
more or less attention until 1844, by which time 
slavery, the proposed annexation of Texas, and the 
Native .American or "Know Nothing" movement were 
occupying much of the local editorial space. The 
Temperance movement was also becoming important. 
In August, 1S41, the Journal said: "The Temperance 
cause is progressing rapidly in Poughkeepie. The 
Young Men's Temperance Sociel)' meets once and 
sometimes twice a week and adds to its member- 



ship at each meeting from 50 to 60 members." In 
1842 a paper called The Temperance Safeguard 
was started by G. K. Lyman. It was "devoted 
to total abstinence, morals, agriculture, miscellany 
and news," surely an attractive combination, and 
was published for at least five years. The fact 
that among its advertisers was "The New Tem- 
perance Grocery," 358 Main Street, Richard Aldrich, 
reminds us of the time when every grocery store 
thought it necessary to offer a customer a glass of 
rum. The Sons of Temperance were organized before 
1847, probably by Rev. Charles Van Loan. Accord- 
ing to French's Gazetteer there was also a paper in 
Poughkeepsie called The Safeguard, distinct from The 
Temperance Safeguard. The Thompsonian, devoted 
to the doctrines of the Thompsonian School of Medi- 
cine, wais first published. May 12th, 1838. It was edit- 
ed by Dr. A. H. Piatt and owned by Thomas Lapham. 
The Native American movement was strong 
enough in November, 1845, to warrant the establish- 
ment of a newspaper, the Poughkeepsie American, by 
Augustus T. Cowman. In 1848 the paper supported 
General Taylor for president, and in 1849 was sold to 
Isaac Tompkins and became a Democratic organ. 
Elias Pitts purchased it in 1850 and sold it in 1853 to 
Edward B. Osborne, who changed the name to The 
Dutchess Democrat, and made it the organ of the 
"hard shell" branch of the party. 

The anti-Masonic party had in the meantime 
long since spent its force. The organization of the 
Odd Fellows in 1838 shows the decay of the general 
feeling against secret societies, and in 1852 Masonry 
was again started with the founding of Poughkeepsie 
Lodge, the charter members of which were Abram N. 
Sweet, John Broas, Samuel Chichester, George Gaus- 
man, John E. Eisel, Elias G. Hopkins, George Kent. 
Isaac F. Russell, and Andrew Gentner. 

The nomination of General Taylor in 1848 was an 
even greater disappointment to the Poughkeepsie 
^\'higs than that of Gen. Harrison had been in 1840 
and it was several weeks before the Eagle got squarely 
into line in his support but he carried the county by a 
large majority, the vote standing — Taylor 5,377, Cass 
3,227, and Van Buren 1,294. The Free Soilers ap- 
parently had no local organ then, which perhaps ac- 
counts for the small Van Buren vote, but this branch 
of the party nevertheless steadily increased and not 
long after Cass's defeat the Telegraph became its rep- 
rescntati\'e. President Taylor appointed the editor of 
the Eagle postmaster to succeed the editor of the Tele- 
graph, a fact which did not deter the Eagle from vig- 
orous denunciation of the fugitive slave law passed in 
Fillmore's administration. 




ISAAC PI,ATT. 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEEPSIE. 



135 



There were some arrests of fugitive slaves in 
Poughkeepsie, which stirred the people considerably, 
notably that of a man named John M. Bolding, who 
had lived here four years and become well established 
as a tailor, but was claimed as the property of Barrett 
Anderson of South Carolina. The Eagle of August 
30, 1851, says in its report: "He was seized therefore 
while suspecting nothing, hurried directly into the 
carriage and that driven rapidly down the street to 
the cars, and placed in them only two or three minutes 
before the whistle blew and they were off. He had 
been married some six months before, but had no time 
to speak or send a message to his wife after his arrest." 
Subsequent issues of the paper tell of efforts to secure 
the man's release on habeas corpus proceedings with- 
out success, and then of a popular subscription to pur- 
chase his freedom, "although his master exhibits a 
most mean and vindictive spirit, demanding for him 
$1,500 and $200 for his expenses, far more than he 
can obtain for him anywhere." The money was suc- 
cessfully raised in a few days and Bolding returned 
and lived here until his death in April, 1876. In an 
obituary article published then it is stated that Bol- 
ding had escaped from a Mrs. Dickinson, who after- 
wards happened to come to Poughkeepsie to live, and 
finding him here sold him without his knowledge to 
Anderson of South Carolina for $800, the dramatic 
arrest b\' a U. S. marshal from New York following. 

The Panic ano Tuii iMPuoviiMENT Party. 
It is time now to tuni back and study more in de- 
tail the effects of the Panic of 1837 on the affairs 
and prospects of Poughkeepsie. There seems to have 
been a rapid recovery of a certain amount of confi- 
dence after the suspension of the banks, and the panic 
did not at once ruin the promoters known as the Im- 
provement Party, or their enterprises. The schools 
established, as wc have seen, became the pride of the 
village, the whaling companies continued, and it was 
evidently the increasing scarcity of whales and some 
losses by shipwreck that caused their final suspension. 
The Telegraph of May 17th. 1837, has the following: 

"Good Voyage. — The whale ship \''ermont. Cap- 
tain W. H. Topham, belonging to the Poughkeepsie 
Whaling Company, arrived here on Monday with a 
full cargo, having on board 3000 barrels of oil, of 
which between 400 and 500 are sperm, and about 
28,000 lbs whale bone. The \''ermont has been on the 
coast of New Holland' and New ZeaU.nd. and was just 
one year and eleven months from the time of leaving 
the port of New York to making it again." 

Possibly the hard times affected the market for oil 
and whalebone. At any rate Alexander Forbus was 
appointed receiver of this company in September, 
lOId name of Australia. 



1838, but its remaining ships were purchased by the 
Dutchess Company which continued in business until 
after 1844. In the Eagle of November loth, 1838, we 
read that the ship A^. P. Tallmadge was spoken in May 
last, "when she had taken 1050 barrels of sperm, and 
350 of whale oil ; with the accompanying quantity of 
bone, all worth at least $35,000. This sounds very 
well and shows that those speculators who have ex- 
cited the wrath of the correspondent of the New York 
Evening Post have not quite ruined the town yet." 
The Democrats, of course, charged the panic all to the 
speculators, and Richard D. Davis, who as we have 
seen was elected to congress in 1840, was defeated as 
a candidate for village trustee in 1838, partly perhaps 
because he was quoted as saying that there were a 
large number of men "in this town who must go down 
because they owe five times as much as they can pay." 
It does not appear, however, that the leading boomers 
did go down until 1 84 1, probably as a result of the 
second period of depression that began in 1840. 

The intense partisanship that grew out of the 
discussions over the panic affected even village elec- 
tions, which up to this time seem to have been general- 
ly decided upon purely local issues. The trustees 
of 1837 were all re-elected, however, in 1838, though 
they had scarcely paused in the levying of assess- 
ments for street improvement. Only two weeks 
after the suspension of specie payments an assess- 
ment of 6g cents a foot was recorded against Union 
Street "from the end of the pavement to the east 
side of Clover Street." On June ist Mansion 
Street was assessed for grading, gravelling, curb- 
ing, etc., at $r.i2 a foot from Hamilton to Catherine. 
This fell chiefly on the real estate boomers, the lot 
owners being Paraclete Potter, Gideon P. Hewitt 
George P. Oakley, Elan Dunbar, John CoUer, Isaac 
Broas, John D. Robinson and St. Paul's Church. 
Clinton Street, from Main to Mansion, and Smith 
Street, from Main "to the lane north of David B. 
Lent's dwelling house," were assessed for improvement 
in October and November. Next to ISIr. Lent. Theo- 
dorus Gregory was the largest landholder in this sec- 
tion. Church Street, but recently extended down the 
hill from Market, was assessed to Clover Street Nov. 
16th at $2.og a foot for grading, etc. James Hooker, 
James Emott, Philip S. Crooke and Henry Brush ap- 
pear as the largest owners. There were other minor 
assessments on the older streets, and if all the newly 
opened lots were unsalable the burden must have been 
a rather heavy one for some persons. Clinton Street 
from Main south. Cannon Street from Hamilton to the 
Reservoir and Church Street from Hamilton to Clin- 
ton were laid out about this time. 



136 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEEPSIE. 



In the country farm lands continued to advance. 
The Journal of Jan. 31st, 1838, tells of several good 
sales, including a 200 acre farm in Amenia "pur- 
chased four years since for $45, sold during the last 
ten days for $663^ the acre," and a farm in the town 
of Washington which brought $110 an acre. "It is 
one of the strange features of the times that while the 
business of the merchant has been greatly embarrass- 
ed, and the operation of the mechanic and manufac- 
turer almost wholly suspended, the products of the 
farm, with the single exception of wool, have com- 
manded a very ready market at very high prices." 
The backbone of business was evidently sound and 
with the resumption of specie payments in the spring 
the hopes of the boomers in Poughkeepsie were evi- 
dently revived. 

The Poughkeepsie Journal of June 13th and June 
20th, contains articles on Poughkeepsie Improvements 
During the Pressure, which present an outline of the 
leading industries of the village and show conclusively 
that the spirit of enterprise was still alive. "Indeed 
so indomitable is the spirit of improvement among 
us, that even the severe pressure of the past season 
could not wholly restrain its movements." The fur- 
nace of Messrs. McDuffie, Sharp & Proper is men- 
tioned as having cast $40,000 worth of stoves during 
the year. It was located near the whale dock. Henry 
Whinfield & Co. had erected their carpet manufactory 
"of brick and very substantial" at a cost of more than 
$2g,ooo since the fall of 1837. It had 30 looms. "This 
establishment is adjacent to the silk factory and in the 
same vicinity are also Mr. Pelton's and Mr. Delafield's 
Carpet factories." Of Charles M. Pelton's factory the 
Journal says: "This establishment has been gotten up 
within the past eighteen months and manufactures 
about 30,000 yards of ingrain Carpeting per annum." 
Delafield's Carpet and Rug Factory made about 15,000 
3'ards of ingrain carpeting "and about 300 beautiful 
hearth rugs per annum." Messrs. Thomas Christy & 
Co. made "paper hangings" in a brick building "very 
spacious and substantial." erected on Water Street, "by 
William Davis, Esq." This establishment had "sprung 
up in defiance of pressure'' and was "manufacturing 
even in these times 3,000 pieces of paper hangings per 
week." The Poughkeepsie Screw Manufacturing 
Company "commenced in a small way 5th of July last 
in the very midst of the panic," was now enlarging 
and was making "weekly 800 gross of wood screws 
of assorted sizes' and hoped soon to make 4,000. It 
was described as due to the "exerrions of our in- 
genious and enterprising- townsman Gen. Thoma,s W. 
Harvey." Williams's ^\'^oolcn Factor}', idle for a \'ear, 
had come into the hands of Mr, Richard Titus and 



was "doing a large business." Vassar's Brewery, 
"completed eighteen months since," was making "not- 
withstanding the hard times rising 20,000 barrels of 
ale" worth $6 to $6.50 a barrel. A revival of business 
at the brickyards was also noted. "Messrs. R. Tyson 
& Co. set up a new 3'ard last year which with the very 
extensive concerns of Messrs. C. Vassar & Co., of Mr. 
Haley and of Mr. Underbill are all fully employed in 




The Brewery at the River. 
From Lossing's Vassar College and its Founder. 

the manufacture of those large and beautiful pressed 
bricks which have latterly been so generally used in 
the city for the fronts of their best houses, and which 
are so familiarly known by the name of Poughkeepsie 
Stretchers." 

Charles Vassar lived in the large house still stand- 
ing on the southwest corner of Main and Clover 
Streets until 1837, when he sold to James Clegg, who 
opened a grocery store in the lower floor, which was 
long a prominent down-town place of resort. Mr. 
Vassar built the brick row of buildings on Market 
Street from the Armory northward, and is said to 
have lost heavily by the venture. His brickyard, I 
have been told, was on the site of the New York 
Central and Hudson River Railroad station on lower 
Main Street. He was a brother of Matthew Vassar, 
Init Thomas Vassar, who lived where the Lumb fac- 
tory building stands, below Water Street, was not a 
near relative. 

Among recent improvements noted in the Journal's 
article was the widening of Main Street, the building 
of a number of houses, and the enlargement of the 
Dutchess Whaling Company's wharf. The Whaling 
Company then had five ships at sea, including the Elbe 
which had just sailed. 

The PoughkeeiJsie Locomotive Engine Company's 
w(jrks were given an extended notice. This was one 



HISTORY OF POUGHKBEPSIB. 



137 



of the most daring enterprises of the day. The com- 
pany was incorporated April 6th, 1838, but this 
Journal article says, "The erection of the buildings 
was commenced a 3'ear ago last autumn" and had cost 
"rising $90,000. This heavy outlay has been all made 
during the past eighteen months of general despon- 
dency. The establishment has commenced operations 
on a limited scale, and only waits for a return of 
better times to go into full operation, when it will 
afford steady employment, in the manufacture of Loco- 
motives, Tenders, &c. &c. to more than 200 machin- 
ists." The better times evidently did not come soon 
enough and the company was already bankrupt. A few 
weeks later the notice of dissolution, signed by Henry 
F. Tallmadge, agent, was published. N. P. Tallmadge, 
Thomas W. Harvey, Walter Cunningham, Henry F. 



late Henry D. Myers stated in an interview (July 30, 
1884) that but one locomotive was built here. It ran 
for a long time on the Long Island Railroad, to 
which it must have been shipped by boat. 

The completion of the Locomotive Engine fac- 
tory preceded the railroad by rather more than ten 
years, and its failure was doubtless due in part to 
the long delay in the realization of the various rail- 
road plans and in part to the failure of its promoters, 
who had evidently been bolstering each other up and 
dragging in their friends for help during several 
years before their final collapse in 1841. George P. 
Oakley was apparently in trouble by 1839, when he 
offered "Primrose Green" for sale, and the record 
of his assignments shows that a number of promi- 
nent men, including Charles Bartlett, were involved 




]l^ood Ctil made for Barber & Howe's 

Tallmadge, Henry Ibbottson and Paraclete Potter 
were the organizing commissioners of this conipany, 
the purpose of which was described as "the manu- 
facture of locomotive engines, iron rails, plates and 
other iron apparatus of rail roads and rail-road cars." 
Mr. Lossing in an illustrated article on Poughkeepsie 
in The Family hiagazine (Vol. 6, p. 240) sa)'s: "This 
establishment is situated on the Hudson, directl)- north 
of the Poughkeepsie Whaling Company. It is much 
the most extensive of the kind in America, being cap- 
able of producing from seventy-five to one hundred 
locomotive engines with their tenders annually. It is 
under the direction of R. M. Bouton, Esq., one of the 
best engineers in the country." The main building 
was some two hundred and fifty feet in length. The 



POUGHKEEPSIE IN 1840. 
Hisiorieal Collections, of Ihc State of Ne:e York" published in /S41. 

as lenders or endorsers. It seems rather remark- 
able that the banks were able to hold out. Oakley 
was succeeded as cashier of the Poughkeepsie by E. 
P. Benjamin soon after the panic, and Cunningham 
was succeeded by James H. Fonda, father of Walter 
Cunningham Fonda, as cashier of the Dutchess Coun- 
ty, in 1841. The Farmers' Bank, it is said, did not 
even pass a dividend and there is no evidence that 
the Poughkeepsie Bank was in danger, but the 
Dutchess Count)- Bank was found to be so badly in- 
volved in the enterprises of Cunningham and his 
friends, that at the expiration of its charter, July ist, 
1845, its business was wound up and the Merchants' 
Bank was organized to take its place. This was not 
regarded exactly as a failure, for in the course of 



i3s 



HISTORY OF POUGHKBEPSIE 



time die Dutchess County Bank was able to realize 
on much of its security, paid all note holders and 
depositors and about 30 per cent, to stockholders. 
More than its full capital had been loaned to the 
members of the Improvement Party, and $317,416, 
or more than half its capital, to its own officers and 
stockholders, according to the statement of its con- 
dition on May loth, 1837. No bank has ever been 
organized in Poughkeepsle since with so large a 
capital. 

The Merchants' Bank started -July 2d, 1845, ■^ith 
capital of $110,000, and with Matthew J. Myers presi- 
dent and James H. Fonda cashier. The first direct- 
ors were Matthew J. Myers, Alexander Forbus, Isaac 
Merritt, Abraham G. Storm, Caleb Barker, John Ad- 
riance, Thomas M. Vail, John T. Schryver, Alex- 
ander J. Coffin, James Emott, Jr., Solomon V. Frost, 
George Pomeroy and David Arnold. The effects of 
the panic were long felt, but by 1852 the growth of 
business warranted the organization of a fifth ba^nk,' 
the Fallkifl. . William C. Sterling, Augustus Jillson, 
Henry Coffin , John Thompson, Casper D. Smith, 
Samuel T. Taber, Thomas R. Payne, Eleazer D. 
Sweet, Elias Titus, Henr}^ D. Myers, Joseph C. 
Doughty, William W. Reynolds and John Bloom were 
the first directors. Mr. Sterling was chosen presi- 
dent, John F. Hull cashier and Zebulon Rndd book- 
keeper. This bank has had but two cashiers. Mr. Hull 
served until 1892, when he was succeeded by William 
Schickle. 

It is not improbable that' house building continued 
almost as rapidly after the panic as before. Land 
is often too valuable to build upon during a boom. It 
was nevertheless a long time before there were more 
than one or two houses on the new lots sold at auction 
at such handsome advances, and many of them came 
back to the original owners by foreclosure or other- 
wise. George Corlies built the first house on South 
Liberty Street, now Garfield Place, in 1852, — the house 
now owned by Mrs. C. P. Luckey. At that time the 
land to the westward was all farming land, with very 
few trees, and Mr. Jacob Corlies tells me that the 
river could be seen for a stretch of several mile.^. He 
remembers standing at the rear of the house and count- 
ing as many as seventy sloops and schooners on the 
river. On Academy Street south of Montgomery, 
Caleb Barker's house, now Professor J. L. Moore's, 
was about the only house built by that time. There 
were only about three houses on South Hamilton 
Street, between Church and Montgomery, in 1850, 
when Isaac Piatt built his brick house, and most of 
the land thereabout was owned by Alexander Forbus. 
On the southwest corner of Montgomery and Hamil- 



ton Streets there was a swamp often flooded in winter 
enough for skating. 

The Telegraph of January 6th, 1841, says that 
thirty buildings had been erected during the 3'ear 
before, and publishes an enumeration of the buildings 
on every street in the village (see Appendix). It was, 
probably not long after this that the first village 
directory was published^. There were seventy-nine 
streets, on which there were 1,055 dwelling houses 
exclusive of other buildings. The population was 
given as 7,710. By 1841 there was a revival in street 
improvement, and on April 12th of that year an ordi- 
nance was passed for numbering the houses and lots. 
L. M. Arnold, W. A. Royce, E. F. Grant, D. W. 
Beadle, E. M. Haynes, W. C. Southwick and L. Car- 
penter were appointed to do the numbering of Main 
Market, Washington, Garden, Academy and Liberty 
Streets. The north and south divisions of Clinton, 
Hamilton, Bridge, Clover and Water Streets had not 
been adopted at this time. For instance: "The.num- 
-befing of Clinton Street shall commence at the Reser- 
voir of said village and run thence northwardly to the 
northern extremit}' of said street." 

A number of the leading boomers of the previous 
period, finding their fortunes gone, left Poughkeep- 
sie for the West, most of them for Wisconsin. Para- 
clete Potter was appointed Registrar of the United 
States Land Office at Milwaukee in April, 1841, Wil- 
liam Wilson succeeding him in the Poughkeepsie book 
business. Gideon P. Hewitt, Henry Conklin and Na- 
thaniel P. Tallmadge were ampng those who followed 
him, Tallmadge resigning frohi4h'e United States Sen- 
ate to become governor of the Territory of-iWisconsin 
in 1844. They settled at Green Bay. Tallmadge 
became a Spiritualist probablj'- before he left Pough- 
keepsie, for there was- at that time a coterie of 
Spiritualists here, among whom a tailor, Andrew 
Jackson Davis, called "The Seer of Poughkeepsie," 
became a leader. As was natural in a leading educa- 
tional center, Poughkeepsie was the home of many 
seekers for light of various kinds. Spiritualism is 
said to have obtained its first important foothold here, 
and a number of prominent men besides Senator Tall- 
madge embraced its doctrines and listened to its m3fs- 
terious messages. Even Richard D. Davis, said to 
have been one of the most brilliant public men in the 
State, was a Spiritualist for a time. Davis was a 
strong opponent of Tallmadge politically, after the lat- 
ter had become a Whig, and when Tallmadge joined 
the Spiritualists that was too much for him, and he 
left the fold. He was no relation, I believe, to Andrew 

lA nearly complete collection of directories, beginning with 
that pnblished by C. P. Liiyster in 1843, has been presented 
to the Adriance Library by Mr. Henry Booth. 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEEPSin. 



139 



Jackson Davis, "the Seer,'' who published several 
books, which attracted some attention. James Russell 
Lowell, in his "Fable for Critics,'' making fun of the 
cult, tells of a man whose aloe tree would not bloom 
unless he watered it "with the blood of hii unmarried 
daughter." Long the poor fellow struggled with his 
conscience. Lowell continues : 

"I told Philothea his struggles and doubts, 
And how he considered the ins and the outs 
Of the visions he had and the dreadful dyspepsy, 
How he went to the seer that lives in Po'keepsie 
How the seer advised him to sleep on it first, 
And to read his big volume in case of the worst, 
And further advised he should pay him five dollars 
For writing hum, hum, on his wristbands and collars; 
Three years and ten days these dark words he had 

studied 
When his daughter was missed and his aloe had budded." 

Just which of Davis's numerous volumes had such 
a dire influence, and attracted the attention of Lowell, 
I am not sure. He published among other things four 
or five volumes entitled "The Great Harmonium," but 
nearly all his books were copyrighted later than 1848, 
the date of Lowell's "Fable for Critics." Another local 
Spiritualistic author was Levi M. Arnold, who in 
1852 published a voluine entitled "The History of the 
Origin of All Things and Particularly of the Earth." 
Among the celebrities of the period may also be men- 
tioned William H. \''an Wagner, Jr., who travelled 
around the country with a big tent giving temperance 
and other lectures, calling hiinself "The Poughkeepsie 
Blacksmith." 

Building of The Hudson River Railroad. 

The failure of the Poughkeepsie Locomotive En- 
gine Company, which built a large factory here long 
before there was any railroad, has already been men- 
tioned. What railroad did the promoters of the loco- 
motive factory expect their engines to run upon? Cer- 
tainly not upon a railroad be'iween New York and 
Albany along the river. Such a road had indeed been 
talked of, but was rather a joke than a serious propo- 
sition until after 1840. The New Year's address of 
the Dutchess Intelligencer for 1832 contains the fol- 
lowing doggerel : 

Railroads are all the rage of latter years — 
They talk of one to go from here to York, 

To quell the city people's anxious fears. 
And carry down the Dutchess County pork — 

The cars are wondrous things to load our trash on 

And tho' our boatmen starve we'll be in fashion. 

That was the 3'ear the river closed early and froze 
in several barges loaded with pork.' No one seriously 

Dailv 



iSoe "Memories of 
Eagle, April 21, 1904. 



Poughkeepsie, 1825-1832 



proposed such a road, but on March 28th of the same 
year "The Dutchess County Rail Road" was incor- 
porated for the purpose of building to the Connecticut 
line. Property and persons were to be transported "by 
the power and force of steam, of animals, or any 
mechanical power or any combination of them." Wil- 
liam Davis (Davies?) Harry Conklin, Paraclete Pot- 
ter, Homer Wheaton and Morgan Carpenter, were ap- 
pointed commissioners to receive subscriptions, and it 
was stipulated that the road should be finished within 
five years. Apparently little money was raised during 
the first year imder this charter, perhaps because man}' 
people favored a canal across the county. The next 
year the following petition was presented : 

TO THE TRUSTEES OE THE VILLAGE 01' POUGHKEEPSIE. 

The undersigned deeply impressed with the impor- 
tance of a communication by means of a railroad or 
Canal, from the Village of Poughkeepsie to Pine 
Plains, from thence through a part of Columbia Coun- 
ty to the line of Massachusets, do request the Trustees 
will take immediate measures to have said route ex- 
amined by a competent and experienced Engineer. 
As this is a subject of such vital importance to the 
prosperity of this Village the undersigned do not 
entertain a doubt but that the expenditure of any rea- 
sonable amount, by the Trustees to accomplish the 
above object, will be sanctioned and approved of by 
the citizens at large. 

Pokeepsie, Sept. 2d 1833 

Peter P Hayes 

M Vassar 

N. P. Tallmadge 

P. EVERITT 

P. Potter 

J Van Benthuysen Hiram Veltman 

W Cunningham Charles Warner 

A G Storm 

Geo Van KlEECk 

Elias Trivett 

At their meeting on Sept. 5th of that }'ear the vil- 
lage trustees appointed Henry Conklin and Hon. N. 
P. Tallmadge a committee with power to employ an 
engineer. It was probably under this authority that 
Henry Whinfield and William Dewey made their first 
survey, though perhaps some sort of a iireliminary 
examination had been made before this. The Baglc 
and other papers continued to agitate the matter from 
time to time, and in 1836 the charter was renewed 
under the same title, but with greater latitude in the 
location of the line. The first idea was to build the 
railroad to Amenia, and had this been done before 
the Hudson River and Harlem lines were built, 
the lii.^tory of Dutchess County and Poughkeepsie 
would have been considerably changed. It was, how- 
ever, a very difficult proposition to lay out a railroad 
across Dutchess County, that shoukl go throuo-h the 



140 



HISTORY OF P OU GH KEEP SI B. 



principal towns and reach any point of importance on 
the Connecticut line. All the hills run north and 
south across the county and the Poughkeepsie boom- 
ers seem to have been more willing to get other peo- 
ple to put in money than to invest their own. The 
project was put to sleep by the panic, though un- 
doubtedly the promoters of the Locomotive Engine 
Company expected it to be revived in time to make 
use of the products of their factory. Its long post- 
ponement, as will appear, was due to the fact that as 
soon as efforts were made to enlist the aid of the 
farmers and the people of Pine Plains and other in- 
terior towns, the rival plan of a terminus at Fishkill 
was encountered. 

The Hudson River Railroad was merely a dream 
until 1841, and was seriously discussed only when 
the Harlem road, then called the "New York and 
Albany, "1 had actually begun preparations to extend its 
line' through Eastern Dutchess to Albany. Matthew 
Vassar and a few others then began to fear that the 
county trade would be diverted from Poughkeepsie 
to the eastern towns. They employed Richard D. 
Morgan, an engineer, to make a cursory survey to 
see if it was possible to build a line along the promon- 
tories through the Highlands and he reported favor- 
abty. That there could ever have been controversies 
and serious difficulties over obtaining a charter and 
necessary capital for "America's Greatest Railroad" 
seems almost incredible now, but such was the case. 
After his cursory survey in the Highlands Mr. Mor- 
gan^ addressed a meeting at the Poughkeepsie Hotel, 
Feb. 25th, 1842, at which we are told only a very few 
people would listen to his arguments at all. Some 
thought a railroad along the river preposterous — that 
it could never compete with the boats — while some of 
the boatmen on the other hand thought it might 
ruin their business. The Eas^lc and the Telegraph 
kept the project before the people, and, according to 
the former, "a small body comprising about a baker's 
dozen, resolved to go ahead for the work, and they 
made an application to the legislature for a charter." 
Their petitions were treated at Albany "with so much 
contempt that those who undertook to call attention 
to them in the legislature were hardl}' treated with 
decent courtesy." In March, 1842, a convention of 
delegates from river towns assembled at the village 
hall at Poughkeepsie, but only a dozen or so repre- 
sented other places and there were not more than thirty 
persons in the hall. This meeting, nevertheless, ap- 
pointed a "Hudson River Rail Road Central Executive 

i"Tlie New York and Albany Rail Road Company have 
advertised for proposal for the grading, masonry and bridges 
on ninety miles of the road in Dutchess, Putnam and West- 
chester counties." — Jan. 6, 1841, Poughkeepsie Journal. 



Finance and Correspondence Committee," made up of 
the men who had already been active in the matter: 
M. Vassar, Thomas L. Davies, Isaac Piatt and E. B. 
Killey. The Telegraph gives the chief credit for the 
completion of the enterprise to this committee. Sub- 
scription books were opened and $1,450 were raised for 
the preliminary expenses of obtaining a complete sur- 
vey, and a charter. The survey was made by Rich- 
ard D. Morgan, but at a second attempt before the 
Legislature for a charter "A respectful hearing could 
not be obtained." "Not a village on the river aided 
us in the expense," says the Eagle, "and had exertions 
stopped here all would have been lost.'' 

The applicants for a charter were charged with 
wishing merely to head off the Harlem road, and in 
1843 there was a bitter controversy between Alder- 
man Moses G. Leonard, of New York, and Matthew 
Vassar, the former charging the latter with having 
said "that they had no intention to construct a Rail- 
road along the River, but they had merely resorted 
to this movement in order to protect their property 
along the river." The Journal seems to imply, in the 
following, from an article in its issue of March 22d, 
that there was possibly some truth in the assertion : 
"Mr. Vassar had no authority to speak on that point 
for any but himself, and if he did say (which he de- 
nies) what is attributed to him, it furnishes no proof 
either of the infeasibility of the river route or of the 
opinions of the hundreds who have petitioned for a 
charter. We know that the committee of which Mr. 
Vassar is chairman entertain no such views." 

\'ery few people in New York city could be got to 
listen to the scheme of the Poughkeepsie committee, 
and the city newspapers either condemned it or con- 
sidered it of small importance until 1845, when John 
Childe, an eminent engineer' of Springfield, Mass., 
published a letter expressing faith in its practicability. 
Then going to work once more with a will, the com- 
mittee succeeded in enlisting a number of New York 
men of wealth and standing, and finally overcame 
objections and obtained the charter. May 12th, 1846. 
The enemies of the road, however, succeeded in the 
incorporation of a requirement that $3,000,000 must 
be subscribed before March ist, 1847, with 10 per 
cent, paid in. This necessitated strenuous exertions 
and while they were in progress, Oct. 19th, 1846, the 
first telegraph office was opened in Poughkeep.sie by 
"The New York, Albany and Buffalo Telegraph Com- 
pany." Professor Samuel F. B. Morse, the inventor 
of the telegraph, lived just outside of the limits of the 

'Isaac Piatt had himself helped to keep the project alive 
b\' writing a series of articles, publishcj in the New York 
Times and signed "Civil Engineer.'' 



HISTORY OF POUGHKBBPSIB. 



141 



village, and there was much interest in his method of 
sending comunications "as quick as lightning." It 
was none too quick for the people during the last 
week or two of February, 1847, and when the dots 
and dashes of the tape roll in the office in Garden 
Street conveyed the news that the $3,000,000 neces- 
sary to "save the charter" of the Hudson River 
Railroad had been subscribed^ there was great re- 
joicing. The Eagle of February 27th, which printed 
the announcement, with a historical sketch of the prog- 
ress and difficulties of the original promoters, says 
that the excitement in Poughkeepsie was so great that 
even the approaching municipal election was almost 
forgotten. 

Bonfires were lighted and salutes were fired and 
there was a general celebration with a "splendid sup- 
per at the first depot, the Poughkepsie Hotel * * * 
prepared by the host, Mr. Rutzer, in the best style 
of the times. * * * The first business being com- 
pleted, M. Vassar, Esq. ,2 acting as chief conductor, 
aided by Jacob B. Jewett, Stephen B. Trowbridge and 
John Adriance, assistant conductors, Isaac Piatt and 
E. B. Killey as brakemen, started the train upon a new 
track." This was, of course, the speech-making, which 
included also D. B. Lent and General Maison. One 
of the chief toasts was to Richard D. Morgan, "to 
whose pioneer efforts the public are indebted for their 
knowledge of the practicabilit)' of the route." We 
are told that as this was a temperance banquet, there 
was no danger of an explosion or of any one getting 
off the track. In relation to the prospects for business 
for the railroad the Baglc of Feb. 27th, says: 

"We are not among those who calculate that the 
building of the road will take all travel from the river, 
but that its completion will have the effect to doable 
the present amount of travel there cannot be a reason- 
able doubt. Of this the road will get its share, ex- 
tending to at least half of the through travel during 
the most favorable seasons of navigation, and when 
obliged to compete with the best boats, while at the 
same time, of the way tra\'cl it will command by far 
the largest proportion, so that heavier passenger 
trains than have ever yet been seen in this country 
will run in midnsummer, even if the boats are full at 
the same time. But for four months, when the navi- 
gation at .\lbany is closed, and while railroad commu- 
nications extend north to Canada and \\'est to Wis- 
consin, not onl\' hundreds, hut thousands will fill the 
cars daily, and freight lines will run constantly." 

Sa\-s the Telegraph of Wednesday, Jan. Qth, 1850: 
"This great public improvement, second only to the 

ipor list ijf subscribers up to Ian. 23, 1847, see Appendix. 

^Mr. V.issar was e\iden(ly given nuicli of tlic credit of 
having stalled the enterprise, though he was in Europe when 
the charter was obtained. 



New York and Erie Canal, is now completed to the 
station house in this village. The first train' of cars 
reached it on Friday evening last, and was greeted 
with enthusiastic cheers as it passed under the fine 
bridge arched over Main street near the depot." The 
first time table published in the Poughkeepsie papers 
was as follows : 

Hudson River Railroar 

Winter Mail arrangements — On and after Mon- 
day next ; the passenger trains will run as follows, 
dailj' (Sundays excepted). 

Leave New York for Poughkeepsie and intermedi- 
ate places: At 8 A, M. carrying the way mails; at 
4 P. M. do through mails. 

Leave Poughkeepsie for New York and intermedi- 
ate places : At 6 A. M. carrying the way mails ; at 
iiyi A. M, do through do. 

The 4 P. M, train going North, and the iiyi 
A. M. train going South will not stop at Hastings, 
Garrison's Dock, or Low Point, 

A line of Stages will be found in readiness at 
Poughkeepsie to leave for Albany and intermediate 
places on the arrival of the trains from New York, 
Where offices of the Company are established, pas- 
sengers will procure Tickets before entering the cars. 
W, C, Young, Chief Engineer. 

New York, Dec, 27, 1849. 

The days of the stage coach on the post road were 
not yet over, but they were numbered. The northern 
section of the railroad was built from Albany down, 
and was opened in October, 185 1. The directors 
elected in June, 1849, '^^'bo finished the southern sec- 
tion of the road, were James Boorman, Gouverneur 
Kemble, Gardner R. Howland, Thomas Suffern, 
James Hooker, John B. Jervis, Elisha Peck, Japthet 
I'ishop, Edward Jones, John David Wolfe, ]\ loses H. 
Grinnell, Edwin D. Morgan, and Erastus Corning. 
Mr. Boorman, who had a summer home north of 
Poughkeepsie, was the president — and it was to his 
subscription in 1847 '^'lat the building of the road 
was chiefly due — Mr. Jones, vice-president, Mr. Jer- 
vis, chief engineer. John M. Hopkins, treasurer and 
George H. Butler, legal agent. 

The rock taken from the heavy cuttings in Pough- 
keepsie was i^artly used in filling along the water 
front and it was at this time that the territory where 
.Arnold's lumber yard is located, south of the Fall 
Kill, was mostl\' created. 

The Hudson River Railroad was built long after 
railroads had ceased to be an experiment, was well 
equipped and was successful from the start. The 

'Trains had been nuniing before this for several weeks as 
far as Pine St.. where the old Hunt liousc was used as a 
station. 



142 



HISTORY OF POUGHKBEPSIB 



running time of passenger trains was surprisingly- 
near that of the present locals. The Bagle of Jan. 
1 2th, 1850, contains a description of a trip to New 
York over the road, which includes the following: 

"Since the first train reached us there has been all 
but an avalanche of business, both in the line of pas- 
sengers and freight, the receipts of the Company be- 
ing near twelve hundred dollars per day. The cars 
run through between this place and 31st street, New 
York, regularly within two hours and a half, the run- 
ning time not exceeding in any case two hours, and 
from Chambers street within three hours. This is 
quicker time than is made on any other railroad ir 
the United States and comes fully up to the original 
calculations of the engineers. When the track is 
thoroughly settled, every trip to and from the city, 
will doubtless be made within two hours." 

In fact there were some runs of two hours within 
the year 1850. Four trains each way, besides a Peeks- 
kill train, were put on March nth, and on May 17th 
a freight train to leave Poughkeepsie at 7 a. m. and 
the "Canal street freight depot" in New York at 12 




Cut of I'assar /liTiLViy. s/wioing Old-Titne Railroad 
Train and Sleainboat. 

noon was announced, with the statement that "No 
freight will be carried on the Passenger Trains after 
Tuesday, June 4th, except under special arrange- 
ments." The summer time table dated May 2ist, 
announces that trains will connect at Poughkeepsie 
"with the fast sailing steamers New World, Alida, 
Joseph Belknap, and South America." Passengers 
could then leave New York at 7 a. m. and arrive at 
Albany at 3 p. .m. The connection was made at a 
dock, to which a covered passagewa\' led, where the 
Poughkeepsie Yacht Club House stands. This prop- 
erty is still owned by the railroad company. 

The first annual statement of the road covering 
nine months of operation up to Sept. 30th. showed 
passenger earnings of $242,575.10 and freight earn- 
ings of $18,575.76. There was a balance above oper- 
ating expenses of $110,974.83. The road had then 
been double-tracked to Peckskill. .\t this time the 
right of way had not all been obtained above Pough- 
keepsie and John Thompson, who was employed in 
i)l)taining it, was having con.siderable trouble with 
the owners of large e.ilates along the river. 



The continued prosperity of the railroad was a 
source of much satisfaction and the local papers con- 
tain many items about it. On January 7th, 1854, in 
connection with the announcement of the purchase 
of six locomotives and a number of passenger cars 
is the following: "The road now uses thirty-six 
thousand cords of wood a year, which costs with the 
sawing, $5.50 per cord. One locomotive is in use 
burning coal." In 1853, when the Harlem Railroad 
was straining every nerve to get business away from 
the Hudson River Railroad, and had reduced the fare 
from Albany to New York to $1.00, the latter com- 
pany was advised not to meet the ruinous reduction. 
It was then, however, carrying passengers at a rate 
of one cent a mile. During that year the double track 
was completed to Poughkeepsie. A year earlier, Feb- 
ruary 1st, 1852, the necessity of a break in the journey 
from New York to Albany for luncheon had been 
recognized, and William S. Johnston had come here 
from New York to establish the first railroad res- 
taurant on the line and one of the first in the country. 
Mr. Johnston and his brothers, Theodore and Floy M. 
Johnston, eventually acquired control of nearly all 
the restaurants on the New York Central system, a 
control which lasted until the company took posses- 
sion of them in 1900. Though living in New York 
at the time the railroad was built the Johnstons were a 
Poughkeepsie family, their father, William Sherman 
Johnston, having been born here. 

Poughkeepsie continued to be a division point on 
the railroad, where all trains changed locomotives until 
the spring of 1876, when the first order was issued to 
run through to Albany. All trains continued to stop 
here ten minutes until some ten years later. 

The almost immediate success of the railroad could 
not fail to afifect the river trade, but the cutting off of 
the business of Eastern Dutchess by the Harlem rail- 
road did fully as much damage as the completion of 
the Hudson River Railroad. The Eagle said of the 
boats in May, 1853: "If we can judge at all by ap- 
pearance, they are doing much more business than 
usual, notwithstanding the amount done on the rail- 
road." Ruinous competition probably had much to 
do with this appearance of business, for in 1852 the 
boats were carrying passengers to New York from 
Poughkeepsie for one shilling. The Reindeer, Ar- 
menia, Ahda and Henry Cla)', then formed the day 
line. "Faster boats never floated," says the Press of 
May 13th. 

There was in 1841, and for some )'ears afterwards, 
a local day line to New York, tlie steamer Osceola 



HISTORY OF P OU GH KEEPS I E. 



143 



leaving Main Street landing every morning at 7 
o'clock, and leaving New York every afternoon at 
4. Probably the prospect of railroad competition 
caused its abandonment; at any rate while the rail- 
road was building, the "old Union Landing, which had 
been running the steamboat Gazelle twice a week to 
New York, and had been one of the most important of 
the four village landings, went out of business and its 
property passed into the hands of William Bushnell, 
who had been interested in the Dutchess Iron Works 
on Main Street. He built a charcoal blast furnace 
there about 1848. The same year Joseph Tuckerman 
appears to have become a partner in the business, and 
on Nov. 14th Tuckerman & Bushnell^ conveyed the 




Loiocr Furnace. Photographed about iSSo, by C. S. Lucas. 

property to The Poughkeepsie Iron Company. This 
was the beginning of the pig iron industry in Pough- 
keepsie. The ores smelted were hauled by mule 
teams from the Sylvan Lake neighborhood, and fluxed 
with Barnegat lime stone. The ore teams were long 
a familiar street feature, and without the .•snorting of 
the blowing engine at the "Lower Furnace" resident.s 
of the .-southern section of Poughkeepsie scarcely knew 
how to go to sleep at night. ]\v 1853 Edward Bech 

iLibei- 88 Deeds, p. 80. Tn this ilccd. .1 street called West 
Street, probably the same as Front Street, is mentioned. I 
believe that the large bouse about half way down the hill 
below Water Street dates back to the early days of the land- 
ing. The bricb house, with Grecian pillars, on the corner of 
Water and Union Streets was built by Uriah Gregory, about 
1 841. 



had become interested and on April 2d we read that 
Tuckerman & Bech are building a second furnace or 
stack ''capable of producing 20 tons of iron per day, 
or 4 more than the present one." Albert E. Tower 
was the superintendent. 

Ship-building was an important industry at tjiis 
time, as an outgrowth partly of the freighting and 
partly of the whaling business. Barges, steamboats, 
sloops and schooners were built here by Hanry Finch, 
who bought the whale dock ship-yard of Tooker and 
Halt in 1846. Finch built the schooner M. Vassar in 
that year and she was chartered by the government 
and sent to Vera Cruz with stores for the army in the 
Mexican War. Returning to Poughkeepsie after the 
war the M. Vassar sailed around the Horn to Cali- 
fornia with Abraham Spencer and a party of gold 
hunters about 1850, and was sold in California. Finch 
is said to have built more than sixty sailing vessels 
before he left here, but possibly some of these should 
be credited to George W. Polk, who came here about 
1850 to work for him and succeeded him in business. 
An item in the Eagle of .April 2d, 1853, stating that 
the Whale Dock and Finch's Ship Yard had been sold 
to Stillman & Co. for a brick yard, is incorrect. Finch 
continued for several years after that. The brick yard 
was established on a part of the Whale Dock property 
and was not successful. 

An improvement in inland transportation facilities 
for this period was the plank road. It was a short- 
lived improvement on account of the great expense of 
repairs when the planks began to wear out, but for a 
few \ears the plank roads were splendid highways. 
The records of their incorporation show that they 
were mostly started from 1847 to 1854. The Pough- 
keepsie and Pine Plains Plank Road Company was in- 
corporated in 1850, and in the same year the local 
newspapers were urging a plank road to EUenville as 
a "mighty improvement to throw open to Poughkeep- 
sie the trade of a vast and rich section." In 1853 the 
books were opened "for subscription to the capital 
stock of the Poughkeepsie and Salt Point Plank 
Road." Only a few of these many projects wore car- 
ried out, and the only plank road constructed in this 
immediate neighborhood was that leading to New 
Hackensack anil Stormville. This road was for a 
time successful and paid dividends, perhaps because 
of its continuous use b\' the teams bringing iron ore 
to the furnace at the foot of Union Street. The 
platiks extended into town as far as Hamilton Street. 
.\ part of the New Paltz turnpike, from the ferry 
landing u]) to llighlaml, was once planked. 



144 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEEPSIE. 



Schools — The First FiueH; Schools. 

The schools enumerated in the Telegraph's article 
of Jan. 6th, 1841, were the "Dutchess County Acad- 
emy, Lancaster School, Poughkeepsie High School 
and 18 other schools." The High School was a pri- 
vate institution conducted by James Hj'att and some- 
times advertised as a teachers' institute. That the 
schools were prosperous is shown by many references 
to them in the papers. The Journal of Sept. 29th, 
1841, says: 

"Through the boarding schools alone, not less than 
$70,000 per year, brought from abroad, is distributed 
among the citizens of Poughkeepsie. * * * Nearly 
one-half the amount we have named is annually dis- 
tributed among us by the Collegiate School. * * * 
The female boarding schools, and the academies in 
proportion, contribute their share towards sustaining 
the business of our village and 'tis to them more than 
to anything else, we may attribute the fact that Pough- 
keepsie has suffered less than other places from the 
revulsion consequent upon the over-trading and specu" 
lation of '36 and '37." 

Poughkeepsie Schools were in fact almost at their 
height and attracting pupils from all parts of the 
country. There were, however, no free schools, sup- 
ported entirely by taxation, though it is not quite 
true to say there were no public schools. As the term 
was then used the Academies and the Lancaster 
School were public schools. They received a share of 
the State mone^'' and were under the supervision of 
the regents. The tuition in the Dutchess County 
Academy was as low as $4 a quarter for ordinary Eng- 
lish branches, and the instruction was good. In this 
and in other like schools a few pupils were received 
free of charge, though they generally rendered some 
service in return. Since 1795, and perhaps earlier, 
there had been what were called "common schools," 
furnishing free tuition to those who could not afford 
to pay, and supported apparently partly by private 
subscription and partly by taxation. Meetings were 
held from time to time to devise means for improving 
them, and it appears from the reports that they were 
very indifferently conducted. The Lancaster school 
system also provided for the free instruction of a con- 
siderable number of younger children, and it was 
proposed at one time to so extend it as to include all 
who could be induced to attend ; but the s\stem was 
unsati.5factory, and was losing ground elsewhere, 
while the free public schools supported by taxation 
were everywhere gaining. 

iFor first apportionment sec p. 6g. I am not quite sure 
that the Lanca-^ter seliool received Stale money. 



In March, 1841, an educational meeting, of which 
David Arnold was chairman and Thomas S. Ranney 
secretary, received the report of a committee which 
had been investigating the general condition of the vil- 
lage in the matter of school attendance. A census had 
been made of the children between the ages of 5 and 
16 years in the sections west of Washington and 
Market Streets, and the rest were estimated. Of the 
1,641 children in the village tire committee stated that 
about 382 attended no school, though some of these 
had attended for a few terms. There were 300 chil- 
dren in the section north of Main and west of Wash- 
ington Street, "of whom 36 attend the Lancaster 
School, 51 other schools taught by male teachers, 113 
attend schools taught by female teachers, and no 
are not attending school at present." This meeting 
reported in favor of an extension and improvement 
of the Lancaster system. The Journal was opposed 
to a free school system, of which it said the Eagle 
and the Telegraph were "the especial advocates." 
Abraham Bockee, who was a member of the State 
Senate from 1842 to 1845, introduced and advocated 
early in 1843 a special act creating a village board of 
education of twelve members, with authority to bor- 
row $12,000 for the erection of buildings, and to raise 
by taxation about $7,000 a year. Of this the Journal 
said : 

"Seven thousand a year besides the interest on the 
loan made for the erection of school houses and the 
installments of principal when they become due, will 
make a handsome addition to the burdens of the vil- 
lage, which is already encumbered with a debt of 
$35,000 and an annual tax of $7,000 more, besides her 
share of the town and county expenses and of the 
state tax of $600,000." 

The act was nevertheless passed April i8th and was 
approved at a special village election. May 17th, by a 
majority of 168 in a total poll of 976, voters. It di- 
rected an annual election on the first Tuesday of June 
each year for members of the board of education, who 
were at once "to build and furnish one good and sub- 
stantial school house, containing two rooms of suf- 
ficient capacity to accommodate not less than one hun- 
dred and twenty-five pupils each, and to rent five other 
rooms for primary schools." The Journal did not yet 
cease its opposition, charged that the law was pro- 
posed for political purposes "for furthering the pros- 
pects of T\illc\- & Co." and on June 7th said: "That 
which costs nothing is lightly prized, and the free 
schools if filled at all, will be with those indifl^erent 
to what they learn, !>>■ children of parents who not 
having the stimulus common to all of 'getting their 



HISTORY OF PO U G H K E E PS I E. 



146 



money's worth,' will send irregularly, as convenience 
or inclination may indicate." This prediction was to 
some extent fulfilled down to recent times and the 
passage of the compulsory law. At the election for 
the first board of education David L. Starr, Ira Arm- 
strong, Thomas Austin, Benjamin Gile, Isaac Piatt, 
Egbert B. Killey, George C. Marshall, Barnet Haw- 
kins, James Reynolds, Jr., William P. Gibbons, Chris- 
topher Appleton and Matthew J. Myers were chosen^ 
with a vote ranging from 330 to 424. The oppo- 
nents of the school law put an opposition ticket in the 
field and attempted a stratagem, withholding their 
votes until the afternoon, when they cast about 324 
for each of the following : Charles Crooke, Caleb 
Barker, Nathan H. Jewett, James W. Bogardus, 
Nehemiah Sweet, Joseph H. Jackson, Caleb Morgan, 
Charles Carman, Seward Barculo, Gilbert I. Vincent, 
William H. Tallmadge and Geo. W. Farrington. 

The board organized June 20th, choosing William 
P. Gibbons president and Thomas Austin clerk. In July 
the lot on the corner of Mill and Bridge Streets was 
purchased and on Jan. 2gth "the first grammar school 
for boys under the free school act" was opened in 
the building, still in use (School No. i), with 119 
"qualified scholars" in attendance, under the su- 
perintendence of Josiah I. Underbill. Rooms were 
rented for primary schools in August in "the build- 
ing formerly occupied as a theatre, situated in Mar- 
ket near Jay Street," and "in the building situated 
on the corner of Clinton and Thompson Streets (the 
old Academy)," at $80 per annum in each case. The 
Clinton Street school was No. i, the Market Street 
school No. 2 and in December No. 3 was open- 
ed in "a room in a coach factory at the junc- 
tion of Mill and Dutchess Avenue."== Such were 
the beginnings of our free public schools, which it 
must be confessed, have until recently remained 
rather backward. The private schools and academies 
had the prestige, and the free schools were at first 
expected to take care only of those children whose 
parents were not able to pay tuition, and did not af- 
ford much real competition for a good many years. 



iln iSyg and 1894 the hoard published historical sketches 
of tlic public schools and the city library with lists of mem- 
bers of the board, of the graduates of the high school, school 
enrollment and attendance. The first hoard of education 
does not contain the name of Matthew J. Myers. He de- 
clined to serve and Henry Augevine was appointed in his 
place. Thomas Austin and David L. Starr resigned in De- 
cember, 184.3, and Alexander J. Coffin and Nathan Gifford 
were appointed in ihcir place 

-1879 Report of Board of Education. 



At the close of the Civil War the appropriation for 
schools was only about $7,000. 

New private schools were in fact started almost 
every year. "The Poughkeepsie Female Collegiate 
Institute'' for instance, was founded in 1848 by Dr. 
Charles H. P. McClellan, and is still flourishing un- 
der the name of "Lyndon Hall." It was organized 
with a board of trustees, which in 1849 was as fol- 
lows : Samuel B. Johnston, Howland R. Sherman, 
David H. Barnes, Tunis Brinckerhofif, Abraham Var- 
ick, George R. Henderson, Jacob Degroff, Per Lee 
Pine, William S. Morgan, Caspar D. Smith, John P. 
H. Tallman, and Rev. Charles Whitehead, all of 
Poughkeepsie, and William H. Bostwick, Amenia ; 
Nathan Barratt, Staten Island ; Rev. E. S. Porter, 
Chatham Four Corners ; Rev. A. Polhemus, Hope- 
well. This school had a vacation of four weeks in 
the spring and a summer vacation of six weeks be- 
ginning about the middle of July. 

The Daily Press., May 15th, 1852, contains an ar- 
ticle on the schools of Poughkeepsie, describing par- 
ticularly Mr. Bartlett's School on College Hill, "the 
best of its kind in America," the Dutchess County 
Academy, then in charge of William MacGeorge ; the 
Mansion Square Female Academy, Dr. W. P. Gib- 
bons principal, (this school occupied the building 
built for a hotel, now the Jewett Flouse) ; the Pough- 
keepsie Female Academy, Mr. J. C. Tooker, principal. 
On May 26th of the same year, the Press "wrote up" 
the public schools, with the statement: "No village 
in the union possesses a superior Free educational es- 
tablishment." There were then a grammar school and 
five primary schools, one of which was for colored 
children. 

The fame of the village was so great that "The 
State and National Law School" was brought here 
late in December, 1852, from Ballston, but as it was 
hardly fairly established before Poughkeepsie became 
a city, further mention of it may be deferred to the 
next chapter. 

The PuiiLic Library and the Lyceum. 

The Public Library was niox-ed into what was long 
called "The Library Building," 2^}, and 235 Main 
Street, early in December, 1852. and only a few weeks 
before the Law School began in the same building. 
This building in fact was long a literary center. 
Tomlinson's Poughkeepsie Museum occupied a part 
of the upper floors at this time and f<ir several years 
afterwards. The Library was formed under the 
school district librarv law in i^'^S- doubtless inherit- 
ing some of the books from the older subscription 



14(3 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEEPSIE. 



libraries. It was consolidated with the Lancaster 
Librarj' in 1843, and was removed to the upper floor 
of what afterwards became the Phoenix Hose House 
in the rear of the First Reformed Church. Here it 
grew slowly to about 3,000 volumes^ until its removal 
to Main Street above noted. 

"The Poughkeepsie Lyceum of Literature, Science 
and the Mechanic Arts" was incorporated in 1838, 
"for the purpose of establishing and maintaining a 
library, cabinet, philosophical apparatus, reading 
room, literary and scientific lectures, and other means 
of promoting moral and intellectual improvement, and 
of accumulating a fund for the benefit of its members- 
as a resource in case of sickness, infirmity and misfor- 
tune." The incorporation was the result of a union 
of the older Lyceum Association and of the Mechanics 
Literary and Benevolent Association. The first of 
these, we are told, had a cabinet of 1,500 minerals 
and a few books, and the latter had a library of 270 
volumes. The books ultimately went to the city li- 
brary and the minerals, etc., to Vassar Institute. The 
L3'ceum Association was long an important educa- 
tional force in Poughkeepsie, and brought here the 
most prominent lecturers and public men of the days 
when people liked to hear live questions discussed by 
men who knew all about them. It is still nominally in 
existence, but gave up its lecture course in 1889, and 
in 1903 voted to devote its annual income, about $125, 
to the purchase of books for the city library. Nearly 
all the leading citizens of Poughkeepsie from 1838 
until a recent period have been at some time members 
of the Association. Matthew Vassar was its presi- 
dent in 1852, and the papers of early December give 
considerable space to his address on opening the 
course of lectures. R. W. Emerson was one of the 
lecturers that winter. After 1850, for many years 
the lectures were held in the Universalist Church 
(previously Presbyterian) in Cannon Street. John 
Grubb, then a bookseller, later became one of the most 
successful managers of the Lyceum, and his name 
was identified with its work for a long time. 

Efforts were made to bolster up and continue the 
Lancaster School after the board schools were opened, 
but without success, and from 1849-50 the building 
on Church Street was used by the German Methodists 
as a place of worship, while their first church, on the 
site of the present one in South Bridge Street, was 
building. The Lancaster school house presently 
passed to the possession of the board of education 
and in 1857 the present School No. 2 was finished and 

opened. 

iSee report of commiUee on fire houses.— Village minute,s, 
.\pril 21, 1851. 



New Churches. 

The Germans came to Poughkeepsie in consider- 
able numbers only a few years after the Irish and set- 
tled mostly on the south side of Main Street, west of 
Market. By 1838 occasional services had begun to be 
conducted by the German teachers in the Collegiate 
School. The Methodists were first in obtaining an or- 
ganization in 1847, under Rev. Daniel Duerstein, aided 
by C. Lyon of the Washington Street Church and 
Jacob Bahret of tl«e Presbyterian Church. Their first 
church was dedicated Sept. 22d, 1850, on the site of 
the present one in South Bridge Street. When the 
Lutherans found out that Mr. Duerstein was a Meth- 
odist they withdrew to the basement of the Dutch 
Reformed Church. They were not completely organ- 
ized until 1856 under Rev. E. Hoffman and were not 
able to own a place of worship until 1858, when the 
old Noxon house on Market Street was purchased 
and fitted for their use. 




T/ie Cannon Slnvt jMcl/wdisi Church. 

A number of new churches testify to the vigor 
of the village during this period. The Baptists in 
1839 built the Lafayette Street Church (now Polish 
Catholic) at a cost of $20,000, one-half of which 
was donated by Matthew Vassar, who persuaded Rev. 
Rufus Babcock to return to the pastorate. The old 
church in Mill Street was rented to the Methodists, 
who in 1840 had increased so much as to form a sec- 
ond congregation with Thomas M. Brewer, Thomas 
Simpson, William Wall Reynolds, Edmund B. Bailey, 
Harry Wray, David Norris and Egbert B. Killey as 
trustees. In 1842 a Universalist congregation was 
formed and l)()ught the Mill Street Baptist Church, 
the Methodists finding a temporary home at the Vil- 



HISTORY OF POUGHKBBPSIB. 



147 



lage Hall and the Court House until 1845 when the 
Cannon Street Church (now the Masonic Temple) 
was built at a cost of $8,650. Meanwhile a revival had 
added greatly to the Baptist membership and Dr. Bab- 
cock had resigned a second time, being succeeded by 
Rev. Charles Van Loon, who was aided by Rev. 
Lewis Raymond, a noted evangelist. Out of this 
second revival grew dififerences which divided the con- 
gregation and Mr. Van Loon, with about two-thirds 
of the members, bought back the Mill Street Church. 
The Universalists were then without a home until 
the Presbyterians in 1850 decided to build a new 
church, when they purchased the old church in Can- 
non Street. Considerable building was going on east 
of Hamilton Street and the Presbyterians, then under 




/'n-sbylcriaii C/iiiirh, torn do-am igo^. 
about iSgo. 



The Fence iucis removed 



the pastorate of Rev. Henry G. Ludlow, dedicated 
their present church^ May 7th, 1851. A notable 
contribution towards its erection was $5,000 in the 
stock of the Washington and New Orleans Magnetic 
Telegraph Company by Samuel F. B. Morse, who 
was an active member, and a constant attendant when- 
ever lie was in Poughkecpsie. The church trustees 
held this stock for twenty-five years and finally sold 
it for half its face value within a short time of the 
consolidation into the \Vestern Union Company, 
which would have given it the value its donor had ex- 
pected it to have. 

The Catholic Church at this time was under the 
able rectorship of Rev. Michael Riordan, who steered 

iNow (1905) replaced by a miicli larger and liner build- 
ing. 



it safely through the Native American, or "Know 
Nothing" agitation and brought it to greatly increased 
strength and respect. He had unbounded influence 
over the Irish laborers who were building the railroad, 
and more than once quelled what threatened to be 
serious riots among them. Not a few of them settled 
purchasing homes. The Silk Company, which owned 
much real estate, gave an additional piece of ground 
permanently in Poughkeepsie, saving their wages and 
to the church in 1839, and a part of the present build- 
ing was erected in 1844. This became the transept 
when the building was enlarged to nearly its present 
form in 1853. In the same year (1853) the German 
Catholics completed their first church on Union 
Street, where the present Church of the Nativity 
stands. The first building cost only $500, the work 
having been partly contributed by zealous Catholics, 
Irish as well as Germans. Rev. John Tanzer was the 
first rector. 

In 1847 the Dutch Reformed congregation, under 
Rev. A. M. Mann's pastorate, outgrew its building 
and organized a second congregation with the fol- 
lowing consistory : Tunis Brinckerhoff , Charles P. 
Adriance, Abraham G. Storm and Joseph H. Jack- 
son, elders, and James W. Bogardus, Casper D. 
Smith, Albert Brett and John P. Flagler, deacons. 
The present building, corner of Mill and Catherine 
Streets, was dedicated Feb. 22(1, 1S49. It cost $12,800. 
Rev. Charles Whitehead was installed as the first 
pastor October 7th, and the church began with a 
membership of fifty. 

In 1843 the colored members of the Methodist 
Church, who had separated from the \Vashingti r. 
Street congregation in 1837, built their first church 
on the site of the present one in Catherine Street. In 
1853 the Methodists sent out still another congrega- 
tion, when the Hedding Church on Clover Street was 
built. 

One union religious organization, which still 
exists, dates from this period — The Woman's Union 
liible and Tract Society. The report of this society 
published in 1895, gives its history. Bishop Janes, of 
the Methodist Episcopal Church, had presided at an 
annual meeting of The Dutchess County Bible So- 
ciet\' in 1840, and had so profoundh' stirred nian\ 
of the women present that under the leadership of 
Mrs. Robert Wilkinson they determined to found a 
village organization. .\ccordingl\-, October 14th, a 
union meeting was held at the Dutch Reformed 
Church, at which a constitution was adopted and 
officers were elected as follows: President, Mrs. 
Frederick W. Hatch (wife of the rector of St. Paul's 



14S 



HISTORY OF POUGHKBBPSIE 



Church) ; vice-president, Mrs. Peter P. Sanford (wife 
of the presiding elder of the Methodists) ; correspond- 
ing secretary, Mrs. Alexander M. Mann (wife of the 
pastor of the Dutch Church) ; recording secretar}', 
Mrs. Theodoras Gregory; treasurer, Mrs. Robert 
Wilkinson. For eight years this "Female Union Bible 
Society," as it was called, remained auxiliary to the 
county society. The work of distribution of tracts 
was added in 1862, through the influence of Mrs. 
Eliza Hager, and in 1868 the society first employed a 
Bible reader to give her time to the work. 

The Rurai, Cemetery. 

Before 1850 the village of Poughkeepsie had 
begun to surround most of the little denominational 
grave-yards in the village. The Dutch Reformed 
Church had already been driven from two, and had 
established a third on the Post Road north of the city 
limits, and the Episcopal burial ground on Montgom- 
ery Street was no longer on the outskirts. The Bap- 
tist grave-yard^ near Garden Street was already in- 
adequate. As long ago as 1809 the village had ap- 
propriated $500 for a grave-yard on Montgomery 
Street, and the records seem to indicate that the pur- 
chase was made, but unless the ground was a part of 
the same taken b}' Christ Church in 1828 no trace of 
it is to be found, and it was certainly small. Possibly 
the idea of a cemetery association was an outgrowth 
of the cholera epidemic of 1842, though it did not 
take form until several years later, when Matthew 
\^assar, James Bowne and Egbert B. Killey were ap- 
pointed by a village meeting a committee to select a 
site. Mr. Vassar, on recommendation of the com- 
mittee, bought for $8,000 about fifty acres of land on 
the east side of .\cademy Street below Eden Hill. 
The association was formed December 30th, 1852, 
with the following directors : Thomas L. Davies, 
Elias Trivctt, Seward Barculo, J. P. H. Tallman, Wil- 
liam W. Reynolds, M. Vassar. George Van Kleeck, C. 
\V. Swift, Jacob r.. Jewett. S. B. Johnston, W. C. 
Sterling and James I^owne. They decided not to take 
the property purchased by Mr. ■\''assar and he there- 
fore laid it out for himself, from plans made by A. J. 
Downing, the landscape architect, and called it Spring- 
side, a name which it still bears. ]\Ir. Vassar lived 
there for several summer,?, the cemetery meanwhile 
having been located on the Smith Thompson place on 
the South Road. Judge Thompson had died in De- 
cember, 1843, 'I'l'' was Ijuried in the old Livingston 
fann'lv plot, where his monument still stands, onlv a 



few hundred feet north of the cemetery fence. His 
wife was a Livingston. The Thompson place was 
called the "Rust Platz" as was also the stream (men- 
tioned in Chapter I) which ran through it, and it is 
rather a pity that this name could not have been re- 
tained for the cemetery, as the meaning, "resting 
place," is certainly appropriate. The cemetery was 
dedicated Nov. 2d, 1853, Rev. H. G. Ludlow, Rev. A. 
M. Mann, Rev. Samuel Buel (of Christ Church), 
Jacob B. Jewett and John Thompson taking part in 
the exercises. The old Thompson house, built before 
the Revolution, probably by the Conklin family, from 
whom the first Henry Livingston bought his land, 
stood until August, 1876. 

A Daily Newspaper and Gas Light. 

The first daily newspaper in Poughkeepsie was 
started by Isaac Tompkins, editor of the Dutchess 
Democrat, in November, 1849, ^"d was called The 
Daily Bulletin. The town seems not to have been 
ready for a daily then and its career was short, but 
on May 3d, 1852, Nichols, Bush & Co., started The 
Daily Press, non-partisan, with Thomas J. Nichols as 
editor. It was a small paper, a "broadside" of only 
two pages, and was printed on a hand press until 
Sept. 5th, 1853. Albert S. Pease, who had conducted 
the Telegraph after Mr. Killey's death in 1852 until 
about 1856, purchased the Press November 15th, 1858, 
and in December enlarged it to four pages. John 
W. Spaight and John G. P. Holden were associated 
with him and at one time the paper was called 
The Daily City Press. Among items of news in the 
first number was an outline of a plan for a rail- 
road "from Canajoharie to Poughkeepsie," copied 
from the Prattsville Advertiser. Such a railroad, the 
writer maintained, "would shorten the distance to New 
York from Canajoharie and all points west of that 
on the Central Line of Railroads, at least fifty and 
probabi}' sixty miles." 

More important news was the burning of the 
popular river steamboat Henry Clay, near Yonkers 
on July 28th, 1852. Several residents of Poughkeep- 
sie lost their lives in this disaster, including the wife 
of Charles Bartlett, the principal of the Collegiate 
School. 

Even hcfoie the first daily newspaper was the ad- 
vent of gas light. Pipes were laid in the streets un- 
der authorization from the trustees*^ in 1850 and in 
December loth of that year the ta.xpayers at a special 



1 For list of first plot owners in the Dutch Reformed cem- 
etery on the I'cjst Rii.iil, and in the Baptist burying ground, 
see .\ppendi.N:. 



'February i8, 1850. Resolution authorizing Charles B. Dun- 
gan, of Philadelphia, and others to open streets on applica- 
tion of Henry D. Varick. 



HISTORY OF POUGHKBBPSIIi. 



149 



election voted down a proposition to use the new il- 
luminant for street lighting. This, however, was 
merely a vote against hasty action and soon after- 
wards the legislature was asked to amend the charter 
and establish a lamp district.' After this had been 
done (Chapter 401, Laws of 1851) on July 8th, 1851, 
there was a meeting of the owners of real estate, 
September ist, in the district, and they voted just as 
stockholders vote at ordinary corporation meeetings, 
according to the amount of their holdings. Out of an 
assessment of $914,950 it is recorded that $641,700 
voted for gas lights, and the trustees of the village ac- 
cordingly, October 13th, levied a tax of one mill per 
dollar on the district, and accepted the proposition of 
the Poughkeepsie Gas Compau)- to furnish 47 lamp 
posts, and gas at $2.50 per 1,000 feet. November 3d 
the trustees advertised for "burning fluid and for 
lighting lamps not within the lamp district." 

The Vii:,lage Fire Department. 

Apparently the establishment of adequate street 
lighting was partly the result of agitation growing 
out of the unusual number of fires that occurred in 
the winter of 1850-1851, many of which were prob- 
ably of incendiary origin. Edward P. Taylor, the 
chief engineer, reported March 17th that there had 
been seventeen fires between November i6th and 
March 4th. Public meetings were held, a reward was 
offered for the conviction of the incendiary and a 
committee of safety was organized. The chief re- 
ported the fire department "second to none in effici- 
ency." It was about this time that the silk factory 
burned, but it does not appear that any of the other 
fires were very serious, though several of them were 
on Main Street. There were five fire engines, two 
hose carts, one hook and ladder truck, 3,950 feet of 
hose, and 204 firemen, 36 of whom belonged to Dav}- 
Crockett Hook and Ladder Company, and 16 to each 
of the hose companies. The fire companies sometimes 
got into trouble through rowdyism among their mem- 
bers, and in 1844 the old No. i or Red Rover Hose 
Company had been disbanded and locked out by the 
"corporation lock." Oliver H. Booth in June of that 
year organized Phoenix Hose Company in its place, 
and became the foreman, with W. D. Cable as assist- 
ant. 

Engine Company No. 5, known a.^ '■Neptune." was 
organized Sept. 28th, 1848, with William C. Smith 
as foreman. Albert H. Champlin, Henry Morris and 
Richard Kenworthy were among the charter members. 
.V house was built for the company in Liberty Street, 

iFor first lamp district see Appendi.x. 



where Lady Washington Hose Company is now lo- 
cated, and a new engine, of the piano-box type, then 
the latest thing in fire engines, was constructed under 
contract by Foster & Gale, a Poughkeepsie firm, for 
about $1,000. Up to this time all the engines in use 
in Poughkeepsie had been of the old "goose neck" 
pattern, each engine throwing only one stream. The 




' ' Goose Ncfk ' ' FiiT Engine. 

new No. 5 was called a "double engine" because she 
had two couplings for attaching hose, and was expect- 
ed to be powerful enough to supply two other engines 
with water. She was never very successful, but was 
reported as doing good work at the fire which burned 
the dye wood mills of Gift'ord, Sherman & Innis' in 
February, 1849. The old method of fire-fighting was 
well illustrated at this fire. No. I took suction at the 
river and supplied water to No. 4, and No. 4 supplied 
water to No. 5, which threw two streams on the fire. 
It hardly seems that a line of three engines could 
have been necessary with the river so near at hand, 
but long lines of hose were often laid with engines at 
intervals to push the water along. The men on the 
brakes of the first engine always worked like beavers 
on these occasions to "wash," or flood, the engine next 
ahead, and when this feat was accomplished it was 
received w\i\\ shouts of approval from the partisans 
of the successful compan}', and was the cause of much 
boasting. Water pipes had been laid on IMain Street 
at first only to the Dutch Church, but were extended 
after a few years to Bayeaux Street, and in 1848 to 
Clover Street. Branches were laid through Market 
Street to Christ Church, through .A.cademy to Cannon 
and on the north side as far as Mill Street. \\'ells 
and cisterns were often pumped dry before a line of 
hose from the nearest hydrant could be laid. 

As a result of the alarm over the fires of 1850 and 
1 85 1, $350 was \-oteil in 1S51 for a new hook and lad- 

lAlong wilh the report of this fire the Eagle published a 
history of the mill, with the statement that it was raised on 
the day of riracldock's defeat in 1755. "The business of dye- 
wood cutting, etc., \v,\s eoninienced first in this country at 
this place by Messrs. Swift, Barnes &: Gifford in the year 
1816." 



150 



HISTORY OF POUGHKBBPSIE 



der truck, and appropriations were also made for a 
new house for Engine Company No. 4. The firemen 
asked for the use of the upper floor of the hook and 
ladder building (the old Phoenix building) then the 
public librar}', and two long reports by special com- 
mittees were made, the first of which, April 21st, 
recommended that the market in the lower floor of the 
village hall be given up and the space be refitted for 
the library. The second report by J. H. Fonda, M. 
Vassar, Jr., and J. M. Cable recommended (May 
25th) that a new hook and ladder house be built "on 
the east side of Market Square * * * ^ p^j.^ Qf 
which is now used for a Public Pound," and that 
Phoenix Hose, then housed in a small building back 
of the Surrogate's office, be placed in the building 




O/d Phocni.v Hose House. Torn down in igoi. The Union Street end 
was a comparatively recent addition. 

on the corner of Union Street. These recommenda- 
tions were carried out in 1852 and resulted in the 
removal of the library to "Dr. Pine's new building" 
(opposite the court house) and the building of the 
first Dav)' Crockett house on the present site. No. 
4's new house was built in 1851 at 100 Main Street. 
The older company, located in Clover Street, near 
Mill, had been disbanded about 1S46 and was but re- 
cently reorganized with the name Cataract No. 4. 
The names "Protection" for No. i, "Niagara" for 
Xo. 2, and "Washington" for No. 3 seem to date from 
about 1847. 

Oliver H. Booth was chief of the department dur- 
ing the eventful years, 1851 and 1852, and he had still 
another company to reorganize. Howard Hose Com- 
pany No. 2, jealous of the new houses of Davy 



Crockett and Cataract, presented so many resigna- 
tions that it had to be disbanded, and in the spring of 
1853 the chief organized a new company, which was 
named in his honor O. H. Booth Hose Company. 
There was much rivalry and jealousy among the old 
village fire companies and they occasionally needed 
the command of a firm hand. The new houses of this 
period afl?orded the first adequate room for the devel- 
opment of club life among the firemen, a feature 
which has since become very prominent. 

A City Charter. 

In 1850 Poughkeepsie had a population of 10,000 
or more and was considerably larger than some places 
that had been calling themselves cities for a long 
time. Hudson, for instance, a smaller place, 
had been masquerading as a "city'' for more 
than fifty years. The limitations of the vil- 
lage charter began to be felt with the intro- 
duction of the new and sometimes disorderly 
elements brought by the railroad. "We have 
not so much as one corporation police officer, 
bound, as such, to discharge police duties," 
said the Eagle, in March, 1853. There were, 
it is true, certain watchmen, appointed and at 
least partly paid by the village, but the town 
constables were the only regular officers. 
There was far more disorder and drunken- 
ness in the village then than there is in the 
city now. Several gangs of Irishmen known 
locally as Corkonians, Fardowners, Whale- 
dockers, etc., used to indulge occasionally in 
street fights, and they 'did not always get 
along well with the English and German resi- 
dents. On election days and horse racing 
days the village was "wide open," and the 
streets were often filled with drunken brawlers, creat- 
ing a situation with which the town constables were 
utterly unable to cope. 

There was a conflict of authority also over the 
streets. The highway commissioners of the township 
had charge of surveying and laying out new streets, 
while the village attended to grading, gravelling, pav- 
ing and repairing. School matters introduced a 
further complication. The board of education, under 
the act of 1843, was entirely independent of both town 
and village, but the town still had the collection of 
regular school taxes, a part of which were paid back 
to the village. It was also a source of complaint that 
the village constituted only a single school district 
and hence did not get its share of State money. These 
were reas(3ns sufficient for an amendment to the char- 



ter, at least, and there was a conflict for a time be- 
tween the conservative people who wished to retain 
the village name and organization and those who 
wanted an entirely new dispensation with the en- 
larged powers of a city. The latter were evidently 
influenced, as in all similar cases, by a feeling that 
the word "city" sounded much larger than "village" 
and would give the place more standing and add to 
its prosperity. A place which had unrivalled water 
and rail transportation facilities, important industries, 
five banks, eight fire companies, the best schools in 
the State, excellent hotels, a daily newspaper and ga.s 



and provided that no ballots for trustees should be 
counted which contained more than two names — an 
apparent efi^ort to secure minority representation. 
The president was given extended authority, but there 
was no provision for a police force. On March 5th 
the Eagle said of the proposed charter, "Many of its 
provisions are good but these give us a regular city 
government in everything but name." At a special 
election, March 21st, the people overwhelmed the 
proposition by a vote of 528 noes and only 31 ayes. 
The matter rested until after the fall elections, and 
then with George W. Sterling in the Assembly and 




POUGHKEEPSIE IN 1852. 
From a Lithograph by E. Whitcfield. This picture shows the old Whale Dock Buildings at the e.vtrevic left. 

lighted streets, was entitled to "put on airs" in the Robert A. Barnard in the Senate, the first city charter 

middle of the last century. ' was introduced in 1854. In the course of a plea in its 

Active agitation for a city charter began with the favor, February 4th, the Eagle gave the village ex- 

Eagle in 1852, and was at first mildly opposed by the penses under the various authorities as follows: 

Telegraph, American and Daily Press. Public senti- ^ ,■ 

-s- ' ' - Corporation expenses $13,000 

ment grew steadily more favorable, though many Town charges 12,000 

leading citizens were afraid the change would greatly Schools 4,000 

increase taxes. On Thursday, Feb. 8th, 1853, at a Highways taxes 3,500 

public meeting-, Joseph FI. Jackson, Jacob B. Jewett, 

Charles M. Pelton, William C. Sterling, George B. °'^' ?32,5oo 

Adriance and John Thompson, a committee previous- The bill was passed and was signed by Gov- 

ly appointed, reported in favor of charter amend- crnor Myron H. Clark, on March 28th, and the first 

ments that retained the name of village, outlined a city election was assigned for the second Tuesday in 

division into four wards, with three trustees from each April, the nth. 




JAMES EMOTT, 
First Mayor of Potighkeepsie. 



CHAPTER VIII. 



From the Incorporation of the City (1854) to the Civit War (1861)— Beginnings of City Gov- 
ernment—The Dutch Church and Other Fires— New Churches and Charitable Institutions 
—Business Development and Changes— The IvAw School and Eastman College— Founding of 
Vassar College— Sports, Ice Yachting, Rowing, Base Ball— Politics Before the War. 



The City of Poughkeepsie was separated entirely 
from the Town of Poughkeepsie, bounded the same 
as the village, and was divided into four wards, with 
the first and third on the north side of Main Street, 
and the second and fourth on the south side, Market 
and Garden Streets forming the east and west bound- 
aries. The first city election was on strict party lines, 
the Whigs nominating James Emott for Mayor and the 
Democrats James H. Weeks, who had been a member 
of Assembly in 1853. Emott won by a majority of 397 
in a total vote of 1,635, and Dr. William Thomas was 
elected Recorder by 384 over Edward A. Bottolph. 
The vote by wards was as follows : 

1st. 2d. 3d. 4th. 

James Emott 320 232 257 173 

James H. Weeks 19s 139 127 124 

The First Ward was evidently not yet a stronghold 
of Democracy, and in fact the city had scarcely yet 
begun the development of residence districts for the 
well-to-do uptown. The choice of Garden Street, in- 
stead of Washington, for the boundary between the 
first and third wards was not therefore altogether a 
"gerrymander.' The aldermen elected were as fol- 
lows. 

First Ward — William H. Tallmadge, Benjamin B. 
Reynolds. 

Second Ward — James H. Seaman, James T. Hill. 

Third Ward — William A. Fanning, Henry S. 
Martin. 

Fourth Ward — Henr)' D. A^arick, Lewis F. Streit. 

Mr. Seaman was the only Democrat elected. The 
meeting for organization was on Monday, April 17th, 
at 10 o'clock in the morning. I'.enjamin B. Reynolds 
was appointed clerk pro tem. "Ordinances in relation 
to the meetings of the Common Council, the passage 
and publication of Corporation Laws and to establish 
a City Seal" were passed. Aldermen A'arick, Tall- 
madge and Seaman were appointed an ordinance com- 



mittee, and then there was an adjournment to 7 P. m. 
At the evening session Robert N. Palmer was chosen 
City Chamberlain and his bond was fixed at $25,000, 
and Warren Skinner was appointed Commissioner of 
Streets, with a bond of $5,000. Committees on excise, 
(the license fee was $30), on streets, and on public 
buildings were appointed and the following additional 
city officers were chosen by the Aldermen : 

John Winslow, City Marshal. 

William Graham and James Sparks, police officers. 

William Berry, Chief Engineer, fire department. 

Samuel Budd, First Asst. Engineer. 

Stephen Armstrong, Second Asst. Engineer. 

Fire Wardens — Enos H. Palmer, John H. P. Yel- 
verton, James W. Bogardus, John C. Harvey, Wil- 
liam C. Southwick, Charles Underwood, William H. 
Green, Charles C. Carman, James Brower, Henr}^ R. 
Power, E. F. Basley, Robert K. Tuthill, James H. 
Dudley, John R. Lent, Elias G Hopkins and Oliver 
S. Henderson. 

Mayor Emott resigned in January, 1856, having 
been elected a Supreme Court justice, and Henrjr D. 
Varick was appointed to fill the vacancy until the elec- 
tion in March, when George Wilkinson, the first can- 
didate of the new Republican part}', was chosen 
mayor by a vote of 844 to 697 for Leonard B. Sackett. 

In 1858 Charles W. Swift was elected the third 
mayor of Poughkeepsie, receiving 1,054 votes, while 
John H. Otis, (Dem.), who had been State senator in 
1852 and 1853, received 850. At this election Henry 
W. Shaw (Josh Billings) became an aldemian from 
the Fourth Ward. He lived at that time on the corner 
of Flamilton and Cannon Streets, and had not yet be- 
gun to win fame as a spelling reformer and hvimorist, 
but was picking up a rather precarious living as an 
auctioneer. His first published writings were little 
squibs in correct spelling over the signature "Sled- 
length," generally in the Press. In i860 he inserted a 
full page advertisement in Lent's city directory, con- 



154 



HISTORY OF. POUGHKHEPSIB 



taining only the words, "Henry W. Shaw, Hamilton 
Place, Cor. South Hamilton and Church,' Poughkeep- 
sie." He then lived where St. Mary's Church now 
stands, and was still an aldennan. 

All city elections were contested on strict party 
lines and all, except the first, were held in March until 
1874. John H. Otis was the Democratic candidate 
for mayor again in 1861 and carried both the First 
and Third Wards, this being the first time the Demo- 
crats had carried the First Ward in a municipal elec- 




GEORGE WILKINSON. 
Second Mayor 0/ Poui^hkeepsie. 

tion. James Bowne, his Republican opponent, was 
nevertheless elected by a small majority, receiving 
1,025 votes to 996 for ( )lis. James Mmolt was. per- 
haps, the most notable of the earl)- mayors, but George 
Wilkinson and Charles W. Swift were men of prom- 
inence and high standing, members of families long 
among the leading forces in the community, (jcorge 
Wilkinson was a brother of Robert and Cilbcrt Wil- 
kinson, of whom we have read something in former 
chapters. 



The Dutch Church and Other Fires. 

There was considerable agitation soon after the 
city's incorporation in favor of a water supply that 
could be used for all purposes as well as for extin- 
guishing fires, but the war caused a suspension of 
the plans. The city evidently took over from the 
village a rather dilapidated lot of fire apparatus, ac- 
cording to the report of the chief engineer published 
March 29th, 1854. "No. 3 I find much worn. * * * 
Her company have abandoned her and have not ap- 
peared at fires since election day. No. 4 is in good 
working order, but not large enough to take her place 
in line with No. I, and No. 5 is entirely abandoned by 
her company." A sixth engine company was organ- 
ized in 1856 called Young America, and was lo- 
cated in the growing southwestern part of town, at 
first in a barn on Tulip Street. Old Protection No. 
I was disbanded about 1856, and reorganized. After 
the war, at a second reorganization, it was called for a 
short time Perseverance No. i. 

One of the important fires of this time, and in fact 
one of the most memorable events of the city's his- 
tory, was the burning of the Dutch Church on Main 
Street, Sunday, January i8th, 1857. It was an in- 
tensely cold day. No old resident will admit that the 
weather has ever been so cold since then, even dur- 
ing the past winter (1904). The Weekly Eagle of 
January 24th says the cold was almost unbearable. 
The thermometer was at 13 below zero at noon and 
a strong north wind was blowing which forced it 
down to 20 before dark, though in the meantime a 
snow storm had set in. The fire started in the roof 
of the church just at the close of Rev. Dr. Mann's 
morning sermon and was discovered soon after the 
congregation had been dismissed. 

"The firemen rushed to the rescue with their ma- 
chines, but as the hydrants were partially frozen, there 
was some delay before water could be obtained. In 
the meantime the flames were increasing with fear- 
ful rapidity in the roof of the church, fanned to a 
fury by the continuous blasts of wind. When things 
were ready, one heroic fireman started up the long 
ladder planted on the east side, to take up the pipe 
to the roof, but the cold was so intense it was doubt- 
ful if he could live there twenty minutes, and the hose 
was so slipper}' with ice it wa.> impossible for his 
assistants to hold it up. So efforts to save the church 
had to be abandoned, and attention directed to the 
buildings around. * * * 

"y\s the fire progressed, the sight became fearful 
and sublime, if not terrible in the extreme. The en-' 
lire roof, being composed of wood, cedar shingles 
laid on pine backing, sent up a mass of red flames, 
crackling and roaring in the wind, the extent and 
grandeur of which can hardly be imagined. But the 




CHARLES W. SWIFT. 
'Third Ufayor of Pouixlikccpsic. 



156 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEBPSIB. 



g^reatest sight of all was the burning steeple. As 
the flames got hold of that they ascended with a 
rapidity that occupied but a few minutes until the red 
volume shot up beyond the ball and vane at the sum- 
mit, presenting a fearful column of fire ascending far 
up towards the clouds. Above and below all was 
flame and smoke for a short time ; but soon the lower 
timbers that supported the steeple were burned away, 
and then down came the loft}' spire with a tremen- 
dous crash, carrying what remained of the burning 
roof with it down to the interior of the church. 
There the mass of burning material was so great that 
the entire space inside the walls, which fortunately 
stood, seemed filled with flames until ten at night, 
although several streams of water were steadily pour- 
ed in by the engines." 

A number of the firemen were severely frost-bitten 
on this occasion and the piano-box engine No. 5, 
froze up solidly and went out of service. A few 
weeks later (Feb. 24th) the "Red Mills" on Smith 
Street were burned, — John R. Lent's plaster mill, 
David B. Lent's bedstead manufactory, and Sanford 
& Hull's machine shop, with some smaller buildings. 
The loss was estimated at $25,000. The present 
brick factory buildings at the head of Mill Street 
were erected soon afterwards. 

The most serious fire of the period, scarcely less 
serious than the great fire of 1836, described in Chap- 
ter VL broke out about 3 o'clock on the morning of 
July 24th, i860, in the stable attached to Ebenezer 
Gary's market. "In less than an hour the whole block 
bounded by Catherine, Main and Crannell Streets was 
in a blaze, and the buildings on the other side of the 
street were scorching and were only saved by almost 
miraculous exertions." It was a strenuous night for 
the firemen, for the Commercial Paint Works, a good 
sized building, just west of Pelton's factory on lower 
Mill Street, had burned the evening before, and the 
firemen had barely reached their homes when they 
were summoned to cope with the much greater fire 
on Main Street. Several buildings on Catherine and 
Crannell Streets as well as all those between were de- 
stroyed. Caleb Morgan owned four of the buildings 
burned, near Catherine Street, and his loss was put 
down as $10,000. Xathaniel Hill also owned four 
buildings, loss $5,000. Abraham \\'right three, loss 
$2,500. Andrus (!v Dudley, who had a furniture store 
in the block, lost $6,500.. Among others burned out 
were P). L. Hannah's Gazette printing office, John F. 
Coxhead, John W. Shields, N. Hill & Son's soap fac- 
tory and John P. Nelson. 

This fire resulted in an agitation for a steam fire 
engine, combatted by some of the conservative, who 
thought another hand engine would do as well. The 
hand engine proposition was voted down shortly be- 



fore the war, and April 22d, 1861, the taxpayers au- 
thorized an appropriation of $3,100 for a steamer by 
a vote of III to 4. The engine arrived in 1862 and 
was assigned to No. 4. It was of the rotary type and 
rather heavy, but still not too heavy to be dragged 
around with ropes by the sturdy firemen of the day. 
A second steamer, for Niagara No. 2, was purchased 
a few years later. 

New Churches and Charitabee Institutions. 

The present First Reformed Church was built 
soon after the fire on the same site and was dedicated 
September 7th, 1858. The tower, as originally built, 
was surmounted by a lofty spire, which remained un- 
til 1878, when it was condemned as unsafe and was 
taken down. The present Congregational Church was 
finished and dedicated June 5th, i860, and the old 
Congregational Church on the corner of Vassar and 
Mill Streets was sold for a Jewish synagogue, the 
Hebrews having maintained an organization here, un- 
der the name of "The Children of Israel" since 1848. 

The Church of the Hol\' Comforter was the result 
of meetings begun in the winter of 1854-1855, and re- 
vived in 1858 under the auspices of Christ Church. 
They were held in Shaw's Hall on Main Street, near 
the old No. 4 Engine House, and the attendance be- 




CJnmii of llic Holy Comforter before the Fences <uere Removed. 

came so encouraging that \\'illiam A. Davies, who was 
greatly interested, became convinced of the necessity 
of a free church in that part of the city, and deter- 
mined to build it himself. He lived in the house on 



HISTORY OF POUGHKBBPSIE. 



157 



Main Street, afterwards the home of Hon. George 
Innis, and with his brother, Thomas L. Davies, owned 
considerable property in the neighborhood. May loth, 
1859, articles of incorporation were filed, the first 
trustees being Samuel Buel, Thomas L. Davies, 
William A. Davies, Robert E. Coxe, John W. Van 
Wagner, George Cornwell and Benjamin R. Tenney. 
A new street, Davies Place, was opened and Wm. A. 
and Thomas L. Davies gave the church a lot 125 feet 
square by deed dated May loth. On June 29th the 
corner stone was laid by Bishop Horatio Potter and 
on October 25th, i860, the new church was conse- 
crated, Rev. John Scarborough becoming the first 
rector. He remained until 1867 when he was suc- 
ceeded by Rev. Robert Fulton Crary, still in active 
service. 

The building of the Home for the Friendless, 
corner of Hamilton and Franklin Streets, was finished 
in 1857, but the society known as "The Poughkeepsie 
Female Guardian Society" dates back to 1847 and 
was incorporated in 1852. No very large donations 
were made for the home, but "slowly little by little 
the mites were gathered." There seems to have been 
an unusual amount of ]io\-erty and distress in Pough- 
keepsie during the winter of 1857, judging from the 
reports of meetings held for the relief of the poor, 
and the home was opened at the right time. It was at 
first' designed to "provide a temporary home for 
respectable females without employment or friends" 
as well as "destitute and friendless children of both 
sexes, until they can be committed to the guardian- 
ship of foster-parents, or worthy families." The board 
of managers has always been a large one, "not to 
exceed forty" and "comprising as far as practicable, 
a representation from the various evangelical denom- 
inations." In i86r there were twenty-eight ladies 
in the board. The "Home for the Friendless" was 
considered a notable institution and there is much 
about it in the ncwsjiapers of the first few years after 
it was founded. It was visited by philanthropists 
from other cities and was considered one of the show 
places of the town. The name "Female Guardian 
Society" was dropped in 1868 and also the words of 
the original charter as to providing a home for un- 
employed women. Most of the leading women in 
Poughkeepsie have served, or are serving, on the 
board of managers, and among those who were most 
active in the early days may be mentioned Mrs. Julia 
A. Killev, Mrs. Theodoras Gregory and Mrs. Isaac 



iThc first coiistitulion and a nicagio liislmy of the origin 
of the work is given in the first prinled report, for the .\car 
ending Febriiarx' 22, 1S61. 



Piatt. Mrs. Killey left her own comfortable home 
for a year and served as matron of the Home with- 
out pay in order to see it well started. 

In July, 1870, there was a proposition to remove 
the Home for the Friendless into the country, Mr. 
William C. Smillie offering his handsome place and 
thirty-six acres on the Hyde Park road. As the pres- 
ent property could not be sold to advantage he gave 
the society $5,000 in cash instead. 

The Young Men's Christian Union, a forerunner 
of the Young Men's Christian Association, was or- 
ganized April 6th, 1856, with the following officers : 
President, Alfred B. Smith; vice-presidents, for the 
Baptist Church, Thomas E. Vassar ; Congregational 
Church, Robert K. Tuthill ; Episcopal Church, Abra- 
ham Bockee ; Dutch Reformed Church, J. Henry 
Hager; Methodist Church, William Lee; correspond- 
ing secretary, John I. Piatt ; recording secretary, 
James Smith, Jr.; treasurer, Henry Seaman; librarian, 
William Halpin ; registrar, James Bowne, Jr. ; man- 
agers, John S. Perkins, R. K. Tuthill, A. Bockee, J. 
H. Hager, J. F. Lewis, Robert F. Wilkinson. On the 
day of the burning of the Morgan Block this asso- 
ciation conducted a steamboat excursion to New York 
to see the wonderful steamship Great Eastern. The 
meeting rooms were at No. 2 LTnion Street, "adjoin- 
ing the post office." 

Business .\kd Other Development. 

About the time of the incorporation of the city an 
effort was made to revive the manufacture of locomo- 
tives in Poughkeepsie. The Bagic of July 9th, 1853, 
spoke of "the great locomotive factory of this place, 
built seventeen years ago and still standing deserted," 
adding "Poughkeepsie locomotives ought to be as far 
famed throughout the Union as Poughkeepsie schools 
or Dutchess County agriculture." Not long after- 
wards a company was formed to take this factory, and 
for a time blue \itriol and other chemicals were manu- 
factured there, under the direction of Ludwig Eb- 
stein, afterwards for many years chemist for Gifford, 
Sherman & Innis. The buildings were purchased b>' 
the Fallkill Iron Company and were torn down in 
1850 when the "LTpper Furnace" was built. In the 
same neighborhood, near the foot of Hoffman Street, 
which then extended through to the river, were two 
cooperages, relics of whaling days, one conducted by 
the Lowns and the other liy Sleight & Paulding. .\n 
effort wa.^ made to revi\-c the project for a railroad to 
the eastward in 1855 and 1856, but it entered another 
long ])criod of rest after the panic of 1837. 

I'.efore the L'pper Furnace was built the local iron 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEBPSIB. 



industry went through a reorganization, caused by the 
failure of Edward Bech, who was a partner in the 
Cunard Steamship Company. The steamship busi- 
ness failed in the panic of 1857 but the local iron 
business remained sound and was taken over by Wil- 
liam A. Davies, James Emott and Charles W. Swift 
until matters were straightened out, when Albert E. 
Tower came into possession of a much larger inter- 
est. Judge Emott became the first president of the 
Fallkill Iron Company, which conducted the Upper 
Furnace until the consolidation. The Lower Furnace 
was abandoned in 1885 and scarcely a trace of it re- 
mains. 

An industry that was to become as far-famed as it 
was hoped that Poughkeepsie locomotives might be 
was just beginning at this time. John Adriance, 
whose name has several times already appeared in 
this history, had become interested in the recently in- 
vented mowing machines. He had been one of the 
partners in the old Dutchess Iron Works, and had 
begun to build a mowing machine called the "For- 
bush." In the fall of 1854 his son, John P. Adriance, 
who was a member of the wholesale hardware firm 




AVrf I\Iills JhiUdings. /'holographed about /SSo, 

of Sears, Adriance & Piatt in New York, became in- 
terested in the "Manny" mower and went for a few 
\ears to Worcester, Mass., where it was manufac- 
tured. In 1857 the firm purchased the right to make 
and sell, in their territory, a mower patented b}' Ault- 
man & Miller, of Canton, ( )hio, and in 1859 Mr. Ad- 
riance returned to Poughkeepsie and leased the Red 
Mills, newly rebuilt, for the manufacture of the Ad- 
riance Buckeye. Thomas S. lirown, who had become 
associated with Mr. Adriance in May, 1858, greatly 
impro\-ccl this mowing machine by his inventions and 
in 1864 the Red Mills property became ton small and 
(he present location, formerly a part of the Sonth- 



wick property, was purchased. The buildings were 
completed and occupied in 1865, as will appear in the 
next chapter. 

An important industry of this period was Louis 
Wiethan's piano factory, on Market Street. Mr. 
Wiethan's sales were largely in the south, and hig 
business was ruined by the war, though it was revived 
and carried on b}' his sons on Main Street. The large 
frame building on Market Street stood for many years 
as a tenement house, until it was torn down to make 
room for the Adriance Memorial Library. 

Ship-building at the Finch Ship-yard, foot of 
Dutchess Avenue, continued to flourish. The large 
steamboat "Reliance" was built there in 1854, the fast 
schooner, Matthew Vassar, Jr., in 1855-56 and the 
schooner O. H. Booth soon afterwards. Finch sold 
the yard to Charles Murphy in 1859, and removed to 
Bull's Ferry, and George Polk set up ways on the 
brewery property in partnership with Oliver H. Booth, 
and constructed a considerable number of vessels 
there. The propeller Joseph H. Barnard, was built 
just before the war, and was finally sold to some al- 
leged Cubans or Spaniards. The government sus- 
pected that she was wanted by the Confederates and 
she got to sea only after considerable difficulty. 
Charles Murph}', who purchased the old Finch ship- 
yard, made little use of it, and soon sold the ways. 
He owned considerable property in the neighborhood, 
including most of the old Whale Dock. The lime 
kilns, remains of which may still be seen on the north 
side of Dutchess Avenue, were conducted bj' him. 

During this period Charles Crook & Co. (Charles 
Crook and James Collingwood) were running the pro- 
pellor "Sherman" twice a week from the Lower 
Landing to New York, while the barge "Exchange" 
was run from Main Street, and the barge "Re- 
public" from the Upper Landing. The steamboat 
"Dutchess" succeeded the "Exchange" at Main Street 
not long before the war. 

The wagon and carriage manufacturing business 
was carried on b}' a number of firms, chief among 
whom were Streit & Lockwood, 426, 428 and 4283/ 
Main Street; Brooks & Marshall. 401 and 403 Main 
Street, and John \\'. Frederick. The latter advertised 
in Underhill's directory for 1857. "The largest and old- 
est establishment of the kind in Dutchess County," 
on Main Street, near Vassar Street. This was the 
same factory which, after the war, was conducted for 
a time liy G. C. Burnap, who built the Atwater House 
opposite Springside.' Hannah & Storm, 423, 425 

iBuriiap was a retired mamifacturer, and purchased the 
pnipcrly known as "W'oodside" in 1856. 




ALBERT TOWER. 



160 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEBPSIB 



and 427 Main Street, advertised in 1859 as "Silver and 
electro platers, manufacturers of carriage and sad- 
dlery^ hardware, brass and silver carriage bands, hick- 
ory spokes, felloes, seat spindles, &c." 

Among present enterprises established before the 
war may be mentioned the brewery of V. Frank's 
Sons, which dates from 1858 and is to-day the only 
survivor of the once great Poughkeepsie brewing in- 
dustry. At the time of its establishment there were 
several small breweries, as well as the great Vassar 
establishment, all doing apparently a good business. 



advertised the opening of their "new store," 328 Main 
Street, mentioning Charles P. Luckey as a partner, 
and also all their salesmen, "Daniel Jones, Benja- 
min M. Vail, Spencer C. Doty, Frank E. Whipple." 
This firm, the predecessor of Luckey, Piatt & Co., had 
been located at 245 Main Street, in the Brewster 
Block, and on moving to its new quarters tore out the 
old front, with its folding shutters, and put in the first 
plate glass show windows in town. Down to this 
time the general aspect of Main Street was much like 
that of the average village business street. Almost 




Main Slrcct in 1S60, looking West from above the corner oj Liberty and Garden Streets. 



Manv men, afterward prominent, began their 
careers as clerks about the time of the incorporation 
of the city, or soon afterward. Charles P. Luckey, J. 
DuBois Carpenter, William T. Reynolds, James H. 
Ward and Edmund P. Piatt were among them. The 
leading advertisers in the Baglc in i860 were the drug- 
gists. Van Valkenburgh & Coffin, James G. Wood & 
Co., and Morgan L. Farnum ; the dry goods firms, 
W. S. & W. H. Crosby, and Robert Slee & Co. ; and 
W. PI. Tallmadge, hardware. Mr. Tallmadge adver- 
tised "The oldest established house in the city," 260 
?ilain Street. Robert Slee & Co., in the spring of i860. 



all the store floors were up at least two steps from 
the sidewalk, the windows were of small panes, and 
the only two continuous rows of brick stores were the 
Brewster Block, built in 1830, and the block west of 
Academy Street in the district burned in 1836. Ex- 
cept in these two blocks most of the stores had been 
originally houses. Thomas L. Davies, one of the rich- 
est men in town, had lived on Main Street until 1853, 
when he sold his house to William A. Van Kleeck and 
moved to Mansion Square. The Main Street house 
retained its flights of steps fcjr a long time after it was 
converted into a hat store. Most of the brick build- 



HISTORY OP POUGHKBBPSIB 



161 



ings on the street were but two stories and a half high. 
Farmers' teams, hitched to posts, Hned the street dur- 
ing busy seasons, and droves of sheep and cattle going 
to and from the river were not unusual. 

Besides the firms alread)' mentioned, other promi- 
nent advertisers in i860 were George M. Van Kleeck, 
310 and 312 Main Street, on the second floor of which 
the Eagle was printed until it was burned out in 1862 ; 
George H. Beattys, 254 Main Street, Edwin J. Wilber, 
302 Main Street, dr>- good,-^ ; J. Bowne & Co., 318 Main 
Street, and Broas Brothers, 314 Main Street, carpets; 
Payne & Fowler, 339 Main Street, and F. S. Phinney, 
267 Main Street, drugs ; Stephen Uhl, 279 Main 
Street, hardware ; J. Ransom, 330 Main Street, crock- 
ery and glassware ; William Frost & Son, corner Main 
and Garden Streets, Daniels, Briggs & DuBois, 268 
Main Street, stoves and tinware ; Trowbridge & Wilk- 
inson, 321 Main Street, "Fanners' Store;" James Col- 
lingwood, Lower Landing, coal and lumber; Rieden- 
ger & Cairc, pottery ; S. Cleveland, 255 Main Street, 
books and musical instruments ; Stephen H. Bogardus, 
■'nearly opposite the Gregor)' House," harness, sad- 
dles, etc. ; Overbaugh & Stanton, sporting goods ; 
Boyd & Wiltsie, leather bells, etc. ; J. H. Dobbs, mer- 
chant tailor, and George T. Brown, clothier. A few 
grocers, including John W. Dean & Son (cor. Bridge 
Street), John McLean, (next west of Poughkeepsie 
Hotel), Lemuel J. Hopkins and John W. Miller, were 
advertising occasionally. James Smith & Son, 1 1 and 
18 Market Street, announced that they had "lately 
gone to a great expense in fitting up a large Dining 
Saloon in their new building lately erected for a first 
class confectionery." This marks the beginning, in its 
present location, of the long famous "Smith's Restau- 
rant," but not the beginning of the business, which 
was a number of 3ears earlier. 

The list of business men may be completed by con- 
sulting the directory for 1859-60, in which the leading 
advertisers were David S. Mallory, 359 Main; 
Andrus & Dudley, 351 Main, furniture; R. S. Forster, 
215 Main, soda and mineral waters; Palmer & Budd, 
347 Main, stoves; Joseph E. Allen, cor. Academy, 
stoves ; Dudley & Thompson, foot of Main Street, coal 
and lumber; A'an KIccck & Knickerbocker, "next north 
of Dudle\' & Thompson's lumber yard," box manu- 
facturers ; S. L. W^alker, corner Main and Garden 
Streets, "Poughkeepsie Gallery of Art," or "Daguer- 
rian Gallery:" J. S. Atkins, 321; Main, ice cream, 
o\-sters, etc.; William C. Arnold, Upper Landing, lum- 
ber; William B. \Vest, "opposite Gregory House," 
hardware; P. S. Rowland, 211 Main, "city bakery;' 
Joseph W. Gerow & Co., 10 Garden, George \V lial- 
liwell, 290 Main, Adam Henderson, corner of Main St. 



and South Avenue, Lewis C. Hammond, 283 Main, 
and F. F. Quintard, 7 Liberty, jewelers; Henry A. 
Reed, 255 Main, books and stationery ; Liberty Hyde, 
295 Main, Plelms & Peters, 8 Garden, Charles Anthes, 
274 Main, S. B. Reckard, 324 Main, S. Shultz, 290 
Main, boots and shoes ;i Thomas Platto, South Hamil- 
ton, near Main, blacksmith and dealer in lightning 
rods ; Adam Robson, 204 Main, blacksmith ; William 
H. Barry, cor. Main and Garden, book bindery ; P. A. 
Joy, near H. R. R. R. depot, stone cutter ; William 
Shields, 381 Main, painter; James Mulrein, South 
Avenue, plumber ; Joseph H. Cogswell, 236 Main, 
agent for Rochester nurseries ; John R. Lent, Red 
Mills, plaster, flour and feed ; Hiram Haight, auc- 
tioneer ; L. M. Arnold, 374 Main, A. J. Coffin & Co., 
Mill, corner Delafield, I. H. Coller, 420, 422, 424 
Main, iron foundries ; C. H. & William Sedgewick, 
157. 159 Main; J. & J. Ogden, G. Sanford, Red 
Mills, machine shops ; E. O. Flagler, "Director of 
Music at the Presbyterian Church," teacher of organ 
and piano, residence 40 N. Clover ; E. C. An- 
drus, S. Clover, teacher of vocal music ; Henry C. 
Miller, D. Bartlett, Solomon V. Frost, insurance ; 
Simpson & Beesmer, coal, Southwick's dock ; Gregory 
House, T. Gregory ; The Poughkeepsie Hotel, John 
H. Rutzer; Northern Hotel, Isaac L Balding; Forbus 
House, E. P. Taylor ; Fowler House, cor. Main and 
Washington, George P. Fowler. Among the dentists 
advertising were Charles H. Roberts, 254 Main, J. A. 
Jillson, 328 Main, A. Clark, 332 Main, "over J. Bart- 
Ictt's bakery," A. Fonda, 265 Main. Farrington & 
Co., 266 Main Street, advertised crockery, etc., in the 
1857 -directory, and Carpenter & Brother (successors 
to Leonard Carpenter), advertised groceries at 320 
Main Street. James Blanchard, Underwood & Son, 
N. H. Canfield, Wright & Irish, R. E. Adriance & Co., 
and Thomas Clegg were among grocers advertising 
in i860. James T. Hill, 20 Catharine Street, Anna- 
bury & Seaman, 6 Union Street, were the advertising 
liverymen. 

D. Scott & Co.'s soap and candle factory was run- 
ning in 1859 at its present location, corner of T\'Iill and 
Bayeaux Streets, but the building had been used not 
long before as a public school. At about the same 
time the old factory building in the same neighborhood 
was used as a chair factory by \\'est & Depcw. The 
Bartlett Piakery, which hatl been started as a bakery of 
"pilot bread" near the river in whaling days, was at 
this time at 332 Main Street, the bakerx- in the rear 



iTIicre arc nine other 1)oot and slioe dealers named in 
the directory liut not ad\ ortisint;-. They inchided W. A. 
Candec, J5S Main; and there were also nineteen persons 
classed as "Boot and Shoe Mannfactnrers." 



HV2 



HISTORY OF POUGHKBEPSIB. 



at the present location, but it was not exclusively de- 
voted to the production of crackers until after the 
war. Joseph O. Bartlett lived over the store, and it 
was there that his daughter married Otis Bisbee. 

Bank presidents and cashiers in 1859-60 were: 
Bank of Poughkeepsie, Thomas L. Davies, president, 
Reuben North, cashier; Fallkill Bank, William C. 
Sterling, president, John F. Hull, cashier; Farmers' 
and Manufacturers' Bank, William A. Davies, presi- 
dent, Fred W. Davis, cashier; Merchants' Bank, 
James Emott, president, Joseph C. Harris, cashier; 
Savings Bank, John B. Forbus, president, Josiah I. 
Underbill, treasurer. 

The City Bank was organized March 3rd, i860, 
with John P. H. Tallman, Joseph F. Barnard, gamyel 



panics were to be found in many places, but nearly 
all of them failed, as did the Poughkeepsie Mutual, 
because of the difficulty of collecting assessments 
whenever losses were unusually heavy. The Dutch- 
ess Mutual had the support of strong men and was 
long under the presidency of James Emott, the elder, 
but it had its times of depression, before its reorganiza- 
tion as a stock company, as told in the excellent sketch 
to be found in the Appendix. Its present building 
was purchased in 1855, and has recently been much 
enlarged by an addition in the rear. 

Among persons of wealth and prominence who 
came to Poughkeepsie during this period, because of 
its attractions as a place of residence, were Henry L. 
Young, John de Peyster Douw and Robert Sanford. 



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Dutchess jVictiial Itisurancc Company. 



Matthews, George Lamoree, Christopher Hughes, 
Milton Ham, Moses G. Sands, Nicholas Strippel, Wil- 
liam R. Schell, Ambrose Mygatt, Wilson I!. Sheldon, 
David D. Vincent, Benjamin Hopkins, John Brill, 
Benjamin Halstead, William Doughty and C. A. \^an 
Valkenburgh as the first directors. Joseph F. Bar- 
nard was the first president and John T. Bjankcr the 
first cashier. (Further particulars about both this 
bank and the Poughkeepsie Bank are to be found in 
the sketch of The Poughkeepsie Trust Company, in 
the .Appendix). 

There were Iwu insurance companies at this time 
in Pougbkccpsie, the. Old Dutchess Mutual, the organ- 
ization of which was noted on page 115, and The 
Poughkeepsie Mutual. The office of the latter was 
at No. ij Garden Street, in charge of S. B. Dutton, 
secretary. -\t that time nnilual fire insurance com- 



Mr. Young's purchase of the Van Wagenen place on 
South Hamilton Street has already been mentioned. 
Mr. Douw' was of a distinguished Albany family, sev- 
eral of his ancestors having been mayors of that city. 
He came to Poughkeepsie in 1854 and rented from 
George B. Lent the property now owned by Robert 
Sanford, who purchased it a few years later, soon after 
Col. Douw moved to North Avenue. Mr. Sanford 
was a son of Hon. Nathan Sanford, one of the most 
prominent men in the State, and the successor of 
James Kent as Chancellor. 

Schools — Tin-; L.vw School and Eastman Collkgg. 

The removal of the State and National Law School 
to Poughkeepsie in December, 1852, has already been 
briefly mentioned. John W. Fowler, the president of 
'See -Appeiulix for Ijiographical skclcli. 




ROBERT SANFORD. 
(Scv Appendix for biographical sketch. 



HISTORY OF POUGHKHUPSIB. 



165 



the institution, had been the first lecturer in the Ly- 
ceum course in 1852-1853, and spoke for two hours, 
"but who on Frida}' evening noted tinie,'' says the 
Press report of the lecture, "The man revels in the 
richness of fancy. There is no effort, the thoughts 
flow upon him eager for the drapery of his eloquence." 
Those were the days of oratory and "fine writing,'' and 
though Mr. Fowler was undoubtedl}' a man of much 
ability, some of the people who remember him de- 
scribe him as a very pompous personage who wore a 
much-padded coat. 

In his circular letter announcing the removal of 
the school to Poughkeepsie, Mr. Fowler says that the 
people had promised to raise funds to place the insti- 
tution on a "high and permanent basis," and to in- 
crease the library, "with the privilege of constant ac- 
cess by the students to a choice miscellaneous list of 
4,000 volumes, in the same building where the school 
will be conducted." He adds "The village to which 
we have removed is much larger and more pleasant 
than Eallston, containing six or eight flourishing Liter- 
ary Institutions, of which four are Female Semin- 
aries." There was indeed an attraction worth men- 
tioning. 

In reference to these six or eight Literary Institu- 
tions I find the following schools advertised in Under- 
bill's directory for 1856-7 : The Dutchess County Acad- 
emy, ^^'illiam McGeorge, principal ; The Poughkeepsie 
Female Collegiate Institute, corner of Mill and Cath- 
erine Streets, C. H. P. McLellan, principal ; Cottage 
Hill Seminary for Young Ladies, Prof. M. P. Jewett, 

A. M.. principal ; Bisbee's High School for boys, cor- 
ner of I\Iill and Hamilton Streets ; Mansion Square Fe- 
male Institute, corner of Mansion and Catherine 
Streets "adjoining 'Primrose Green' or 'Brookside,' " 
Mrs. H. W. Bliven, principal. The same schools ap- 
pear in the directory for i860, with the exception of 
Bisbee's. The Female Collegiate Institute had in the 
meantime doubled the size of its building. Otis Bis- 
bee had come to Poughkeepsie several years before to 
teach for Charles Bartlett, on College Hill, and had 
also taught for Eliphaz Fay before starting a school 
of his own. In 1857, when Mr. Bartlett died, Mr. Bis- 
bee sold his school on Hamilton Street to George \Y . 
McLellan, and went into partnership with Charles 

B. Warring to conduct the College Hill school. Mr. 
McLellan soon afterwards gave up the school started 
by Mr. Bisbee, and became the first principal of the 
"Free Academy," or High School, opened about 1859 
in the old Church Street School building. G. IM. 
VVilber was at this time principal of the grammar 
school on Mill Street, with Hannah Camach as first 
assistant. 



David E. Bartlett was conducting a school for 
deaf mutes, in 1859-60, at what is now the Bech 
place, north of Poughkeepsie, the present house in- 
cluding part of the former school building. "The 
school," sa)s the advertisement, "consists of two depart- 
ments ; one for deaf mute children, the other hearing 
and speaking children — particularly brothers and sis- 
ters of the little deaf mutes whose parents wish them 
associated in education." There was hardly demand 
enough for such a school to make it a permanent 
success. 

The Poughkeepsie Female Academy was not ad- 
vertising at this time. Jacob C. Tooker died in 1856 
and the school was conducted by his widow until 1859, 
when it came into the control of Rev. D. G. Wright, 




Rhv. D. G. WRIGHT. 

for a long time one of the notable school proprietors 
and teachers of the city. 

The Law School expanded greatly during the years 
before the war, and many of its students were from the 
South. Among its distinguished graduates was L. B. 
McEnery, one of the present United States Senators 
from I,ouisiana. Other prominent graduates were 
Hon. B. F. Hanchette, of \Msconsin, Judge George 
Van Hocsen, of New York, Col. Clark E. Carr, of 
Illinois, I-Ion. B. Piatt Carpenter, Hon. Edward Els- 
worth, Hon. Mark D. Wilber and Robert Sanford, of 
Poughkeepsie. Judge Conkling, of Utica, father of 
Roscoc Conkling, and Judge Henry Booth, of Chi- 
cago, were among the professors of Common Law 
and Practice, and Alatthew Hale was one of the pro- 
fessors of Pleadings, Evidence and Code Practice. 

When Abraham Tomlinson decamped with most of 



Kitj 



HISTORY OF POUGHKBBPSIE 



the collection of curios and documents that had con- 
stituted "The Poughkeepsie Museum," the Law School 
added his rooms in the Library Building to those al- 
ready occupied. I have seen no record to show just 
when Tomlinson left. He was still here in 1855 when 
he published "The Military Journal of Two Private 
Soldiers — 1758-1775," with a partial catalogue of ar- 
ticles and manuscripts in the museum. Apparently 
the first magic lantern shows in Poughkeepsie were 
given b)' him about 1852. His institution was con- 
sidered of so much educational value that the board 
of supervisors was once urged to make an appropria- 
tion to enable him to preserve "the relics of the county, 
about many of which cluster so man)' historical asso- 
ciations." He did "preserve" some of these relics, 
taking them all away with him, even the documents 
and articles loaned to him. 

When the beginning of the war crippled the State 
and National Law School a still more important edu- 
cational institution was already started in the same 
building. Harvey G. Eastman, born at Marshall, 
Oneida County, in 1832, had been a teacher in a 
commercial school conducted by his uncle at Roches- 
ter, and the proprietor of schools founded by himself 
in Oswego, N. Y., and St. Louis. Mo., before the 
reputation of Poughkeepsie as an educational centre 
induced him to try his fortune here. His advertising 
elsewhere had been so extensive, before he had ar- 
rived here, that Postmaster George P. Pelton was in 
much wonderment at the great pile of letters that had 
accumulated for a man totally unknown. In October, 
1859, Mr. Eastman inserted the following advertise- 
ment, four inches single column, in the Poughkeepsie 
papers : 



NOTICE TO 



Parents and Guardians 

Circulars of the Commercial College which will open in 
the Library Building in this city, on Wednesday, Nov. 
Znd, can be had at the Bookstores, News Rooms and this 
oflflce. This College has been established at Oswego, N. Y 
and St. Louis. Mo., for eight years, and we ask the atten- 
tion of citizens to the report of prominent men. Lecturers 
and patrons given in the Circular 

It will be open for both Ladies and Gentle.men. es- 
tablished as a permanent School of instruction in the prac- 
tical and useful arts of life. 

A new system of Instruction will be introduced into 
the Bookkeeping and Penmanship department, comlnning 
Theory and Practice. 

MR EA.STMAN will give his undivided attention tn 
this College, and his published \VorUs on Booklcccping, 
Success in Business, Money and T-ife, &c., may be had at 
the College Oflicc in the Library Building, after Nov. 2ti(1. 

Young men (rom abroad will address, for Pamphlets 
and Circulars 

H. G. EASTMAN, 

Poughkeepsie, N. Y. 



Mr. Eastman's enterprise started on a very small 
scale in a room which he had rented for 75 cents a 
week. Andrew Houston, of Bellevale, Orange 
County, was the first student, and in November, 1890, 
he visited the college and told the students his experi- 
ence.' When he first came here with his father in the 
fall of 1859, ^i^'i enquired for Eastman College, no one 
had heard of such an institution, but b}' good fortune 
they happened to meet Mr. Eastman at the Poughkeep- 
sie Hotel, where they had gone for dinner. Houston 
describes the room in which the "College" began as 
"in what was then the Library Building on Vassar 
Street. This room was approached through a long, 
dark alley, running between the Library Building and 
the Jewish Synagogue." His meinory is certainly at 
fault here, for there was no "Library Building" on 
Vassar Street, nor was there any "long, dark alley' 
between the Jewish Synagogue and the next building. 
For three days Houston worked alone with Mr. East- 
man as the sole instructor, "then Prof. George Fred 
Davis came in with another student by the name 
of George L. Root, of Oneida County * ■' =^ and 
in about a month the college numbered some twenty 
students." 

Mr. Eastman was a man of great ability and en- 
ergy, full of enthusiasm for whatever he under- 
took, an enthusiasm that was contagious. He was a 
very clever and liberal advertiser, and in his scheme 
of teaching by actual business operations, using notes, 
bills and a fractional currency of some real value, he 
had an idea worth developing — it was the beginning 
of the educational idea we have recently been hearing 
much of under the title, "Learning by doing." One 
of his chief advertising plans from the start was to 
bring to the college men of the highest reputation 
as lecturers, and in fact he had been virtually com- 
pelled to leave St. Louis because his lecture course 
there included several anti-slavery agitators, such as 
Joshua R. Giddings, Gerritt Smith, Charles Sumner 
and Elihu Burritt. In the spring of i860 he left his 
small rooms in the Library- Building and opened the 
scliool in the old Congregational Church, corner of 
Mill and Vassar Streets. 

Founding of Vassar Coli^egi;. 

In previous chapters something has been shown of 
the rise of Matthew Vassar to the possession of a 
fortune. He was one of the few men, actively inter- 
ested in the enterprises before 1837, who was not 
ruined by the panic. In fact he was in a position to 
purchase at his own figures what others were com- 

iThc Eastman Journal, December, 1890. 



HISTORY OP POUGHKBBPSin. 



167 



pelled to part with, and a considerable part of his 
fortune was made by taking advantage of such op- 
portunities. Though a hard-headed, shrewd bargainer 
he was more than a mere money maker, and from 
the beginning of his prosperity became a liberal con- 
tributor to the Baptist Church and various local char- 
itable enterprises. Having no children he began at a 
comparatively early age to consider plans for leaving 
most of his fortune to found some institution. In 
April, 1845, leaving his business to the management 
of his nephews, Matthew Vassar, Jr., and John Guy 
Vassar, he sailed for England in the packet ship North- 
umberland and remained abroad nearly three years, 
with Cyrus Swan as guide and travelling companion.^ 
Mr. Lossing relates that among the sights visited in 
London was a great hospital erected by Thomas Guy, 
a distant relative of the Vassars, and from this Mr. 
Vassar formed the idea of building a similar hospital 
in Poughkeepsic. The changing of this idea in favor 
of an institution for the education of women has been 
credited partly to Miss Lydia Booth, his step-niece, 
who, as has been stated, was long a successful teacher 
and school proprietor in Poughkeepsic, and partly 
to Milo P. Jcwett. Mr. \'assar owned "Cottage 
Hill," in Garden Street, while Miss Booth's school was 
there, and sold it in 1855 to Dr. Jcwett. The Vassar 
College germ may have been planted and nourished by 
those two, but Mr. X'assar certainly furnished a con- 
genial medium for its growth. He was considerably 
interested in educational matters long before Dr. Jcw- 
ett came to Poughkeepsic, as the following letter to 
Mr. Howland R. Sherman, of Poughkeepsie, Member 
of Assembly in 1851, shows: 

PouGiiKEEPSiiv, March loth, 1851. 
Howland R. Siihrman, ESq. 

Dear Sir : 

I understand a bill has been unanimously reported 
in your house (Assembly) by the Committee on Edu- 
cation to appropriate $50,000 to the University of 
Rochester, and as I am one of its earliest friends, and 
intend, at some future day, to extend my subscription 
I avail ni\self of the present opportunity to say that in 
my humble opinion the Rochester University as a 
matter of simple justice to Western New York, is en- 
titled to receive of the State appropriations for col- 
leges her share of the public funds. You may not be 
avvarc, perhaps, that in no instance in educational en- 
terprises of our State have any schemes been more 
liberalh- and promptly responded to by private con- 
tributions of the citizens than this institution, and if 
T mistake not the subscriptions amount already to some 
$150,000 — to accomplish their whole plan will require 
about $75,000 more, and it would be a serious loss 

i"V,i-<-^ar College and Its Founder" contains a detailed 
account of the trip 



to the entire State should it now fail for the want 
of a timely and generous support of the present Leg- 
islature. Will you and our friends, Messrs. Teller 
and Robinson, examine into the merits and claims of 
the institution and give it such support as it is justly 
entitled to as a great public measure. 

With my best regards to you and each of our re- 
spected representatives, I subscribe myself, Yout 
Obedient Servant, 

M. VASSAR. 

Howland R. Sherman, 

Wm. B. Teller, 

Ch. Robinson, 



/ Esqrs., 
( Alban\'. 



Doubtless Dr. Jewett was instrumental in fostering 
the idea of a real college for women, "an institution 
that should be to their sex what Yale and Harvard 
are to our own." Several "Ladies' Collegiate Insti- 
tutes" had already been founded in various parts of 
the country, and Mr. Vassar soon perceived that the 
time was ripe for something better. He sought the 
advice of some of the leading educators of the coun- 
try, and Thomas A. Tefift, an eminent school architect, 
was asked to prepare plans for buildings to accommo- 
date four hundred pupils. This appears to have been 
in 1856, according to ]\lr. Lossing, but it was not 
until the spring of i860 that Mr. Vassar finally deter- 
mined to proceed with the work. Dr. Jewett sold the 
Cottage Hill property at the close of the summer terin, 
that he might give his whole time to the plans for the 
]5roposed college. A charter was drawn up by C\tus 
Swan, and was passed by the Legislature Januar}' i8th, 
i86r, beginning as follows : 

Si%CTiON I. Matthew Vassar, Ira Harris, \\'illiam 
Kelly, James Harper, Martin B. Anderson, John 
Thompson, Edward Lathrop, Charles \\". Swift, E. L. 
Magoon, S. M. Buckingham, Milo P. Jewett, Nathan 
r.ishop, Matthew Vassar, Jr., Benson J. Lossing, E. 
G. Robinson, Samuel F. B. Morse, S. S. Constant, 
John Guy Vassar, William Hague, Rufus Babcock, 
Cornelius DuBois, John H. Raymond. Morgan L. 
Smith, Cyrus Swan, George ^^'. Sterling, George T. 
Pierce, Smith Sheldon, Joseph C. Doughty, and A. L. 
-Mien, are hereby constituted a body corporate, by the 
name of "\'assar Female College," to be located in 
Dutchess County, near the city of Poughkeepsie. Bv 
that name the said corporation shall have perpetual 
succession, with power to fill vacancies, etc. 

The college charter, we are told, attracted the 
greatest attention, and the legislative reporters of the 
principal daily newspapers "sent abroad from the Capi- 
tol the most glowing details of the novel and magnifi- 
cent enterprise." John H. Ketcham was our represen- 
tative in the Senate, and John B. Dutcher and Samuel J. 
Farnum were the Dutchess County IMembers of As- 
sembly. The bill went through both houses in ad- 
vance of others and was "the first or second bill of that 



16S 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEHPSIB 



session that received the signature of the Governor, 
Edwin D. Morgan." 

Of the twent3'-eight persons chosen by Mr. Vassar 
as the first trustees, Mr. Lossing says, "One-half of 
them were his fellow-townsmen ; and it so happened 
that a majority of them were Baptists, some of whom 
were leading clergymen and public educators of that 
denomination. This was an accidental result of his 
choice, occurring because Mr. Vassar's principal as- 
sociates among men of learning were of that branch 
of the Christian Church." The board of trustees was 
organized February 26th, 1861, at a meeting held at 
the Gregory House, with Hon. William Kelly, of 
Rhinebeck, who had been Democratic candidate for 
Governor against Edwin D. Morgan, chairman. Mr. 
\'assar formally turned over to the trustees a box con- 
taining $400,000 in securities, including a deed for 
two hundred acres of land as a site for the college, 
and made a memorable statement of his plans, in which 
he used the words which Hon. George William Curtis 
said at the twenty-fifth anniversary, "might well be 
carved in gold over the entrance to Vassar College." 

"It occurred to me that woman, having received 
from her Creator the same intellectual constitution as 
'man, has the same right as man to intellectual culture 
and development." 

The funds were placed in the hands of Matthew 
Vassar Jr., who was elected treasurer, and Milo P. 
Jewett was chosen the first president. Newspaper ac- 
counts show that the plans were pretty thoroughly 
matured, not only for the buildings, but also for the 
equipment. Plans for the main building, drawn by 
James Renwick, Jr.,' architect of the Smithsonian In- 
stitute, Washington, were before the trustees at their 
organization and were accepted. An executive commit- 
tee, Charles W. Swift, Matthew Vassar, Cornelius 
Du Bois, Matthew Vassar, Jr., and Cyrus Swan, was 
appointed, and also committees on "faculty and stud- 
ies," "library," "cabinet and apparatus," "art gallery," 
etc. Contracts were soon entered into with Mr. Ren- 
wick and with William Harloe, of Poughkeepsie, for 
the erection of the buildings. The site had been se- 
lected, Mr. Lossing tells us, after due consideration 
of the advantages of a location on the banks of the 
river. The level section of the college grounds, ad- 
joining the highway (Raymond y\ venue), was once 
the Dutchess County Race Course. 

Mr. A^assar formally "broke ground" June 4th, 
1861, and the spade full of earth he lifted is preserved 
in the college museum. This was just at the begin- 
ning of the civil war, which caused a great deprecia- 
iMr. Tefft, the first architect selected, had died in Europe. 



tion in the value of the securities of the college and 
also caused a great rise in the price of building ma- 
terials and labor, but at the close of the war the se- 
curities had risen again and the endowment fund was 
intact. Mr. Harloe, the contractor, however, was not 
so fortunate, and though the contract was finally taken 
off his hands without enforcement of penalty, he claim- 
ed to have lost $30,000. The main building was fin- 
ished at the close of the war, but had been long in 
construction because of the extraordinary precautions 
to ensure a substantial structure as nearly fire-proof as 
the architects of the day could make it. Brick parti- 
tions were carried to the roof and it was required that 
the walls should stand a certain length of time to set- 
tle. The observatory was finished at about the same 
time as the main building, and the riding school or 
gymnasium (now the museum) a few months later. 

Sports — Base Bai,!,, laj Yachting. 

It has been stated that a part of the Vassar College 
grounds were once the Dutchess County Race Course. 
The track had been in that locality since 1798"^ at 
least, but there is said to have been an older race 
course on Main Street. In the days of running races, 
before trotting came into vogue, there was probably 
more interest in horses among Poughkeepsians than 
there is now, though I think the town was never as 
thoroughly devoted to this form of sport as some other 
places. There were some famous races, however, on 
the old track. 

Poughkeepsie has been chiefly noted, in the sport- 
ing line, as a centre of rowing and ice yachting. The 
ice \'acht, in fact, first came into existence here as a 
racing craft, and was made known to the world 
through the reports of the early races of the Pough- 
keepsie Ice Yacht Club. Zadock Southwick is said 
to have built the first ice boat not long after he came 
here (1807), but there is no evidence that the sport 
was of much consequence until just before the war. 
The first boats were set upon skates for runners and 
were small, clumsy affairs, the principal frame work 
being a triangle of 13 foot joists with a centre timber 
into which the mast was stepped. The Vassar Brcw- 
erj- office was the club house where all the river 
sportsmen gathered to discuss matters and partake of 
Mr. Booth's specially brewed ale. About 1858 the 
possibilities of the development of the skate-boats was 
under consideration among the brewery coterie, and 
experiments of various kinds were tried with steel 
runners, heavy and light centre timbers and various 
cuts of sails. George Polk and Jacob Buckhout were 

'See 1798 map, frontispiece. 




MATTHEW YASSAR. 



170 



HISTORY OF ROUGH KEEPSIE. 



among the men who worked out the plans, and the lat- 
ter became the creator of the modern ice yacht. The 
Poughkeepsie Ice Yacht Club was organized in 1861, 
the charter members being Oliver H. Booth, Aaron 
Innis, John A. Roosevelt, Theodore V. Johnston, Theo- 
dore Van Kleeck, William C. Arnold, Hudson Ta}'- 
lor, H. G. Eastman, J. E. Buckhout, Walter Van 
Kleeck, Henry S. Frost, John R. Stuyvesant. This 




OLIVER H. BOOTH. 

ap])arently was the first formal organization of the 
sport, and it was onl)- after this organization that items 
appear in the newspapers about ice yachts, except very 
rarely. 

Ice yachting in the early days was not particularly 
expensive, but as the rivalry created by the races 
stimulated improvements, the expenses naturally in- 
creased. The .sport has been at its best on an average 
only two or three weeks each wintt'r, liut Poughkeep- 
sie is a better location for it than many places 
further north because winter rains and thaws can gen- 
erally be depended upon to remove snow from the 
river. Down to a recent periotl all local races were 
held in front of the city, but with the ach-ent of a more 
powerful ferry, keeping an open track, the headquar- 
ters were transferred first to John A. Roosevelt's, 
about three miles north, and then to Hyde Park. The 
leading rivals in the period of the Poughkeepsie Club's 



supremacy were John A. Roosevelt and Aaron Innis, 
whose "Icicle" and "Haze," as remodelled after the 
"Robert Scott" about 1884, have not been very greatly 
improved upon. 

Most of the same men who formed the first ice- 
yacht club were interested in rowing, which had been 
a popular means of recreation at Poughkeepsie for 
many years. Before 1837 there was a local four- 
oared crew known as the Washingtons, who entered 
races with Newburgh and other river towns, and at- 
tracted considerable newspaper notice. Large crowds 
attended these races, which seem to have been of a 
semi-professional nature. There were a good many 
amateur scrub races, purel}- for fun, during the period 
just before and just after the war. 

Interest in rowing was greatly stimulated in i860 
by a two-days regatta held at Poughkeepsie, Sept. 5th 
and 6th. Arrangements for this event Avere started 
at a public meeting held at the City Hall August 4th, 
at which Samuel J. Farnuni presided. The following 
ward committees were appointed to solicit funds : 
First Ward — Nelson J. Pardee, S. J. Farnum ; Second 
Ward— James T. Hill, C. C. Hofif; Third Ward— Wil- 
liam .V. Fanning, John R. Cooper; Fourth Ward — 
Henry W. Shaw (Josh Billings), Edward Post. There 
were all sorts of events at the regatta, singde and 
double scull races, fours and sixes. The course was 
five miles, two and a half miles u]) the river from I\aal 
Rock and return. "Josh" Ward was one of the lead- 
ing oarsmen and the favorite in single sculls, but was 
badly beaten. The great race of the first (kn- was 
the si.x-oared, in which Newburgh was entered against 
Poughkeepsie, and was beaten, in spite of the fact 
that Josh Ward rowed with Newburgh. The victor- 
ious Poughkeepsie crew was : William Stevens, John 
Best, Ezekiel Beneway, Homer Wooden, Daniel LeRoy 
and Madison Eagan. The time was ;>,2 :4o. The four- 
oared race, the second day, again occasioned great ex- 
citement. Three crews were entered, representing 
Poughkee])sie, Newburgh and Brooklyn. The Pough- 
keepsie crew, which won in 32: 10, was Homer Wooden, 
William Stevens, Ezekiel Beneway and John Best, and 
the Newburgh crew, Dennis Leary, John Biglin, 
James Biglin and Bernard Biglin. called the Biglm 
crew. Thousands of people came to Poughkeepsie 
to see this regatta, and the £(7.;'/c said of it : "One day 
with its excitements would do \'ery well, but two days 
for a quiet town like Poughkeepsie was rather too 
much." 

The Poughkeepsie crews had been organized chiefly 
from among men employed in the cooperages and were 
backed heavily 1))- local sportsmen. Ceorge Polk made 
for them the first spoon oars used at this place. The 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEEPSIE. 



171 



four-oared crew at a later period rowed in a boat 
called "The Stranger,' and came to be known as 
"The Stranger Crew." The excitement of the i860 
regatta, with its crowd of professional gamblers and 
toughs, was small indeed compared with that which at- 
tended the final race of "The Strangers," July i8th, 
1865, with the Biglins, who then represented New 
York. The Poughkecpsie crew was the same as that 
at the i860 regatta, except that William Burger had 
taken the place of John Best. The course was the 
same, two and one-half miles and return, and the 
race was for a purse of $6,000 and the championship 
of America. According to newspaper accounts, this 
memorable event brought ten thousand people to 
Poughkecpsie, and as much as $100,000 was wagered 
on the result. 

The New York men led at the start, but on the 
home stretch the Poughkecpsie crew gained and at- 
tempted to pass them. Excitement ran high, and the 
Biglins steered their boat so as to head off the Stran- 
ger and so finished first. The Poughkecpsie crew and 
all who had money wagered upon its success claimed a 
foul, and the decision rested upon the referee, Charles 
Gausman, who with the judges, were driven at once 
to the Poughkecpsie ITotel and attempted to get into 
a room by themselves. The late Isaac H. Wood, last 
proprietor of the Exchange Plouse, was one of the 
judges. 

"As thev entered the room crowds of thugs and 
roughs pressed in after them, and they also crawled 
into the room through the windows. The apartment 
was packed to suffocation with as murderous a set of 
villains as the eye ever gazed upon, who at once be- 
gan to intimidate the referee, and pistols, knives and 
clubs were drawn. Joe Coburn, who was then a fa- 
mous prize fighter, had bet heavily on the Poughkecp- 
sie crew and shaking his ponderous fist at the referee 
and crowd yelled, 'I want a fair thing! You can't 
murder us here ! It is a fair foul and I can lick any 
of vou single handed !' There were cries of 'Shoot 
him!' 'Give up the money!' and even 'Fire the Hotel!' 
Gausman at length decided that the New Yorkers had 
won in 37 minutes 20 seconds, and barely escaped with 
his life, an experience shared by some of the stake 
holders. For two days and nights the cit\- was filled 
with desperate thieves and pickpockets, and the night 
before the race Thomas L. Davies' residence was 
robbed of $5,000 worth of jewelry. "^ 

The day after the race Stevens of the Poughkecpsie 
crew, while in a down-town saloon, knocked down and 
killed a man named Thomas DeMott, who had ac- 
cused him of selling tlie race. 

The hislor>' of this event illustrates well the rough- 
ness of the times. On every such occasion, and even at 

I Eagle, April 29, t886, 



many elections, the crowd owned the town, and 
drunkenness and street fights were more than common. 
The city police did not attain an efficiency sufficient to 
stop street fights until well into the '70s. 

Base ball as an organized sport began in Pough- 
kecpsie in 1859, when Joseph II. Cogswell came here 
as an agent of the Rochester nurseries. He had been 
a member of the "Flour City Ball Club," and pro- 
ceeded to form a similar club here. The Poughkecp- 
sie Base Ball Club, in strong contrast with the pres- 
ent clubs, appears to have been strictly an amateur or- 
ganization, perhaps the first amateur athletic club in 
the city, and comparable with the golf and tennis clubs 
of to-day. The members played ball for fun and ex- 
ercise, paid initiation fees and dues as at other clubs, 
and the rules provided for the choosing of sides as 
nearly equal as possible when enough members came 
upon the field for a game. A "first nine" was made 
up of the best players and occasionally met outside 
teams in match games. The first of these "first nines'' 
was as follows: A. F. Lindley, p., Edwin Marshall, 
c, T- H. Cogswell, 1st b., John Trowbridge, 2nd b., 
Aaron Innis, 3rd b., Edward Vincent, s. s., G. P. 
Lansing, 1. f., X. O. Chichester, c. f., S. H. Conklin, 
r. f. Other charter members of the club, as given in 
the interesting little pamphlet of "Constitution and By- 
Laws with Rules and Regulations," published by Os- 
borne & Killey in 1859, were James C. Aikin, George 
S. Brown, J. C. Babcock, B. S. Eroas, George H. 
Beattys, Wm. Collingwood, B. Piatt Carpenter, A. H. 
Champlin, Oscar A. Fowler, Morgan L. Farnum. 
James Haggerty, William Highet, J. A. Jillson, E. B. 
Killey, D. R. Norman, E. B. Osborne, George H. 
Parker, Charles Place, Charles C. Peters, John C. 
Pa\'ne, Henry W. Shaw, Edward Storm, C}'rus Swan 
Charles Towle, Isaac Tompkins, Hiram W. Wood, 
George S. Wilson and Charles H. S. Williams. 

The "Rules and Regulations" contain much that 
would interest base ball players, but it is enough to 
note here that the game was substantially the same as 
that of to-day, except that the ball was "pitched," not 
thrown to the batter, and a third strike or a foul was 
"out" if caught on the first bound. The base ball 
field was between Main and Cannon Streets, opposite 
where the power house of the electric street railroad 
now stands. The newspapers of i860 contain several 
reports of games played with Ncwburgh and other 
places. 

Politics Bufori; the War. 

When the great question of slavery became of 
paramount importance there was the same readjust- 
ment of political lines in Dutchess County as else- 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEEPSIE. 



where in the North. The "soft shell" Democrats first 
became the dominant faction and then lost many of 
their members to the new Republican party. The 
"hards" ceased to be important enough to support a 
newspaper in 1856, when the Democrat was consoli- 
dated with the Telegraph, Mr. Osborne forming a 
partnership with Egbert B. Killey, Jr. In 1852, how- 
ever, the county went Democratic by a small majority, 
Franklin Pierce obtaining 105 more votes than Gen- 
eral Winfield Scott, while Horatio Seymour for gov- 
ernor had a majority of 99. Gilbert Dean, a promi- 
nent Poughkeepsie lawyer, was elected to a second term 
in Congress at this time, but resigned in 1854, and 
was appointed to fill the vacancy in the Supreme 
Court caused by the death of Seward Barculo, who 
had been a Justice in the second district since June 
7th, 1847. Barculo was one of the great Poughkeep- 
sie lawyers, and was first elected county judge in 
1845, in which office he was followed by Abraham 
Bockee. 

In 1854 when there were four party candidates 
for governor the vote of Dutchess was : Myron H. 
Clark (Whig) 3,411, Horatio Seymour ("soft" Dem.) 
3,150, Daniel Ullman (American or "Know Nothing") 
1,849, Green C. Bronson ("hard" Dem.) 724. Pough- 
keepsie city gave Clark 818, Seymour 532, Ullman 215 
and Bronson 78. On Assemblymen the two Demo- 
cratic factions combined and elected their men, the 
Whig candidates being handicapped, as many persons 
thought, by their pledge to support a prohibitory liquor 
law. There was much more about prohibition in the 
newspapers of that day than there is now, but its ad- 
vocates were generally called "Maine Law" men. 
They had carried the Second Assemblv District in 
1853, electing George W. Sterling to the Assembly. 
A big meeting for "Freedom and Prohibition" was 
held in the city hall in July, 1855. There were also 
some Abolitionists in Poughkeepsie, but I have seen 
no record to show that they had an organization. 
George W. Sterling was in full sympathy with them, 
and is generally credited with having been an officer 
of "the underground railroad." The Abolitionists had 
no local organ and were generally denounced by the 
party papers. 

Theodorus Gregory was one of the leading prohi- 
bition advocates of this time. For several years after 
his purchase of the Eastern House he conducted it as 
an ordinary countr}' tavern, selling liquor, and filling 
up with ■ gamblers on horse racing days. Then he 
was converted and became a temperance man. He 
was told that he could not run a hotel without a bar, 
but he decided to try and was successful. The old 
Eastern House burned in March, 1853, and the new 



building, finished in the spring of 1854, was opened 
as the Gregory House. It became, of course, the 
best hotel in the city, far surpassing the Forbus House 
and Poughkeepsie Hotel, but Mr. Gregory conducted 
it as a temperance house, and also had family prayers 
every day in the parlors, and grace before meals in 
the dining room. The hotel was sold after the war to 
George Morgan, and became the Morgan House. 
James Bowne was another leading temperance man. 
Some years before this time the old firm of Bowne & 
Trowbridge sold a great deal of liquor, and Mr. 
Bowne signalized his conversion by knocking in the 
heads of the rum barrels and spilling the contents 
into the gutter. 

In 1855 the Republican party was organized in 
Dutchess County and formally consolidated with the 
Whigs, the parties holding a joint convention at 
Emigh's Hotel, Washington Hollow, on the 17th of 
October. The Whig county committee was John H. 
Ketcham, Smith Cronk, J. A. Underbill, C. Swan, Ed- 
gar Thorn, Edwin Hall, Edward Hunting, D. C. 
Marshall and George W. Paine. Thirty-seven names 
were signed to the Republican call, headed- by A. J. 
Coffin, George Van Kleeck and Cornelius Du Bois. 
Most of the names seem to be those of former Whigs, 
though some were Free Soil Democrats. They in- 
cluded Isaac Tice, Wm. C. Southwick, L- M. Ar- 
nold, Aaron Frost, Wm. S. Morgan, John Thompson, 
Augustus L. Allen, Richard Kenworthy, Isaac Sisson, 
Stephen Baker, A. Van Kleeck, E. M. Swift, Henry 
W. Morris, James S. Post and Charles E. Bowne. 

In the fall of 1855 John H. Ketcham was first 
elected to the Assembly, and the Republicans were 
also successful in the 3rd district, electing Jacob B. 
Carpenter, but in the 2nd, including the city of Pough- 
keepsie, George Wilkinson was defeated by Daniel O. 
Ward, of Pleasant Valley. 

The presidential campaign of 1856 was a notable 
one in Poughkeepsie, on account of the great public 
meetings held on Forbus Hill. The Democrats held 
a great rally for Buchanan on October 1st, to which 
it is said fifteen steamboats ran excursions. Amasa 
J. Parker, candidate for gt)vernor, was the chief 
speaker. The crowd on this occasion, though large, 
is said to have been far eclipsed by the Fremont rally 
of the river counties on the i6th, at which Hon. Charles 
H. Ruggles presided. From 9 o'clock in the morning 
until after noon there was almost a continuous proces- 
sion of teams and of horsemen coming in from the 
country, "until the town was full," sa\-s the Eagle. 
The railroad, the steamers Oregon, from .\lbany. 
South America from Hudson, and Thomas Powell 
from Kcw York, added thousands. When the delecra- 



HISTORY OF POUGHKBEPSIB. 



173 



tions from neighboring counties marched from the 
steamers, the horsemen from the country were drawn 
up in close order, facing the street, and extended from 
the Exchange House to Hamilton Street. There were 
800 of them, it is said. In the great open field consti- 
tuting Forbus Hill four stands had been erected, and 
there was continuous speaking from each one for more 
than three hours. From the principal stand, around 
which there were seats, Senator Henry Wilson, of 
Massachusetts, spoke for two and one-half hours, and 
was followed by Joseph Hoxie, of New York, for one 
hour. At the central stand, for which no seats had 
been provided. Governor Ford, of Ohio, spoke two 
hours, and Joseph Blunt, of New York, an hour and 
a half. At other stands there were five German speak- 
ers. The Rhinebeck Glee Club, the Albany Glee Club, 
Messrs. Sherwood and Cone, of Albany, and Mr. 
iVthcrton, of Poughkeepsie, furnished music. The 
county gave Fremont 5,512 votes, Buchanan 4,039, and 
Fillmore 2,013. John Thompson was elected to Con- 
gress, and John H. Ketcham returned to the Assem- 
bly, though by a majority of only one vote, over Al- 
bert Emans. The second district elected Franklin 
Dudk'}' to the Assembly. The city voted Fremont 
1,120, Buchanan 656, and Fillmore 318. B. Piatt Car- 
penter began his political career soon after this, and 
ijecamc District Attorne}' in 1858, succeeding Silas 
W'odell. 

The Eagle contained many strong anti-slavery edi- 
torials at this time, and the "dough faces," as well as 
the "slaveocracy" were vigorously denounced. It was 
an ardent supporter of William H. Seward for the 
presidential nomination in i860, and Isaac Piatt, in a 
letter dated Chicago, May 26th, describes the methods 
b}' which Seward was defeated in the convention, and 
expresses his opinion of those who combined against 
him very freely, adding : 

"But while I feel bound to say these harsh things 
of the active enemies of Senator Seward, and feel that 
even more severe language would fail to do them jus- 
tice, it would be doing a great wrong to the majority 
of the convention if I failed to add that the choice 
fell upon the next licst man that could have been se- 
lected. The very last one whom the poltroons of 
1 'cnnsylvania, and Indiana and the sneaks of New 
England — who could have rendered Mr. Seward's 
nomination certain had they been true — would have 
fallen back upon was Mr. Eincoln, had they had any- 
thing but Hobson's choice in the matter." 

The campaign of i860 was a memorable one 
everywhere, and not long after the nomination of Ein- 
coln and Hamlin, Republican marching clubs called 
"Wide Awakes' were organized all over the North. 



The Poughkeepsie club was organized in July with 
John Trowbridge president, William C. Arnold, C. 
C. lloff, James McKinney and J. W. Vincent vice- 
presidents ; George H. Beattys, recording secretary ; 
Davis Van Kleck, corresponding secretary, and John 
T. Banker, treasurer. Daniel H. Turner was elected 
captain at a subsequent meeting, and Robert E. Tay- 
lor lieutenant. There was also a Lincoln and Hamlin 
Club, of which J. V. W. Doty was president. The 
chief Democratic marching clubs were called "The 
Little Giants," from Stephen A. Douglas's favorite 
nickname. In Poughkeepsie Benjamin Atkins was 
their captain, and both he and Turner were officers 
in the Twenty-first Regiment. Party feeling ran so 
high that stones were sometimes thrown at the parad- 
ers in hostile wards, but the two captains were friends. 
The Wide Awakes had their headquarters in the base- 
ment under Rowland's bakery, opposite the end of 
Market Street, and it is related that on one occasion 
when the)' had just returned from a parade and were 
storing away their torches and capes, the order came 
to turn out again. They hurried up the steps, and 
there were the Little Giants coming down the street. 
Some of the boys thought there were prospects of a 
fight, but "Dan" Turner lined them all up along the 
curb, and as their opponents approached gave the order 
"Present torches," and then "Three cheers for Ben 
Atkins and the Little Giants!" The order was prompt- 
ly obeyed and the Little Giants returned the courtesy. 
After that it is said there was never any trouble be- 
tween the two organizations. Occasionally they would 
meet on parade, when one would open order and al- 
low the other to march between them, presenting 
torches. 

The Bell and Everett men also had a marching club 
which paraded around ringing a large bell obtained 
from one of the foundries. In general this campaign 
is described by those who remember it as the greatest 
on record, with something going on almost every day 
for several months. The Wide Awakes and Little 
Giants often visited other cities to take part in parades 
there 

The Republicans held a great meeting on Forbus 
Hill, October 19th, which was addressed in the after- 
noon for two hours by Hon. Salmon P. Chase, of Ohio. 
Gen. Thomas L. Davies presided at this meeting, and 
the vice-presidents were: Hon. Charles H. Ruggles, 
William C. Sterling, John G. Ilalstead, F. R. Johns'ton, 
J. \Veslcy Stark. Edward H. Simmons, Herrick 
Thornc, D. Lewis, James Winslow, Hon. Morgan Car- 
penter, George H. Knapp, James Ketcham, Hiram 
\'ail, Orson Graves. E. D. Sweet, C. \Miite. The sec- 
retaries were: .Alfred B. Smith, George Sweet, 



iU 



li 1 ST RY OF I'OUGFlKEEPSlU. 



George Lamoree, B. Piatt Carpenter, R. D. Cornell, 
and James McCarthy. 

I think this was the last great meeting on Forbus 
Hill. Grand Street had been laid out across it several 
years before and building was beginning to encroach 
on the neighborhood so long devoted to circuses, poli- 
tical rallies and military reviews. At one time, before 
the railroad was built, there was a lookout back of the 
Forbus House, on which observers were stationed to 
watch for the coming of steamboats, so that the hotel 
stage could leave for the landing without running the 
risk of long waits. Many stories are told about events 
which took place on Forbus Hill, but the ground has 
been so changed by grading and building that no one 
thinks of it now as a hill, apart from the general slope 
of the ground. 

The city in i860 was still to a considerable extent 
divided into sections, with stretches of open fields be- 
tween. The Upper Landing and the Lower Landing 
were rather isolated communities connected with the 
business section on the hill by a fringe of houses along 
Mill and Union Streets. Lower Main Street consisted 
of "Blakesleeville," on the flat between Bridge and 
Clover Streets, with only a few buildings immediately 
above. or below, except at the landing. Then there 
were the suburban settlements of Freartown, in the 
southern section, Boicetown, near the junction of 
Cherry Street and Hooker Avenue, and Leetown, af- 
terwards Bull's Head, now Arlington. Nor was For- 
bus Hill the only hill named. Christian Hill, near 
Pine Street, Crow Hill, South Hamilton Street, south 
of Montgomer}', and others were familiar to the people 
of the day, and arc still occasionally named. 

Many meetings were held throughout the county 
during this campaign, and the Poughkeepsie Republi- 
can speakers mentioned in the papers were John 
Thompson, William Wilkinson, Col. George Bisbee, 
J. Spencer \^an Cleef, Charles H. S. Williams and 
John L Piatt. This was Mr. Piatt's entrance into poli- 
tics, and was probabl}' not far from the first appear- 
ance on the stump of most of the others named, except 
Mr. Thompson and Mr. Wilkinson. 

Dutchess County gave Abraham Lincoln a majority 
of 692 over the Fusion (Douglas, Breckinridge and 
Bell) Democratic ticket, and in Poughkeepsie Lincoln 
carried the 2nd Ward by 182, the 3rd by 28 and the 
4th by 139, the ist Ward alone going Democratic by 
~,/. Stephen Baker, of Poughkeepsie, was elected to 
Congress. 

Occasionally an item like the following, Sept. 5th, 



1857, attracts attention in the local papers: "Pfee-^ 
It is said that a colored man recently passed through 
this place on the underground railroad, having made 
his escape from slavery in a Southern State. He is 
probably now enjoying freedom in Canada, under the 
protection of the British Queen." 

On Aug. 29, 1857, the Eagle tells of the breaking 
of the first Atlantic cable "after having paid out suc- 
cessfully 335 nautical miles of cable, and the last 100 
miles of it in water over two miles deep." In spite of 
the political agitation at home there was much interest 
in foreign news and the completion of the cable was 
awaited with eager anticipation. When it was ap- 
parently finished in 1858 all the bells in Poughkeepsie 
were rung in celebration of the event. Before the 
cable foreign news was always headed "Three days 
later from Europe," "Four days later from Europe," 
or whatever the interval was between steamers. After 
reading under this heading "There is nothing later 
from India" for several weeks, it is with something of 
a thrill that one reads on Nov. 28, 1857, "Gen. Have- 
lock with 2,500 men crossed the Ganges from Cawn- 
pore Sept. 19 and relieved Lucknow residency on the 
25th, just as it was ready to be blown up by the be- 
siegers." 

When the city was incorporated, both the Eagle 
and the Telegraph had planned to issue dail}' papers, 
but ventures in that line had not been particularly suc- 
cessful. The first daily started had lasted but a short 
time, and the Press, without any well-established week- 
ly behind it, was struggling along with no very great 
profit to its publishers. The Telegraph tried the ex- 
periment of a daily edition for three weeks, beginning 
Nov. 28, 1854, and then gave it up, while the Eagle 
found in the financial depression of that year a suffi- 
cient reason for the abandonment of its plans. In 
i860, however, the city had a population of about 15,- 
000, and the interest in public events, in the great is- 
sues which were soon to plunge the country into civil 
war, and in local matters, had greatly increased, and 
another daily was fully warranted. On Tuesday morn- 
ing, December 4th, Vol. i No. i of the Daily Eagle 
was issued. It bore the motto, "Neutral in nothing," 
and its strong editorials and excellent telegraphic ser- 
vice soon gave it a commanding position and an in- 
fluence that was more than local. The Daily Press, 
which had been a morning paper up to this time, soon 
changed to an afternoon paper, and so remained as 
long as it had a separate existence. 



CHAPTER IX. 



The Civil War — Early Meetings and Enlistments — The 128TH and 150TH Regiments — The 159TH 
Regiment and the Draft — Echoes of the Draft Riots — Home Events — Politics, Including 
THE Campaign of i860 — Eastman College — The Return of Prosperity — The Sanitary Fair. 



The news of the firing upon Fort Sumter was pub- 
lished on Saturday, April 13th, 1861, and there was 
intense excitement in Poughls:eepsie as well as else- 
where. The Uaglc issued "extras" which were eagerl)' 
snatched from the press on Saturday evening and 
again on Sunday. On the 15th President Lincoln's 
call for 75,000 volunteers was published, and on the 
same day a small item recorded that "Matthew Vas- 
sar, Jr. has tendered his fast sailing schooner, The 
Matthew \'assar, Jr., to the United States govern- 
ment." On the i6th "Messrs. W. W. and J. Rey- 
nolds tendered to the government their substantial and 
well arranged steamer Reliance." Both of these offers 
were accepted. The Matthew Vassar, Jr. was one of 
Farragut's fleet of mortar boats at the taking of the 
forts at the mouth of the Mississippi River, and the 
Reliance^ served as a gun boat in the llurnside expe- 
dition and also as a transport. The steamboats 
Dutchess from Main Street Landing and Sherman 
from the Lower Landing were also sold to the govern- 
ment, as were many other river steamers. 

April 17th there was a brief report in the local 
papers of a meeting of the 21st Regiment, with the 
statement, "We have ascertained that there are one 
liundred volunteers ready to answer the government's 
call." Loj-al citizens ever\ where began to displa}' the 
flag in front of their homes and places of business, 
and we read that "political feelings are fast disappear- 
ing in this cilw" On the 1 8th a call for a meeting 
to be held at the Cit)' Hall for the purpose of organiz- 
ing a volunteer comjiany was published over the sig- 
natures of John R. Cooper, John H. Otis, J. Spencer 
\'an Clcef, James IT. Seaman and R. E. Taylor. Gc- 
romc Williams and A. ]',. Smith were among those 
who addressed this meeting, which resulted in a pre- 
liminar}' organization in the following form: 

"We hereby form ourselves into a volunteer com- 
pany to be offered (o the Gox-ernor of this State for 

iFor list of Poiighkcepsie men wlio «'ent out with the 
Reliance see Aiipendi.x. 



immediate service, under the provisions of the act 
lately passed by the Legislature of this State in refer- 
ence to the raising of a volunteer force." 

April i8th, 1861. 

R. E. Taylor, ' Nathaniel Palmer, 

S. H. Bogardus, Jr.," Alfred Atkins, 

P. J. Palmatier, John Sanders, 

John H. r>artlett, Joseph Williams, 

Herbert Stearns, John N. Longfield, 

John 'Cox, G. 'V\'. Underwood, 

Alfred Sherman, Isaac Van Wagner, 

ISenj. Slater, Daniel Johnson, Sr., 

Albert R. Heennancc, Joseph Rosell. 

Cornelius Ferdon, Martin Riggs, 

Nathaniel Gayton, D. B. Morris, 

George C. Smith, John Ward, 

Daniel Brinckei-hoff, Wm. H. Clark, 

Marcus B. ^^'hite, Andrew Holitzer, 

Wm. Conklin, A. B. Smith, ' 

James B. Jones, Dewitt C. Underwood, 

las. T. Clear, Patrick Akins, 

R. N. Bush, Thomas Walker. 

F Schwandel, Beitung Fedrick, 

Joseph Heidel, Carl Hardenburgh, 

Anson Morey, John H. Filkins. 

Edward Post, Patrick \\'halen, 

Thomas Eagan, Jas. Nicolson, 

Wm. Upham, John H. Moreland. 

These did not all enter the service, but certainly 
all were willing to enlist, at least for three months. 
There was no dearth of volunteers under the first 
call, however, and as a rule only militia companies 
fully equipped, were accepted. The 20th, of Kings- 
ten, enlisted for three months, and the fact that the 
2ist was not ready to offer itself caused sotne com- 
ment in which the statement was made that the military 
spirit had not been greatly culti\-atcd in Poughkeepsie. 
Tlie independent company formed at the meeting of 
the 1 8th went on to perfect its organization. On 
the 20th, when \\'illiam Berry was made temporary 
captain, there were seventy-five names on the roll. 
C^n the 23rd the company was reorganized with Har- 
rison ]lallidn\- as cajitaiiL but was rather slow in get- 
ting ready to leaxe. and some of the bovs became ini- 



17(J 



tilSTORY OF POVGHKEEPSIB. 



patient. A few managed to get into militia regiments 
alread}' at the front ; these inchided James E. Schram, 
who sailed in the steamer "Daylight" on the 24th to 
join the Seventh Regiment,^ Alfred Way and Alfred 
Dunlap, who went out with the 13th of Brooklyn. 
Adam Schuster and Charles Couterier enlisted in the 
20th N. Y. Vols., (the Gennan Turner regiment) and 
April 24th the following men left Poughkeepsie to 
join them: Rudolph Schwickard, Rudolph Prellwitz, 
Joseph Mayer, Charles Solger, George Kahn, Adam 
Barthel, Charles Propson, Henry W. Kohn, Augustus 
Long, John Me3'er, Gottsfried Kuhn, Nicholas Schop- 
pert, Andrew Simon, Reinhold Polieke, Henry Klages, 
Professor W. Sinnhold, Friedrich Blume, and Fried- 
rich Breitung. Most of these names are to be found 
on the published roll of Company D. Captain Joseph 
Otto. Couterier went as ensign and Sinnhold as first 
sergeant. The next day, April 25th,- Alfred Atkins, 
Stephen H. Bogardus, Daniel Brinckerhoff, C. Becker 
and Isaac Van Wagner went to New York and en- 
listed in the 5th Regiment, Colonel Abram Duryea's 
Zouaves. They were joined soon afterwards by 
^^'illiam F. Boshart, Wm. H. Disbrow, Albert O. 
Cheney, James C. Albro, Cyrus Hagadorn, Alphonzo 
C. Morgan, Joseph Tyndall, C. E. Dennis, D. S. 
Bradley, James W. Shurter, C. Jewell, A. Conover, 
James Van Wagner, W. Stall, H. Lyons, G. F. Law- 
rence, Godfrey Winzeureid and H. Stearns,-'' according 
to the newspapers of the day. Not all these names 
appear in the imperfect muster rolls published by the 
State, but some of them may have joined after the 
roll, dated May 9th, was made up. William De Groot 
and James Morissy, of Poughkeepsie, appear on the 
roll, but were not mentioned in the newspapers, and 
I am informed'' that William F. Davidson, James 
Denton, Michael Krieg, Isaac Blythe and Theron Van 
Keuren were certainh- in the regiment, though neither 
on the Ma}' 9th muster roll nor mentioned in the news- 
papers up to the time of the departure of the regiment 

lA letter describing the trip of the 7th to Annapolis, pub- 
lished in Eagle May 2, signed "Brother George," seems 
to imply that other Poughkeepsians were in this regiment. 

2Names in Eagle April 26. 

^Second list of 21 names in Eagle May 14 

■♦Captain William F. Boshart has furnished much of this 
information. The failure of the contemporary newspaper 
lists, the muster rolls and the recollections of the veterans 
to agree is easily explained. The newspaper lists indicate 
the supposed intentions of the men when they left Pough- 
keepsie. A few men when they reached New York joined 
other organizations, or did not enlist at all. The veterans 
naturally remember the men who were with them in camp or 
on the battlefield. The State muster rolls are imperfect any- 
wa}', containing r^)nly 60 or 70 privates in each company-, and 
furnishing no indication of later enlistments. 



for the front. The 5th was in active service early 
enough to take part in the battle of Big Bethel. Van 
Keuren, Denton, Davidson and Hagadorn were killed 
in battle in 1862. 

Meanwhile there were stirring times at home. On 
Sunday, April 21st "Almost every clergyman in this 
^,;^y * .+ * preached on the subject of the national 
crisis, calling upon the people to sustain the govern- 
ment as a sacred duty." On the 19th a call was pub- 
lished over the signature of several hundred men 
for a mass meeting in Pine Hall, then but recently 
completed on the site of the old Franklin House, and 
the leading place for lectures, meetings and theatrical 
performances in the cit}'. The meeting was held on 
the evening of the 24th, Hon. James Emott presiding, 
and among those named as vice-presidents were sev- 
eral prominent Democrats, including Edward B. Os- 
borne, then editor of the Telegraph, Judge Charles H. 
Ruggles, James H. Weeks, and Hon. William Kelley 
of Rhinebeck. Rev. Francis B. Wheeler, of the Pres- 
byterian Church, opened the meeting with prayer, and 
stated that "The ministers of the Church are with you 
in their sympathies and if need be will mingle their 
blood with yours in defense of the right.'' There were 
addresses by Judge Emott, Hon. Wm. Kelley, Hon. 
George W. Sterling, Homer A. Nelson (then county 
judge), Hon. John Thompson, Hon. George T. 
Pierce, Joseph F. Barnard, Rev. F. D. Brown, Rev. 
Samuel Buel, of Christ Church, and Rev. M. Wakeley. 
Charles Wheaton, who became county jtidge when 
Judge Nelson was elected to Congress in 1862, was 
chairman of the committee which prepared a series of 
strongly patriotic resolutions, including the following : 

Rcsoh'cd, That no efifort is too severe, no contest 
too long, no expenditure too great, that will put down 
and crush out, now and for all time, an armed resist- 
ance to the authority of the Constitution, the Laws 
and the chosen Officers of the Government. 

A resolution was also passed, on motion of Charles 
W. Swift, asking the Common Council to borrow 
$10,000 on the credit of the city, the money to be 
placed in the hands of a committee of five "for the 
relief and support of the families and dependents" of 
those who enlisted in the army. Mayor James 
Bowne, Gains C. Pmrnap, Dr. Per Lee Pine, James H. 
Weeks and Edgar M. V^n Kleeck were named as the 
committee. The Common Council carried out this 
suggestion, and the fund was supplemented' by many 
contributions from the citizens. A few days later the 
ladies began to organize for the purpose of making 



iThe girN of Dr. Rider's School (Cottage Hill, Garden 
Street) raised $75 fur this fund by a concert. 



tilSTOkY OP P OU GH tCBUP S t B. 



Ill 



shirts and other clothing for the soldiers, many of 
whom were in sorry condition, government supplies 
proving entirely inadequate. In May the Woman's 
Relief Association was organized, with Mrs. John 
Thompson president, and Mrs. Henry L. Young sec- 
retary. 

Many of the men who first volunteered were mem- 
bers of the fire companies, and Cataract No. 4, A. J. 
Valentine, foreman, at a special meeting, April 25th, 
offered its services in connection with the 21st Regi- 



2d Corporal — John R. Brockway. 
3d Corporal — Alonzo Case. — - 
4th Corporal — Frank C. Fiiik. 




CHARI^ES WHEATON 

ment. Captain Halliday, meanwhile was enlisting 
most of the members of old Protection. Colonel Wil- 
liam Berry was appointed mustering officer, and the 
company went into barracks in the old Methodist 
Church (afterwards Eastman College) on the 28lh, 
and on the 4th of May left town for yVlbaiiy, tii be- 
come Company E of the 30th New York \'olunlocrs, 
commanded by Col. Edward Frisbie. The following 
were given as its members at this time : 

Captain — Harrison Holliclay. 
Lieutenant — Edgar S. Jennings. 
Ensign — Nathaniel Palmer. 
1st Sergeant — Alfred Sherman. 
2d Sergeant — Joseph D Williams. 
3d Sergeant — Natliam'el Gayton. 
4lh Sergeant — Jolni C. Ecker. 
1st Corporal — Marcus L- White. 



Adams, John Q. 

Akins, Patrick 

Allen, Egbert D. 

Baker, Chas. 

Bartlett, John H. 

*Beals, Elijah 
*Bnrns, Hugh 

Bush, Robt. M. 
*Buys, George 

Cambot, Wm. 

Case, Chas. H.'' 

Clark, Wm. H. 

Cummings, James 

Dahn, Joseph H. 

Daley, James 

Davis, Ferris 

Decker, Robt. G. 
*DeGroot, Win. H. 

Dixon, Jacob B.' 
*Downs, Alme 

Dnsenburyj Jno. W. 

Egan, Fergus' 
■■'Ferguson, Uriah L.' 

Gilman, Wm. G. 

Gladdin, Geo. 

Hall, Chas. W. H. 
■'Harrington, John 

ITeidel, Joseph 
''Hemingway^ John 
■Henderson, Hugh 

Hermance, Albert R. 

Hicks, Andrew L. 

Hogan, Martel 

Holthizer, Andrew 

Hunt, Chas. A. 
*Hyde, Edwin M. 

Jay, Clairck M. 

Jones, Wm. D. 

Kinderhurg, C. F. W. 

Kip, Daniel 

Kip, Wm. H. 

Kirby, Stephen M. 

Lake, James L. 

Lake, Wm. D. 
nicFarland, Wm. H. 



McKenna, Mitchell 

Morris, David G. E. 

Morey, Anson 

Myrich, Geo. 

Murphy, James ^ 

Moseley, Ben. F. 

Marshall, Moses 
^Marshall, John R.- 

McCord, Jno. D. 
*McIntyre, Chas. 

Nicholson, James 
*Odell, James W. 
*01droyd, Job 

Ostrom, Wm. H. '- 

Palmatier, Peter J. 
*PahTiatier, Wm. G. 

Price, Chas. 

Rowlands, Nelson H. '-' 
*Roberts, John 

Rosell, Joseph 
*Rider, James B. 

Riggs, Martin 

Rogers, Charles 

Stanton, Coles 

Schmadel, Ferdinand 

Stickels, Edward 
''Sprague, Wm. 

Sanders^ John 

Smith, Geo. C. 

Slater, Benj. F. 

Storms, Everett 

Sleight, John 

Tuill, John 

Underwood, George 

Walker, Thomas 

Weaver, Chas. E. 
*Wright, Wm. K. 

Whalen, Patrick H. 

Ward, John 
*Wakeman^ Norman 
*Wright, Wm. H. 

Williams, Louis H. 
*Wilbur, Wm. H. 

Welsh, Mitchell 

White, Wm. T. 



This was the first Poughkeepsie compan_v, and was 
mustered into the United States service June ist and 
left for the front June 28th. The names marked with 
a star in the above list do not appear in the muster 
rolls, but some of them are found on the rolls of 
other regiments. A few were deserters, of whom the 
government took little notice at this time, as recruits 
were offering faster than they could be accepted ; 
others probably did not pass the medical officers, and 
still others on account of illness were not able to go 
with the compau)-. U. L. Ferguson, for instance, was 



Its 



History of poughkhepsib. 



in the hospital at Albany when the company left. He 
came back home and enlisted in the 57th New York 
Regiment, Company K of which was largely recruited 
in Poughkeepsie, sixty-two names being on its roll 
from this city. Wm. H. De Groot, William Sprague 
and James Riding ( ?) are also on tlie roll of the 
57th, which went into the United States service Sep- 
tember 4th. Long before this time, recruiting offices 
for the many regiments had been opened in Pough- 
keepsie. One of the first of these was opened about 
April 24th in Market Street, in the interest of Colonel 
James H. Van Allen's regiment of Rangers, one of 
the earliest volunteer cavalr\- regiments to enter the 
service, though according to the muster rolls of this 
regiment, the 3rd, no enlistments were made before Au- 
gust, and none are recorded from Poughkeepsie. Un- 
til after the call for 400,000 troops that followed the 
Battle of Bull Run, branch depots for enlistments were 
not authorized by Governor Morgan, and the early 
muster-rolls show only the places of rendezvous. 

During Ma}' local patriotism was manifested in 
flag raisings and in meetings throughout the county. 




Count of Main and I\faikit Stints m jS6/, showing Ltbeiiy 
Pole, Poughkeepsie Hotel and old flforris Building. 
{Froin Passing's I'assar College and its Founder.) 

Benson J. Lossing was a frequent speaker at these 
meetings, and contributed a series of signed articles 
to tlie newspapers un<ler such headings as "The Union 
and the Constitution v^hall be Preserved." On the 
i6th of May a liberty pole at the junction of Clover 
and Main Streets, "in front of Thomas Clegg's store," 
was raised with appropriate ceremony and speeches. 
That night some one stole the flag from this pole and 
buried it in the ri\er weighted with stones, whence it 
was pulled up by some boys who were fi.shing a day or 
two later. There was general complaint of the steal- 



ing of flags from private residences, apparently the 
work of "copperheads." A notable flag raising took 
place at St. Peter's Church on Saturday evening, May 
i8th. "There was an immense crowd present," says 
the Baglc. "The Jackson Republican Guard and 
Poughkeepsie Grenadiers turned out to do honor to 
■ the occasion. The flag was raised by Rev. Mr. Rior- 
dan, and saluted by 34 guns. Addresses were made 
by Rev. Mr. Riordan, P)cnson J. Lossing and Mark 
D. Wilber." On the 28th the tall mast in the centre 
of Market Street at the junction with j\'Iain was ready 
for its flag, which was hoisted by O. H. Booth "amid 
the cheers of the multitude, and the roar of cannon, 
the city band playing the Star Spangled Banner." 
Rev. Moses Tyler, of the Congregational Church, af- 
terwards a professor at Cornell University, opened the 
exercises with pra}cr, and there were speeches by 
Mayor Bowne, Judge Emott, Rev. Michael Riordan, 
William Wilkinson, y\llard Anthony and Rev. G. F. 
Isiettell. 

Before Captain Halliday's company had left town 
a call had been issued for the formation of another 
company, to be ready when wanted, and a military 
organization was formed under command of John 
P. Adriance, called at first the Poughkeepsie Drill 
Guards, afterwards the "Ellsworth Greys." This 
company drilled so frequently and with so much en- 
thusiasm that its services were much in demand for 
exhibitions of militar}' art and tactics, and many of its 
members entered the army at a somewhat later period 
as officers. It did not, however, volunteer as an or- 
ganization, and the second Poughkeepsie Company 
was raised by Arthur Wilkinson, who is.sued his first 
call May 29th for from scycnty-five to one hundred 
men "to be attached to Colonel George B. Hall's Ex- 
celsior Regiment." l\n\ man who could enlist a corn- 
pan}' could obtain a commission as its captain at this 
time, and ^^'ilkinson had about sixty men enrolled in 
twelve days. They left town on the barge Republic 
on June loth, and were escorted to the landing by the 
Poughkeepsie Drill Corps, and about 2,000 citizens. 
The company was officered as follows : 

Captain — Arthur Wilkinson. 

1st Lieut. — Chas. Jackson. 

2(1 Lieut. — Albert Johnson. 

1st Sergeant — Matthew Ilarloe. 

2(1 Sergeant — James L. Frazier. 

3d Sergeant — Benj. W. Murgatro\d. 

4th Sergeant — L\'man P. Harris. 

5th vSergeant — Edward ranlee. 

1st Corporal — John P. liroas. 

2(1 Cor|)ora! — Isaac Y. Bloom field. 

},i\ Corporal — Joseph Conn. 

4th Corporal — John H. Mead. 




Dr. R. K. TUTHIIX. 

(For biographical sketch see Appendix. ) 



HISTORY OF POUGHKBEPSIB 



181 



On arrival at Camp Scott, Staten Island, where 
the company was to be attached to the 74th Regiment, 
dissensions at once arose. Apparently Wilkinson did 
not have enough men to obtain his commission as cap- 
tain and offered to "sell them out" to another company 
in which he was to become first lieutenant. This was 
not an uncommon practice later in the war, but it ex- 
cited great indignation at the time, especially among 
the men who had been promised the lieutenancies by 
Wilkinson before he left Poughkcepsie. Charles 
Jackson, Albert Johnson, Matthew Harloe and P. Her- 
rick came home, and on July loth wrote a communica- 
tion to the local papers, stating that "they learned 
they were being used as tools to elevate the ambition 
of one who would sacrifice every man for self-eleva- 
tion," that "the position of First Lieutenant was sol- 
emnly promised to five different men," etc. Fourteen 
men signed an answer to this which was published on 
the 20th charging that the "broken and dismissed lieu- 
tenants" had entered into a conspiracy to break up the 
company. Whatever the truth of these charges and 
counter charges^ the company was effectually broken 
up, and of the names given in the newspapers at the 
time the}- left Poughkcepsie scarcely one is to be 
found on the roll of "Captain Arthur Wilkinson's com- 
pany" in the 74th. One of the men went into the 
Duryea Zouaves, 5th Regiment, then at Fortress Mon- 
roe ; si.x or eight enlisted in the 62nd Regiment, An- 
derson's Zouaves ; at least four entered the 65th Regi- 
ment, known as Chasseurs, then forming at Palace 
Garden, 14th Street ; and one or two names from the 
company are to be found on the rolls of the 70th, 71st 
and other regiments, while some of the men came 
home, and did not enter the service until a later period, 
if at all. 

Poughkeepsic names are scattered through so many 
different regiments that it appears impossible to col- 
lect them all, and some, it is said, went into other 
states to enlist. Following is a list of organizations 
in which there were Poughkeepsic enlistments during 
the year 1861, as shown by comparisons of contempo- 
rar}' references with the muster rolls. 

20th Regiment (Turner Reg.) N. Y. Vols., Col. 
Max Weber. So\-enteen from Poughkcepsie in Co. D. 

5th Regiment (Col. Dur\ea's Zouaves.) 

30th N. Y. \'ols., Co. E., Capt. Ilalliday. 

47th ; Col. Henry Moore, forty men in Co. D on 
muster rolls from Dutchess Countx-. 

48th N. Y. Vols., Col. James H. Perry, two men 
from Poughkcepsie, one of whom, David Johnson, is 
on original roll of Co. D. 

iSce Dailj' Eagle. Mny 4, 1004, for sunimary of charges 
and names of men in company. 



53r(l Regiment (l^'Epineuil's Zouaves) eleven men 
from Poughkeepsic in Co. D, Captain George L. 
Chester, two in Co. PI. 

57th Regiment (Ramsey's Voltiguers) sixty-five 
men from Poughkcepsie in Co. K, Captain La Vallie, 
and two or three in other companies. 

6ist Regt. (Clinton Guards), Col. S. W. Cone. 

62nd Regt. (Anderson's Zouaves). 

65th Regiment (ist Regiment Ciiasseurs) five men 
from Poughkeepsic in Co. D. 

70th Regiment (ist Excelsior), two from Pough- 
keepsic in Co. G, Captain PI. B. ( )'Reilly. 

71st Regiment, Col. George B. Hall, Richard G. 
Shurter in Co. G, Daniel Malady, and some others 
credited to other places, but probably from Poughkeep- 
sic. 

74th Regiment, Col. Charles K. Graham, Captain 
Arthur Wilkinson's company (Co. I) mentioned, ap- 
parently with one or two other Poughkcepsie names 
in it. 

78th Regiment, Col. Daniel Ullman, two men from 
Poughkcepsie. 

80th Regiment (the 20th Militia of Kingston.) 

87th Regiment, Col. Stephen A. Dodge, nine from 
Poughkeepsic in Co. G, Capt. E. B. Coombs. Also 
fifteen men in Co. F, Capt. John H. Stone. 

91st Regiment, Col. Jacob A'an Zandt, one from 
Poughkeepsic in Capt. C. A. Burt's company. 

This is doubtless not a complete list by any means. 
Thirty men left Poughkcepsie September 24, 1861, to 
join Capt. Cromwell's 1st New York Cavalry. 

Most of these regiments had only one or two origi- 
nal enlistments from Poughkeepsic, except as already 
noted of the 5th, 30th and 57th. The 80th also took 
out a considerable number of men from Poughkcepsie, 
including most of the commissioned officers of two 
companies. This regiment was the 20th, or LTlster 
County Militia, and recruited for service during the 
remainder of the war in September and October after 
returning from service under the three months call. 
Dr. Robert K. Tuthill went as assistant surgeon, and 
Theodore A'an Kleeck as sergeant-major. In Com- 
pany- A, the commissioned officers, James Smith, C. 
S. ^\'ilkinson and Joseph H. Harrison and nearly half 
of the non-commissioned officers were from Pough- 
keepsic ; also the First Lieutenant of Co. B, JoLn R. 
Leslie, the First Lieutenant of Co. E, Albert S. Pease 
and the two lieutenants of Co. H, Ely R. Dobbs and 
Martin H. Swartwout. The lieutenants of Co. E re- 
signed soon after the regiment had gone to the front, 
and Theodore ^'an Kleeck became for a time second 
lieutenant of this company. This regiment spent a 
day in Poughkeepsic before going to the front. It 
was in considerable hard fighting and lost many men. 
.\1I of those who went as officers from Poughkcepsie 
had been members of the Elsworth Grevs. 



1S2 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEEPSIE 



The 128TH Regiment.1 

After the call for 300,000 troops in June, 1862, the 
State was divided into military districts, corresponding 
generally with the Senate districts, and the Governor 
appointed Hon. William Kelly, of Rhinebeck, and 
Isaac Piatt, of Poughkeepsie, a committee, with power 
to add to their number, to begin the work of organiz- 
ing a regiment. The Dutchess County members of this 
committee when it met on July 17th in Poughkeepsie 
were Hon. William Kelly, chairman, James Emott, 
James H. Weeks, Isaac Piatt, John C. Cruger, J. F. 
Barnard, C. W. Swift, H. A. Nelson, J. H. Ketcham. 
H. H. Hustis, Albert Emans, J. B. Butcher, J. B. 
Carpenter, Benson J. Lossing, John S. Thorne, John 
H. Otis, Isaac W. White, William S. Johnston, Gilbert 
Dean, A. Wager, H. H. Sincerbox, Joel Benton, 
Richard Peck, William Chamberlain, Henry Staats and 
Herrick Thorne. "At that meeting Mr. Wager pre- 
sented the request of P. Chichester, of Poughkeepsie, 
to be enrolled as the first recruit." 

A few days later George Parker, Frank N. Ster- 
ling, S. C. Doty and Robert F. Wilkinson opened of- 
fices for the enlistment of recruits, the first three join- 
ing forces. John A. Van Keuren, Dewitt C. Under- 
wood and John P. Wilkinson also opened a recruit- 
ing office. The quota of Poughkeepsie under the call 
of July 2, 1862, was 227 men, and the early enthusiasm 
for enlistment had begun to wear off. Big meetings 
were again held throughout the county to stir the 
people up and local bounties were beginning to 
be offered at first from money raised by subscription. 
At a large meeting in Pine Hall, August 12th, Judge 
Emott stated that he was authorized to present $10 to 
each of the first five recruits who enlisted that night. 
Before this C. W. Swift, James Emott, George Innis, 
?\I. Vassar, Jr., and A. Van Kleeck had placed in the 
hands of the committee $100 to be paid the first cap- 
tain mustered into service from this county, $75 to the 
second captain, $50 to the third and $25 to the fourth. 
This was, of course, to stimulate effort on the part 
of those who expected commissions as a reward for 
obtaining a certain number of men. The regiment 
was nearl\' completed by the middle of August and 
was mustered into the United States service on Sep- 
tember 4th, as the 128th N. Y. A^olunteers. Co. D, 
the officers of which were George Parker, captain; 
Francis N. Sterling, ist lieutenant; Spencer C. Doty, 
2nd lieutenant, and Arnout Cannon, Jr., ist sergeant, 
was more than half from Poughkeepsie ; Co. H, of 
which John A. A'^an Keuren was captain, a little less 

iThe historj' of this regiment, written by Rev. D. H. 
Haiinaburgh, was published in 1894. 



than half; and Co. I, of which Robert F. Wilkinson 
was captain, Fred Wilkinson, ist lieutenant, and John 
P. Wilkinson, 2nd lieutenant, was wholly enlisted here, 
while a few Poughkeepsie names are found in other 
companies. The ladies of Poughkeepsie and Fishkill 
presented the regiment with a handsome flag August 
30th at Hudson, and the regiment left for the seat of 
war on the steamer Oregon, September 5th. At their 
first important battle, the assault upon Port Hudson, 
on the Mississippi in May, 1863, Col. David S. 
Cow'es (of Hudson) was killed, and Lieut. -Col. James 
Smith, ^ of Poughkeepsie, took command. The losses 
of the regiment as reported July 6th, 1863, were 24 
killed, most of them at Port Hudson, 62 died of dis- 
ease, 2 died of wounds, yy discharged for disability, 
6 missing and 62 deserted. The 128th was in many 
hard fights and returned with only 500 men. 

The 150TH Regiment. 

Under the call of August 4 a draft was threatened 
unless quotas were filled, and on August 22nd the 
Board of Supervisors, at the suggestion of the war 
committee, authorized the County Treasurer to borrow 
enough money to pay a bount)' of $50 to every volun- 
teer who had enlisted since July 2nd, or who should 
thereafter enlist, provided he had not alread}' received 
any bounty from the county. They also resolved that 
the war committee be requested to take immediate 
steps for the organization of a Dutchess County Regi- 
ment, so that the county's full quota of troops could 
be raised without a draft, and that night Alfred B. 
Smith went to .Albany and obtained the required per- 
mission from the Governor. The committee, August 
26th, selected Hon. John H. Ketcham for colonel, Al- 
fred B. Smith, major, George R. Gaylord, quarter- 
master and William Thompson, adjutant. This regi- 
ment, which became the 150th, was therefore well 
started before the 128th was complete. Joseph H. 
Cogswell, Robert McConnell, Henry A. Gildersleeve, 
Edward A. Wickes, Edward Crummey, Benjamin S. 
Broas, ^^'illiam R. Woodin, Andrus Brant and John 
L. Green, were given permission to open recruiting 
offices, and all except Mr. Crummey, whose place was 
taken by Piatt M. Thorne, became captains in the regi- 
ment. The first si.x mentioned were from Poughkeep- 
sie, Captain \A''oodin at that time being a resident of 
Pine Plains, Brant was from Dover Plains, and Green 
from Red Hook. 

Great efforts were made to secure enlistments for 
this regiment as rapidly as possible. September 3rd 

iThis was the same James Smitli who had gone out as a 
captain in the 80th. Tic had been a law student in Judge 
Nelson's office. 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEEPSIB. 



183 



Ma3'or Bowne recommended that all places of business 
be closed each afternoon of that week at 4 o'clock, 
"and that the people use all efforts to promote enlist- 
ments, and also to meet the exii^encies of the times." 
War meetings were held every night at the CityJIall, 
and on the 17th General Corcoran addressed a great 
open air meeting from a platform erected on the east 
side of the Court Mouse. September 8th the ladies 
met and appointed the following committee to raise a 
fund tt) provide the regiment with a stand of colors : 
Mrs. Seward Barculo, Mrs. James Emott, Mrs. Wil- 
liam Schram, Mrs. W. S. Morgan, Mrs. W. H. 
Crosb\-, Mr.s. J. Winslow, Mrs. P.. J. Lossing, Mrs. T. 



.^090^ W^r 




James IloiL'iif, Fourtit Mayor of J'oug/ikccpsic. 

L. Davics, Mrs. John Thom])son, Mrs. Charles H. 
Rnggles and Miss Sarah M. Carpenter. Ry the 26th 
oi September 780 men had been collected at Camp 
Dutchess, which was established on the old county 
house grounds, now the grounds of the City Home. 
,As the regiment began to assume some proficiency in 
drilling under the charge of Lieut. -Colonel P.artlett, 
who was from West Point, the town people as.sembled 
at the cam]) in considerable numbers every afternoon 
to witness Ijattalion drill and dress parade. During 
the last few cla\-s before the departure for the front 
most of the local commissioned olilicers were presented 
with swords b\- A'arious grou|is of citizens. Major 
.'\. B. Smith's sword was presented at the High School, 
in Church Street, b\' Mr. George W . McLellan, in be- 



half of the children of the public schools; Captain 
Cogswell's sword was jjresented at the Congregational 
Church on Sunday evening, October Sth ; Captain E. 
A. Wickes received a similar gift from the young 
ladies of Mr. Rice's school, and on the loth Rev. D. 
G. Wright, in behalf of the pupils of the Poughkeepsie 
Female Academ\', presented Captain Henr)- A. Gil- 
dersleevc with "a most splendid sword, sash, belt and 
pistol.'' A Bible agent visited the camp just before 
the departure of the regiment and it is related that 
New Testaments were accepted b\' every man not 
otherwise supplied except two. The regiment left on 
the nth of October on the steamer Oregon. Thomas 
E. Vassar went out as the first chaplain of this regi- 
ment, and was succeeded the next year by Rev. Ed- 
ward O. Bartlett, whose diary of the daily events has 
been published in the Baglc. The regiment was at 
Gettysburg, where seven of its men were killed and 
twenty-two wounded.' In the fall of 1863 it was sent 
to Tennessee, but did not take part in anv of the great 
battles there. In the campaign against Atlanta the 
150th held important positions at Resaca and at Kcne- 
saw Mountain against superior forces, and it was 
with Sherman on the famous march to the sea, but was 
rarely in a desperate assault or exposed to the terrible 
ordeals that cut some regiments to pieces, and lost 
comparatively few of its officers or men. Much of 
its immunity is ascribed by the survivors to the care 
of Colonel Ketcham in providing protection whenever 
it was to be found. 

Of its original officers C_\rus S. Roberts, sergeant 
major; Henry C. Smith, quartermaster sergeant. Lieu- 
tenants Albert Johnson, Robert C. Tripp, DeWitt C. 
Underwood, Charles J. Gaylord, besides those alreadv 
mentioned, were from Poughkeepsie. 

Tiiu 150T11 AND THE First Drafts.' 

In the efl"ort to avoid a draft, as soon as the 150th 
Regiment was a certainty, and before the 128th had 
reached the scat of war, steps were taken to form a 
second district regiment. Judge Homer A. Nelson 
was appointed its colonel, with Arthur \\'ilkinson, who 
had resigned his commission in the 74tli, as military 
instructor, and j\Iark D. ^\'iIber quartermaster. By 
the middle of ( )ctober, 1862, some 500 men had been 
collected at Hudson from Columbia Countv alone, 
and more than 100 had been enlisted in Dutchess, 
though the l5olh had pretty well drained the count\-. 
While the regiment was forming Judge Nelson ac- 
cepted the Democratic nomination for Congress, and 
on his election resigned his commission as colonel. 



T.ctlcr of Thomas E. Vassar in Daily Eagle, July 10, 



1S63. 




Hon. homer A. NELSON. 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEEPSIE 



1.S5 



The regiment failed to complete its organization, but 
most of the men enlisted became members of the 
159th Regiment, mustered in November ist, under 
command of Colonel Edward S. Molineux, of Brook- 
lyn. John W. Shields raised about half of Company 
I in Poughkccpsic, and went as its First Lieutenant. 
This regiment was at Port Hudson with the 128th. 

By the enlistments in the isgth and through pay- 
ment of increasing bounties the draft was postponed 
until Monday, vScjjtember 7th, 1863. Isaac Piatt had 
been appointed Provost Marshal, and William Pinck- 
ney enrolling officer for the First and Third Wards 
of Poughkccpsic, with John Winslow for the Second 
and Fourth. The enrollment in the city, the quota of 
the wards and the number drafted was as follows : 

Enrollment. Quota. Drafted. 

First and Second Wards 847 157 235 

Second and Fourth Wards. . . .607 116 175 

The difference between the quotas and the number 
drafted is explained by the fact that 50 per cent, was 
added for probable exemptions. The draft took place 
at No. 7 Union Street, now part of the Post Office 
property, and the sheriffs of Columbia and Dutchess, 
the Mayors of Poughkeepsie and Hudson, and a com- 
mittee of prominent members of both political parties, 
were present to see that fairness was done. Nine 
companies of the Second Vermont Regiment, which 
had been on duty at the Draft Riots in New York 
City, had arrived in Poughkeepsie that morning, and 
were assembled on Market Street, though their pres- 
ence is said not to have been due so much to appre- 
hension of trouble here, as to a desire to quarter them 
for a time near New York. They occupied the bar- 
racks erected for the 150th, and remained until the 
I2th, when they were relieved by the 5th Wisconsin 
Regiment. They were certainly not needed, for the 
draft passed off without a sign of disturbance. 

Patrick Whalen, a blind man, drew the numbers 
from a big tin wheel, and Peter Shuster, of Mill 
Street, was the first man drawn for Poughkeepsie. 
There was a great crowd in Union Street, which re- 
ceived the names good-naturedly and with much ban- 
ter, especially when two clerks from the Provost 
Marshal's office were drawn. The draft took men 
from each of the printing offices, and in the Shurter 
family four brothers were drawn, although one of 
them had but recently returned from two gears' ser- 
vice with the 30tli. Of the total number drafted a 
very large proportion were exempted under the law, 
and most of the rest furnished substitutes or paid 
commutation. Only one actually- entered the army 
from tliis cil\'. The draft nevertheless was very uq- 



pcpular and aroused much criticism. The chief local 
evils connected with it were' the same as those of the 
bounty system. A gang of toughs appeared, to offer 
their services as substitutes with the intention of tak- 
ing the money and then escaping, to play the same 
game elsewhere. On September i6th a man who gave 
his name as William Duffy was arrested at the "Sol- 
diers' Rest,"i for offering $70 and then $200 to the 
guard to let him escape. He was found to have a 
large roll of raised and counterfeit greenbacks in his 
possession in addition to the money he had received 
from a well known resident of Poughkeepsie to enlist 
as a substitute. Men enrolled at this time and after- 
wards had to be closely guarded and even then "bounty 
jumpers" sometimes got away in squads. 

In order to avoid a draft under the next call for 
troops the Supervisors resolved to tax the county 
$250,000 for bounty money, and in December, 1863, 
the united National, State and County bounties amount- 
ed to $690 for each new recruit and $865 for each vet- 
eran. The colored men of Poughkeepsie had organ- 
ized a companv during the summer and a number of 
them enlisted at this time. The city in 1864 also of- 
fered large bounties and enlistments were so general 
that Poughkeepsie escaped the drafts of May 31st, 
which, however, affected twelve of the towns of 
Dutchess County, and was followed b_v two or three 
supplemental drafts to supplv deficiencies caused by 
exemptions. In 1864 William S. Johnston was Pro- 
vost Marshall, with his office in the Armorv building 
on Main Street. He held several drafts for small de- 
ficiencies in various towns, but none affecting Pough- 
keepsie until March 20th, 1865, when the city's defi- 
ciency was 175. The men who enlisted during the 
last part of the war were scattered in manv regiments 
to fill vacancies. The nearest approach to a company 
raised here after the iSQth went out was just about 
the time of the draft in September, 1863, when a large 
part of Company E of the 192nd Regiment enlisted 
under Stephen H. Bogardus as captain. During the 
war the citv sold bonds amounting to $284,100 to pav 
bounties, and also $10,000 for the relief of soldiers' 
families. 

Eciioi:s 01' THE Draft Riots — Hoirit Events. 

Early in June, 1S63, Company E of the 30th, the 
first company raised in Poughkeepsie, came home, 
with its remaining 55 men, under command of Joseph 
D. Williams, who went out as Second Sergeant. Cap- 
tain Ilalliday had been killed at the second battle of 
Bull Run. The company fought at South Mountain, 
.\ntietam and other desperate battles, but a consider- 

iNo.s. 392 and .W J^lain Street. Still standing. 



is;(i 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEEPSIE. 



able proportion of its members re-enlisted not long 
after their return home. Their presence in Pough- 
keepsie in July, during the draft riots in New York, 
added much to the security of the town, for on June 
26th, when all the North was alarmed over Lee's in- 
vasion, the local militia regiment had been called into 
service and sent to Baltimore. There was much fear 
that disturbances might break out here in the absence 
of the 2 1 St Regiment, and immediately after the receipt 
of the news of the riots in New York companies of 
Home Guards were formed under command of Cap- 
tain \\'illiams, and Mayor Innis sent an urgent request 
to Governor Seymour for artillery. After some delay 
he received a six-pounder brass field piece, with ac- 
companiments, including fourteen rounds of canister. 
Piv July 22nd there were eight companies of Home 
Guards, comprising several hundred men. They were 
described in the newspapers as Company A, Captain 
William Berry, Company B, Captain John P. Adriance, 
Company C, Captain Martin Beutel, Company D, Cap- 
tain Laffingwell, the United Hose Companies (Phoenix 
and Booth), Captain James W. Shurter, the Grant 
Cavalry, Captain Parish, and the artillery company. 
Captain J. S. Van Cleef. Their services were happily 
never required. 

On July 13th the mob in New York cut the tele- 
graph wires, and news of the exciting events in the 
metropolis could only be obtained by mail or from 
the reports of passengers on the railroad trains. The 
next day the trains were stopped and steamboats form- 
ed the sole means of communication. The wildest and 
most exaggerated reports were current of the doings 
of the mob, while the city was in its control, and sus- 
pense and anxiety were intense. The whole country 
wanted the news, and about all that could be obtained 
was furnished from Poughkecpsie. George AV. Dav- 
ids, whose long service as reporter and city editor of 
the Eagle liad begun on the day of the first attack on 
Fort Sumter, collected the reports brought by people 
on the trains and boats, rushed the news to the office 
where it was bulletined and telegraphed to the West. 
The Eagle office was then the only Associated Press 
station between New York and Albany. 

The situation was not without its amusing side, 
liowever, for on the 14th a milk train of three cars 
destined for New York was halted at Poughkecpsie 
and the milk was sold at one cent a quart. "Old men 
with grey hairs, staid clderh- dames, the \oung and 
sprightl)' lasses, big bo)s and little boys, big girls and 
little girls, with pitchers, pails, mugs, pans, water 
pails, jugs, dippers, wash bowls, small tubs, etc.," all 
rushed to the cars to buy milk, which was just on the 
point of turning sour. The milk spree was so pro- 



nounced that the next day the doctors had a large 
number of sick children on their hands. 

Apprehension that there might be trouble at home 
from opposition to the draft was not entirely unwar- 
ranted. There were a few aggressive Copperheads in 
town, and the early enthusiasm of all parties in sup- 
port of the government had given place to an atti- 
tude of criticism on the part of many that amounted 
to opposition to every movement towards raising 
troops and greatly exasperated those who were strain- 
ing every nerve to uphold the administration and 
strengthen the army. Occasional evidence of out- 
breaks of Copperheadism is to be found in the news- 
papers. At the time the news of the repulse of Banks's 
first assault upon Port Hudson, in May, 1863, "'one flag 
was raised early in the morning and kept flying all 
day, a thing it has rarely done before." One night, 
during the same month, the editor in charge of the 
Press was visited b)^ a young man with a rawhide, ap- 
parently because of severe criticism of the Elsworth 
Greys. Sharp personalities were not infrequent in the 
newspapers of the time, but were generally to be 
found in communications signed by initials rather 
than in the editorial columns. 

On the first of July, 1863, a third daily paper. The 
Poughkeepsian, made its appearance, pubhshed by 
J. Henry Hager and J. G. P. liolden, in the old Morris 
building, next to the Poughkecpsie Bank. It was an- 
nounced as an "independent journal, warranted not to 
run in the well worn rut of party" and clothed "in 
habiliments of a lofty patriotism." At the end of 
the same month the Press ceased publication^ and was 
purchased by Edward B. Osborne, of the Telegraph, 
who started it again on the 22nd of August at 283 
Main Street. In his opening editorial Mr. Osborne 
said that "the Democratic and conservative portion 
of this community have no daily representative of their 
views. * ^ * The Republican party, on the other 
hand have two ready and watchful daily journals, 
strongly partisan," etc. The Poughkeepsian resented 
this charge of Republicanism, and indeed not long af- 
terwards became chieflx- devoted to abuse of the Eagle 
and its editor. It did not last long, Mr. Hager going 
to New York to publish the Tobacco Leaf, and Mr. 
liolden to Yonkers to publish the Gazelle. Mr. 
Pease, former owner of the Press, having resigned his 
commission in the 80th Regiment, went to Saratoga 
where he became editor of the Saratvi'ian. 



lOld printer,? who worked for the Press have assured me 
that Mr. Osljorne purchased tlie Press before its suspension, 
hut his opening cdilorial reads exactly as if he were starting 
an entirely new puhhcation, and most of them fail to remem- 
ber that the paper ever was suspended. 




GEORGE INNIS. 
Slayov of Poughkccpsic, /S6j-/S6S. 



ISs 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEEPSIE 



On the evening of July 7th, 1863, there was a cele- 
bration over the surrender of Vicksburg. "All the 
bells were rung and cannon fired in honor of the 
event. * * * After the firing was over the crowd 
resolved to give some of the Copperheads (as they 
thought) a turn/' and visited several stores on Main 
Street, which they bombarded with fire crackers, scar- 
ing the proprietors badly. An event of quite a differ- 
ent character was the big festival at Pine Hall on the 
loth, at which $787.27 was raised for the Soldiers' 
Relief Association, according to the report of Mrs. 
Winthrop Atwill, president, and Sarah Smith secre- 
tary. 

There were many letters in the newspapers about 
this time from the 150th Regiment, from Captain Wm. 
R. Woodin^ and others, telling of experiences at Get- 
tysburg. Just after the battle a committee of citizens 
from Poughkeepsie, including Dr. Pine, Dr. Ludwig 
Ebstein, Dr. Alfred Hasbrouck, Aaron Innis and O. 
H. Booth went down to visit the battlefield and see if 
an\'thing could be done to make the Dutchess County 
boys more comfortable. 

July 28th the 2 1st Regiment came home on the 
government transport Commodore, and was warmly 
welcomed by the Home Guards and hundreds of peo- 
ple. The regiment had done no fighting, but had been 
within sound of the guns at Gettysburg and was of 
considerable service guarding prisoners, and relieving 
other troops who were in the big battle. Only five 
companies, A, D, G, K and R went, and they num- 
bered less than 400 men. Company K was enlisted in 
Fishkill, but the rest were Poughkeepsie companies, of- 
ficered as follows : 

Company A (Elsworth Greys) — Captain, R. R. 
Hayman ; Lieutenants, Alfred F. Lindle}', S. K. Dar- 
row and Thomas Parker. 

Company D — Captain, Reuben Tanner ; Lieuten- 
ants, Edward Quigley, William Haubennestel and G. 
L. Dennis. 

Company G — Captain, Frank Muller; Lieutenants, 
George Schkide and Korner. 

Company R — Captain Frank Hengstebeck ; Lieu- 
tenant Michaels. 

The seriousness of the war and the moral nature 
of the cause were greatty stimulating to religious and 
charitable activity at home and it was natural that this 
should be the time of the permauL-nt organization of 
the Young Men's Christian Association. The local 
association was organized at a meeting in the First 
Methodist Church, August 21st, iS''>3. with Professor 

'Captain Woodin was the Eagle's correspondent during a 
large part of the service of the 150th Regiment. 



William H. Crosby chairman. Addresses were made 
by S. W. Stebbins, president of the association in New 
York, Charles C. Whitehead, Rev. Howard Crosby 
and Cephas Brainerd. The officers elected were : 

President — John H. Mathews. 

Vice-President — James S. Case. 

Cor. Secretary — Frank L. Stevens. 

Recording Secretary — John I. Piatt. 

Treasurer — Wm. B. Fox. 

Directors — George Berry, Alfred Atkins, Jacob B. 
Jewett, Lithgow T. Perkins, George R. Brown, Wil- 
liam C. Dobbs, Walter L Husted, J. S. Van Cleef and 
Thomas H. Leggett. 

The members included most of the young men who 
had been in the older Young Men's Christian Union. 
Meetings were held at first in a room over the City 
Bank on the corner of Market and Main Streets, and 
continued there until the association felt itself strong 
enough to purchase Pine Hall in 1872. 

One new church was built during the war, the 
Friends' Meeting House on Montgoinery Street, in 
1863. The old Orthodox Meeting House on Mill 
Street was sold, and a few years later was moved 
to Conklin Street and converted into a dwelling. It 
stood where the Theodore Johnston houses were built 
about 1870. 

Politics — Tiie Campaign of 1864. 

Li politics the Republicans did not always have 
everything their own way during the war. The Dem- 
ocrats carried the State in the fall of 1862, but Horatio 
Seymour, who was elected Governor, did not quite 
carrjf Poughkeepsie, James S. Wadsworth obtaining a 
majority of 117. Judge Nelson, as alread}' noted, was 
e'ected to Congress at this time, obtaining a majority 
in the city of 4 votes, and Charles Wheaton, also a 
Democrat, was elected Count}^ Judge. The next 
spring, at the charter election, the Republicans won 
with George Innis^ as a candidate for mayor against 
James H. Seaman, but the majority was only 71. In 
1865, however, when the city had been divided into 
six wards. Mayor Innis was re-elected without opposi- 
tion. This was repeated in 1867, an honor shown to" 
no other mayor of Poughkeepsie. 

The election of November, 1863, brought Joseph F. 
Pjarnard into the Supreme Court, to succeed James 
Emott. He was twice re-elected, and was one of the 

iMr. Innis not long hefore the war purchased and rebuilt 
the Davies house, opposite the railroad station on Main 
Street. The original house was built bj' William Davies 
(see p. 82) probably before 1800. William A. Davies is said 
to have been born there in 1807. 




JUDGE BARNARD. 



lad 



n I ST ky OF POUGHKBEPSI^ 



most notable of the many Supreme Court justices that 
have hved in Poughkeepsie. 

During the war a feehng of antagonism between 
the cit}' and the county resulted in a proposition before 
the Board of Supervisors to remove the county poor 
house to the interior of the county. The Common 
Council on January 19th, 1863, appointed the Mayor 
and Alderman Coffin a committee to confer with the 
Supervisors about this, and it was decided to separate 
the cit}' from the rest of the county in the matter of 
support of the poor. Accordingly April 29th the 
Legislature passed an act providing for the change 
and naming James Emott, James H. Dudley, James 
Bowne, Joseph F. Barnard, Matthew Vassar, Jr., and 
Jacob B. Jewett "Commissioners of the Alms House of 
the City of Poughkeepsie," with all requisite authority. 
All excise mone3's and all fines from the Recorder's 
court were to be appropriated for the support of the 
cit)- poor under control of this board. In the division 
of property with the county the city purchased the old 
county. house grounds and in 1868-69 the present main 
Alms House building was erected. 

The old county alms house, it may be added, was 
in its early days a noteworthy institution. Dorothea 
Lynde Dix, in the report published in 1844, of her 
famous visits to the alms houses of the State, said : 
"The Dutchess County House at Poughkeepsie is a 
model of neatness, order and good discipline. The 
household arrangements are excellent ; the kitchens and 
cellars complete in every part. I have seen nothing 
in the State so good as these. Every apartment in the 
almshouse was exceptionally clean, well furnished and 
neatly arranged. Such of the insane as were highly 
excited were in clean, decent rooms." This was high 
praise, doubtless merited at the time, but probably the 
condition of affairs was very different when the build- 
ings had become old. It was so with'- the various 
Poughkeepsie jails. Each one was pronounced a 
model of excellence when new, but condemned as un- 
fit for human beings at the end of its career. The 
county house must have been pretty seriously crowded 
at times, for an item in the Eagle in 1 85 1 says there 
were between four and five hundred inmates. These 
included of course the pauper insane, but it is hardly 
possible that there were proper accommodations for so 
large a number. 

The Presidential campaign of 1864, while not so 
livelv as that of i860, was more notable for intensity 
of party feeling. The Republicans had plenty of am- 
munition for their stump speakers in the victories of 
the Union armies in the field, and bitterly denounced 
all who opposed the re-election of President Lincoln 
as Copperheads and enemies of the Union. The Dem- 



ocrats strongly resented this charge. Their genetal 
policy is well shown in the appeals to voters published 
in the Daily Press, where headings like the following 
were repeated from day to day : "A vote for Lincoln 
is a vote for more drafts," "A vote for Lincoln is a 
vote in favor of continuing the abolition war," "The 
abandonment of slavery is Lincoln's condition of 
peace," "Elect Lincoln and you endorse emancipation." 
Colonel Ketcham, for the first time a candidate for 
Congress, was vigorously denounced, chiefly for cer- 
tain alleged acts while a Member of Assembly before 
the war, and Captain Woodin was accused of forging 
soldier votes. The Democrats had an organization 
of "Little Mac'' Guards, captained by C. A. Dimond, 
with Daniel Clifford first lieutenant, and Frank Heng- 
stebeck second lieutenant. There was also a McClel- 
lan Guard, captained by James Daly. They raised a 
McClellan and Pendleton banner "between Pine's Hall 
and the Democratic Club opposite," October 8th, with 
Gilbert Deane and Owen T. Coffin as principal speak- 
ers, and party feeling ran so high that some one cut 
the banner rope during the day. Among their chief 
speakers at the county meetings were C. J. Gaylord, 
Gerome Williams, Hon. Gilbert Dean, John Moore, 
Esq., A. M. Card, G. G. Titus, C. B. Brundage and 
Edgar Thorne. 

The Democrats held no large out-door meetings, 
but on the afternoon of October 25th the Republicans 
had a grand rally at the corner of Mill and Washing- 
ton Streets, the speakers. Governor Morton and Judge 
T. J. Barnett, of Indiana, Hon. James Emott, the 
chairman, and Captain William R. Woodin, of the 
150th Regiment, occupying "a spacious stand erected 
in front of Piatt's Hotel." The Northern Hotel was 
at this time conducted by Isaac I. Piatt, son-in-law of 
Isaac I. Balding. An imposing parade under the mar- 
shalship of Thomas Parish preceded the speaking and 
"the glorious Stars and Stripes were flung to the breeze 
from almost every available point in the city." While 
passing Hengstebeck's store some one in the ranks fired 
a pistol, and the Press charged that this was an effort 
to shoot a prominent Democrat. The incident was the 
subject of many bitter newspaper articles. The Press 
also charged that Judge Barnett was drunk when he 
spoke at the meeting, and occupied a good many col- 
umns in support of the statement. This gives a fair 
idea of the nature of the campaign. 

The Republican speakers at the smaller meetings 
throughout the county included Colonel O. T. Beard, 
then a newspaper editor at Detroit, Mich., but some 
twenty-five years later a resident of Poughkeepsie, 
Chaunccy M. Depew, then Secretary of State (New- 
York State), William I. Thorn, John Thompson, 



HISTORY OP POUCH KBBPSIE 



191 



Rev. J. L. Corning, John I. Piatt, Allard Anthony and 
Mark D. Wilber, of Poughkeepsie. The Eastman 
College Band, then recently organized, was a leading 
feature at many political meetings. 

At the election in November Lincoln and Johnson 
received a majority of 249 in the cit}'. General George 
B. McClellan carrying only one of the four wards, the 
Third. Reuben E. Fenton, for Governor, had 247 
majority over Horatio Seymour, while Colonel John 
PI. Ketcham, for Congress, led Judge Nelson by 305. 
The largest majority in the city was obtained by Al- 
lard Anthony, 406, over Ambrose Wager, for County 
Judge. The Republicans of course carried the county 
and Congressional district by substantial majorities. 

It was customary at this time to celebrate victories, 
and on November 23d there was "a grand Union pa- 
rade" under the marshalship of John P. Adriance. 



Eastman CorxEGE — Business Conditions. 

At this time Eastman College was experiencing a 
tremendous boom, as the result of Mr. Eastman's lib- 
eral advertising among the soldiers whose terms were 
expiring. With tables all laid at the big Buckeye 
building, he did not miss the chance of holding a 
banquet there, larger than that of the Loyal Legion, 
two days later. The anniversary of the College, al- 
ways a rather moveable feast, was celebrated at Pine 
Hall on the evening of December 21st, when Horace 
Greeley gave his famous lecture on "The Self-Made 
Man." On the next evening came the banquet, with 
"tables spread for 2,500 students and guests." It is 
hard to see how even Smith Brothers could have served 
such a crowd as that. The "Brigade of the College" 
numbered 1,500, according to the newspapers. The 
Eagle's description of the event begins: "It is now 



P 







\: ^!^:^lf:Sr~r :.■'■■■:.,. x'L. '' '■ :■ -■ ■! ,' . i" •,- ': ■.■■ ^"- ■'■■■• "-^^^XiS^ 




Oiic of the First S/iiiip/astos of the City of Poughkeepsie. 
( Originally printed in red. ) 



Main Street was fairly ablaze with fireworks and tar 
barrels. A further and more notable celebration \\'as 
the banquet of the Lo3'al Legion "in the New Buckeye 
Mower and Reaper Building of Adriance. Piatt & Co., 
South Water Street," on Tuesday evening, December 
20th. There were over one thousand men at the 
tables, spread through the lower floor of the main 
building, 211 feet long. The members of the Loyal 
League, six hundred strong, marched in headed by the 
Eastman College Band. Hon. George W. Sterling 
presided, and speeches were made by Rev. J. L. Corn- 
ing, Hon. John Stanton Gould. Mark D. Wilber, Re\'. 
DeLos Lull, William I. Thorn. Allard Anthony, Re\'. 
P>. M. .Adams and Pierre Giraud, U. S. N. Smith 
Brothers were the caterers, and received a generous 
puff in the newspapers for their ser\ice. 



an established fact that no College or Educational In- 
stitution on this terrestrial globe has met with success 
equal to that of Eastman National Business College." 
and this statement is probabh' not much exaggerated. 
Rev. Samuel D. Burchard — the same man whose 
"Rum. Romanism and Rebellion" alliteration created 
such a sensation in the P>laine campaign of 1884 — 
Joseph H. Jackson, Allard ,\nthony and Rev. J. L- 
Corning were among the speakers. 

This great increase of students naturally added ma- 
terially to the business of the city, which, in spite of 
the fact that the war had ruined several local indus- 
tries, was generally sound and prosperous. A consid- 
eralile number of men were employed during much of 
the war on new building enterprises, including the 
r.uekeve Works of .\driance. Piatt & Co., A'assar Col- 



192 



HiSTOkY OP P 6U G ti KEEP SI P. 



lege, and several new business buildings on Main and 
Market Streets. The Morgan Block, on the district 
east of Catharine Street, burned in i860, was built just 
at the beginning of the war, and the Collingwood 
building on Market Street, in 1863. This did not in- 
clude the Opera House, which was not completed until 
about six years later. The new dry goods store of 
George Van Kleeck & Co., described as "the finest 
structure of its kind between New York and Albany," 
was built in 1864. Up to this time the George Van 



r 



BSSKfflSaSS^**^ 



-^i:^."":— ■■ >a, 










Poiighkeepsie City Shiiiplasicrs, second series. 
(From collection'jif II '. F. Booth . ) 

Kleeck store had been on the west corner of Liberty 
Street. 

At an earlier period in the war all industries and all 
business had been seriously affected, and the phenome- 
non of the disappearance of all small change, alread\' 
noted as liaving taken place during the War of 1812, 
and during the panic of 1837, again occurred. As on 
the earlier occasions business firms printed shinplaster.-* 
in large numbers. The Eavlc was among them, and 



some of the checks then issued have never yet been 
presented for redemption. The City of Poughkeep- 
sie issued two sets of shinplasters, the second hand- 
somely engraved by the American Bank Note Com- 
pany. The United States government at length put a 
stop to all this private currency by issuing its own 
shinplasters. Much of the apparent prosperity of the 
latter part of the war was due to the constantly rising 
prices incident to the depreciation of the paper cur- 
rency, but there are plenty of local instances of the 
serious hardships caused by the high prices and by the 
constant efforts at readjustment as the price of gold 
fluctuated with the varying fortunes of the Union 
armies. 

On the 25th of April, 1864, a sixth bank was or- 
ganized in Poughkeepsie. This was the First Na- 
tional, the first bank to be organized under the Na- 
tional Banking Act, then recently passed. The or- 
ganizing directors were Cornelius DuBois, Levi M. 
Arnold, George B. Lent and Daniel H. Tweedy. At 
the first annual election Robert Slee, David Harris, 
George B. Lent, H. G. Eastman, Jacob B. Carpenter, 
Hudson Taylor and James A. Seward were added. 
Mr. Eastman remained a director of this bank until 
1870, when he was succeeded by John P. Adriance. 
The present cashier, F. E. Whipple, has been employed 
in the bank since its organization, having served as 
teller until the resignation of Zebulon Rudd in 1889. 
The older state banks of the city were all reorganized 
as National Banks, not long after the opening of the 
.First National. 

Poughkeepsie was holding its own also as a place 
of residence. John O. Whitehouse, a prosperous shoe 
manufacturer of Brooklyn, came here in i860, and in 
1863 purchased of George Wilkinson the handsome 
place on Southeast (now Hooker) Avenue, still known 
as the Whitehouse Place. This place had been owned 
before the war by Benjamin W. North, who in order 
to make access to the settled portion of the town a lit- 
tle easier constructed a tan bark sidewalk all the way 
to the corner of Hamilton Street. He sold the place 
to Mr. Wilkinson, who was a New York merchant not 
related to the Wilkinson family of Poughkeepsie, in 
October, 1859, and Mr. Wilkinson built the present 
house. A few years after Mr. Whitehouse's purcha.sc 
of the place "Springside" was added to it b}' pur- 
chase from Matthew Vassar. 

Hudson Taylor, 1 who had spent most of his boy- 

iConceniing Hudson Taylor's residence in Washingon, 
the following from the Antobiography and Reminiscences of 
Moncnrc D. Conway (vol. i, p. 249) is intcre.sling and cliar- 
actcrislic. Conway had just liecu dismissed (1S56) from 
the pastorate of the Unitarian Church in Washington because 
of pronounced anti-sl.ivery sermons : "In the afternoon of 



HiSTOkY OP POtlGftKEEPSiU 



i§rj 



hood in Poughkeepsie, returned here in 1863, after 
many years of successful business in Washington, 
D. C, and purchased "the magnificent residence of 
WilHam Barnes, Esq., on Academy Street," for $20,- 
000. He was an uncle of Robert E. Taylor, the Re- 
corder. 

James Winslow had purchased property a short 
distance south of the city — now the Taft place — ^before 
the war, but his brother, John F. Winslow, was at this 
time associated with Erastus Corning in the iron busi- 
ness at Troy, and did not purchase the Crosby place 
on the Hyde Park road until 1867. John F. Winslow 
was one of the owners of the first patents upon the 
Bessemer steel process, and was one of the chief finan- 
cial backers of Ericson when the first Monitor was 
built. 

The; Sanitary Fair. 

Just at the close of the war the Sanitary Fair, a 
memorable event which set the whole cit}' at work, was 
held March 15th to 19th, at 178-180 Main Street. This 
building was described as "a large unoccupied coach 
factory," owned by Matthew Vassar. It had been 
Frederick's carriage factory, but was transformed by 
the decorators into a most wonderful fairy land. 
Weeks before the great fair opened the newspapers 
were filled with notices of committee meetings, de- 
scriptions of proposed attractions, etc. It is impossi- 
ble to read them to-day without catching some of the 
enthusiasm of the times. Evcrj'body was vitally in- 
terested and everybody was at work. The officers of 
the Fair, as given in the pamphlet published soon af- 
terwards, were : 

President — Mrs. James Winslow. 

\'ice-Presidents — Mrs. Thomas L. Davies, Mrs. G. 
C. Burnap, Mrs. George Innis, Mrs. Benson J. Los- 
sing, Mrs. William S. Morgan, Mrs. John Tliompson 
and Mrs. Dr. Beadle. 

Secretary — Mrs. Charles H. Ruggles. 

Treasurer — Miss Sarali M. Carpenter. 

These, with Mrs. Charles H. Swift, Mrs. Van Val- 
kenburgh. Mrs. Le Grand Dodge, Mrs. C. W. Tooker, 
and Mrs Haydock, made up tile executive committee. 
There were also twenty-two managers, and forty-five 



that Sunday on which I had spoken my farewell words, a 
number of my friends called, and Hudson Taylor— who, with 
his lovely wife, had given me such a beautiful home — could 
not repress sonic reproach that T had by a few discourses shat- 
tered sucli happy relation.sliips. His niece, Charlotlc Taylor 
(now Mrs. Rohlc}- Evans) said that I had to obey my con- 
science. But Hudson cried "Damn conscience !" The tear 
in liis eye did not blot out the oath, but embalmed it in my 
memory as the loving farewell of as faithful and generous 
a friend as 1 ever had." 



committees to look after the attractions, booths, etc. 
The whole county was represented, and gifts of articles 
to sell came in from all sides. A special Buckeye mow- 
ing machine was made by the men of the factory and 
contributed. Before the fair began there was a series 
of auxiliary entertainments in the schools and churches 
and in Pine Hall, including a lecture by Rev. Henry 
Ward Beechcr, and these netted a considerable sum. 
It was reported that 4,000 people visited the fair on 
one of the nights. "The crush of crinoline and the 
smash of hats was terrible," said the Eagle, but "ev- 
erybody was happy." * * * "You could hardly 
turn about without meeting tlie glance of a pair of 
eyes that would make any person hand out any amount 
for anything offered for sale." Nine hundred and 
seventeen quarts of ice cream, 50 gallons of lemonade 
and 46,000 oysters were consumed. In the midst of 
it all the Eagle was ungracious enough to object to 
the raffling, which was a leading feature, and was de- 
fended by Mrs. Benson J. Lossing. Rev. Mr. Lull, 
of the Washington Street Church, preached a sermon 
on the subject, but then the fair was over and it had 
taken in $18,640.87, with expenses of only $2,358.15, 
leaving net proceeds of $16,282.72 for the Sanitary 
Commission, truly a good showing for a small city 
in war time. 

Thiv Ci,osiv 01? Tiiiv War. 

A few weeks later, on Monday, April 3rd, came the 
news of the capture of Richmond, which was received 
with great rejoicing. Says the Eagle: "Men threw 
up their hats, boys shouted and women joined the gen- 
eral jollification. In the afternoon the splendid band 
attached to the Eastman College, followed b)- a large 
concourse of citizens paraded the streets, and sere- 
naded all public places, including this office and the 
residence of our reporter. Not a few highly elated 
individuals purchased masks, and dressing themselves 
up fantastically paraded the streets with the utmost 
unconcern, blowing on tin horns, ringing bells, etc. 
Shortly after i o'clock, in accordance with an order 
from the city authorities, a salute of 100 guns was 
fired and the church. Court House and City Hall bells 
were rung. It is impossible to describe the enthusi- 
asm that existed." 

Events followed each other in rapid succession 
then. Less than a week later, on Sunday evening, 
April 9th, came the news of Lee's surrender at .\p- 
pomattox. 

"At ten o'clock on Sunday- night," says the Eagle, 
when the first dispatch was received at this office an- 
nouncing the surrender of General Lee, our sanctum 
was crowded with prominent citizens, who greeted 
the news with deafening cheers, and immediatel}' or- 



194 



HISTORY OF P OU GH KBEP S I E. 



ganized themselves into squads to awake the slumber- 
ing inhabitants and inaugurate a grand rejoicing. 
Bonfires were started, bells rung, etc. Prof. Eastman 
got out his drum corps and ver}- soon arranged a pro- 
cession. The jubilant crowd called on Judge Emott, 
Hudson Taylor, Esq., and other prominent citizens, 
and although the night was far advanced, were re- 
ceived by each of the above named gentlemen in the 
most enthusiastic manner. A delegation also pro- 
ceeded to Provost Marshal Johnston's residence below 
town and imparted the good news to him. Fire com- 
panies paraded the streets and immense crowds con- 
gregated in front of the Eagle to get the dispatches 
as fast as the}' were received." 

A great celebration was planned in honor of the 
close of the war, but arrangements were cut short on 
the following Saturday by the announcement of the 
assassination of President Lincoln, which created the 
greatest consternation. Many people thought the war 
was to be prolonged in a sort of reign of terror, as- 
sassins taking the place of armies in the open. "Pough- 
keepsie on Saturday was draped in mourning. Men 
pale with anxiety walked the streets with horror de- 
picted on their countenances. Many shed tears. The 
female portion of the community, especially those who 
have sacrificed fathers, brothers, husbands, or friends 
on the altar of their country, received the awful news 
with emotion pitiful in the extreme. All the flags of 
the city were placed at half mast, and public and pri- 
vate buildings were draped in mourning." There were 
not wanting, however, a few individuals who took oc- 
casion to express their satisfaction at the terrible deed, 
and they were naturally roughly handled by the 
•crowd. One woman was arrested in order to protect 
her. and several stores had to be closed for a time 
until the excitement wore off. 

On Sunday all the churches were draped in mourn- 
ing and were crowded with people, and the sermons 
were all, we are told, appropriate to the occasion. 



President Lincoln's funeral also, on Wednesday, April 
15th, was observed by services in the churches, and by 
a procession and public out-door meeting in front of 
the Court House. The procession, marshalled by 
John P. Adriance, was made up as follows : 

Mayor and Marshal, and Provost Marshal. 

Provost Guards. 

Officers 2 1 St Regiment. 

Drum Corps. 

Common Council. 

Military and Military Schools. 

Fire Department. 

Eastman Business College. 

Eastman Band. 

Clergy. 

Citizens. 

Sons of Temperance. 

Singing Societ}', Germania. 

German Turners' Association. 

Free Masons. 

Odd Fellows. 

A great stand had been erected on the Main Street 
side of the Court House, and in front of it the crowd 
filled the street. The services were opened with 
pra3'er by Rev. Dr. Hageman, of the Second Reformed 
Church, and closed by prayer from Rev. G. M. Mc- 
Eckron, of the First Reformed Church. Hon. Allard 
Anthony made the funeral oration, which was pro- 
nounced a very eloquent effort. 

On the 25th the train bearing the remains of the 
martyred President passed through Poughkeepsie, on 
its way to Illinois. All business was suspended and 
practically the whole population assembled along the 
tracks to see it pass. Draped in black, and with the 
wheels so muffled that it ran almost noiselessly, except 
for the tolling of the engine's bell, it was a most im- 
pressive sight, and was long remembered as "The ghost 
train." 




Hon. JOHN H. KETCHAM. 



CHAPTER X. 



From the Ci,ose of the War to the Panic of 1873 — Return of the Soldiers — Wonderful Suc- 
cess OF Eastman College — Eastman Park — Opening and Organization of Vassar College — 
Changes Among City Schools — Politics— Churches, Charitable and Religious Institutions 
— The Hudson River State Hospital — Manufacturing and Other Industries — Growth and 
Municipal Improvement, the Water and Sewer Systems — The Poughkeepsie & Eastern and 
THE City Railroads — The Poughkeepsie Bridge — Social Eife, Sports and Clubs. 



At the close of the war Poughkeepsie, hke other 
Northern cities, began to settle down to the ordinary 
affairs of life, and started upon a half decade of the 
most rapid growth in its history. The soldiers came 
home, were warmly welcomed, and found that return- 
ing business prosperity had opened opportunities for 
most of them to find immediate employment. The 
150th Regiment arrived in Poughkeepsie about mid- 
night of Saturday, June loth, 1865, and "although the 
hour was late, nevertheless thousands of men and 
women and children assembled to greet the veterans. 
* * * The news of the arrival spread like wildfire 
and in almost an instant Main Street was in a glare of 
flame from burning tar barrels and fireworks." The 
great reception came on Monday, when people poured 
into the city from all the surrounding counties, until 
one estimate sa\'s there were "nearly if not quite 50,- 
000.'' "Having witnessed all the great occasions here 
from the visit of Lafayette in 1824 up to this time," 
wrote Isaac Piatt, "we can safely assert that no day 
or occasion like it has before appeared in our annals." 
There was, of course, a great parade, and Main 
Street, "from Water Street to the Red Mills was one 
vast sea of handkerchiefs fluttering wildl^r in the 
breeze." Banners and even arches of flowers were 
stretciied across some of the streets. The public 
school children were all assembled on the wall of 
Ma-\()r Innis's residence, in lower Main Street, and the 
regiment halted while the children sang and presented 
each veteran with a bouquet of flowers. Groups of 
ladies from many towns in the county came in cos- 
tumes of National colors, and one of the special fea- 
tures was "a wagon load of young ladies from Salt 
Point representing every state in the Union." The 
procession ended at Mansion Square Park, where 
Judge Emott made the address of welcome, and Col- 
onel A. B. Smith, who was in command of the regi- 



ment, the reph', followed by General Ketcham. "The 
grand winding up of the affair took place in front of 
the residence of Prof. Eastman, in Washington Street, 
in the evening." 

This regiment was one of the few allowed to mus- 
ter out at home. The 128th, less favored, returned 
in detachments somewhat later, and no general wel- 
come could be extended to it, though a few companies 
were given special receptions here and there. A num- 
ber of Poughkeepsie boys, who had enlisted in other 
regiments remained in the service considerably longer. 
Nathaniel Palmer, for instance, was with the 20th 
Regiment in the occupation of Richmond, and was 
contributing letters to the Telegraph as late as Sep- 
tember. Captain William Platto, who was with the 
128th Regiment, organized a company of veterans soon 
after bis return that was called "The Independent 
Veteran A^olunteers," and they often paraded in 
Zouave uniform. They remained in existence until 
a few }ears ago. 

The opening of Adriance, Piatt & Co.'s large new 
factory, and the great popularity of Eastman College 
were leading factors in producing excellent local busi- 
ness conditions. The opening of Vassar College con- 
tributed its share, though it was by no means so im- 
portant, even relatively, as now. Several small man- 
ufacturing enterprises were started and some large 
ones were planned, and labor was in good demand in 
building, though the building boom had not vet be- 
gun. One of the improvements of the year l86s 
which deserves notice was the reconstruction of the 
lower floor of the Cit>- Hall for the Post Office. Its 
use as a market had ceased several years before, and 
partitions had been erected dividing it into a Re- 
corder's court roouL an office for the Superintendent 
of the Poor and a meeting room for Protection i>^o. i 
Engine Company. These partitions were now taken 



198 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEBPSIE 




Market Street in iS6^. The old Forbus House veranda can be seen at the tefl. 



out and the work of refitting was finished in the fall 
or early winter, when Albert Van Kleeck/ the post- 
master and local Republican leader, moved the office 
from the old Baker or Brush house, on the corner of 
Union and Market Streets, where it had been since 
185 1. The Common Council at this time met in the 
second floor room on the northwest corner — after- 
wards the City Chamberlain's office, and now the 
Mayor's office — until the present council room was 
fitted up in 1869, when the old public hall was divided 
by partitions. 

Referring to the changes in the City Hall the Tel- 
egraph of October 7th, 1865, says: "The upper hall, 
which has so often resounded to the clamor and 
plaudits of excited public assemblages, where cau- 
cuses full of momentous interest to aspiring candidates 
for public favor, have met to 'deliberate,' where the 
voices of political orators have s\va\ed nniltitudes for 
and against pul)lic measures, and where the people's 
weapon of re\'olution, the ballot, has so often been 
iSon of Tunis Van Kleeck. Sec pp. 86 and 87. 



cast — has for months formed one of the Eastman Col- 
lege rooms of instruction." 

Eastman College was then at the top notch of its 
popularity, the number of students being "more than 
1,700," if reports are trustworthy. The Eastman Col- 
lege Band, already mentioned in connection with the 
events of the campaign of 1864, was one of Mr. East- 
man's most successful advertising features. It had 
taken prominent part in the progression at President 
Lincoln's second inauguration, where it immediately 
preceded his carriage down Pennsylvania Avenue, and 
a few weeks later, when his body was carried, amid 
the tears of the nation, from Washington to its last 
resting place in Illinois, this band formed the escort 
in tlie parade up IJroadway through New York, jour- 
neyed to Albany on the funeral train, and again played 
solemn dirges as the body was borne to and from 
the State Capitol. The concert tours of the band in 
the ^\^est attracted favorable notice, and students by 
hundreds followed it to Poughkeepsie to enroll them- 
selves in Mr. Eastman's wonderful institution. 




ALBERT VAN KLEECK. 
Jlorn December 2^, iSo6. Died Kovctnher y, iS66. 



•200 



HISTORY OF POUGHKBEPSIE 



Many of these young men expressed surprise and 
disappointment on their arrival to find that the college 
had no magnificent buildings — in fact had no college 
buildings at all — but was scattered throughout the 
town in all sorts of rented rooms. The rooms in which 
the college began in the so-called Library Building 
were not long retained, but besides the upper floor of 
the City Hall a floor of the McLean building, oppo- 
site the Court House, and three churches were rented 
— the old Methodist Church, finally incorporated in the 
permanent college building, the old Universalist 
Church, originally Presbyterian, on Cannon Street, 
and the old Congregational Church (now the Jewish 
Synagogue) on Vassar Street. For a while Bryant 
and Stratton tried to run an opposition school, but 
Mr. Eastman bought them out, and then for some 
time leased their rooms in the Wright Building, above 
Catharine Street, where the Y. W. C. A. is located. 
The resources of the city were taxed to their utmost 
to find boarding places for all these young men, rents 
advanced and building received considerable encour- 
asrement. 




Eastman Park, showing Skating Park flooded , about iSy^. 

It was in 1865 that Mr. Eastman purchased what 
was generally called the Robert Forrest property on 
the corner of Market and Montgomery Streets, most 
of it from the widow of Herman Jewett. He added 
several other lots to it and laid out the beautiful 
grounds, so long known as Eastman Park. Much of 
the land was swamp}', bordering the brook that wound 
through it from be_vond Montgomery Street (see map 
page 71), and an elaborate system of undcrdrains was 
put in carrying the brook underground to a circular 
pond, constructed with an island in the centre, upon 
which a band stand was erected. This brook was 
also made to flood the large athletic field bordering 
Tcffcrson Street, which was used as a skating park in 
the \vinter. A small fortune was spent in grading, 



constructing the drives and in planting trees and 
shrubbery. 

The grounds were thrown open to the public to 
be used as a park, I believe, in September, 1867. That 
at any rate appears to have been the first year of a 
public anniversary celebration there for the college. 
The grounds were decorated with Chinese lanterns 
and there was a fine display of fireworks in the even- 
ing with six thousand people present, according to 
the reports. Horace Greeley was the chief speaker 
at this anniversary, his subject being Temperance. 
Earlier in the same year the movement had been 
started which resulted in the erection of the Soldiers' 




The Soldiers' Fountain, as photographed in iSy^. 

Fountain, though the original plan was for a monu- 
ment. 

A "Great Monument Celebration" took place on the 
Fourth of July with "the largest parade in the history 
of the city or of any city outside of New York, in 
the state." General Ketcham was the grand marshal. 
Two militia regiments, the 21st and 22nd, firemen from 
nearly all the river towns, and many fraternal organ- 
izations, including three labor unions (brickla.yers and 
masons) took part. Meetings had been held through- 
out the county in the interest of the monument and 
the crowd in the city was very large. All proceeded 
according to programme until afternoon, when the 
chief feature was to have been a grand open-air din- 
ner on Mansion Square, \vith an oration by General 
Stewart L. Woodford, then Lieutenant Go\-ernor, but 
"Proceedings at the dinner table on Mansion Square 
were brought to a close b\' a succession of the sever- 
est thunder storms ever witnessed in this section of the 
country." There was no oration, no balloon ascension, 
no fireworks. "The thousands in the city were driven 
by the pitiless storm to every conceivable place of 




HARX'ICV G. I'.ASTMAN. 



1'02 



HISTORY OF POUGHKBEPSIE. 



shelter, until every store and private hall on Main 
Street was filled with males and females." Among 
the distinguished persons present were Lieut, ^^^orden, 
who had commanded the Monitor at the memorable 
defeat of the Merrimac, and Surgeon Parsons, a sur- 
vivor of the War of 1812, who had served on Perry's 
flagship Lawrence on Lake Erie. 

Though the elements interfered sadly with the 
celebration the luonument fund continued to grow, 
helped by the proceeds of many small entertainments, 
including scrub boat races on the river. Mr. East- 
man's enterprise was recognized in the location and 
also in the change of plan to a fountain. At the dedi- 
cation in 1870 there was another notable Fourth of 
July celebration, with Major General McMahon, of 
Brooklyn, as orator. The crowd assembled at East- 
man Park and the weather did not prevent the balloon 
ascension or the fireworks. 

Opening and Organization of A'assar Coli^ege. 

Without so much advertising, but with a great 
deal of notice and comment from the press of the 
whole country, Vassar College opened in September, 
1865, with 353 students, eight of whom were from 
Poughkeepsie, Catharine Rogers Boardman, Maria 
Louisa Booth, Elizabeth Anderson Cramer, Catharine 
Rogers Jones, Mary Carrington Raymond, Emma 
Corning Sweetser, Carrie Elizabeth Vassar and Mary 
Elizabeth Wright. Others from Dutchess county were 
Evelyn Angell, Salt Point ; Elizabeth Reynolds Beck- 
with, Stanford ; Jane Maria Cookingham, Rhinebeck ; 
Sarah Jane Herrick, Salt Point; and Lily Swift, 
Amenia Union. Students were arranged in the first 
catalogue alphabetically, and as they were in all stages 
of advancement, no attempt could at once be made to 
sort them into classes. When the second catalogue 
was issued, 1866-67, four girls had been picked out as 
seniors, Maria Loraine Dickinson, Detroit, Mich. ; 
Elizabeth Louise Geigcr, Marion, O. ; Harriette Anna 
Warner, Detroit, Mich. ; and Helen Douglas Wood- 
ward, Plattsburgh. The summar\' of students was as 
follows : 

Seniors 4 

Juniors, full standing 18 

Juniors, conditioned g 2y 

Second )'ear, full standing 29 

Second year, conditioned 13 42 

First year 46 

L'nclassified 78 

Specials 189 

386 

Before the third catalogue was issued the prepara- 

torv department had been organized with 73 students. 



and there were 25 seniors, 36 juniors, 43 second 3'ear 
girls, 37 first j'ear and 123 specials. The first use of 
the words "sophomore'' and "freshmen," instead of 
"second year" and "first year," occurs in the cata- 
logue for 1872-73, in which also three Poughkeepsie 
girls are included among the seniors : Grace Bayle}' 
Jewett, Mary Carrington Raymond and Elma Dore- 
mus Swift. The difficulties of classification of the 
students of the first few years show very plainly the 
general conditions of woman's education at the time 
the college was opened. There was no such thing 
as a preparatory school for girls and it was very diffi- 
cult to get the various female seininaries and colle- 
giate institutes to conform to the requirements, as each 
was bending its energies towards a complete course of 
its own. The college was forced to establish a pre- 
paratory department in order to furnish a model for 





















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j^^^ji;} 


1 


WwESSB!¥ yr aBB 

wBmaSSSBL 




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/ 'assar College, pliotographcd about iSjo. 

other preparator\- schools, as well as to take care of 
students already entered who were not found suffi- 
ciently advanced for the first year, or freshman class 
in a regular college course. It was nevertheless a 
step which aroused the opposition of the schools, 
many of whose principals began to cry down the col- 
lege, instead of conforming their courses of study to 
its requirements. Some other institutions for the 
higher education of women had called themselves col- 
leges before Vassar was opened, and one or two were 
conducting courses that bore some resemblance to 
those of the colleges for men, but A''assar neverthe- 
less was the pioneer, had all the problems to solve, 
and had to live down all the opposition and ridicule 
that assail e\'er\' new institution as soon as it begins 
to get well t'nough started to show that it will inter- 
fere with older institutions. 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEEPSIE. 



203 



In the selection of a scheme of educational courses 
for Vassar College the contrast between President 
Jewett's plans, which were rejected, and those finally 
adopted under President Raymond, is interesting. Af- 
ter his visit to Europe Dr. Jewett made a report in 
which he said : 

"A careful examination shows that in our colleges 
one-third of the whole time is consumed on the Dead 
Languages alone. Another third of the course is de- 
voted to Mathematics ; while only one-fifteenth is 
given to the whole circle of Natural Sciences, and 
only I3-I20ths to the study of English Language and 
Literature. * * * We would therefore abridge 
the college course in Mathematics and Metaphysical 
and Political Philosophy, and thus secure more time 
to be devoted to our own and other modern languages ; 
to Natural Plistory, Domestic Economy, Music, Draw- 
ing and Painting." 

Dr. Jewett recommended a University System of 
arrangement, "all the branches to be taught under 
nine ditTerent schools, as follows : 

1. The School of Religion and Morals. 

2. The School of Natural History. 

3. The School of Physical Sciences. 

4. The School of History and Political Economy. 

5. The School of Language and Literature. 

6. The School of Psychology, including Mental 

Philosophy and Aesthetics. 

7. The School of Mathematics. 

8. The School of Art and l^hilosophy of Education. 

9. The School of Art, including Music, Drawing, 

Painting, etc. 

The order of numbering represented Dr. Jewett's 
idea of the importance of the subjects. Four testi- 
monials from each of the schools were to entitle a 
student to the final degree of M. A. "Mistress of Arts." 
This interesting scheme was doubtless suggested by 
the German Universities, but much of it was original, 
and in many points Dr. Jewett was clearly some 
twenty-five years ahead of the times. His plans were 
doubtless too radical for their day, and the trustees 
felt that \'assar must first make known the ability of 
women to compete with men on substantially the lines 
of the older .American colleges, but the final reason 
for the rejection of Dr. Jewett was a personal dis- 
agreement with the founder, quite apart from aca- 
demic matters. Some traces of his plans are found 
in the "School of Vocal and Instrumental Music," 
the "School of Design," and the "School of Physical 
Training," the two former of which were maintained 
until 1892. They were designated "Extra Collegiate 
Departments," besides which there were eight regular 
collegiate departments, each with a professor at its 
head, though the department of History and Political 



Econom)' was not at once organized. The officers 
of government and instruction are given in the first 
catalogue as follows : 

John H. R/Wmond, LL. D., President, and Pro- 
fessor of Mental and Moral Philosophy. 

Hannah W. Lyman, Lady Principal. 

William I. Knapp, A. M., Professor of Ancient 
and Modern Languages. 

Charles S. Farkar, A. M., Professor of Mathe- 
matics, Natural Philosophy and Chemistry. 

Sanborn Tenney, A. M., Professor of Natural 
History, including Geology and Minerology, Botany, 
Zoology and Physical Geography. 

Maria Mitchell, Professor of Astronomy and di- 
rector of the Observator)'. 

Alida C. Avery, M. D., Professor of Physiology 
and Hygiene and resident Physician. 

Henry B. Buckham, A. M., Professor of Rhe- 
toric, Belles-lettres, and the English Language. 

Edward WiEbe, Professor of Vocal and Instru- 
mental Music. 

Henry Van Incen, Professor of Drawing and 
Painting. 

Louis F. Rondel, Instructor in the French Lan- 
guage. 

Delia F. Woods, Instructor in the Department of 
Physical Training. 

Jesse Usher, Teacher of the Latin Language. 

Lucia M. Gilbert, Teacher of the Greek Lan- 
guage. 

Priscilla H. Braislin, Teacher of Mathematics. 

Eliza M. Wiley, Teacher of Music. 

Emma SaylEs, Teacher of Chemistry, Mathematics 
and the English Language. 

Sarah L. W'S'man, Teacher of the Latin Language. 

Caroline H. Metcalf, Teacher of the French and 
English Languages. 

Barbara Grant, Teacher of Mathematics and 
Chemistry. 

Kate Fessenden, Teacher of the French Lan- 
guage. 

Sarah E. Scott, Teacher of Rhetoric and Mathe- 
matics. 

Emily A. Braddock, Teacher of the Latin Lan- 
guage. 

Mary Dascomb, Teacher of Mathematics. 

Julia Wiebe, Teacher of Music. 

Emma L. Hopkins, Teacher of Music. 

Caroline S. C. Wiebe, Teacher of Music. 

SopHi.v L. Curtis, Teacher of Music. 

A. Amelia Judd, Teacher of Music. 

Fanny J. Small, Teacher of Music. 

Of these the most notable was Maria Mitchell, the 
astronomer, whose discoveries and writings brought 
the college much prominence. 

In the second catalogue appears Leopold Von Sel- 
(leneck, master of horsemanship, Truman ]. Backus, 
in place of Henry B. Buckham at the head of the 
English department, Elizabeth M. Powell, physical 
training, and Fanny A. Wood, teacher of music. 



■204: 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEEPSIE. 



Miss Wood, now the college librarian, is the only one 
of the original teachers remaining in service. LeRoy 
C. Cooley, now the senior professor, came to Vassar 
College in 1874. 

Matthew Vassar's death occurred dramatically as 
he was reading his annual address to the trustees of 
the college in June, 1868. His birthday, April 29th, 
was first celebrated by the students in 1866, and has 
■been observed as Founder's Day ever since. If he 
could return to visit the institution he would find it 
grown far beyond his greatest expectation ; but the 
development of the new Vassar College belongs to 
the next chapter. 

The first bequest to the college was from the will 
of Jacob P. Giraud, who left $30,000 in 1870, to 
found a Museum of Natural History. With this 
fund James Orton, who had become Professor of 
Natural History and Geology in 1868, created the 
Museum and made the collection of South American 
birds, which is still one of its leading features. Charles 
J. Hinkle, about whose memory many stories have 
clustered, became Professor of Ancient and Modern 
Languages in 1868. The office of Master of Horse- 
manship appears last in the catalogue for 1872-1873, 
and not long after the close of the Riding School the 
building was altered to accommodate the Museum, 
first established in the main building. 

Changes Among the City Schools. 

The period beginning with the close of the Civil 
War was marked by many changes in the schools of 
Poughkeepsie. The public schools, though the amount 
of money appropriated for them seems now ridicu- 
lously small, were gradually gaining, and the private 
schools were beginning to lose ground. It was a 
time of transition from Academies to High Schools 
throughout the State, and the Dutchess County Acad- 
emy felt the force of the movement, which was 
strengthened locally by the passing away or retirement 
of some of the most notable teachers of the previous 
period. 

William McGeorge was succeeded by his son-in- 
law Stewart Pelham in 1864, and though Mr. Pelham 
was an excellent teacher of the old pattern, and long 
successful afterwards as proprietor of a private school, 
the Academy lost ground, probably mainly because 
of the establishment of the Free Academy or High 
School in Church Street. The High School was dis- 
continued for one year, 1865, after the war, apparently 
as a measure of economy, but the demand for its re- 
establishment was strong. The Academy trustees ap- 
preciated the situation and realizing that both institu- 
tions could not continue, did what they could to fa- 



cilitate their union. In 1866 the Academy building 
was rented to the city and the High School was re- 
opened there. 

Thus the famous old Academy, after three-quar- 
ters «f a century of honorable existence, was finally 
given up, and a few years later the building ceased 
to be used as a school. A demand soon arose for a 
new building in a more central location, and the trus- 
tees, in response to a petition from the citizens, de- 
cided to sell the Academy and donate the proceeds 
to the Board of Education to be used towards the con- 
struction of a High School and Public Library. The 
opportunity came in 1870 through the generosity of 
Jonathan Warner, who purchased the building and 
founded there the Old Ladies' Home. The Board 
of Education purchased the property on the corner 
of Washington Street and Lafayette Place in March, 
1870, for $13,000, and the High School was opened 
in its present home in April, 1872, having in the mean- 
time found temporary lodgment in the second floor 
of the Mulrein Building, then recently finished on 
Market Street. The city library was removed also 
in 1872 to the lower floor of the High School. 

An equally notable change in the school situation 
was the abandonment of College Hill, another relic 
of the days of the Improvement Party. This did not 
come about from any idea that the location was too 
remote from the city, but simply because the property 
had to be sold to settle the estate of Charles Bartlett. 
Mr. Otis Bisbee, who was Mr. Bartlett's successor, 
was one of the bidders at the auction, which was con- 
ducted by Henry W. Shaw (Josh Billings), November 
24th, 1865, but had decided not to go above $30,000, 
at which figure the property was struck off to George 
Morgan. The school was continued on the hill until 
the spring of 1867, when the new Riverview Academy, 
in the southwestern section of the cit}' was finished. 
In June of that year Mr. Morgan opened the College 
Hill Hotel, which was not successful, in spite of its 
commanding location. Following Dr. Warring, whose 
school on Smith Street was a strong competitor, Mr. 
Bisbee had introduced militar)' drill several years be- 
fore leaving College Hill. 

Stewart Pelham, the last principal of the Dutchess 
County Academy, purchased a boys' school that had 
been starte<l in Montgomery Street not long before by 
Egbert Carey, and conducted it successfully for about 
twenty years. He took a few boarders, but it was 
chiefly a day school. Riverview at this time made no 
effort to obtain pupils from Poughkeepsie, and Mr. 
Pelham's chief rival was John R. Leslie's school, 
founded just before the war, and afterwards long con- 
ducted by S. li. Bishop in the little building (now 



HISTORY OF PO U GH K E EPSI E. 



206 



Public School No. 7) on Academy Street. Leslie's 
was regarded as rather, a select day school. 

All of these, together with Dr. Warring's Military 
Institute, flourished until long after 1873, and the 
girls' schools also prospered. Rev. George T. Rider 
succeeded Milo P. Jewett at Cottage Hill, and the Fe- 
male Collegiate Institute was sold in January, 1870, 
by Rev. Mr. Rice to Prof. G. W. Cook. A rather 
notable girls' schools was started not long after the 
opening of Vassar College by Mr. and Mrs. Edward 
White, who erected a building in the southeastern sec- 
tion of the city which Mrs. White named Brooks Sem- 
inary. The competition of the Vassar Preparatory 
Department is said to have caused the failure of this 
school, but the building after an interval of use as a 
hotel and a Vassar dormitory, is again a girls' boarding 
school under the name of Putnam Hall. Many other 
smaller schools, some of which took boarding as well 
as day pupils, flourished for a few years, Dr. Bockee's 
school for girls, next to Pelham Institute on Montgom- 
ery Street, and the Home Institute conducted by the 
Misses Butler, being among the most important. If 
the public schools were generally poorly housed and 
with poor equipment the same was true of many of the 
private schools. A good many children whose parents 
thought it not wise to send them to the public schools 
received the rudiments of their education from Mrs. 
Mary Herrick, whose school was conducted in the 
basement of one of the little houses (No. 28) still 
standing on the east side of South Hamilton Street, 
between Church and Cannon. Miss Powers conducted 
another primary school in the little building on the east 
side of Academy Street, said to have been once the old 
village market. The little building on the east side of 
Garden Street, north of Mill, next to what is generally 
called the Lossing House, was a school for a number 
of years, but is said to have been built for a law of- 
fice. 

Poi,iTics. 

Like the County of Dutchess, Poughkeepsie has 
nearly always been Republican in politics. The city 
has never been carried by a Democratic presidential 
candidate, though Horace Greeley came within eleven 
votes of it in 1872. Greeley's vote was in part due 
to the so-called Liberal movement, of which there 
were some devotees here, but much more to the no- 
torious campaign of John O. Whitehouse for Con- 
gress against General Ketcham, when money was more 
freely spent than at any previous or subsequent elec- 
tion. Whitehouse carried the city by 379 majority, 
and the county by 892. The price of votes is said to 
have reached as high as $50. Four years earlier, in 



1868, General Grant, had received a majority in the 
city of 307. Some of the elections of the "off years" 
deserve mention, especially that of 1867, when Judge 
Homer A. Nelson headed the Democratic State ticket 
and was elected Secretary of State, though he could 
not quite overcome the natural Republican majority of 
his own city. The result in Dutchess County was 
somewhat mixed. Mark D. Wilber, then a Republi- 
can, who had represented the Second District in the 
Assembly in 1865 and 1866, was defeated by A. T. 
Ackert (Dem.), but Abiah W. Palmer, of Amenia, 
was elected Senator, and Poughkeepsie Republicans 
were elected to leading county offices — Richard Ken- 
worthy, Sheriflf; William I. Thorn, District Attorney 
(against D. W. Guernsey) ; Allard Anthony, County 
Judge, and Milton A. Fowler, Surrogate. Mr. Fowler 
was a resident of Fishkill when elected, but thereafter 
made Poughkeepsie his home. As Surrogate he fol- 
lowed, and was succeeded by, Peter Dorland, of Fish- 
kill, father of Cyrenus P. Dorland, who also has 
served two terms in the same office. In the spring of 
1867, as already stated, George Innis had been re- 
elected mayor for a third term, without opposition, 
and at the special election for delegates to the Consti- 
tutional Convention of that year B. Piatt Carpenter 
had been chosen. Robert E. Taylor, who had been 
City Chamberlain throughout the war, was at this 
time serving a series of terms as Recorder, and headed 
the city ticket of the Republicans in off years. He 
was succeeded as Chamberlain in 1865 by Joseph G. 
Frost, among whose duties was the destruction of the 
shinplasters issued by the city during the war. These 
he took to the top of Paltz Point (Sky Top), near 
Lake Mohonk, then just beginning to attract attention 
as a place of resort, and there burned them. 

The Dally News was established as an independent 
morning paper May 4th, 1868, by Thomas G. Nich- 
ols, mentioned in Chapter VII as the founder of 
the Daily Press. The News was first published in the 
old Morris Building, where the Poughkeepsian had 
been printed, next to the Poughkeepsie Bank, and the 
building was partially destroyed by fire in April, 1869. 
In July, 1871, Mr. Nichols sold the paper to Wallace 
W. Hegeman and Edwin J. Wilber, who conducted it 
as a Republican paper until the fall of 1872, when Mr. 
Whitehouse bought it to boom his campaign for Con- 
gress, putting in Cyrus Macy as editor. Mr. Nichols, 
the same year, December 15th, 1872, started a third 
paper, The Sunday Courier, which he continued to 
manage up to within a short time of his death. This 
paper has remained independent in politics, and un- 
der its present editor, A. G. Tobey. has been greatly 
increased in size and in circulation. 



200 



HISTORY OF POUGHKBEPSIB. 



Before the News had become a Democratic paper 
the poHtical pendulum had been swinging away from 
the Repubhcans, and in 1869 the city elected its first 
Democratic Mayor, George Morgan, who defeated 
Robert Slee by 104 votes. He had purcliased the 
Gregory House from Theodoras Gregory in 1865, 
and renamed it the Morgan House, and was one of 
the leaders of the enterprises of the day. In the fall 
of 1869 he was elected State Senator, and held both 
offices to the expiration of their terms. 

In 1 87 1 the city returned to Republican rule and 
H. G. Eastman was elected Mayor with a majority 
of 998 votes over Abraham Wright. At the same 
election Robert H. Hunter defeated James L. Wil- 
liams for Justice of the Peace by a majority of 1,074, 
and this was almost the first appearance of these two 
well-known leaders in politics. Captain William Hau- 
bennestel was elected Assessor at the same time. 

This was the year of the New Hamburgh disaster, 
the investigation of which, conducted by Tristram 
Coffin as District Attorney before Coroner Charles 
H. Andrus, absorbed public attention for many weeks. 
The accident happened on February 6th. The axle 
of a car on a south bound oil train broke and the car 
fell over on the New Hamburgh draw-bridge. The 
Pacific E.xpress, north bound, ran into the oil car, 
scattering the oil in all directions, and setting fire to 
the passenger coaches. Nineteen persons were killed, 
and many injured. The coroner's jury was John N. 
Candee, William W . Smith, Paul Flagler, Henrv A. 
Sutherland, Eli Sutcliff and Benjamin A^an Loan. 

Mr. Whitehouse made strenuous efforts to defeat 
Mayor Eastman in 1873, nominating Leonard B. 
Sackett against him, but Eastman had a majority of 
303. This was the last spring election, and beginning 
with 1874 cit\' elections were held the first Tuesday in 
December. 

Churches, Charit.\ci,e and Religious Institu- 
tions. 

The winter and spring of 1866 was marked by a 
notable religious revival, which began with a series 
of meetings in the Young Men's Christian Associa- 
tion rooms, corner of Market and Main Streets, and 
spread to most of the churches. .\n article in the 
Eagle early in April stated that 153 persons had been 
admitted to full membership in the Washington 
Street Methodist Church, with as manv more on pro- 
bation, that there had been fiftv or sixtv conversions 
in the Presbyterian Church, that forty had joined the 
First Reformed Church on the Sunday preceding, 
that about twenty-four additions had been made to tlie 
Central Baptist church, and twenty to the Cannon 
Street Methodist Church, with more than usual addi- 



tions to all other churches. The Young Men's Chris- 
tian Association was so much strengthened that in 
January of the next year it made application for in- 
corporation, and soon afterwards began to look about 
for larger quarters, fhe trustees named were Abra- 
ham Wiltsie, S. M. Buckingham, John P. Adriance, 
J. G. Boyd, D. R. Thompson and Leonard C. Wins- 
low. When the completion and opening of the Opera 
House in i86g deprived Pine Hall of its prestige as a 
place of entertainment the members of the Associa- 
tion began to consider the question of its purchase and 
alteration, and though their resources were compara- 
tively small and they had few wealthy backers, they at 
length determined upon the venture. Possession was 
given in 1871 and in January, 1872, the galleries, stage 
etc., of the old hall were removed, a third floor was 
laid, dividing it into two stories, in which rooms were 
formed substantially as they are at the present time. 

The first church erected after the war was the 
German Lutheran in Grand Street, dedicated October 
14th, 1866, and marking the building up of the sec- 
tion near it with the homes of German settlers. 
The east side of Grand Street up to this time and 
some of it much later was nearly all owned by the 
Emott and Hooker estates, both these fine old places 
extending through with elaborate gardens in the rear. 
The second and only other church built during 
this period was the new St. Paul's, and it is a note- 
worthy coincidence that this church, started as a part 
of the real estate boom of the Improvement Party in 
the 30's, should have been rebuilt during a time of 
real estate activity very much like the first. The 
present church was finished and opened in May, 1872, 
during the rectorship of Rev. S. H. Synnott (now 
rector of a church at Ithaca, N. Y.). Mrs. Winthrop 
Atwill, of Mansion Square, made the erection of the 
new building possible by a donation of $10,000, and 
afterwards added considerably to this amount. The 
architect was Emlen T. Littcll, of New York, and the 
cost $30,000. 

The i^rospcrity of the city and the abundance of 
work greatl)' increased the Roman Catholic popula- 
tion of the city, and although St. Peter's Church was 
enlarsed, another congregation became necessar\-, and 
in 1873 St. Mary's Church was organized b\' Rev. 
Edward McSweeny, and purchased the old church in 
Cannon Street, so often mentioned in these pages. 
Eastman Col'ege had by this time contracted enough 
to be accommodated in the old Methodist Church on 
^^^ashington Street. 

The year 1867 was marked by the union of the 
two Baptist congregations, who worshipped thereafter 
in the Lafayette Place Church until the building of the 
new Mill Street church in 1879. I" 1867 also the 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEBPSIE. 



207 











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two present Poughkeepsie ministers who have been 
longest in service here were installed. Rev. A. P. 
\'an Gieson at the First Reformed (Dutch) Church 
and Rev. Robert Fulton Crar\- at the Church of the 
Holy Comforter. Both of them soon became and 
remained important forces in the life of the city. 

The charitable institutions established at this 
time were the House of Industry, the St. Barnabas 
Hospital and the Old Ladies' Plome. The first of 
these was an outgrowth of the woman's association 
formed during the war for the relief of the wives and 
widows of soldiers. It was organized in the fall of 
1865 with Mary Ferris, president, Julia M. Crosby,, 
secretary, and Sarah Bowne, treasurer. In 1873 ii 
was able to purchase a house in Liberty Street, which 
it still occupies, conducting a modest little store for 
the sale of the handiwork of its beneficiaries. Its 
aim has l)een to promote independence and self-sup- 
port as well as to furnish relief, and every winter it 
provides remunerative labor, mostl\- plain sewing, to 



Dr. EDWARD H. PARKER. 
{See Appendix for biographical sketch.^ 

many applicants. 



From time to time it has conducted 
sewing classes for the children of the poor, and has in 
many ways endeavored to help its beneficiaries to learn 
to depend upon themselves. 

St. Barnabas Hospital, incorporated March 16th, 
1871, was started by Dr. Edward H. Parker, one of the 
leading ph>'sicians of his day and noted also as the 
author of the widely-quoted poem "Life's Race \\'c\\ 
Won." The first trustees were Rev. P. K. Cadv, rec- 
tor of Christ Church, Rev. R. F. Crary, of the Church 
of the Holy Comforter, Rev. S. H. Synnott, of St. 
Paul's Church, W^m. A. Davies, S. ]\I. Buckingham, 
R. Sanford, Dr. E. H. Parker, Benjamin \-&.\\ Loan, 
and ^^'inthrop Atwill. The hospital was first opened 
in Garden Street, then in 1S73 was transferred to 
108 North Clinton Street, which was purchased for 
$5,200. Although St. Barnabas Hospital was aban- 
doned when \^assar Hospital was opened, the organiza- 
tion is still in existence as the custodian of funds used 
for the relief of the needy sick at their homes. 



L'uy 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEBPSIB. 



The Old Ladies' Home has already been men- 
tioned in connection with the passing of the Dutchess 
County Academy. The building was purchased by 
Jonathan Warner for $14,000, and he also started the 
endowment fund with a contribution of $10,000. Mr. 
Warner was a member of the old Poughkeepsie War- 
ner family,^ and had returned here to live after mak- 
ing a modest fortune elsewhere. The Home was in- 
corporated December i, 1870, with the following trus- 
tees : Jonathan Warner, George Van Kleeck, and 
Charles W' . Swift, of the Reformed Church ; James 
H. Dudley and Abraham Wiltsie, of the Congrega- 
tional Church : Matthew Vassar, Jr., and John F. Hull, 
of the Baptist Church ; Stephen M. Buckingham and 
Edgar M. \''an Kleeck, of the Episcopal Church ; Wil- 
liam W. Re\'noIds and Albert B. Harvey, of the 
Methodist Church ; Joseph Flagler and George Corlies 
of the Friends Society. 

The building was of course considerably altered 
for its new use, but the only change in its external 
appearance was the veranda in front of the second 
floor. 

The Hudson River St.\te Hospitae. 

The erection of a State Hospital for the Insane 
somewhere along the Hudson River was authorized by 
the Legislature in 1866. but its location was left to a 
commission with power to obtain the most advan- 
tageous terms from the rival counties. It was brought 
to Poughkeepsie only after a considerable struggle 
on the part of the enterprising men of the day. When 
the Dutchess County Supervisors met in November 
the contest had narrowed down to Poughkeepsie and 
Newbin-gh. The site most favorably considered com- 
prised two hundred acres belonging to James Roose- 
velt, about a mile north of the citv. The city and 
county were asked to pa)' $30,000 towards its purchase 
and on November i6th a paper, signed by Mayor fu- 
nis, the aldermen and a committee of citizens who 
pledged themselves to raise this amount, was sub- 
mitted to the Supervisors, who were asked to issue 
county bonds for two-fifths of the amount. The al- 
dermen who signed this paper were S. B. Wheeler, 
Sidney Fowler, Daniel Clifford, Robert Slee, Oscar 
,\. Fowler, \\'illiam Shields, Jfjseph Yi. Marshall, E. 
P. I'lOgardus, P. G. Beneway and Samuel Tuthill, and 
the citizens Cornelius Duliois, B. J. Lossing, George 
Corlies, E. L. Beadle, J. P. H. Tallman and George 
Lmis. 

The Board of Supervisors passed a resolution Dc- 



iSee p.ige 67. One of Jonatliaii Warner's sistcr.s married 
Henry Swift, the well known attorney mentioned several 
times in Chapters VI and VII. 



cember 4th, to issue $12,000 of county bonds, but 
Orange County raised its offer, and after overcoming 
considerable opposition from Eishkill and other towns 
whose Supervisors did not see how their sections could 
be benefited, the board reconsidered its action and 
voted to issue bonds for two-fifths of the amount need- 
ed, "said two-fifths not to exceed $34,000." The ex- 
penses of the site were stated to be $80,000. By the 
time it had been definitely ascertained that the re- 
quired amount would be raised it was too late on Sat- 
urday afternoon, December 29th, to catch a train for 
Newburgh, where the commission was in session, 
and about to decide the question of location. Nothing 
daunted, a telegram was sent asking the commission 
to wait for the arrival of a committee from Pough- 
keepsie. George Morgan brought out two of his 
"quick steppers," and a two-seated sleigh, and with 
John P. H. Tallman, Alderman Slee and George W. 
Davids, began at 6 p. m. a memorable drive to New- 
burgh. Mr. Davids, describing it a day or two later, 
wrote : "The night was a terrible one, the wind blow- 
ing a perfect hurricane and the snow drifting heavil)'. 
Twice we got off the road, the snow blinding us in 
such a manner, and the track blown so full, that it 
was utterly impossible in some places to find the 
way." 

Reaching Fishkill Landing after 9 o'clock thev 
found that the ferry had ceased its regular trips and was 
only running occasionally to keep the ice from block- 
ing it. The captain was at length found and informed 
the party that he would probably start in about an 
hour. "He was persuaded to go at once." Mr. 
Davids does not mention the persuasive force, but the 
story afterwards told placed it at $50. The commis- 
sion had about given up the Poughkeepsie committee 
when they finally arrived, and after a conference last- 
ing until I a. m. at the Orange Hotel, Poughkeepsie 
secured the prize. 

Work began at the hospital site the following 
summer, and in 1871 a part of the main building was 
opened. In June, 1872, sixty patients were reported 
and a large amount of work was still in progress. 
The State Hospital has been constantly increased in 
size until now it has a population of something over 
2,000 patients. The money disbursed to laboring men 
in its construction has been a factor of importance 
in local business, and its large force of physicians, 
nurses and attendants add much to the life of the city. 
Dr. Joseph M. Cleaveland was made the superinten- 
dent at the opening and remained until about ten 
years ago, when he was succeeded by Dr. Charles W. 
Pilgrim. The first board of managers, in 1867, was 



HISTORY OF POUGHKBEPSIE 



209 



Dr. Charles R. Agnew and Dr. A. Cook Hull, of New 
York, State Treasurer William A. Howland, of Mat- 
teawan, Mayor George Clark, of Newburgh, Flon. A. 
W. Palmer, of Amenia, Dr. Bedell and Cornelius Du- 
Bois, of Poughkeepsie. The architects were Vaux, 
Withers & Co., of New York. 

Manufacturing and Othur Industries. 

Naturall}^ during this period all local manfacturing 
industries that survived the war were prosperous and 
many new ones were started, some of which survived 
the panic of 1873, ^"d have continued to increase in 
importance. The sash, blind and door manufacture 
and the wheelbarrow industries are among these. 
There were sash and blind manufactories before the 
war, William Beardsley being one of the pioneers. 
Swart & Lumb began the sash and blind business in 
1866 on North Water Street, where it is still carried 
on b}' George W. Lumb' & Son. The Levi Lumb 
factor\-. opposite the railroad station on Main Street, 
is a later offshoot from the same business. William 




THOMAS McWHINNIE. 

Harloe began making wheelbarrows in South Water 
Street in 1865 and in 1869 the factory came into pos- 
session of the present proprietor, Thomas McWhin- 
nie.2 The Barratt paper factory started in 1866 in 
the Red Mills and afterwards moved to Rose Street. 

One of the new industries from which great things 
were expected but in which many Poughkeepsie peo- 
ple lost money was the Eureka Mowing Machine Com- 

U'or hiographical sketch see Appendix. 
■'See Appendix. 



pany, also located in the Red Mills buildings. John 
D. Wilber was the inventor of the Eureka and its 
chief promoter was his brother, Mark D. Wilber. Its 
capital was $300,000, and the officers in March, 1870, 
when the company started business, were : Isaac W. 
White, president; M. D. Wilber, vice-president; W. 
W. Hegeman, secretary ; F. K. Stevens, treasurer ; 
John D. Wilber, superintendent. Directors : Isaac 
W. White, C. S. Van Wyck, W. W. Hegeman, IMilton 
A. Fowler, Francis K. Stevens, Nathaniel Lamoree, 
John D. Wilber, Elias S. DeGarmo, Christopher 
Hughes, Robert Sanford, Thomas Doty, Paul Flag- 
ler and M. D. Wilber. The Eureka Mower was 
built upon a new principle, cutting by direct draft be- 
hind the horses, which were driven wide apart, one of 
them walking in the standing grass. The cut grass 
was left untouched, and the claim was made that it 
would cure more quickly and evenly than grass cut by 
other machines. 

Another important enterprise that failed was The 
Hudson River Iron Company, incorporated in 1872 
with a capital of $400,000. Its officers at the perma- 
nent organization in August of that year were : Rich- 
ard P. Bruff, president; Thomas S. Lloyd, vice-presi- 
dent, and George Parker, secretary. The first named 
was described as "of the firm of Russell & Erwin, 
manufacturers," and the last two of Poughkeepsie. 
The company projected a large plant to include rolling 
mills and blast furnaces, and purchased the old Liv- 
ingston place south of the city, the last of Colonel 
Henry A. Livingston's daughters having died a few 
years before. The rolling mill and puddling furnaces 
were erected and in operation before the panic, but the 
company was not able to carry out all its plans. 

A much greater factor in the prosperity of Pough- 
keepsie for many years was the Whitehouse Shoe Fac- 
tory, the contract for the erection of which was given 
in December, 1870, to J. I. \^ail. Mr. ^^^^itehouse, as 
already stated, was the owner of shoe factories else- 
where and with an established reputation his Pough- 
keepsie factory was soon employing a large number of 
hands. The original buildings were struck by light- 
ning and burned in 1879, but were rebuilt, and arc 
now in the possession of the American Cigar Com- 
pany, the shoe business having declined after the 
death of Mr. Whitehouse, as explained in the next 
chapter. 

Minor establishments of this period were the -Vl- 
bertson Edge Tool Works, started in 1868 opposite 
the gas works in Bayeaux Street, by B. Albertson, and 
the plow factory incorporated in 1870 by C. W. Swift, 
William .\. Davies, George Innis, John F. Winslovs , 



210 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEEPSIE. 



J. O. Whitehouse, M. Vassar, Jr., E. L. Beadle, 

F. W. Pugsley, S. M. Buckingham, Isaac Piatt Smith, 
John Brill and John T. Hooper. This company manu- 
factured the L,. Green patent p'.ow at the old Coffin 
foundry, corner of INIill and Delafield Streets, near 
where No. 4 Engine House now stands, but in spite of 
the array of prominent men among its incorporators 
was never a very conspicuous success. 

Some local industries that have been curtailed by 
the competition of the West, or by that of greater 
and more favorably located establishments were ap- 
parently at the height of their prosperity before 1873. 
The wagon and chair making, and cooperage indus- 
tries were among these. The Chichester Chair Fac- 
tory, on South Front Street, was one of the chief es- 
tablishments of the kind in Poughkeepsie, and the 
building of a railroad from Kingston into the Cats- 
kill Mountains brought new sources of supply of suit- 
able materials, and also caused the establishment of a 
plant at Chichester, where a number of Poughkeepsie 
men found employment, and from which they occa- 
sionally contributed accounts of their adventures with 
bears and wildcats to the Poughkeepsie newspapers. 
The Chichester factory was once or twice burned and 
rebuilt. 

Along the river front the era of railroad building, 
which reached its climax between 1870 and 1873, ^^'^^ 
beginning to make changes. The Hudson River Rail- 
road was double-tracked from Poughkeepsie to Al- 
bany soon after the war and freight rates from the 
West began to fall. ^V. W. Reynolds & Son gave 
up running a steamboat to Alban\- and in 1871 built 
their brick warehouse and elevator opposite the rail- 
road station, abandoning the river as a means of ob- 
taining western grain and flour. William T. Rey- 
nolds, ^ now the senior member of the firm, had been 
a partner in the business since i860. The three com- 
peting firms running freight boats to New York had 
begun to show signs of approaching consolidation 
about 1867, when the Upper and Main Street Landing 
firms bought the Lower Landing. The steamboats 
Hasbrouck and Miller had been built in 1862 and 
1864, to take the places of the boats sold to the gov- 
ernment during the war. The former was running 
from the Upper Landing and the latter from Main 
Street. The steamer Transit had been running from 
the Lower Landing under the management of John 
H. Mathews, and when the attempt was made to 
close this landing a new firm was organized, with Isaac 

G. Sands, Joel Winans, James Collingwood and Pat- 
rick Mclntvre as partners, in May. 1867, to take the 

1 For biograpliical skctcli see Appendix. 



boat and run it from the old Southwick dock, next 
north of the former landing place. This competition 
was apparently not very successful, and in 1871 
Doughty, Cornell & Co., of the Upper Landing, and 
Gaylord, Doty & Co., of Main Street, were in combi- 
nation to serve the Lower Landing by leaving the Has- 
brouck or Miller there a part of each day for freight. 
In 1872 the Lower Landing was abandoned entirely. 
In 1873 Joseph C. Doughty, of the Upper Landing 
firm, died and his interest was purchased by Homer 
Ramsdell, of Newburgh, who formed the Poughkeep- 
sie Transportation Company, putting both boats in 
service from Main Street the next 3'ear. 

Growth and Municip,\l Improvement — The 
W.^TER AND Sewer Systems. 

From 1865 to 1870 the population of Poughkeep- 
sie increased twenty -five per cent, a rate more rapid 
than for any previous half decade. The census figures 
for 1865 were 16,073 ^"d for 1870, 20,088. Some 
doubt has been thrown upon the accuracy of the fig- 
ures for 1870, because of the difficulty of increasing 
them in subsequent census )'ears. It has been said 
that the census of 1870 was padded in order to obtain 
free postal delivery, and the figures were certainly 
rather surprisingly large. Said the Eagle in Septem- 
ber, 1870: "Few, however, of our citizens supposed 
wc could reach 20,000, and the result is all the more 
gratifying because unexpected." Possibly some por- 
tion of the large transient population of students may 
have been counted — the real population was at that 
time 1,200 or 1,500 more than the legal population, and 
the number of people actually living in Poughkeepsie 
since the war has alwa3'S been considerably greater 
than the census figures have shown. 

It seems strange that the city could have got along 
without a water supply suitable for household use up 
to this time. The matter had several times been con- 
sidered, but events had conspired to postpone action. 
In 1855 James Emott, Henry D. Varick and William 
H. Talhnadge, appointed by the Common Council, 
employed an engineer to examine all available sources 
of supply, and published an interesting report in which 
they favored "Morgan's Pond," which was not Mor- 
gan Lake, but the old mill pond referred to in earlier 
chapters and now called \^assar College Lake. Bas- 
ing their calculations on an average daily per capita 
consumption of 35 gallons, and allowing for an in- 
drease of population of 15 per cent every five years, 
the committee estimated that this body of "pure 
spring water ' would supply the city's needs until 1880 
at least. It was perhaps fortunate that the panic of 




WILLIAM T. REYNOLDS. 



212 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEEPSIE 



1857 and the war prevented the carrying out of these 
plans. 

Soon after the war the matter came up again, and 
an act providing for a board of water commissioners, 
with power to borrow $200,000, was passed in 1867. 
Again financial stringency caused delay and in 1869 
another act was passed by the Legislature, naming 
Dr. Edward L. Beadle, Stephen M. Buckingham, Ed- 
ward Storm, Abraham Wright, Edgar M. Van Kleeck 
and James H. Weeks as commissioners, with authority 
to borrow money, if a taxpayers' vote, to be held July 
13th, should be favorable. Then began a series of 
public meetings, two of which were held in the Opera 
House, at which Mr. Eastman, Assemblyman W. W. 
Hegeman, Judge Allard Anthony and Mayor Clark, 
of Newburgh, were among the chief speakers. One 
gathers froin some of the speeches that Poughkeepsie 
had a rather unpleasant reputation for fevers at that 
time. Mr. Hegeman said, "He did not believe there 
was a natural well in Poughkeepsie that was fit for 
use for family purposes," and Mr. Eastman said that 
when he was expatiating upon the advantages of 
Poughkeepsie in New York he was frequently met 
with the statement that Poughkeepsie had fine schools, 
churches, etc., "but, oh, how sickly!" The taxpa)'ers 
were all but unanimous at the special election, voting 
544 for water, and only 43 against. Ma5'or Morgan 
was given a good deal of credit for the result, and 
when the votes had been counted he was serenaded at 
his home at College Hill Hotel. It was somewhere 
about this time that he constructed Morgan Lake, on 
the east side of College Hill, for the purpose, it is 
said, of selling it to the city as a part of its water sup- 
ply. 

The board organized by electing Dr. Beadle presi- 
dent, and employed J. B. G. Rand as engineer, asso- 
ciating Theodore W. Davis, son of Frederick Davis, 
cashier of the Farmers' and Manufacturers' Bank, 
and James P. Kirkwood, of New York, with him. 
Kirkwood was a well-known engineer and a specialist 
in the installation of water supplies. He had visited 
and studied the water supply systems abroad, and was 
particularly familiar with the systems of slow filtra- 
tion through sand emplo3ed by some of the water 
companies at London, England. It was on his ad- 
vice that the Hudson River was selected as the source 
of supplv, after a careful examination of the Fall Kill 
and Wappingers, with the installation of a system of 
slow sand filtration. 

The two filters constructed by John Sutcliffci at 
that Innc at the pumping station, on land previously 



belonging to the Swain estate, a mile north of the city, 
were the first of their kind in the country, and are 
about the only filters which have survived all changes 
of expert opinion from that da)' to this. The)' have 
been continuously in service until the close of the 
year 1904, and during 1905 will be reconstructed and 
covered. Originallv expected only to clarify the water, 




iFor hiagrapliical skclcli sec Appendix. 



The Filter Beds, p/wlographcd about iSy^. 

they have been found equall}' serviceable in the re- 
moval of harmful bacteria. The choice of James P. 
Kirkwood as a consulting engineer in 1870 was, there- 
fore, an exceedingly fortunate one. The pumps were 
started for trial July 4th, 1872, but it was not until 
several months later that the first water tap was put 
in to serve the house of the president of the water 
board, Mr. Edward Storm, in South Liberty Street. 
Physicians, like Robert K. Tuthill, who remember 
the conditions preceding the introduction of the water 
supply testify that the health of the city was consider- 
abh' improved by it, though the prejudice against the 
river water was so strong that wells and cisterns were 
abandoned by very slow degrees. Theodore W. 
Davis remained in charge of the water and sewer 
systems until t88i, when he was succeeded by the 
present City Engineer, Charles E. Fowler. 

The installation of the water and sewerage systems 
was the most notable public improvement of the 
period, but the Fall Kill improvement was also a great 
and very expensive change, and destroyed almost en- 
tirely the old-time usefulness of the stream for water 
power. I'elton's Pond, earlier Booth's, was the only 
one left, and even its area was greath' restricted. Its 
waters once extended across \\hat is now Duane 
Street, and on the early maps it is called "The Great 
Reservoir.'' The size of this pond was cut down again , 
in 1SS4, and it was finall\' filled in, when the dam was 
taken down in 1899. Not far above it was "Swift's 
Pond," which furnished power for the old factory 
at the end of Charles vStreet. This pond was some- 




JOHN SUTCUFFE. 



•214 



HISTORY OF POUGHKBEPSIB. 



times called by the boys "The Baptiser" from some 
former use as a place of immersion by the Baptists. 
Above Washington Street and extending to Garden 
was Parker's Mill Pond. Garden Street had been 
given its eastward bend from the corner of High 
Street to get around this pond, the upper end of 
which was most of the time a swamp and the stream 
emptied into the pond a hundred feet or more north 
of the present bridge. The Parker Mill had been 
burned a short time before the pond was filled up and 
the new mill was built not long afterwards, on the 
east side of Garden Street, where part of its ruins are 
incorporated into the building of the Ilygcia Ice Com- 
pany. Next to Pelton's the most important of the 
storage ponds was Lent's, or the Winnikee (originally 
Crannell's),! which furnished power for the Red Mills. 
By 1870 all of these water powers had decreased con- 
siderably in value and steam had come to be regarded 
as the only reliable force for driving machinery, but 
the owners of the ponds nevertheless received big 
damages from the city. In the report of the City 
Treasurer for the year 1871 the cost of walling and 
filling in the ponds was given as follows. 

Lent's Pond $21,415 90 

Parker's Pond 20,597 39 

Swift's Pond 8,817 61 

Pelton's Pond 21,776 08 

The cost of the water works up to the beginning 
of the year 1873 was $427,698.45, of the Fall Kill im- 
provement and draining the mill ponds, $114,923.40. 
and of the sewers $263,350.76. The Fall Kill im- 
provement was a public health measure, but it was a 
mistake to undertake it along with the water works, 
when all prices were high, and with interest at seven 
per cent. The rate of interest does not seem to have 
been considered at all, and probably few people had 
any idea the time would come when the c\'(-\ could bor- 
row at less than half the rate then prevailing. Nor 
were' these two works of municipal nccessit\' the only 
causes of the great debt under which the city so long 
staggered. At about the same time $600,000 in city 
bonds was pledged for the building of the Pough- 
keepsie and Eastern Railroad. 

The Pougiikeepsih .xnd E-\stern' and City R.\il- 

RO-\DS. 

A'arious attempts lo revive the project of 1832 for 
a railroad eastward from Poughkecpsie have already 
been mentioned. It came up with every period of 
good times, was urged in the newspapers and at meet- 
ings both in the cil\' and county. During and after 

iSee pp. 30 and 31. 



the war the iron mines in northeastern Dutchess and 
in western Connecticut were worked at a good profit, 
as were also the blast furnaces at Poughkecpsie. 
ISIost of the Harlem vallej' ore was smelted in char- 
coal furnaces in the neighborhood and shipped to 
New York by the Harlem Railroad, but as wood be- 
gan to grow more scarce an outlet to the Hudson 
River was sought, and in 1865 the mine owners built 
a piece of track about five miles long from the neigh- 
borhood of Boston Corners and announced that they 
would extend it to Pine Plains, there to await the de- 
cision of the rival schemes for a river terminus. "Will 
Poughkeepsie sleep and lose this grand prize?" asked 
the Eagle of November i8th. "Will you co-operate 
with the country and regain the trade of all that sec- 
tion of country which wishes to again come here, or 
will you disregard the opportunity?" Mark D. Wil- 
ber, then just elected Member of Assembly, was a 
strenuous advocate of the Poughkeepsie terminus, and 
so were Mayor Innis and H. G. Eastman, but the op- 
portunity was nevertheless disregarded at the critical 
time. Poughkeepsie capitalists were not at all sure 
they wanted to build to Pine Plains. It was a time 
of great prosperity among the farmers of Dutchess, 
and the enlistment of their capital seemed the princi- 
pal thing to be considered. The question of the east- 
ern terminus was almost as complicated, viewed from 
Poughkeepsie, as the western terminus was when 
viewed from the interior. Fanners from all the 
southern section, and from Hart's Village eastward, 
seemed to favor a railroad to Fishkill, and many 
Poughkeepsie people thought that they could be won 
over by building through the neighborhood of the 
Dutchess Turnpike to Amenia and Sharon, a section 
generally much better known here than that from Pine 
Plains to Boston Corners. Wassaic was also fre- 
quently' mentioned, though the several preliminary sur- 
veys always carried the road northward to the neigh- 
borhood of Copake or Boston Corners. As a result 
of a few enthusiastic meetings at Washington Hollow 
and elsewhere, P. P. Dickinson made a survey and his 
reiwrt, published in February, 1866, contains some in- 
teresting items. The total cost was estimated as 
$1,002,206.00, the chief items of which were: 

Graduation of road '. $338,190 00 

Track superstrrcture ... 336.976 80 

Right of way and fencing 55.040 00 

Salaries, office rents, etc.. during con- 
struction 20,000 00 

For purchase of 4>< miles of railroad of 

Columbia Co. Iron Mining Co 95,00000 

Loconintiycs, cars, tools, etc 157,000 00 



HISTORY OF POUGHKBEPSIE. 



215 



Among the estimated annual receipts were : 

Transportation of mill< 58,400 00 

Transportation of hay 32,000 00 

Transportation of iron ore 87,000 00 

Passengers' fares 41.558 40 

The name "Poughkccpsie and Eastern" seems to 
have originated witli tlie Eagle, which said on Janu- 
ary 20th, 1866, "We have heretofore, in speaking of 
the railroad from this city to Copake and Boston 
Corners, called it 'The Poughkeepsie and Copake 
Railroad.' " Continuing, the article mentions the 
probability of the extension of the railroad to Salis- 
bury and Falls Village, in Connecticut, or to Great 
Barrington, in Massachusetts, and concludes with the 
statement that the Eogic would hereafter name the 
road Tlie Poughkeepsie and Eastern "unless the com- 
pany when finally incorporated shall decide to give it 
another." 

The incorporation was completed in April with 
the following directors: George Innis, Isaac Piatt, 
James G. ^Vood, George Morgan, Harvey G. Eastman, 
and Robert F. Wilkinson, of J^oughkeepsie ; Pomeroy 
P. Dickinson, Birdsall Cornell and William Corwin, 
of New York; William Eno, Pine Plains; Piatt G. 
Van X'liet and Stephen T. .Angell, Pleasant X^alley ; 
James M. Welling, Washington; EHhu Griffin, Clin- 
ton ; Isaac Carjienter, .Stanford ; George IV-asley and 
Conrad N'iver. Ancram. At a meeting on April 28th, 
George Innis was elected President; George Morgan, 
Vice-President ; Isaac G. Sands, Treasurer ; Robert F. 
Wilkinson, Secretary ; Mark D. Wilber, Attorney, and 
P P. Dickinson, Chief Engineer. 

The campaign of meetings continued and the chief 
efiforts seem to have been still directed towards the 
farmers. Ma\or Innis, Mark D. Wilber, li. G. East- 
man and Isaac Platl were nearly alwa\s among the 
speakers at these meetings and occasionally others, in- 
cluding James Bowne, -V. L. Allen. Theodorus Greg- 
ory, Otis Bisbee, Jeremiah Eighmic, Lewis F. Streit 
and James Mabbelt were heard. The plan included a 
branch from Salt Point to Wassaic. to pass through 
or near \\'ashington Hollow and Hart's \'illage, but 
the promoters were never able to satisfy the people of 
those neighborhoods that this branch would be built. 
.'\s a bait to secure their support it was not success- 
ful, though a railroad to Hart's Village continued to 
be agitated up to the time of the beginning of the 
construction. In the meantime George 1 1. Brown 
and other promoters of the Fishkill railroad obtained 
substantial support, and managed to get their railroad 
well started before the panic of '07 came as a check 
to both enterprises. 



The Poughkeepsie and Eastern directors reported 
subscriptions of $220,000 in August, 1867, "leaving 
but $80,000 wanting to enable the directors to com- 
mence work." Had they started their efforts for sub- 
scriptions a little sooner, and a little more vigorously 
and with less division of counsel, they might have 
headed off the Dutchess and Columbia, but then it was 
too late. When the project was again pushed, a year 
or two later, the effort to obtain the amounts needed 
b}' subscription was given up for the favorite scheme 
of bonding towns and the city. Construction was be- 
gun in the spring of l86g on the first section, from 
Poughkeepsie to Salt Point. In July the work met a 
serious interruption in the defalcation of Walter 
Welsh, one of the sub-contractors, near Pleasant Val- 
ley. i\ccording to the newspapers, he managed to 
swindle the men in his employ, and various persons 
with whom he had dealings in the city and county, out 
of sums aggregating more than $20,000, and then dis- 
appeared. The workmen at the \"alley were in a riot- 
ous mood and one of them. Jack McDonald, seized a 
horse and wagon belonging to Welsh, and refused to 
give it up when it was demanded by Sheriff Ken- 
worthy. Company D, of the 21st Regiment, com- 
manded by Captain William Haubennestel, was finally 
called upon to restore order, and by its aid the property 
was recovered and McDonald and some others were 
arrested. 

\\'ork was resumed, but the directors had not de- 
cided just what direction the road should take from 
Salt Point until January, 1870, when the contract was 




J'oiig/ikt'ffisif t^J Eas/i'ni Station. 

given out for the section from Salt Point to Slissing. 
"Large and Enthusiastic" meetings were still held in 
favor of a proposed branch to ,\nienia and Sharon. 

The first locomoti\-e for the new railroad arri\'ed 
in P(_Highkeepsie in September, 1870, and was hauled 
b\' horses on a timber track to its destination. It was 
landed from a boat at the Lower Landing and George 
Polk, the ship builder, had the rather strenuous 



216 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEEPSIIi. 



contract of hauling it up the hill, via Pine Street and 
Montgomery to Hamilton, and thence across to the 
station. The railroad was completed to Stanfordville 
not long after this, the first cars were hauled up on 
the tracks of the Poughkeepsie City Railroad, and 
regular trains began running. On January 17th, 1871, 
regular trains, three in each direction, began running 
to Stissing, and on the 24th there was a grand celebra- 
tion of the opening of the first division of the road. 
This included an excursion and a banquet at the Opera 
House, at which George P. Pelton presided. Hon. 
Charles Wheaton, John F. Winslow, Hon. Homer A. 
Nelson, Hon. John Thompson, Hon. B. Piatt Car- 
penter, Hon. W. W. Hegeman, Col. George Parker, 
Rev. F. B. Wheeler, Rev. A. P. Van Gieson, Isaac 
Piatt, M. D. Wilber, H. G. Eastman and Dr. E. H. 
Parker were the local speakers, and George H. Brown, 
president of the Dutchess and Columbia Railroad, 
Grinnell Burt, vice-president of the Wallkill Valley 
Railroad, Daniel Thompson, president of the Middle- 
town and Crawford Railroad, Joel Benton, represent- 
ing Eastern Dutchess, and P. P. Dickinson, represent- 
ing the proposed bridge across the Hudson River, also 
spoke. After this outburst of enthusiasm and oratory 
there was a long halt before the railroad was continued 
to Boston Corners, and it was not until October, 1872, 
that trains began running to State Line, making di- 
rect connections through to Hartford. 

The years '69 to '73, when the P. and E. was finally 
constructed, form an era of railroad building all over 
the country. Poughkeepsie people were not confining 
their investments to local enterprises by any means, 
and long advertisements of Union Pacific and other 
western railroad bonds appeared in all the local papers. 
The bank cashiers usually acted as agents for these 
bonds and made a good deal of money from commis- 
sions. Besides the P. and E., the Dutchess and Co- 
lumbia and the Boston, Hartford and Erie, other 
neighboring manifestations of the craze were the Wall- 
kill Valley Railroad, the Rondout and Oswego (now 
Ulster and Delaware) and the Rhinebeck and Con- 
necticut. 

The new railroads made many changes in the coun- 
try and in the towns. Poughkeepsie streets were no 
longer lined with farmers' teams, and the steamboat 
lines gradually went out of the commission business. 
New settlements were created, including Millbrook, 
which was laid out in the summer of 1870 by Isaac 
Merritt, who owned the land and had succeeded in ob- 
taining the location of the Dutchess and Columbia 
station midway between the older hamlets of Hart's 
Village and Mechanic. As soon as the Dutchess and 
Columbia and Boston, Hartford and Erie were ac- 



complished facts Hopewell Junction made a begin- 
ning and old Fishkill began to lose standing. A rail- 
road from Poughkeepsie to Hopewell was then fre- 
quently urged in the Bagle, and also a railroad to 
New Paltz to recover the lost trade of the Wallkill 
Valley. 

A street railroad in Poughkeepsie was projected as 
soon as it became reasonably certain that the Pough- 
keepsie and Eastern would be built, and was first char- 
tered in 1866. Like other enterprises it was postponed 
by the panic of 1867 and finally organized under a 
charter granted May 6th, 1869. Its first directors 
were Plarvey G. Eastman, Aaron Innis, Oliver H. 
Booth, Alfred B. Smith, Homer A. Nelson, Isaac W. 
White, Pomero)- P. Dickinson, Robert W. Frost, John 
I. Piatt, Edward Storm, Mark D. Wilber, John P. 
H. Tallman and George H. Beattys. Efforts were 
made to prevent any one person or combination from 
obtaining control of the road, and in February, 1870, 
the directors announced that no subscription for more 
than $5,000 would be accepted. Evident!}' there was 
no very great difficult}' about raising the money, for 
in April a contract was made with Leach & Co., of 
Philadelphia, to build the entire line from the Hudson 
River Railroad depot to the Poughkeepsie and Eastern 
depot, and on May 14th it was stated that the work 
was progressing finely and the entire track would be 
laid in nine days. As already indicated it was finished 
in time to furnish an easy means of hauling up the 
first cars used upon the Poughkeepsie and Eastern 
railroad. 

The extension to Vassar College was made two 
years later and was rather a result of the real estate 
boom in the section east of Cherry Street than an 
effort to obtain fares from the College. March 2nd, 
1872, at a meeting of real estate owners interested 
John Grubb, Andrew King, M. H. Hitchcock, John 
Wing, Caleb Ballard, J. Hevenor, J. I. Pultz, J. Bar- 
nett and U. L. Ferguson were appointed a committee 
to solicit subscriptions. Other meetings were held and 
by September the work of building the tracks "to 
Bull's Head and Vassar College" was nearly finished. 
Then it was decided that "Bull's Head" was not a 
sufficiently dignified name for a suburb of such a thriv- 
ing city as Poughkeepsie, and the name was changed 
to East Poughkeepsie, now officially Arlington. 

The Rkai. Estate Boom. 

During the period between 1868 and 1873, with 
new enterprises constantly coming to the front, with 
important municipal improvements in progress, and 
with real estate advancing, comparison was often made 
with the da3's of the unfortunate Improvement Party 



HISTORY OP POUGHKEEPSIE 



SI'; 



of the 30's. The parallel was in many respects a good 
one. In H. G. Eastman, George Innis, Mark D. Wil- 
ber and others were to be found leaders quite as ag- 
gressive and sanguine as Oakley, Cunningham and 
Tallmadge, and if the later period produced no men 
of as much national prominence as Tallmadge, that 
was largely because Poughkeepsie was of far more 
relative importance in the State in 1830 than in 1870, 
though four times as large at the later date. Mr. 
Eastman had abundant faith in the future of the city. 
He expected to live to see Poughkeepsie a city of 
80,000, and perhaps even 100,000, and indeed if the 
place could gain twenty-five per cent, in population 
between 1865 and 1870, it seemed not unreasonable to 
suppose that with all the improvements made, with the 
new factories in full operation, the new railroad to 
the eastward and the great bridge giving it westward 
connections, the rate of growth after 1870 might be 
even more rapid. 

A Board of Trade was formed in April, 1872, and 
leased rooms in the Young Men's Christian Associa- 
tion building. By the 27th 160 members were re- 
ported, each of whom paid an initiation fee of $5. 
Matthew Vassar, Jr., was elected president, and the 
other directors were Otis Bisbee, Joseph C. Doughty, 
James H. Dudley, Charles Heath, E. H. Sedgwick, 
De Witt Webb, Edward Elsworth, George P. Pelton, 
M. J. Myers, James B. Piatt, George Innis, H. G. 
Eastman, J. Parker Heath, John P. Adriance, W. A. 
Fanning, Isaac W. White, Edward Storm, George 
Parker, R. W. Frost, James Marshall, George D. 
Hull and Richard Kenworthy. This board has contin- 
ued until the present time, but the social feature has 
been abandoned. 

Real estate was in good demand before 1867, and 
in 1869 the demand began to assume something of the 
proportions of a boom. A number of streets that 
had been forgotten since they were mapped in 1835- 
37 were graded, and provided with houses, and new 
sections of farm lands were divided into lots and 
sold at auction. This was the period of the opening 
of the eastern section of the city, as already implied in 
the account of the extension of the Cit\- Railroad. The 
Easilc of April 17th, 1869, under the head of "City 
Improvements," says, "The spirit of improvement 
seems reccnll\' to have taken possession of the holders 
of property in that section of the city lying east of 
Clinton Street," and adds "Virginia Avenue has been 
handsomely graded and a number of elegant houses 
erected thereon. * * * A gang of men is busily 
at work grading Church Street from Clinton Street 
east to its junction with Main Street." Old Cherry 
Street is described as "bracing up" and "a spacjous 



avenue has been opened from Cherry Street to Vassar 
College." This was, of course, "College Avenue," the 
east end of which was not ready for use until June. 
Robert N. Palmer and Cornelius DuBois were among 
the leading property owners on the new avenue. Jew- 
ett Avenue was put through, from Main Street to the 
Alms House, about the same time, and on May 12, 
1869, a part of the Alms House property (the old 
County House land) bordering on Main Street was 
sold at auction in lots. Mark H. Hitchcock bought 
the old "overseer's residence" on Main Street for 
$3,315- J- H. Horsfall purchased about $3,000 worth 
of these lots and in 1872 sold them at auction for 

$7,524-50. 

The chief impetus to the opening of this section 
of the city was given by the division of the estate of 
William Worrall, who had lived in the house which 




JACOB CORUES. 
(Si'c Appendix for biographical skclcli.) 

was originally built for the "Glebe House," or resi- 
dence of the first minister of Christ Church (see p. 
24). The sale of that part of the Worrall property 
lying south of Main Street, June 24th, 1869, was de- 
scribed as "the largest sale of real estate at auction 
that has ever taken place in this city." One hundred 
and ten acres were sold, including thirty-six lots on 
Worrall Avenue, si.xteen on the south side of ]\'Iain 
Street, and a number on College .-Vvenue. George 
Innis, Walter Corlies, Henry D. Myers, A. J. Hans- 
com and F. Ulrich, were the largest purchasers for 



218 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEEPSLE. 



speculation. The sale realized $72,911.75, and the 
highest prices paid were $13.55 a foot on College 
Avenue, and $11.75 o" Worrall Avenue. Messrs. 
Andrew King and Jacob Corlies purchased 42 acres 
of land on the north side of Main Street, and George 
Innis bought a similar tract adjoining. Innis and 
Corlies Avenues, Maple Street and King Street were 
laid out and planted with trees not long afterwards. 
Hammersley Avenue was an example of a street sur- 
veyed, and planted with maples, but not opened until 
some fifteen years later. Thomas Clegg and Robert 
N. Palmer were the executors of the Worrall estate, 
but John Grubb, Mr. Worrall's son-in-law, was the 
leading promoter of the neighborhood. 

Main Street beyond Clinton had been until this time 
in the control of the Dutchess Turnpike .Company, 
which was described in the article of April i6th, 1869, 
as "standing in the way of all improvements," but 
was now "pushed beyond the city limits." In 1872 the 
street was curbed and guttered and flagged (on the 
north side) to the city line at a cost of $7,638.15, for 
the north side, and $3,814.15 for the south side. 
Blue stone or flag walks were characteristic improve- 
ments of this period, and several of the streets upon 
which lots had been sold were provided with them 
well out into the country. North Hamilton and 
North Clinton Streets, for example, were flagged on 
both sides through to North Street, though a large 
part of the property fronting the northern section of 
each has remained unimproved, and the sidewalks 
there have often been called "relics of the Eastman 
boom." An ordinance was passed at this time forbid- 
ding the repair of the brick walks in the older streets 
and providing for their replacement by stone when 
worn out. Only a very few patches of irregular 
bricks remain to-day, as reminders of the past. 

In 1872 an attempt was made to enlarge the bound- 
aries of the cit}^ — the only serious attempt, I think, 
since the incorporation of the village in 1799. On 
January 27th James Marshall, John I. Piatt and C. S. 
Van Wyck, who had been appointed a committee to 
consider the subject, reported in favor of the follow- 
ing lines : 

"Commencing at the center and west side of the 
culvert crf)ssing the Hudson River Railroad at the 
southwest corner of the Poughkeepsie Rural Ceme- 
tery, thence easterly in a direct line to the junction 
of the New Hackensack and Vassar College roads, 
thence northeast in a direct line to the elm tree on the 
Manchester road near the Dutchess Turnpike, thence 
northerh' in a direct line to the junction of the Salt 
Point road and a cross road near the Roman Catholic 
Cemetcrv, thence northwest in a direct line to the 
centre and east side of a culvert crossing the Hyde 



Park road over Ware's Creek, north of the Hudson 
River State Hospital, and following the said creek to 
the river." 

This report was accepted by the Common Council, 
but the effort to pass it in the Legislature was defeated 
by the opposition of some of the leading residents in 
the section it was proposed to annex. 

In architecture this was the period of the Mansard 
or French roof, just as the fashion of the 30's de- 
manded Grecian pillars and porticos. Many an old 
gable-roofed building was given an additional story by 
aid of the Mansard and most of the new houses were 
so built, three stories high, generally, with basements. 
It became the highest enterprise to build rows of 
brick basement houses. John Gager was one of the 
leading promoters of such buildings, and the row of 
houses on the southeast corner of Mill and Garden 
Streets are still sometimes called the Gager houses. 




Eastman Terrace in iSj^. 

as are also some of the houses on the north side of 
Mill Street near Conklin. Gager was in financial 
straits as early as November, 1872, when he sold "the 
Gager Club House," in Garden Street, which is said 
to have cost $14,000, to Joseph N. Corliss for $10,- 
000. 

The most notable folly of the day was Mr. East- 
man's splendid block known as Eastman Terrace. 
Facing his beautiful park he planned an imposing 
block of twenty-three four-story-and-basement 
houses, to cost in the neighborhood of $400,000. 
Ground was graded and excavations made for all, but 
only ten were started. These had been finished in the 
spring of 1873, at a cost of about $150,000. Mr. 
Eastman expected to be able to sell them to New York 
people at about $18,000 each, and failing in this he 
undertook to sell them at auction early in July. lienry 
W. Morris was the auctioneer of the period, and did 
his best, aided by the Eastman College Band, and an 
elaborate luncheon, served in one of the houses. There 
was a large crowd present, but the prices offered were 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEEPSIE. 



219 



so far short of Mr. Eastman's expectations that he 
stopped the sale. Ten thousand dollars was offered 
for No. I, and Mr. Eastman declared that he had re- 
fused $12,000 for it at private sale. The houses were 
not finally disposed of until 1874, and represented a 
loss of at least $60,000. Probably by the time of the 
auction real estate had already begun to decline, though 
earlier in the year many sales were reported in the news- 
papers. The Eagle of February 15th said: "We do 
not remember when there has been more activity in 
real estate than this spring." Among the sales of 
business property at that time were the following: 
Hon. James Emott to James Collingwood, old Emott 
place on Market Street, "now occupied by W. R. 
Woodin,' opposite the end of Cannon Street; "Man- 
sion House," corner of Main and Clover Streets, to 
James Mulrein at auction for $11,000; store of Deyo 
Smith, Main Street, to P. M. Howard, $18,000 ; build- 
ing corner of North Hamilton and Main Streets to 
N. Hoffman, $26,000. 

The new buildings erected on Main and Market 
Streets during this period gave those streets nearly 
their present appearance in some sections. A notable 
change was occasioned by the burning of the old 




Corner 0/ li/aiii and harden Streets, after the Fire oj 
December 26, iSyo. 

wooden stores on the north side of Main Street, east 
of Garden, on Monday evening, December 26th, 1870. 
The fire started in the saloon of George \V. Cannon, 
and "in about two hours 'i' * * all the buildings 
from Frost & Parish's building to the corner of Gar- 
den Street were gutted." Archibald Wilson's book- 
store, founded by Paraclete Potter, Morgan E. Far- 
num's drug store and Liberty Hyde's shoe store were 
among the leading places of business burned out. Mr. 
Wilson reopened in Liberty Street, at the site of the 
present Eagle building. The Eoi^le wa? already lo- 



cated in Liberty Street, having erected the building 
now occupied by the A. V. Haight Printing Company 
in 1868. Morgan L. Farnum reopened his drug store 
in the Morgan House block. He was one of the lead- 
ing characters of the day and some of "Morg" Far- 
num's stories are still current. Among other losers 
at the fire were M. Shwartz, already located where 
he has since remained. The Poughkeepsic Adi'crtiscr, 
R. Dann, John S. Myers, J. D. Melrose, R. Spring, E. 
R. Pease, Miss E. Bates, P. Lamper, H. Kimball, H. 
Zimmer and Thomas Wyatt. Mrs. Enoch Pardee 
owned the corner buildings and her loss was given as 
$15,000. This fire was fought with the old water 
supply and had its influence in hastening the con- 
struction of the new system. Judge Nelson was re- 




Old Buildings on the site of Kirchner Hall. 

ported as having worked long and faithfull)' on the 
brakes of old Protection No. i Engine. 

The building of the present Pardee Block of hand- 
some stores added considerably to the activity of the 
times. James S. Post had the contract for the corner 
building, which was finished in April, 1872, when 
Reed & \'an Vliet opened a bookstore where Peter 
r>. Havt is now established. The Kirchner building was 
finished at the end of the same year, and the 21st Regi- 
ment, which had been quartered at the old carriage 
factory, where the Sanitary Fair had been held, took 
possession of the upper floors. After the war Mr. 
Burnap had for a time revived the carriage industry 
in the old "armorx," but in 1870 he sold his handsome 
place opposite "Springside" to Dr. John P. .Atwater, 
of New Haven, Ct., and moved awa)- from Pough- 
keepsic. In Market Street the Mulrein building was 
built in 1869 and 1870, and the Savings Bank in 1870- 
71. (Sec article in Appendix about the Savings 
Bank). 

The PouGHKEEPSie Bridge. 

The crowning enterprise of the period was the 
beginning of the great bridge across the Hudson, 



i-2(i 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEEPSIE 



suggested'^ as soon as the Poughkeepsie and Eastern 
Railroad became a certainty, and from 1868 on dis- 
cussed from time to time in tlie newspapers. It seem- 
ed evident that a bridge would be constructed across 
the river somewhere in or north of the Highlands, and 
enterprising residents of Poughkeepsie immediately 
went to work to show the advantages of the location 
here. P. P. Dickinson took it up as an engineer early 
in 1 87 1, and then Harvey G. Eastman went into the 
project with all his tremendous energy. On the 15th 
of February he wrote a letter, published in the Eagle, 
in which he said, "I am satisfied that this project can 
be accomplished and secured to our city if we are 
awake to our own interests." On the 7th of March Mr. 
Eastman was elected Mayor, following George Mor- 
gan, then State Senator, and, assisted by P. P. Dick- 
inson and John I. Piatt, at once went to work to draft 
a charter for the proposed bridge company. It was 
pushed rapidly through the Legislature and became a 
law on May nth, 1871. The incorporators were 
Harve)' G. Eastman, George Innis, John F. Winslow, 
John O. Whitehouse, Homer A. Nelson, John I. Piatt, 
Isaac W. White, George R. Gaylord, Oliver H. Booth, 
William A. Davies, John M. Toucey, John P. Adri- 
ance, Alfred B. Smith, Charles Wheaton, Henry D. 
Varick, Abraham Wright, Charles Kirchner, Charles 
W. Swift, George Corlies, James Mulrein, Robert 
Slee, Allard Anthony, Edward Storm, George P. Pel- 
ton, P. P. Dickinson, James G. Wood, Aaron Innis, 
Hudson Taylor, Mark D. Wilber, George Parker, 
James Collingwood, Matthew Vassar, Walter Van 
Kleeck, Charles H. Roberts, Lawrence C. Rapelje, 
Anning Smith, Abraham Hasbrouck and George Corn- 
well. The first officers of the company, elected on 
May 31st, were John F. Winslow, president; Harvey 
G. Eastman, vice-president ; Robert F. Wilkinson, sec- 
retar}' ; and George Innis, treasurer. The executive 
committee, John F. Winslow, H. G. Eastman, J. M. 
Toucey, George P. Pelton, Homer A. Nelson, Isaac 
\y. White and Charles Wheaton, went ahead with pre- 
liminary surveys, appointing Horatio Allen chief en- 
gineer. Up to this time nothing but a suspension 
bridge had been thought of, and an amendment had 
been incorporated in the charter, through the influence 
of the boatmen, prohibiting piers in the river, but as 
no bridge of that kind had ever been built with a span 
of more than 1,000 feet, capable of sustaining railway 
trains, Mr. .Mien declined at the outset to sanction a 
single span bridge. His plans called for two piers in 

iThe first suggestion that attracted notice was an article 
written by John I. Piatt, in the Eagle of January 22, iS58. 
This started a discussion. For full history of the Bridge en- 
terprise see Souvenir Eagle issued October, i88g. 



the river, with a span of 1,200 feet between them, the 
shore anchorages to be 700 to 725 feet from the river 
piers. The estimated cost for a single track bridge 
was $2,300,000. Further legislation was necessary in 
order to sanction any piers in the river, and Captain 
James B. Eads, whose great St. Louis Bridge over the 
Mississippi was then nearing completion, strongly ad- 
vised a truss, instead of a suspension bridge, and urged 
that an effort be made to get the Legislature to au- 
thorize the placing of four piers in the river. The op- 
position of all the river steamboat and towing interests 
was sure to be strong and determined, and Mayor 
Eastman was nominated and elected Member of As- 
sembly in the fall of 1871, in order to place him in a 
position to exert his utmost influence for the amend- 
ment. The story of the great legislative battle which 
followed has been fully told in the Souvenir Eagle, and 
it is sufficient to say that after many hearings the op- 
position was overcome and the amendment was signed 
by Governor John T. Hoffman on May 25th, 1872. 
The frontispiece in Philip H. Smith's History of 
Dutchess County, a view of Poughkeepsie from Col- 
lege Hill, .shows the suspension bridge first planned, as 
well as other things planned but never built. 

Then came efforts to raise money, and the rail- 
roads west of the Hudson showed a friendly spirit in 
strong contrast with their attitude after the bridge had 
been built. The Erie, however, was then laid with a 
six-foot gauge, and the Midland, later the Ontario & 
Western, was in financial difficulties, but the Pennsyl- 
vania, the most important of all, was looking for a 
New England connection and had already appointed a 
committee to find one. A. L. Dennis, of Newark, N. 
J., was chairman, and Andrew Carnegie one of the 
members of this committee. John I. Piatt was au- 
thorized to negotiate with them and as a result they 
made a careful investigation, and recommended that 
the Pennsylvania should subscribe to the bridge stock. 
I'ooks were opened June 30th, 1873, by H. G. East- 
man, George P. Pelton and Hudson Taylor, commis- 
sioners. A. L. Dennis and J. Edgar Thompson, 
president of the Penns\lvania Railroad, headed the 
subscription list with 5,500 shares each, aggregating 
$1,100,000, and as the total capitalization then was but 
$2,000,000, this gave them control and apparently as- 
stired the success of the enterprise. September 5th 
a new board of directors was chosen: J. Edgar 
Thompson, Thomas A. Scott, Andrew J. Cassatt and 
Strickland Kneass, of Philadelphia ; A. L. Dennis, of 
Newark; Andrew Carnegie, of Pittsburgh; Charles G. 
Francklyn, David Solomon and Gardner F. McCand- 
Icss, of New York; H. G. Eastman, George V Pel- 



HISTORY OF POUGHKBEPSIE 



221 




^ ' 

O c f^ B R « OCC*^ 

THE WORLD fcT LAKof, 



' Kf»T. 



' I"' ,^ utRf >«"■'- ""' 






■WatWCRf ^^Y TOIL. 

COAixor-Tcin ,iit.i>n^ 

BOW« EAiT WiJ.;, RBi,L „ 

LASCL /(NO SMALL, . 
W<Ll StfOWftetL gjtcK 




Cartoon by H 'alter Adriance, piiblis/icd after the Failure oj the First Bridge Coiiipa 



ny. 



ton, Georc^e Innis and P. P. Dickinson, of Pough- 
keepsie. 

Mr. Dennis was elected president, and the corner- 
stone on Reynolds Hill was laid with Masonic cere- 
mony December 17th by Grand Master James W. Hus- 
ted, in the presence of a great concourse of people. 
The celebration was one of the greatest that has ever 
taken place in Poiighkeepsie. Besides officials of the 
Pennsylvania Railroad and other prominent men from 
Philadelphia, there were present Ma3'or L. P. Butler, 
of Boston, Mayor H. C. Robinson, of Hartford, Gov- 
ernor A. H. Hollcy, of Connecticut, and many men 
scarcely less prominent. The closing event was a 
great banquet at the Opera House, with many enthus- 
iastic speeches, and a large audience in the galleries. 

Bv this time, however, that administralion of the 
Bridge company was already doomed. The panic of 
1873 had begun on September i8th with the failure of 
Jav Cooke & Co.. in New York, and values cx'crywhere 
had begun to shrink seriously. The Pennsylvania 
Railroad might \et have held to its contract had it 
not been for the death of its president, J. Edgar 
Thompson, before arrangements could be made to 
transfer the indix-idual subscriptions to the company. 



but then the increasing financial difficulties caused the 
stockholders, at a meeting held, to refuse to assume any 
new obligations. 

Soci-VL Life, Sports an-d Clubs. 

It was natural during the time of so much enter- 
prise and money making that expenditure in enter- 
tainments and pleasures should be liberal. The city 
is said to have been much more lively then than it is 
now. Entertainments were given on a larger scale, 
and the cost was not so closely counted. Mayor East- 
man gave free band concerts every Saturdav evening 
in the park, and usually also a reception at his house 
to the students at the college. On New Year's dav he 
kept open house and so did other public men, while 
the custom of making New Year's calls was general. 
Drinking and gambling were more common, and con- 
sidered better form than now, though not so much so 
as before the war. 

Out-of-door sports of all sorts flourished, and had 
a larger following apparently than to-day, especially 
the winter sports. Skating, coasting and ice yachtiu"- 
were at their height. The Eastman Skating Park was 
not always financi.illy successful, but it often attracted 



HiSTOkY OP P U C H KEEP S I n . 



Crowds, and many of the best figure skaters in the 
country were brought here to give exhibitions. As 
to coasting several thousands of people were often 
reported on the hills during moonlight nights, and 
■'bob-s!eds" were frequently built expensively with 
nickel-plated tillers, polished wood work and luxurious 
cushions. The old Volunteer Base Ball Club flour- 
ished at this time and was distinctly a Poughkeepsie 
organization, though semi-professional. After a few 
years it imported Michael Welsh and trained him to 
be one of the best base ball players in the country. 
Professionalism of the modern kind had then begun. 
The club played its matches on the Eastman grounds, 
now the Riverview athletic field. 

The first amateur rowing association of which we 
have any record was the "Shatemuc Boat Club," start- 
ed in June, 1867, with Rev. James L. Corning president. 
Its members included most of the leading young sports- 
men of the day and, according to the list published 
with its constitution in 1868, were: 



Henry N. Avery, 
Richard Bailey, 
Oliver H. Booth, 
James Bowne, Jr., 
Samuel H. Braman, 
Tristram Coffin, 
W A. Collingwood, 
James L- Corning, 
George W. Davids, 
Thomas Davies, 
Jerome V. Dej'o, 
Augustus Doughty, 
Sterling Doughty, 
Harvey G. Eastman, 
Charles Eastmead, 
Thomas Foster, 
Robert W. Frost. 
Irving Grinnell, 



William C. Hill, 
Charles L. Houghton, 
Aaron Innis, 
Floy M. Johnston, 
Theodore V. Johnston, 
Edgar M. Meeks, 
James Parish, 
Thomas Parish, 
George L. Rives, 
John A. Roosevelt, 
Hudson Taylor, 
J. J. Van Allen, 
J. Spencer Van Cleef, 
Theodore Van Kleeck, 
George Van Vliet, 
Remson Varick, 
Frank E. Whipple, 
Edward Winslow, 



Jerry V. Wright. 

George Polk procured for the club an old canal 
boat, the Ben Rey, which was fitted up as a club house, 
and served well enough until one night she sank at her 
moorings and ruined all the racing shells stored in- 
side. The club then, in 1870, built the present club 
house at the Upper Landing. 

Horse racing had two rival centres at this time, 
the half-mile track at Bull's Head or East Poughkeep- 
sie, called the Doty Union Park, and the Poughkeep- 
sie Driving Park, at the present location, then de- 
scribed as "a short distance from this city on the plank 
road." The Doty track was east of Raymond Avenue, 
and not far from the Turnpike, a district now almost 
completely covered with houses. It had been laid out 



before the older race course grounds were purchased 
by Matthew Vassar as a site for his college. The driv- 
ing park on "the plank road" was partly developed 
with a half-mile track, soon after the war, and was 
conducted by A. Vanderburgh. In April, 1872, dur- 
ing the boom, a movement ^vas started to organize a 
"Hudson River Agricultural and Mechanical Associa- 
tion" for the purpose of laying out elaborate fair 
grounds and racing track to serve as a rallying place 
for all the central river counties. A considerable sum 
of money was subscribed and the following directors 
were chosen. George Ayrault, LaGrange — then fam- 
ous as a raiser of big cattle — J. O. Whitehouse, 
Thomas Doty, W. W. Hegeman, John I. Piatt, E. B. 
Osborne, H. G Eastman, James Smith, H. N. Avery, 
James Collingwood, Poughkeepsie ; Henry Myers, Pine 
Plains ; Samuel Johnson, Wappingers Falls ; Thomas 
Morton, Newburgh ; Nathaniel Hallock, Milton ; Peter 
N. Berry, Stormville. In December, along with the 
announcement of the election of George Ayrault, presi- 
dent, H. N. Avery, secretary, and James H. Weeks, 
treasurer, it was stated that "the grounds of Mr. John 
A. Van Wagner, at the junction of the Salt Point Road 
with Innis Avenue have been chosen." These grounds 
were surveyed but were finalh' rejected, it is said, at 
the instance of the horsemen, as they did not afford 
a good location for a perfect mile track. The associ- 
ation, however, was never incorporated, and a new or- 
ganization was afterwards formed, including some of 
the same men, to purchase and further develop the 
present driving park. 

There were certainly social clubs before the war, 
but none that survived, and apparently none that had 
what could be called a club house. The Amrita Club 
seems to have been the first club of an)' importance. It 
was organized in March, 1873, with Henry V. Pel- 
ton, Edward Burgess, Frank B. Lown, Jerome V. 
Dej'o, Cornelius Du Bois, Jr., John W. Pelton, John 
F. Hull, Jr., Howard B. Putnam, Frank Hasbrouck, 
William L Ferris, Jr., C. Pierre Abell and Leonard 
C. Miller as charter members. The club hired two 
rooms in the Collingwood building until 1875, when it 
removed to the third floor of the Emott building, op- 
posite Cannon Street. In 1878 it removed a few doors 
north to the old Swift house, which was occupied un- 
til 1887, when the present building was leased from 
Mrs. James II. Weeks. In 1894 the biulding was pur- 
chased, and in 1904 was enlarged by raising the roof 
and constructing a model billiard room in the third 
floor. 



CHAPTER XI. 



From the Panic of 1873 to the Present (1905) — Reducing Expenses, The Charter of 1874 and 
PouTicAL Changes — Reorganization and Readjustment — Building the Poughkeepsie Bridge 
— The Old and The New, The River Front — The Old and The New, Uptown Industries — 
The Charter of 1883 and Recent Politics — The New Vassar College — The Benefactions 
OF John Guy Vassar and Matthew Vassar, Jr. — Other Charitable and Religious Institu- 
tions — New Churches — Recent Public Improvements, Schools — New Buildings and Real 
Estate Extension — The Fire Department and The Military Organizations — Social IyIFE, 
Clubs, Fraternities, Etc. — Conclusion. 



From the panic of 1873 the events of the history 
of Pouglikecpsie are within the memory of the great 
majority of the people, and too close to b'e viewed 
in historical perspective, but they are nevertheless 
worth recording. The city has not grown as the lead- 
ers of the enterprises of the last period hoped, but has 
slowly developed, and has not been behind other east- 
ern cities of its size in the working out of progressive 
ideas, though considerably hampered for a long time 
by its heavy debt. 

The panic was not so severe in its efifect upon local 
business as that of 1837, with which it is often com- 
pared. The city debt, however, in 1873 was a much 
more serious matter than was the village debt of 1837, 
and led at once to charges of extravagance against 
Mayor Eastman's administration, and to a demand for 
a revision of the charter that should check the rapid 
extension of water mains, sewers and other expensive 
improvements. An investigating committee was ap- 
pointed by the Common Council, October loth, 1873, 
consisting of /Mdermcn Michael Plunkett, First Ward; 
Egbert Reynolds, Second Ward ; George Parker, Third 
Ward ; John P. yVdriance, Fourth Ward ; John J. 
Brooks, Fifth Ward, and Dr. DeWitt Webb, Sixth 
Ward, to act with six citizens, David C. Foster, Otis 
ISisbee, George P>. Adriancc, William \'an Anden, 
George 1!. Lent and Henry A. Sleight. On Novem- 
ber 6th thc\- published a report that fills five or six 
columns of the newspapers. 

In the meantime the Board of Trade called a mass 
meeting at the Opera Plouse, October _'c)tli, at which 
Matthew Vassar, Jr., was chairman. Mayor Eastman 
defended the expenditures of his administration and 
showed by comparisons that the per capita taxation 
was not so high as in many other cities. The necessity 
of amendments to the charter limiting the powers 



of expenditure of the various city boards, each of 
which was at this time virtually independent, was de- 
bated and the meeting adopted resolutions asking 
Judge Joseph F. Barnard and Judge Henry M. Tay- 
lor to name a committee of two from each ward to in- 
vestigate city affairs and prepare charter amend- 
ments. The two judges accepted the responsibility 
and reported, November 12th, the following commit- 
tee : First Ward, Stephen M. Buckingham, Leonard 
B. Sackett ; Second, George Innis, Otis Bisbee; Third, 
Charles W. Swift, Robert E. Taylor; Fourth, George 
H. Tompkins, Richard C. Meeks ; Fifth, Jacob B. 
Jewett, Jacob B. Carpenter; Sixth, John L Piatt, J, 
O. Whitehouse. They organized by the election of C. 
\\'. Swift chairman and John I. Piatt secretary. Sub- 
committees for investigation were appointed, and made 
a number of reports, and at length early in 1874, an 
entire new charter had been prepared, in large part by 
John I. Piatt, and was debated by the Common Coun- 
cil, and also by a citizens' meeting on March 5th. 
This charter contained the first local recognition of the 
principle that the Common Council should ha\'e su- 
pervisory power over all expenditures, through sub- 
mission to it of the estimates of all the boards. The 
boards were also deprived of the power of issuing 
bonds on their own authority alone, and there were 
restrictions upon the extension of water mains, sewers, 
flagged sidewalks, etc. The Water Board was made 
practically a Board of Public \\''orks, and \yas given 
the care of the streets as well as the appointment of 
the city engineer. To these last provisions the Coun- 
cil strenuously objected, and the>' were at length 
stricken out. Allard Anthony, as Corporation Coun- 
sel, submitted an outline of another charter, and the 
Council appointed two conference committees to confer 
with Charles \\". Swift, Jacob B. Carpenter and [ohn 



224 



HISTORY OF P OU G HKBEP S I H 



I. Piatt, of the citizens' committee, before matters were 
straiglitened out. The charter was finally debated at 
a citizens' mass meeting at tlie Y. AI. C. A. building 
March 24th, in which Professor W. H. Crosby, Rob- 
ert West, Edward Elsworth, C. H. S. Williams, Henry 
D. I\I_\ers, Jacob B. Jewett, John McLean, Rev. A. P. 
\'an Gieson, O. D. M. Baker, Leonard B. Sackett, 
Robert F. Wilkinson and others took part. Some mod- 
ifications were adopted, and it was then sent to the 
Legislature, where it was speedily enacted into law. 
It was the only city charter of recent times thoroughly 
discussed, and many of the principles established still 
remain, though the mass meeting method resulted in 
some imperfections that were likened to patchwork. 

The public improvements undertaken could not 
be entirely stopped at once, and as payments for work 
done fell due the city debt continued to increase. The 
tabular view printed with the City Chamberlain's re- 
port of 1874 shows it at $1,932,897.70, which included 
$600,000 Poughkeepsie and Eastern bonds, $550,000 
"water stock," $60,000 Fallkill Lnprovement bonds, 
and $320,000 sewerage bonds. Soon after this report 
was made $85,000 more sewerage bonds were sold, 
bringing the total above $2,000,000. ^Vhen the next 
tabular view was published, with the report of 1876, 
the debt had fallen to $1,976,997.70, and thereafter 
continued to decrease. The charter of 1874 intro- 
duced a period of economy and for a long time little 
more than mere maintenance could be attempted 
until population and taxable property' had considerably 
increased. The census of 1875 was not encouraging, 
as it showed an actual, though slight, decrease in 
population ; and the assessed vaulation of property in 
the city had been decreasing since 1866. 

The assessment rolls of this period are interesting 
enough to warrant a little study. Li 1866 real estate 
had been assessed at $2,803,600, and personal property 
at $2,781,321, a total of $5,584,921. War taxes had 
hardly 3'et come down much, and people were accus- 
tomed to paying on all sorts of personal property. 
Real estate continued to rise with the increased devel- 
opment, but personal property began to decrease more 
in proportion. Li 1873, when assessments might nat- 
urally have been expected to be at the highest, they 
stood: Real estate $3,262,345, personal $2,109,675. 
The total did not approach the figures of 1866 until 
1878, when it reached $5,572,145, including real es- 
tate $3,686,670, personal $1,885,475. Real estate was 
assessed only at about one-third of its estimated value, 
a policy which did not prevent the Board of Super- 
visors from raising the cit_y almost ever)' year in mak- 
ing up its equalization tables. At this time the Ea^^Jc 



and others strongly advocated a radical change in the 
method of assessments, and in the fall of 1878 Charles 
M. Colwell and Andrew King were elected assessors, 
for the purpose of inaugurating a new system. In 
1879 the assessments jumped to $11,518,865, made up 
of $8,934,165 real, and $2,584,700 personal. The high- 
est city tax of this period was $232,844.21 in 1876. 

The charter of 1874 changed the time of holding 
city elections from March to December, so as to make 
the terms of office correspond with the fiscal and cal- 
endar years. Consequently in 1874 there were two 
city elections. Only minor offices were to be filled in 
the spring, and the election is noteworthy merely be- 
cause the politicians decided not to spend any nione)' 
in the purchase of votes. Says the Baglc of Wednes- 
day, March 4th, "The election in this city yesterday 
was a very remarkable affair. On election days here- 
tofore by at least four o'clock in the afternoon each 
polling place had been the scene of drunkenness and 
disorder to some extent." This time there were no 
such scenes, but the "strikers" stood gloomily around 
waiting for some one to bu}' them, and many of them 
did not vote at all. Robert E. Taylor, Republican, 
was re-elected Recorder, but F. W. George, Demo- 
crat, was chosen City Treasurer, defeating Col. James 
Smith. Mr. George served a number of terms as City 
Treasurer, and was several times elected in strong 
Republican years. One of the candidates against him 
was Courtland S. Howland, the present City Chamber- 
lain. The office of City Treasurer was created by the 
charter of 1869, the previous corresponding official 
having been called the Collector. W. Morgan Lee, 
the present City Attorney, was City Chamberlain in 
1874. 

As was natural during a period of growing finan- 
cial stringency, and high taxes, the political drift was 
away from the party in control of the National admin- 
istration, and in November Samuel J. Tilden was 
elected Governor of the State, leading General Dix 
in Poughkeepsie by 648 votes, an extraordinary Demo- 
cratic majority, partly accounted for by Mr. White- 
house's 717 majority for Congress over Charles L. 
Beale. The Democrats elected their whole ticket, and 
Mr. Eastman declined to be a candidate either for 
Member of Assembly or for Mayor. The former of- 
fice went to Benjamin S. Broas, of Poughkeepsie, and 
at the December election Jacob B. Carpenter, who had 
been Member of Assembly' between Mr. Eastman's 

iMcmliers of Assembly from the Second District, from 
1875 to the present, were as follows : 1876 and 1877, Dr. 
Dc Witt Webb; 1878, rolcr Hulmc; 1879 and 1880, Cornel- 
ius Pitcher, who liad previously been slieriff ; i88t, James E. 
Dutcher, also previously Sheriff; i,S.S2, Joint O'Brien, D., of 



History oP poughkebpsiU 



225 



two terms, was chosen Mayor without opposition. O. 
D. M. Baker, at the same time became the first City 
Attorney, this office having been created by the new 
charter. Before this time there had been a ''corpora- 
tion counsel" appointed by the Mayor and Aldermen, 
and each of the city boards had employed its own at- 
torney, often at considerable expense. 

An incident of the fall of 1874 was the opening of 
the Driving Park in October, with a grand review by 
Governor John A. Dix, of the regiments comprising 
the 5th Division, New York State National Guard, 
commanded by General James W. Husted. This was 
followed by "the first annual fair of the Hudson River 
Agricultural and Driving Park Association," which 
brought a great crowd to the city. The Driving Park 
Association was nevertheless destined to failure, and 
the propert}' passed through a number of hands before 
it came into the possession of the present owner, Jacob 
Ruppert. Several noted horsemen, including Edwin 
Thorne, were among its owners. 

By 1875 things were looking better for the Re- 
publicans, and B. Piatt Carpenter was elected to the 
State Senate, and Dr. DeWitt Webb to the Assembly. 
In 1876 Hayes received a majority of 597 over Tilden 
in Poughkeepsie, and at the December election East- 
man was again elected Mayor, defeating William Har- 
loe b>- 536. Mayor Eastman had not fully recovered 
from his financial losses, and his health was failing 
He died in Denver, Col., July 13th, 1878, and Dr. John 
R. Cooper was appointed to serve the remainder of 
his term. In December Dr. Cooper was defeated by 
Mr. Harloe, though at the same election the Republi- 
cans elected Robert F. Wilkinson Recorder over Frank 
Ilasbrouck, then entering politics for the first time. 

In November, 1880, Garfield received a majority 
of 811 votes, and the next month Ezra White, who had 
succeeded Mr. Eastman, his brother-in-law, as presi- 
dent of Eastman College, was elected Mayor for the 
first time, defeating Dr. Guy C. Bayley by 585. Sen- 
eca V. Halloway, teller of the Poughkeepsie Bank, 
was County Treasurer at this time, and in 1881 was re- 
elected, but in December was found short in his ac- 

Rhiiiebeck; 1883. Edgar A. Briggs; 1884 and 1885, Edward 
P,. Osborne, D. ; 1886, '87 and '88, John I. Piatt; 1889 and 
1890, Johnston L. dePeystcr, of Red Hook; 189T, Edward B. 
Osborne, D. ; 1892 and 1893, John A. Vandewater, D. ; 1894 
'95, '96 and '97, Angnstus B. Gray; l8g8, 1899 and 1900, Wil- 
liam A. Tripp, of Rhinebeck; 190T, '02 and '03, Francis G. 
Landon, of Staatsburgh; 1904, Robert Winthrop Chanler, D., 
of Red Hook; 1905, Augustns B. Gray. All e.Kcept those 
marked D. were Republicans, and all except those oUierwise 
designated li\ed in the cily or town of Ponghkepsie when 
elected. 



counts. His defalcation was one of the chief sensa- 
tions of the period. 

The last December elections were held in 1882, 
when Mayor White was re-elected with a lead of 395 
votes over Dr. W. G. Stevenson, though Recorder 
Wilkinson was defeated by Frank B. Down. This was 
the year of Grover Cleveland's enormous majority for 
Governor in the State, and Cleveland had carried 
Poughkeepsie by 128, in spite of the fact that B. Piatt 
Carpenter, the local Republican leader, was a candi- 
date for Lieutenant Governor and received 15 more 
votes than his Democratic opponent, David B. Hill. 
Mr. Carpenter's disappointment over this election was 
so keen that he obtained an appointment as Governor 
of the Territory of Montana, and removed from 
Poughkeepsie." He was succeeded in the local leader- 
ship of his party bj' Robert H. Hunter, who had been 
appointed postmaster in 1880. James L. Williams^ was 
at this tiine one of the local Deinocratic leaders, and 
was appointed b)' Governor Cleveland State Assessor. 
The Legislature elected in 1882 was naturally Demo- 
cratic, though Edgar A. Briggs had defeated John 
O'Brien, of Rhinebeck, chairman of the Deinocratic 
State Committee, for Member of Assembly in the 
Second District of Dutchess, and the Democrats, evi- 
dently thinking that the}' had nothing to lose from a 
consolidation of city, State and National elections, 
passed a new charter in 1883 abolishing the December 
elections. During the winter and spring of 1883 a 
number of suits were brought by the city against 
former office holders, including William I. Thorn, 
who had been City Attorney, and Abrahain Wiltsie, 
who had been City Treasurer. They disclosed con- 
siderable irregularit}' in the keeping of accounts, but 
no criminality, and had no practical results, except 
greater carefulness. 

Reorc.\niz.\tion and Re.-vdjustment. 

Although many local business men lost heavily as 
a result of the panic, there were few failures, and me 
stateinent is not true that most of the losses were made 
from local investments. More Poughkeepsie mone^• 
had been invested in western railroad stocks and bonds, 
and farm mortgages than in the new local enterprises. 
Man)' of the former proved worthless and left nothing 
behind, while most of the latter left something in the 
nature of fixed capital at home to provide a basis 
for future profit. The Hudson River Iron W^orks, for 
example, soon went through a reorganization that 
wiped out investments in the stock, but the plant was 
there, and the puddling furnaces and rolling mill con- 

ipor bioi;raphical sketch see .Appendix. 




FRANK B. LOWN. 
lyFor biographical sketch see Appendix.) 



tilSfORY OF POUGliKEBPSin. 



22? 



tlinied to turn out wrought iron bars and bolts until 
1878. After a period of idleness the plant passed 
into the hands of the Phoenix Horse Shoe Company, 
was doubled in size and became a greater contributor 
to the business of the city than its original promoters 
expected. 

The City Railroad failed to pay fixed charges and 
was sold December nth, 1876, for $40,000, to the 
bondholders, but the little old "bob-tailed" cars were a 
great convenience and did their part, even with ten 
cent fares, or "six tickets for a quarter," towards re- 
storing prosperity. The company reported net earn- 
ings of $2,008.96 in the year ending September 30th, 
1873, but soon after that abandoned its old stables near 
the Poughkeepsie and Eastern Railroad, and built the 
new brick stables in Main Street. In the winter of 
1875 tl""-' expenses of removing snow absorbed a large 




iSys Siioui Sci'iw — Main Street, near I'assar. 

part of the earnings of the road. There was a succes- 
sion of big storms, the worst of them on March 4th 
and 8lh. On the 8th the City Railroad tracks had 
only been dug out as far as the Morgan House by 
night. The accompanying picture, probably taken on 
the gth, shows that the depth of snow was not much 
less than in the memorable blizzard of March 12th, 
1888. The City Railroad was reorganized in Octo- 
ber, 1877, with Aaron Innis president, and thereafter 
b\' strict ocononi)- of management kept out of financial 
difficuU.\-. Though returning nothing to the stock- 
holders for a long period, those who held on ultimately 
got most of their original investment back when the 
road was sold for equipment with electricity. 

The Poughkeepsie and Eastern Railroad doubtless 
absorbed more local capital than any of the other en- 
terprises of the day, but with two railroads Icachng 



to Fishkill, it had to be built if the city was to retain 
the trade of the county. Its failure is more to be at- 
tributed to the postponement of construction until af- 
ter the Dutchess and Columbia was built than to any- 
thing else. The Eagle of May 17th, 1873, said: "If 
the Poughkeepsie and Eastern had been built when we 
and others strove to have it done, there never would 
have been any Dutchess and Columbia, the Delaware 
and Hudson Company would have established a great 
coal depot here, as it agreed to, and there never would 
have been an}' Rhinebeck and Connecticut. The whole 
business between Western Connecticut and Eastern 
Dutchess and the Hudson River would have passed 
over our line." "Never is doubtless too comprehen- 
sive a word as applied to the construction of competing 
lines, but the statement is substantially true. The 
railroad was first sold under foreclosure April 14th, 
1875, to George P. Pelton, as trustee for the bondhold- 
ers, for $50,000, and was reorganized in May as the 
Poughkeepsie, Hartford and Boston Railroad. "^ It 
managed to pay bare running expenses, but could make 
no improvements without borrowing. In 1884 there 
was another foreclosure, and the section from Bos- 
ton Corners to State Line was sold to the Hartford 
and Connecticut Western, and was made use of by 
the latter for consolidation, not with the railroad to 
Poughkeepsie, but with that to Rhinebeck. This was 
a serious blow to P. and E. interests, for closer 
connection with Hartford and New England was one 
of the motives in the construction of the railroad. A 
fatal mismanagement at critical moments characterized 
the P. and E. from the outset, and resulted ultimately 
in its hopeless isolation. 

Building the Poughkeepsie Bridge. 

Efl^orts to make the Poughkeepsie and Eastern 
Railroad pay, by giving it a through traffic, constitut- 
ed a leading motive for the revival of the great bridge 
enterprise which had been so near to success. Reor- 
ganization of course followed the death of President 
Thompson, and the withdrawal of the Pennsylvania 
Railroad, and the bridge promoters, particularly Mr. 
Eastman, Mr. George P. Pelton and j\Ir. Piatt, turned 
to New England for help. They succeeded in arousing 
the interest of the Boston Chamber of Commerce, and 
in January, 1875, a committee of nineteen from that 
body, accompanied by leading men from other sections 
of New England, visited Poughkeepsie, went over the 
ground thoroughly and reported in favor of the bridge. 
The proposition then began to attract the attention 

iThe stury of the sovoral reorganizations is told in the pe- 
tition of William P. Rockwell. 14th Febrnarv. t8SS. and in 

~ -'"■ 

George r. Pelton s answer. ^c^ 



■22S 



HISTORY OF POVGHKBBPSIB 



of bridge consruction companies, and at length an offer 
was accepted from "The American Bridge Company," 
of Chicago, to build the bridge and help raise the 
mone)'. Work began November 14th, 1876, on the 
first of the timber cribs upon which die piers were to 
be built "on the wa}s of Mr. George W. Polk, almost 
at the exact site that was used b}' the ship builders 
employed b}- the Continental Congress in the Revolu- 
tion." 

Three cribs or caissons were successfully launched 
and two of them were placed in position and weighted 
down with concrete, when an unfortunate accident 
caused suspension of the work and another long wait. 
It was then deemed necessary, in order to lay masonry 
upon the cribs, to build coffer dams upon them to 
be pumped out.^ When the first caisson, nearest the 
west shore, had reached this stage the pumping out 
of the coffer dams caused so great an upward pres- 
sure that it broke the caisson apart, and lifted the 




Bridge Caisson, Ready to float to Position, iSyy. 

whole mass on the north end above the bottom line 
of caulking. The damage was successfull)' repaired, 
and the masonry was carried up to the required height 
before winter, but the accident proved so expensive 
that, combined with misfortune elsewhere, it ruined 
the American Bridge Company. There stood the pier 
for another ten years before work was resumed, and 
it was often referred to as H. G. Eastman's monument, 
as he died July 15th, 1878. 

A few persons never lost faith in the enterprise, 
and continued their efforts to interest capital. The 
time limit in the charter was extended by legislative 
action from January ist, 1879 to 1883, and then to 
:888 against some opposition. At length J. C. Stan- 
ton, of New York, a well known contractor and pro- 
moter, was enlisted in the work, and induced W. W. 
Gibbs, of Philadelphia, to undertake its completion. 
He and other capitalists organized the Manhattan 

ipor details of con.slruclion .see paper read by John F. 
O'Rourke before Ibe American Society of Ci\il Engineers. 



Bridge Building Compan}', at the head of which was 
John W. Brock, of Philadelphia, to finance the bridge 
— provide funds, market securities, etc. Charlemagne 
Tower, U. S. Senator Simon Cameron, H. C. Frick 
and William B. Scott were among the prominent 
Pennsylvanians interested, and J. H. Appleton, of 
Springfield, the most prominent of the New England- 
ers. The actual work of construction was sublet to the 
Union Bridge Compaii}', of New York, comprising 
the eminent engineers Charles F. Macdonald, Thomas 
C. Clark, George S. Field, Edmund Hayes and 
Charles S. Maurice. The success of the cantilever 
bridge at Niagara, built by the same company, sug- 
gested another change of plans, and the final adoption 
of the combined cantilever and truss system. 

Work was begun for the third tiine October 8th, 
1886. The charter now required the completion of the 
bridge January ist, 1888, leaving but little more than 
a year, and a further extension of time was necessary. 
Against this the most determined opposition sprang 
up on the part of the boatmen, rival cities and the 
Storm King Bridge promoters. All the newspapers 
of Albany and Troy and most of those in New York 
joined this movement, and the New York Chamber of 
Commerce, the Board of Trade and Transportation, 
the Produce Exchange and other bodies, sent repre- 
sentatives to Albany to lobby in favor of a bill intro- 
duced by Mr. Devereaux, one of the Albany Members 
of Assembly, to repeal the act of 1872 and compel the 
removal of the piers already partly finished. John I. 
Piatt had been Member of Assembly since 1886, and 
the contest this time was quite as bitter and obstinate 
as that in 1872, when Mr. Eastman represented Pough- 
keepsie. Mr. Piatt had taken a prominent part in the 
earlier contest, had been a leading force in ever}' move- 
ment to bring the great enterprise to completion, was 
familiar with every point the opposition could make, 
as well as with ever3-thing in favor of the bridge, and 
eventually defeated the Devereaux bill and carried 
through the bill granting an extension of time, which 
was signed by Governor Flill June 25th, 1888. 

By this time the work was in full progress. Messrs. 
Dawson, Symmes and Usher had charge of the found- 
ations and masonry, and Ross, Sanford & Baird, of the 
superstructure. John F. O'Rourke, now widely 
known as the contractor for the great Pennsylvania 
Railroad tunnels under the North River at New York, 
was the chief engineer in charge of construction, while 
Arthur B. Paine had general supervision for the Man- 
hattan Bridge Building Company, and P. P. Dickin- 
son for the Poughkeepsie Bridge Company proper. 

There were, of course, many changes in the direc- 
torate of the Bridge Company itself during the reor- 



:5> 







23() 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEEPSIE 



ganizations. A. B. Stone, of New York, succeeded 
John F. ^^'inslow as president when the American 
Bridge Company had charge, and continued in office 
until Januar}', 1886, when J. H. Appleton, of Spring- 
field, ]\Iass., became president. August 27th, 1886, 
Mr. Appleton was succeeded by Watson Van Ben- 
thuysen^ of New Orleans, who in turn gave place to 
W. W. Gibbs, of Philadelphia, in 1887. Then, as the 
bridge approached completion, it became necessary to 
look up a practical railroad man of large experience 
to take charge, and John S. Wilson, of Philadelphia, 
general traffic manager of the Pennsylvania Railroad, 
was selected. The other officers elected in 1888 were : 
John I. Piatt, vice-president ; W. R. Carlisle, secre- 
tary and treasurer ; P. P. Dickinson, chief engineer. 

On the 29th of August, 1888, the last pin was 
driven in the cantilever span between pier No. 5 and 
the east shore, making the connection from shore to 
shore complete, though the viaducts or approaches 
were not finished until well into December. The first 
train crossed December 29th. 

When the bridge became a certainty those who 
were furnishing the capital tried to acquire the Pough- 
keepsie and Eastern,' but Mr. H. D. Cone, a paper 
manufacturer of Chicopee, Mass., who had purchased 
it before the reorganization of 1887, refused to sell, 
though offered double what he had paid for it. Rather 
than submit to his traffic proposition a new railroad 
• was built to parallel the P. and E- from Poughkeepsie 
to Silvernails, on the Hartford and Connecticut West- 
ern, which had been purchased as the eastern connec- 
tion. The western line to Campbell Hall and May- 
brook, where it meets the Erie, Ontario & Western and 
Lehigh Railroads, was built, and then the east and 
west lines were consolidated as the Central New Eng- 
land and Western. Partly perhaps by bad manage- 
ment the Springfield connection was delayed beyond 
the limit of its charter and the railroad was "bottled 
up" at Hartford until 1903, when the Springfield line 
was pushed through after several notable legislative 
and legal battles at Hartford. In the meantime the 
Dutchess County Railroad to Hopewell Junction, to 
connect with the New York and New England (now 
Highland Division N. Y., N. H. & H.) was construct- 
ed, thus carrying out another favorite project of earl- 
ier days. 

The bridge and connecting railroads have been of 
considerable benefit to Poughkeepsie, but have so far 

'Under Mr. Cone's management this railroad was named 
the "New York and Massachusetts Railroad." Mr. Cone bor- 
rowed money of Russell Sage, and at length Mr. Sage had to 
take the railroad, which he still owns. He restored the origi- 
nal name. 



fallen very far short of expectations. Of course all 
early subscribers to the stock lost their monej', as the 
whole system has been twice reorganized, but the 
bonds, though not paying, have generally been worth 
upwards of 60. In 1892, when Archibald A. Mc- 
Leod, president of the Reading Railroad, undertook to 
carry out a bold scheme of consolidating the Reading, 
Jersey Central, Central New England and Boston & 
Maine railways, the future of the bridge seemed as- 
sured, but Mr. McLeod's gigantic plans created con- 
sternation among the managers of other older systems, 
other capitalists combined against him and the plans 
failed. 

Now, in 1904, the Central New England has fallen 
into the control of the New York, New Haven and 
Hartford, greatest of New England railroad combina- 
tions, and the bridge has become the "connecting 
link" its promoters so long predicted between the 
Pennsylvania coal fields and New England. The 
change has brought increased passenger and freight 
facilities to Poughkeepsie, and the great bridge across 
the Hudson River may yet prove of as much advan- 
tage to the city as had been expected. 

The Old and the New — The River Front. 

The building of the Poughkeepsie Bridge marks 
the triumph of the railroads over the river, and by the 
time it was finished many changes had taken place or 
were in progress along the river front. More than 
half of the prosperous establishments once there 
have now gone out of existence, and others are slowly 
taking their places. Locations fronting both river and 
railroad are valuable, but locations accessible only by 
river are not frequently sought. The consolidation of 
all the river freighting at Main Street was noted in 
the last chapter. It is said to have been originally the 
intention of Homer Rainsdell and his friends to make 
the Upper Landing the terminus of the boats, which 
were to connect there with the Poughkeepsie and East- 
ern Railroad, but it is difficult to see how the railroad 
could have been brought there, even if its funds had 
been ample. It remains to be noted that Captain John 
H. Brinckerhoff,' who purchased control of the Trans- 
portation Company in 1878, completed the downfall of 
the Upper Landing in 1879, when he abandoned the 
old ferry landing, and brought the ferry also to Main 
Street. One of the old Upper Landing storehouses 
was torn down about the time of the building of the 
bridge, but the largest was burned in July, 1891, and 
on its site was erected in 1894 the new power house of 
the electric lighting company. Main Street Landing, 
too, has been the scene of a number of recent changes. 
'See Appendi.x for biographical sketch. 




CapT. JOHN H. BRINCKERHOFF. 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEEPSIE. 



233 



When the Poughkeepsic Transportation Compan)' had 
been merged into the Central Hudson Steamboat Com- 
pany the old Exchange House was purchased and torn 
down, and the present waiting room was erected in 
igoo. The last proprietor of the Exchange House was 
Isaac H. Wood. 

The (iN'e wood mills of Gifford, Sherman & Innis 
kept the upper neighborhood busy with frequent ship- 
loads of log wood arriving from the West Indies for 
some time after the removal of the freight boats and 
the ferry, but in 1884 this firm, whose business had 
been one of the most profitable in Poughkecpsie, failed, 
and though reorganized and continued for some fif- 
teen years, lack of capital and the increasing competi- 



was again contracted in 1884 and was finally filled and 
drained in 1899. 

The great Vassar brewery after the death of Mat- 
thew \'assar, Jr., and John Guy N'assar, gradually lost 
its trade, partly owing to complications of ownership, 
and partly to Mr. ( )liver H. llooth's interest in boat- 
building and other outside matters. About ten years 
ago it ceased operations, and the buildings have re- 
mained idle, except for temporary occupation of the 
Water Street front as a county jail in 1902. Their pur- 
chase was contemplated a few years ago by a cold 
storage company which failed to obtain enough capital 
to carry out its plans. 

The ship-building industry has almost ceased since 




The Poughkecpsie Iron Works. (Sec Appendix.) 



tion of chemical dyes caused its downfall, and in 1902 
the mills were dismantled. The oldest of the build- 
ings, north of the Fall Kill, passed into the hands of 
the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad 
CompauN' recently, and was torn down in 1905. Three 
of the buildings arc still in use by other manufacturing 
concerns, but of the old Upper Landing industries 
only the chair factory and the Arnold lumber }ard re- 
main, and the chair factory is the only establishment 
in the cit\' still using water power from the Fall Kill. 
A little farther up stream the manufacture of carpels 
by the Peltons was abandoned in 1891, though the 
main building is occupied by smaller manufacturmg 
establishments. The old Pelton Mill pond, much re- 
duced in size when the other ponds were destroyed. 



the failure of the second bridge company, which made 
use of George Polk's shipyard and never paid him for 
it. He had been established there since 1867. Dr. C. 
D. Miller has built a number of yachts and George 
Buckhout occasionally builds boats, though mainly oc- 
cupied as an ice yacht builder, at which no one in the 
country excels him. 

Iron smelting still flourishes intermittently at the 
Poughkecpsie Iron Works, though much of its glory 
has departed. The old Lower Furnace (See page 143) 
has disappeared completel}'. and its once busy wharves, 
piled high with ores, coal and limestone, are slowly 
rotting. The last iron \vas made there in July, 1885, 
and the buildings _were pulled down a few years later. 
Mr. Frank P>. Lciwn. who purchased the property, has 



234 



HISTORY OF POUGHKBBPSIE. 



improved the houses, which were formerly tlie homes 
of furnace operatives, and tliey are still occupied. In 
the old days, before the competition of western and 
southern iron became so keen, the Poughkeepsie fur- 
naces were operated almost continuously, and when 
the iron market was low thousands of tons of pig iron 
were piled along the river front, awaiting a rise in 
price. A small fleet of barges, canal boats and sloops 
was often moored at the furnace wharves loading iron, 
or discharging ore, coal or limestone. One of the 
stacks at the Upper (now the only) Furnace has been 
rebuilt and is alone capable of producing more iron 
than the four stacks of both establishments formerly 
turned out. Since the death of Albert E. Tower, in 



lingwood property, south of the Lower Landing. This 
factory makes machines for separating cream from 
milk, machines for which there is a steadily increasing 
demand, and hence the factory has been rapidly grow- 
ing until it now occupies twice the territor)^ originally 
given it, including the old Polk shipyard, and employs 
three or four times more men than when first opened. 
Its power is transmitted b}' electricit}' from a dynamo 
driven by the only turbine engine so far installed in 
the cit)^i 

In the same neighborhood is Lane Brothers' manu- 
factory of hardware specialties, brought to Pough- 
keepsie from Millbrook in 1882, by John G. and Wil- 
liam J. Lane. This business, like the cutting of dye 




DeLaval Separator Company's Plant. 



1891, the property has been owned by his son, A. 
Edward Tower. 

Two large new industries ofl the river front go far 
towards making up for the loss Of the older estab- 
lishments. The Poughkeepsie Glass Works^ (See il- 
lustration p. 118) were started on the site of the old 
whale dock buildings in March, 1880, and have grown 
to considerable proportions. The original plant was 
nearly all burned in 1897 and was rebuilt soon after- 
wards, with much enlargement and improvement. 

The De Laval Separator Company, of Stockholm, 

Sweden, built a branch factory here in 1892, the 

Board of Trade raising by subscription from citizens 

$10,000 for the purchase of the site, a part of the Col- 

iFor further particulars sec Appendix. 



woods in Poughkeepsie, (sec p. 117) was an out- 
growth of Beriah Swift's inventions, and the Swift 
coffee, spice and drug mills were long a leading fea- 
ture. The Lane door hangers are perhaps the most 
widely known of the productions of this factory. The 
manufacture of the Lane steam automobile is now an 
important branch. 

Adnance, Piatt and Company's business has con- 
tinued to expand steadily, and large buildings have re- 
cently been added to the plant. Until 1892 the general 
offices of this company had been located in New York, 
but in that year an office building was erected in con- 
nection with the factory, and the office force was 
brought here. The importance of this neighborhood 



il'or fiirlher particulars see .'\ppendi.x. 



HISTORY OF P OU G H KEEP S I E. 



235 



was considerably increased by the removal of the rail- 
road freight house and office from Main Street to 
Tulip Street, near Pine, in 1885. 

The tanning industry continued on a small scale 
at the old Southwick yard until 1889, long outlasting 
the up-town tanneries conducted by the Boyd family. 
Passing along the river front one finds most of the 
lumber business still centred there, but only two firms 
continue the coal business there, one of which also has 
an up-town yard connected with the bridge system of 
railroads, where all the others are located. 




A^. }'.€.& H. R. R. R. Station at Main Street, before the 
Freight House was moved. 

The Old and the New — Up-Town Industries. 

Many changes have taken place among the smaller 
manufacturing industries of the city, away from the 
water front. Adam Caire died in i8g6, and the mak- 
ing of pottery was abandoned a few years later. 
Wagons and carriages are still made by a number of 
firms, and Horace Sague has recently built a new shop 
on Church Street, but the competition of the machine- 
made wagons of the great western factories has caused 
a great decline in the business. Most of the buildings 
on upper Main Street, east of Hamilton, once devoted 
to wagon making, have now been converted into stores, 
and nearly all the down-town factories long since 
ceased operations. Others have been converted into 
selling agencies and repair shops. The Edward Storm 
Spring Company, which in the early part of the period 
under consideration was doing a large business on the 
north side of Main Street, 437-441, above Hamilton, 
has passed away. Streit and Lockwood, one of the 
oldest wagon-making firms, sold out in April, 1885, 
and Lewis F. Streit died in March, 1891. The selling 
and repairing of bicycles and automobiles has grown 
to considerable proportions, but is hardly likely ever 
to occupy so important a position as the old wagon and 
carriage factories once held. 

The old Main Street foundries that used to pro- 
duce a wide variety of cast iron ware, have gone, but 



the Poughkeepsie Foundry and Machine Company only 
abandoned its Main Street plant in 1904, and continues 
on a larger scale than ever at its new north side plant 
erected on grounds that had been used for several 
years as a baseball field. The erection of another new 
north side factory has just been started (May, 1905) 
on Parker Avenue, by the Chapinville Wheel Company, 
which had been located in the old Red Mills buildings 
since 1894, when it was removed to Poughkeepsie 
from Chapinville, N. Y. A. J. Glass is the president. 

A rather inconspicuous but very important indus- 
try is the manufacture of Smith Brothers' cough drops 
in Church Street, east of the Armory. This business 
has grown up since 1873, and has long been very profit- 
able. A considerable part of the profits have been 
contributed every year to the various charitable insti- 
tutions of the city, as stated elsewhere. 

The Whitehouse shoe factory is one of the largest 
of the establishments which have passed away. Mr. 
Whitehouse died in August, 1881, but the factory con- 
tinued in apparently prosperous condition under the 
management of his son-in-law, Eugene N. Howell, 
until i8gi, when it failed. The plant was purchased 
b)' Wallace, Eliot & Co., and shoe manufacturing was 
continued there until about 1900. After standing idle 
for a short time the buildings passed into the hands of 
the American Cigar Company, and are now devoted to 
cigar manufacturing. A valuable off-shoot of the 
Whitehouse business was the prosperous shoe factory 
at Main and Water Streets, started by George M. 
Hine (the present Mayor) and C. E. Lynch, both of 
whom had been associated with Mr. Whitehouse and 
Mr. Howell. This factory occupies what was for- 
merly the Beardsley sash and blind factor)'. 

Cigar making has been and still is an important in- 
dustr\- carried on by many persons. The most exten- 
sive manufacturer of hand made cigars has been John 
Schwartz, and next to him Court B. Cunley. 

Some A'cry important industries were started soon 
after the panic. This seenis, in fact, to have been the 
time of the beginning of the manufacture of clothing 
in Poughkeepsie on any considerable scale, and also the 
beginning of the extensi\e employment of women and 
girls in local factories. Lasher, Haight & Kelley, wbo 
were in the dry goods business at 332 Main Street, 
formed the Dutchess Manufacturing Company, leased 
a brick building on CheiTv Street, opposite the White- 
house factory, and began the manufacture of skirts 
in 1875. T'le building had been erected a few years 
before for the tanning and dressing of French kid, 
b\' a patented process, which was not successful. In 
1878 George D. Eighmie erected a good-sized building 
on Crannell Street and began the manufacture of 




Factory of t/ic Poughkccpsic i 'ticici'2ui-ai- Company. 



ti I ST kV OF POVGHKEBPSIB. 



237 



shirts on a large scale. In 1888 the Dutchess Manu- 
facturing Company purchased this building, and has 
since been located there. Lasher and Kelley had sold 
their interest to William Forb>', and at his death in 
1<S7(), J. Frank Hull, the present head of the company, 
purchased an interest. The manufacture of skirts and 
other articles was gradually abandoned and the fac- 
tory, though much enlarged, now makes onh' trousers. 

The old Cherry Street factory building stood idle 
for a long time, but in iijoj was purchased by the 
Poughkecpsie Underwear Company, which had been 
organized in 1900 with Robert Stuart, previously of 
New Hamburgh, as president. In the meantime Don- 
ald, Converse and Maynard had started the manufac- 
ture of oxeralls, under the name of the Fallkill Man- 
ufacturing Company, in a brick building erected in 
Mechanic Street for a shoe factorv. This business 
passed into the hands of Messrs. Eastmead and Os- 
borne, who were joined by Mr, Lasher in 1887. Evcnl- 
ualh' this factor\' failed and the building is now used 
in the manufacture of linen mesh underwear. 

To take up an entirely different line of industries, 
those operating under public franchises — competition 
in gas lighting began with the organization of the 
Citizens' Gas Companv, of which Augustus L. Allen 
and Horatio Allen were the chief local promoters. 
This compan\- purchased eight acres of land on Laurel 
Street, and erected a plant for the manufacture of 
what was generalh' called "water gas." in 1875. This 
plant is still in use. though much enlarged. The inevit- 
able consolidation of the two companies came in 1887, 
after which the older llayeaux Street establishment 
was abandoned. 

The first electric lights in Poughkecpsie were put 
up 1)\- Dorsey Neville, who erected a dynamo at Dul- 
lard's foundry on l\[ain Street, in 1884. His interests 
were purchased b>- the Pou.gbkeepsie Electric Light 
and Power Company, whicli filed its certificate of in- 
corporation April 2nd, 1885, with John H. P.rincker- 
bolT, C. A. Fowler, James H. Ward, F. J. Allen, Ed- 
ward H. Goff, i\lartin \'. P.rady, \\'illiam Kaess, John 
R, Lent and General Alfred I!. Smith named as direc- 
tors. All were residents of Poughkecpsie except 
Messrs. GolT, P.rady and Fowler, who in 1880 sold 
their interests to Mr. .\. Al. Young and a party of 
genllemen from Waierhnry. Ct., including D. S. 
IMume, P. G. I'.rvan and E. T. Turner. Capt. Princk- 
erhoff, who had been the first jiresident. was succeeded 
by Lames H. \\'ard, and the iilant on \\'innikee Avenue 
creeled bv Mr. Goff was doub'ed in size. Says the 
Souvenir /;<( »,V : "The comjiauy is chieny indebted 
to Gen. ,\. r.. Smith. James II. Ward. Peter L. \'an 
Wagenen, Willard PI. Crosby, Peter 1'.. Hayt and 



John R. Lent, of Poughkeepsie, and Mr. A. M. Young, 
of Waterbury, Ct., for the success of the enterprise." 
In April, 1886, the company secured the contract for 
lighting the streets at $18,000 per annum, and since 
June 1st of that year the}- have been continuously 
lighted by electric ares. John N. Candee became man- 
ager of the company at its organization and remained 
until the consolidation with the .gas company in lyoi. 
Telephones were introduced into this cit)' b\- the 
Automatic Signal Telegraph Company in June, 1878. 
The company had been organized in October, 1877, by 
John I. Piatt, Henry S. Frost and Samuel K. Rupley 
to handle the patents of William B. ^\'atkins "for im- 
provements in fire and burglar alarms, telegraphs and 
other inventions." An automatic fire alarm was the 
leading feature, but had not been sufficienih' perfected 
to be commercially successful when the telephone be- 
gan to attract attention. John I. Piatt was the first 




.t/iu'ii S/ni/ ill /SSo. 

president, and under his leadership the stock held by 
the promoters of tlie Watkins patents was purchased, 
their interests extinguished and telephones introduced 
instead. The idea of a central system connecting the 
peoi)le of a town was. so far as is known, suggested 
by Mr. Piatt, and the "exchange" constructed here was 
the third in existence, having been preceded b\- New 
I lawn and Albany. The first telephones connected 
with it were the /idi^/e office, Mr. Piatt's bouse, the of- 
fice of the city water board and the pumping station. 
.\ few prixate telephones had been put in, chiefly as ex- 
periments before this. The telphone company was suc- 
cessful from the start, and by May, 1880, there were 
too subscribers in the exchange. The name "Hudson 
Ri\-er Telephone Companv" came into existence niit 
long after this to designate the joint ownership of a 




JOHN I. PLATT. 



tiisTokv OP pouGtiKnnPsm 



289 




AI,I,IS()N BUTTS. 



cable laid across the river at New Hamburgh, b}' the 
Poughkeepsie, Newburgh and Fishkill telephone com- 
panies, each of which built lines to connect with it. 
The consolidation of the various river companies under 
this name was effected later by Mr. H. L. Storkc, 
representing the parent Bell Telephone Company. 

A rival telephone company, the Dutchess County, 
was incorporated in 1900, and obtained a franchise 
from the Common Council on condition that its wires 
in the main streets should be placed underground. 
Since that time both companies have laid conduits in 
Main and Market Streets, and it is cxpcdcd that within 
the next few 3'ears all telephone and telegraph wires 
will be put underground. 

Much of the best enterprise of roughkeepsie has al- 
ways been devoted to retail trade, which has attained 
a development greater than in many cities of even 
larger size, in spite of the competition of the metropo- 
lis. I have seen no record of an organization of mer- 
chants earlier than about 1883, when the Butchers 
and Grocers' Association was formed, with J- DuBois 
Carpenter president, and James H. Ward treasurer, 
but it is probable that something of the sort had ex- 



isted before. This association was reorganized as the 
Retail Merchants' Association in February, 1886, and 
soon obtained a much enlarged membership. It fre- 
quently takes action on public questions, not political 
in their nature, and joins in all efforts to improve the 
city. In 1887 and again in September, 1888, the as- 
sociation brought itself before the public by parades 
that attracted a great deal of attention. 

TiiR Charter of 1883 — Recent Politics. 

The Charter of 1883, already referred to, was 
passed through the influence of Judge Nelson in the 
Senate, and made some important changes besides the 
consolidation of elections. It increased the power of 
the Ma}or, making the water board appointive, and 
contained among other things a provision for a Board 
of Police Commissioners to take the control of the 
police force out of the hands of the Common Council. 
The new hoard organized in Jul\- with the following- 
members: Allison Butts. Theodore Y Johnston, John 
F. I-Iull and Dr. Edward F. Parker. The first new 
patrolman appointed was Charles McCabe, the present 
chief of i)olice. The election in November of that 



240 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEBPSIE 




Hon. martin HEERMAKCE. 



\ear was somewhat notalilc as one in which the Eagle 
supported a Democratic candidate — Thomas Newbold 
— for vState Senator against Lewis F. Pa}!!. Newbold 
was elected by a large majority. The first city election 
in November was in 1884. It was a Democratic year 
— the lilainc-Cleveland campaign — but lilaine carried 
I'oughkeejjsie by 235, and Ezra White was elected for 
a third term as Mayor, defeating O. D. M. ISaker, the 
author of the new charter. 

;Mr. White was nominated for a fourth time in 
1886, but was defeated In' Edward Elswurdi' by 458, 
though at the same time John I. Piatt, nominated for 
his second term in the /Vssembly, carried the city b}' 
462 over his Democratic oi)ponent, Martin W. Collins, 
and Cvrenus P. Dorland defeated ]\ir. I^own for Re- 
corder bv 2,^4. Mr. Collins, it should be said, had no 
expectation of being elected and had in fact been a 
supporter of Mr. Piatt. In the first 1 larrison-Cleve- 
land campaign, 1888, Mayor lUsworth was defeated 
by Cliarles M. Rowley, but in 1890 he was again 
elected Ma\iir, receiving 447 more votes than Hudson 
Taylor. Charles Morschansir was chosen Recorder at 
this time. The campaign of 1888 was characterized 
1)\- one old-time out-of-door meeting, the Iv. X. How- 
ell barbecue, held not far fmm the Driving Park- out- 



See p. 249. riN(i Appendi.x. 



side of the city limits. Chauncey M. Depew was the 
chief speaker. Martin Heermance,' then of Rhine- 
beck, was elected District Attorney in 1888, and there- 
after for the greater portion of each year became a resi- 
dent of Poughkeepsie, 

This was the period of James W, Plinkley s control 
of the local Democratic organization, in Gov. I-Iill's 
administration. Mr. Hinklev purchased the Poiigli- 
kccpsic Xc-d's in 1883 and also the Weekly Telei^raph 
and the Daily Press, so long published by Edward P.. 
Osborne. He consolidated these newspapers, which 
still retain the double title Xe7i.'s-Press, and News- Tel- 
egraph, and created a strong personal organ just at 
the time when the Democratic partv was largeh' in 
the ascendency. The Xeivs had been published, after 
Mr. Whitehouse's death in 1881, bv a compan\' organ- 
ied among its emplovees, including Samuel P. Flagler, 
who remained at the head of the job printing depart- 
ment for a long time after Mr. Hinkle\"s purchase, 
and \\'illiani I". I^eary, who continued to ser\-e as fore- 
man until his death in l'P5. 

The discontinuance of The Press as an afternoon 
newspaper left the iield open for a new pa|)er, and /Vu- 
gust 6tli, 1883, the first number of the BTeiiliig En- 

Mlc \v;ts :iii|niiii1c<1 Slate .is^i-ssor. or tax coniniissiuner. 
ill |X<)1) aiul became eliairnian of the boaifl. See .'\ppcndi.v. 



S:^Mf'- 




JAMES W. HINKLEV. 



2i2 



HISTORY OP POU GHKEBPSin 



terprise was published by W. C. Lansing, Edward Van 
Keuren and Derrick Brown. Messrs. Lansing and 
\'an Keuren had the year before purchased The 
Dutchess Farmer, an agricultural weekly, started April 
6th, i86g, by Egbert B. Killey, Jr., and Mr. Brown, 
who had been the editor of The Ncivs, joined them 
when it was decided to start a new daily. The Enter- 
prise has always been, under Mr. Brown's editorship, 
an independent Democratic paper, and has continued in 
the same building on Main Street where the Telegraph 
was published in the time of Edward B Killey, Sr., 
and where the Dutchess Fanner was published by his 
son. This building is said to have been a newspaper 
office for more than 75 years, but in 1904 was com- 
pletely changed in appearance and rebuilt with an 
additional story and a new front. 




Uld TfU-grapli (later linlcrpnse) Building. 

Returning to politics, the Democrats in 1890-91 
were concentrating their efforts upon the capture of 
the State f^cgislature. At the election of 1891 they 
obtained a majority in the Assembly, gaining one 
member in Dutchess, where John A. \'an<lewater de- 
feated Archibald Rogers, but on the face of the returns 
the)' lacked one or two of a majorit)- in the Senate. 
Then occurred the celebrated case of the ''quad- 
marked" ballots, or the "Dutchess County Case." The 
majority of Gilbert i\. Dcane for Senator, in the Sen- 
atorial district comprising the counties of Dutchess, 
Putnam and Columbia, \\-as small enough, onl}- 78, to 



invite attack, and looking the ground over the Demo- 
crats discovered that a number of the ballots, printed 
under county authorit}-, had a black ink mark on them, 
made by a high "quad," or space in the printing. 
These, they claimed, were "marked for identification," 
and the Board of Supervisors, sitting as canvassers, 
and strongl}' Democratic, was induced to throw out 
31 such ballots, cast for the Republican ticket in the 
Town of Red Hook, and to make enough other changes 
in the original return to give Edward B. Osborne, the 
veteran Poughkeepsie editor, a majorit}'. The Repub- 
lican County Clerk, Theodore A. Hotifman, refused to 
sign the certificate of the board, and John J. Mylod' 
was^appointed secretary pro tem. Thus came into ex- 
istence the celebrated Mylod certificate, about which 
a legal battle immediately began, the details of which 
are too voluminous for repetition^ here. It is suffi- 
cient to say that the Republicans obtained a mandamus 
compelling the Board of County Canvassers to recon- 
vene and grant a certificate of election to Gilbert A. 
Deane, and obtained an order from the Court of Ap- 
peals, which was unanimously Democratic, forbidding 
the State Board to canvass the Mylod return. Mean- 
while Governor Hill removed Count}' Clerk Hoffman 
and appointed Storm Emans in his place. Air. Enians, 
after having mailed the corrected returns to Albany, 
went there by a night train and took the copies from 
the mail of the State officers to which they were di- 
rected and brought them back to Poughkeepsie. Final- 
ly the State board, in defiance of all the court orders, 
granted the certificate of election to Mr. Osborne, and 
the Democrats obtained the coveted control of the 
Senate. Roswell P. Flower, who was elected Gover- 
nor at the same election, rewarded the leading Pough- 
keepsie participants in the afi^air, making William H. 
Wood, who had been attorney for the Board of Su- 
pervisors, chairman of the State Board of Assessors, 
but each of the members of the State Board of Can- 
vassers was afterwards fined for contempt of court. 
James W. Hinklc}' became chairman of the Democratic 
State Committee during Governor Flower's term. 

The independent press of the State and many of 
the Democratic newspapers, including the Fiiterprise, 
joined the Republicans in denunciation of Governor 
Hill and his associates in this capture of the Sen- 
ate, and public opinion began to set against the Dem- 
ocratic party. In the spring of 1892 a Republican Board 

I Public opinion ficncially exonerates I\[r. Mylod of any 
intentional wronyiloing in the niaUer, for the Court of Ap- 
peals afterwards decided that the clerk of the Board of 
Canvassers was not responsible for its action, and was bound 
to affi-x his signature to the returns adopted by it. 

-I'or full story of the legal battle see "The Dutchess 
County Case," a pamphlet published by John I. Piatt in 1892. 




Hon. CHARLES N. ARNOLD. 
{For biographical skeick see Appendix.) 



244 



lilSTORY OF POUGHKEBPSI 



of Supervisors was elected in Dutchess county by a 
large majority, but the Democrats were too strongly 
intrenched in Poughkeepsie to be at once overthrown. 
They took advantage of their control of the Legisla- 
ture to pass some charter amendments, the chief fea- 
ture of which was the division of the ciLy into seven, 
instead of six wards. The Republicans called this a 
gerrymander for the purpose of controlling the Com- 
mon Council, and there were some irregular lines, as 
shown in the maps published in April, 1892. This 
was also a Democratic >ear, bringing Grover Cleve- 
land again to the presidenc\-. Harrison carried Pough- 
keepsie by only 113, and A. Y Haight, the Republican 
candidate for j\Ia)'or, was defeated by William M. 
Ivetcham b)' 94, while in the vote for Aldermen the 
Democrats carried the First, Second, Third and 
Fourth Wards, giving them the board. The campaign 
of 1892 was notable from the fact that General John 
H. Ivetcham, who had been returned to Congress at 
every election after Mr. Whitehouse's second term, 
declined to be a candidate. He was apprehensive of 
the Cleveland sentiment, and of the vote of Ulster 
County, which had been joined with Dutchess in the 
Congressional apportionment following the census of 
1890. The Republicans nominated Jacob Lefever, of 
Xew Paltz, under the leadership of Lewis H. A'ail, 
president of the Dutchess County Mutual Insurance 
Company. Mr. Lefever served two terms, after which 
Gen. Ketcham was again chosen, and has served con- 
tinuously till the present time. 

During Mayor Ketcham's administration J. \V. 
Hinkley purchased the City Railroad, which was then 
controlled by a syndicate headed by William H. 
Young. Mr. Hinkley obtained additional franchises 
from the Common Council, built the north and south 
side loops and the line to Wappingers Falls, and 
changed the motive power to electricity. At about 
the same time the agitation in favor of smooth 
pavements to replace the old cobble stones arose. The 
first street to tear up the cobbles and lav asphalt 
block was Libert}' Street (1893), where the move- 
ment was led by the publishers of the Boi;lc. Main 
Street \\'as repaved from Washington to Clinton when 
the City Railroad tracks were rebuilt to provide for 
the electric service. The first trolle\' car was run over 
the line Oct. ist, 1895. 

By 1894 the political drift was strongh- towards the 
Republicans again, and they elected Charles N. Ar- 
nold Ma\or with a majority of 817 <jver George Card. 
A series of contested primary elections or caucuses Ije- 
gan in this year, when Captain ^\'illianl Haubenneslel 
obtained the Republican nomination for Count\- Treas- 
urer, though the organization favored ()eori'\- H. Sher- 



man, cashier of the Farmers and Manufacturers 
Bank. In 1896 Mr. Hunter came forward to regain 
his leadership, the situation being complicated, as 
stated elsewhere, with a contest over the superinten- 
dency of the public schools. He was defeated at this 
time b}' the \'ail men, who nominated J. Frank Hull for 
Mayor, and Mr. Hull defeated Henry W. Bullard at 
the election, though the feeling over the primaries 
was manifested in a considerable falling off from the 
large majority given William McKinley for President. 
In 1898 Mr. Hunter regained his control, completely 
overthrowing the Vail forces, and nominating Isaac 
\\'. Sherrill for Ma3'0r and Joseph Morschauser for 
Recorder. Mr. Sherrill had served in a number of 
public offices, including City Chamberlain and County 
Treasurer. He defeated his Democratic opponent, 
Stephen G. Guernsey, by a majority of 600, and Mr. 
Morschauser's majority ran above 1,000. Edward S. 
Atwater, president of the Farmers and Manufacturers 
Bank, was the Democratic candidate for State Comp- 
troller at this time, but was defeated with the rest of 
his ticket, this being the year of Theodore Roosevelt's 
election as Governor. Mr. Sherrill was succeeded by 
the present Ma}-or, George M. Hine, elected in 1900, 
when voting machines were first used in Poughkeep- 
sie. 

There had been for a number of years a Republican 
Club in Poughkeepsie that was a factor of some im- 
portance in political campaigns. Wallace Bruce was 
one of its presidents, before he was appointed United 
States consul to Edinburgh, and at the time of Mayor 
Arnold's administration Samuel H. Brown and P. 
Edgar Ackert were among its presidents. It was 
called the Lincoln League Club during its later years, 
but the organization was abandoned about 1896. 

In 1896 the city charter was amended to create a 
Board of Public Works, which should have the care 
of the streets and parks as well as of the water system 
and sewers. The first board was appointed by Mayor 
iXrnold, as follows; James E. Dutcher, James B. 
Piatt, and Dr. Walter R. Case. Subsequent boards 
were elected until 1901, when further changes in the 
charter placed the appointment of the members of all 
administrative boards in the hands of the mayor. 
There were one or two lively elections for members 
of tlie Board of Public Works, and Dr. J. W. Poucher' 
was elected on an independent ticket endorsed b\' the 
DenK)crats in 1899, one of the very few independent 
movements that has e\'er been successful in Pough- 
keepsie. 

L'nder the Board of Pulilic Works, the superin- 
tendent of tin- water s\slem, Charles E. Fowler, who 



1 l-'ni" slvctcli sec .■\])pcni;ii.x. 




SAMUEL H. BROWN. 
( For biographical sketch sec Appendix. ) 




JUDGE JOSEPH MORSCHAUSER. 
(For biographical sketch see Appendix. 



HISTORY OF POUGHKBEPSIE. 



247 



had succeeded Theodore W. Davis in 1881, was given 
the title of City Engineer. A new filtering basin 
was added to the city's water plant in i8y6, doubling 
the filtration capacity. This was covered with con- 
crete arches in 1904 and during 1905 the old filter 
beds were also reconstructed and covered, bringing 
them fully up to the latest requirements, and efl:ecting 
a great saving in operation in winter, when the removal 
of ice has always been difficult and expensive. 

In 1902 the time-honored offices of Recorder and 
justice of the peace were abolished, and the Mayor 
was given power to appoint a city judge, with juris- 
diction over certain civil cases. Joseph Morschauser, 



more of management. Dr. O. M. Shedd owned and 
conducted it for several years, and then sold to Wil- 
liam R. Maloney, who after a few \ears sold to a cor- 
poration represented by C. W. li. Arnold, and it then 
became a Republican paper. 

Tiiij NiiW \'ass.\r CoLr^EGij. 

The development of the new A'assar College has 
been a most important influence in making Poughkeep- 
sie what it is to-day. This has been accomplished un- 
der the presidency of James M. Taylor since 1886, 
and received its first financial support from the large 
sums left by the founder's nephews, Matthew 'Vassar, 




T/if Frederick /•". T/iovipson Me 

then Recorder, was made the first city judge. The 
charter of 1896 created the office of Alderman-at- 
Largc, to preside over the Common Council. Thomas 
Jillard was the first elected and was succeeded by Dr. 
Charles E. Lane.^ still in office. The charter of 190 1 
pro\-i(led for salaries, $51.10 for the ma\or, and $100 for 
the president of each board. 

A fourth daily newspaper was started in Pough- 
kcepsie .\pril 24th, 1889, liy William N. Sanford, 
John J. I'lagnall, Jr., and Joseph Schepmoes. It was 
at first called Poiig^hkccpsic , but before the end of the 
^■ear the name was changed to the livening Star. It 
has passed through several changes of ownership an<l 
iSco p:iyo 257, also Appendix. 



inorial Library al I 'assar College. 

Jr., who died in August, 1881, and John Guy \'assar, 
who died in October, 1888. They had built in 1879 
what may be described as the first new building — the 
\'assar Brothers Laboratory, but the first gift of a 
building from .anyone outside of the A^assars ^vas fin- 
ished after Dr. Taylor took charge, — the Eleanor 
Conserxatory, built b\- ^^'. R. Farrington in 1886. 
Matthew \'assar, Jr., was treasurer of the college un- 
til bis death, and left it a fund of $50,000 for scholar- 
ships, and $80,000 to endow two professorships — 
Greek and Latin, Physics and Chemistry — "provided 
that each of the said professors shall be of mv own 
se.v, and that if this provision shall be violated bv the 
appiiintment to either one of such chairs of a person 



248 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEBPSIE. 



of the other sex then the fund hereby given I declare 
shall be withdrawn and be deposited with the treasurer 
of the City of Poughkeepsie towards the extinguish- 
ment of the debt of said cit\." 

President Taylor found affairs at rather a low ebb, 
and the college much dependent upon the income from 
the students. He had the courage to recommend the 
abolition of the preparator\- department, which in- 
viilved a reduction of numbers and of income, and 
with some trepidation the trustees made the recom- 
mendation effective in 1887. The next year John Guy 
\'assar died, leaving $80,000 to endow professorships, 
and $60,000 to endow the laboratory and the music 
and art departments, and making the college one of his 
three residuary legatees. From the last provision 
came a large increase of endowment, which was not 
obtained, however, vmtil l8gi, after much litigation. 
The college began to grow rapidly about this time, and 
when enlarged equipment was needed other benefactors 
came forward, chief among whom has been John D. 
Rockefeller and Frederick F. Thompson. Strong 
Hall, the first of four new dormitories, was built in 
1893. and at once filled with students, fn 1895 \\'ind- 
sor Hall, originally the Brooks Seminary school build- 
ing in Poughkeepsie, a mile awav, was rented. In 
1897 another residence building named from the first 
president, I^r. Ra^■mond, was erected, and also Rocke- 
feller Hall for recitations, named from its donor. Mr. 
Thompson built the present library at the entrance of 
the main building in 1892, and the magnificent library 
now nearly finished is the gift of his widow. Two 
dormitories, one named for Rev. Edward Lathrop, 
president of the board of trustees for twent\-five years, 
and the other for Mr. Rockefeller's mother, Eliza Davi- 
son, were built in 1901 and 1902. 

Before this time \assar alumna: were beginning to 
be in a position to show their loyalty. The gymnas- 
ium, built in 1889, was their first large gift. In 1900 
Mrs. Edward S. Atwater, of I Niughkeepsie, built the 
Swift Infirmar)', in memory of her father, Charles W. 
Swift : the New England alumna; built the Xew Eng- 
land Building, devoted to biology and natural science, 
in 1901, and the beautiful new chajiel, opened in June. 
1904. is the gift of two graduates, Mrs. Mary Thaw 
Thompson, '77, and Mrs. INfary ^lorris Pratt, "80. 
The new equipment made new endowment necessary, 
and about $175,000 was raised in 1904, largely through 
the eft'orts of the alumn;e. .Mr. Ri)ckefeller doubled 
this sum, about $15,000 <if which was eonlribuled 
bv citizens of Poughkeepsie. lm|iorlant eyents in the 
recent history of \^assar College were the celebration 
of the 25lh anniversarx. in June. iScjn. and the produc- 
tion of the Creek pla\-, Antigone, .May 2l'>. r8fj;v 



The Benrf.vctions of Matthew \^\ss.\r, Jr., and 
John Guy \''ass.\r. 

The John Guy Vassar will case deserves more than 
passing notice, as several of the benefactions of ...c 
\^assar brothers were involved, and nearly all the 
prominent lawyers of I^oughkeepsie were retained. 
One of Mr. \'assar's chief projects was the founding 
of an orphan asylum on College Hill, which he had 
purchased. This proposed asylum, and the Vassar 
Brothers' Hospital, which had been founded by Mat- 
thew Vassar, Jr., were made residuary legatees with 
\'assar College. As the asylum was not yet incorpor- 
ated the legal question of indefinite suspension of own- 
ership arose, and the executors, Benjamin M. Fowler, 
Oliver PI. Booth and Edward A^an Kleeck sought a 
judicial construction, making the next-of-kin par- 
ties to the action. Various other questions, one of 
them as to the right of \'assar College to receive more 
mone\' than its charter authorized, were raised. The 
college had an income from invested funds, at this 
time, of about $25,000 a year, and its holdings were 
limited to an amount sufficient to yield $40,000 a year. 
Judge Homer .\. Nelson went very fully into this part 
of the case, consulting Joseph H. Choate, now U. S. 
Ambassador to Great Britain, and at length in March, 
1891, the college settled with the next-of-kin by paying 
them $146,000, which is to be deducted from its share 
of the residuar\' estate given below. 

At this time, when the case was about to be argued 
before the Court of .\ppeals at Albany, appearances 
were noted as follows : 

For the executors — Frank B. Lowni and H. .K. NlKoh. 
For Vas.sar College — Cyrus Swan and Rol)ert E. Taylor. 
For Va^^ar Brothers' Hospital — Allison Butts. 
For Vassar Orphan As\ lum — Frank Hasbrouck. 
For Vassar Brothers' Old Men's Home— John P. H. Tall- 
man. 

For the Baptist Chmxh — Walter Farrington. 

h'or Vassar Brothers" Institute — llerrick & Losey, 

Plenry M. Taylor (County Judge 1871-1877), Fred- 
erick W. Pugslex', Cyrenus P. Dorland (Surrogate), 
William R. \\'oodin, Hackett & Williams, J. H. Mil- 
lard, Leonard 1!. Sackelt, and two or three New A'ork 
lawyers represented the next-of-kin. In ,\pril the 
court handed down its decision declaring the orphan 
as\lum clauses invalid and also a bequest of $10,000 
to the Piaplist Chtirch, thus greatly increasing the 
residuary estate. In the final accounting N'assar Col- 
lege and the \ assar I lospital each received about 
,$503,000, in addition to the special bequests. 

'Mr, Lnwn's (wo partners, Jolui Tliompson and J.iuies H. 
Weeks, 1]ntli died after the d.ate of the will— Mr, Weeks, one 
'li the nri.niual e.xeeutors, in i,'-S,H, and Mr. Thompson in 
Jime, iSi^o 





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Hon. l^DWARD KLSWORTH. 
TiTitsi/irr of I 'itssar Col/ci;i- mid /;rirt- J/nroi' aj /\>iii;/i/;t\-psii\ 



I'OU 



HISTORY OF ROUGH KEEPSIL 



The \^assar Brothers' Hospital had been the resi- 
duary legatee of the \\ill of Matthew Yassar, Jr., and 
thus became one of the best endowed hospitals in the 
country. The main building was erected in 1884 on 
what had been once Livingston property, in a com- 
manding location overlooking the river. Additions 
nearly doubling its capacity have since been built, and 
its grounds and gardens are celebrated for their 
beauty. Dr. Guy C. Ba>ley has been the superinten- 
dent since the opening. The library and laboratory 
building was erected in 1899. 

The A^assar Brothers' Home for Aged Men was 
finished in August, 1880, on the site of the residence 
of Matthew \'assar, Sr., corner of Main and Vassar 
Streets, at a cost of about $45,000. The building will 
accommodate fifty men, but its endowment did not 
provide income sufficient to support the full number, 
until the death of Mrs. Matthew Vassar, Jr., in 1903. 

A'assar Brothers' Institute was planned before the 
death of Matthew Vassar, Jr., but carried out by John 
Guy \'assar. The building was erected on the site of 
the old Vassar Street brewery in 1882, at a cost of 
$30,000, to provide a home for two local societies. The 
Roughkecpsie Literary Club and The Ronghkcepsie 
Society of Natural Science. The first of these had 
been organized October 18, 1869, with Dr. E. W. 
Avery as president, and its discussions had been at- 
tracting such large audiences that meetings were held 
in Y. M. C. A. hall, then in the Congregational Church, 
or in the I^afayette Street Baptist Chrrch for a time. 
The second was organized October 27, 1874, with Cor- 
nelius \'an Brunt president. Dr. W. G. Stevenson vice- 
president, \\'. R. Gerard secretary, and Charles N. 
Arnold treasurer. Each society met every two weeks 
to discuss papers prepared by their members, and a few 
men like Dr. Stevenson were prominent in both, l^ro- 
fessor Truman J. Backus, ^ of \'assar College, the last 
president of the Literary Club, became the first presi- 
dent of the Institute in November, 1882, and the other 
officers were Rev. J. Elmendorf vice-president. Dr. 
\\". G. Stevenson secretary, Edward Elsworth treas- 
urer, Professor William B. Dwight curator of the 
museum, Professor Henry Van Ingen art director, 
Edward Burgess librarian. The first officers of the 
sections were: Scientific Section — Professor Le Ro^ 
C. Coolcy chairman, C. N. Arnold secretary ; Literary 
Section — Rev. E. A. Lawrence chairman, Henrv V. 
PcUon secretary: Art Section — Professor Llenry A^an 
[ngcn chairman, George E. Bissell secretar\'. 

The Institute has been and still is an important 

'Truni.111 J. Backus resigned liis professorship at Vassar 
College in 1XX3, and became presideiit of Packer InstiUite, 
Brooklyn. 



educational force, though the decline of interest in 
public lectures has decreased its audiences. Its dis- 
cussions of such questions as good roads, the water 
suppl_y, etc., have helped on several occasions to arouse 
public opinion, and through its collections of local in- 
sects, birds, minerals, etc., it aims to be of service 
to fruit growers and farmers, as well as to students. 
Mechanical drawing classes have been conducted by 
the Art Department. The Literary Section meetings 
were abandoned for a time, but were revived some ten 
years ago under the chairmanship of John C. Sickley, 
and have since been maintained. The rooms are often 
in use for school exercises, and sometimes for the 
meetings of literar}', musical or other societies not 
affiliated with the Institute. The most notable of 
these is the Tuesday Club, comprising a membership 
of about fifty women, many of them \^assar graduates. 
This club was started in 1899, chiefly through the ef- 
forts of Miss Elizabeth Schermerhorn and Mrs. Henry 
V. Pelton, the latter of whom became the first presi- 
dent. The Choral Club, a chorus of about fifty 
women, gives a private concert in the Institute every 
spring under the leadership of Professor George C. 
Gow, of Vassar College, and the Symphony Society, 
led by William Lyon Dobbs, holds its rehearsals and 
gives an annual concert there also. 

Other Benefactions and Organizations. 

Nearly every institution in Poughkeepsie received 
aid at some time or other from the Vassars, but the 
city has had and still has other men of wealth who 
have given large amounts. Chief among them is Wil- 
liam W. Smith, who came forward, when John Guv 
Vassar's plan for an orphan asylum on College Hill 
had been overthrown by the courts, bought the prop- 
erty in October, 1892, for $11,600, and turned it over 
to the city with plans for its improvement as a public 
park formed and the work started. The movement 
for a College Hill Park was instigated largely by Rev. 
Frank Heartfield, then pastor of St. Paul's Church, and 
the property was at first held by a committee of citi- 
zens, backed by Mr. Smith. 

The Young Men's Christian Association has been 
one of Mr. Smith's chief beneficiaries, and the many 
recent alterations and improvements have completely 
transformed the old Pine Hall. The gymnasium was 
for a number of years on the top floor, the same room 
being used for an auditorium. A new gymnasium was 
installed on the first floor and basement after a time, 
and in 1905 a handsome swimming pool was added. 
.-\ billiard room was added to the attractions of the 
building in 1904, and many other changes have been 
made within the past year or two. Presidents of the 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEBPSIE. 



'>:>[ 



Young Men's Christian Association have been J^luL 
H . Mathews 1863-1869, Leonard C. Winslow 1869- 
T^o, John I. Piatt 1870-1872, Mitchell Downing 
1872-1875, Edmund P. Piatt 1875-1879, Benson Van 
Vliet 1879-1882, William W. Smith 1882-1888, Charles 
P. Angell 1888-1892, William W. Smith 1892-1893, 
Gilford Dudley i893-i89r), James B. Piatt 1896-1899, 
D. Crosb}' Foster 1899-1900, D. C. Matthews 1900 — . 

The Young- Women's Christian Association has also 
benefited greatly from Mr. Smith's help, and is now 
erecting a building in Cannon Street on the site of the 
historic old church (see p. 121) erected by the Pres- 
byterians and used by so many different denomina- 
tions of Christians. The Association was organized 
in 1881 and incorporated in 1884. Its incorporators 
were Helen J. Nelson, Harriet R. Howard, Mattie F. 
Johnston, N'ictoria L. Johns, Roberta S. Ackert, Jennie 
Bushnell, Winnifred F. Bisbee, Mary Beattys, Anna C. 
Howland, Kate Smith, Sarah Bowne, Mary E. Piatt, 
Emma B. Piatt, Emma Flagler, May Gurney, Lavinia 
Dudlc\', Annie Brewer, Mary Underbill and Angelica 
Griffin. Miss Harriet R. Howard, Mrs. Edwin D. 
Baright, Mrs. Homer A. Nelson, Mrs. Egbert D. 
Clapp, Mrs. J. Frank Hull, Mrs. Edmund P. Piatt 
and Dr. Grace N. Kimball have been presidents of the 
association. Its rooms have been since the start at 
Xo. 361 Main Street, in the Wright Building. 

Mr. Smith has always been much interested in 
Temperance work, and long ago became a leader in 
the Prohibition party. He has been its candidate for 
Governor and other high offices. The Women's Chris- 
tian Temperance Union has been one of his benefi- 
ciaries and largely through his aid was enabled to 
purchase the Poughkeepsie Female Academy in 1889. 
The Union was organized as a simple prayer circle 
in 1873, in aid of the Women's Crusade then in pro- 
gress in Ohio, and has accomplished much towards the 
spread of temperance sentiment. Mrs. Homer A. Nel- 
son was one of its recent presidents. 

A Charity Organization Society, started in June, 
1879, deserves mention, though no longer in existence, 
because it was an effective agency in the breaking up 
of house-to-house begging, at that time very common. 
The first officers were: President, S. M. Bucking- 
ham ; vice-presidents, Dr. E. H. Parker, Rev. J. Nilan ; 
secretary, John H. Mathews ; treasurer, Alson \\'ar(l. 
This society was organized b>' Rev. b'dward A. Law- 
rence, who succeeded Rev. James C. Beecher. brother 
of Henry Ward Beecher, as pastor of the Congrega- 
tional Church, in 1875, ^"'1 served until 1883. The 
purposes of the Charity Organization Society were to 
centralize the charity of the city, investigate the claims 
of applicants and stop indiscriminate giving. It en- 



countered considerable opposition and after Mr. Law- 
rence left Poughkeepsie ceased active work, but was 
revived by Rev. William Bancroft Hill, who became 
pastor of the Second Reformed Church in 1889, and 
finally succeeded in the accomplishment of considerable 
good. 

The Union Rescue Mission was organized, in 1894, 
as a result of meetings started at the Friends Meeting 
House in Montgomery Street, under the following 
committee : Sylvester Pier, Christ Church, president ; 
Per Lee A. Lee, Trinity Methodist Church, vice-presi- 
dent ; Alfred L. Cartland, Friends Church, treasurer; 
Charles R. Dickinson, First Reformed Church, secre- 
tary ; Mrs. Horace Sague, Christ Church, Mrs. Mar_\ 
H. Bedell, Friends Church. It was at first called 
"The Peoples' Union Mission," and rented an old sa- 
loon at 42 North Clover Street, where Superintendent 
Charles H. Madison held the first meeting November 
c)th, 1894. The corner-stone of the new building was 
laid in October, 1896. 

Ne.w institutions which contribute something to the 
life and business of Poughkeepsie are the Gallaudet 
Home for Deaf Mutes, established about six miles be- 
low Poughkeepsie in 1885, and the Novitiate of St. 
Andrew, about three miles north in 1902. The latter 
is a Roman Catholic Jesuit institution brought here 
from Maryland, and occupying a large building, on 
what was formerl}' the Stuyvesant place. The Gal- 
laudet Home was burned in February. 1900, and re- 
built on a larger scale in 1903. Mrs. C. M. Nelson 
has long been president of the board of lady managers. 

New Churches. 

The principal change in the religious situation since 
1873 'iss been the increase in the number and strength 
of the Roman Catholics, brought about largely by the 
settlement of immigrants from Ital}' and Poland. 
Man\' of the older Catholic families have grown in 
prosperity and have moved from the First to the Fifth 
Sixth and Seventh ^^'ards. 

St. Mary's Church soon outgrew the old Cannon 
Street building and October 22d, 1893, the present 
church, corner of Hamilton and Church Streets, was 
dedicated in the pastorate of Rev. Terence J. Farley. 
This church cost a great deal more monev than was 
expected and has strugeled under a ver\' heav\' debt, 
now reduced to about $^0,000. The Church of the 
Nativity in I'nion Street has been rebuilt, and in 1903 
a Polish C?itliolic Church was organized and took pos- 
session of the old Baptist Church in Lafayette Place. 

The onlv other new congregation in the city with 
sufficient ftrength to own a building is the Christian 
Scientist, organized April 27, 1898. This church, or 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEEPSIE 



chapel, on Market Street, was erected in 1902. Miss 
Julia Frost and Charles H. Barnes were among the 
first persons interested, and J. Edward Smith and Mrs. 
Brewster were the first readers of the church. 

Several other important additions have been made 
to the church buildings of the city, the first of which 
was the new Baptist Church, erected in 1879, '" '^'''^ 
pastorate of Rev. J. Ryland Kendrick, when the old 
Lafayette Street Church was abandoned. John Guy 
and Matthew \'assar, Jr., were leading contributors 
to the new building, which is one of the largest and 
best built churches in the city. Mill Street was 
then and for a number of \ears afterwards considered 
the most fashionable residence street. 

The building of the new Christ Church, eight years 
later, marks the drift of well-to-do residents to the 
South Side. The old burying ground, bounded by 
Montgomery, Carroll, Barclay and Academy Streets, 
and surrounded by a high picket fence, had been prac- 
tically abandoned since 1871, when the Common 
Council forbade further interments there, and had 
grown up into a dense forest. When the rectory was 
built on the corner of Hamilton and Barclay Streets, 
it was intended that a new church should some day be 
erected adjoining it on Barclay Street, and maps are 
on file showing the lots there so marked. This prop- 
ertv, however, remained unimproved until about 1880, 
and was often made use of by the boys as a baseball 
lot. A few 3'ears later the lots were sold and the 
church authorities resolved to build upon the the cem- 
etery ground. The corner-stone of the new church 
was laid September 25th, 1887, and it was consecrated 
Mav 15th, 1888, b\- Bishop Scarborough, who had 
been the first rector of the Church of the Holy Com- 
forter. More than half its total cost of $120,000 was 
contributed by Mr. Albert Tower, whose son in 1903 
built the new rectory adjoining. The creation of this 
beautiful church and park has produced the greatest 
of recent changes in Poughkeepsie, and the tearing 
down of the old church in 1889, removed a memorable 
landmark. Rev. Henry L. Ziegenfuss was the rector, 
having served from 1874 until his death in February, 
1894, greatly beloved by his parishioners. 

Another new church in the same neighborhood, and 
marking also the growth of the southeastern section of 
the city, was the Trinity Methodist Church, corner of 
Hamilton Street and Hooker Avenue, built from plans 
made bv Corydon \\^heeler, and dedicated April 24th, 
iS<;2, in the pastorate of Rev. G. H. Gregory. In 
September, 1904, the Methodists celcl)rated the centen- 
nial of their establishment in Poughkeepsie by services 
in this church in charge of Rev. John J. Reed, and also 
bv a bancjuet at which Mr. Reed read a poem com- 



memorating the growth of the town and the church. 

The Friends, or Quakers, have probably changed 
more in the past thirt}- years than any other denomi- 
nation. In spite of a loss of membership the Hicksite 
branch erected a new Meeting House in Lafaj'ette 
Place in 1894, and the orthodox, or Montgomery Street 
Church, has been modernized. Elmer D. Gildersleeve, 
of this church, is recognized as the second in length 
of service among the ministers of the city. 

The latest new church, now in progress of con- 
struction, is the Presb3'terian, expected to be the hand- 
somest church in the cit}-. This building is to cost 
$115,000, and is largely due to the energy of the pas- 




WILUAM W. SMITH. 

tor, Rev. William P. Swartz, Ph. D., and to the geuer- 
osit_\- of William W. Smith, though Mrs. John F. 
^^'inslow and others have been large contributors. 
Percival M. Lloyd is the architect. The commodious 
manse adjoining is also the gift of Mr. Smith. 

Chapels were built by St. Paul's Church, at Ever- 
green Park and Arlington in 1891 and 1892, but the 
former has been abandoned and added to the latter, 
which may in time become a separate church. The 
Second Reformed Church has established a chapel at 
Freertown, and additions have been made to several 
churches. 

Ri-XitxT Puiirjc Improvements — Schools. 

The beginning of the iieriod of smooth jjavements 
Ikin already been noted. One street, Academv, has 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEEPSIE. 



V>: 



been macadamized at the expense of adjoining prop- 
ert}', from Montgomery Street to Livingston, and near- 
ly all others have been top-dressed with stone and 
rolled. The purchase of a heavy steam road roller 
by the Board of Public Works marks about the be- 
ginning of this improvement. The demand for better 
public schools and school buildings and for new fire 
company houses began at about the same time as the 
demand for better streets. 




T/ic Firsl Dutchess County Academy. {Sec page 6j ). 
{/■^eprodicctio7i, enlarged, of tlie original seal of'the Academy. 
The existence of this interesting relic ivas not knoivn to the 
writer until all references to the Academy had been printed. ) 

The City Library occupied the whole lower floor of 
the High School building until October, 1898, when 
the present beautiful Adriance Memorial Library was 
completed and presented to the city by the children 
of John P. Adriance* (died January i8th, 1891) as a 
memorial to their father and mother. Up to this time 
the librar}- had been in charge of the Board of Edu- 
cation, but the charter was amended to provide for a 
Board of Library Trustees, and Mayor Isaac W. Sher- 
rill in 1899 appointed as the first members L Reynolds 
Adriance, who had long been chairman of the library 
committee of the ISoard of Education, Frank Van 
Kleeck, Edmund I^latt, John P. Ambler and William 
H. Frank. In 1872 the library contained less than 
5.000 volumes and the number of books loaned was less 
than 20,000, but at the time of the death of Hon. James 
Emott in 1884 it had grown so that there was not suf- 
ficient accommodation for the 5,000 volumes he be- 
queathed to it, and rather than spend $5,000 to pro- 
vide additional room the ta.xpayers foolishly rejected 
the gift. In 1897, the last complete \-ear in the High 
School, the nrmlxT of books was 21,488 and the cir- 
culation 49,707. In 1904 the books numbered 40,101) 
and the circulation bad risen to 88,276, exclusive of 

U. Reynolds .Vdriaiice, John E. Adriance, Marion, wife of 
Silas W'odcll, Ks(i , William A. .'KdriaiKC, Rev, Hiirris E. 
Adriance, and Francis H. .Adriance. 



9,305 volumes loaned in the public schools. John C. 
Sickley has been the librarian since September, i<S82. 
The High School obtained a much needed increase 
of room from the removal of the library, and this at 
a time when public attention was directed to the 
schools by a controversy which had divided the Board 
of Education for several years. At the January meet- 
ing in 1898 Edward Burgess, who had been superin- 
tendent of schools since the establishment of the office 
in 1878, was removed b}- a vote of eight to four, and 
Edwin S. Harris, of Schuylerville, N. Y., was appoint- 
ed in his place. This action was strongly opposed 1>\- 
many leading citizens, and "The Eight" were vigor- 
ously denounced. Religious and political questions be- 
came mixed in the controversy. Since 1873 what was 
widely known as ''The Poughkeepsie Plan" had pre- 
vai'ed in connection with two schools, Numbers 11 and 
12, which had been built and conducted as parochial 
schools by St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church. The 
buildings were taken by the city at a nominal rental 
of $1 a year and were conducted as publia schools, 
though out of school hours they could be used bv 
the church for religious services, and this was under- 
stood to permit opening exercises before school time 
•n the morning. The teachers appointed in them were 
aU members of the Catholic Church, and some of them 
members of orders wearing a uniform or garb. Ob- 
jection had been made to the plan from time to time 
by Catholics as well as by Protestants, but it had gen- 
erally worked smoothly, and during the long and able 
pastorate of Rev. James Nilan at St. Peter's religious 
animosities had been greatly softened. Now, however, 
the questions came up again, and the Board of Educa- 
tion passed a resolution prohibiting the wearing of a 
garb of a religious order by any teacher in the public 
schools. This resulted in the withdrawal of "the Sis- 
ters," as they were called, from the teaching force, in 
the leasing of School No. 12 at an annual rental of 
$1,000, and in the abandonment of No. 11, which was 
then reopened as a parochial school. 

Political complications were caused bv the factional 
contest in progress for control of the local Repub- 
lican organization between the supporters of Lewis H. 
X'ail's leadership and the friends of Robert H. Hunter. 
The Reptiblican members of "the Eight" or majoritv 
of the Board of Education, Dr. Horace R. Powell. 
Helmus W. Barratt and \\'illiam .\. Lawrence, were 
classed as liunler men. whi'c George E. Cramer, J. 
Spencer Van Clcef and I. Reynolds .Adriance were 
\'ail men. As the Hunter men were gaining and in 1808 



iMr. Van Cleef had lont; Ijcen a most active member of 
the board. George Kriei;er was tlie only Democratic men', 
mcr of tlie minorilv. 



2.->4 



HISTORY Of POUGHKEBPSIE 



obtained complete control, the Republican members 
of "The Eight" were able to maintain themselves, while 
the Democratic members were in a like position 
through the influence of William H. Wood, a leading 
force in the local organization of his part}'. Indepen- 
dent school tickets were run in l8g8 and 1899 and 
polled a large number of votes, but were not able to 
overcome the combination of the two part}' organiza- 
tions. The controversy continued to rage around the 




MARTIN W. COLLINS. 
(For biographical sketch see Appendix. ) 

personality and policy of Edwin S. Harris, until his 
removal in 1902 and the appointment of the present 
superintendent, William A. Smith, but in the meantime 
the charter was amended in 1900, reducing the Board 
of Education to seven members, appointed by the 
mayor. Hon. James L. Williams became the first 
president of the new board, which was organized in 
May of that }ear. The others were Martin W. Col- 
lins. Willett Ho}-sradt, Frank C. I^own, Ilelmus W. 
Barratt, \\'illiam H. Wood and Albert (). Cheney. 

Opinions naturally still differ as to the merits of 
the original dispute, but the resultant focusing of pub- 
lic scrutiny upon the schools disclosed the necessity 
of spending more money on them. During the years 
immediately following the panic of 1873 strict econo- 
my had been the rule. The schools had not advanced 
as in some other p'aces, and the buildings especialh 



were generally old and ill-suited to their purpose. In 
1899 a start towards something better was made in 
the construction of the Central Grammar School 
adjoining the High School, while some of the older 
buildings were re-fitted, including the Warring School, 
purchased in 1902. In 1901 a new building was 
erected on Lincoln Avenue, and another in 1904 on 
Delafield Street. All these improvements were paid 
for outright by taxation, the city having no power to 
borrow money. Meanwhile the increased efficiency 
is particularly to be noted in the increased attendance 
at the High School, which during the past few years 
has been preparing students for college. All the 
schools have recently been given names. 

Something of the history of each of the leading 
private schools has been given in former chapters. 
Eastman College has apparently done better than 
its founder anticipated. If Mr. Eastman had an abid- 
ing faith in the permanency of his institution, it is 
singular that in the time of his prosperity he did not 
invest some of the earnings of the college in perma- 
nent and suitable buildings for its accommodation. 
The present building was erected in 1883, in the presi- 
dency of Ezra White, who was succeeded a few years 
later by Clement C. Gaines, who had married Mr. 
Eastman's widow. Under Mr. Gaines's management 
the college has broadened its curriculum and has been 
kept fully abreast of the times. It has now the loyal 
su]5port of a large body of graduates, who have been 
successful in business, and Mr. Gaines keeps in close 
touch not only with them, but with the requirements 
of the leading commercial institutions in the country. 
He has also brought the college under the supervision 
of the Regents of the State University. 

In 1885 occurred a notalsle change in the school 
situation when Rev. D. G. \\'right (see p. 165) gave up 
the old Poughkeepsie Female Academy. The purchase 
of the building by the Woman's Christian Temperance 
Union has already been mentioned. Dr. Wright serv- 
ed one year as principal of the High School. Mean- 
while Samuel Wells Buck, who had been principal of 
the High School for several years, had purchased 
what was originally the Poughkeepsie Female Col- 
legiate Institute, then known as Cook's Collegiate In- 
stitute, and changed its name to Lyndon Hall, which 
it still retains. Miss Mar}- C. Alliger, who had been 
one of Dr. Wright's teachers, purchased the Ouincy 
School, which had been started in 1882 by Miss Caro- 
line Silloway, and these two remain. 

The Warring School building, before its purchase 
b}- the city, had not been in use for several 
}ears. Dr. ^\'arring sold the I'oughkcepsie Militar\' 
Institute about 1871 to Henry Jewett, who conducted 




cij';i\ri-;NT cARKiNc/rox g.\ini';s. 

I'lisnlciil ill liashiiiui (.'ollcoi-. 
(h'or hloi^ivp/iiia/ skiirli srr . l/>/i,iiJiA ."j 



I'jr, 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEEPSIE 



it for several _vears and then transferred it back to Dr. 
Warring, who continued it until his retirement. Ef- 
forts were made by others to conduct a school there 
without success. All the smaller schools for boys had 
already disappeared under the competition of River- 




JOSEPH B. BISBEE. 

view, and of the improving public schools. River- 
view, with its splendid equipment, and corps of teach- 
ers, continues as prosperous as ever. Otis Bisbee died 
in February, 1885, leaving the school to the manage- 
ment of his son, Joseph Bartlctt Bisbee and Harlan 
Page Amen, who kept it fully up-to-date. Mr. .Vmen 
made a specialty of preparation for college, but in 
1895 became principal of the famous Phillips Academy 
at Exeter, Xcw Hampshire, leaving Riverview to the 
sole management of iNIr. Bisbee, who has continued 
and improved its high standard. 

New IUjildinc.s .\m) Rijai, Kst,\tic Extensions. 
Great improx'ements have l)een made in the busi- 
ness streets. Although man_\- buildings remain on 
Main and Market Streets that were built before Pough- 
keepsie became a city, so many more have been erected 
or rebuilt since the war, even since 1873. that the ap- 
pearance of the streets has been entirely changed. A 
glance at some of the photographs of street scenes 
taken not more than twenty-five years ago slmws this 
plainly. Since the fire of December 26th, 1870, very 



few buildings have been burned on Main Street, and 
changes have come slowly, but year by year the old 
gives place to the new. The Johnston building, west 
of the Morgan House, was finished in 1875, and the 
first store in it was opened in April of that year by Don- 
ald, Converse & Ma^nard, three young men who had 
come from Hartford. Peter M. Howard's marble front 
building at 265 Main Street was finished in the same 
year. This building was designed for a corner lot, 
and Mr. Howard intended to put a street through from 
Main Street to Mansion, to be continuous with Balding 
Avenue, then recently opened. It would have been a 
notable improvement, but Mr. Howard's money and 
health did not'hold out. 

The Elting building on the corner of Liberty Street 
replaced in 1892 one of the old landmarks of early 
days, long the store of George Van Kleeck. 




7/ic Biiildivg- of I.mi;cy, I'latt kt ( <;. 

Finall\-, Luckew Piatt & Co. made the greatest 
change and improvement of recent >ears when in 1901 
the\' tore down the old stores that had been 336, 338 
and 340 Main Street and erected a complete depart- 
ment store building, designed for sales-rooms on all 
four floors. These, connected with 332 and 334. 
which had been partialh' rebuilt in 1890, and with 342, 
formerly the TIerrick furniture store, now form one 
great establishment. 




Dr. CHARLES E. LANE, 
President of the Common Couneil . 




GEORGE W. LUMB. 
President of the Hoard of Ptiblic Works. 



HISTORY OF POUGHKBEPSIB. 



259 



Market Street's business block has changed much 
more than Main Street ; in fact nearly all the west 
side is new. The old Forbus House was sold in No- 
vember, 1874, to Judge Nelson, who purchased it for 
his sister, Mrs. E. P. Taylor. It was torn down the 
next year, except the three-story brick addition which 
was built several years earlier, and forms the southern 
part of the present house. The new hotel, The Nelson 
House, was formally opened May 19th, 1876, with a 
banquet at which Mayor Carpenter presided. Its first 
proprietor was Peter Poland, who came here from 
Albany, and was succeeded after a short time by Capt. 
A. F. Black. In 1885 the whole row of old buildings 
between the Nelson House and Union Street, including 
the old Baker or Brush house, dating back to the days 
of the Revolution, was destroyed to make way for the 
new United States Government Building. These build- 
ings had been given a mansard roof after 1870, and so 
did not appear when torn down as shown in the pic- 
ture on page jd. The new government building was 
read\' for occupancy by Xovcmber, 1886, when Post- 
master Robert II. Hunter moved the Post Office there 
from the City Plall. As already shown, this was a re- 
turn of the office to the same location occupied from 
185 1 to 1865. The lower floor of the City Hall, then 
\acated, was rented b\- J. \^'. Hinklc>-, who published 
his newspapers there until he finally settled on the 
corner of Cannon and Market Streets, and erected a 
■lew building there. 

In the same year that the "Law>'ers' Row'' was de- 
stroyed, 1885, occurred another important change in 
the appearance of the neighborhood of Market and 
Main Streets. The Poughkeepsie Hotel verandas 
(see page I'jS), from which Henry Clay had spoken, 
were torn away, the first floor lowered to side- 
walk level, and the building was partially rebuilt, and 
consolidated with the Nelson House in management. 
The old hotel had been se\eral times damaged b>- fire. 
After John H. Rutzer's' death in 1867, Richard P. 
Morgan, who represented .Mrs. 'Rutzer's interest, be- 
came the proprietor. He altered the building by tak- 
ing ofif the lower veranda about 1878. Then it was 
leased to Milton Bain, with whom was associated his 
son, H. N. I'.ain, for a term of six years. In the mean- 
time Judge Nelson bought the hotel, and made the 
final alterations. Mr. I'.ain removed to the Nelson 
House in 1884, and before the con.solidatiou Isaac N. 
Seaman ran the Poughkeepsie for a time, and was its 
last actual proprietor. The Nelson House has since 



iRut/cr canio here from Kingston in 1841 and was for a 
shorl lime pioprielor o( Ibc I'orhns llon.sc. He was proba- 
l)lv the n^o^t fanions of oUl-linic liolcl men in Pouglikccpsie. 



that time been greatly increased in size and improved 
in many ways. 

The climax of change in the neighborhood was the 
building of the new Court House in 1902. Many peo- 
ple regretted the destruction of the old building, and 
thought that it should have been postponed until the 
city and county could join in the erection of a com- 
bined Court House and City Hall, to take the place of 
all the buildings bounded by Market, Main, Washing- 
ton and Union Streets. A new Court House, however, 
was one of the necessities of the near future, and the 
jail had been condemned as unfit for use. The archi- 
tect of the new Court House was 'WiUiam J. Beards- 
ley, and the building committee from the Board of Su- 
l^ervisors was Miles K. Lewis, John W. Delamate r, 
James H. Kipp, Reginald W . RivFs'and Klsworth 1^. 
Winans. 

Lower Main Street has been considerably changed 
during the past twenty years. The Lumb factory 
building, below Water Street, displaced an old house, 
once the residence of Thomas \'assar, and said to have 
been once the home of James \'assar, and the Levi 
Lumb building, east of the railroad station is part'y 
on the site of an old stone house that dated back to 
early da^'s. In the other older streets there have been 
less changes, but Mill Street and Washington Street 
are not aS they were. The sale of the Northern Hotel 
to Henry Webendorfer in 1FS9 was followed by a wid- 
ening of Washington Street from Mill Street a shoit 
distance north, cutting off a part of the building, which 
was then dismantled of its verandas and left an un- 
sightlv shell. In 1903 the Congregationalists tore 
down the old Pine house and built the present parson- 
age, and a few years earlier the Baptists rebuilt their 
parsonage. Washington Street near iNIain is greatly 
changed in appearance h\ the erection, just coiupletcd, 
of Columbus Institute for the Knights of Columbus. 
This building was formally opened May 22d, 1905. 

Though the holding of lots for speculation has 
been unprofitable since 1873, with few exceptions, the 
settled area has continued to increase. The niost not- 
able change has been the opening of the old Living- 
ston's XN'oods to settlement. Rev. Plenry A. Loomis 
and some other people thought this delightful piece of 
woodland, partlv in the eil\- limits, should be preserved 
as a public park, but the necessary funds \vcre not 
forthcoming. The property was purchased July ist, 
1891. for $1 1,000, from \\'illiam S. Johnston, trustee 
for the bondholders of the defunct Pludson River Iron 
Companx, bv Ferdinand R. Bain, who formed a syndi- 
cate which included ^^'illiam H. Young, H. N. Bain 
and Robert McCatTerty. Gradually the old time at- 



260 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEEPSIE. 



tractiveness of the neighborhood was destroyed, first 
bv the digging out of the moulding sand which formed 
a large part of the soil, and finall}' by cutting down 
the trees. Streets were opened through it, and though 
not very many dwellings have yet been built there the 
ground has been so completely altered as to leave lit- 
tle indication of its former appearance. 

The property east of Clinton Street, opened be- 
tween 1869 and 1873, as described in the last chapter, 
has been steadily built upon and though considerable 
sections of fields remain to be divided, it seems only a 
question of a few j^ears when the cit}' will extend to 
the grounds of Vassar College. The finest residence 
in this neighborhood is that of Frank B. Lown, erected 
on College Avenue in 1901. On the north side of the 
city Balding Avenue and Marshall Street (named 
from James Marshall, but originally called West High 
Street) have been almost entirely built up since 1873, 
and several new streets, such as Bain Avenue and 
Taylor Avenue, have been opened and settled beyond 
the Bridge Railroad. In the northeastern section of 
the city a large tract, north of the Fall Kill and east 
of Smith Street has been opened to settlement by John 
R. Lent since 1873, ^'""i '^ now mostly covered with 
buildings. Winnikee Avenue is on made land, once 
a part of the old Mill pond. 

Between 1880 and 1890 the movement for the re- 
moval of fences gathered headway and produced so 
great a change in the appearance of many residence 
streets that photographs taken before 1880 are almost 
unrecognizable now, even where the buildings remain 
almost as they were. Every house, not actually on the 
sidewalk line, formerly had its fence in front. Now 
very few fences remain except as dividing lines at the 
rear of lots. 

The most notable extension and improvement of 
the past ten years has been the opening of the White- 
house property to settlement. Mr. Whitehouse's son- 
in-law, Eugene N. I-Iowell, planned there an extensive 
suburban park settlement, to resemble some of the 
suburbs of Philadelphia, and began the construction 
of the Dwight Street houses in the winter of 1895-96. 
He employed Horace Trumbauer, of Philadelphia, as 
architect, and the houses erected were on lines different 
from anything yet built in Poughkeepsie. Like many 
other enterprising Poughkeepsie boomers, Mr. Howell 
lost by his venture, though his collapse was caused 
more by unfortunate outside speculation than by this. 
The remaining lots were finally sold at auction, and 
much of the property came into possession of Smith 
L. DeGarmo, who has continued the development. 
Outside of the Whitehouse property almost all the 
houses on Hooker Avenue, Forbus Street, Virginia 



Avenue, Hammersley Avenue and many of those on 
Academy, Hamilton and other neighboring streets have 
been built since 1880. The houses of W. A. Adriance 
and L R. Adriance on Academy Street were built in 
1893 and 1894. 

The Fire Department and the Military. 

After the installation of the new water supply with 
its high pressure, the necessit_y for fire engines was 
much diminished. The purchase of steamers for No. 
4 and No. 2 had caused No. 5 Engine Company to dis- 
band in 1863 and reorganize as Lady Washington 
Hose Compan)' No. 3. Old Protection No. i was dis- 
banded in i&fi, and in 1881 Young America No. 6 
Engine Co. was reorganized as Young America Hose 
Co. No. 6. This corapan\- owes its name to the fact 
that originally its membership was limited to native 
Americans. Within the past ten years new houses have 
been built for all the companies except Lady Washing- 
ton, though the houses of Niagara Steamer Company 
and of Booth Hose are only partially new. Cataract's 
new house was built in 1897-8, Davy Crockett's in 
1898-9, Young America's in 1900-01, and Phoenix 
Hose Compan3f's in 1901. The last mentioned super- 
seded the venerable old building at Union and 
Washington Streets, where the City Library and the 
hook and ladder company were once located. (See 
p. 150). No. 4's new house is the only one in an en- 
tirely new location. The old house at 100 JMain Street 
was sold and the new house was built on a part of the 
lot corner of Mill and Delafield Streets, occupied in old 
times by the Coffin foundry, and later by a plow fac- 
tory already mentioned. The new location, however, 
is within a stone's throw of the place where the com- 
pany was first organized in 1836. 

A volume could be written about the old days of 
the fire department, and many interesting events would 
fall within the present period. There were tourna- 
ments in 1873, 1875 and 1890, with trials of engines, 
foot races and great parades, and man)' minor events, 
such as excursions, receptions to visiting firemen and 
celebrations. The 50th anniversaries of the organiza- 
tion of Phoenix Hose Company, 1894, and of Booth 
Hose Company, 1903, were duly observed, and among 
the excursions probably the most notable was that of 
Davy Crockett Llook and Ladder Company to Atlanta, 
Georgia, in 1891. Parades are still frequent and form 
an important feature in the life of the city, but the\' 
are no longer considered important enough to require 
special apparatus, and are not quite what they used to 
be before the advent of horses. The first horse per- 
manently established in the fire department was pre- 
sented to I'hocnix Hose Company In- William LI. 



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GivORGE nagknc;ast. 

Chief lin«hu-i-y of the Fire Depart men/. 
(For biographical sketch see Appemti.v. ) 



'2C>'2 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEEPSIB. 




Dr. H. F. CLARK. 
{For biographical sketch see Appendix. ) 



Frank in 1891, when a duty carriage of the present 
type was purchased. Since then the old hose reels 
and the parade carriages have disappeared, and mod- 
ern apparatus drawn by horses have been installed in 
all the fire houses. The handsome parade carriage of 
Phoenix Hose Company was put in a glass case, as an 
interesting relic of the past, in 1901. 

The fire companies no longer fear the "corporation 
lock," which in old times so often brought an abrupt 
end to rowdyism and caused reorganization. With 
their handsomely furnished houses they are in reality' 
ver\' pleasant clubs and an important feature in the so- 
cial life of the citv, but each has its nucleus of enthusi- 
astic fire fighters and keeps in touch with the most ap- 
proved methods. The present organization and dis- 
cipline are largelv credited to Frederick Bieber and his 
successor, the present chief engineer, George Nagen- 
gast. Mr. Bieber had been a member of the New 
\'ork department, and brought the home companies to 
an efficiency, which, measured by results, certainly 
compares favorablv with the paid de])artmcnts of many 
cities. Here onh' the drivers are paid. The city has 
long enjoyed immunit}- from serious fires. The burn- 
ing of the \Miitehouse factory in tS7<), caused by light- 
ning, the glass wijrks fire in 1897, the James Reynolds 
Elevator fire and the Gas Works explosion and fire in 
December, l8g8, were the most notable. 



The \'cteran Fireman's Association was organized 
Nov. loth, 1886, with Oliver H. Booth as its first 
president. The association owns the old "Goose- 
Neck" engine, formerly used by No. 4 and No. 6, a 
valued possession, presented by \\'m. F. Booth after 
the death of his father in 1896. 

Greater changes have been made in the local mili- 
tary organizations than in the fire department of the 
city. In the days of general training at least two regi- 
ments seem to have met here, and a 22nd Regiment is 
mentioned occasionall}' even after the war, though 
apparently only a skeleton organization. The 21st 
Regiment had no regimental armorj' until it took pos- 
session in 1865 of the old carriage factorw so often 
referred to in Chapter IX as "the armory building." 
Before that was taken the com])anies were scattered. 
Some of them had quarters in the Wright lUiilding, 
where the present Young Women's Christian Associa- 
tion rooms are located, and others were in the lower 
Kirchner building. After the war Colonel [ames 
Smith, brother of Messrs. W ^^^ and ,\ndrew Smith, 
was in command, with Dr. II. F. Clark as Lieutenant 
Colonel, to 1878. Then Colonel .\lfred F. Lindley 
took command. When the ne\\' Kirchner bvilding wps 
built the upper floors became the armor\- and so re- 
mained until the regiment was ilisljanded, .\pril 6th. 
1882. Two companies. D and A, were retained as the 



HISTORY Of POUGHKEEPSIE. 



!'(;;! 



iQtli and 15th Separate Companies. The 19th, com- 
manded by Captain William Ilaubennestel, traced its 
history back to one of the early villag^e militia com- 
panies once commanded by Matthew Vassar. The 
iSth, commanded by Capt. B. F. Me\er, was origi- 
nally the Elsworth Grays of war times. In 1891 a 
new armory was built by the State with ample ac- 
commodations for both companies, but in 181)7, in ac- 
cordance with a policy of still further reducing the 
National Guard, die 19th was disbanded, and the 15th 
alone remains. 

One of the notable celebrations in which the mili- 
tary companies of Poughkeepsie and of neighboring 
cities took part was the Centennial of the ratification of 
tile Constitution of the United States, July 26, 1888. 

In the spring of i8()8 the 15th, then commanded 
by Captain John K. Sague, volunteered for the Span- 
ish War, and became Company K of the First New 
York N'olunteers. It was sent to the Hawaiian Islands, 
and returned to Poughkeepsie December 27th, 1899. 
During its absence a temporary conipan\', known as the 
ii5tli. was organized under command of Captain F. 
I?. Warring. The 19th Separate Company still keeps 
its organization as an independent association, and the 
U)th Separate Conipan>- Drum Corps is an important 
feature of all parades. 

Soci.M, Lii'iv, Clubs, Fr.\ternities, Utc. 

This has been a period of organization, and the 
number of fraternities and societies has increased 
greatly. In 187c) a second Masonic Lodge, Triune, 
was organized with \\'illiam I\Iorgan Lee as the first 
Master. The other charter members were Oliver S. 
Atkins, William Atkinson, Frank E. Baslew Henry 
Hasbrouck, William B. Hull, Charles D. Johnson, 
Charles C. More, Casper L. Odell, Samuel K. Rup- 
lev, Peter L. \'an Wagenen, Jere D. Wright and Henry 
L- Ziegenfuss. The first two candidates raised in the 
lodge were John t^.. Collingwood and J. Arthur Lock- 
wood. 

In i8()4 the two Masonic lodges united in the pur- 
chase of the old Cannon Street Methodist Church 
(See p. I4'i) which they rebuilt with an extension 
in front to make the present Masonic Temple. Be- 
sides the large temple alio\-e, the old Sunday School 
room, on the ground floor, was converted into a hall 
which has become the favorite place for small dancing 
assemblies and other social gatherings too large for 
private houses. Masonic Hall was dedicated on Wash- 
ington's liirthdaw in 181)5. 

Poughkee|isie Lodge Xo. 21. Independent ( Irtler of 
C )dd Fellows, which had been meeting over the /:j;:/.- 
ottiee in Libertv Street, since the building was finished 



in 1868, was incorporatd by act of the Legislature in 
1869, with P- S. Rowland, A. G. Rothery and F. J. 
Nesbitt as trustees empowered to hold property for it. 
In 1885 it bought the building 261 and 263 Main 
Street, and moved into it in 1898. Fallkill Lodge, No. 
291, was organized December isi., 1871, with Stephen 
Schofield, Lawrence \V. Dutcher, Augustus \'an 
Sicklen, John H. Caldwell and Gerijge W. Bayer as its 
first ofiicers. A third lodge of Odd Fellows, known 
as Adler Lodge No. 388, has since been organized. 
The Knights of Pythias also have three lodges — 
Poughkeepsie No. 43, Armour 107, and Triumph 165. 

The d-vnights of Columbus, one of the newest fra- 
ternities in Poughkeepsie, and one of the strongest, has 
just erected a handsome building on ^Vasllington 
Street on the site of the old Lewis (afterwards IMc- 
Curdy) stables, .next to the Young Men's Christian 
Association. The order was instituted February 6th, 
i8i)S, with the following officers: Grand Knight, 
John J. Mylod ; Deputy Grand Knight, John F. Ring- 
wood ; Financial Secretary, John H. Cusack ; Record- 
ing Secretary, John T. Nevins; Chancellor, P. C. 
Doherty ; .Advocate, Joseph A. Daughton ; Lecturer, 
James A. Kerr; Warden, Thomas J. Ward; Inside 
Guard, Thomas .\. Powers ; Outside Guard, R. J. 
McGee; Trustees, Dr. John -\. Cotter, William R. Ma- 
loney, R. J. McGee, Jr., Charles T. Hughes. 

All the present out-of-door clubs were organized 
since 1873, though some were reorganizations from 
older clubs. The Shatemuc Boat Club was primarily 
a racing organization, rather exclusive in membership 
and in time most of the members lost interest. Finally 
in 1871.1 Tristram Coffin, Aaron Innis, Floy M. Johns- 
ton and William C. Hill alone remained. They took 
the property and turned it over to James Reynolds 
(3d), who represented a set of younger men. who were 
organizing the "Apokeepsing Boat Club," the first of- 
ficers of which, elected in September, were Frank Has- 
brouck, president; J. E. .Vtlriance, vice-president; J. 
Re\no!ds, secretary ; Thomas H. Ransom, treasurer ; 
Norman Wright, captain; C. ^\^ Swift, Jr.. lieutenant. 
This club was not fully organized until the next 
s]iriiig. when in addition to the officers already men- 
tioned Peter Hulnie, Frank ^^'. Halstead, Emmet A. 
Wilber, John G. Slee, .\lonzo H. \'ail, John G. CoL 
lingwood and William R. Innis were elected to the 
board of directors. This club has had but two presi- 
dents. Charles F. Cossuni succeeding Mr. Hasbrouck 
in i8()(i. Messrs. Wright and Reynolds were its lead- 
ing oarsmen, and frequently entered and won races on 
the Harlem and elsewhere as single scullers. .\t pres- 
ent interest in racing is not strong, but the club owns 
many pleasure boats and has a large membership. 



Mi 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEBPSIl 



The Poughkeepsie Yacht Club was organized in 
September, 1892, at a meeting held on board the 3'acht 
Beatrice. It has a club house, and storage place for 
sail boats, launches, etc., on the site of the old Revo- 
lutionary Ship Yard on the South Side, and in the 
coves near-by are anchored most of the sail boats, 
yachts, steam and motor launches owned in Pough- 
keepsie. Messrs. W. H. and Valentine Frank have 
been among its leading supporters. The first officers 
were Powell Hobert, commodore ; William Hartman, 
vice-commodore ; R. W. Haupt, recording secretary ; 
Edward Laufersweiler, financial secretary ; William 
Furman, treasurer ; John Haubennestel, measurer. 

The interest in rowing fostered by these organiza- 
tions led to the negotiations which secured the first 
race of the university eights, representing Columbia, 
Cornell and Pennsylvania, June 24th, 1895, on the 
Poughkeepsie course. Sufficient money to build boat 
houses, make necessary arrangements for crew quar- 
ters, for surveying and marking the course, etc., was 
raised by subscription through the efforts of the follow- 
ing finance committee : William Schickle, representing 
the Board of Trade ; A. O. Cheney, Retail Merchants' 
Association ; James Reynolds, Apokeepsing Boat Club ; 
Grant Van Etten, Poughkeepsie Yacht Club. There 
was also an executive committee, of which William F.. 
Booth was chairman, Plarris S. Reynolds secretary, 
and William H. Frank treasurer. Since 1895, with 
the exception of 1898, the college regatta has been a 
most important event of early summer, bringing great 
crowds of visitors to Poughkeepsie. Harvard joined 
in the regatta for two years, in 1896 and 1897, and 
Yale in 1897. In 1899 the University of Wisconsin 
first entered a crev^', and in 1900 Georgetown Uni- 
versity was added. S\'racuse sent her first crew in 
1901. 

Recently sports of all kinds have formed organiza- 
tions. The first lawn tennis playing in Poughkeepsie 
was in Eastman Park, when an organization known 
as the Out-Door Club was started, somewhere about 
1879 or 1880. This club introduced archery also 
among its pastimes. The Poughkeepsie Tennis Club 
was organized in April, 1890, by consolidating two 
smaller clubs, one of which had its courts on the corner 
of Market and Montgomery Streets, where the Jones 
block stands. John C. Sickley was the first president. 
The club's courts were at first in the rear of Eastman 
Terrace, and were moved to South Hamilton Street, 
corner of Dwight, on the invitation of E. N. Howell. 
The first club house stood on a knoll surrounded by 
cedar trees on the corner of Dwight Street. It was 
burned in 1893, and the hill was afterwards entirely 
cut away. The club then purchased its present prop- 



erty on the opposite side of Hamilton Street, and erect- 
ed the present club house, largely through the efiforts 
of Robert M. Ferris. 

The Dutchess County Golf Club was organized in 
April, 1897, and the first board of directors was Wil- 
liam A. Adriance, John E. Adriance, Robert M. Fer- 
ris, Hiram S. Wiltsie, William H. Young and Dr. W. G. 
Dobson. In 1901 it was incorporated as The Dutchess 
County Golf and Country- Club, when George CoUing- 
wood, Fred R. Newbold, John W. Pelton, George Sea- 
man and Alonzo H. Vail came on the board. John E. 
Adriance has been president of the club since its or- 
ganization. The club house was built in 1902. 

Several social clubs important enough to maintain 
club houses have been organized in recent times. The 
Amrita Club has generally been conceded to be the 
leading club, but it conducts no restaurant, and in 
1888 it was found that there was room for a club man- 
aged more on the lines of clubs of other cities, and 
the Dutchess Club was formed, at first as a Democratic 
Club. Its first president was Judge Homer A. Nelson, 
who served until his death, when he was succeeded by 
James L. Williams, still in office. This club numbers 
among its members most of the leading politicians and 
public men of both parties, and occasionally entertains 
prominent men from abroad. The name "Dutchess 
Club" had been used as early as 1828 by a social organ- 
ization, of which Alexander Forbus was secretary. 

During the rise of -the bicycle into popularity two 
or three bic3'cle clubs were formed, the first of which 
was called the .^riel Wheel Club. The Poughkeepsie 
nicycle Club occupied the handsome Thomas L. Davies 
or B. Piatt Carpenter house on Mansion Square for 
a few years, and then became chiefly a social club 
It is the only one that survives and is now the Pough- 
keepsie Club. In 1903 its present club house on Mar- 
ket Street was leased and fitted up. 

The Century Cycle Club occupied a large house 
on Washington Street for a few years, but did not 
long survive the decline of the bicycle craze. 

The Dutchess County Horticultural Society is prac- 
tically a Poughkeepsie institution, though containing 
many members from adjoining sections of the county, 
interested in the profitable industry of growing violets 
and other flowers for the New York market. It con- 
ducts every year late in the fall a notable flower show, 
largely devoted to chrysanthemums, and also holds an 
annual banquet, the first of which was at the Morgan 
House, January 8th, 1896. There was a Poughkeep- 
sie Horticultural Societ_\' as long ago as i860, of which 
tlie present organization is perhaps an outgrowth. The 
New England Society, organized by Rev. William 
Herman Hopkins, recently pastor of the Congrega- 




FRANCIS G. LANDON. 

Member of Assembly, igo/ — /poj. 

(See Appendix.) 



266 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEEPSIF 



tional Church, also holds an annual banquet, with much 
orator\' — on Forefathers' Day in December. 

The leading patriotic organization in Poughkeepsie 
is the Mahwenawasig Chapter, Daughters of the 
American Revolution, chartered in April, 1894, with 
twelve members, Mrs. Edward S. Atwater, Mrs. Frank 
Hasbrouck, Mrs. Martin Heermance, Miss Myra 
Avery, j\Irs. D. Crosby Foster, Mrs. Horace D. Huf- 
cut, Mrs. Milton A. Fowler, I\Irs. William A. Miles, 
;\Iiss Helen W. Reynolds, Mrs. Robert Sanford, Mrs. 
J. Spencer \'an Cleef, Miss Mary Varick. In 1897 
the Everitt house (see page 47) was purchased from 
Charles Kirchner, for the chapter, by Mrs. Atwater, 
who was the first regent, Mr. Tristram Coffin and Mr. 
Frank Van Kleeck. Finding considerable difficulty 
in raising the necessary money, an auxiliary committee 
of citizens was organized in 1899 to hold the property, 
and in 1900 the State appropriated $5,000 for its pur- 
chase, largeh' through the influence of Miss Avery, 
then regent, and placed it in the care of the society, 
thus preserving the only remaining building of Revo- 
lutionary associations in Poughkeepsie. The use of 
the house in the Revolution has been fully discussed 
in Chapter HI. In 1904 the D. A. R. rendered a still 
further service to local history by the erection of a 
tablet on the cast side of the new court house com- 
memorating the constitutional convention of 1788. 

The musical organizations of Poughkeepsie de- 
serve notice, for despite the occasional failure of high 
class musical ventures, the city has always been ready 
to welcome good music. Choral societies were organ- 
ized here as early as 1838. Oratorios were sung by 
some of them certainlv before i860. A considerable 
impetus was given to musical appreciation by the com- 
ing of the Germans, and the Germania Singing Society 
was organized in 1850, with .A.. Kiihn, L Bantle, P. 
Meinecke, P. Kiesslcr, Charles Peters, L. Schlosser, 
C. Ranch. L. Hassclberg, A. Ulrich, P. Zimmer, F. 
Grimling, Otto Rohr and Joseph P)auer as charter 
members. March 2(1, 185 1, a concert was given at the 
Presbyterian Church by "The Poughkeepsie Union 
Musical .Association," assisted bv ''an orchestra of the 
best instrumental talent of the village, under the direc- 
tion of the Messrs. Grube." This orchestra is said 
to have been called at one time "The Concordia." 
Charles Grube, who celebrated his 91st birthdav, April 
12th, 1905, was the leader of Germania in 1851. 

The Mendelssohn Societ}' was perhaps the greatest 
singing society ever organized in Poughkeepsie, and 
was sup])orted with a great deal of enthusiasm by all 
the leading music lovers for more than ten \ears. It 
was started in 1866 with Charles Martin as its leader, 
and gave concerts ever)- \car in the ' )pcra House. 



Walter D. Gilbert and M. S. Downs were its later 
leaders. In May, 1876, this society sang the oratorio 
of Elijah under Mr. Downs's leadership, with Theo- 
dore Thomas's Orchestra accompanying. The soloists 
were Fannie S. Myers, Poughkeepsie, soprano ; Ade- 
laide Phillips, New York, contralto ; John D. Ahreet, 
Poughkeepsie, tenor ; Myron Whitney, New York, 
bass. Somewhere about 1880 the Mendelssohn So- 
ciety disbanded and in 1881 The Poughkeepsie Vocal 
Union was organized on the same lines, with Pro- 
fessor Frederick Louis Ritter of the then Vassar 
School of Music, as leader. This society sang 
Haydn's Creation at its first concert, November 
Sth, 1881. Its officers then were Willard H. Crosby, 
president ; Edward W. Valentine, vice-president ; By- 
ron M. Marble, secretary ; Charles A. Brooks, treas- 
urer. 

The Vocal Union disbanded after the season of 
1883-84, and in 1885 some of the young men who had 
been among its members organized The Euterpe Glee 
Club, with Charles H. Hickok leader and Robert E. 
Taylor president. This society gave a concert in the 
Opera House in 1887, but generally gave its early 
concerts in Vassar Brothers Institute. In 1890 T. J. 
Macpherson was the leader, but during an interval of 
absence from the city Edward W. Valentine led the 
club. Clarence J. Reynolds has been one of the club's 
leading supporters from its organization. 

Since the organization of the Euterpe Club no large 
mixed choral society has been maintained except for a 
season or two, and in 1891 the women organized The 
Rubinstein Club, with W. R. Chapman, of New York, 
as leader. The society was reorganized as The Chorai 
Club in the fall of 1899, and came under the leadership 
of Professor George C. Gow, of Vassar College. 

Conclusion. 
In the preceding pages an effort has been made to 
show the progress and (le\'elopment of Poughkeepsie 
from its earliest settlement to the present ; to give 
some account of the part its citizens have taken in all 
of the great National political movements, as well as 
in the solution of various local problems ; and to show 
the beginnings and something of the progress of all 
important local enterprises and institutions. The re- 
sults of all these things make up the Poughkeepsie of 
to-day. with its equipment of streets and buildings and 
population. We have seen something of the little 
colonial county seat, slowly emerging from the woods, 
and of the busy town of Revolutionary days springing 
into sud<k'n notoriety as the capital of the State. We 
ha\'e learned sometliing nf the great men who met here 
to debate and decide the question of the ratification of 



HISTORY OF POUGHKEEPSIE 



'2(H 



the Constitution, and sonietliing- of the beginnings of 
local development preceding the incorporation of the 
village. 

About one hundred years ago we found the 
little village on the hill growing more compact, be- 
coming an important market town and developing a 
thriving river trade. The central strt'cts were then all 
in existence and named as at present. Following not 
long after the War of 1812 we found a period of 
rapid growth, culminating in a few years of extraordi- 
nary enterprise, when great men made and carried out 
most important plans for the upbuilding of the cilw 
With a population of little more than 6,000 these men 
mapped out the Poughkeepsie of to-day, and deter- 
mined in large measure the direction of its development. 
Many of the inilustries foundeil by tliem with so much 
hopefulness failed, but others have continued to atld 
to the prosperity of the place, and the schools of that 
period long made Poughkeepsie famous, and gave it 
a reputation which had much to do with bringing more 
schools, even \'assar College itself. 

.After the panic of 1837 and the downfall of the 
Improvement Part\', we saw citizens of Poughkeep- 
sie taking the initial steps which led to the build- 
ing of the Hudson River Railroad, and the steady pro- 
gress of the town until it sought incorporation as a 
c\t\. We hax'c traced the beginnings of city go-\-ern- 
nient, and the develo[)ment of many institutions that 
have remained. Then we have read something of the 



excitements of the great war for the preservation of 
the Union ; then something of the second boom period, 
culminating in the panic of 1873, a period which start- 
ed the great Poughkeepsie Bridge, and finally some- 
thing of recent changes and of the period of slow but 
fairh- steady progress to the present time. 

Poughkeepsie is not so ver^■ different from manv 
other I{astcrn cities, but nexertheless has its character- 
istics. It has been a town of slow growth, and retains 
many of its earh- buildings, though the improvements 
of the 30's destroyed most of those of colonial origin. 
It has never enlarged its boundaries, which remain 
the same as those given at its incorporation as a village 
in i/i/). but the four square miles are pretl\- closely 
built up, and the area of improvement is gradually 
spreading beyond. Its people in the past ha\'e been by 
turns over-conservative and then over-enterprising, 
but the periods of conservatism and of enterprise have 
coincided with National conditions. As a result of the 
forces of the past Poughkeepsie is partly a manufac- 
turing town, partly a trading town drawing upon a 
productive territory, partly a college town, partly a 
residence town — the home of many persons in com- 
fortable retirement from the cares of business — partly 
a railroad town, and partly a river town. \\'ithin easy 
reach of the metropolis, it stands apart with an inde- 
pendence of its own. Its loyal citizens think it the best 
place in the United States in which to live. 



lirnita and .-Idiii-iida n-;// he found at the end oj' the .-l/ypeudi.w 



APPENDIX 



BIOGRAPHICAL AND OTHER SKETCHES. 



ARRANGED ALPHABETICALI,Y. 



WILLIAM SAMUEL ACKERT, M. D. 

William Samuel Ackert, M. D., who in Decem- 
ber, 1900, succeeded to the practice of Dr. F. T. Lape, 
and has since then materially increased and added 
thereto, was born at Rhinebeck, N. Y., December 18, 
1865. After a primary education in the public schools 
he took the full course at the DeGarmo Institute in 
Rhinebeck, graduating therefrom in 1888. He then 
attended the Albany Medical College, and after gradu- 
ating from that institution in April, 1891, served as 
interne on the staff of the Albany City Hospital for 
eighteen months. In December, 1892, he located at 
Rensselaer. N. Y., and practiced medicine there until 
late in the fall of 1900, when, desiring a larger field 
in which to prosecute his life work, he purchased the 
practice of Dr. Lape. and now ranks among the most 
successful and best reputed physicians and surgeons in 
Poughkeepsie. Politically Dr. Ackert is classed as a 
Democrat, but he has ever held himself independent 
to act and vote as seemed to himself to conduce toward 
better government regardless of political partv ties. 
He has never held and never sought office, devoting 
his time and energies to the practice of his profession. 
In social life he is more active, being a member of 
Greenbush Lodge, Xo. 337, F. and .\. M., ; Poughkeep- 
sie Chapter. No. 172, R. A. M. ; the First Presbyterian 
Church, and the Dutchess County Medical Society. Dr. 
Ackert married. No\'ember 30, i8i)2. Miss Margaret, 
daughter of Edwin Parker, of Albany, N. Y. They 
have two children living, Ruth S.. born in October. 
i89''i, and Edwin V.. born in April, 1903. Ethel, the 
first child born in 1893, being deceased. 

CHARLES N. ARNOLD. 
(See portrait, page 243.) 
David and lienjamin Arnold. Rhode Island Quak- 
ers, came to Poughkeei)sie about the year 1810, to es- 
tablish the business of cotton manufacturing on the 
Hudson River. The\ were ])ionccrs in that business 
in this region, for it was not until i8o6 that Samuel 
Slater, in connection with Messrs. .Almy and Brown, 
of Providence, R. I., had made possible for the first 
time in America the manufacture of cotton cloth bv 
the connection of the |)(iwer loom with the spinning 
jenn\-. The brothers built a stone factory on ISayeaux 
Street, in the then small village of Poughkeepsie. near 
the Fallkill, a building which is still standing in good 
preservation, and has been used as a chair factory until 



within a few years, but is now coirverted into a barn 
and stable, and is no longer recognized as an historic 
rehc of our earlv industries. The machiner}' for cot- 
ton manufacture was brought overland from Hartford, 
Conn., and the War of 181 2 having put an embargo on 
all American coasting trade, the raw cotton had to be 
brought on wagons overland from Georgia, making it 
cost 60c. per pound delivered in Poughkeepsie. Im- 
portation of foreign goods was also prevented by the 
war, and there was such a demand for goods of domes- 
tic manufacture that the business was very prosperous, 
but in 1814 the war ended, and the treat\" of peace in 
181 5 opened our ports to such a flood of foreign made 
goods that an end came suddenly to Amercian pros- 
perity, and the infant industry went down in disastrous 
failure. David, the elder brother, embarked, about 
the year 1822, in the lumber business at the LIpper 
Landing, and during the more than eighty years that 
have elapsed since that time the business has been con- 
tinued by members of his family without interruption. 
The firm has consisted besides the founder, David Ar- 
nold, of his eldest son, Nathan Arnold, who died in 
1839, his son William C. Arnold, who died in 1896, 
Sylvester .Andrus, who was with the firm either as 
clerk or partner from 1840 to about 1898. and Charles 
N. Arnold, the grandson of David, and present pro- 
prietor and owner of the business. 

Great changes have taken place in the forest re- 
sources of America during these eight\' vears, vast 
areas of our countr_\- have been denuded of the mag- 
nificent pines, spruces, oaks, walnuts and other valu- 
able woods with which the land was blessed before 
the wants of an industrious and rapidh' increasing pop- 
ulation caused their rapid deforestation. The first 
stock of lumber for the modest little business was pro- 
cured from the Catskill regions, and later from the 
country between Albanx- and Lake George, and up to 
1850 the lower tier of counties of New York State 
and the northern tier of Pennsylvania furnished the 
finest white pine lumber in the world, for the world 
has never seen a finer wood for all commercial pur- 
poses than white pine, but the days of this valuable 
wood are numbered, the vu'girT forests ha\e nearly dis- 
appeared from the United States, and the other great 
forests of Southern pine, spruce, hemlock, express, red 
and white cedar, poi^lar and the invaluable hardwoods 
are being ra])idl\- converted into lumber or paper for 
commercial purposes. 

Charles N. .Vrnold was born in Poughkce]isie June 



BIOGRAPHICAL APPItNDlX. 



2T1 



8th, 1838. He attended the Dutchess County Academy 
until his sixteenth year, when he became a bookkeeper 
in the office of his grandfather and uncle, and has been 
identified with the business about fifty years. Long 
familiarity with the freshly sawn lumber has made the 
perfume of the pine and cedar and oak as delightful to 
him as that of the flowers in his garden, and his attach- 
ment to his business has grown with his \'ears. It has 
been his fortune to witness the growth of this beautiful 
city from a country village, and to have been somewhat 
identified with a part of its history and of the material 
out of which it has grown ; and to have had familiar 
and agreeable acquaintance with the architects and ar- 
tisans who have been instrumental in constructing the 
houses and public buildings which make the city. 
He served as Supervisor and School Comissioner for 
years and in the fall of 1894 was elected Mayor. 

Mr. Arnold was married October 12, 1869, to Miss 
Caroline Sherman, and they have two children, Fred- 
erick Sherman and Katherine Innis Arnold. 

HON. SEWARD BARCULO. 

(See portrait p. 132.) 

Hon. Seward Barculo, eminent jurist and horticul- 
turist of this county, was born at Hopewell, September 
22, 1808, and died in New York city while on his re- 
turn trip home from Europe, June 20, 1854. Although 
less than fifty years of age. Judge Barcu!o left an im- 
perishable impression on both legal and social life. 
Educated first l)y his uncle Jacobus Swartwout, then at 
the Academy at Fishkill, he prejiared for college at 
Cornwall, Conn., spent two \'ears at Ya!e and gradu- 
ated from Rutgers College. He then studied law with 
Stephen Cleveland, was admitted to the bar in 1834, 
became a partner of Mr. Cleveland and then practiced 
alone. He was appointed County Judge by Governor 
White, April, 1845, ^t the unanimous request of the 
Dutchess County bar. In 1846 he was raised to Cir- 
cuit Judge, and in 1847 was elected one of the judges 
of the Supreme Court for the long term — the youngest 
man ever on this bench, but stiU looked back to and 
quoted as one of its greatest judicial minds. The in- 
scription on his tomb, in the cemetery he had founded, 
and in which he became one of its first occupants, 
aptly and forcibly expresses the true record of his life: 

"In society an ornament; 

In the State a jndge fearjess, disnilied and incorruptible; 

In habit simple and pure, 

He died ymmg but mature m usefulness and fame. 

Adorning jurisprudence by the clearness of his decisions, 

And illustrating religion by the strength of his faith." 

Judge liarculo was an ardent horticulturist, his 
strawberries, peaches, pears and grapes becoming 
widely celebrated. He was also an eminent writer on 
fruit culture. TassionatelN' fond of the water, he went 
to Europe several times, and sailed his own pleasure 
boat on the local waters. He was married May 12, 
1834, to Miss Cornelia, daughter of John H. and Sarah 
(Son'ierindvke) Talman, of New York City. Mrs. 
Caroline T. W'heaton, who married Judge Charles 
Wheaton, of Poughkeepsie, is the only one of Judge 
Barculo's children now living. 



HON. JOSEPH F. BARNARD. 

(See portrait, page 189.) 

Hon. Joseph Folger Barnard, for thirty-six years 
Justice of the Supreme Court of ,\'ew York, was born 
in Poughkeepsie on September i8th, 1823. He was 
the son of Captain Frederic and Margaret (Allen) 
Barnard, who came here from Nantucket in 1818, and 
descendant of Thomas Barnard, who came from Eng- 
land with the King's Patent in 1659 and settled in 
Nantucket. Judge Barnard was educated in the pub- 
lic schools, private academy in Poughkeepsie and Yale 
College, graduating from the latter institution in 1841 
with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. The honorary 
degree of LL.D. was conferred upon him in 1894 as a 
reward for his eminent services to the legal profes- 
sion. Admitted to the bar in 1844 after private course 
of study with Stephen Cleveland and Henry Swift, of 
Poughkeepsie, he built up a large practice during 
twenty eventful years, and on January ist, 1864, he took 
his seat as Judge of the Supreme Court for the Second 
Judcial District, State of New York. He served the 
eight years term and was re-elected for a period of 
fourteen years. As his twenty-second \'ear as a judge 
was drawing to a close (in 1885) he was again re- 
elected for another fourteen years. On December 31st, 
1893, having reached the age limit of seventy years 
the law retired him from the bench when half through 
his third term, and he resumed the practice of law. 
but for a very brief period, as the new constitution 
permitting justices of the Supreme Court whose term 
had been limited by age, to be appointed by the Gov- 
ernor for the unexpired pait thereof, went into effect, 
and Governor Morton promptly re-appointed Judge 
Barnard to his former position ; Governors Black and 
Roosevelt also re-appointed him, and he therefoi-e 
rounded out thirty-six years of service on the Supreme 
Court Bench — the longest period e\'er recorded in this 
State. He was the presiding Justice of the general 
term in 1870, by special appointment of the Governor. 
He reiidered over a hundred thousand decisions, and 
these have been looked upon as sound in law, and al- 
ways tempered with justice and humanity, and go 
down as authorities and are more freqtientiv quoted 
than those of any other Supreme Court judge. The 
members of the bar, when having very important cases 
before him, many times dispensed with the jury, pre- 
ferring to trust to the just arbitrament of Judge Bar- 
nard. Always a tireless worker, and his legal abilities 
and judicial mind still unimpaired, he was called upon 
to act as referee in important causes up to the time of 
his deadi, January 6th, 1904. In politics he was con- 
sistenth' Democratic, in law absoluteh- just and im- 
partial, in social life a lover of domesticitw fond of 
anecdote, epigrammatic with a keen sense of wit and 
humor and absolutely honest in his dealings with all. 
He was married Jatuiary 7, i8()2, to Miss Emily B., 
datighter of Abraham B. Hasbrouek, of Kingston, Xew 
York, and who for ten years was presiilent of Rutgers 
College, and also a member of Congress from L'lster 
County. Frederic, son of Judge Barnard, is a well- 
known law\cr of Poughkeepsie. and a daughter is the 
wife of fames Lenox Banks, of Xew York city. 



BIOGRAPHICAL APPENDIX. 



DR. H. \y. BARNUM. 

Henr)' Weston Barnum, M. D., was born in Bridge- 
ville, Sullivan County, N. Y., January 19, 1859. He 
was educated at the Monticello Academy and the Al- 
bany Normal School, after leaving which he took the 
full course at the Jefiferson Medical College and the 
New York School of Physical Therapeutics, and 
served on the staff of the Manhattan Eye and Ear Hos- 
pital three years. He established his practice here in 
1890, and has gained an enviable reputation for his 
general ability as a physician and his eminent skill as 
a specialist in treating all diseases of the eye — a branch 





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Dr. H. W. barnum. 

of his profession to which he has devoted special study 
and care. 

Dr. Barnum is an active spirit in the Prohibition 
cause, and a fervent worker in the Methodist Episco- 
pal Church. He established the now widely known 
Barnum Bible class in 1897, and has seen it grow from 
a small beginning to a membership of 150. He is a 
member of the Dutchess County Medical Society, but 
of no other association outside of church and Prohi- 
bition circles. 

Dr. Barnum was married in 18X4 to Miss Margaret 
H. Cunningham, daughter of John F. Cunningham, of 
New York cit\', and has twf) children now living. 
Lewis Ashton and Margaret Ruth r)arnum. 

OLR'ER H. B()()TH. 

(See portrait, page 170.) 

( )li\-er H. Booth, financier, fireman, brewer and 

ship-owner, was born in I'uughkeepsic in 1823, and 

died March 13th, 1896, after a few weeks of the first 



illness he ever suffered. He was the son of George 
Booth, the pioneer woolen manufacturer here, and 
nephew of Matthew Vassar, Sr. He was educated 
here, spent four years at sea, and was clerk in a bank 
at Detroit, but returned to Poughkeepsie when twen- 
ty-one years old and became the bookkeeper at the 
A^assar Brewery. He became partner and afterwards 
succeeded Matthew Vassar, Sr., when the latter retired 
to attend solely to the welfare of his great educational 
institute. He was executor of the wills of Matthew 
Jr., and John Guy \'assar, and treasurer of Vas- 
sar Brothers Hospital, was director in several banks 
and vice-president of the City Bank. He was fond 
of the water, and built many vessels, among them 
the steamer "Joseph F. Barnard," which was lost 
somewhere during the Cuban troubles in 1867, 
the "Elerald" news yacht, afterward known as "The 
Commodore," the yacht "Idlewild," and a number of 
sloops and schooners. He was Commodore of the old 
Poughkeepsie Yacht Club, and owner of the ice yacht 
"Restless." 

Mr. Booth was clerk of the village from 1843 until 
Poughkeepsie became a city in 1854. He was a very 
active worker in the fire department, organized the 
"Phoenix Hose" June l8th, 1844, was chief engineer 
1851 to 1854, during which time the "O. H. Booth 
Hose" was established and named for him, was presi- 
dent of the Veteran Firemens' Association for several 
years after its formation in 1886, and at the time of his 
death owned the old "goose neck" engine No. 7. He 
was also a member of Poughkeepsie Lodge, F. and A. 
M., and a citizen whose demise was universally 
mourned. His wife was a daughter of John Ferris, 
of Milan, this count)'. She died in March, 1893, leav- 
ing one son, Mr. William F. Booth, secretary of the 
Dutchess County Agricultural Association. 

C.APT. JOHN H. BRINCKERHOFF. 
(See portrait, page 231). 
Captain John H. Brinckerhoff was born at Fishkill, 
Dutchess County, N. Y., November 24th, 1827, a son 
of Henry L Brinckerhoff, who followed agricultural 
pursuits and was eminenth' respected. Mr. Brincker- 
hoff, when eleven years of age, moved to Ulster 
County, and attended the common schools in Esopus. 
On account of the infirm health of his father, he took 
upon himself the management of the farm, and re- 
mained there until he was twenty-four years old. He 
married Miss Angeline Terpenning, who died in ■ 
1880, leaving no issue. After his marriage, he bought 
properly, including mills and factories in Orange 
County. In 1883 he purchased from Thomas Cornell 
the steamer Mary Powell, one of the fleetest boats on 
the Hudson River in those davs. He also purchased 
large interests in the Poughkeepsie Transportation 
Company, and subsequently became its president. He 
accomplished a great deal for the transportation facili- 
ties of Poughkeepsie, and was a very large owner of 
the dockage on the river and other valuable property 
in various places. Captain Brinckerhoff took much 
interest in the Poughkeepsie Electric Light and Power 
Company, and was its largest stockholder. He was 
also a stockholder and treasurer of the Delamater Car- 




RfsidciuT of the late Captain John H. Brinckcrhojf. 



2 74 



BIOGRAPHICAL APPENDIX. 



riage Company. He met with a deplorable carriage 
accident on November 27, 1901, and died almost im- 
mediately afterwards, and left a precious memory to 
many sorrowing friends. 

He had a beautiful home on Hamilton Street, 
Poughkeepsie, large, capacious and elegant, and left a 
large estate. He was a member of the Trinity Metho- 
dist Episcopal Church, and was one of the most prom- 
inent citizens of Dutchess County. 

SAMUEL H. BROWN. 

(See portrait, page 245.) 
Samuel Holmes Brown, was born in the Town of 
North East, near Millerton, Dutchess County, N. Y., 
and spent his boyhood days at his birthplace on a farm 
owned by his father, Milton Brown. Records fully 
justify the claim that on the father's side he is a de- 
scendant of Peter Brown, who was one of the mem- 
bers of the party who came to this country in the 
"Mayflower." His mother was Phebe Holmes, a 
daughter of Reuben Holmes, a descendant of Francis 
Holmes, who came from Beverely, York, England, 
and who was in Stamford, Connecticut, as early as 
1648, and who died leaving a will dated at Stamford, 
September 6th, 1671. Samuel Holmes Brown attend- 
ed the local schools in and near his home, and also 
attended Amenia Seminary, Cazenovia Seminary, Troy 
Business College and the Albany State Normal School. 
After leaving the farm he spent a short time as clerk 
in a store in his native village, and afterwards was a 
book-keeper for J. B. Enos & Co., who conducted a 
wholesale flouring mill at Waterford, N. Y. He also 
spent a year and a half in teaching in a business col- 
lege in Newark, N. J. It was while teaching in New 
Jersey that he perfected himself in stenography, and 
did some court work not only there, but afterwards 
at Poughkeepsie. Immediately after the death of his 
father, which occurred in 1881, he took up the study 
of law in the office of Hon. Milton A. Fowler, at 
Poughkeepsie, N. Y., and on September 14th, 1883, 
was duly admitted as an attorney and counsellor at 
law. He then opened a law office in the City of 
f^oughkeepsie, and also a branch office in his native vil- 
lage, Millerton. His practice of law has been somewhat 
varied, including both civil and criminal. On the 
death of his father he came into possession of the home- 
stead farm, which he conducted for several years, be- 
sides conducting other farms on which he was quite 
extensively engaged in the production of milk and the 
raising of horses, cattle and sheep. Later on he dis- 
posed of his farm interests, and has devoted his entire 
attention to his profession. He was among the first 
to agitate and assist iu the organization of the Miller- 
ton National Bank, and became a member of its first 
Board of Directors. He afterwards became a direc- 
tor of the Farmers and Manufacturers National Bank 
of I^oughkeepsie, in which capacity he served for some 
years. ' In i)olitics he is a Republican. In 1893 he was 
inade the president of the Republican Lincoln League 
Club, of Poughkeepsie, N. Y. He has also been in 
the Board of Supervisors several \cars, and later on 
was chosen b\ the Board of .Mdermen of the City of 
Poughkeepsie as Recorder to fill out the term made 



vacant by the resignation of Casper L. Odell, Esq. 
He is a member of the Amrita Club, Triune Lodge 
No. 782, F. and A. M., of Poughkeepsie, and the Ben- 
evolent and Protective Order of Elks, No. 275, having 
been the presiding officer of said latter named lodge 
for two years, 1901-1903. Up to 1886 his home v\;is 
at Millerton, N. Y., at which time his family, consist- 
ing of his mother, who is still living, and his wife, 
came to Poughkeepsie, where they have lived ever 
since. His wife is Clara Lefiferts Dur)'ee, daughter 
of John Wyckofif Dur)'ee and Elizabeth Taylor Duryee, 
of Mattituck, Long Island. 

DR. EDWARD M. BURNS. 

Edward M. Burns, M. D., one of the younger 
physicians of Poughkeepsie, yet one who has estab- 
lished a wide practice and who is surely destined to 
become one of the leading and successful experts, was 
born at Bull's Head, just beyond the city limits. May 
19th, 1 87 1. After a careful preparator}? course of edu- 
cation he graduated from Cornell University in 1891, 
and graduated from the medical department of Co- 
lumbia College in 1894. He took the full medical 
course, but in addition thereto made an exhaustive 
study of brain and nervous troubles. Since leaving 
college he has pursued investigation and professional 
research in these special lines with ambitious zeal. He 
began general practice in Poughkeepsie in 1895, and is 
an honored member of the Dutchess County Medical 
Society, and very popular in the Catholic Church cir- 
cles. He is an ardent member of the Scientific Sec- 
tion of Vassar Brothers Institute, the University So- 
ciet)' and the Benevolent Order of Elks. 

ALLISON BUTTS. 
(See portrait, page 239). 

Allison Butts, a prominent lawyer of Poughkeep- 
sie, was born at Stanford, Dutchess County, N. Y., 
October 2nd, 1852, son of the late George F. Butts and 
grandson of Moses Butts, both of whom were also 
natives of Stanford. He is a descendant from one of 
the original settlers in New England, Thomas Butts, 
who came from Norfolk, England, in 1660 and lo- 
cated with the Plymouth Colony. 

Mr. Butts was educated in the public schools and 
academies of Dutchess County, and began teaching 
at the age of twenty years. He came to Poughkeep- 
sie January ist, 1874, as clerk for County Clerk A. C. 
Warren, and was soon promoted to the station of 
deputy, which office he held through both Republican 
and Democratic administrations until Januarv ist, 
1 88 1, when, having studied law and been admitted to 
the bar, he commenced iiractice as attornev and coun- 
selor, devoting his attention principally to the care and 
settlement of estates, real propert}- and investments. 
He has continued as he began and long ago became a 
recognized authorit\- on the law relating to trusts, 
real estate and cor]ioration law. Pie has often been ap- 
])ointed bv the court to administer trusts, and lias 
served as executor and attorne\' for large estates. 

Politically, Mr. Bulls is a Democrat, and he has 
been one of the mosl influential workers of his part\'. 



BIOGRAPHICAL APPENDIX. 



275 



He served two terms as police commissioner and three 
years on the Board of Education. In Jul}', 1890, he 
was appointed by the ISoard of Managers of the Hud- 
son River State Hospital, the Treasurer of that insti- 
tution, and continued to act as such until a change in 
the law in iy02. 

Mr. Butts was married December 14th, 1876, to 
.Miss Phebe D. Mosher, of Stanford, N. Y. She died 
December 15th, 1882, leaving one son, Ralph V. Butts, 
now one of the rising young lawyers of I'oughkeepsic. 
Mr. ISutts married the second time. Miss Arrie E. 
.Mosher, September lOlh, 1885. By this marriage he 
has four sons, Norman C, .Vllison, Jr., Wilbur K., and 
.\lfred M. Mr. Butts has a handsome residence on 
.\cademy Street. 

COL. HliNRV F. CLARK. 
( Sec portrait, page 262 ) . 
Col. Henry F. Clark, widely famous for his many 
inventions, for his expert marksmanship with the 
rifle and for his long and useful career as a National 
Guardsman, wa^ born in the town of Hyde Park, in 
1839. He began the study of dentistry in Poughkeep- 
sie in 1859. and in 18(13 opened an office for the prac- 
tice of his chosen profession. He ma}- truly be called 
one of the most potent factors in the development of 
modern dentistr}-, having invented many improvements 
which have attained a world-wide endorsement and 
adoption. More medals and diplomas have been 
awarded to him !>}■ conii)etent judges at \ari(ius inter- 
national exhibitions than i)robab!y to any other dentist 
in the world, and yet to-day he still takes the same 
pride in pursuing his private practice in this city as 
he ever did, and' is still foremost in devising further 
improvement and development. Early 'in 1862 he be- 
came a member of Company A in the Twenty-first 
Regiment, was soon elected a lieutenant and steaddy 
rose through the intermediate grades to the rank of 
Lieutenant'-Cnlonel in i^^yCy He resigned in 1878 m 
order that he might have more time for long range 
rifle practice. He became an expert and an authority 
on the rifle, and was selected by the National Rifle .\s- 
sociation (if America in 1880 to represent it at Dolly- 
mount, Ireland, in the great International Rifle Match, 
in which his success made him famous as a rifle shot 
throughout the world. In 7886 he was appointed as- 
sistant quartermaster general of the State, \\ith the 
rank of col.mel, bv Governor Hill, and during the 
same \ear he went to luiropc- to represent a company 
which" had been formed to exjiloit his inventi.ins. Re- 
turning t.i Poughkeepsie in iS-jC, he has again given 
his attention to the practice of scientific dentistry, first 
at his old office in Liberty Street, and since 1904 -it 
52 iMarket Street. 

MARTIN W. COLLINS. 
(See portrait, page 254). 
Martin W Collins, manufacturer, was born at Pleas- 
ant \-alle\, X. v., October I4lh, 1847. t'l^' S'-^'-'t ;-''""l- 
son of loslni.i Collins, who came Irom Providence, K. 
1 and' settled at Rhinebeck in the latter part of thc 
eio-hteenth centnrv ; the grandson ol Martm W. Col- 



lins, who was a lieutenant in the War of 1812, and the 
son of Isaac Collins, the noted engineer and surve}<jr 
wlio was the superintendent of the public schools of 
Dutchess Count} fr(jni 18O8 to 1X72. Mr. Collins was 
educated at the district school in Washington, the 
Dutchess County /\cademy, ,ind the Seminary at 
.\inenia, after which he taught hchool in Rhinebeck for 
five }ears. In 1881 he formed a iiartnership with 
lienjamin W. \'an W\ek under the firm name of \'an 
W}'ck & Collins, and purchased the old established 
steam marble and granite works which the}- still con- 
tinue to operate. In politics the Collins family have 
been consistentl}- Democratic, and have ne\'er been 
backward in doing their duty as citizens or in e.xhibit- 
ing their fealt}- to jjart}- principles. Mr. Collins has, 
howe\'er, never accepted any public office except in 
connection with the public schools, being imbued, as 
was his father, with an earnest desire to promote the 
cause of education and assist in advancing the welfare 
of the rising- generations. He was elected School 
Commissioner in 1875 for two years, and re-elected for 
three n-iore consecutive terms, serving a period of 
eight }-ears as such. He became a member of the 
first appointed Board of Education in 1900, and served 
until 1904. He is a men-iber of the I. < ). O. F. ; the 
K. of P., and of the Second Reforn-ied Church. Mr. 
Collins was married September I9tli, 1870,10 Miss Mary 
Kirb}-, who died in 1873, leaving a daughter who is 
now the wife of William R. Brown, of Poughkeepsie. 
He was married the second time Decen-iber 20, 1877, 
to Miss Emily M., daughter of William I. Foster, of 
Pleasant N'allc}-. Their children are Martha Foster 
Collins and Ruth M. Collins. 

GEORGE CORLIES. 
(See page 109.) 

George Cc.irlies. who had a very large part in the 
development of what is now the leading residence sec- 
tion of Poughkeepsie. was born in New York Cit}' in 
1804, the Son of lienjamin and Phoebe Corlies. When 
a 1)0}- he was sent to the Nine Partners Boarding 
School, near Millbrook, and became so fond of the 
neighborhood that he resolved to come to Dutchess 
Countx to li\e as soon as he was able to do so. In 
pursuance of this resoKe, in 1834 he bought a farm on 
the Post Road, about three u-iiles south of Poughkeep- 
sie, a part of which was afterwards known as the 
I'orbx- Place, and more recentl\- as the Haynes Place. 
While there Mr. Corlies look an acti\-e interest in the 
development of the neighboring- village of Poughkeep- 
sie, then growing rai)idl}-, and in 1835 he and others, 
as related in Chapter \'I. page u«), of this history, 
purchased what was then known as the French farm, 
south of Montgomery Street, extending from Hamil- 
ton to Market Street, sur\e\ ed streets through it and 
sold the lots at auction. Mr. Corlies, like others in- 
terested in real esl.ite at that time, lost heavil}- from 
the panic of 1837, and returning to New York again 
engaged in Inisiuess. 1 le was successful, and was 
able to rei.iin his Poughkee]isie holdings, to buv out 
his partners and take back man}- of the lots previousl}- 
stild at auction. In 1832 he came liack to Poughkeep- 



•na 



BIOGRAPHICAL APPENDIX. 



sie to live, and devoted most of his time to improving 
and developing his property. He built the first house 
on South Liberty Street, now Garfield Place, graded 
the ground, laid out and cultivated a famous garden, 
planted the streets with shade trees, and did everything 
to make the neighborhood attractive. In 1861 he sold 
the South Liberty Street house to John Sherman (af- 
terwards president of the stock yards at Chicago), 
and built a house on South Hamilton Street — the house 
now known as the Brinckerhoff house. Soon after 
this the lots in which he was interested began to sell 
more rapidly. He was active in favor of many public 
improvements, and was a leading member of the So- 
ciety of Friends. He was one of the first aldermen of 
the cit>', 1856-1858, and was a director in the Mer- 
chants' iBank. He died in May, 1892. 

J.\COB CORLIES. 
(See page 217.) 

Jacob Corlies, only son of George Corlies, was born 
in New York, April 4th, 1830. and was sent by his 
father in 1842 to the Friends' Boarding School kept by 
Samuel Smith, on Mansion Square, his sister at the 
same time being a pupil at Mr. Gibbons's school near 
by. After the completion of his course of study he 
returned to Xew York and entered the hosiery busi- 
ness. In 1854 he came to Poughkeepsie to live, and in 
1866 built for his home the house on the east side of 
South Hamilton Street, next north of Henry L. 
Young's. At that time there was an orchard on the 
adjoining part of the Young place running through to 
Hooker Avenue. 

Mr. Corlies has many interesting recollections of 
the old times. He went to Chicago in 1848, going to 
Troy by boat, from there to Utica by railroad, from 
Utica to Buffalo on the Erie Canal, and from Buffalo 
to Chicago 1)\' coasting" steamer on the lakes. Chicago 
was then a small village of the type of buildings now 
called "shacks." Opportunities did not seem to be 
greatly better than at home on the Hudson. Mr. Cor- 
lies was associated with his father in the development 
and management of his large real estate interests, and 
also became one of the leading real estate owners in 
the city himself. At the sale of the \\'orrall property 
in 1869 he and .Andrew King purchased a tract of 42 
acres on the north side of Main Street, and George 
Innis purchased a similar tract adjoining to the east- 
ward. Innis Avenue was laid out between the two 
holdings and Corlies Avenue, Maple Street and King 
Street on the tract first mentioned. This property is 
in large part still owned by Mr. Corlies, and is now 
beginning to build up. .\ new street, to be known as 
Roosevelt Avenue, is about to be opened between Cor- 
lies and Innis .V venues, from Main Street to King. 

Mr. Corlies became a director in the First National 
Bank in January, 1867, and succeeded Robert Slee as 
president in January, 1894. He has been a trustee of 
the Savings Bank since February, 1887, when he suc- 
ceeded Henry D. l\hcrs, and is also a trustee of The 
Poughkeepsie Rural Cemetery Association. Besides 
these many activities he has served the city well in a 
number of public offices, including those of alderman, 



member of the Alms House Board, and member of the 
Board of Education. 

Mr. Corlies was married, September 6th, 1855, to 
Edith W. Haines, of New York, and they have had four 
children, Franklin H., Eliza (married J. Arthur Lock- 
wood, October 23, 1884), George and Walter. All 
are living except Franklin. George (married Minnie 
Osborn, of Poughkeepsie, in 1901). is in business in 
New York; Walter (married Ella Hitchcock, of Sing 
Sing in 1887), and Mrs. Lockwood live in Poughkeep- 



DR. JOHN H. COTTER. 

John Henry Cotter, M. D., was born at Pleasant 
\'alley, Dutchess County, N. Y., April 6th, 1851. He 
was practically thrown upon his own resources at the 
age of twelve years, when he went to work at East 
Park, but studied at night and attended school in the 
winter months. In 1866 he was admitted to the 
Dutchess County Academy, but was forced to leave 
one month before graduation in 1869 and return to 
work as a farm hand. In 1874 he began the study of 
medicine with Dr. Denny and afterwards with Dr. 
Hoyt. He then attended the Albany Medical College 
and graduated with high honors therefrom as M. D., 
February 3d, 1878. He began practice at once at Mt. 
Ross, but removed to Jackson Corners in 1880, where 
he established a lucrative practice, which he turned 
over to his nephew in May, 1894, and came to Pough- 
keepsie, where he now enjoys a large and increasing 
patronage. He is now the physician of the New York 
Central and Hudson River Railroad Company. Dr. 
Cotter is a firm believer in the principles of Democracy, 
but is not a politician. He was health officer at 
Milan, and also at Gallatin for several years, and was 
postmaster at Jackson Corners, but his abilit)- as a 
physician and recognized integrity as a man had much 
more to do with his incumbency of those offices than 
political influences. Fie is a member of the Dutchess 
County Medical Society, New York State Medical So- 
ciety, Alumni Association of Albany Medical College, 
the Medical Philosophical Society of Northern Dutch- 
ess and Southern Columbia, St. Peter's Roman Catho- 
lic Church, of the Catholic Benevolent Legion, the 
Knights of St. George, the Benevolent Order of Elks, 
and the Knights of Columbus, of which latter he has 
been one of the trustees since the organization here. 
He is also an active member of Young America No. 6 
Engine Company. Dr- Cotter has been twice married ; 
first in .\ugust, 1880, to Miss Mary Smith, of Galla- 
tin, N. Y., who died in July, 1885, and in February, 
r888, to Miss Mary Frances Calvey, also of Gallatin. 

THE DEL AVAL SEPARATOR COMPANY. 
(See page 234). 

The Aktiebolaget Separator, of Stockholm, Swed 
en, having been introduced to American farmers, a 
plant for its manufacture in this country was estab- 
lished in 1891, at Bloomfield, N. J., but soon removed 
to Poughkeepsie, where the works were started in June, 
1892, with a force of fifty employees. The separator 
is a mechanical device constructed for the purpose of 



BIOGRAPHICAL APPENDIX. 



277 



separating- the cream from the milk when still warm 
and as it leaves the cow, thereby doing away with the 
old system of cooling with ice or setting in pans. It 
practically takes care of all the fatty substances in the 
milk, and the consequent increase in yield of butter, 
gained by its use, represents an average of ten dollars 
per cow annually, which in an average dairy will pay 
for the first cost of the machine in one year. It is the 
invention of Dr. DeLaVal, of Stockholm — the same 
master genius who has produced the steam turbine, 
which is destined to revolutionize the steam engine as 
completely and successfully as his separator has 
changed and developed the old dairying methods. 

In establishing works here, the American Company 
was incorporated under the laws of New Jerse)', as 
"The DeLaval Separator Company." Their business 
has increased ver>' rapidly, especially in the past five 
years, so much so that they are now employing about 
five hundred men and producing about fifty thousand 
separators annually. The original works here have 
been constantly- enlarged by the erection of additional 
buildings and machinery, a new power plant on the 
verv best improved methods being built in 1903. 

For the past ten years the company has been under 
the management of Mr. Oscar Bernstrom, who, ably 
assisted by Mr. T. H. Miller, the present supermten- 
dent, and an efficient office staff, has proven himself 
to be the right man in the right place in every respect. 

The sales department and general offices of the 
company are in New York City and branch offices and 
repair shops in Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, 
Toronto, Montreal and Winnipeg, and agents in all 
parts of the countrx-. Our illustration shows the com- 
pany's street, with their various buildings on both 
sides thereof. 

JOHN DE PEYSTER DOUW. 
John dc Pcvster Douw (1812-1901) was the son 
of John de Pevster Douw ( 1735-1836) and Catharine 
Douw Gansevoort ( 1782- 1848), and grandson of X'olck- 
ert Pietcr Douw (1720-1801) and Anna de Pcvster 
( 1723-1794). His grandfather was Mayor of Albany, 
as was also his great-grandfather, Johannes de Peys- 
ster (i()()4-i779), and his great-great-grandfather, 
Mvndert Schuvlcr ( 1672-1755). His grandfather was 
\'ice-President of the First Provincial Congress, which 
met in New ^wk Citv May, 1775, and his grand- 
father, Leonard Gansevoort. Jr., (1754-1834) was a 
member of the Congress that assembled at Kingston, 
1777, and assisted in the formation of a State govern- 
ment' for New- ^'ork. He was born at 82 State 
Street (now \'olckert P.uilding), Albany. New York, 
and educated at the .Albany Academy, Flushing. L. 
I Military .Acadcmv ( kept b\- Lindley Murray Moore), 
and Chittcnango ' Polytechnic Institute, Madison 
County. N. Y , kept by Rev. Andrew \'atcs, D. D. Mr. 
Douw-'engincered one vear on tlic Albany and Schenec- 
tady Raiiroad. In 1835 he went lo Europe, and the 
ne.xt vcar studied law and was in the office of the Mas- 
ter of Chancerv. was appointed Judge .Vdvocate of the 
Third P.rigade" Light Artillcrv. with the rank of Major 
in 1.8^:;, '"taking 'the oath AprU 30th— William L. 



Marcy, Governor. He was appointed inspector with 
rank of Colonel in the First Division of Cavalry May 
23d, 1842, and took oath August 4th — William H. Sew- 
ard, Governor, on whose staff he was. His resigna- 
tion was granted by John Taylor Cooper, Major Gen- 
eral, July 29th, 1844. 

Colonel Douw was in Europe 1847-8, and then 
settled at Millburn or Hudson Bush, eight miles south- 
east of Hudson, N. Y., the former home of Colonel 
Henry J. \'an Rensselaer (1742-1814), nephew of his 
great-grandmother. Anna Van Rensselaer (1696- 
1756). In 1854 he came to Poughkeepsie, and rented 
from George B. Lent the property now owned by Rob- 
ert Sanford, Esq., on North Hamilton Street. He 
took title of the property on North Avenue — west side 
— in May, 1855, where he lived until his death in Jan- 
uary, 1901. He married Marianna Chandler Lanman 
(1826-1884) in 1854, and had five children: Mary 
Lanman, Margaret Livingston, Charles G., Helen 
Louise and Henry Chandler. Was warden of Christ 
Church in 1878. " 

THE DUTCHESS INSURANCE COMPANY. 
(See page 162.) 

On May 20th, 1836, was held the first meeting of 
the Board of Directors of the Dutchess County Mutual 
Insurance Company. The members present were 
James Emottt, Alex. Forbus, John M. Ketcham, John 
Schryver, James Mabbett, Thomas Taber, Silas Ger- 
mond and Homer Wheaton. The first officers elected 
were as follows : 

President — James Emott, father of the first Mayor 
of Poughkeepsie. 

A'ice-President — James Mabbett, of Mabbettsville. 

Secretary — James E. Slater, M. D. 

General Agent — Elijah Haight. 

Attorney — Alex. Forbus. owner of the old Forbus 
House property. 

The first year's cash premiums amounted to $2,556.- 
72. Expenses and losses, $249.29. The net prem- 
iums received in 1846 amounted to $4,908.17: in 1856 
to $14,828.74; in 1866, to $38,558.29; in 1876, to $66,- 
622.85; in 1877, to $71,371.76; in 1878. to $65,391.13; 
in 1879, to $58,857.57; in 1880, to $55,105.51. 

It will be seen that the 41st year of the company's 
business under the old management reached the top 
notch, and from 1877 to 1880, inclusive, fell off about 
one-third. 

In 1881 a new Board of Directors was elected, who 
made a change in the officers of the company. In 
1886, after five years under the new management, 
which was the 50th \-ear of the company's business, 
the premiums amounted to $187,859.27. The past 
year (1904) was the largest of the company's business, 
the ]M-emiums amounting to $605,838.39. 

Ten of the directors, who were elected in 1881, 
have passed away, namely: Peter R. Sleight. Jacob 
Hagadorn, David Br\-an, John J. A'anderburgh, 
George T. Doughty. Oliver J." Tillson. L. C. Rapelye, 
John' G. Schultz. Jacob G. \'an Wyck, and Jacob 
Lefever. 

In the Near iSi)2. after a series of xerv bad years. 



BIOGRAPHICAL APPENDIX. 



the re-insurance reserve became impaired to a small 
extent. There were some members of the Board of 
Directors, whose names have been placed on the 
Honor Roll, who came to the front and said the 
"Old Dutchess" must not go to the wall, but must be 
continued ; and these gentlemen paid out their money, 
with nothing to show for it, bridging the company over 
this critical time. Their names are as follows : Mil- 
ton A. Fowler, Hon. Jacob Lefever, O. J. Tillson, Eu- 
gene Ham, William S. Ketcham, Willard H. Mase, 
Jacob B. Carpenter, John N'. Lewis, L. H. Vail and 
David Bryan. 

Five of these gentlemen have since gone to the 
"Long Flome," Messrs. Tillson, Mase, Carpenter, Le- 
fever and Bryan. There were some hard struggles for 
existence during the past twenty years, but it weather- 
ed the storm, and to-day is recognized as one of the 
Insurance Companies of the cotmtry, even though not 
as large as some. It does not have to beg for patronage 
and take almost anything that is offered, but the busi- 
ness comes of its own volition, and the companj' is able 
to choose the desirable and reject the undesirable risks. 
One of the greatest helps to the success of the company 
has been the manner in which the Board of Directors 
has stood behind the president and upheld his hands in 
his efforts for the success of the company. In the twen- 
ty-two years that President L. H. Vail has been con- 
nected with the company as one of its officers he has 
never asked anything of the Board in the interest of 
the company that has not been granted, and one of 
the bright spots in his memor)- is the manner in which 
the Hon. Jacob Lefever came to the front with a rattling 
speech and braced the backs of some of the weaker 
members at the time it was necessary to put up some 
money, for had this not been done at that time the 
"Dutchess" would have been one of the companies of 
the past — would have gone down in the great raid 
made b)' the large stock companies against the "Mu- 
tuals." 

Mr. William S. Ketcham is the oldest director, and 
was elected in 1854. Mr. John N. Lewis comes next, 
elected in 1875. ^^^- L. IT. Vail was elected presi- 
dent in 1888, and ,Mr. J. J. Graham secretary in 1888. 

The Insurance Building, recently enlarged and 
otherwise modernized, has been occupied since 1855. 

THE EAGLE. 

The career of the Ea\^lc is so interwoven with the 
general history of Poughkeejisie and has therefore 
been mentioned so often that little remains to be said 
about the paper. The stor\' would not be complete, 
however, without gi\'ing some details which pertain 
espcclalh' to it. Its distinct and separate existence 
has always been considered by its ]iresent jiulilishers 
as dating from the year 1828. when Isaac Piatt founded 
the Dutchess Intclllij^ciiccr. hut that pa]icr was after- 
wards consolidated with two others — tlie Diitclicss 
Rc/^iiblicaii and the Ptuiii^likccf^sic Jniinial — and 
thrungli its absor]ition of the latter, which dated from 
r/S.S. it is undouljtedly b^- far the oldest news])ai5er 
published in PouglikeeiJsie, and has some claim upon 
succession to the earlier journal ])ublished b\- John 
Holt in Xew York and removed to Poughkee]wie 



when the British took that city in the Revolutionary 
war. John Holt's journal was the direct successor, in 
unbroken line, from the Gasctte, established in New 
York by William Bradford, in 1725, which was the 
first newspaper printed in that city and the third in 
America, the first having been printed in Boston and 
the second in Philadelphia. Both of those earlier 
papers long ago ceased to exist, and the Journal, which 
was removed back to .New York after the evacuation 
of that city by the British, also ceased to exist manj' 
years ago, while the Poughkccpsic Journal was started 
here after a short interval by Nicholas Power to take 
its place. It was always an important factor in the 
promotion of every important interest in Poughkeepsie, 
and the Eagle has never failed to retain the same char- 
acteristic down to the present time. 

Isaac Piatt continued activel}' engaged in writing 
editorials for the Eagle and in control of its polic}' al- 
most up to the time of his death, June 17th, 1872, and 
the influence of his long continued labor is still felt in 
Poughkeepsie and in Dutchess County. 

William Schram was one of the owners of the 
Journal at the time of the consolidation with the Eagle, 
in 1844, and remained a partner with Mr. Piatt until 
April I, 1865, when he was succeeded by Mr. Piatt's 
eldest son, John I. Piatt, and removed to Newbttrgh. 
James B. Piatt, second son of Isaac Piatt, became a 
member of the firm April ist, 1869, and Edmund 
Piatt, eldest son of John I. Piatt, Julv ist, 1892. Since 
1872 the style of the firm has been Piatt & Piatt. The 
paper was for many years published at 310-12 JMain 
Street. In November 1862, that building was par- 
tial!) burned, and until it could be repaired the Eagle 
was temporarily published in the City Hall. In i868 
the building at 10 and 12 Liberty Street was completed 
and the plant remo\-ed there. In 1878 the job print- 
ing business connected with the paper was sold to 
.\n(lreas V. ITaight, previously of Rondout, an^l in 
1883 the building was enlarged so as to extend from 
Libert\' to Mechanic Streets, covering an area of 
40x100 feet. In 1903 the present Eagle building at 8 
Liberty Street was erected, and the older one leased 
for a term of years to the .\. V. Haight Company. 

The first nuiul.)er of the Daily Eagle was printed 
Decemlier 4th, i860, and was the first newspaper in 
Poughkeepsie, and for a long time the only one, which 
received news b>- telegraph. The beginning of the 
war for the Union in the spring of 1861, made this 
news of so great importance that it brought the paper 
at once to the front and gave it a leaclership which 
it has ever since retained. The l]'cekl\' Eagle was con- 
tiniied luitil 1889, when it was chaiiged to a Semi- 
Weekb'. lloth editions ha\-e been repeatedly enlarged. 
In July. T883. the AA'eekly was made an eight page 
!)aper, and in r888 the Daily made the same change. 
In December, 1894, the Eagle installed the first linotype 
machine in Poughkeepsie, and in 1895 introduced a 
second machine and enlarged both editions to the 
present size. A characteristic of the business manage- 
ment of the Eagle has lieeu the loni.;- continued personal 
relations which have been maintained hv its publishers 
with its em]-ilo\-ees. Diu-ing the sevent\--seven years 
since the fouiidation of the Duteliess TuicUii^eiicer the 
Eagle has had but two editors. Isaac Piatt ha\-ing oc- 




'I'lic /iai;/i- /liii/iiiiiQ. 



280 



BIOGRAPHICAL APPENDIX. 



cupied that position for forty-four years, and John I. 
Piatt for forty years, the first seven of which were in 
association with his father. With the exception of 
two persons, every man in the establishment began his 
newspaper career on the Eagle, and has continued in 
its emplo}' ever since. The senior of them all is the 
night foreman, Mr. Samuel C. Chase, who began in 
1857, and has therefore been continuously employed 
for forty-eight years. When the war began in April, 
1861, George W. Davids was employed as local re- 
porter, afterwards city editor, and continued in that 
position till he died, February ist, 1894. His son, 
George W. Davids, took his place and in 1904 suc- 
ceeded John H. Swcrtfager, who had been for eighteen 
years night editor. Of those who assisted in getting 
out the first number of the Eagle, three, Mr. Chase, 
and the two senior proprietors, are still members of the 
force, while two others, Edward W. Shurter and John 
Maher, continued in the same service during the re- 
mainder of their lives, Mr. Maher having been stricken 
with paralysis while at his case in 1903. 

In policy the Eagle has always been independent, 
dominated first of all by loyalty to what its editors have 
considered the best interests of Poughkeepsie and its 
vicinit}'. During the years when the Whig party was 
a power in the country it was a supporter of that party, 
but when the irrepressible conflict between freedom and 
slavery began it was uncompromising in its advocacy 
of all measures for the restriction and ultimate extinc- 
tion of slavery, and when the Republican party was 
born the Eagle enthusiastically adopted its principles 
and has steadily supported them. Locally, every pub- 
lic improvement has received its best help, and in ad- 
vocacv of many of them it has been the leader. Its 
field has necessarily been limited by the proximity 
of the metropolis of America, but notwithstanding this, 
few papers have been able to make themselves more 
influential, and none have received more hearty and 
appreciative support. 

HON. EDWARD ELSWORTH. 
(See page 249.) 
Hon. Edward Elsworth, ex-Mayor and leading 
financier of Poughkeepsie, was born in New York City 
January 6th, 1840, being the son of John and Martha 
(Van \^arick) Elsworth, and lineal descendant of 
Christofifel Elswaert, a New York City freeholder in 
1655. Mr. Elsworth was educated at Rutger's Gram- 
mar School, and at the Dutchess County Acadenw. He 
then attended the State and National Law School, 
from which he was graduated in 1858, and continued 
the study of law in the offices of Thompson & Weeks, 
and Homer A. Nelson. He was admitted to the bar 
in 1861, and became managing clerk in the office of 
Ticrnard Roelker, in New York City. Returning to 
Poughkeepsie he practiced law for several years in 
Dutchess and Rockland Counties, and then entered into 
partnership with Guilford Dudley in the hardware and 
iron business, continuing in this connection for many 
years. He was chosen a trustee of the Poughkeepsie 
Savings P)ank in 1876. and president of the Fallkill 
National Bank in 1801. resigning the latter in Janu- 
ary, 1903, to assume the presidency of the Poughkeep- 



sie Savings Bank, which position he now holds. Mr. 
Elsworth's parents having settled in Poughkeepsie in 
1848, he has practically been identified here for over 
fifty years. As a staunch Democrat and influential 
leader in his party councils he has made a lasting im- 
pression upon the political life and municipal progress 
of Poughkeepsie. He served in 1874 as Supervisor 
of the Third Ward ; from 1880 to 1887 he was an active 
School Commissioner, and in 1886 was elected Mayor 
for two years. Charles M. Rowley succeeded him to 
that office, but in 1890 Mr. Elsworth was re-elected 
for the second term. He was judge advocate of the 
8th Brigade, N. G. S. N. Y., for several years, and in 
1902 he was elected chairman. Group 6, of the New 
York State Bankers' Association. Mr. Elsworth is a 
member of the Sons of the Revolution, the Holland 
Society, the Reform Club of New York City, the New 
York State Bankers' Association, and the Reformed 
Dutch Church. He has for several years been vice- 
president of the Ho'land Society for Dutchess County, 
is trustee of Vassar Brothers Institute and has been 
its treasurer since its organization. He has been trus- 
tee of Vassar College since 1892, the }ear he received 
the degree of A. M. from Rutgers, and succeeded 
Willard L. Dean as treasurer. He was married 
November 26th, 1867, to Miss Mary, daughter of Sam- 
uel B. Johnston, who for many years was vice-presi- 
dent of the Fallkill Bank. He was a cousin of General 
Albert Sidney Johnston, a descendant of Archibald 
Johnston, of Revolutionary memory. 

HON. JAMES EMOTT. 
(See page 152.) 

Judge James Emott \\as the son of James Emott 
who was also formerly a Justice of the Supreme Court 
of this State, and a resident of the Cit^• of Poughkeep- 
sie, when James Emott, his son, was born on the 23rd 
of April, 1823, in the homestead, now known as l\'o. 
46 Market Street. 

Judge Emott, after a successful career at the bar 
and on the bench, died at his residence on Academy 
Street, in Poughkeepsie, on September 12th, 1884. He 
married Mary Crooke, daughter of Charles Crooke, at 
one time a leading business man of the cit}-, engaged 
in freighting at the old Lower Landing. Judge Emott 
left surviving at the time of his decease, his widow 
and two children, a daughter, Laura, and his son. 
Charles C, all of whom are still living. Judge Emott 
was graduated from Columbia College, and immedi- 
ately entered upon the study of the law. and after his 
admission to the bar, commenced practice in the Citv 
of Poughkeepsie. He soon acquired a leading position 
at the bar of the county, besides being largeh' engaged 
in business affairs outside of his ]5rofession. Lie was 
made president of the Merchants liank in the city in 
July, 1852. and retained that jiosition until his decease. 

1 Ic was the first Mayor of the Cit\' of Poughkeep- 
.sic, chosen under its newly acquired charter, as else- 
where stated in this history. To the discharge of all 
the duties of his professional and business life he de- 
voted a clear an<l com|)rehensi\-e mind, great diligence 
and unswerying integrity. In politics he was alwavs 
a Republican. This Judicial District, including as it 



BIOGRAPHICAL APPENDIX. 



2S1 



did the City of Brooklyn, the Counties on Long 
Island, and those south of Dutchess, was strongly Dem- 
ocratic, and partisan nominations were made. There 
was no hope for the election of a Republican judge in 
the district in an ordinary election. But in 1856 the 
Democrats were divided, and put two judicial candi- 
dates in nomination, when Judge Emott was nomi- 
nated by the Republican party, and was elected, and 
held the position of Justice of the Supreme Court for 
eight years, to 1864. Under the law as it then was, 
two Justices of the Supreme Court having the shortest 
time to serve, acted as Judges of the Court of Ap- 
peals, and under that provision Judge Emott served 
the later years of his term in the Court of Appeals. 
He went to the bench well equipped for its duties. To 
his large experience as a practicing lawyer, he added 
ripe scholarship, not only in the learning of the law, 
but a more than ordinary degree of general and liter- 
ary culture. He early acquired, and always main- 
tained, a high rank as a judge. His opinions are re- 
ported chiefly in the volumes of Barbour's Supreme 
Court Reports, and are notable for their legal learning, 
their grasp and ready application of legal principles, 
and for ease and lucidity of style. 

On leaving the bench at the expiration of his 
term Judge Emott entered into partnership with ex- 
Judge Henry M. Taylor, and resumed the practice 
of law under the firm of Emott & Taylor, in the 
City of Poughkeepsie. But he was soon attracted to 
the wider professional . field in New York city. He 
entered into practice there, and soon acquired a place 
among the foremost leaders of the bar in the city. 
There he continued to practice with increasing repu- 
tation and success, until stricken with the sickness 
which terminated fatally, in 1884, in the sixty-first 
year of his age. He made his residence in New York 
Citv during the latter years of his life, becoming iden- 
tified with several of the leading organizations in that 
city, particularly the Union League and Central Clubs 
and the New York Bar Association. 

EYERTSON ANCESTRY. 
(See page 80.) 

Evert Heindricxssen, Stamvader der Evertsen, 
Scheepsbevelhebber, (commander of ship), died 1601 ; 
married ist Lentje Leynse, and had: 

Johan Evertsen, de Kapitein, took the name of 
Evertsen, son of Evert; died in battle at sea, 1617; 
married Maavken Jans, who died in 1647, and had: 

Johan Evertsen, 1600-1666, Knight of the Order of 
St. Michael, Lieutenant-Admiral van Zeeland ; died 
August 5, 1666, in battle with the English fleet. His 
brother Cornells Evertsen de Oudc, Lieutenant-.Ad- 
miral van Zeeland, was slain in the same battle. The 
brothers were buried in one grave, and a splendid mar- 
ble monument in the Cathedral of IMiddleburg, Hol- 
land, records in simple language the virtues and hero- 
ism of these great men. (Cornelis Evertsen de Oude 
was the father of Cornells Evertsen de Jongste. 1642- 
1706 Lieutenant- Admiral van Zeeland, 1^)84. who took 
New' York from the English, July 30, 1673, ■'nimmer 
getrouwd," and of Gelcvn Evertsen, 1635-1721, Lieu- 
tenant-Admiral van Zeeland, 1707.) Johan Evertsen 



married, 1622, Maayken Cornelissen Gorcoms, daugh- 
ter of Cornelis Jansen Gorcoms, Scheepbevelhebber, 
and had : 

Cornelis Evertsen de Jonge, 1628-1679, Vice- Ad- 
miral van Zeeland, and 

Evert Evertson, bom 1630. He went to the 
West Indies (probably in the expedition of his 
cousin Cornelis Evertsen de Jongste, 1673), and 
acquired property in the Island of Tobago, in- 
herited by his great-grandson Jacob. His wife's 
name is not known. His son, 

Nicholas Evertsen, born in "Weesp, Holland, De- 
cember 2y, 1659, will proved October 24, 1723 
(Register's Office, N. Y. Liber G, p. 575), mar- 
ried 1st, December 25, 1679, Marie Jan Huyge, 
born 1664. Their daughter, Willemyntje, born 
1686, at Monichendam, Holland. He was cap- 
tain of New York troops in an expedition against a 
French privateer, 1704. (Report of N. Y. State His- 
torian, Vol. II. p. 483, N. Y. Gen. and Biog. Rec, 
\'ol. IX, 1878, October, p. 155). He married secondly 
in Albany, N. Y., June 9, 1698. Margaret Van Baal, 
born October i, 1672, daughter of Jan Hendrickse Van 
Baal, 1636-1682, Commissaris, (Judge of Court of Ad- 
miralty), and Helena, widow of Cornelis Bogardus. 
and daughter of William Teller, and had : 

Nicholas Evertson. born in New York City. Mav 
24, 1699, baptized in Old Dutch Church. He moved 
to South .\mbov, N. J., where he acquired a fine 
property on Raritan Bay, consisting of valuable cla}- 
banks. His grave is on this property, and his tomb- 
stone records his death March 17, 1783. He was 
Judge of Common Pleas and Quarter Sessions of the 
Peace, Middlesex County, 1746. His will is in the 
Secretary of State's office, Trenton, N. J. He mar- 
ried Susanna, daughter of Jacob Roeters, who outlived 
him, (His brother, John Evertson, 1701-1772, mar- 
ried first, her sister Sophia Roeters, and second, Elsie 
Ra\-, no issue), and had: 

1. George Evertson, Quartermaster in Colonel 
Elias Dayton's expedition to take the ship "Blue Moun- 
tain \'alie>-." January 22. 1776, Elizabethtown, X. J. 
Captain and Deputy Commissary of Military Stores, 
i8th January, 1777. 

2. Margaret, who married Captain James jNIorgan 
and had Major-General James Morgan, of the Revolu- 
tion. 

3. Mary, who married Rev. Wheeler Case, and had 
Walter Case, who married Sarah Hasbrouck. 

4. Susannah, who married Joseph Ellason. 

5. Elizabeth, who married William Buckalew. 

(1. John, who married and had issue, and 

Jacob Evertson, born at South .\mboy. New Jer- 
sey, [anuarv 3, 1734; died May 1, 1807; married 
October 2<), 1761, Margaret Bloom, born .\ugust 2c), 
1744, died November 18, 1807, daughter of George 
Bloom. He moved to .\nienia, X. Y., in 1762, where 
he came into possession of about 1,700 acres "laying 
in the Nine Partner Patent. Dutchess County. X. Y.," 
and in 17(13 built a large brick house in a superior man- 
ner, which is well preserved. He removed about 171)5 
to Pleasant \'allev, Dutchess County, X. Y., where he 
died, and was buried in the graveyard of the Presby- 



iS2 



BIOGRAPHICAL APPENDIX. 



terian Church. He was elected a Deput}' from Dutch- 
ess County to the second Provincial Congress of New 
York, 1775, 1776. [Calendar of Historical Manu- 
scripts, Albany, N. Y. Revolutionary papers, 1886, 
\'o!. I, p. 190] , and had : 

I. John; married Julia Matthews, and had: i. Mar- 
garet, married John Nitchie, who had Sophia Lewis, 
married Sanford Cobb ; 2, Sarah, married Wm. Phil- 
lips, who had John Evertson, married Elizabeth T. 
Wisner ; 3, Julia Ann, married Rev. Abram D. Wilson, 
who had Henry M. B. ; 4, Jacob Reuters, married Eliza 
Phillips, who had John Reuters, married Louisa Weir ; 
5, Nicholas, married Clarissa Hasbrouck, who had 

Elizabeth, married Eager, and Julia, married H. 

A. Field. 

IL Margaret, married Gov. John Cotton Smith, of 
Connecticut, and had William Mather Smith, married 
Helen Livingston, who had Rev. Gilbert L., Dr. Rob- 
ert, married Gertrude Bolden, and Hon. John Cotton 
Smith. 

HL Nicholas, married Eliza Howe, and had: i, 
Margaret, married Henry Richards, who had James 
and Henry ; 2, Edgar, married Adeline Dickinson, who 
had Eliza, married Francis H. Saltus ; 3, Marj^ Ann, 
married John Givan, who had Mary, married first, 
Henry Richards, 2nd, Dr. George H. Moore, and Mar- 
garet, married Rev. Dr. Howard Crosby. 

IV. Catharine, died young. 

V. George Bloom, died 3'oung. 

VI. George Bloom Evertson, born near Amenia, 
Dutchess County, N. Y., February 20, 1773; died at 
Ithaca, Tompkins County, N. Y., August 12, 1829. 
He inherited a handsome property from his father, and 
resided in Poughkeepsie, N. Y., in the fine old gambrel- 
roofed mansion on the south side of Cannon Street, 
nearly opposite Liberty Street. The lot was 75 feet 
wide and extended through to Church Street. He 
owned "Springside," afterwards sold to the late Mat- 
thew Vassar, founder of the college, and several farms 
in the vicinit)-, on which he raised sheep. As early as 
1806 he was proprietor of a ship-yard at the foot of 
Union Street, where he built sailing vessels and trad- 
ed with New York, Boston and Passamaquaddy. He 
was president of the branch bank in Poughkeepsie of 
the Manhattan Bank, New York City, and his corre- 
spondence with Henry Remsen, Esq., President, ex- 
tended from 1809 to 1825. About 1820 he was ap- 
pointed Judge of the Quarter Sessions of the Peace. 
Having become involved by endorsing for a friend 
he sold out his property in 1827, and in May, 1828, 
moved with his family to Ithaca, N. Y., where he died 
the next ^■ear. He married first, November 18, 1794, 
Cornelia, daughter of Dr. Peter Tappan, born March 
II, 1774. died January 29, 1808. Children: i, John, 
died young ; 2, Elizabeth ; 3, Peter Tappan, died young ; 
4, John Reuters, married and had John, Clinton and 
Evert; 5, Cornelia, married Dr. Benjamin S. Halsey, 
who had Mary Elizabeth, George Timothy, Clinton 
Smith, married Eliza S. Ayres ; Helen Maria, married 

Granger: George Evertson, married Alphonsine 

Plungerford ; Tappan, married Mary King, and Wm, 
Davies, married Louise Seymour. 



He married secondly, April 3, 1809, Francis Mar}', 
daughter of Dr. Samuel Nicoll, born December 17, 
1785, died March 24, 1861. Children: i, Anne, died 
young ; 2, Frances Mary, married Wm. Amos Wood- 
ward, who had George Evertson, married E. B. Deo- 
data Mortimer ; Francis William, married Anne Jay 
Delaplaine ; Mary Nicoll, married Erastus Gaylord 
Putnam, and Harriet Bowen, married John Wylie Bar- 
row ; 3, Margaret Maria Bloom, married Hart G. Lee, 
who had James Wright, married Rhoda Carlton, and 
Georgiana Frances, married James M. Douglass ; 4, 
Adelaide Elizabeth, married Samuel M. McKay, who 
had Robert Riddell, married Eliza Hun Cox ; Margaret 
Greenwood, married Harmanus Barkulo Hubbard,; 
Adelaide Elizabeth, married William L. Hubbard ; 
Mary Woodward, married Franklin Quimby ; 5, Cath- 
arine Lewis, married John D. Dix, who had Adelaide 
Frances, Wm. Woodward, Mary Evertson, George 
Woodward (married EHse Woodruff) John James, 
Lena Augusta and Ellen Elizabeth ; 6, Helen Smith, 
died young; 7, Walter Davies, and 8, Eliza Ann, twins ; 
Walter married Ann Mary Fatheree, who had Alice 
Nicoll, married J. R. Gwynn, David Barrow, married 
M. McLaren ; George James, married Susie Davis ; 
Mary Eliza, married J. R. Oldham ; Walter Lee, Annie 
Elizabeth and Adelaide McKay ; 9, William Nicoll, 
died young; 10, George, died young; 11, George, died 
)'oung. 

VII. Catharine, married Rev. Isaac Lewis, and had : 
I, Margaret Maria, married Dr. Harvey P. Peet, prin- 
cipal of N. Y. Institution for Deaf and Dumb, who had 
Dr. Isaac Lewis Peet, principal ditto, married Mary 
Toles ; 2, William Evertson, married Adeline Donald- 
son, who had Catharine Louisa, married Edward H. 
Mann, and William Mount, married Ann Eliza Phelps ; 
3, Louisa C, died young; 4, Mary Elizabeth, married 
Wm. M. Smith, who had Walter Evertson, married 
Mary Clarkson ; Catherine Lewis, married Edward P. 
Buffet ; .Mary Mason, married Wm. H. Sampson, and 
Sarah Mather, married Cornelius H. Clark; 5, Eliza 
Sophia, married David Van Nostrand ; 6, Isaac, mar- 
ried Cornelia Donaldson. 

VIII. Jacob Reuters, died of 3'ellow fever in the Is- 
land of Tobago, W. I,, at the age of 25. 

IX. Mary or Maria, married first, Justin Foote, of 
Newburgh, N. Y. ; 2nd, William Davies of Pough- 
keepsie ; one child, Walter Evertson Davies, died 
young. 

X. Walter, married Eliza Roosevelt, and had: i, 
Henry Holland ; 2, Maria Elizabeth, married Dr. 
John C. Brigham, who had John Clark, Eliza Roose- 
velt, Walter Evertson, married Fannie B. Armstead ; 
Mary Douglass, married John H. Cooke ; Amariah 
Ward, married Emma J. Wilde, and Antoinette Gib- 
son, married James B. Hopper. 

CLEMENT CARRINGTON GAINES. 

(Sec page 255.) 

Clement Carrington Gaines, President of Eastman 

Business College, is a native of Charlotte County, 

Virginia, of English ancestry, and a descendant of 

several of the earliest Virginia families. One of his 



BIOGRAPHICAL APPENDIX. 



288 



ancestors was one of the first governors of the Col- 
ony; two others were members of the House of Bur- 
gesses in Colonial times, representing Charlotte 
County, Virginia, and were among the supporters 
of Patrick Henry in his heroic efforts in the cause 
of independence. The family still own extensive plan- 
tations, and are prominent in their locality ; but, like 
the majority of the Southern people, they suffered 
financially from the Civil War. 

Mr. Gaines enjoyed exceptional educational ad- 
vantages, and had a wide experience as a teacher and 
business man before coming to Poughkeepsie. He 
graduated from Hampden Sidney College at the age 
of eighteen, with the degree of A. B. The next five 
years he devoted to teaching, beginning as instructor 
in Latin and mathematics at the Fincastle (Virginia) 
High School, and afterward becoming principal of a 
public grammar school near Walton, Boone County, 
Iventucky, of the Oakland Institute near Pembroke, 
Christian County, Kentucky, and of the Charlotte 
County High School at Charlotte Court House, Vir- 
ginia. When he iiad saved the amount of money 
needed in this way, he entered the University of Vir- 
ginia in 1880, and graduated in 1882 with the degree 
of B. L. In the same year he completed the business 
course at Eastman College, Poughkeepsie, New York. 
With this excellent business and professional train- 
ing, Mr. Gaines began the practice of law in Chi- 
cago, associating himself for that purpose first with 
Thomas Cratty and afterwards with Colonel George 
L. Paddock and Owen F. Aldis, of the firm of Pad- 
dock & Aldis. Little more than a year had passed 
however, when he was oflrered a position as a teacher 
in the Banking Department of Eastman Business 
College ; and this he decided to accept, feeling that the 
work there would be peculiarly congenial. After act- 
ing as an instructor for a year, he became, in Novem- 
ber, 1884, the president of the college. It speaks well 
for his ability and energy that the reputation of this 
school has been full>- mainained under his leadership. 
So successful was he, indeed, in the management of 
the older school, that he established, in 1892, the New 
York Business Institute in the City of New York, and 
has since continued to conduct both institutions. The 
new school, which was opened December 12, 1892, at 
81 East 125th Street, (now removed to 119 West 
i2Sth Street) grew so rapidly that increased accommo- 
dations soon became necessary; and more tiian 350 
pupils are now in dailv attendance, with an enrollment 
of about 600 a year.' The Poughkeepsie school re- 
cently had on its membership roll pupils from thirty- 
eight different states and territories and seventeen 
foreign countries. 

In addition to the care of his two schools, Mr. 
Gaines is actively and effectively- interested in "every- 
thing that has any good in it," to borrow his own 
phrate. Church work, the Young Men's Christian 
Association, social problems, politics (in a broad sense) 

in short, all the live, practical questions of the day, 

receive a share of his attention. He organized and 
was first president of the New York State Association 
of registered business schools, the first Building and 
Loan'^'Association in Poughkeepsie, and has been for 



many years a member of the executive committee of 
the Board of Trade here. He is a also a member of 
the Harlem Board of Commerce, and was for years 
in the Poughkeepsie Board of Education. He is also 
a member of the Syllabus Committee and Chairman 
of the Commercial Education Committee of the State 
Association of Academic Principals. He delivers fre- 
quent addresses and essays on special occasions. He 
has edited a book entitled "Simplified Phonetic Short- 
hand," founded on the Pitman system, and is the 
author of the works on accounts and arithmetic used 
as a text-book in his own and other schools. He has 
been elected to membership in many organizations, 
among which may be mentioned the University, Am- 
rita, Dutchess, Golf and Country Clubs, of Poughkeep- 
sie, the Reform Club and Southern Society of New 
York, the Sons of the American Revolution, the 
American Society of Christian Philosophy, and the 
American Institute of Civics. 

Who's Who in America, (1904-5) contains the fol- 
lowing synopsis of Mr. Gaines' career: 

President of Eastman Business College ; born 
March 15, 1857; was graduated from Hampden-Sid- 
ney College, 1875, and University of Virginia. 1882 ; 
taught school in Fincastle, Virginia, in 1875-6, and 
near Walton, Kentucky, in 1876-7: at Pembroke, Ken- 
tucky, in 1877-8; at Charlotte C. H., Virginia, in 
1879-80; practiced law in Chicago, 1882-83; married 
October 29th, 1884, IMrs. M. M. Eastman; president 
of Eastman Business College since 1884; established 
the New York Business Institute in 1892, and has car- 
ried on the same since. (A list of organizations, same 
as those above follows.) 

STEPHEN G. GUERNSEY. 

Stephen Gano Guernsey, lawyer and president of 
the Poughkeepsie Trust Company, was born in Stan- 
ford, Dutchess County, .Kpril 22, 1848, son of Stephen 
Gano Guernsey and Lienor (Rogers) Guernsey, of 
that place. He was educated in the common schools 
and at Fort Edward Institute. In 1870 he came to 
Poughkeepsie and read law in the offices of Judge 
Charles Wheaton, and also with his brother. Judge 
Daniel W. Guernsey, being admitted to the bar in 
1872. In 1876 he commenced the practice of law here, 
and has so continued up the present time. In politics 
he is a Democrat, but has never held public office ex- 
cept as School Commissioner from 1890 to 1894, and 
as U. S. Loan Commissioner for a number of \-ears. 
He was elected president of the Poughkeepsie National 
Bank in i8q2. and of the Poughkeepie Trust Company 
in 1901, which position he now holds. 

Mr. Guernsc\- was married April 18, 1877, to Miss 
Marianna Hicks, of Poughkeepsie, and has four chil- 
dren, Raymond G., Homer W., Louis G. and Eme- 



MARTIN HEERMANCE. 

(Sec page 240.) 

Martin Heermance, lawyer, was born in St. Joseph 

County, Michigan. December 17, 1852. but can justly 

claim an ancestry in Dutchess County dating back to 



-'N4 



BIOGRAPHICAL APPENDIX. 



almost the first settlement. The first of his family to 
come from Holland to America was Jan Heermance, 
who arrived in New York in 1659. and his descendants 
settled in Dutchess County, Hendricus Heermance be- 
ing married to a daughter of Gerrit Artsen, who was 
one of the men who made the first purchase of land 
from the Indians at Rhinebeck in 1686, and who in 
17 16 purchased from his father-in-law what is now 
known as Ellerslie, the property of Levi P. Morton, 
former vice-president of the United States. 

Martin Heermance's great-grandfather, Jacob 
Heermance, a grandson of Jan, married a daughter 
of Jan X'osburgh, and one of his eight children, Martin 
Heermance, married a daughter of Dr. Hans Kiersted, 
a direct descendant of the Dr. Hans Kiersted, who, in 
1642, married Sarah Roelofife Jans, daughter of Aneke 
Jans, from whom Trinity Church, New York City, re- 
ceived its now enormously wealth)' endowment. Mar- 
tin was a leading citizen of the county and a Brigadier- 
General in the War of 1812. His son, the father of 
our subject, was the Rev. Harrison Heermance, of the 
Dutch Reformed Church. He was settled in Lenawee 
County, Michigan, but resigned his pulpit and served 
as chaplain of the Fourth Michigan Cavalry and then 
of the 128th N. Y. \"olunteers. At the close of the 
war he settled in Rhinebeck, his native town, and died 
there in 1883. Martin Heermance was, therefore, 
reared in this county, and was educated at the De- 
Garmo Classical Institute. In 1881 he was elected 
Supervisor of Rhinebeck, and re-elected in 1882. In 
1883 he was admitted to the bar and began practice in 
Poughkeepsie. He was elected District Attorney in 
1888, and in i8g6 was appointed one of the three State 
Assessors of New York by Governor Morton. Bv 
his colleagues he was elected chairman of the board. 
He recently served two terms as President of A'assar 
Brothers Institute, and for a number of years has 
been regarded as one of the leading lawyers of the 
Dutchess County bar. He is a member of the Holland 
Society, and was Master of Rhinebeck Lodge, F. and 
A. M., for two consecutive terms. For two years he 
was president of the Social Reading Club, of Pough- 
keepsie. 

Mr. Heermance was married in 1881 to Miss Nina 
RadcHffe. daugliter of the late David A^an Ness Rad- 
cliffe. of Albany, and has one son, Radclifte Heer- 
mance, who was recently graduated from Williams 
College. Mrs. Heermance died in March, 1905. 

DR. JAMES I-IOYT. 

Daniel James Ho>-t. M. D., the youngest ph\sician 
now practicing in Poughkeepsie. and \ct one of the 
most successful, his ability both as a phvsician and 
surgeon having well satisfied and retaincfl the laree 
c'ientage established by the late Dr. \\'alter R. Case, 
whom he succeeded in 1902. was born at Galway, 
Saratoga County. N. Y., January 29. 1872. He was 
educated at the Rochester high school, and at Prof. 
Edick's private academy of tiie same place. Thence 
he went to Princeton I'niversity for one year, and 
Union University for three years, graduating as A. I!. 
from tlie latter in the class of 1899. After a course 



at the Albany Medical College, during which time Dr. 
A. Vander Veer was his preceptor, he attended the 
medical de])artment of the Universit}' of N'^ermont for 
one year, and graduated therefrom as M. D., in igo2. 
He also took four )'ears" reading in the Chautauqua 
Literary and Scientific Circle of Chautauqua, N. Y. 
After the death of Dr. Case in 1902, Dr. Hoyt took up 
his practice in the office thus made vacant, and prac- 
tically succeeded him. Dr. Hoyt is a member of the 
Phi Chi Medical Society of Burlington, \''t., the Phi 
Delta Theta Fraternity, Alumni Association of Sche- 
nectady, and the Dutchess County Medical Society, the 
Presbyterian Church, and Fallkill Lodge, I. O. O. F. 
On June 17, 1903, he was united in marriage with 
Miss Ida S. Mitchell, daughter of S. S. Mitchell, of 
Albany. N. Y., and resided first at the corner of Mill 
and A\'ashington Streets, but afterwards moved to 
Cannon Street. 

GEORGE INNIS. 
(For portrait, see page 187.) 

George Innis, man of afifairs of Poughkeepsie and 
thrice mayor, was born in this city June 7, 1822, and 
died November 25, 1903. He was the son of Aaron 
and Martha (Smith) Innis, who came here from 
Orange and Ulster Counties, N. Y. Mr. Innis was 
educated and prepared for Columbia College at the 
Poughkeepsie Collegiate Institute, on College Hill, but 
his father dying in October, 1838, he abandoned the 
idea of entering college and took charge of the d)'e 
woods business his father had established, and which 
under his management flourished until 1898, when the 
d\'e woods industry was forced to give way to aniline 
dyes. Mr. Innis was president of the Fa!lkill Bank 
for sixteen years ; a trustee of the Poughkeepsie Sav- 
ings Bank and a member of its executive committee for 
many years ; a director in the Farmers and Manufac- 
turers Bank for several years ; a director of the Na- 
tional Park Bank, of New York City, for a long per- 
iod. He was a trustee and a member of the executive 
committee of Vassar College for sixteen years, and 
was one of the first ten men to subscribe capital to 
start the First National Bank of New York City. Po- 
litically, and as a public-spirited citizen, Mr. Innis was 
exceedingly active and popular. 

Every public improvement has depended upon him 
to take a leading part in advocating and in pushing it 
to success. He was the first president of the Pough- 
keepsie and Eastern Railroad, one of the executive 
committee of the Poughkeepsie Bridge Company, and 
an officer or director in nearly every organization which 
had for its object the benefit of Poughkeepsie and its 
people. \"er\' few men in the whole history of the 
city have done more for its welfare or contributed 
more for its prosperity. 

A staunch Republican, he was chosen president of 
the village in the middle fifties and elected mayor of 
the city in 1863. To this office he was re-elected in 
1864 and again in 1866. He is known as the patriotic 
mayor of the Civil War period. \\'hen the first re- 
cruits were ready lo move, he furnished $30,000 of his 
own money to equip them, trusting for re-imbursemcnt 



BIOGRAPHICAL APPENDIX. 



285 



which came in time. When $50,000 had to be raised 
to buy the g;ronnd and other necessaries for the Hud- 
son River Hospital for the Insane (in order to secure 
that State institution for Dutchess County), he per- 
sonally borrowed it from John Jacob Astor, the 2d, 
and became responsible for the loan until the amount 
had been fulh' subscribed. Many other notable and 
patriotic acts distinguish Mr. Innis as one of the best 
mayors Poughkeepsie ever had. In 1868 he was one 
of the Republican presidential electors in the first can- 
didacy of General Grant. 

Mr. Innis married, in 1855, Miss Anne Bevier Has- 
brouck, of New Paltz, Ulster County, N. Y. Their 
daughter Martha is now the ivife of William H. 
Young, a prominent New York city lawyer ; and their 
son, Hasbrouck Innis. is one of the popular young men 
of Poughkeepsie. Mr. Innis, with his family, have 
resided in the old mansion which occupies the high 
ground on the south side of Main above Water Street, 
since he purchased the property in 1857. It is prob- 
ably the oldest residence now occupied in the city. 
Mr. Innis was the oldest ex-ma>or of Poughkeepsie 
for some time before his death, and the only ex-presi- 
dent of the village living. 

HON. JOHN H. KETCHAM. 
(See page 195.) 
Hon. John H. Ketcham, many times already men- 
tioned in this history, a native of the County of Dutch- 
ess, N. Y., was born December 21st, 1832. in Dover. 
He is a scion of one of the oldest and most distin- 
guished families in Eastern New York, being the sec- 
ond son and child of John M. and Eliza A. Ketcham, 
of Dover. His education was received in part at Suf- 
field. Conn., and in jiart at Worcester, Mass., from 
whence he graduated in 1851. -\t the conclusion of 
his studies, he returned t<i his nati\'e town and formed 
a partnership with his elder brother. William S., in 
farming and conducting an extensive marble business, 
which the\ successfully continued several years. Dur- 
ing this period, he was called upon to represent his 
township on the Board of Supervisors, and was elected 
to the .Assembh' of the State for two years, and after- 
wards went to the State Senate, where he most worthi- 
ly represented his constituents. In 1861 Mr. Ketcham 
was appointed by Gox'ernor Morgan, of New York, a 
member of the War Committee of Dutchess and Co- 
lumbia Counties, and was commissioned to raise a reg- 
iment, wdnich he did with alacrity and wdiich was com- 
posed of picked men representing for the most part the 
best and most intelligent families of Dutchess County. 
His regiment, the 150th Xew York, proceeded fir.st to 
Baltimore. Md.. and' afterward participated in the bat- 
tle ot C.ettvsburg, where it suffere<l severelx'. .Aftet 
recruiting its depleted ranks. Colonel Ketcham moved 
his cominand southwest, joining General Sherman, and 
was with him on his memorable march to the sea. At 
.■\tlanta, Ga., for meritorious conduct, he was pro- 
moted t.i the rank of Brigadier-General b\- brevet, af- 
terward to Brigadier-General, and subsequentl\- lo 
Major-General bv brevet, ^\'hile with his command, 
he 'was nonunated for Member of Congress from his 



district and elected. He served eleven consecutive 
terms in that office, being nominated by acclamation on 
each occasion, and was elected, receiving the sup- 
port of the people of his district, irrespective of party, 
his majorities being large and unprecedented. On 
the termination of his twelfth term, he was tendered 
a unanimous renomination, but, owing to impaired 
health, was compelled to decline. He is at the present 
time in Congress and a member of the Committee on 
Military Affairs, Post Offices and Post Roads, and has 
always served on the most important committees, gain- 
ing great eminence in the faithful discharge of his 
duties, having the respect and love of his fellow Con- 
gressmen. 

On February 14th, 1858, General John H. Ketcham 
was married to Miss Augusta A. Belden, daughter of 
William H. and Sarah Belden, of Amenia, Dutchess 
County, who are among the earliest and best families 
of the county. Four children were born of this mar- 
riage, of whom three are living. General Ketcham is 
a gentleman of generous impulses and warm heart, 
and alwaj's ready to do a kind act, and is known and 
recognized as the poor man's friend. He has been 
greatly distinguished for ability, integrity and public 
spirit and possesses all those admirable qualities of 
character which go to make good citizenship. His 
State has always honored him as one of her best pro- 
ducts, a manly, noble man in all the relations of life, 
and in his remarkable public career he has maintained 
himself with great dignity and propriety, and will 
leave to posterity the memory of a rich inheritance. 

HON. FRANCIS G. LANDON. 
(See page 265.) 

Hon. Francis G. Landon. wdio so ably represented 
this district in the State Legislature for three vears- 
1901-1903. was born in New York cit\- August 20. 
1859. He was the son of Charles Griswold and Susan 
H. Landon and lineal descendant of Captain David 
Landon, of the Continental ,-\rm\-, and Sir John Lev- 
erett. Governor of the Colony of Massachusetts from 
1673 to 1679. He was educated in the public schools 
and graduated from Princeton University in the class 
of 1881. 

Mr. Landon is a farmer b}' occupation and pref- 
erence, but has always given much time to National 
Guard matters. Early in life he became a member nf 
the famous Seventh Re,giment, of New York, was its 
adjutant for four \-ears, and became Captain of Com- 
l^anv I in 1805. 1^" 1889, in company with an asso- 
ciate officer, he went to England to represent the Sev- 
enth and the National Guards of the State, and re- 
mained active in his regiment until his resignation in 
1902. at which date he received full and honorable dis- 
eharce from the service. 

He came to Dutchess County, to his farm at 
Staatsburg, in 1803. «^"f' "''* nominated by the Re- 
publican party in 1900 as Member of the -Assembly. 
I'eing elected, he commenced his legislative career in 
January, iqoi, and that year served on the Pulilic 
Ivducation, Militar\- and State Prison committees. Re- 
elected in 1901. be served on the Ta.xation and Re- 



286 



BIOGRAPHICAL APPENDIX. 



trenchment, Public Institutions and Villages commit- 
tees in 1902. Again elected in 1902 he was chairman 
of the Committee on Public Education and member 
of the Waj's and Means and Canal committees in 1903. 
In 1904 he was appointed third secretary of legation 
at Berlin, Germany, and soon after reaching his post 
was transferred to Vienna, Austria as second secre- 
tary. 

Mr. Landon, however, was not the first of his fam- 
ily to serve the true interests of this county. His great- 
grand uncle, Jonathan Landon, represented Dutchess 
in the first Provincial Congress of the State of New 
York, which convened in New York City in 1775, and 
was also its representative in the Third and Fourth 
Congresses. During the Revolutionary War he was a 
major in the Sixth Regiment, Dutchess County Militia. 

Mr. Landon is a member of the American Geo- 
graphical Society, the Metropolitan, Princeton, New 
York Athletic, New York Yacht and Racquet Clubs, 
and the Episcopal Church. He was married May 20, 
1897, to Miss Mary Hornor Toel, and has two daugh- 
ters, Adelaide and Eleanor. 

DR. CHARLES EDWARD LANE. 
(See page 257.) 

Charles Edward Lane, M. D., president of the 
Board of Aldermen, and prominent physician and 
surgeon of Poughkeepsie, was born at Clove, Dutchess 
County, August 16, 1855, son of Edward Lane a whale 
fisherman, and who was afterwards a well-known pilot, 
captain and boat owner on the Hudson River, running 
at one time a very large schooner to Troy, N. Y., and 
Jane A. (Hall) Lane, daughter of Gilbert and Mary 
Hall, of Dutch descent. The Lanes are one of the 
oldest families in Dutchess County, the doctor's great- 
grandfather, Jacob Lane, having resided here prior to 
the breaking out of the Revolutionary War. His 
grandfather, John G. Lane, was born in Beekman, now 
Union Vale, May 22, 1776, where his father, Edward, 
was also born. 

In 1863 Edward Lane sold his schooner and bought 
a farm in Seneca County, N. Y., but Dr. Lane was 
brought up at Clove, making his home with his uncle 
and aunt, Mr. and Mrs. Joseph M. Cutler, the latter 
being his mother's sister. He continued attending the 
district schools until sixteen years of age, when he 
entered Wesleyan Academy, at Wilbraham, Mass. 
He did not graduate, however, his uncle's serious ill- 
ness calling him home, and upon liis uncle's death in 
1876, he became the owner of the old homestead, sacred 
to the memory of his mother and grandparents. 

After taking a course at Eastman Business Col- 
lege in this city, he married Miss Hattie A. Yoemans, 
of Clove, March 28, 1877. and in 1880 entered the 
New York Homeopathic Medical College. He grad- 
uated therefrom in 1883, and practiced medicine at 
Clove for five years, removing in 1888 to Poughkeep- 
sie, where he has attained a wide, influential and lu- 
crative practice. He was secretary of the board of 
examining surgeons of the U. S. Pension Bureau from 
|SS<) to 1894. is a member of the Dutchess County 
Medical Societ\-, the New York State Homeopathic 



Medical Society, the American Institute of Homeo- 
pathy, Triune Lodge, F. and A. M., Poughkeepsie 
Chapter, R. A. M., Poughkeepsie Commandery, K. 
T., Mecca Temple of the Mystic Shrine, Poughkeepsie 
Council, R. A., Fallkill Lodge, I. O. O. F., the Su- 
preme Lodge, I. O. G. T., and other social societies. 
He was formerly a member of the Christian Church 
at Clove, but is now a member of the Second Refonned 
Church of this city. Dr. Lane was elected president 
of the Board of Aldermen in 1897, and has ably served 
as such ever since then. 



FRANK B. LOWN. 
(See page 226.) 
Frank B. Lown was born at the village of Red 
Hook, in Dutchess County, N. Y., on the first day of 
January, 1849. He is the son of David and Jane M. 
Lown, and with his parents removed to the City of 
Poughkeepsie in 1857, where he has since resided. Mr. 
Lown was educated in the public schools of Pough- 
keepsie, and in 1871 entered the law office of Nelson 
& Baker as a law student. After being admitted to 
the bar, he became a clerk in the office of Thompson 
& Weeks, then the oldest firm of practitioners in the 
county. In 1878 the firm of Thompson, Weeks & 
Lown was formed, and upon the death of James H. 
Weeks in 1887 and of John Thompson in 1891, he be- 
came the sole survivor. He is still engaged in the 
practice of his profession in the City of Poughkeepsie. 

THE STORE OF LUCKEY, PLATT & CO., 
(See page 256.) 

The business now conducted by Luckev, Piatt & 
Co., was established in 1835 by Crandle & Smith, then 
in a small store at 254 Main Street. They were suc- 
ceeded by Dibble & Slee, then by R. Slee & Co., who 
moved in i860 to 328 Main Street, and in 1866 the 
firm name was changed to Luckey, Vail & Mandeville. 
In 1869 the firm of Luckey & Piatt was first an- 
nounced. Three years later Mr. S. L. DeGarmo was 
admitted to the finn and the name of Luckey, Piatt & 
Co., has been a familiar one to the people ever since. 
The growth of this, store has been one of the most not- 
able features of successful business enterprise in Pough- 
keepsie. In 1874 the business was confined to one 
small single store of one floor only. From that time 
on the history of this store shows constant growth and 
development until at the present time in their new, 
luxurious quarters the Luckey, Piatt & Co. establish- 
ment occupies seven full stores, four stories high. 
From 1874 to 1903 there was a change from a floor 
area of 1,280 feet to a magnificently equipped modern 
store with twenty-three departments, over a mile and 
three-quarters of counters and shelves and about 60,- 
000 square feet of floor space. 

Here may be found very large and varied lines of 
Dry Goods, and all accessories, the largest carpet de- 
partment in this part of the State, a "fully equipped 
furniture store, complete in itself, drapery and uphol- 
stery department, millinery and boys' clothing (lc])art- 
mcnts, waiting rooms, three elevators and all modern 



BIOGRAPHICAL APPENDIX. 



287 



conveniences. One of tlic secrets of the healthy 
growth of this store may be found in the underlying 
current of honest dealing and right business principles 
running all through the house. It is by far the largest 
and most modern store in the city, as well as in this 
part of the State, and offers the people of Poughkeep- 
sie and surrounding country exceptional opportunities 
for satisfactory trading every business day in the 
year. 



GEORGE W. LUMB. 
(See page 258.) 

George W. Lumb, leading manufacturer and presi- 
dent of the Board of Public Works, was born in 
Yorkshire, England, September l6th, 1837, and when 
about two years of age was brought to Poughkeepsie 
by his parents, Thomas and Elizabeth (Beaumont) 
Lumb. The father in 1839 was employed in the car- 
pet factory of C. M. and G. P. Pelton, but later opened 
a grocery store which he conducted until about two 
years before his death. He was a member of the 
Congregational Church, and in politics was first a 
Whig, later a Republican. 

Our subject, after attending the grammar schools, 
was employed in the carpet factor\- for a while, and 
then learned the sash and blind trade with William 
C. Beardslcy, afterwards being foreman for John C. 
Price. In 1863 he entered the United States Navy, 
making three trips to Aspinwall on the "Grand Gulf," 
and was in the blockading squadron at Galveston. 
The vessel later acted as flagship at New Orleans, in 
which city IMr. Lumb received an honorable discharge. 
On his return to Poughkeepsie, he and his brother, 
Le\'i Lumb, started a sash and blind factory at the 
corner of Dutchess Avenue and Water Street, which 
for two years was operated bv horse power. They 
then removed to the present factory and admitted 
William T. Swart, the firm being- known as Swart, 
Lumb and Brother. This partnership continued until 
1885, when Mr. Lumb bought out his Ijrother's interest, 
and his son Charles L. became a member of the firm, 
which assumed the name of Swart, Lumb and Son. 
Two years later, however, Mr. Swart sold out and the 
name was changed to George ^^^ Lumb and Son. 
The\- do an extensive business and well deserve the 
liberal patronage which is accorded them. In 1892 
Mr. Lumb purchased the old \^nssar House property 
and erected another four-stor}' brick building which 
has been occupied by various industries. 

Mr. Lumb is connected with several of the leading 
industries, and is also one of the largest real estate 
owners in the city. 

Mr. Lumb married Sarah W. Dean, a native of 
Taunton. Mass. Mrs. Lumb is a descendant, on the 
maternal side, of Governor Piradfonl, second Gover- 
nor of Massachusetts Colony. Four children have 
been born to them, Charles Levi, Jessie Bradford, 
George Julian and Maud Dean. 

In liis political principles Mr. Lumb is an un- 
swerving Republican, devoted to the best interests of 
his iiartx-. lie was Commissioner of Public \\'orks and 



for a number of years has been president of the Board 
of Public Works. 

Socially he is a member of the F. and A. M. 
Lodge No. 266, and in religious faith is a Congrega- 
tionalist. 

Charles L. Lumb, the eldest son, is a native of 
Poughkeepsie, where he secured his education, being a 
graduate of the Pligh School and Eastman Business 
College, receiving his diploma from the latter in 1880. 
On October 2nd, 1889, in Poughkeepsie, he was united 
in marriage with Minnie Elizabeth Lovejoy, daughter 
of J. Fred and Mary E. Lovejoy, the former being a 
descendant of Barent Waldron, one of the original 
patentees of New Harlem. They have a daughter, 
Ethel Dean, born July nth, 1893, and son, Charles 
Lovejoy, born November 30th, 1898. 

Charles Lumb is also a real estate owner, is an 
Episcopalian, holding membership with the Holy Com- 
forter Church. Socially he affiliates with the F. and 
A. M. Triune Lodge, No. 782, Poughkeepsie Chapter, 
Poughkeepsie Commander)', Poughkeepsie Council, 
Knights of Malta, Mystic Shrine, and Royal Arcanum, 
is a prominent member of the Amrita Club and New 
England Society. In politics he is a staunch Republi- 
can. In 1895 and 1896 he held the position of presi- 
dent of the last Board of Water Commissioners. 

George J. Lumb, the second son, is a graduate of 
both the High School and Eastman Business College, 
and is bookkeeper of the firm of George W. Lumb and 
Son. Is also a real estate owner, a member of sev- 
eral clubs of the city and treasurer of Poughkeepsie 
Club. During the late Spanish-American war, he en- 
listed in the Third Volunteer Signal Corps, of Brook- 
lyn, and served as Sergeant seven months in Cuba. 
In politics he is a Republican, and in religion an 
Episcopalian, member of Holy Comforter Church. 



JOHN E. MACK. 

John E. Mack, lawyer and justice of the peace, was 
born at Poughkeepsie June 10, 1874. He was edu- 
cated in the town schools. St. Mary's parochial school 
and the Poughkeepsie High School. He then read 
law in the offices of Hackett & \\'illiams and Allison 
Butts. He was admitted to the bar in Januarv, 1896. 
In politics he is a staunch Democrat. He was 
elected a justice of the' peace of the Town of 
Poughkeepsie in November, 1899, a position 
he ably fills. So impartially did he administer the 
duties of his office during his first term, that in the 
fall of 1903 the Republicans unanimously endorsed his 
nomination for re-election for the ensuing four years' 
term. Mr. ]\Iack has an original way of dealing with 
intoxicated offenders which has worked very success- 
fully. He requests them to sign a pledge promising 
to abstain from the use of liquor. The pledge contains 
a clause in which the offender petitions the justice to 
commit him to jail for six months as an habitual drunk- 
ard if he is again convicted of intoxication. LTpon his 
discharge he is admonished by Justice Mack that the 
petition will be granted if the offender is again con- 
\icted before him. Judge ^ilack's pledge has become 



'2s,s 



BIOGRAPHICAL APPENDIX. 



famous, as well as having resulted in a wholesome 
reform among that class of law breakers. Mr. Mack 
has succeeded in building up a lucrative law practice 




JOHN E. MACK. 

and is a popular member of the bar. He is also a 
member of the Knights of Columbus and St. Mary's 
Catholic Church. He was united in marriage on Oc- 
tober 25, 1899, to Miss Wilhelmina B,, daughter of 
Theodore and Mary Immckus, of I'oughkeepsie. They 
ha\e two children, Margaret M. and John. 

DR. J. MARILL. 

Joaquin Marill, M. D., one of the most popular 
I)hysicians of Poughkeepsie, was born in Havana, 
Cuba. December 21, 1841 ; the son of Spanish parents 
engaged in the sugar industry in that island. He 
graduated from the University of Havana in i860 and 
went to Paris, France, to study medicine. In July, 
1861, he went to Philadelphia, and in October of that 
}'ear joined the 137th Regiment, Pennsylvania Volun- 
teers as surgeon. He was taken prisoner at the Sec- 
ond r)attle of Bull Run and confined in Libby Prison 
until he was exchanged in September, 1864. Return- 
ing to dut\' he was assigned to Sicklcboro Hospital at 
Alexandria. Va., and remained there until his discharge 
in July, 1865. Pie then went back to Cuba, and prior 
to the rebellion joined the Spanish Army as surgeon, 
and remained in active dut)- as such from 1866 to 1870. 
In that year he returned to the LTnitcd States and be- 
gan the ])ractice of medicine and surgery at Highland, 
L'Ister County, j\'. Y. He removed to Poughkeepsie in 
1874, where he has been in continual practice ever 



since, excepting a period of eight months when com- 
modore-surgeon of the Alexandria fleet during the yel- 
low fever epidemic in Vera Cruz in 1886. Dr. Marill 
was united in marriage in 1874 to Miss Amanda, 
daughter of Louis Caire, of Poughkeepsie. He is an 
active member of the Knights of Pythias and other 
fraternities, and is a staunch Republican, though b}' 
no means a politician. 

THOMAS McWHINNIE. 
(See page 209.) 
Thomas McWhinnie, the proprietor of the import- 
ant Poughkeepsie industry known all over the world 
as the McWhinnie Wheelbarrow Works, enjoys the 
distinction of having conducted one business under 
one name without any change or partners for a longer 
period than any other man in Poughkeepsie, being 
now in the thirty-seventh year of his career as a manu- 
facturer of wheelbarrows for all purposes — canal or 
railroad, garden, coal, stone, ore, brick and other 
wheelbarrows, both wood and steel. He has an es- 
tablished trade in all parts of the world. He is a self- 
made man in the broadest sense, and a native of 
Poughkeepsie, born here, March 20, 1842, the son 
of James and Euphemia (Hall) McWhinnie. His 
father worked at his trade as a weaver in this city for 
thirty-three years. He was a sturdy Scotchman from 
Glasgow ; his father, Thomas, was also a weaver, but 
a native of Edinburgh. The latter's brother John 
was keeper of Edinburgh Castle where the Scottish 
Regalia are kept. Mr. McWhinnie attended the 
Poughkeepsie schools until between twelve and thirteen 
years of age, and then started to work in the cotton 
mills at Wappingers Falls for two dollars a week. 
There he remained less than a year, when he returned 
to this city and worked in a bakery for his board and 
twenty-five dollars a year, receiving an advance of 
five dollars the second year and five dollars additional 
the third year. In the spring of 1858 he began to learn 
the tinner's trade, but gave that up in 1859, and started 
in the Chichester Chair factory, a part of which p'ant 
adjoins his present works in South Water Street. He 
afterwards worked four years, and was a partner for 
one year, in a chair manufacturing concern in New 
York City. In 1869 he started the McWhinnie Wheel- 
Ijarrow Works in North Water Street, and in 1883 
erected his present extensive plant in South Water 
Street. His progressive energy and natural ability is 
shown by his production of the celebrated wheelbar- 
rows known as the "Dutchess Bolted Canal" and 
"Dutchess Bolted Garden Wheelbarrows," and his 
business qualities by the continuous prosperity of the 
industry he has established with no other aid than his 
own intelligent, honest work and Scottish pluck. In 
politics Mr. McWhinnie is a Republican, and very pop- 
ular with the people. He has been elected to public 
office several times in his life, serving three years as 
Alderman of the Second Ward and six ^■ears as a Su- 
pervisor of the Third Ward. He is a member and 
trustee of the Congregational Church, and has been a 
Free Mason since 1864. Mr. McWhinnie was united 
in marriage June i, 1871, to Miss Fannie Whitcwell. 
daughter of Thomas and Mary Whitewell, who came 



BIOGRAPHICAL APPENDIX. 



289 



here from Peterborough, England, settled down in 
Poughlceepsie for a number of years, and then moved 
on a farm at East Park, N. Y. Three children have 
been born to Mr. and Mrs. McWhimiit', (if whom two 
arc living, Mary E., wife of Frank iSrooks, and 
Fannie J. One son, Rtn' A., died in his thirteenth 
year. 

HON. JOSEPH M( )RSC11.AUSER. 
(See pai;c 246.) 
Hon. Joseph Morschauser, Cil>' Juilt;e of Pough- 
kecpsie, was born at Hyde Park, N. Y., March 30, 
1863. He aUcndcd the district school of his native 
place and finished his educatiun under the private tu- 
torshi]) of Miss Helen W. Everett, of Poughkccpsie. 
He then studied law in the office of Judges D. \V. 
(^lUernscv and Charles Wheaton, and was admitted 
to the bar in September, 18.S4. Although (nie of a 
family of sixteen children, he rejoices in being the 
only Republican among them, and is a stalwart of that 
part\'. He was elected justice of the peace in 1886, 
and re-elected in i8<)0, serving eight years as such, 
was civil ser\'ice commissioner under Mayor Rowley, 
and in i8<)8 was elected Recorder of Poughkecpsie. 
In March, 11)03, the new law was adopted by which 
the office of recorder and justice of the peace were 
merged into one functionary known as city judge, and 
Recorder Morschauser was appointed to the position 
by Mayor Hine. The new court has given much sat- 
isfaction to the bar and the general public. Judge 
Morsciiauser is devoted lo his profession, and as a 
law\er as well ;is a judge he is une of the most popular 
members of the bar. In his prix'ate practice he has 
speciallx' earned the eslceni of the laboring classes by 
the able service rendered to the several trade unions 
who ha\'e em]ilo\ed him as their attorney. .\s a 
judge iie is ([uick In distinguish an honest worker in 
search of employment from the professional tramp, 
and no unfortunate but honest laborer has e\er been 
harshh- dealt with by him. [lis decisions are prompt 
and terse, but singularl\- correct and just. Judge 
Miirschauser is a member of se\er.il societies, but takes 
his best enjoyment in domestic life. Me was married 
fanuarx- 27, i88(), to Miss Katherine \\'., daughter of 
the late fosc])!! Pi.-iner, of Poughkeepsie. The\' ha\e 
one son, Jose'ih C. 1 1. Morschauser. 

C.Vs )RC.\l XACd'.Xt^AST. 
( See page J'u.) 

George Nagengast, the efficient and popular chief 
of the Poughkeepsie I'ire Oepartnient, was born in this 
cil>- June 10. 185J, the son of Charles Xagengast, who 
came from llaxaria in 1840 and who for man\' years 
was foreman for the blasting furnaces here. 

!\lr. Nagengast learned the cigar making trade 
and remained in that calling until early in 1881. when 
he embarked in the meat business for a short time. 
He then returned to his trade, but in (Vtober of the 
same vear he began life as a hotel kee|ier in what is 
now known as the lindson Ri\er House, lie con- 
ducied this placi' ne.irlv seven \ears. when he pur- 
chased .Mrs. Kunkel's store at 435 Main Street, where 



he remained over five years, and then purchased his 
present place, 403 Main Street. He has been very 
successful in business and in real estate investments, 
and is now the owner of a number of valuable proper- 
ties in Poughkeepsie. He is a public spirited citizen, 
and one ever ready and foremost to promote the real 
welfare and prosperity of his native city. Republican 
in politics and at times a hard worker in the ranks 
of his party, he has never sought nor accepted office, 
but has alwa\s devoted all his spare time to the inter- 
ests of the fire department. He joined the Niagara 
Company when only eighteen years of age, and the O. 
H. Booth Hose four years later. He returned to his 
old company in 1882, and has been its treasurer for 
many years. He has been the chief of the department 
since 1 90 1, and is now rounding out his thirty-third 
year of continuous active service as a fire-fighter — a 
record for both work and achievement not equalled by 
any other citizen of Poughkeepsie, nor probably of 
any other city in the countr\'. 

Mr. Nagengast was married November 2, 1878, to 
Miss Caroline L. Swartout, daughter of William and 
.Vdeline (Martin) Swartout. 

HON. WILLIAM NELSON. 
(See page 93.) 

Hon. William Nelson (born June 29th, 1784, died 
October 2, 1869), was one of the thirteen children of 
Thomas Nelson and Sarah (Wright) Nelson, all of 
whom were born in what is now the town of Hyde 
Park. The first member of this branch of the Nelson 
famiK- to settle in Dutchess County was Francis, son 
of John and Hendrickje (\'an der \'liet) Nelson, 
about 1740, and grandfather of Thomas Nelson, who 
served in the Revolution, and became probably before 
the Revolution a resident of Poughkeepsie. Thomas 
Nelson is several times mentioned in Chapter \' of this 
historx- as a village trustee and as the editor of the 
Political Barometer. He was president of the village 
in 1804. His son, William Nelson, the subject of this 
sketch, was educated at the Dutchess County Academy, 
studied law in the office of Theron Rudd, who was af- 
terwards clerk of the District Court of the L'nited 
States. He formed the acquaintance of all of the dis- 
tinguished group of lawyers then practicing their pro- 
fession in Poughkeepsie, including Smith Thompson, 
General James Tallmadge, Jr., Thomas J. Oakley, Gil- 
bert Livingston, James Emott. Sr., Nathaniel P. Tall- 
madge. James Hooker and Alexander Forbus. He 
was admitted to the bar in 1807, his diploma being 
signed b\- W'illiam Kent. 

After completing his studies Mr. Nelson went to 
llufi^alo on horse back and intended to settle at that 
lilace, but chance led him afterwards to Peekskill. 
where he remained, and soon became known as "the 
honest Dutch lawyer." He readily acquired a large 
practice and a wide reputation. In 1S15 he was ap- 
pointed district attorney for the district then comiiosed 
of the counties of Westchester, Putnam and Rockland, 
which office he he'd for thirt\-two years, the longest 
record for continuous service, though after 1818 the 
district compriseil only the county of Westchester. In 



l/-»^a^K>-« 



21)0 



BIOGRAPHICAL APPENDIX. 



tl- 



1819 he was elected to the Assembly, and in 1823 to 
the State Senate, where he served for three terms. In 
1848 he was elected to Congress, and continued to rep- 
resent his district until 1851, after which he was one 
of the Judges of the Court of Appeals. He was an 
old time Whig, a personal friend of Henry Clay, Dan- 
iel W^ebster and Abraham Lincoln. He was one of the 
first Masons in Peekskill, and was universally esteemed 
in that organization. 

Mr. Nelson married Cornelia Mandeville Hard- 
man, daughter of John Hardman, of New York City. 
She died in Peekskill in 1869. Their sons now (1903) 
living are Joseph, a lawyer of Milwaukee, Wis., George 
P. and Thomas, both lawyers in New York ; daughters, 
Sarah A., widow of J. Henry Ferris, a lawyer of 
Peekskill, Elizabeth, widow of Rev. John^Johnson, of 
Upper Red Hook, and Cornelia Mandeville, widow of 
John Peter Nelson, of Poughkeepsie. The last men- 
tioned is the active president of the Board of Lady 
Managers of the Gallaudet Home for Deaf Mutes. 
She resides at the old Nelson mansion, at Cannon and 
Liberty Streets, in which her late husband was born, 
and which has been in the family since before the 
Revolution. 

DR. STEPHEN PALMER. 

Stephen Palmer, D. D. S., was born in Coxsackie, 
N. Y., August 25, 1867. He was educated at the 




Dr. STEPHEN PAI^MER. 

Union Free School of that place, and graduated from 
the Ft. Ivlward Collegiate Listitutc in 1888. He then 
took his full course at the New York Colleuc of Den- 



tistry, from which he received his degree in 1890. Com- 
ing to Poughkeepsie he at once commenced the prac- 
tice of his profession and has gained a large clientele 
among discriminating people who recognize talent and 
appreciate scientific work. In politics Dr. Palmer is 
a Republican, but he is not a politician in the general 
sense of the term, although he has served the Third 
Ward as Alderman. The time not required by the 
demands of his profession is spent almost entirely in 
religious and philanthropic work, the doctor being a 
member of the Congregational Church and of the 
Young Men's Christian Association. He is a director 
of the Rescue Mission. He holds honored membership 
in the New York State Dental Society, and also in the 
Second District Dental Society, of which he is the 
Dutchess County representative of the Law Committee. 
Dr. Palmer was married November 14, 1894, to Miss 
Addie E., daughter of the late George H. Stanton, of 
Madison county, N. Y., and has two children, Alletta 
Beatrice and Waldo Emerson Palmer. 

DR. E. H. PARKER. 
(See page 207.) 

Edward Hazen Parker, M. D., born in Boston, 
Mass., in 1823, and died in Poughkeepsie November 
10, 1896. was a very prominent physician and surgeon 
in this city for thirty-eight years, having been trustee 
and visiting surgeon of St. Barnabas Hospital from 
1870 to its close in 1887, surgeon of Vassar Brothers 
Hospital from its opening in 1887 to his death in 
1896, president of the latter's medical board for eight 
years, and noted for his skillful practice among a large 
private clientele. Dr. Parker graduated from Dart- 
mouth College in 1846, and from the Jefferson Medi- 
cal College in 1848. He was lecturer on anatomy and 
physiology at Bowdoin Medical College in 1849, re- 
ceived the degree of A. M. from Trinity College in 
1854, was editor New Hampshire Medical lournal 1848 
to 1857, was called to the chair of Physiology and 
Pathology of the New York Medical College in 1853, 
established the New York Medical lournal in 1854, 
and edited it many years, was in private practice in 
New York City with Dr. Fordyce Baker from 1853 to 
1858, was president of the New York Medical Society 
in 1862, was volunteer surgeon in the field in 1862 and 
1863, leaving a fine practice he had established here in 
1858 to give his eminent services to the Union army, 
and was a leading physician, surgeon and pathologist 
in Poughkeepsie from 1864 to 1896. His first wife 
was Miss Sarah Heydock, who died in 1880, leaving 
three daughters and one son, Dr. Harry Parker. In 
1883 he was married to Miss Jeannie C. Wright, of 
Poughkeepsie, by whom he has had one son. 

He was refined, cultivated, suave, very liberal and 
sympathetic, and is remembered as a poet as well as a 
|ihysician and medical writer. A verse of one of his 
poems reads : 

"Life's race well run; 
Life's work all done ; 
Life's victory won ; 

Now Cometh rest." 



BIOGRAPHICAL APPENDIX. 



291 



This verse was translated b}^ a friend into Latin be- 
cause of its euphonious rhythm in that language. The 
translation was picked up by an English editor, trans- 
lated back into English and published anonymously. 
It now appears engraven on President Garfield's tomb 
erroneously credited to "an unknown English author." 
The poem was written by Dr. Parker in the early part 
of 1879. 

DR. A. H. PECKHAM. 

Alva Lawrence Peckham M. D., secretary and 
treasurer of the Dutchess County Homeopathic Medi- 
cal Society and a leading physician and surgeon of that 
school of medicine in Poughkeepsie, was born at Sche- 
nectady, N. Y., November 25, 1874. He graduated 
as B. S. from Lhiion College in 1896, and received the 
degree of A. M. therefrom in 1899. He took the 
full course at Hahnemann College, of Philadelphia, 
and graduated therefrom in 1899. He then served 
three months at the Philadelphia Lying-in Charity Hos- 
pital and received a diploma from that institution. In 
his collegiate career he took special honors in biology 
at Union, was chief executive officer Chi Psi fraternity 
in LTnited States in 1897; was editor-in-chief of the 
Centennial Garnet at Union, and a member of the 
Alpha Zeta fraternity in the Union Classical Institute. 
He has built up a lucrative practice since making 
Poughkeepsie his home. He has been visiting physi- 
cian to the City Home since April, 1902 ; is chairman 
of the scientific section of Vassar Brothers Institute ; 
an officer in Triune Lodge, F. and A. M., and Pough- 
keepsie Chapter, R. A. M. ; a member and trustee of 
the First Congregational Church ; member of the Uni- 
versity Club ; member of the New England Society of 
Dutchess County ; member of the Homeopathic Medi- 
cal Society of New York State, and secretary and 
treasurer of the Dutchess County Homeopathic Medi- 
cal Society. Dr. Peckham was united in marriage 
June 15th, 1899, to Miss Mary, daughter of Prof. 
Charles S. Halsey, who for twenty-two years was the 
principal of the Union Classical Institute at Schenec- 
tady, N. Y. They have one child, a daughter, whom 
they have named Elizabeth. 

DR. J. WILSON POUCHER. 

J. Wilson Poucher, M. D., widely known in this 
section of the State as an eminently successful surgeon 
and gynecologist of Poughkeepsie, was born at Clav- 
erack, Columbia County," N. Y., July 24, 1859, a de- 
scendant of a Huguenot family that came to America 
in 1658 and settled near Albany. Melancthon Smith, 
one of the most active spirits in the Constitutional 
Convention that met at Poughkeepsie in 1788 (de- 
scribed in Chaper IV), was a brother of one of Dr. 
Poacher's great-great-grandfathers. He perpetuates 
their memory by holding membership in the Society of 
the Cincinnati, the Plolland Society, the Society of Co- 
lonial Wars and the Sons of the Revolution. 

Dr. Poucher received his early education in the 
public schools of his native place, and graduated from 
Claverack College in 1879. He taught school for one 



year and then entered the medical department of 
Union University, from which he graduated in 1883. 
He practiced medicine for two years at Modena, Ulster 
County, and then went to Europe to prosecute the 
studies of surgery and gynecology in Berlin, Vienna 
and Paris. Returning in 1887 he commenced practice 
in Poughkeepsie, and has established a reputation and 
a lucrative patronage second to none other in this 
section of the State. 

At the breaking out of the Spanish War in 
1898 Dr. Poucher offered his services to the gov- 
ernment and was commissioned lieutenant and as- 
sistant surgeon of the 201st Regiment, New York 
Volunteers, in June, 1898. He was detached from the 
regiment in July and given charge of the division hos- 
pital at Camp Black, Long Island, when an outbreak 
of typhoid fever was imminent. In addition to his 
medical duties he was obliged to act as propert}' officer, 
commissary of subsistence, and in fact assume respon- 
sibility for every department. Unsuccessful in get- 
ting a transfer to his regiment, he resigned his com- 
mission in October. 

Dr. Poucher is a consulting surgeon on the staff 
of Vassar Brothers Hospital, and an active spirit in 
both the State and County Medical Societies. He is a 
fellow of the American Association of Obstetricians 
and Gynecologists. He is an enthusiastic athlete and 
a popular member of the Dutchess Count)' Golf and 
Country Club, also of the University Club of Pough- 
keepsie, the Amrita Club, and the Dutchess Club. In 
politics he is a Republican — has been alderman of the 
Fifth Ward, and for the past eight >'ears a member of 
the Board of Public Works of the city. He is a 
thirty-second degree Mason, a prominent member of 
Triune Lodge, Poughkeepsie Chapter, and a Past Com- 
mander of Poughkeepsie Commandery, the M^'stic 
Shrine, and the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite 
of New York. He married in 1892 Miss Catharine D. 
LeFevre, daughter of the former member of Congress, 
the late Jacob LeFevre, a descendant of Andreas Le- 
Fevre, one of the Patentees of New Paltz. 

POUGHKEEPSIE GLASS WORKS. 
(See illustration page 114.) 

The Poughkeepsie Glass Works, located at the foot 
of Dutchess Avenue, in the City of Poughkeepsie, was 
started for the purpose of utilizing iron slag in the 
manufacture of glass. Bashley Britten, an English- 
man, had obtained Letters Patent in England and in 
the United States which were controlled by Sir Sam- 
uel Canning, who had been knighted for his great ser- 
vices as an engineer in connection with the laying of 
the first successful Atlantic cable, and Dr. Edward 
Bishop, of London, England. 

Several gentlemen from Clyde and Rochester, New 
York, purchased a controlling interest in the American 
Patent, organized a corporation, called the Anglo- 
American Glass Company, and in July, 1879, purchased 
from the Farmers and Manufacturers National Bank, 
that part of the Whale Dock propert)' lying at the 
foot of Hoffman Street, which had been used for a 
cooperage and \'arious other purposes, but which was 



:]92 



BIOGRAPHICAL APPENDIX. 



then unoccupied. Utilizing some brick buildings on 
the property', a factory was constructed for manufac- 
turing hollow glass ware, intending to use the molten 
scoria or slag from the adjacent blast furnace. The 
use of this slag as an ingredient in the manufacture of 
glass not proving a success it was abandoned. 

The first successful continuous tank for the manu- 
facture of glass ever constructed in the United States 
was erected and the making of glass commenced in 
March, 1880. December i, 1881, the factory was 
nearly destroyed by fire, and a large quantity of ware 
was lost. The tank, however, was not materially in- 
jured, and in one month the buildings were rebuilt and 
work was resumed. Later another tank was added 
and the works enlarged. In April, 1897, the factories 
and most of the storage buildings were destroyed by 
fire and a large amount of ware was ruined. 

The company then bought the lot lying betw een the 
original purchase on Dutchess Avenue, also a large 
vacant lot on the south side of Dutchess Avenue, and 
constructed the present iron and brick buildings, which 
are regarded as models for glass works. There are 
three tanks which can run continuously day and night, 
and the output has increased from about 30.000 gross 
to about 130,000 gross per annum. 

The product consists of prescription and druggists 
ware, beers, sodas, minerals, wines, brandies, flasks, 
proprietary medicine goods, milk jars, packers and pre- 
servers' ware. During the bus}' part of the year, 
which is generally from September i to July i, about 
350 hands are employed, man}' of them skilled work- 
men who receive very large wages. 

The corporation, the Poughkeepsie Glass Works, 
was organized November, 1880. Before that time the 
business had been conducted as a partnership, but un- 
der the same name. Mr. Charles W. Reed had ac- 
tive charge of the construction and early operation of 
the works until his health failed. The first Board of 
Trustees consisted of William C. Ely, Charles W. 
Reed, Charles D. Ely, George O. Baker and George 
H. Hoyt, of Clyde, Henrv C. Wisner, of Rochester, 
and Evan R. Williams, of Poughkeepsie. The officers 
were William C. Ely, President ; ITenrv C. Wisner, 
Vice-President ; George O. Baker, Secretary, and Evan 
R. Williams, Treasurer and Superintendent. William 
C. Ely was President until his death in September, 
1886, and was succeeded by Charles D. Ely, who held 
the ofiice until he died Mav, 1903. The 1903 direc- 
tors are Henry C. Wisner, George O. Baker, Charles 
P. Buckley. Robert Good, George H. Hoyt, William G. 
Baker and George K. Diller. H. C. Wisner is Presi- 
dent ; Charles P. Buckley, Vice-President ; George O. 
Baker, Secretary and Attorney ; William G. Baker, 
Treasurer and Superintendent. Mr. Robert Good is 
General Eactory Manager. 

THE POUGHKEEPSIE SAVINGS BANK. 

The Poughkeepsie Savings Bank was organized in 
1831, the charter members being William Davies, IMat- 
thew A^assar, Jr., Griflin Williamson, James Emott, 
Thomas \\'. Tallmadgc, Stejihen .Xrmstrung, Nehe- 



miah Conklin, Frederick Barnard, Tennis Van Kleeck, 
James Hooker, Henry A. Livingston. 

The bank was not opened for business until May 
4th, 1833, when it commenced in the office of Mr. 
Raymond, its treasurer, in what was known as the 
"Burritt House," No. 273 Main Street. 

In 1853 it removed to Market Street, where it has 
ever since been located. In 1871, the present commod- 
ious building was erected at a cost of about one hun- 
dred thousand dollars. 

Colonel Henry A. Livingston, of Revolutionary 
fame, was the first president. He was succeeded by 
Thomas W. Tallmadge, who retained the position until 
his death August nth, 1856. His successors have 
been John B. Forbus, 1856 to 1865, Henry D. Varick, 
1866 to 1877, David C. Foster, 1877 to 1903. In Jan- 
uary, 1903, Mr. Foster was succeeded by Edward Els- 
worth. 

In 1869, thirty-six years after the bank opened for 
business, its deposits amounted to $1,791,256, and its 
total resources were $1,936,445. In 1899, thirty years 
later, its deposits had increased to $8,692,929.28, and 
its total resources, based on the par value of its securi- 
ties, were $9,394,416.84. On the first day of January, 
1905, its deposits were $10,595,944.65, and its total 
resources, based on the par value of its securities, were 
$11,428,268,42. 

THE POUGHKEEPSIE TRUST COMPANY. 
(See page 106.) 

The Poughkeepsie Trust Company, one of the 
leading financial institutions of the City of Poughkeep- 
sie, N. Y., was organized September i6th, 1901. 

The City National Bank and the Poughkeepsie Na- 
tional Bank were consolidated prior to the organization 
of the Poughkeepsie Trust Company. The business 
of said banks was acquired by and merged in said 
Trust Company, which conducts its business in the 
old banking building formerly occupied by the Pough- 
keepsie National Bank, which is shown on page 106. 

The Poughkeepsie and Citv National IBanks were 
both old and strong financial institutions. The Bank 
of Poughkeepsie was organized in 1830. Thomas L. 
Davies was its first president. After the passing of 
the National Bank Law in 1865, it became the Pough- 
keepsie National Bank. 

The City Bank was organized in i860. Judge Joseph 
F. Barnard being its first president. In 1865, the 
City Bank was merged into the City National Bank. 
In 1879 Hudson Taylor was elected its president, and 
continued in office until its consolidation with the 
Poughkeepsie National Bank. 

The following are the present officers and trustees 
of the Poughkeepsie Trust Company: President, 
Stephen G. Guernsey ; \'ice- Presidents, Hudson Tav- 
lor, Charles W. Pilgrim ; Treasurer, Thomas W. Bar- 
rett ; Secretary' and Counsel, C. W. H. Arnold. Trus- 
tees, Hudson Ta>Ior, Sanuiel K. Rupley, J. W. Hink- 
lev, Jr., Frank J. Lefevre, R. H. Hunter, Benjamin P. 
\\'a\"Te. Joseph Morschauser. A. G. Tobev, George 
?il. nine, l.saac W. Sherrill, T. W. Barrett. C. W. 
II. Arnold, /\dna F. Heaton, J. Wilson Poucher, 



BIOGRAPHICAL APPENDIX. 



293 



J. L. Williams, E. T. Hulst, S. G. Guernsey, Andrew 
C. Zabriskie, Cecil E. Parker, William H. Frank, P. H. 
Troy, Charles W. Pilgrim, Hudson L. Taylor. 

The Poughkeepsie Trust Company is authorized to 
transact a general banking business and to act as ex- 
ecutor or administrator of estates, and as guardian, re- 
ceiver, registrar, transfer and financial agent for 
States, cities, towns, railroads and other corporations, 
and to accept any other trusts in conformity with the 
laws of an>' State or of the United States. It is a legal 
depository for State, city and court funds. It also 
has a savings department. The company is under the 
supervision of the Banking Department of the State 
of Now York. The success of the company has dem- 
onstrated the need and usefulness of such an institu- 
tion in this city. 

POUGHKEEPSIE UNDERWEAR CO. 
(See page 236.) 

The Poughkeepsie Underwear Company was in- 
corporated under the laws of New York in September, 
1899, with authorized capital of $80,000; and com- 
menced business January i, 1900. Mr. Robert J. 
Stuart is president, Mr. F. A. Conklin vice-president, 
and Mr. Frank Manser secretary and treasurer. 
Messrs. Samuel G. Rowles, Arthur Manser and Henry 
T. Lumb, together with the officers, comprise the 
board of directors. 

This company manufactures ladies' and children's 
undergarments, known to the trade as "Queen Under- 
muslins," and their goods are now sold all over the 
United States, and shipments have been made as far 
away as Australia. Fine quality of material and work- 
manship, combined with progressive and up-to-date 
management have each year fully doubled the trade, 
this vear's business (1903) exceeding $250,000. Since 
their start, the company have never shut down except 
about ten days each .August for renovating and re- 
pairs, and now employ one hundred and fifty hands, 
with a pav-roll of about $1,000 per week. The begin- 
ning was in the Edward Storm building on Mill 
Street, but in i<;02 the company purchased the Taylor 
propertv on North Cherry Street, and after rebuilding 
and equipping the same started their new plant in De- 
cember of that vear. Their building covers 50 by 150 
feet of ground, is substantially constructed of brick, 
three stories in height, well lighted, ventilated and 
heated. The machinerv is operated by electric power 
furnished b>- the Poughkeepsie Light, Heat and Power 
Company. 

willia:m thacher Reynolds. 

( See page 211.) 
\\'illiam Thacher Reynolds, senior member of the 
firm of W. T. Revnolds & Company, was born in 
Poughkeepsie December 20. 1838; he was educated 
here? and began his business career in the emplo\- of 
his father, familiarizing himself, step by stei), wiUi each 
phase of the wholesale flour and grain trade. In 1 860 
he became a member of the firm of Reynolds & Com- 
pany, in partnership with his father, \\illiam W. Rev- 
nolds. and his uncle, James Reynolds, Jr. 



James Reynolds, grandfather of William Thacher 
Reynolds, born in Rhode Island April 7, 1777, in the 
fourth generation of descent from James Reynolds, the 
first of the name and one of the earliest citizens of 
the Narraganselt country, was the son of William 
Re\nolds, ensign in a Rhode Island Regiment in the 
Revolutionary war. Through one of his grandmoth- 
ers, Elizabeth Greene, wife of Francis Reynolds, he 
was cousin to General Nathaniel Greene. The sur- 
name "Reynolds," meaning "son of Reginald" or 
"Re}nold," originated with the introduction into Eng- 
land by the Normans of the font name "Reynauld" or 
"Renaud." 

James Revnolds came to Poughkeepsie about 1800 
and soon entered into partnership with Aaron Innis in 
the operation of a line of packet sloops, running from 
what was known as the "Upper Landing" to New 
York. In 181 1 two sloops, the "Mary" and the 
"Driver," left for New York on alternate weeks, car- 
rying freight and passengers ; they were replaced in 
1816 by the "Huntress" and "Counsellor," and they 
still later, by the barges "Clinton" and "Republic." 
Revnolds and Innis, in i8t8, gave notice in the col- 
umns of the Poughkeepsie lournai "to the Farmers and 
Merchants of Dutchess County that the subscribers 
have taken the mill latel>' occupied by Martin Hofi^man 
and Co., and tender their services to the customers of 
that firm in the milling business." About 1820. James 
Reynolds added a general store which, with the mill, 
were natural outgrowths and feeders of the transporta- 
tion line. 

The location of the Upper Landing, at the point 
where the Fall Kill empties into the Hudson, was a 
])articularh- desirable one under the business conditions 
of that da}' : before 1800 Robert L. Livingston had a 
store and mill there, and the hill since known as Rey- 
nolds' Hill, on which the east end of the Poughkeepsie 
bridge rests, was called "Slange Klip"; the mouth of 
the Fall Kill, on a map dated 1799, was marked "Pond- 
akrien." presumably in reference to the cascade which 
turned the mill and which an old deed calls "Pendan- 
ick Reen." 

James Revnolds was a Friend, and never interested 
himself in public affairs, but one of the historians of 
Dutchess County wrote: "Messrs. Reynolds and In- 
nis were the most prominent and reliable business men 
of their period, not onlv in the city, but in the entire 
countv. Thev were men of strict integritv. and their 
character and standing as business men ha^'e not been 
surpassed here to the present day." 

The two sons of James Reynolds, William \\\ and 
James Re\nolds, Jr.. succeeded their father about 
1840, as W. W. and J. Reynolds, and later developed 
the wholesale llonr and grain branch of the business. 
The Erie Canal was then of much more importance 
than the railroads as a carrier of western produce, and 
,\lban\' was the great distributing point for this part 
of the country: \\'. \\'. & J. Reynolds had special 
agents in Albanv who bought western produce for 
them and shipped it by their own line of sloops to 
Poughkeepsie. For several years there were three 
sloops in this line : but the business continued to in- 
crease until sailing vessels became too slow, and in 



294 



BIOGRAPHICAL APPENDIX. 



1854 the firm had the steam propeller "Reliance" built 
by Henry Finch at his ship-yard at the Whale Dock; 
she was run between Poughkeepsie and Albany twice 
a week for freight and passengers, until 1861, when 
she was sold to the United States to be used as a trans- 
port. 

In 1849 ^^^ warehouse at the Upper Landing was 
built, and the business conducted there until 1871. In- 
creased railroad facilities and through freight lines 
had then changed the methods of transacting business, 
and a location where freight could be received by rail 
was necessary, which led to the erection of the present 
warehouse opposite the passenger station of the New 
"S'ork Central and Hudson River Railroad, in 1872. 

At the death of James Reynolds, Jr., in 1865, the 
firm became Reynolds & Son ; in 1869, when John R. 
Reynolds, son of James Reynolds, Jr., entered it, W. 
W. Reynolds & Co. ; in 1874, at the addition of George 
E. Cramer, Reynolds & Co. ; in 1889, at the death of 
John R. Reynolds, Reynolds & Cramer; and in 1899, 
when George E. Cramer died, W. T. Reynolds & Co. 

William W. Reynolds married a daughter of the 
Rev. William Thacher, a descendant of Hon. John 
Thacher, of Yarmouth, Mass. The latter served with 
distinction in King Philip's war, 1675, and was for 
many years a member of the Governor's Council. Their 
son, William Thacher Reynolds, the subject of this 
sketch, is President of the Board of Trustees of the 
Washington Street Methodist Church ; President of the 
Vassar Brothers Home for Aged Men ; trustee of the 
Old Ladies' Home, of Vassar Brothers Hospital, of 
the Poughkeepsie Rural Cemetery, and director of the 
Fallkill National Bank, and of the Poughkeepsie Sav- 
ings Bank. He married July 6, 1864, Miss Louise 
Smith, and has two children, Harris Smith Reynolds, 
a graduate of Yale, and a member of the firm of W. 
T. Reynolds & Co., and May Louise Reynolds. 

RIVERVIEW MILITARY ACADEMY. 
(See page 256.) 

Riverview Military /Vcademy, under the name of 
the Poughkeepsie Collegiate School, was organized 
and established in 1836, on College Hill, by Charles 
Bartlett. In 1857 Mr. Bartlett was succeeded by C)tis 
Bisbee, who introduced, in 1862, military instruction 
and erected, in 1866, new buildings at Riverview. In 
1867 the entire school marched in a body from College 
Hill to these new buildings, delightfully situated on 
high ground overlooking the Hudson River, and yet 
only a short walk from the centre of the town. The 
school provides every modern im])rovement and con- 
venience. It thoroughly (jrepares its pupils — about 
175 — for college or busincs.s life amidst pleasant and 
healthful surroundings. There are ten resident in- 
structors and an army officer, s])cciall_\- detailed by the 
Secretary of War. The school is a family school. 
The principal and his family reside in the main build- 
ing, and each student comes into daily contact with 
them. 

Otis Bisbee, to whom the school owes its present 
character, was born at Chesterfield, Mass., February 
74, 1822. He was a descendant of the "Besbidgc" 
family who settled in Plymouth, Mass., in 1734. He 



left Union College in 1849 to become a teacher in the 
Collegiate School, but was elected a member of the 
Phi Beta Kappa society in 1851. Upon Mr. Bartlett's 
death Mr. Bisbee, in partnership with Mr. Charles P!. 
Warring, took the direction of the school. The change 
in the character and location of the school has been 
already noted. In 1850 Mr. Bisbee married Frances 
C, daughter of Joseph Barlett, and had two daughters 
and one son. Major Joseph B. Bisbee, the present head 
of the school. Mr. Otis Bisbee died at Poughkeepsie 
February 12th, 1885. 

Joseph Bartlett Bisbee, A. M., principal and pro- 
prietor of Riverview Military Academy, was born in 
Poughkeepsie December 15, 1853. He was prepared 
for college under his father's own instruction, and en- 
tered Amherst College in 1876. In 1879 he returned 
to assist his father. In 1884, however, Amherst Col- 
lege, recognizing his work and ability, conferred upon 
him the degree of Master of Arts. Since his father's 
death he has conducted the school in accordance with 
the principles that first, under his father, gave it emi- 
nence, so that to-day it ranks among the foremost pre- 
paratory schools of the countr}'. 

Major Bisbee was married in 1880 to Miss Sarah 
M. Pangborn, of Albany, N. Y. She died in March, 
1884. Mr. Bisbee married in December, 1885. Miss 
Winifred Dana Wheeler, daughter of the late Francis 
B. Wheeler, D. D., pastor of the First Presbyterian 
Church in Poughkeepsie for thirty-seven years. Mr. 
Bisbee is a member of the Masonic fraternity and an 
elder in the First Presbyterian Church. 

DR. J. E. SADLIER. 

James Edgar Sadlier, M. D., President of the 
Dutchess County Medical Society, and one of the most 
prominent physicians and surgeons of Poughkeepsie 
at this time, was born at Walden, Orange County, N. 
Y., March 18, 1865, the son of the late James Sadlier, 
for many years a leading merchant of New York Cit\-, 
and highly esteemed citizen of Walden. Dr. Sadlier 
received a thorough education in the public schools of 
his native village, and in the academics of Montgom- 
ery and New Paltz, N. Y. 

His uncle, Dr. William Woodruff, an eminent 
physician of Pine Bush, then became his preceptor and 
gave him practical, as well as theoretical training in 
the medical profession until 1884, when he entered the 
Medical Department of Union College at Albany. Lie 
graduated therefrom in 1887, and was immediately ap- 
l>ointed to the stafif of the Albany Cit)' Hospital, in 
which he served with marked ability until April i, 
1889, when he left to establish a residence and private 
practice for hiiuself at Poughkeepsie. Although only 
twenty-four years of age, at that time, his acquired 
knowledge, thorough training and experience gave him 
at once a high standing in the profession, and he was 
ajjpointed on the stafi" of \'assar Brothers Hospital in 
1891. He enjoys to-day a large and lucrative practice. 
In the medical profession he is recognized as a physi- 
cian and surgeon of the highest al)ility, and he has 
been popular with his associates ever since taking up 
his residence in Poughkeepsie. He was chosen Sec- 
retar)- to the Dutchess County Medical Society in 



BIOGRAPHICAL APPENDIX. 



295 



January, 1891, and served as such continuously until 
1897, when he resigned because he was elected State 
delej^atc to the New York State Medical Society for 
the ensuing three ^ears, after which he was duly elected 
member of the New York State Medical Society. He 
was elected President of the Dutchess County Medical 
Society in lyoi. Dr. Sadlicr is also a member of the 
American Association of Gynaecologists and Obstetri- 
cians. During 1899 he spent a portion of the year 
doing post graduate work at the Alcdical Department 
of the Johns Hopkins University, at Baltimore, Md., 
and during 1902 he went abroad for the sake of study- 
ing surgery at the Clinics in Europe. For the last 
several years he has devoted himself more especially 
to that department of work pertaining to surgery, and 
gynaecology. The most of his work of that character 
being performed at his own private hospital in this 
city. 

Dr. Sadlier was married on June 18, 1891, to Miss 
Hattie C. Millspaugh, daughter of Theron L. Mills- 
paugh, of Walden, N. Y. 

ROBERT SANFORD. 
(Sec page 163.) 
Robert Sanford. retired lawyer of Poughkeepsic, 
was born in ^Mbany, December 10, 183 1, the son of 
Nathan and Mary (Buchanan) Sanford, of Albany; 
the grandson of Dr. Thomas Sanford, who settled at 
I'ridgehampton, Eong Island, and the great-grandson 
of Thomas McKcan, Chief Justice and Governor of 
Pennsylvania three terms and a signer of the Declara- 
tion of Independence. Miss Mary Buchanan, the 
granddaughter of Justice McKean, and mother of Rob- 
ert Sanford, was married to Nathan Sanford in the 
\\'hite House at Washington, President John Quincy 
Ailams being her nearest living relative, giving away 
the bride. Nathan Sanford was a prominent lawyer, 
I'nited Stales District .AttorncN', State Assemblyman, 
State Senator, twice United States Senator, commis- 
sioner for framing the new Constitution and candidate 
for Vice-President with Henry Clay. He was ap- 
pointed Chancellor to succeed James Kent, and he was 
the last speaker of the Assembly who wore a cocked 
hat. He died at Flushing, Long Island, in 1838. 
When nine years old, Robert Sanford commenced at- 
tending school in Hartford, Conn., and remained five 
years. He then spent foiu" years under the tutorship 
of Dr. Muhlenberg, the celebrated instructor at Col- 
lege I^oint, Long Island, and two >ears under Dr. 
George H. Houghton, the rector of the famous "Lit- 
tle Ciuirch Around the Corner," an astute Greek tutor, 
who one day said to his pupil, "Bob, you are the most 
stupid jackass I ever saw." Robert respected him 
very much, and in years afterward, when he thought 
he was somewhat liroficient in the ancient language, 
he wrote the doctor a letter in Greek, but the worthy 
tutor characterized it "as .still possessing assinine qual- 
ities." iMr. Sanford, however, pursued his education, 
becoming a student at Kingsle>' Mililar)' Institute at 
West Point, and spending two years at Union College, 
Schenectadv, N. Y. lle\hcn traveled extensively with 
his mother ihroughout Europe, and located in Pough- 
keepsic in 1857. Graduating from the New York 



State and National Law School in 1858, he spent two 
years in the law office of Joseph H. Jackson, then 
started on another extended European trip, during 
which he attended a course of lectures at the Sarbonne 
in Paris, and was formally presented to Napoleon III. 
He practiced law in Poughkeepsie from 1862 to 1866, 
and then made his third trip to Europe, and was pre- 
sented to the Queen of England by his cousin, Charles 
Francis Adams, then U. S. Minister to the Court of St. 
James. He returned to Poughkeepsie in 1867, and re- 
tired in 1894 after an active legal career of twenty- 
seven years. Though seventy-two years of age he pos- 
esses a stalwart frame, is of medium height and much 
resembles John Quincy Adams. He is an active ath- 
lete, fond of fresh air, walker and rider. Sanitary 
matters and pure air are his hobbies. His residence 
in the heart of Poughkeepsie, No. 29 North Hamilton 
Street, is surrounded by nearly six acres of lawn and 
beautiful shade trees, with winding walks and the bub- 
bling water of the Fallkill flowing through the grounds. 
He abandoned court practice mainl}' because he regard- 
ed the court rooms in the old building as unhealthy. 
As school commissioner, 1862 to 1866, he made a rec- 
ord for sanitary improvements which was most ser- 
viceable and important. He was interested with 
Henry Bergh in the work of prevention of cruelty to 
animals and was once vice-president of the society. 
He has been a delegate to the convention of the Diocese 
of New York for thirty years ; is a member of the 
Sigma Phi Fraternity ; the Aztec Society (a Mexican 
war association) ; the Amrita Club, of Poughkeepsie; 
the Dutchess Hunt Club ; Union League Club, of New 
"\'ork ; American Geographical Society ; Church Club 
of New York ; trustee of the Church of the Holy Com- 
forter of Poughkeepsie, and is connected with several 
social associations. In politics he is a Republican, but 
always declined elective office. Mr. Sanford was mar- 
ried 'May 2^. 1867, to Miss Mary Helen Hooker Stuy- 
vesant, daughter of John R. Stuyvesant, of Hyde Park, 
and great-granddaughter of Peter Stuyvesant, Colon- 
ial Governor of New York. Thev have had five chil- 
dren, four of whom are now living: Mary Buchanan, 
Henr\- Gansevoort, Helen Stuyvesant and Desiree. 
Their son, Stuyvesant, died in 1890, at the age of sev- 
enteen )'ears. 

JACOB SCHRAUTH AND HIS SONS, EDW^\RD 
L. AND WILLIAM H. SCHRAUTH. 

Jacob Schrauth, the founder of an extensive ice 
cream and confectionery industry of Poughkeepsie, 
was born at Kreuznach, in the Rhine Province, .\pril, 
1834. He learned the trade of a cooper anil came to 
.America in 1854, learning the baker's trade in New 
York City. He came to Poughkeepsie in 1857, and for 
nine years worked as a baker. In 1866 he established 
business for himself at 153 Main Street, first as a 
baker, but soon adding the manufacture of ice cream 
and confectionery. On May i, 1897, his sons, Edward 
L. and \\'iniam H., ]5urchased the business and have 
since conducted it nntler the firm style of J. Schrauth's 
Sons. 

Mr. Schrauth is Republican in politics, and for two 
Years was a member of the Board of Water Commis- 



•296 



BIOGRAPHICAL APPENDIX. 




WILLIAM H. SCHRAUTH 



EDWARD L. SCHRAUTH. 



JACOB SCHRAUTH. 



sioners. He was for twelve 3'ears president of the 
Germania Singing- Society, is a member of the Odd 
Fellows and of the German Lutheran Church. He was 
married in i860 to Miss Kate Schneider, a native of 
Bavaria, and has had seven children. 

Edward L. Schrauth was born in this cit)' in 
1869, and was married September 30, 1903, to Miss 
Georgia Van Wyck, of Poughkeepsie. He is a mem- 
ber of the Odd Fellows and Siloam Encampment, the 
Phoenix Hose Company and Royal Arcanum. 

William H. Schrauth was born in 1876, and mar- 
ried in 1895 to Miss Matilda Seeholtzer. daughter of 
Berthold Seeholtzer, of Poughkeepsie. He is a mem- 
ber of Fallkill Lodge, L O. O. F., Siloam Encamp- 
ment, Royal Arcanum and Poughkeepsie Lodge No. 
266. F. and A. M. 

Since assuming charge of the business here they 



have continually enlarged and have now built up the 
most extensive ice cream industr}- in this section, their 
trade reaching far beyond the limits of this city. In 
December, 1902, they opened their present retail sales- 
room and ice cream parlors at 149 and 151 Main Street, 
adjoining the old store. It is the handsomest estab- 
lishment of the kind on the Hudson River, and in some 
respects exceeds any other in the countr\'. Our illus- 
tration shows the front of the store, the two sides being 
devoted to a display of fine confectionery- and fancv 
cakes, the long circular counter in the centre being 
used for the dispensing of soda and other waters 
from modern as well as beautiful fountains. The ice 
cream parlors are in the rear, the manufactor^- of con- 
fections, ice cream bricks and an endless varietur of 
fine cakes being in the basement and also in the rear 
of the parlors. 




Interior i'iciL' of Jacob Sclirautk's Sons' Ice Cream I'arlors and Salesroom. 



BIOGRAPHICAL APPBNDIX. 



297 



OSCAR NELSON SEAMAN. 

Oscar Nelson Seaman, from whose excellent pho- 
tographs many of the illustrations in this book were 
made, was born in Poughkeepsie March 25th, 1871, 
and is the son of Henry H. and Sarah A. (Colwell) 
Seaman, who have lived in this city since their mar- 
riage at Verbank in 1857. Henry H. Seaman is the 
last survivor of a family of six, of whom Isaac, James 
Harvey and Nelson were the other sons, all well- 
known residents of Poughkeepsie. Their father, Sam- 
uel Seaman, came here from Staten Island in 1833, his 
two brothers. Hicks and Stephen, going to the neigh- 
borhood of Saratoga at about the same time. The 
family is of English descent, and was settled on Eong 
Island before the Revolution. 

Oscar N. Seaman was educated at the Poughkeep- 
sie Military Institute under Dr. Charles B. Warring, 
and at the Housatonic Valley Institute at Cornwall, 
Ct. After a thorough apprenticeship of twelve years 
at photography, he began business for himself at 327 
Main Street, and has met with gratifying success. 

In politics Mr. Seaman is a Republican, but has 
never sought public office. He is a member of St. 
Paul's Episcopal Church, of Fallkill Lodge, I. O. O. 
F., of Harvey G. Eastman Council, No. 97, (incor- 
porated) Junior Order of United American Mechanics, 
and of Young America Hose Company No. 6. He was 
married October 12th, 1892, to Emma C. Cramer, 
daughter of Jerome B. Cramer, of this city, and they 
have one daughter, Ivah Cramer Seaman. 

JOHN SUTCLIFFE. 
(See page 213.) 
John Sutclifife, consulting, civil and mining engi- 
neer, and mechanical expert in iron works and sew- 
erage, was born at Stainland, near Halifax, England, 
July 29, 1837, the son of Eli Sutcliffe, who settled in 
"Poughkeepsie in 1840, and was well known as a gro- 
cer and soap manufacturer. Mr. Sutcliffe was edu- 
cated in the local schools of Poughkeepsie, and at the 
Dutchess County Academy. In 1861 he became as- 
sistant manager of the Peekskill. N. Y., blast furnace. 
He made plans for a new and improved furnace in 
Cold Spring, N. Y., then erected and started it as the 
Phillips Iron Works. He left this concern and went 
to England to perfect himself in the details of iron 
manufacture, and in iSCh began building new iron 
works at \'erplanck's Point, N. Y., but owing to the 
financial panic they wore never finished. In 1865 he 
erected the building at Clover and Union Streets for 
his father and started in the woolen business with his 
uncle. In 1866 he took charge of the Eagle Slate 
Company's Iron Works at Hydevillc, \'t. In i8(.8 
he went to Wales to make a study of slate, and return- 
ing worked up refuse slate into billiard table tops, en- 
larging the Eagle works for that purpose. In 1870 
he remodeled the slate mill at Chapman, Pa. In 1870 
and 1871 he constructed the filter beds for tlic 
Poughkeepsie Water \\'orks. In 1872, after a trip 
through iron works in the south and west, he liuilt tlic 
Hudson River Iron Works at Poughkeepsie, now 
known as the Phoenix Horse Shoe Works. In 1S73 



he took contracts to build sewers and lay water pipes 
in Poughkeepsie, and successfully managed the Frank- 
lin Iron Works, near Utica, which had two blast fur- 
naces, with iron mines, etc., at the same time building 
the Bcllevue Terrace block of brick buildings in Pough- 
keepsie. In 1874 he was called upon to settle up the 
business of the Pond Eddy Blue Stone Company, in 
Pike County, Pa., in which he displayed much ability 
and arranged all matters satisfactorily. 

He then operated successfully for fen 3'ears the 
mines of the Vallecillo Silver Mining Company in 
Mexico. Returning to Poughkeepsie in 1884, he was 
soon appointed general manager of the Steel Company 
of Canada, organized a new company as the London- 
derry Iron Company, and as general manager made it 
a great success in four years' time. He resigned and 
again returned to Poughkeepsie, where he has since 
remained as consulting engineer and constructor of 
sewers, etc. He has had many contracts here, includ- 
ing the wall about the grounds of Vassar Brothers 
Hospital and the dam at the State Hospital, and has 
been a potent factor in the modern upbuilding of the 
cit}', while he is also frequently called in as an expert 
by the various iron works in this section. In politics 
he is a strong Republican and served two terms as 
Police Commissioner. He is a member of the F. and 
A. ]\I., the Canadian Society of Civil Engineers, Ameri- 
can Institute of Mining Engineers, Franklin Institute 
of Philadelphia, and the Engineers' Club of New York 
City. He is universally esteemed for his personal in- 
tegrity, good judgment and keen business and me- 
chanical ability. He was married July 26, 1876, to 
Miss Sarah E., daughter of William Beekman Swart, 
of Poughkeepsie. They have three sons, Paul, Allen 
and John W. 

ALBERT TOWER. 

(See page 159.) 

Mr. Albert Tower, one of the best known iron men 
in the Ignited States, was born in Paris, Oneida County, 
New \'ork, November 8, 1817, but commenced his 
career in the iron business in Ohio, where he accumu- 
lated quite a fortune b\- the time he «as little more 
than thirty years of age. He came to Poughkeepsie 
in 1850, to become superintendent and part owner of 
the Poughkeepsie Iron Works at the foot of LTnion 
Street, which had been organized by Joseph Tucker- 
man and others in 184S. The present plant at the Old 
Whale Dock, foot of Hoffman Street, illustrated 
on page 2},},. was built in i860, and operated under 
the name of the Fallkill Iron Works, with Hon. 
James Fmott as president, although the capital of both 
works was very nearly wholly controlled by the same 
parties. The present Poughkeepsie Iron Company 
was a reorganization March 26, 1875, "'^O'" the manu- 
facturing of pig iron and products thereof," l\Ir. Albert 
Tower being its president and manager, and the two 
]")lants becoming actually one property. The lower 
furnace, howexer. was abandoned and the new plant 
enlarged in the earl\- eighties. For several years prior 
to his death, Mr. Tower, owing to ill health, had large- 
ly gi\cn up the management of the works and the 



2'J.s 



BIOGRAPHICAL APPENDIX. 



mines to his two sons, Albert Edward and Joseph T. 
Tower, the first named being now the head of this im- 
portant industry, which not only manufactures pig- 
iron, etc., but owns and operates iron mines at Port 
Henry, N. Y., and a hematite mine in Union Vale, 
N. Y. 

Mr. Tower was an unassuming but a thoroughly 
upright and Christian gentleman. He was a member 
of the vestry of Christ Church, and to him the congre- 
gation of that church and the City of Poughkeepsie 
are chiefly indebted for its beautiful building, 
his gifts to the church amounting to nearly $80,000. 
Mr. Tower was married in i860 to Miss Anna M. Un- 
derbill, daughter of Josiah Underbill, of the Pough- 
keepsie Savings Bank. He was the vice-president of 
the Merchants' Bank, and a citizen whose loss was sin- 
cerely mourned by the entire community. He died in 
this city December 24, 1891, after his return from Den- 
mark, whither he had gone in the previous fall in the 
hope of benefiting his health. 

ROBERT K. TUTHILL, M. D. 
(See page 180.) 

Robert K. Tuthill, M. D., son of Samuel Tuthill, 
M. D., who came to Poughkeepsie in 1848, and was 
a leading physician here for many years, was born in 
Newburgh, N. Y. He was trained to follow in the 
footsteps of his father by thorough classical and pre- 
liminary courses, and graduated from the New York 
Medical College in the class of 1859. He commenced 
practice here that year, but responding to the call of 
his country early in j86i, was appointed Assistant 
Surgeon of the 80th N. Y. X'ols. In April, 1863, he 
was promoted to the post of Regimental Surgeon of 
the l4Sth N. Y. Infantry, and in June of the same 
year was advanced to Brigade Surgeon of the First 
Brigade (six regiments), First Division, Twelfth 
Army Corps. Early in 1864 he was made Surgeon in 
Chief of the First Division (fourteen regiments) of 
the Twelfth Army Corps. He was in all the princi- 
pal battles of the Army of the Potomac, and also did 
duty in the Army of the Cumberland. By his devo- 
tion to sanitary regulations, and his general ability as 
a surgeon he made and kept his regiment and brigade 
in such a healthy and efficient condition that he re- 
ceived special commendation from the War Depart- 
ment therefor. Resuming private practice in Pough- 
keepsie in 1864, Dr. Tuthill soon attained the highest 
eminence in his profession by the same watchful and 
faithful care which won him distinction in the field. 

Dr. Tuthill's hospital service has been extensive 
and notably successful. He had charge of the Fred- 
ericksburgh Hospital in 1862, was member of the 
surgical staff of St. Barnabas Hospital in Poughkeep- 
sie from its organization in 1870 until its close in 1887; 
was one of the surgeons selected by the 'founders of 
X^assar Brothers' Hospital, on its opening in 1887, and 
served until 1898, and has since been a member of its 
consulting staff. He has visited many hospitals and 
attended many clinics in Europe, viz: in London, Paris, 
Berlin and Vienna, seeking to gain new methods and 
experience for home work. 



In politics Dr. Tuthill is a staunch Republican, but 
never sought or desired public office, and accepted 
none except the position of Health Officer of the city, 
which post he filled for four terms. He was president 
of the Dutchess County Medical Society for two terms, 
has been a member of the New York State Medical 
Society since 1880, is also a member of the New York 
Commandery, Loyal Legion of America, and is a char- 
ter member of Hamilton Post, No. 20, G. A. R. He 
also affiliates with Masonry, and is a Knight Templar. 
Dr. Tuthill has many friends who believe in him, be- 
cause he has proved himself a true and sincere man 
and a conscientious, faithful and vigilant physician and 
surgeon. 

DR. DAVID B. WARD. 

David B. Ward, M. D., prominent physician and 
leading microscopist of Poughkeepsie, was born at 
Pleasant Valley, Dutchess County, N. Y., March 13, 
1853. He prepared for college at the Riverview Mili- 
tary Academ}', spent three years at Dartmouth College, 
and graduated as A. B. from Hamilton College in the 
class of 1873. He commenced the study of medicine 
under the advice and tutorship of the eminent Dr. 
Parker, of Poughkeepsie, and then took the course at 
the College of Physicians and Surgeons of New York 
City, graduating therefrom in the class of 1876. After 
practicing at Wheeling, West Virginia, for three years 
he came to Poughkeepsie, and has acquired a very ex- 
tensive general practice and a wide reputation for 
scientific and microscopic investigation and research. 
He is a Republican, but b}' no means a politician. He 
was cit)' physician from 18S0 to 1888, and has always 
interested himself in furthering every improvement de- 
signed for the benefit and preservation of the general 
health, and has been a member of the Board of Health 
since 1895. He is a member of the Amrita Club and 
Fallkill Lodge, I. O. O. F. He is noted for his genial 
spirit, and has a veritable host of personal friends, but 
up to the present time has remained a bachelor. 

HON. CHARLES WHEATON. 
(See page 177.) 

Hon. Charles Wheaton, distinguished lawyer and 
County Judge, of Poughkeepsie, was born in Lithgow, 
Dutchess Count}', May 21, 1834, and died after a brief 
illness May 11, 1886. His grandfather, Augustus 
Wheaton, came here from Connecticut in 1802, and his 
father, Rev. Homer Wheaton, was rector of Christ 
Church until his death in 1894. His maternal grand- 
father, Isaac Smith, was County Judge of this county 
and also Member of Assembly. 

Judge Wheaton graduated from the College of St. 
James, at Hagerstown, Md., and was then a tutor 
there for two years. He came back to Poughkeepsie 
and studied law with Thompson & Weeks, and on his 
admission to the bar began the practice of law in this 
city. He was Assistant District Attorney under Silas 
W'odell, and was elected County Judge in 1863 to suc- 
ceed Judge Homer A. Nelson, who had been elected 
t<j Congress. He was a consistent Democrat, and 
one of the idols of his party ; was doomed to political 



BIO G R A P H I C .1 L APPBNDIX. 



299 



defeat at the polls on several occasions. He was the 
Democratic candidate for Congress in 1866, was the 
Democratic opponent for U. S. Senator against Roscoe 
Conkling in 1873, ^"<^1 candidate for State Senator in 
1877. He was urged to become candidate for Gover- 
nor in 1879 and had he done so would doubtless have 
been elected, as his candidature would have healed all 
the dififerences at tliat time. He had jireviously prom- 
ised, however, to support a Dutchess County man for 
State Treasurer and as the county could not have two 
persons on the ticket, he remained immovable in his 
fealty to his word. 

Judge Wheaton was married October 26, 1859, to 
Miss Caroline T. Ijarculo, daughter of the late Su- 
preme Court Justice Seward Barculo, who now resides 
at the \\'heaton home in North Hamilton Street, and 
possesses the very large and excellent library of stand- 
ard works her literary husband had accumulated, and 
in which he took so much pride and comfort. 

HON. JAMES L. WILLIAMS. 

James L. Williams, a prominent lawyer and presi- 
dent of the roughkec|)sic ISoard of Education, was 
born in Poughkeepsie, December 12th, 1846. He at- 
tended the Dutchess County Academy, and on the 
completion of his studies and after reading law was 
admitted to the bar in 1867. He began practice in 
connection with the Hon. Peter Dorland, ex-Surrogate 
of this county ; the firm of Dorland and Williams con- 
tinuing until 1873, \\'hen he formed a partnership with 
Hon. John Ilackelt, afterwards twice District .\ttorncy 
of the county, which partnership still exists and is 
known under the firm title of Hackett &• Willianis. 
,'\ native of Poughkeepsie, and always a public-spirited 
citizen, Mr. \\'illiams has been more than usually prom- 
inent in political and social, as well as legal circles. 
He was very active in the Democratic party for many 
\ears, and was the organizer and first president of 
the Poughkeepsie News Company, publisher of the 
News-Press and Ncws-Tclcgraph. both staunch ad- 



vocates of Democracy in this section. He was elected 
District Attorney in 1872, being the first Democrat 
elected to that office for a period of over twenty-five 
years. He declined a re-nomination. In 1883, with- 
out any solicitation or knowledge on his part. Gover- 
nor Cleveland appointed him State Assessor, now called 
State Tax Commissioner, an office which he filled with 
ability until 1893, when he resigned. In 1887 he was 
named with the late ex-Governor R. P- Flower, Gen- 
eral George S. Field, of Buffalo, and Judge Charles F. 
McLean, of New York, as a member of the Executive 
Committee of the Democratic State Committee, and 
was made chairman of the State Executive Committee. 
He was a member of the Democratic State Commit- 
tee in 1888 and 1889. In 1893 he was strongly urged 
as a candidate for Justice of the Supreme Court to suc- 
ceed Judge Barnard, having the support of Dutchess 
and other counties. He continued to be active in the 
councils of his party up to the Chicago convention of 
1896, but then declined to endorse the national platform 
or its candidate, and since that time has been as ag- 
gressive and has become fully as popular as a worker 
and advisor in the Republican party as he was in the 
party of his first choice. He was appointed City 
Attorne\' of Poughkeepsie in 1897, serving under 
Mayor Hull in 1897 and 1898. In 1900 he was nomi- 
nated by President McKinley for Supervisor of the 
Census for the Third District of New York. He has 
been President of the Board of Education since 1900, 
since which time the schools have made great advance- 
ment. In fraternal circles he has also been a leader, 
holding membership in the F. and A. M., the I. O. O. 
F., and K. of P., the Order of Elks, and other societies 
and organizations. He organized and placed firmly 
upon its feet the Odd Fellows' Mutual Benefit Associa- 
tion of Dutchess County, now numbering more than 
a thousand members. He is president of the Dutchess 
Club, the leading social organization in Dutchess 
Count\-, having succeeded the Hon. Homer A. Nelson 
in 1 80 1. IMr. Williams is also a member of several 
New \'ork Cit^• clubs. 



GENERAL APPENDIX. 



Lists of Names — The Associators of 1775, the Vii^lage Trustees — Manumissions of Si.aves — 
Militia Officers, 1786-1799 — Ordinances Naming Streets, 1801-1834 — Ceinton Catechism — 
Population Statistics, Etc. 



(The names here giv 

INSCRIPTIONS ON STONES IN OLD DUTCH 

BURIAL GROUND. 

(Page 24.) 

Following is a list of the names on the stones in 
the Old Dutch Burying Ground in the rear of The 
Nelson House Annex, as they were taken in 1891. 

Albartes Schryver, died November 7th, 1808, aged 
63 years, 7 months. 

Isaac Fitchett, died October 24, 181 1, 86th year of 
age. 

Mary Roberts, widow of Jonathan Roberts, died 
April 25, 1816, aged 33 years, 11 months, 27 days. 

Susan, daughter of Daniel Hebard, Esq., and Let- 
tie, his wife, who departed this life January 9th, 1810, 
aged 7 months and 26 days. 

John Swartwout, who departed this life March 22, 
1813, aged 66 ^'ears, 4 months, 15 days. 

Cornelius Ter Bush, who was born the 15th day of 
February, 1757, and died the 22d of March, 1792, aged 
35 years, i month and 7 days. 

.-\braham Swartwout, Jr., who departed this life 
June the 9th. i8or. 

John Duryee, who departed this life 9th May 179? 
(obliterated). 

(Obliterated) and widow of I'etcr Hoffman, who 
departed this life — of November 179 — , aged 56 
years. 

In -memory of Hester, widow of Teunis Tappen, 
Esq., Deed., who departed this life January 19, 1812, 
aged 82 years, 1 1 days. 

Helen Tappen, who departed this life July — , 1800, 
aged 28 years, 1 1 months and 20 days. 

In memor}' of Jeremiah Smith, a son of William 
Smith, who departed this life September 22d, 1799, 
aged 33 years and 1 1 months. 

Addriann, daughter of Minard and Catherine 
Swartwout, who departed this life January 2, 1807. 

Simon Frear, wlio departed this life Februarj' 28, 
i8or, aged 62 vears, 2 months, 25 davs. 

Magdalen, wife of Stephen Harris, who departed 
this life December 20. 1802. in the S7th year of her age. 

In memorv of Teunis Tappen, Esq., wlio departed 
this life . 1809, aged . 

In memor\- of Catherine, wife of \\'illiam Williams. 
Born in the City of New York, and departed this life 
in Poughkeepsie, June 19, 1814, in the 69th year of 
her age. 

Her liriUle bark im life's wild ocean tost 
In the imeqiial struggle soon was lost 
Severe her contUct ! mnch alas she fiore. 
Then sunk lieueatli the storm to rise no more, 
Till safe within hir destined port of bliss 
Her anchor drops in e\crlastnig peace. 



en are not indexed.) 

In meinory of John W. Williams, attorney at law 
of the City of New York, who departed life May i, 
1806, aged 24 years, 4 months, 21 days. 

Behold and see as you pass bj' 
As you are now so once was i 
As i am now so you must be 
Prepare for death and follow me. 



SIGNERS OF THE REA'OLUTIONARY PLEDGE 
OF ASSOCIATION, 1775, IN THE PCJUGH- 
KEEPSIE PRECINCT. 
(Page 36.) 

William Anneley, Henry Dodge, 

Ephriam Adams, James Elderkin, 

Geleyn Ackerman, Henry Ellis, 

Nathaniel Ashford, Richard Everitt, 

John Bailey, Jr., William Forman, 

John Baily, Jr., Abraham Fort, 

Isaiah Bartly, Johannus Fort, 

Andrew Billings, John Freer, 

Hans Berner, Jacobus Freer, 2, 

John Briener, Simon Freer, 

Gideon Boyse, Elias Freer, 

Matthew Burnett, Abraham Ferden, 

Thomas Burnett, Jacob Ferris, 

Abraham Banlay, Omar Ferris, 

William Burnett, Sylvanus Greatwaks, 

Simon Bartley, Alexander Grigs, 

George Brooks, Tunis Hannes. 

Jacob V. Benschoten, Alexander Haire, 

Silvanus Beckwith, Henry Hofif, 

Henry Bliss, Carel Hoefman, 

James Brrsby, Thomas Holmes, 

James Brisleen, Peter Horn, 

Hendrick Bush, Stephen Hendrickson, 

Martin Bush, Robert Hoffman, 

Zachariah Burwell, Lemuel Howell, 

Thomas Bout, John C. Hill, 

Christian Bush, Henry I-legeman, 

Caleb Carmen, Nathaniel Hemsted, 

Caleb Carmen, Jr., Thomas Jacockes, 

Ezekiah Cooper, Francis Jaycock, 

Ezekiel Cooper, Benjamin Jaycock, 

Samuel Corey, Jonathan Johnson, 

Nathaniel Conklin, John Johnson, 

Alex. Chaucer, William Jones, 

S.amuel Cooke, William Kelley, 

John Conkling, Jones Kelle\', 

M.itthew Conkling, Johannes Kidney, 

Dorthir Conner, Jr., John C Kingsland, 

Richard Davis, Henry Kip, 

John Da\is, Benoni Kip, 

Samuel Dodge, Isaac Kornine, Jr., 

Lewis Dubois, William D. Lawson, 

Richard V. Dcnbnrgh, Peter Andes Lansing, 

John Dubois, William Lawson, Jr., 

Nathaniel Dubois, Simon Leroy, 

Jeremiah Dubois, Simon Lero_\', Jr., 

Jacob V. Denburgh, James Lewis, 

Matthew Dubois, Barent Lewis, 

Joel Dubois. Henry Livingston, Jr., 

1 ).'ivid Dntcbrr, James Livingston, 



GENERAL APPENDIX. 



301 



Peter Lossing, 
Simon W. I.ixssiiig, 
Larrine Lossing, Jr., 
Peter Low, 2, 
Henry Livingston, 
James Luckej', 
Samuel Luckoy, 
Jacob Low, 
Jolin l\lax)iel(l, 
Jolin Molt, 
Peter Mnllin, 
Josluia Moss, 
Cornelius Noble, 
Robert Nortb, 
Robert Noa, 
Abrabani Pitt, 
Zepbaniali Piatt, 
Hendrick Pells, 
Hendriclv Pells, Jr., 
Wilbelnins Ploegh, 
Isaac Poole, 
jolin Pilgrit, 
Thomas Poole, 
John Romyne, 
John Robinson, 
William Roach, 
Thomas Rowse, 
Aaron Reed, 
Eli Read, 
John Reed, 
Jacobus Roades, 
John C. Ringland, 
Janice Read, 
George Sands, 
John S.umders, 
William Sawckes, 
John Schenck, Jr., 
Paul Schenck, 
Jacob Schryver, 
George Shanhan, 
Samuel Smith, 
Gorus Storm, 
Richard Snedeker, 
John Se.ibury, Jr., 
John Sc.abury, 
Johannes SwarUvout, 
Barnardus Swartwout, 
Minnard Swartwout, 
John Swartwout, 
Abraham Swartwout, 
Mathias Sharp, 
Edward Symmonds, 
Lodovick Sypher, 
Peter Tappan, 



Nathan Tray, 
William Terry, 
Tennis Tappen, 
John Towuscnd, 
John Tappen, 
Thomas Travis, 
John Ter Bush, 

E. V. Van Bunschten, 
J. Van Bunschoten, 
M. Van Keurcn, 
.Abraham Van Kcuren, 
Myndert Van Klecck, 
Mat. Van Kcuren, Jr. 
Henry Van Blercome, 
M. Van Uenbogart, 
Garrit Van Wagcnen, 
Jac. Van Kleeck, 
John Van Kleeck, 
Law. Van Kleeck, 
Picter Van Kleeck, 

P. B. Van Kleeck, 
L. J. Van Klecck, 
J. L. Van Kleeck, 
John T. Van Kleeck, 
Leonard Van Kleeck, 
S. Van Denburgh, 
Gerrit Van Vliet, 
S. Van Voorhees, 
E Van Bunschoten, 
Peter F. Valleau, 
Peter Van Vliet, 
Frederick Van Vliet, 
Peter Van Dewater, 
Cornelius Viele, 
Jac. Van Den Ho.Liart, 

F. Van Denbogart, 
John Waterman, 
Andrew Wattles, 
.■\zariah Winchester, 
1 lenr\' Willsie, 
John'Willsie, 
Hobert Waddel, 
.Mho. WatervcU, 
Casparos \\'c'ilervclt, 
C. R. Weslervell, 
Euyamen Westervcll, 
Cornelius Westerxclt, 
C B. W'es'tervelt, 
Richard Warner, 
.\ndrew Weeks. 
William Wilse\-, 
James Winans, 
Michael Vcrry, 



THOSE WHO REFUSIU) TO SIGN. 



tlcorge Ame, 
Nathaniel Babcock, 
F,bine/cr Badger, 
George Baldwin, 
Isaac Baldwin, 
Isaac I'.abhvin. Jr., 
William r.,irnes, 
Henry Barnes, 
llenrv He\ex, 
John \'- D. Bogarl, 
John lioman, 
Mvndert Byndirs, 
Joseph Chaddirdon, 
Robert Churchell, 
John Coopinan, 
B, Crannell, 
Austin Cnul (Creed?), 
John I)e Graff, 
James Douglass, 
Teremiab Dubois, 
Peter Dubois, Jr., 
Eli Emons. 
John Emons, 



William Emott, 
John Ferdon, 
Zachary Ferdon, 
Jacob Ferdon, 
Esquire Ferdon, 
,\braham Frair, 
.Abraham I'rair, Jr., 
Simon Frair, Jr., 
Thomas breer, 
Sanuiel Hull, 
John Hunt, 
James Kclb, 
Myndert Kidney, 
Jacobus Kidney, 
Robert Kidney, 
Matthew Kipp, 
I'etcr Laroy, 
Isaac J. Lassing, 
William Lassing, 
James Lasting, 
b'elix Lewis, 
Melancthon Lewis, 
John Low, 



William Low, 
Arie Medlar, 
John Miller, 
1-leudrick Miller, 
Johalhan Mo rev, 
B. Noxen, 
Simon Noxen. 
Aaron Ohnslead, 
John Palmitear, 
Francis Palmitear, 
Michel Pelts, 
Francis Pelts, 
Evert Pelts, 
Samuel Pinckney, 
Thomas Pinkney, 
Ezekiel Pinkney, 
John Pinkney, 



Jacob Polmatier, 
Eli Read, 

Michael John Rutsen, 
Flcniming Stcenburgh, 
Elias Thompson, 
John Van Deburgh, 
H. J. Van Deburgh, 
Peter Van Deburgh, 
H. Van Denburgh, 
H. Van Denburgh, Jr., 
Baltus Van Kleeck, 
Peter P. Van Kleeck, 
Nehemiah Veal, 
Michael Wellding, 
Tunis Williamson, 
James Wood, 
Gail Yelverton. 



In general these names are as given in Vol. Ill, 
.American Archives, pp. 601-602, but arranged alpha- 
betically for more convenient reference. The repeti- 
tions of the names of Andrew I'.illings, William For- 
man. Jacobus Freer (one of which is spelled Frear), 
Peter Low, Lewis DuBois, Robert Xorth, John 
Schenck, Jr., Bernardus Swar\\()ut, Peter Tappen and 
E. V'an Benschoten have been eliminated. In addition 
to Henry Ellis a Henry Eliss, probably a repetition, is 
g'iven in some lists. Llerbert W'addell appears in one 
list as Woddell and there are other variations in spell- 



NAIMES OF PERSON'S IN THE PRECINCT OF 

POl'GHKEEPSIE WHOSE PERSONAL 

PROPERTY WAS CONFISCATED AND 

S( )LD DURING THE RE\'OLUTION, 

IN 1777. 

(Sec page 37.) 

Peter John Lassing, 
Johannis A. Lassing, 
Isaac Lassing. 
John Peter W^illiam 
Peter P. Lassing, 



Joseph Abbott, 
John .Anderson, 
John Beardsley, 
Hendrick Brush, 
Matt Burnetts, 
Thomas Burnett, 
Christian Bush, 
Martin Bush, 
John Cherr\', 
B. Crannell, 
C^ornelius DuBois, 
William Ellis. 
Eli Emmons, 
John Enmions, 
Jacob Ferdon, 
Joseph Haigbt, 
Samuel Harris, 
Philip Henning, 
Zaccheus Hill, 
William Ja\ cocks. 
Jou.ithan Johnsone, 
Johannis Peter Lassing 
J<ihannis W Lassing, 



Lassir 



Lawe Lassing, 
Isaac P. Lassing, 
Henr\' L\'on, 
John' Miller, 
John Mott, 
Jonathan Morey, 
Richard Peters, 
John Prenners. 
Peter Palmatier, 

(Son of Johannis), 
Snmuel Pinkne}', 
William Rosche, 
Eli Ruscraft, 

Lodowick Siefer (Cypher?) 
Simeon Steenburgb, 
Fleming Steenburgb, 
Henry \'au Der Burgh, Esq., 
Richard A'an Der Burgh. 



LIST t^F PERSONS \\ HO AIANl'MITTED 

THEIR SLA\'ES. 

(From the back of Book .A of Roads. Town of Pough- 

kcepsie, under act of February 22d. 178S.) 

( See page 6;},.) 

Flgberl Benson, 1700. 
Jolni Frear, 1794 
Zephaniab Piatt, 1705. 
Gilbert Livingston, 
lolm Alott, 



302 



GENERAL APPENDIX. 



John WiUse. 
John Reade. 
Peter Van Den Burgh. 

Under Act of 2gth March, 1799, "for the gradual 
abohtion of slavery." 

Thomas Casey, 9 slaves. 
Francis Pells. 
Jacob K. Duryea. 
Heirs of Mj'ndert Van Kleeck. 
Theodorus Bailey. 

John Reade, (set free child born, the mother to be free at 
expiration of five years.) 
Benjamin Jaycocks. 

Under Act of 8th April, i8or, entitled, "An Act 
concerning slaves and servants." 

John N. Bailey. 
Samuel Luckey. 
James Dearin. 
Tony Fox, a black man. 
Thomas W . Jaycox. 
Henry Dodge, 1806. 
James Dearin, 1807. 
James Emott, 1807. 
Stephen Hendrickson, 1808. 
Henry Dodge, 1808. 

Robert L. Reade, (administrator of John Reade), 1809. 
John B. Frear, executor Colonel John Frear, 1809. 
Francis Pells, 1810. 
Peter Low, 1810. 
James W'estervelt, 1810. 
Samuel Mulford, 1811. 
Peter Pells, 181 1. 
Zephaniah Pells, 181 1 
Theron Rudd, 181 1. 

Wm. Davis, as executor of Solomon Sutherland, 1813. 
Ezra Thompson, Jun., 1813. 
John Brush, 1813. 
Hendrick Willsie, 1814. 
Nazareth Brewer, 1814 
John Barnes, 1814. 
E.Kecutors of Jane Van Ness, 1815. 
Abraham Adriance, 1815. 
John Nagel. 

Stephen Booth, (of town of Reading, State of Connecticut). 
John Drake, 1816. 
Samuel Pinkney. 

James Emott, Elizabeth Baker, administrators estate of 
Valentine Baker, 1817, 

James Tallmadge, 1817. 

John B. Van Wyck, 1817. 

Benjamin Herrick, 1818. 

George P. Oakley, 1818. 

Executors of William Williams, deceased. 

James Dearin, 1818 

John Parkinson, 1818. 

Peter Low, 1818. 

Executors of Peter Derimus, 1818. 

Catharine Livingston, widow of Robert Livingston, 1819. 

Henry Dodge, 1819. 

Catherine Wordetl, (seamstress). 1819. 

Jacob Bush, 1819. 

Stephen Mitchell, executor of Thomas Mitchell, 1820. 

Richard James, 1820. 

Henry Dodge, 1820. 

Dr. Stephen Hasbrouck, 1821. 

Joseph Barmalee, 1821. 

George Bloom, 1821. 

Luke L Stoutenburgh, 1S22. 

John Barnes, 1823. 

Major Bailev and Samuel W Kelley, 1823. 

John B. Van Wyck, 1824. 

Amos Thorn, 1824. 

Leonard Davis, 1824. 

James Fort, 1824 

John B. Van AVvck, 1824. 

John B. \'an Wyck, 1825. 

James Hooker, 1826. 



Before 1800 nearly all slaves are mentioned by one 
name only; after 1800 some were given family' names. 

PERSONS WHO REGISTERED SLAVE BIRTHS 
UNDER ACT OF MARCH 29, 1799. 

Smith Thompson, 1800. 

Card Hofman, 1800. 

Gilbert Livingston, 1800. 

James Westervelt, 1800. 

Henry Dodge, 1800. 

Richard Davis, 1800. 

James Bramble, 1801. 

Robert Noxon, 1801. 

Thomas Mitchel, 1801. 

Gideon Boyce, 1802. 

John Reade, 1802. 

William Morey, 1802. 

John Wilsey, 1802. 

Smith Thompson, 1802. 

Samuel Pinckney, 1803. 

William Morey, 1803. 

Richard Davis, 1803. 

James Westervelt, 1803. 

Thomas Mitchel, 1803. 

John Cooke, 1804. 

James Dearin, 1804. 

John Reade, 1804. 

Mrs. Elizabeth Rogers, 1805. 

Robert Gill, 1805. 

Henry Dodge, 1806. 

John Reade, 1806. 

Peter De Reimer, 1806. 

Simeon J. Frear, 1807. 

Derick Westervelt, 1807. 

Winer Manny, 1808. 

Henry Dodge, 1808. 

William Morey, 1809. - 

William Morey, 1810. 

George W. Clinton, 1810, born 1809. 

George W. Clinton, 181 1. 

Ann Clinton, 1813. 

Samuel iMulford, 1815, born 1806. 

ONE OF THE FORMS FOR REGISTERING THE 
BIRTH OF A SLAVE UNDER ACT OF 1799. 

I Smith Thompson, of Poughkeepsie, in Dutchess 
Count\', Attorney-at-Law, being the legal proprietor 
of a negro wench slave, do pursuant to an Act of the 
Legislature of the State of New 'S'ork, entitled, an "Act 
for the Gradual Abolition of Slavery." passed 29th 
March. 1799. hereby certify that the negro wench has 
been delivered of a male child whose name is Bill, that 
lie is now about eight months old. to the best of my 
knowledge and belief. Dated this 26th day of May, in 
the year 1800. 

Smith Thompson. 

Recorded 5th day of June. 1800. 

Rich'd Everitt, Town Clerk. 



MILITI.V OFFICERS 1786-1799. 
(Original roll in possession of William T. \\'ard.) 
.\ roll of the oaths and subscriptions of the Militia 
Officers, taken and made liefore Gilbert Livingston. 
Esquire. b>- virtue of a writ of dedimus potestatem to 
him and others for that purpose issued under the great 
sea! of the State of New York. Dated October 2d, 
1786. 



GENERAL APPENDIX. 



303 



I, A. B., do solemnly swear and declare, in the 
presence of Almighty God, that I will bear true faith 
and allegiance, to the State of New ^'ork, as a free 
and Independent State, and that I \\'ill in all things, to 
the best of my knowledge and ability, do my duty, as a 
good subject of the said State ought to do. So help 
me God. 

1786. 
November 6tli, Consider Cashmaii, Lieulenant. 

Nathan Lane, Ensign. 
November 7tb, Jesse Smith, C.iptain. 

Ebenezor Boyd, Jnnior, Ensign. 
Isc. Pennoyer, Captain. 
John Drake, Junior, Captain. 
Calel) I^agen, Captain. 
John Berry, Lieutenant. 
Danial \Vilson, Ensign. 
Ezra Gregory, Lieutenant. 
Henry C^iarrisou, Adjutant. 
Thomas Sears, Captain. 
Solomon Hopkins, Captain. 
Ebjah Townsend, Captain. 
Elijah Bebee, Captain. 
James Townsend, Lieutenant. 
November 2gth, Wm. Wilkinson, Lieulenant. 
Oetober 7th, Abm, Lent, Major Brigade. 
October 15th, Abm. B. Rapalje. 
October 16, Abm. Brinckerboff, Colonel. 

1790. 
October ig, James Burton, Major. 
October 23, John Patterson, Captain. 
July 10, Samuel -\nguslus Barker, Lt. Colonel Com. 

1792. 
Jul)- 10, Coller Chamberlain, Lt. Colonel. Com. 

1790. 
.•\ugust 2(1. John B. Van W'yck, Captain. 
" Jan Dullingor, Lieutenant. 

Peter W'aKlron. 
September 6th, David Morehouse, Captain. 
September loth, Isaac Swartwout, Lieutenant. 

" Timis Hanson. 

October 8tb, Taber 13entley, Captain. 

1791. 
Ma\- loth, Cornelius Van Wyck, Lieutenant. 
" Lsaac Vail, Captain. 

Philip Van Der Bill, Ensign. 
Elisha Brown, Lieutenant. 
.Archabill Swinton, Paymaster. 
James Cook. Captain. 
Benajab Beardslcy, Lieutenant. 
Samuel Berry, Ensign. 
Josiab Baker, Qu.artcrniaster. 
William Weill, Ensign. 
John Drake, Lieut. Colonel Command. 
" Elcazer Hazen, Ensign. 

Gilbert Drake, Ensign. 

Wiliam I'earce, Lieut. Colonel Commandant. 
Samuel Augustus I'.arker, Major. 
Benjamin Elliot, M.ijor. 
Zaccbcus Marsbel. Captain. 
Jethro Sherman, Lieutenant. 
Caleb llanes, Jr., Ensign. 
Benjamin Titus, Captain. 
Stephen Riley, Lieulenant. 
Dax'id Baldwin, Ensi.gn. 
Jonathan Crane, Captain. 
Ezra Richards, Ensign. 
Nathan Paddack, Captain. 
Samuel Crosby, Lieutenant. 
John Penney, ICnsi.gn. 
Thomas Ste\ens, Captain. 
James Stark, Lieutenant. 
Elisba Shelden, Ensign. 
Ephraim Manin, Captain. 
Solomon Crosby, Lieutenant. 
Matthew Beale, Ensign. 



May loth, Daniel Davis, Captain. 

Stephen Mitchell, Lieutenant. 

Abul Sherman, Ensign. 

James Burton, Captain. 

Peter Crosby, Lieutenant. 

John Herriek, Ensign. 

Stephen Barnum, Captain. 

John Patterson, Lieutenant. 

Ira Crane, Ensign. 

Lemuel Crosby, Quartermaster. 

Joseph C. Field, Paymaster. 

Joseph Chandler, Captain. 

Elisha Sill, Lieutenant. 

Peter Talman, Adjutant. 

William C. Mills, Ensign. 

Henry Ludington, Jr., Ensign. 
1787. 
May 17th, James Cook, Major. 

Erinton Paine, Lieut. Colonel Commandant. 
May 30th, Tbeodorus Bailey, Major. 

Stephen Hendrickson, Captain. 

Gilbert I. Livingston, Captain. 

Jacobus Sleght, Captain. 

Daniel Smith, Captain. 

Elias Frost, Captain. 

Henry Humphrey, Captain. 

Jared Rundel, Lieutenant. 

Stephen Marshall, Ensign. 

William Bailey, Lieutenant. 

John M. Thurston, Lieutenant. 

William Terry, Lieutenant. 

Scudder Piatt, Ensign. 

Jesse Bell, Captain. 

James J. Stoutenbergh, Ensign. 

Peter I. Van Kleeck, Ensign. 

James Cooper, Lieutenant. 

James Rent, Paymaster. 
Julv 5th, Isaac Bloom, Lieut. Colonel Commandant. 

17S8. 
Juh' 2 1st, Benjamin Noxon, Infantry Captain. 

The following persons qualified by Gilbert Living- 
ston, by virtue of dedimus to him and others. Dated, 
March l2Lh, 1788. 

1788. 
May 3rd, James Coopen, Captain. 

Wm. F. M. Piatt, Ensign. 
May 2ist, James V. D. Burgh, Lieut. Colonel Commandant. 
June 3rd, Barthw. Vanderburgh, Major. 

William Edmund, Infantry Captain. 

Peter V. D. Burgh, Adjutant. 
1789. 
June i6th, Cornelius .'\driance. Captain. 

Theodorus .\driance. Captain. 

John Adriance, Captain. 

John Forbus, Captain. 

Benjamin Hasbrook, Lieutenant. 

George Brinckerhofl:. Ensign. 

Theodorus R. Van W^'ck, Ensign. 

Selah Brush, Lieutenant. 

Ram. I. .'Xdriance, Lieutenant. 

James \'. D. Burgh, Jr.. Ensign. 

Cornelius R, Vanwyck. Lt. Infantry Captain. 

John S. Brinckerboff, Lieutenant. 

John Storm, Ensign. 
June I7lh, Nehcmiah Oakey, Captain. 
June igth, Zachariab X'anvorhees, Captain. 

John Myer, Jr., Lieutenant. 

Benjamin Roe, Ensign. 
Jul\- 31st, William Swartwout, Captain. 

" C<irnehus Swartwout, Lieutenant. 

" John Lloyd, Captain. 

.'Vugusl 7tb, Wm. B. .Mger, Inspector. 
.■\ugust I2tli, Robert H. Livingston, Captain. 
.\ugust 14th, .-Varon Stockholm, Captain. 
.-Vugust 19th, Joseph Jackson, .\djutant. 
.Vugust 28th, Elbert X\'illett, Junior, Captain. 



304 



GENERAL APPENDIX. 



TRUSTEES 



OF THE VILLAGE 
KEEPSIE. 



OF POUGH- 



1799- 
James S. Smith, Pres. 
Valentine Baker, 
Andrew Billings, 
Ebenezer Badger, 
Thomas Nelson. 

1801. 
Gilbert Livingston, Pres. 

1802. 
Garrett B. Van Ness, Pres. 

1803. 
Andrew Billings, Pres., 
Ebenezer Badger, 
Robert Noxon, 
Jesse Oakley, 
Robert H. Livingston. 

1804. 
Thomas Nelson, Pres., 
Richard Everitt, 
John Sayres. 
John Forbus. 
Peter R. Maison. 

1803. 
William Emott, Pres., 
Robert Williams, 
Richard Everitt, 
John Sayres, 
George P. Oakley. 

1806. 
William Emott, Pres., 
na\id Carpenter, 
Richard Everitt, 
David Brooks, 
George P. Oakley. 

1807. 
James Tallmadge, Jr., Pres., 
Robert Noxon, 
Peter B. Morgan, 
Leonard B. Lewis, 
John Wynans. 

1808. 
JaiTies Tallmadge, Jr., Pres., 
Robert No-xon, 
Peter B. Morgan, 
John Davis, 
Richard Everitt. 

1809. 
John Brush, Pres., 
John Everitt, 
Nathan Mx-ers, 
James Wilson, 
Garwood II. Cunningham. 

1810. 
David Carpenter, Pres., 
Richard Everitt, 
Philo Ruggles. 

1811. 
William Emott, Pres., 
William Cromwell, 
Thomas J. Oakley, 
.Abraham G. Storm. 

1812. 
William Emott, Pres., 
Benjamin .Arnold, 
Randall S. Street, 
.-\brahani Bockee, 
D.iniel Hebard. 



1813. 
George Bloom, Pres., 
John B. Swartwout, 
Thomas Carman, 
Benjamin Arnold, 
Samuel Slee. 

1814. 
Reuben B. Rudd, Pres., 
Samuel Slee, 
John B. Swartwout, 
Benjamin Rowland, 
John E. Pells. 

1815. 
Gilbert Ketcham, Pres., 
Bronson French, 
Thomas Sweet, 
Benjamin Forbus, 
Thomas L- Davies. 

1816. 

Clapp Raymond, Pres., 
Martin Hoffman, 
Peter R. Maison, 
John B. Swartwout, 
Sabin Lewis. 

1S17. 

Thomas Brownjohn, Pres., 
Benjamin Forbus, 
Thomas Barritt, 
John Barnes, 
Major Bailey. 



Benjamin Forbus, Pres., 
George Merkel, 
Edmond Morris, 
Peter Everitt, 
Samuel W. Kelly. 

1819. 

Samuel Pine, Pres., 
John Cooper, 
John Green, 
Wdliam Plummer, 
Matthew Vassar. 

1820. 

Benjamin Forbus, Pres., 
William Plummer, 
Thomas Barritt, 
James B. Frear, 
John Green. 

1 821. 

William Plummer, Pres., 
John Caller. 
Thomas Barritt, 
James B. Freer, 
John E. Pells. 

1X22 

Richard Draper, Pres , 
Major Bailey, 
John Giles, 
Kicholas Powers, 
Benjamin Howland. 

1823. 
Thomas L. Davies, Pres., 
Henry :\. Living--lon, 
John Brush, 
John S. Myers, 
Solomon V. Frost. 



1824, 
Solomon V. Frost, Pres., 
Stephen Pardee, 
Matthew Vassar, 
John S. Myers, 
Henry Conklin. 

1825. 
Oliver Holden, Pres., 
Stephen Pardee, 
Henry Conklin, 
Matthew Vassar, 
John S. Myers. 

1826. 
John S. Myers, Pres., 
Stephen Cleveland, 
Stephen Pardee, 
Matthew Vassar, 
David B. Lent. 

1827. 
N. P. Tallmadge, Pres., 
Matthew Vassar, 
David Boj'd, 
Isaac Tice, 
Josiah Burritt. 

1828. 
Stephen Cleveland, Pres., 
Henry Conklin, 
Josiah Burritt, 
James Hooker, 
John Giles. 

1829. 
Stephen Cleveland, Pres., 
John B. Forbus, 
Ellas Trivett, 
John L. Fonda, 
Isaac H. Ver Valin. 

1830. 
Walter Cunningham, Pres , 
Robert Wilkinson, 
Griffin Williamson, 
Josiah Burritt, 
David Boyd. 

1831. 
Henry Conklin, Pres., 
James B. Frear, 
Alexander J. Coffin, 
Nehemiah Sweet, 
Jacob Van Benthuysen. 

1832. 
Henry Conklin, Pres. 
James B. Frear, 
John B. Forbus, 
Jacob Van Benthuysen 
Alexander J. Coffin. 

1833. 
George P. Oakley, Pres., 
^V'illiam H. Calkins, 
Henr}' Conklin, 
Peter P. Ha\es, 
Jacob Dc Groff. 

1834. 
.■\lexandor Forbus, Pres., 
Josiah Burritt, 
Isaac I. Balding, 
Richard Pudney, 
James Mills. 

183,5- 
Matthew Vassar, Pres., 
Edward C. Southwick, 
Isaac I. Balding, 
Jacob Van BenthuvM-n, 
Gideon P, Hewitt. 



1836. 
Jacob Van Benthuysen, Pres., 
Matthew Vassar, 
Isaac I. Balding, 
Gideon P. Hewitt, 
Edward C. Southwick. 

1837. 
Jacob Van Benthuysen, Pres., 
Isaac I. Balding, 
Gideon P. Hewitt, 
Edward C. Southwick, 
David Arnold. 

1838. 
Jacob Van Benthuysen, Pres., 
Isaac I. Balding, 
David Arnold, 
Edward C. Southwick, 
Gideon P. Hewitt. 

1839. 
Gideon P. Hewitt, Pres., 
Uriah Gregory, 
David Arnold, 
Nathaniel Hill, 
John Adriance. 

1840. 
Gideon P. Hewitt, Pres., 
David Arnold, 
Nathaniel Hill, 
Uriah Gregory, 
John Adriance. 

1841. 
Gilbert Wilkinson, Pres., 
Gilbert I. Vincent, 
William W. White, 
Howland R. Sherman, 
George M. Perry. 

1842. 
Hubert Van Wagenen, Pres., 
William W. Reynolds, 
Barnet Hawkins, 
Jacob De Groff, 
James Bowne. 

1843. 
Hubert Van Wagenen, Pres., 
James Bowne, 
William W. Reynolds, 
Barnet Hawkins, 
Jacob DeGrofi'. 

1844. 
John M. Cable, Pres., 
William Hunt, 
Chandler Holbrook, 
George R. Gaylord, 
Joseph H. Jackson. 

1845. 
Matthew J. Mvers, Pres., 
William W. Reynolds, 
James Bowne, 
William \. Fanning, 
Charles Carman. 

1846. 
Matthew J. Myers, Pres., 
James Bowne, 
Charles Carman, 
William A. Fanning, 
William W. Reynolds. 

1847. 
Adam Henderson, Pres , 
Nathan Gififord, 
Harvcv Palmer, 
William I. Street, 
Benjamin C. Van Vliet. 



GENERAL APPENDIX. 



305 



1848. 1852. 

Adam Henderson, Pres., George Innis, Pres., (to May 

Nathan Giflford, 24111, resigned.) 

Harvey Palmer, E. Q. Eldridge, (from May 

William I. Street, 24th appointed). 

Benjamin C. Van Vliet. Samuel Chichester, (to Septem- 

1849. her 27th, resigned). 
Samuel B. Johnston, Pres., J»"^=s, Blanchard, (from Sep- 
James Reynolds, Jr., ,.r';,"''""' ^7% appointed). 
Henry Coffin, }y.',"'^"V'^^- Cramer, 
George B. Adriance, M'"°," Cramer, 

William C. Sterling. Abraham Wiltsie. 

1850. 1853- 
George B. Adriance, Pres., J'l*^"'' DeGroff, Pres., 
Henry Coffin, Oliver H. Booth, 
John M. Cable, William H. Tallmadge, 
James F. Marble, Charles Cable, 

Henry Angevine. George Wilkinson. 

1851. 1854. 
John M. Cable, Pres., Jacob De Grotif. 
William P. Gibbons, George Wilkinson, 
Matthew Vassar, Jr., William H. Tallmadge, 
James H. Fonda, Oliver H. Booth, 
George Innis. Benjamin B. Reynolds. 

In 1810 there were only three trustees during the 
year. The village minutes for May loth state that 
"Three other Candidates for Trustees that had the next 
greatest number of votes were tied and of course not 
elected." In 181 1 there were but four trustees — "John 
Forbus and Rufus Potter had an equal number of 
V^otes, being 13 each." There appears to be no means 
of ascertaining the names of the trustees of 1800, 1801 
and 1802. 



FIRST ORDINANCES NAMING STREETS. 
(Page 77.) 
Passed 6th November, 1801. 
Be it ordained. That the following streets in this 
village shall be known and distinguished by the names 
annexed to them respectively, to wit : 

1. The street beginning between the northwest cor- 
ner of the old Dutch cemetery and the northeast corner 
of the court-house lot, and running thence southerly 
to the extent of the village bounds, to be distinguished 
by the name of Market Street. 

2. The street beginning at Hudson's river, at the 
landing of William Davies & Co., and leading thence 
to the nine partners as far as the eastern extremity 
of said village, be distinguished b>- the name of Main 
Street. 

3. The street beginning at Alain Street between the 
lot of Mrs. Broom and the tan-yard of Ebenezer Bad- 
ger, and leading thence northerly to the extent of the 
corporation limits, to be known by the name of \\'ash- 
ington Street. 

4. The street commencing on the south side of 
Main Street between the lots of Andrew Billings and 
Leonard Davis, and running thence southerly till it 
meets the road leading from (Iswcgo to Market Street, 
to be known by the name of .Academy- Street. 

5. The street commencing at .Academy Street in 
front of the Academ>', and terminating at Market 
Street, to be distinguished by the name of Cannon 
Street. 

6. The street commencing on the eastern side of 
Market Street at the southwest corner of the Episco- 



pal Church lot, and leading thence to Academy Street, 
to be distinguished by the name of Church Street. 

7. The street commencing at Pludson's river at 
Hoffman's landing, and running easterly till it unites 
with Main Street, to be known by the name of Mill 
Street. 

8. The street commencing on the west side of Mar- 
ket Street at the southeast corner of the court-house 
lot, and terminating at the union store of George B. 
Evertson, at the Hudson's river, to be known by the 
name of Union Street. 

9. The street leading from the west side of Market 
Street at the lot of John Tappan, and terminating at 
the landing of Richard Davis, on Hudson's River, to 
be distinguished by the name of Pine Street. 

10. The street commencing in the northeast corner 
of a lot assigned to Helen Piatt on the west side of 
Market Street, and leading thence to Hudson's River 
near John Read's landing, to be distinguished b}- the 
name of Livingston Street. 

11. The street beginning at the south side of Union 
Street opposite the lot of John Arden, leading thence 
in a southerly direction to Livingston Street, to be 
known bv the name of Jefferson Street. 

12. The street commencing at the landing of John 
Read and running thence northeasterly to Jefferson 
Street, to be called by the name of Columbia Street. 

13. The street leading from INlill Street at Joseph 
Bowman's lot, southerly across Main Street to Union, 
to be known b)' the name of Clover Street. 

14. The street commencing at the north side of 
Mill Street opposite the lot of Nathan Myers, and lead- 
ing northeasterly to Washington Street, to be known 
by the name of Bridge Street. 

15. The street commencing onposite the south- 
easterly junction of Pine and Jefferson Streets, and 
terminating at the village bounds, to be distinguished 
by the name of Montgomery Stre'et. 

Passed September i6th, 1806. 

16. That the street commencing at Pine Street near 
the house of Francis F. Leroy, and terminating at 
Union Street, shall be named Latirel Street. 

17. The street commencing at Pine Street at the 
house of Josiah Broas. and terminating in Union 
Street, shall be named Tulip Street. 

18. The street commencing at jNIontgomerv Street 
and running across Main Street bv ^^^illiam Emott's, 
and terminating at Mill Street, is named Hamilton 
Street. 

ig. The street commencing at Main Street opposite 
Tcdediah Benjamin's and rinming northeasterly to the 
village bounds, near Miiiard \'an de Bogart's, is 
named Smith Street. 

20. The street commencing at Mill Street by the 
mills of IMartin Hoft'nian & Co., and running parallel 
with Hudson's Ri\-cr across Main and Union Streets 
till it terminates at Pine Street, is named \\'ater Street. 

21. The street commencing at Union Street near 
its junction with Laurel Street, and terminating at 
\\'ater Street, is named John Street. 

22. The street commencing at Montgomery Street 
and running across Main Street near the house of 
John Boerum, and across the Fall-kill, till it terminates 
at Smith Street, is named Cherry Street. 



306 



GENERAL APPENDIX. 



23. The street commencing at Main Street and 
terminating at Cannon Street, is named Mechanic 
Street. 

24. The street commencing at Main Street by 
well No. 2, and running across Mill Street to the 
gate of Levi McKeen, is called Garden Street. 

Passed September 13th, 1833. 

25. That the street commencing at Washington 
Street next north of Warren Skinner, and running 
easterly to the village bounds, shall be called North 
Street.' 

Passed May 6th, 1834. 

26. That the street which runs from Bridge Street 
across the Fall-kill, and to and around Mansion Square, 
and thence to Smith Street, shall be called Mansion 
Street. 

27. That the square surrounded by Mansion Street 
shall be called Mansion Square. 

28. That the street which runs from Catharine 
Street to Smith Street parallel with and next north of 
Mansion Street, shall be called Cottage Street. 

29. That the street which runs from Mill Street 
across the Fall-kill and across Mansion Street to Cot- 
tage Street, shall be called Catharine Street. 

30. That the street which runs from Mill Street, 
being a continuation of Hamilton Street across the 
Fall-kill to North Street, shall be called Hamilton 
Street, excepting such part of it as passes the west end 
of Mansion Square, which part is called Mansion 
Street. 

Re-enacted ist February, 1843. 



1698 
1714 
1723 
1731 
1737 
1746 
1749 
1756 
1771 
1786 
1790 
1800 
1810 
1810 
1814 
1820 
1825 
1830 
1830 
1835 
1840 

184s 

1850 
i85,S 
1S55 



i860 
t86s 
1870 
1875 
1880 
i8go 
1900 



POPULATION STATISTICS. 
(Page 54.) 

Dutchess and Ulster Counties 

Dutchess County (first separate census) . . . . 
Dutchess County 



Town of Pouglikeepsio 



Village of Poughkeepsie 
Town of Poughkeepsie.. 



Town of Poughkeepsie . . 
Village of Poughkeepsie. 

Town of Poughkeepsie.. 



" '* (city taken out) 

Citv of Poughkeepsie, Ward i 4,099 

Ward 2 2,663 

Ward 3 3.461 

Ward 4 2,540 

City of Poughkeepsie 



1.384 

445 

1,083 

2,259 

3,418 

8,806 

7,912 

14,157 

22,404 

32,636 

2,529 

3.246 

4,669 

2,981 

5,673 

5.726 

5-935 
7,222 
5,023 
6,281 
7,710 
1 1. 79 1 
13.944 
3.1 10 



12,763 
14,726 
16,073 
20,080 
20,022 
20,207 
22,206 
24,029 



1900 Dutchess County 81,670 

1S90 Town of Poughkeepsie 4,782 

1900 " " 6,820 

A considerable part of the recent growth of the 
Town of Poughkeepsie is in neighborhoods just out- 
side the limits of the city, particularly at Arlington, 
and near X'assar College. 



POUGHKEEPSIE HOTEL SALE IN 1804 FOR 

POLITICAL HEADQUARTERS. 

(Page 88.) 

This indenture made the first day of December, one 
thousand eight hundred and four, between Robert Wil- 
liams, of the Village of Poughkeepsie, in Dutchess 
Count}', and Abigail, his wife, of the first part, and 
Gilbert Livingston, Nathan Myers and John Brush, 
esquires, of the second part. 

Whereas, at a respectable meeting of a number of 
Republicans of the County of Dutchess, it was unani- 
mously agreed that it would be greatly to the Re- 
publican interest of said county that a liberal suin of 
money should be raised by subscription and appro- 
priated to buy and build or purchase a suitable lot and 
building in the Village of Poughkeepsie, to be occupied 
as a stand for a Public Inn. It was also agreed that 
the sum of twelve thousand and five hundred dollars 
be the sum for the purpose aforesaid, and that it be 
divided into shares of $50 each. It was also further 
agreed that Gilbert Livingston, Ephraim Paine, Nathan 
Myers, James Tallmadge, Jr., and John Brush, be a 
committee to obtain such subscription from the Re- 
pttblican interest disposed to favor the plan aforesaid. 
That said committee shall have power to apportion the 
shares subscribed by reducing the number of all or 
any who may have subscribed more than one share 
so that there may be a general distribution thereof to 
all our Republican friends, and call a meeting of the 
stockholders to take other proper measures to effect 
the premises. 

Acting under the above and agreeing to it the fol- 
lowing named, signed and purchased as follows : 

Name. No. of Shares. 

George Clinton 15 

Morgan Lewis 10 

Smith Thompson lo 

Gilbert Livingston 10 

Rohert W^illiams 10 

10 

5 



Garwood H. Cunningham. 

Thomas Tillotson 

Daniel E. Verplanck 

Theron Rudd 

John P)rush 

John A\''inans 

James Tallmadge, Jr 

Robert Johnston 

Derrick W. Brinckerhoff. 
John Sayres 



The following purchased two shares each : 
Peter R. Maison, Jonas Trivett, Nathan Mvcrs, 
John r. Stoutenburgh, John A'an Benthuysen, Edward 
N. James, Martin Isaac Robert, ,\braham Hofl:man, 
Samuel \'an Wvck, Elisha C. Barlow, Plarrv Garri- 
son, .Abraham H. Schenck, John McKinlcy, \\'illiam 
Beslc)', John Storm. 



GENERAL APPENDIX. 



307 



The following purchased one share each : 

George Crawford, Thomas Nelson, John Arm- 
strong, Patrick Collins, Aaron Stockholm, Isaac 
Mitchell, Ephraim Paine, Abraham G. Storm, Abra- 
ham Adriance, Samuel Myers, Benjamin Herrick, 
Frederick Knox, Jonathan Gazly, Joshua Ward, Wil- 
liam W. Bogardus, Edmund Per Lee, Ira Winans, 
James L. Winans, Joseph C. Field, James De Long, 
James Norsson, Elias Beers, Peter Gurnsey, Ezra 
Thompson, Robert Willson, Caleb Thompson, Peter 
Fish, Jorden Norris, William Vradenburgh, Cyrenus 
Crosby, Lemuel Conklin, Simon S. Frare, John Hob- 
son, Casper Hillequist, Josiah Smith, Bronson French, 
Cornelius Wiltsie, James Gazley, Joseph Powell, 
George Booth, Abraham B. Rapalje, James Slater, 
Garrit Adriance, Joseph Broas, John E. Pe'.ls, Eben- 
ezer Haight, Thomas Barlow, Devaux Bailey, Stephen 
Bailey, Sheldon Munger, Joseph Harris, Theodorus R. 
\'au \\'yck. James Collin, John Patterson, John Rich- 
mond, John Cox, Jr., John Thompson, Isaac Hunting, 
Rudolphus Hasbrook, Allard Anthony, John Bedford, 
Ezra Thompson, Jr., John Myre, Christian Dubois, 
Jacobus Swartout, Adrian Munford, Theodorus W. 
\'an Wyck, Abraham Huslc)', Wihiam Van Wyck, 
Adam Montross, Theodorus Adriance, Thomas G. 
Storm, Rem .\driance, William Thorn, George Bloom, 
Elnathan T^'ler, Daniel Burton and Jonathan Sanford. 

After the above shares were sold a regularly ap- 
pointed committee set apart Tuesday, the fourth of 
September, 1804, for a meeting of the stockholders at 
Baldwin's Hotel, at 2 p. m., to vote for Trustees to 
manage the concerns of the stockholders. The meet- 
ing was presided over by Peter R. Maison, as Chair- 
man, and John Brush as Secretary. The Trustees 
elected were Gilbert Livingston, Nathan Myers and 
John Brush. They were invested with full power to 
purchase and build, or purchase suitable lots and 
buildings to be occupied as a stand for a Public Inn, to 
provide for the safet\- thereof, to make necessary al- 
terations and repairs, to lease and make leases of the 
same, to collect the subscription for the stock and to 
govern the Association. 

These Trustees purchased of Robert Williams "the 
House, Lott and premises known 1)>- the name of the 
Poughkeepsie Hotel," and also took an assignment of 
a lease held by him "from the consistory of the Dutch 
Church in Poughkeepsie," for all of which the Trus- 
tees paid $9,000. 

N.AMES OF \-()TERS FOR P.AVING ON MAIN 

STREET. 

(PageSi.) 

.August nth, 1812. 

1"|. froiita,nc. 

Storm and Wilson 38 

Abraham C.. SUinn, for the Middle District Bank 34. 3 

Jesse Oaklev 4,S 

William Cromwell 23 

David and Benjamin Arnold -i -6 

Benjamin Arnold, as attorney for Sarah \'an Ness... 53 

Tnnis Van Kleeck, by bis attorney, B. Arnold 3,=i 

William Plummer 3° 

Leonard Davis, bv B. Arnold, attorney 17S 

William Green, bV B. Arnold, attorney 5° 

Gertrude Hoffman, by B. Arnold, attorney 108 



Elijah Morgan, Jr 18.6 

William Smith, by N. Conklin, Jr., attorney 30.4 

Benjamin Herrick 52 

James Talmadgc, Junior 60 

Joseph C. Dean 23 . g 

John Thomas, by B. Arnold, attorney 70 

John Giles, by B. Arnold, attorney 24.2 

Peter B. Morgan 33 

Samuel Slee, by his attorney, Gilbert Ketcham 42.6 

972 

Owners of lots who did not vote for paving and 
improving : 

Dutch Church 238 

Moses Hobson 25 

Jabish Bosworth 36 

Mrs. Mary Hillequist 39.6 

Mrs. Johanna Holthuysen 36 

I. Rivington 89 

Peter Deriemer 56 

Peter R. Maison 116 

Frederick Merkle 37 

Smith Thompson 44 

Paul Schenck's assignees 57 

Heirs of .Anthony HotTman, property in possession of 

James Slater and Joshua Y. Racket 83 

Baltus and Thomas Carman 50 

907 
Garden Street, 17 feet; Mechanic Street, 9 feet 26 

\'C)TE ON CANNON STREET PA\TNG. 

20th day April, 1814. 

Those who voted for paving and improving : 

Ft. frontage. 

Benjamin Herrick 125.5 

John B. Swartout 35 

John E. Canfield 44- 10 

George Bloom, home lot 40.6 

Samuel Slee 59.5 

Daniel Coolidge, for man. tan office 219.6 

Daniel Coolidge and George Bloom 120.7 

Thomas W. Talmadge 37.7 

George B. Evertson loi 

John Davis 64.3 

George Bloom's lot next Academy 66 

922.6 
Names of owners of lots who did not vote for 
paving and improving : 

Ft. frontage. 

Joseph Farrington 30 

Peter De Rcimer lot shown 42 . 3 

Peter Dc Reimer, vacant lot 55-2 

I-Iannah Nelson 62.8 

John Peter DeWint 244.2 

Dutchess Academy lot 132 

Thomas Warner 66 

Jabez Wadsworth 47. 6 

Jeremiah Martin 50.2 

Hannah Boernm 50 u 

Adriana Mott 57.1 

887.9 

(■;.\RDEN STREET PA\TNG VOTE. 

(Page 108.) 

Main to Mill, April 3d, 1833, the resolution pro- 
viding also for brick sidewallcs : 

Frontage. 

Peter P. Ha> cs 172 

Stephen Scofield 32 



308 



GBNBRAL APPENDIX. 



Solomon V. Frost 156 

James Mills 30 

George Mead 50 

Israel B. Hall 32 

David B. Lent 100 

A majority of 446 feet. 

MILL STREET PAVING VOTE. 

"From Crandell Street to Washington Street," lOth 
April, 1833. 

Feet. 

A. J. CofSn 42 

David B. Lent 55 

Elias Trivett 42 

A. G. Storm 75 

Lsaac M. Newcomb 50 

Samuel Pine 90 

Aaron Frost 5914 

Charles Wood t,t, 

Gertrude Hoffman 42 

Adam Henderson 44 

Stephen Frost 50 

Richard Pudney 44 

James Mills 38J4 

Theodore Bailey 25 

John R. Bailey 25 

James Grant, Jun 48 

Solomon V. Frost 102 

John Depew 150 

G. Williamson 50 

William Frost 45 

William G. Odell 42 

Edmund B. Bailey 42 

Willis Haviland 4654 

Paraclete Potter 311^ 

Philip S. Crooke 25 

James Tallmadge 218 

1,581 
Majority given at 128 feet. 

MARKET STREET PAVIXG A^OTE. 

"From Main Street to the English Church," Sep- 
tember 14th, 1 83 1. 

No. Feet. In. 

Henry Swift 32 9 

John Barnes go 

Gilbert Brewster 267 

John B. Forbus, A. Forbus, J. D. Robinson, M. 

Forbus, Estate of John Forbus 77 

John P. Dewint 87 6 

Edward Hopkins 2t 

William Broas 39 

Stephen Cleveland 40 6 

Jeremiah Banker 20 

Henry Ale.x. Field 13 



James Flooker 122 



John Brush 
Robert Forrest 



Not voting 
Majority . 



138 

45 



1,092 
• 393 



LOWER MAIN STREET P.WT^lMEXT \'OTE. 

Meeting at the honse of Thomas Swift, in Market 
Street, September T4th, 183 1. 

No. Feet. In. 

Gilbert Brewster 150 6 

Paraclete Potter 1 1 :; 

John G. Sturges 40 

Stephen Cornell, per M. Cornell 30 

William Da\ie5 i,54S 



William Turner .40 

Elias Trivett 150 

A. Gun, Jun 40 

Matthew Vassar 329 

Zebulon Reynolds 42 

Peter Everitt 5° 

A. Blakeslee 139 

J. M. Nelson 40 

Marinus Pierce 72 

Henry Conklin 658 

3,440 
Not voting 2,557 

Majority 883 



CLINTON CATECHISM. 

(From the Political Barometer, April 24, 181 1.) 

(Reference to "Manhattan Bank at Poughkeepsie," 
1 6th question, from page 89.) 

The second edition of a new catechism, founded on 
modern practice, calculated to show the faculty of pro- 
viding for a family in an elective government, by the 
discovery of a drop of Clintonian blood ; and how it 
qualifies a man for office, or for any number of offices, 
to the exclusion of their fellow citizens, whatever be 
their talents or merits. 

Question. Why is DeWitt Clinton Mayor of the 
City of New York, Commissioner of Fortifications, and 
of the Western Lock Navigation Company, director 
of the Manhattan Bank, and Regent of the University? 

Ansiver. Because he is the political head of the 
C'intonian family. 

Q.. How did he become so ? 

A. By deserting his political father, George Clin- 
ton, to whom he owes his political existence, and by 
all the acts of a demagogue and an intriguing poli- 
tician. 

Q. Why is George Tappen Clerk of Ulster county 
and Notary Public. 

A. Because his father's sister married George Clin- 
ton, who is the brother of James Clinton, who is the 
father of DeWitt Clinton. 

Q. Why is Pierre C. \'an Wyck Recorder of the 
City of New York, Commissioner of Bankruptcy, and 
why is his brother Notary Public? 

A. Because his mother was sister of Pierre Van 
Cortlandt, who married the daughter of George Clin- 
ton, who is the brother of James Clinton, who is the 
father of DeWitt Clinton. 

Q. Why is Samuel A'an Wyck a justice of the 
peace of the City of New York? 

A. Because he is cousin of Pierre C. \'an Wyck, 
whose mother was sister of Pierre A'an Cortlandt, 
who married the daughter of George Chnton, who is 
the brother of James Clinton, who is the father of 
DeWitt Clinton. 

Q. Why is Matthias B. Tallmadge Judge of the 
District Court of the United States, for the New York 
District, a manager of the Lottery, etc. ? 

A. Because he married a daughter of George Clin- 
ton, who is the brother of James Clinton, who is the 
father of DeWitt C'inton. 

Q. Wh^• is Theodorus Bailev Postmaster of the 
City of New Yoid<? 



GBNBRAL APPENDIX. 



•dm 



A. Because he married a sister of Matthias B. 
TaUmadge, who married a daughter of George Chn- 
ton, who is the brother of James CHnton, who is 
the father of DeWitt Chnton. 

Q. Why is Simeon DeWitt Surveyor-General of 
the State of New York, and Commissioner of the 
Western Lock Navigation? 

./. Because he is the cousin of DeWitt CHnton. 

Q. Why is WiUiam Stewart one of the District 
Attorneys of the State? 

A. liccause he married the sister of DeWitt Clin- 
ton. 

Q. Why is Charles Clinton Clerk of the District 
Court of the United Slates, for the New \'ork Dis- 
trict ? 

A. Because he is the brother of DeWitt Clinton, 
and because Matthias 1!. Tallmadge, who married his 
cousin, turned out an old Revolutionary officer to make 
room for him. 

Q. Why is Ambrose Spencer Judge of the Supreme 
Court ? 

./. Because he married the sister of DeWitt Clin- 
ton. 

Q. Why is Philip Spencer, Jr., Clerk of the count\- 
of Dutchess? 

./. Because he is the brother of Ambrose Spencer, 
who married the sister of DeWitt Clinton. 

Q. Why is Joseph C. Field Sheriff of Dutchess 
county and his son deputy ? 

A. Because he is the brother-in-law of Philip 
Spencer, who is the brother of Ambrose Spencer, who 
married the sister of DeWitl Clinton. 

Q. Why was Jolui C. Spencer private secretary to 
Go\'ernor Tompkins, and Master in Chancery? 

.-/. Because he is the son of Ambrose Spencer, who 
married the si.ster of DeWitt Clinton. 

Q. ^^'lly is James Tallmadge, the elder, commis- 
sioner for building the court-liouse and deputy mar- 
shal for taking the census of the Sixth Congressional 
district ? 

A. Because he is the father of Matthias B. Tall- 
madge, who married the daughter of George Clinton, 
who is the uncle of DeWitt Clinton. 

0. W'hy is James Tallmadge, Jr., old and new 
loan-officer of the. count v of Dutchess, and President 
of the Manhattan Bank at Poughkeepsie. 

./. Because he is the brother of Matthias IS. Tall- 
madge, who married the daughter of George Clinton, 
who is the uncle of DeWitt Clinton. 

Q. Whv is Gciirge Bloom a notarv public, attorney 
to the Manhattan liank at Poughkeepsie, and Surro- 
gate of Dutchess? 

./. I'ecause he shares the |irofils of the attorney- 
ship with James Tallmadge, Jr., who is the brother 
of Matthias i'>. Tallmadge, who married the daughter 
of George Clinton, who is the uncle of DeWitt Clin- 
ton. 

Q. Why is Obadiah German a Senator of the 
United States, and a Judge of Shenango county? 

A.. I'ecause he is a cousin of Matthias B. Tall- 
madge. who married the daughter of George Clinton, 
who is the uncle of DeW'itt Clinton. 

Q. Why is Philip S. Parker Recorder of the City 
of Ilud.son, and a Commissioner of Bankruptcy? 



-'/. Because he is the nephew of Ambrose Spencer, 
who married the sister of DeWitt Clinton. 

Q. Why is John Taylor commissioner for the 
budding of the state-house in Albany, commissioner 
for Indian Affairs, President of the State Bank, etc.? 

A. Because he is the cousin of George Clinton, who 
is the uncle of DeWitt Clinton. 

Q. Why is Francis Bloodgood Clerk of the Su- 
preme Court, and Clerk of the Board of Regents? 

A. Because he is the nephew of John Taylor, who 
is the cousin of George Clinton, who is the uncle of 
DeWitt Clinton. 

Q. Why is Abraham Bloodgood Clerk of the 
county of Oneida, and director of the Manhattan Bank 
at Uliea? 

.-/. Because he is the brother of Francis Blood- 
good, and the nephew of John Tayler, who is the 
cousin of (ieorge Clinton, who is the 'uncle of DeWitt 
Clinton. 

Q. Wh\- is Charles D, Cooper Clerk of the count\- 
of Albany? 

./. Because he married the adopted daughter of 
John Tayler, who is cousin of George Clinton, who is 
uncle of DeWitt Clinton. 

Q. Win- is Samuel Osgood naval officer of the port 
of New York? 

-•/. Because his step-daughter is the wife of De- 
Witt Clinton. 

Q. Why is John Townsend promoted from a sub- 
altern to a Brigade-Quartermaster, to rank with 
Major? 

A. Because he married the daughter of Ambrose 
Spencer, who married the two sister's of De^\'itt Clin- 
ton. 

Q. Wh\- is Henry A. Townsend Clerk of Steuben 
county ? 

A. Because he is the brother of John, who married 
the daughter of Ambrose Spencer. 

Q. Why are Benjamin DeWitt and Isaac Dennis- 
ton Lotter)' Agents, who by their speculative mode of 
selling tickets, may make more than an\- salary offi- 
cers in the government? 

A. Because they are the relations of John Tayler, 
who is the uncle of DeA\'itt Clinton, and cousin to 
George Clinton. 

0. ^\l^^' is De^^'itt Clinton the leader of the Clin- 
tonian party in the State of New York, and whv is he 
to be Lieut. -Governor and candidate for the chief 
magistracN of the state and nation? 

A. Because it enables him to trace out all the con- 
nexions of his family, and provide ever\- one of them 
with offices. 

O. How many offices and places of profit are in the 
possession of DeWitt Clinton and his family con- 
nexions ? 

./. Without counting any office which is held by 
the immediate \oice of the people, I find the Clinton- 
ian family and its connexions in the possession of 
aiKn-e fort\- offices or places of profit, many of them 
the most lucrati\-e in our countr\-, and that this ag- 
gregate amount of emoluments of these offices will he 
as great as the em<iluments of all the rest of the of- 
fices of the Stale put together. 

C.\TECHUMEN. 



310 



GENERAL APPENDIX. 



APPEAL OF THE CONSERVATIVES OF 1821 

AGAINST REVISION OF THE STATE 

CONSTITUTION. 

(Page 98.) 

Signers of the call for a meeting at the house of 
Luther Gav, in the Town of Washington, on Monday, 
the nth of June, for the purpose of agreeing upon 
candidates to the constitutional convention : 



Morgan Lewis, 
James Emott, 
William Taber, 
Stephen Hasbrook 
Benjamin Burr. 
Thomas Sweet, 
Henrv F. Talhnadge, 
John'W. Righter, 
Aaron E. Winchell, 
Stephen Eno, 
E. N. Swift, 
Gilbert Thorne, 
Amos D. Knapp, 
Henry Conklin, 
David Tomlinson, 
John T. Schryver, 
James Grant, 
Paraclete Potter, 
Thomas Taber, 2nd, 
Benjamin Sherman, 
Gilbert Ketcham, 
Duglas Clark, 
Caleb K. Hobby, 
Bronson French, 
Joel Benton, 
William I. Stewart, 
John I. Traver, 
George B. Evertson, 
James Hooker, 
John Dubois, 
Matthew Mesier, 
Philip N. Bonisteel, 
Cornelius C. Van Wyck, 
Silas Germond, 
James Downes, 
William I. Thorne, 
Abraham D. Brinkerhoff, 
John Titus, 
Isaac Smith, 
Richard C. Van Wyck, 
John Armstrong, 
John Johnston, 
Martin Heermance, 
Joseph Arnold, 
Robert Grant, 
John B. Van Wyck, 
John Cooper, 
Henry A. Livingston, 
Nicholas Thorne, 
Philip Conkrite, 
Jonathan Haight, 
Frederick Barnard, 
Brush Sutherland, 
Jehiel Sacket, 



Uri Judd, 

John Brush, 

Walter Per Lee, 

James Ketcham, 

Thomas J. Oakley, 

Stephen Sweet, 

Tunis Van Kleeck, 

Joel Denton, Jr., 

Philo Ruggles, 

Robert Wilson, 

Josiah Burritt, 

Abraham Bockee, 

Richard Thorne, 

William Thomas, 

John S. Livingston, 

Randall S. Street, 

John W. Wheeler, 

Eh Angevine, 

Jacob C. Elmendorf, 

Tunis Hasbrook, 

Joseph Thorne, 

Abraham D. Van Wyck, 

Daniel Northrup, 

William Smith, 

Alfred Tredway, 

Gideon Woolley, 

John Beadle, 

Elijah Haight, 

William Bard, 

William Thorne, 

Tobias L. Stoughtenburgh, 

John Wilkinson, 

Alfred S. Pell, 

Jonathan LockwooJ, 

Henry Davis, 

James S. Cooke, 

Emanuel Overocker, 

Evert N. Van Waggoner, 

Peter Everitt, 

Obediah Titus, 

Simpson Sleght, 

James Duane Livingston, 

Daniel Ostrom, 

Christopher Hughes, 

Wright Lattin, 

Silas Pettit, 

David Barnes, 

John Delavergne, 

Walter Cunningham, 

Piatt Vail, 

John Barnes, 

Robert A. Hoffman, 

David B. Lent, 

Isaac Hoffman. 



CHARTER 



ENGINE COMPANY, 



MEMBERS 

No. 4. 

(\'illage Minutes, November 3, 1836.) 

Luman Parmalee, Will A. Potter, 

Jas. Reynolds, Jun., 



Charles B. Caller, 
John G. Parker, 
Elisha Clark, 
Henry Tarbill, 
Thos. Cotton, 
William Green, 
Henry D. Langdon, 



James Grant, 
Edwin Thompson, 
Lewis R. Vaughn, 
William D. Sealey, 
A. W. Bruce, 
Abm. Mace, 
Peter Mulholland. 



H. R. Sherman, 
Benjamin Gilc, 
William H. Smith, 



James F Marble, 
David W. Peters, 
Addison P. Rowley, 
John T. Howard, 



BUILDING IN POUGHKEEPSIE IN 1841. 

(Telegraph, January' 6, 1841.) 

(Page 138.) 

According to our annual custom, we have collected 
the following statistics of our village : 

Poughkeepsie has 79 streets which are opened, on 
which there are 1,055 dwelling houses, exclusive of 
other buildings, viz : On Academy 44, Albany 7, 
Bayeaux 3, Bridge 6, Cannon 43, Clover 21, Crannel 
6, Cottage 11, Clinton 11, Catharine 14, Conklin 4, 
Cherry 6, Columbia i, Church 21, Delafield 6, Dutchess 
Avenue 9, Davis 3, Garden 24, Hamilton 15, Jefferson 
34, Jay II, Kennebec 2, Laurel 3, Lafayette Place 7, 
Liberty 5, Main 262, Market 48, Montgomery 26, Mill 
85, Mechanic 7, Noxon 11, Pine 26, Perry 15, Pros- 
pect 7, Smith and vicinity 23, Spruce 4, Tulip 2, Union 
56, ^Vater 50, Washington 46, Freertown 18, and 10 
scattering. 

Of these buildings 30 have been erected within the 
last year. 

There are in the village 25 dry goods stores, 51 
groceries, 4 drug stores, 2 crockery stores, 14 shoe 
stores and shops, 6 hat stores, 10 hotels and taverns, 
10 milliners, 3 hardware stores, 5 stove and tin stores, 
12 tailoring establishments, 2 glove stores, 2 chair 
warerooms, 6 cabinet warerooms, 5 watch atid jewelry 
stores, 2 confectioneries, 2 book stores, I book bindery, 
5 saddle and harness establishments, 9 markets (two 
of them public), 9 carriage and wagon making estab- 
lishments, 10 blacksmith shops, 3 paint shops, 3 fur- 
naces, 2 brass foundries, 3 machine shops, 2 turning 
shops, 2 glue factories, 4 grist mills, 2 saw mills, I dye 
wood mill, 3 plough factories, 12 victualing rooms, 2 
leather stores, 2 tanneries, 2 toy shops, 5 barber shops, 
3 tobacco and cigar factories, 3 livery stables, 2 brew- 
eries, 3 malt houses, 4 coal yards, 6 lumber yards, 2 
marble yards, 2 ship yards, 3 freighting companies, 3 
printing offices, issuing five papers. Telegraph, Eagle, 
Journal, Casket and Thompso)uan, 5 bakeries. 

Manuf.-vctgries — Two carpet factories, 2 lock fac- 
tories, I jeweler, i ropewalk, 2 wood ware, 4 cooper's 
shops, 3 pump factories, 2 brick-3'ards, 2 soap and can- 
dle factories, i sperm candle and oil do., 3 sash and 
Venetian blind factories, 2 frame making establish- 
ments, I Morocco establishment, l paper hanging es- 
tablishment, 2 stone and earthenware do., i comb fac- 
tory, I pin manufactory, i paste blacking do., i um- 
brella do., I bandbo.x do. 

Puni.ic Buildings — Court House and Jail, County 
Poor House, Dutchess Academy, Collegiate School, 
Village Markets, Lancaster School House, Powder 
House, 4 Engine Houses and Hooks and Ladder 
Houses. 



G'ENBRAL APPENDIX. 



311 



Incorporated Companies — Dutchess County 
Bank, capital $650,000 ; Farmers and Manufacturers 
Bank, $300,000; Poughkeepsie Bank, $100,000; Pougli- 
kccpsic Savings liank, Poughkeepsie Silk Company, 
Locomotive Company, Dutchess Whaling Company, 
Dutchess Mutual Insurance Company, Dutchess 
Guards. 

Peaces oe WoRSUir — Baptist i. Congregational i, 
Episcopal 2, Friends 2, Methodist Episcopal 2, i'reshy- 
terian i, Reformed Dutch i, Roman Catholic i, Zion 
Methodist (colored) i, total 12. 

PkoEESSIonal — 2i~ lawyers, 16 physicians (3 
Thompson ian), 3 dentists. 

Schools — Collegiate School, Dutchess Academy, 
Lancaster School, Poughkeepsie High School and 18 
other schools. 

MiscEEE.VNEous — A Lyceum with reading room, 
cabinet and stated lectures, 3 other reading rooms, i 
circulating library. 

Population of the village, 7,710. 



LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS. 



P()STM.\STERS C)F POUGHKEEPSIE. 

(Page 130.) 

Nicholas Power, July 31, 1792. 
Levi McKeen, April i, 1802. 
Jacob \'an Ness, March 31, 1819. 
Nathaniel P. Tallmadge, March 2;!,. 1821. 
Lawrence I. A'an Kleeck, January 4. 1835. 
Jacob \'an P)enthu\scn, Juh- 6, i82<j. 
Egbert B. Killey, y\ugust 6, 1840. 
Isaac Piatt, Ma\- 5,'i84<). 
.Albert S. I'ease, May 4, 1853. 
George P Peiton, June 23,^1857. 
Albert Van Kleeck, ]\Iarch 28' 1861. 
H. C. Smith, November 16, 1866. 
Alfred B. Smith, February 25, 1S07. 
George Parker, February 8, 1875. 
Robert H. Hunter, January 31, 1870. 
William M. Ketcham, Februar\- 22. 1887. 
John I. Piatt, February 24, i8(ii. 
Frank Hasbrouck, February 22, 1895. 
Frank \V. Halstead, January 31, 1899. 
Isaac \\'. Sherrill, December 10, 1900. 



SUBSCRIBERS TO HUDSON RR^ER RAIL- 
RO.\D STOCK. 

(Page 141.) 
January 2^^. 1847. 

.'\t a large and respectable meeting of the citizens 
of Poughkeepsie, in favor of the S|)eedy construction 
of the Ihulson River Railroad, held at the \'illage 
Hall on Saturday evening, January 23rd, (1847), Mat- 
thew X'assar, Esq.. was chosen President; E. 1!. Kil- 
ley and James Bowne, Vice-Presidents, and LeGrand 
Dodge and H. R. Sherman, Secretaries. 

R. Wilkinson, Esq., Jacob B. Jcwett, Isaac Piatt 
and C. Bartlett among the speakers. 



James Hooker 


. .$10,000 


George B. Adriance.. 


500 


James Roosevell . . 


. . 5,000 - 


W. H. Bradley 


500 


Wrlliam Davics 


. . 10,000 


C. W. Farrington. . . . 


500 


Tliomas 1, Davies. . 


, . s.ooo 


■" Benjamin Gile 


soo 


Wrlliam A. Davies. . 


. . 5,000 - 


Storm & Uhl 


500 


MaUliew Vassar . . . 


. . 10,000 


Wm. W. White 


SOO 


Geoige Van Kleeck. 


. . 1,000 


Caleb Morgan 


500 


Robert Wilkinson . . 


. . 1 ,000 


John Simpson 


SOO 


George C. Marshall. 


500 


Charles Pearl 


SOO 


Gilbert Wilkinson . 


1,000 


Jeremiah Piatt 


soo 


James Ingbam .... 


. . 1 ,000 


G. A. Sherwood 


500 


David B. Lent 


■ ■ 2,500 


David Boyd 


SOO 


George Pomcrov . . 


1 ,000 


Robert Millard 


500 


William I. .Slreet . . . 


500 


George B. Lent 


SOO 


Gifford & Sbemian. 


■ ■ 2,500 


E. P. Benjamin 


SOO 


V. D. Bonesleel 


1,000 


Her\v Palmer 


soo 


M. J. Mvers 


. . 2,500 


Chas. H. Woodruff.. 


500 


John H Riitzer. . . . 


. . 2,000 


E. F. Grant 


500 


Richard A. Varick. . 


1,000 


Chandler Holhrook . . 


.soo 


Charles BartleU . . 


■ • 2,500 


Philip Pollock 


500 


Isaac Piatt 


. . 1 ,000 


John G. Parker 


500 


Adriance & Coller. . 


. . 1 ,000 


John P. Nelson 


500 




. . 3,000 

7,000 




500 
500 


T. W. Tallmadge . . 


Edward C. Southwick 


James Mills . 


1,000 - 


John F. Hull 


500 


E. B. Killey 




H. J. Jewett 


500 


Wales A. Candce.. 


1,000 


C. B. Harrison 


500 


S. B. Trowbridge. . 


. . 2,500 


William A. Palmer. . . 


500 


James Bowne 


1,500 
■ . 1,500 

1,000 


Joel Divnie 


500 


Henrv Pine 


500 
SOO 


Josiah Williams . . . 


Wm.'H. Tallmadge.. 


Edward Giraud 


1,000 


Isaac I. Balding 


500 


Cole & Jewett 


. . 2,000 


LeGrand Dodge 


500 


James Emott, Jr... 


1 ,000 


William Cornwell . . . 


300 


John Thompson . . 


. . . . 1,000 


Isaac Griffin 


300 


M. & I. G. Vassar.. 


. . 3.000 


Wm S. Morgan 


300 


Isaac Merritt 


. . 1,000 


James O. Van Anden. 


300 


Abraham Fonda . . 


1,000 


C. B. Caldwell 


300 






L F Streit 


300 


William Bu.sbncll . . 


. 1,000 


Degroft" & Cable 


300 


James H. Mills.... 


. . 1 ,000- 


Simeon W ood 


300 


AUes Phinne\' 


300 


Richard C. Southwick 


200 


Henrv Coffin 


200 


B. C. \'an Vliet 


300 


James H. Fonda . . . 


500 


Jacob Bockee 


300 


C. D. Smith 


500 


Michael Phillips 


200 


Caleb Barker 


500 


Grav & Jennings 


200 


Finlav & Barnes 


500 


L Hervev Dudley.... 


200 


E. Trivett & Son.. 


Soo 


S. W. Hester 


200 


William Wilkinson 


500 


S. C D. Raymond 


200 


John Barnes 


500 


H. \\'. McClonghtry.. 


200 


Charles Anthes ... 


soo 


G. P. Peiton 


SOO 


Reuben North 


500 - 


- Richard Pudnev 


500 


William Coffin 


500 - 


Walter Adriance .... 


500 


Henrv D. Varick... 


1,000 - 


John Giles 


500 


Charles W. Swift.. 


1,000 ■ 


S- H. Bogardus 


200 


David Arnold 


1,000 


Samuel Chichester . . 


200 



N.KMES OF PLOT HOLDERS IN REFORMED 

DUTCH cem1':tery on hyde park road, 

JUST NORTH OF CITY LIMITS. 

( From mail, containing 
property, 2 

(v^ee page 1 48.) 



the date of purchase of the 
: Alarch, 1810.) 



Samuel Pine, 
James Tallmadge, 
Harry \'auderhilt 
Thomas North, 
Picnjamin Buckingham 
James Rc\ noUls. 
.\bm. C, Storm, 
John Brush, 



Benjamin Romain, 
Jr., Benjamin Howland, 

(black) Tberon Rndd, 

Benjamin Herrick, 
Tonathan Myrick, 
Daniel Hebard, 
John Gary, 
Robert Forrest, 



312 



GENERAL APPENDIX. 



Ebenezer Nye, 
Baltus Carmen, 
Thomas Carman, 
James Miles, 
William R. Barnes, 
Thomas Whitman, 
Joseph Harris, 
Minister in Being, 
Cornelius C. Cuyler, 
Joseph C. Fields, 
Isaac Mitchell, 
Joseph Nelson, 
John Nelson, 
Thomas Nelson, 
John Armstrong, 
William Smith, 
Dr. John Ward, 
Rufus Potter, 
Jacob Seabury, 
Thomas W. Tallmadge, 
William Davies, 
Martin Hoffman, 
Abraham Bockee, 
George P. Oakley, 
Jesse Oakley, 
George Merkle, 

Walter 



Oliver Holden, 
George Booth, 
Paul Schenck, 
Samuel Matthews, 
Henry Barnes, 
John Pells, 
Cornelius Swartwout, 
David Carpenter, 
Philip Spencer, Jr., 
Nathan Myers, 
John Van Derburgh, 
Wines Manny, Jr., 
William Kidney, 
Jolin Ryan, 
John Thomas, 
John Everitt, 
John Van Valkenburgh, 
Abraham Pells, 
George Bloom, 
Thomas Fenner, 
Samuel Mulford, 
John S. Frear, 
Mary Smith, 
Sally Van Ness, 
Elizabeth Tappen, 
George B Evertson, 
Evertson. 



NAMES OF PLOT OWNERS OF BAI^TIST 

BURYING GROUND. 

(From map made by J. Wilson, dated 1812.) 

W. Plummer, 
J. Tallmadge, 
S. Slee, 

D. H. Barnes, 
U. Coolidge, 

E. W. A. Bailey, 
T. Hopkins. 
J. Rhodes, 
H. Dodge, 
G. Parker, 
J. Norris, 
T. Fanning, 

C. Hillequist, 
J. Mills, 
J. Wilson, 
J. Everitt, 
R. Everitt, 
P. Everitt, 
Z. Pells, 
J. Slater, 

D. Burton, 
Harvey, 
R. S. Street, 
T. Rudd, 
Sam Butler, 
N. Conklin, 
J. Holmes, 
G. Daniels, 
S. Cary, 
L. Smith, 



B. Bunker, 
M. Vassar, 
J. Vassar, 

L. Van Kleeck, 
G. Parker, 
J. Forbuss, 
E. Dodge, 
N. Power, 

A. Raymond, 

C. Raymond, 
M. Bailey, 

E. Morris, 

B. L. Briggs, 
Wm .Germond, 
J. Moore, 

A. Henderson, 
J. Cable, 
L. Leonard, 
O. Holden, 

D. Williams, 

J. H. Beardsley, 

Charles Senitt, 

Pierpont, 

J. G. Sturgiss, 

Charles Vassar, 

J. B. Gav, 

J. More, 

Frisby, 

McGeorge, 

A. Smith. 



FIRST L.-VMP DISTRICT. 
(X'illage Minutes Septeml)er I, 1851). 

Main Street, from the River to Clinton Street. 
Mill Street, from \'assar to Hamilton Street. 
Cannon Street, from Market to the Reservoir. 
Market Street, from Main to Noxon Street. 
AcadeniN' Street, from Main to No.xorT Street. 
Washington Street, from Main to Mill Street. 
Union Street, from Market Street to the west cor- 
ner of Market Place. 



Church Street, from Market to Hamilton Street. 

Noxon Street, froin Market to Academy Street. 

Hamilton Street, from Church to Mansion Street. 

Mansion Street, from Conklin to Clinton Street, 
including the streets on all sides of Mansion Square. 

Catharine Street, Crannell Street, Conklin Street. 

Liberty Street, from Main to Cannon Street. 

Garden Street, from Main to Mill Street. 

Lafayette Street, Vassar Street, together with all 
sections of streets within two hundred and fifty feet 
of any lamp post, or of a line therefrom across the 
street, at right angles thereto, as follows, viz : Water, 
Clover, Perry, Bayeaux, Bridge, Union, Washington, 
Mansion, Garden, Hamilton, Clinton, Smith, Main, 
Church, Academy, Catherine, Market and Thompson 
Streets. 



LIST OF POl'GHKEEPSIANS WHO SERVED 
ON THE RELIANCE AND THE DUTCHESS. 
The following is a list of men who went off on 
the "Reliance" (Vidette) and the "Dutchess" (Lan- 
cer) from Poughkeepsie, in the Civil W'slv: 

Reliance (Vidette). 

Abram B. Crapser, Chief Engineer. 

Levi Crapser, Assistant Engineer. 

W. H. Crapser, Assistant Engineer. 

Jacob Koebel (Cable), Fireman. 

Arthur Sherwood, Fireman. 

Charles Polhamus, Fireman. 

George Strathern. 

Henry Buyce. 

John Seats. 

James Ball. 

Nathan L. Sunly. 

Walter Scott. 

Four of the above were members of Cataract En- 
gine Co., No. 4. 

Dutchess (Lancer). 

George Purdy, Chief Engineer. 

Thomas Quinton, Assistant Engineer. 

Allen Purd}', Assistant Engineer. 

William Christy. 

Cornelius Allotton. 

George W. Lewis. 

Alexander Ross. 

Samuel Whalen. 

The above were all members of Cataract Engine 
Company, No. 4, or other fire companies. 

Both the "Reliance" (Vidette) and "Dutchess" 
(l^ancer) went out in the Bui-nside expedition, and 
took part in the capture of Roanoke Island, Plymouth 
N. C, and Newberne, N. C. 



CITY OFFICERS. 

M.WORS. 

(Elected for terms of one year until 1859. then for two 

years.) 
1854-1855 James Emoll (resigned Jan. 7, 1855). 

Heiu-y D. \^arick (.\pptd. to finish Icnn). 
1856-1857 George Wilkinson. 
1858-1860 Charles W. Swift. 
1861-1862 lames Bowne. 



GENERAL APPENDIX. 



313 



1863-1868 George Innis. 

1869-1870 George Morgan. 

1871-1874 Harvey G. Eastman. 

1875-1876 Jacob B. Carpenter. 

1877-1878 Harvey G. Eastman (died in office). 

Dr. John R. Cooper (Apptd. to fill vacancy). 

1880 William Harloe. 

1886 Ezra White. 

1888 Edward Elsworth. 

1890 Charles M. Rowley. 

1892 Edward Elsworth. 

1894 William M. Ketcham. 

1896 Charles N. Arnold. 
J. Frank Hull. 



1879- 
i88i- 
1887- 
1889 
1891 
1893 
189s 
1897 
1899 
1901 



1900 Isaac ^^^ Sherrill. 
George M. Hine. 



ReCORDliRS. 

(Elected for terms of four years.) 
1854 Dr. William Thomas. 
1858 Frederick A. Eighmie. 
1862 Charles Robinson. 
1866 Robert E. Taylor. 
1870 Robert E. Taylor. 
1874 Robert E. Tavlor. 
1878 Robert F. Wilkinson. 
1882 Frank B. Lown. 

1886 Cyrenus P. Dorland (resigned 1889 to become 
Surrogate.) 

Casper L. Odell (One year to fill vacancy). 
1890 Charles Morschauser. 
1894 Casper L. Odell (resigned). 

Samuel H. Brown (Apptd. to fill vacancy). 
1898 Joseph Morschauser. 

Became City Judge 1903. 

CITY CH.'VMBERLAINS. 

(Appointed first bv Council, afterwards by Mayor.) 

1854-1858 Robert N. Palmer. 

1 859- 1 864 Robert E. Tavlor. 

1865-1866 Joseph G. Frost. 

1 867- 1 868 Fred W. Pugsley. 

1 869- 1873 Wm. Morgan Lee. 

1874 Joseph G. Frost. 

1875-1876 George H. Williams. 

1877-1880 Lewis Baker. 

1881-1882 Sherman H. LeRov. 

1883-1886 Isaac W. Sherrill. 

1887-1888 Kiernan J. Lawli)r. 

1889-1890 Peter Hulme. 

i89i-i8()2 Kiernan J. Lawlor. 

1 893- 1 894 John J. Ruddy. 

1 895- 1 896 E. P. Bogardus. 

1897-1898 Alonzo H. A'ail. 

1899- Courtland S. Ilowland. 

CITY TRIv/\SURl;RS. 

The office of City Treasurer was created b>- the 
Charter of 1869. The corresponding officer before 
that time was called the Cit\- Collector. Frederick 
\\^oodrufif was Collector from 1854 to 1867, followed 
for one vear by Joseph G. Frost. The first City 
Treasurer was Daniel B. Marsh, who resigned De- 
cember 29th, 1869, when Richard E. Lansing was ap- 



pointed for the remainder of the term. Subsequent 

City Treasurers were : 

1870 Elias G. Hopkins. 

1871-1872 Solomon B. Wheeler. 

1873-1878 Frank W. George (died in office). 

1879-1880 Byron L. Heath (Apptd. to fill vacancy). 

1881-1884 Abraham Wiltsie. 

1 885- 1 886 Owen Ward. 

1887-1888 Frank Hasbrouck. 

1889-1890 Ezra White. 

1891-1892 Henry V. Pelton. 

1 893- 1 894 Edward S. Haight. 

1895-1896 Charles R. Dickinson. 

1897-1898 D. Crosby Foster. 

1899-1900 Charles E. Schou (resigned). 

1901- Clinton D. Parkhill. 

CITY ATTORNEYS. 
(Office created b>' the Charter of 1874.) 
Allard Anthony had been Corporation Counsel 
from 1 869- 1 874. 
1875 O. D. M. Baker. 
1876-77 William I. Thorn. 
1878-86 Wm. Morgan Lee. 
1887-88 Charles B. Herrick. 
1889-90 William R. Woodin. 
1891-94 Charles B. Herrick. 
1895-96 P. Edgar Ackert. 
1897-98 James L. Williams. 
1899- Wm. Morgan Lee. 



CHIEF ENGINEERS OF THE POUGHKEEPSIE 
FIRE DEPARTMENT. 

VILLAGE. 
John Brush. 
John Cole. 
Peter P. Ha-\es. 
Alfred G. Wainright. 
loseph ^^^right. 
C. W. Adriance. 
Oliver H. Booth. 
William Berry. 

CITY. 

1854 William Berry. 
1855-59 Edward P- Tavlor. 

1860 ' George H. McLean. 

1861 Stephen Armstrong. 

1862 George H. McLean. 

1863 William C. Arnold. 

1864 John |. Keech, Res. 
1864-65 Robert W. Frost. 
1866-67 William T. Swart. 
1868 Edward W. Shurter. 
1869-72 Isaac H. ^^'ood. 
1873-75 Charles H. Shurter. 
1876-77 Edward ^^' Shurter. 
1878-79 ^\'illiam Howard. 

1880-87 ^^'illianl Kaess (died in office). 
1S87-88 Charles D. Fitchett. 
1889-92 John Bright. 
1893-96 Lewis Thompson. 
1897-00 Frederick Bieber. 
1901-05 George Nagengast. 



ADDENDA AND ERRATA. 



On page 20, seven lines from the beginning, 181 5 
should read 1715. 

On the same page the statement as to the connec- 
tion between the \'an den Bogart and Heermance 
families is unwarranted, at least it does not apply to 
any present Heermance families so far as known. The 
name Van den Bogart was used by Myndert Harms's 
father and probably dates back of the arrival of the 
family in this country. There seems to be no certain 
evidence that any of his descendants took the name 
Heermance. 

On page 92 should have been added a statement 
that Isaac Mitchell purchased the Republican Herald 
September i6th, 1812, and changed the name to "The 
Nortlicrn Politician." Mitchell died in November 
and the next owners of the paper doubtless restored 
the former name. 

On page 154, near the end of the first column, the 
word "brother," in reference to Mayor George Wilkin- 
son, should read 'nephew." 



On page 156 there should be mention of the build- 
ing of the present Washington Street Church in 1858. 

On page 205 there should be mention of the last 
school conducted on Cottage Hill by John Miley. The 
old school buildings were torn down by Mr. Mark 
Shwartz, who purchased the property' in May, 1890, 
and built the present block of brick buildings on the 
street front. 

On page 209, second line, William A. Howland 
should be Joseph Howland. 

On page 244 George Card, near the bottom of the 
first column, should read Silas Card. 

On page 251 there should be mention of the organ- 
ization of an English Lutheran Church in October, 
1901, by Rev. Charles S. Rahn, the present pastor, in 
co-operation with Rev. H. D. Kraeling, then pastor of 
the German Lutheran Church. The new congregation 
is known as St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church, 
and purchased its property at 176 Church Street, in 
1903. It is a growing church with a present (1905) 
membership of about 100. 



INDEX. 



The Names Occurring only in the lists of Civil War Enlistments, Pages 175-182; in the list 

OF THE FIRST PROFESSORS AND INSTRUCTORS AT YASSAR COLLEGE, PAGE 203; AND IN THE LISTS OF 

THE General Appendix, pages 300-313, are not individually indexed. 



Abbott, Robert — 77. 

Abell, C. Pierre— 222. 

Academy — See Schools. 

Academy Street — 32, 64, 65, TJ, 108. 

Acken, A. T. — 205. 

.Vckert, P. Edgar — 244. 

Ackert, Roberta S. — 251. 

Ackert, William Samuel, M. D. — 270. 

Adams, Rev. B. M. — 191. 

Adams, Charles C. (editor 1811) — 91. 

Adams, Jolin — 50. 

Adriance, Abraham — 63, 92. 

Adriance, Charles P. — 123, 147. 

Adriance, Cornelius — 39, 303. 

Adriance, Francis H. — 253. 

Adriance, George B. — 151, 12},. 

Adriance, Rev. Harris E. — 253. 

Adriance, I. Reynolds — 253. 260. 

Adriance, John (father of John P.) — 
117, 129, 138, 158. 

Adriance, John E. — 253, 263, 264. 

Adriance, John P.— 158, 186, 191, 192, 
194, 206, 217, 220, 223, 253. 

Adriance, Piatt & Co.— 191, 197, 234. 

Adriance, R. E. & Co. — 161. 

Adriance, William A.— 253, 260, 264. 

Agnew, Dr. Charles (N, Y.)— 209. 

Agricultural Association, Hudson River 
— 222. 

Ahreet, John D. — 266. 

Aikin, Albro — 107. 

Aikin, James C. — 171. 

Akin, Daniel D— 115. 

Akins, Jonathan, Constitutional Conven- 
tion, 1788—61. 

Albertson, B. — 209 

Albertson Edge Tool Works— 209. 

Aldrich, Richard — 133. 

Allen, Augustus L.— 167, 172, 215, 237. 

Allen, Flavins J.— 237- 

Allen, Horatio — 220, 237. 

Allen, Joseph, 1S26— 121. 

Allen, Joesph E.— 161. 

Allen, Peter K.— 103. 

Allen, William, marriage 1744—30. 

Alliger, Mary C— 254. 

Alms House, city -190, tsI board— 190. 

Ambler, John P. — 253. 

Amen. Harlan Page — 256. 

Amenia — 6g, 136, 13c), 214. 

Ames, Charles F. — 10^. 

Anderson, Barrett (of S. C.)— US- 
Anderson, Martin B.— 167. 

Andrus, Charles H.— 206. 

Andrus & Dudley— 156, 161. 

Andrus, E. C— 161. 

Andrus, Sxlvester — 270. 

Angell, Charles P.— 251. 

Angell. Evelyn — 202. 

Angell, Stephen T.— 215. 



Angevine, Elmore & Jaycocks — loi. 

Angcvine, Henry — 145. 

Annabury & Seaman — 161. 

Anthes, Charles — iGi. 

Anthony, Judge AUard — 178, 191, 194, 

205, 212, 220, 223. 
Anthony, Theophihis — 40, 43, 67, 69. 
Anti-Rent War — 27. 
.Apokeepsing — 9-15. 

Arlington (Bull's Head)— 51, 174, 216. 
Appleton, Christopher — 145. 
Applcton, J. H. (Springfield, Mass.) — 

228, 230. 
Arden, John — 73, 88. 
Argus (Albany newspaper) — 91. 
Armstrong, Ira — 145. 
.\rmstrong, John — 74. 
Armstrong, John, Jr. — 98. 
Armstrong, Stephen — 107, 108, 153. 
Arnold, Benjamin — 84, 90, 270. 
Arnold, Charles N. — 243, 250, 270. 
Arnold, C. W. H.— 127, 247. 
Arnold David — 84, 90, 124, 138, 144, 270. 
Arnold, Levi M. — 138, 139, 161, 172, 

192. 
Arnold, Nathan — 270. 
Arnold, William— 78 
Arnold, William C— 83, 161, 170, 173, 

270. 
Assembly, Representatives in. Colonial 

—20, 33; State— 57, 61, 92, 97, 108, 

172, 224, 225. 
Assessments, earlv lists — 21, 32; 1831- 

1839—127; 1866-1878—224. 
Associators (Revolution) — 36; list of 

signers — 300, 301. 
.\sylum, or "Alonzo and Melissa" 

(novel) — 91. 
Atkins, Alfred— 176, 188. 
Atkins, Benjamin— 173. 
Atkins, J. S. (i860)— 161. 
Atkins, Olixer S. — 263. 
.Atkinson, William — 263. 
.Atwater, Edward S. — 24J. 
Atwater, Mrs. Edward S. — 248, 266. 
Alwater, Dr. John P.— 219. 
Alwill, Winthrop — 207. 
Alwill, Mrs. \\'inthrop — 206. 
Austin, Thomas — 14s. 
Avery, Dr. E. W — 250. 
.A\ery, Honry N. — 222. 
.\vory. Miss Mvra L.— 50, 266. 
Aweng, Adolphus (French teacher) — 

123. 
Ayrault, George — 222. 

B 

Babcock, J. C— 171- 
Bahcock, Rev. Rufns— go, 146, 167. 
Backus, Truman J.— 203, 250. 
Badger, Ebenezer — 36, 72, 85. 



Bagnall, John J. — 247. 

Bahret, Jacob — 146. 

Bailey, Edmund B. — 146. 

Bailej', Elizabeth, marries James Kent — 

54- 
Bailey, John, Jr. — 32, 54, 62. 
Baile}', John N., fire warden 1803 — 72. 
Bailey, M. & E.— 86. 
Bailey, Richard — 222. 
Bailey, Theodorns — 54, 55, 61, 67, 92. 
Bailey, William (1792) — 66. 
Bain, Ferdinand R. — 259. 
Bain, Horatio N. — 259. 
Bain, Milton — 259. 
Baker, Elijah — 129. 
Baker, O. D. M. — 224, 240. 
Baker, Stephen — 172, 174. 
Baker, Valentine — 50, 69, T2, 74, 82, 90, 

lOI. 

Balding, Joseph, Pawling 1802 — 77. 
Balding (Baldwin) Isaac — 32, 38. 
Balding, Isaac I. — 99, 108, 118, 126, 129, 

161, 190. 
Balding, Richard S.— 86. 
Baldwin's Hotel, 1803—72, 88. 
Ballard, Caleb— 216. 
Banker, John T. — 162, 173. 
Banks — 

City — 162, 292. 

Dutchess County — 104, 107, 137. 

Exchange, (Henry Davis's) — 104. 

Fallkill— 138. 

Farmers' and Manufacturers" — 107. 

First National — 192. 

Manhattan Branch — 89. 

Merchants' — 137, 138. 

Middle District — 89, loi, 107. 

Poughkeepsie — 107, 292. 

Poughkeepsie Trust Co. — 292. 

Savings — 107, 292. 
Bantle, L. — 266. 
Barculo, Judge Seward — 129, 132, 145, 

148, 271. 
Barculo, Mrs. Seward — 183. 
Barculo & Swift — 131. 
Bard, Dr. Samuel — go. 
Baright, Mrs. Edwin D. — 251. 
Barker, Caleb — 104, log, 112, 122, 127, 

138, 145- 
Barlow, Elisha (1821)— 98. 
Barnanl, Capt. Frederick — 107, 112, 

271. 
Barnard, Judge Joseph F. — 162. 176, 

1S2, 188, 190, 223, 271. 
Barnard, Robert A. — 151. 
Barnegat — 82, 92, 143. 
Barnes, Charles H. — 252. 
Barnes, David H. — 145. 
Barnes, Dr. John — 109. 
Barnes, William — 193. 
Barnes, William R. (1S04) — 74. 



316 



INDEX. 



Barnes & Willoughby (1813)— 86. 

Barnett, J. — 216. 

Barnse, Balthazar (Van Kleeck) — 18. 

Barnum, Charles P — 92, 103. 

Barnum, Dr. H. W. — 272. 

Barratt, Helmus W. — 253, 254. 

Barratt, Nathan — 145. 

Barry, William H.— 161. 

Bartlett, Charles— 123, 137, :4s, 148, 165, 

204. 
Bartlett, David £.—165. 
Bartlett, Dudley— 161. 
Bartlett, Rev. Edward O.— 183. 
Bartlett, Joseph O. — 161, 162. 
Base Ball — 171. 
Basley, E. F.— 153. 
Basley, Frank E. — 263. 
Bates, Miss E. — 219. 
Bayeau-x, Henry — 26. 
Bayeaux, Thomas — 78. 
Bayer, George W. — 263. 
Bauer, Joseph — 266. 
Bayley, Dr. Guy C. — 225, 250. 
Beacons, in Highlands — 52. 
Beadle, D. W.— 138. 
Beadle, Dr. Edward L. — 208, 21c, 212. 
Beadle, Mrs. Edward L. — 193. 
Beadle, John, surveyor of turnpike — 77. 
Beadle, Timothy — 77. 
Bear Baiting— 88. 
Beard, Col. O. T.— 190. 
Beardsley, Rev. John, First English 

(Episcopal) minister — 23, 30, 31, 

37, 38. 
Beardsley, William — 209. 
Beardsley, William J. — 259. 
Beattys, George H. — 161, 171, 173, 216. 
Beattys, Mary — 251. 
Beck, Edward — 143, 158. 
Beckwith, Elizabeth Reynolds — 202. 
Beckwith, John — 67, 121. 
Bedell, Dr. — 209. 
Bedell, Mrs. Mary H.— 251. 
Beecher, Rev. Henry Ward — 193. 
Beecher, Rev. James C. — 251. 
Beekman, Cornelia (wife of Henry 

Livingston) — 29. 
Beekman, Henry, Justice 1735 — 25. 
Beekman, Maria, daughter George 

Clinton — 67. 
Beekman, town of — 6g. 
Benjamin, E. P. — 137. 
Beneway, Ezekiel — 170. 
Beneway. P. G. — 208. 
Benton, Joel — 39, 182, 216. 
Berry, George — 188. 
Berry, Peter N. (Stormville) — 222 
Berry, William — 175, 186. 
Benson, Egbert— 35, 36, 39, 41, 54, 57, 

63. 
Best, John — 170, 171. 
Beutel, Martin — 186. 
Bible and Tract Society — 147 
Bieber, Frederick — 262. 
Biglin, Bernard, James, John (oarsmen) 

170, 171. 
Billings, Cornelia — 78. 
Billings, Major Andrew — 39, 49, 55, 

6s, 72, 78. 
Bi.sbee. George — 174. 
Bishcc, Joseph Bartlett — 256, 294. 
Bisbee, OiIn — 162, 165, 204, 215, 217, 

223, 294. 
Bisbee, W'innifred F. (Mrs. Joseph B.) 

—25 1 . 
P.ishop, Caleli — 67. 
Bishop, Japthet — 141. 
Bishop, Nathan (Vassar trustee) — 167. 
Bishop, S. H. — 204. 



Bissell, George E. — 250. 

Black, Capt, A. F.— 259. 

Blakesleeville — 174. 

Blakesley, Amaziah — 75, 88, 108. 

Blanchard, James (i860) — 161. 

Bliven, Mrs. H. W.— 165. 

Bloom, George — 90, 92. 

Bloom, John — 138. 

Board of Public Works — 244. 

Board of Trade — 217, 223, 234. 

Boardman, Catharine Rogers — 202. 

Bockee, Abraham (1775) — 36. 

Bockee, Abraham, 1836 and later — 115, 

I-I4, 157- 
Bockee, Dr. Jacob — 205. 
Bogardus, E. P. — 208. 
Bogardus, James W. — 145, 147, 153. 
Bogardus, Stephen H. — 161, 17s, 176, 

185. 
Bolding, John M., fugitive slave — 135. 
Bonker, Benjamin (1807) — 90. 
Bonker, Ruth (1807) — 90. 
Boorman, James — 141. 
Booth, George— 74, 78, 83, 84, 85. 
Booth, Henry — 64. 

Booth, Judge Henry (Chicago) — 165. 
Booth, Miss Lydia — 123, 167. 
Booth, Maria Louise — 202. 
Booth. Oliver H. — 84, 149, 150, 158, 

168, 170, 188, 216, 220, 222, 233, 248, 

262, 272. 
Booth, Richard— 81. 
Booth, William F. — 262, 264, 272. 
Boshart, Capt. William F. — 176. 
Bostwick, William H. (Amenia) — 115, 

MS- 
Bosworth, Miss Arabella — 123. 
Bottolph, Edward A. — 153. 
Bounties, civil war — 182, 185. 
Bouton. R. M.— 137. 
Bowman, Joseph — 67, 83. 
Bowne, Sarah — 207, 251. 
Bowne, James (Mayor) — 86, 109, 123, 

148, 154. 172, 176, 183. 190, 215. 
Bowne, James, Jr. — 157, 222. 
Bowne, J. & Co. — i6r. 
Bowne, Charles E. — 172. 
Boyd, David— 85, 108, 116. 
Boyd, John G.^5. 116, 206. 
Boyd. Nathan Trowbridge — 86. 
Boyd & Wiltsie (i860)— 161. 
Brad\-, Martin V.— 237. 
Brainerd, Cephas (N. Y.)— 188. 
Braman, Samuel H. — 222 
Brant, Andrus — 182. 
Bread Inspector — 74. 
Brett, Francis — 25. 
Brett, Albert — 147. 
Brewer, Annie, Y. W. C. A. — 2.SI. 
Brewer, Cornelius — 33, 67. 
Brewer, Nazareth — 67. 
Brewer, Thomas M. — 146. 
Brewster. Gilbert — 112, ipo, 122, 127. 
Brickyard.s — 136, 143. 
Briggs, Edgar A. — 225. 
Brill. John — 162. 210. 
Brinckcrhoff, Dirck — 33. 36. 
Brinckerhoff, John H. — 230, 237, 272. 
Brinckcrhoff, Tunis (1849) — 145, 147. 
Brinkerhoff, Abraham — 23, 38,' 55. 
Broas, Benjamin S. — 171, 182. 
Broas Brothers — 161. 
Broas, Isaac — 135. 
Broas, John — 133. 
T'.roas, \\'illiam — 129. 
Brock. John W.— 228. 
Brooks, Charles A.— 266. 
P>rooks, David — 61. 
Brooks, John J. — 223. 



Brooks & Marshall — 158. 

Brower, Rev. Cornelius — 78. 

Brower, James — 153. 

Brown, Derrick — 242. 

Brown, Rev. F. D. — 176. 

Brown, George H. (D. & C. R. R.) — 

215, 216. 
Brown, George R. — 188. 
Brown, George S. — 171. 
Brown, George T. — 161. 
Brown, Samuel H. — 244, 274. 
Brown, Thomas S. — 158. 
Bruce, Wallace — 244. 
Bruff, Richard P.— 209. 
Brundage, C. B. — 190. 
Brush, Henry — 127, 135. 
Brush, John— 81, 90, 92, 98, 104, 119. 
Brush, Philo C. (1824)— 98. 
Bryant & Stratton — 200. 
Buck, Samuel Wells — 254. 
Buckhout, George — 233. 
Buckhout, Jacob E. — 168, 170. 
Buckingham, Stephen M. — 167, 206, 207, 

208, 210, 212, 223, 251. 
Palmer & Budd— 161. 
Budd, Samuel — 153. 
Buel, Jesse — 91. 

Buel, Judge, of Troy (1845) — 131. 
Buel, Rev. Samuel — 148, 157, 176. 
Buildings in 1841 — 310. 
Bulkley, Rev. Benjamin — 78. 
Bullard, Henry W. — 244. 
Bull's Head — See Arlington. 
Burchard, Rev. Jedediah — 121. 
Burchard, Rev. Samuel D. — 191. 
Burgan, Peter — 67. 
Burgess, Edward — 222, 250, 253. 
Burgoyne, Gen. — 41, 42, 43. 
BurHng, Lancaster — 49. 
Burnap, G. C— 158, 176. 
Burnap, Mrs. G. C. — 193. 
Burns, Dr. Edward M. — 274. 
Burritt, Josiah — 99, 129. 
Burt, Grinnell (W. V. Ry.)— 216. 
Burton, Naomi ( 1807) — go. 
Bushnell, Jennie — 251. 
Bushnell, William — 143. 
Butler, Charles (1824)— 98. 
Butler, George H. — 141. 
Butler, L. P. (Mayor of Boston)— 221. 
Butts, Allison — 239, 248, 274 
Butts, Ralph F.— 274. 
Buys, Hendrick — 21. 



Cable, John M. — 129. 

Cady, Rev. P. K.— 207. 

Cairnes, N. G. — 120. 

Caire, Adam — 235. 

Caldwell, Matthew, fire warden 1803 — 

72, 74- 
Caldwell, John H— 263. 
Call Rock, also Caul Rock— See Kaal 

Rock. 
Cameron. Simon (Pa.) — 22S. 
Canal to Pine Plains — 139. 
Candee, W. A — 161. 
Candce, John N. — 206, 237. 
Cantine, Peter, Jr. (Revolution)— 41. 
Camach, Hannali — 165. 
Campbell Hall — 230. 
Canajoharie — 148. 
Canfield, N. H. (i860)— 161. 
Cannon, Arnout — 182. 
Cannon, George W. — 219. 
Camion Street— First mention and 

name — 64; houses on— 65, 66, 67; 

extended— 78, 135; paving vote 

(1S14)— 307. 



INDEX. 



317 



Card, A. M. — 190. 

Card, George — 244. 

Carey, Egbert — 204. 

Carey, William — 119. 

Carlisle, W. R.— 230. 

Carman, Charles C. — 153. 

Carmell, town of — 69. 

Carman, Charles — 145. 

Carnegie, Andrew — 220. 

Carpenter & Brother (i860) — 161. 

Carpenter, Hon. B. Piatt — 165, 171, 173, 
174, 205, 2i5, 225. 

Carpenter, Isaac — 215. 

Carpenter, Jacob B. — 172, 182, 192, 223, 
259. 

Carpenter, J. DuBois — 160, 239. 

Carpenter, Leonard, Sr. — 138, 161. 

Carpenter, ]\1organ — 139, 173. 

Carpenter, Miss Sarah M. — 183, 193. 

Carr, Col. Clark E. (111.)— 165. 

Cartland, Alfred L. — 251. 

Cary, Ebenezer — 156. 

Cary, James R. — 117. 

Cassatt, Andrew J. — 220. 

Case, James S. — 188. 

Case, Dr. Walter R.— 244. 

Casper Kill — Indian names and early 
settlement — 10, 12, 16; Gov. Clin- 
ton's place — 48; other references — 
68, 84. 

Celebrations — 4th of July — 59, 131, 200, 
202; Civil War — rgi, 193, 197; Pok. 
Centennial — 263. 

Cemeteries — See graveyards. 

Chadwick, Thomas — 21. 

Chain, to obstruct river navigation. Fort 
Montgomery — 40, 41 ; West Point — 

49- 
Chamberlain, William — 182. 
Champlin, Albert H — 149, 171. 
Chanler, Robert Winthrop — 225. 
Chapman, W. R. (N. Y.)— 266. 
Chapinville Wheel Co. — 235. 
Charities — Charity Organization Society 

—251- 
Home for the Friendless — 157. 
House of Industry — 207. 
Home for Aged Men (Vassar) — 

250. 
Old Ladies' Home — 204, 208. 
Charlotte precinct — 23, 35. 
Charier — First village — 70; first city— 
150-151; 1874—223, 224; 1883—239; 
recent amendments — 244, 247. 
Chase, Hon. Salmon P — 173. 
Cleaveland, Dr. Joseph M. — 208. 
Cleveland. Stephen — 104, 161. 
Cheney, Albert O.— 176, 254, 264. 
Chichester Chair Factory — 210. 
Chichester, N. O.— 171. 
Chichester, P.— 182. 
Chichester, Samuel — 133. 
Childs, John— 33, 38, 39. 
Choral Club — 250, 266. 
Christy, Thomas (1838)— T36. 
Churches — 

Baptist, Mill Street— 90, 206, 252. 

Lafayette Place— 146. 206, 252. 
Catholic, St. Peter's— 122, 147; Ger- 
man — 147; St. Mary's — 206, 251; 
Polish — 251. 
Christian Science — 25T. 
Congregational — 122, 156, 166, 251. 
Dutch "(Reformed)— 22. 23, 53, 65, 
68, 73. 122. 206, fire 154-156; 
Second Reformed — 25T. 
En.glish (Episcopal) — 23-24. 
Episcopal, Christ Church — 23, 24, 
38, ST, 64, 68, 99, 119, 121, 252; 



St. Paul's — 123, 206 ; Holy Com- 
forter — 156, 207. 
Friends — 90, 122; Lafayette Place — 
122, 252; Montgomery Street — 
188, 251-2. 
Lutheran — 146, 206, 314. 
Methodist, ist — 90, 122, 314; Can- 
non St. — 146, 252; Hedding — 
147; Trinity — 252; Zion — 147; 
German — 146. 
Presbyterian — 23, 121, 147. 
Universalist — 146. 
Church Street — 64, 77, 135, 217. 
Citizens' Gas Co. — 237. 
City Court, created — 247. 
City Hall — irg, 197, 198. 
City Officers, list of — ^312, 313. 
Clapn, Mrs. Egbert D. — 251. 
Clark, George (Newburgh) — 209, 212. 
Clark, Dr. H. F. — 262 ; biog. sketch — 275. 
Clark, James B. (N. Y. attorney 1791)— 

64. 
Clark, Thomas C— 228. 
Clay, Henry — visit to Pok. — 129-130; 

steamboat disaster — 148. 
Clegg, James — 136. 
Clegg, Thomas — 161, 178, 218. 
Clifford, Daniel — 190, 208. 
Clinton Catechism (1811) — 308, 309. 
Clinton, DeWitt — T03. 
Clinton, George W., son of Gov. George 

. —67- 
Clinton, Gov. George, Revolution — 39, 
41, 42, 43, 44; residence in Po'k. — 

45, 48, 65 ; letters written in Po'k. — 

46, 48, 53 ; Constitutional convention 
— 57, 61 ; daughter marries Citizen 
Genet — 61 ; buys house on Cannon 
Street — 66, 67; buys Casper Kill 
farm — 67; head com. to buv hotel — 
8S. 

Clinton, Mrs. George — 42, 43, 53. 
Clinton House (Clinton Museum) — 32, 

4^. 48. 64. no, 266. 
Clinton, Sir Henry — 41. 42. 43. 
Clinton, Gen. James — 39, 41. 
Clopper, Mrs. Catherine — 38. 
Clubs— 

Amrita — 222. 

Apokeepsing Boat — 263. 

Bicycle clubs — 264. 

Dutchess — 264. 

Golf and Country — 264. 

Ice Yacht — 170. 

Poughkeepsie — 264. 

Shatemuc Boat — 222. 

Tennis — 264. 
Cockburn, Will, surveyor — 31, 32. 
Coetus and Conferentie dispute — 23. 
Coffin, Alexander J. — 98, 104, 107, 119, 

138. 145. 161, 172. 
Coffin, Owen T. — 190. 
Coffin, Tristram — 47, 206, 222, 2O3. 
Cogswell, Joseph H. — 161, 171, 182, 183. 
Colden, Cadwallader D. — 55, 66, 67. 
Collcr, T. H.— 161. 
Collcr, John — 135. 
College Hill — in, 123, 125, 129. 131, 145, 

165, 204, 212, 248, 250. 
College Rowing Races — 264. 
Collingwood, George — 264. 
Collingwood, James — 158, 161, 192, 210, 

219, 220, 222. 
Collingwood, John G. — 263. 
Collingwood, William — 171. 
Collingwood, Wm. A. — 222. 
Collins, Martin W. — 240, 254, 275. 
Colwell, Charles M.— 224. 
Commercial Paint Works — T56. 



Committee of Safety (Revolution) — 39. 
Commons — 30, 31, 32, 33, 66. 
Common Council — 153, 198, 210, 244. 
Cone, H. D. — 230. 
Concordia (musical soc.) — 266. 
Confiscations in Revolution — 301. 
Conklin & Bowne — 86, loi, 117. 
Conklin, Henry — 104, 108, 115, 117, 123, 

127, 129, 138, 139- 
Conklin, Jacob — 36. 
Conklin, John — 23, 26, 29, 32, 36. 
Conklin, J. M.— 86. 
Conklin, Matthew (1775) — 36. 
Conklin, Nathan — 86, 104, 107, 112, 117, 

127. 
Conklin, Nathaniel (i77s) — 36. 
Conklin, Nehemiah — 107, 121. 
Conklin, Richard D. — 69. 
Conklin, Storm H. — 171. 
Conklin, Susan (wife of Henry Living- 
ston) — 29. 
Conkling, Roscoe — 165. 
Constant, S. S. (Vassar trustee) — 167. 
Constitution, protest vs. change 1821 — 

97-98; list of signers — 310. 
Continental troops in Po'k. — 51. 
Contraband business (Revolution) — ^49. 
Cook, Albert — 104. 
Cook, Temperance (1804) — 78. 
Cooke, John (1798) — 69. 
Cooley, LeRoy C. — 204, 250. 
Coolidge, Daniel F. — 89. 
Cookingham, Jane Maria — 202. 
Cooper, Ananias (1775) — 36. 
Cooper, Ezekiel — 39. 
Cooper, Dr. John R. — 170, 175, 225. 
Copake — 214. 

Copeman, John (1804) — 78. 
Copperheads — 186, 188. 
Cordwainers Society — loi. 
Corlies, George — 109, 138, 208, 220, 275. 
Codies, Jacob — 138, 217, 218, 276. 
Corlies, Walter — 217. 
Corliss, Joseph N. — 218. 
Cornell, R. D.— 174. 
Corning, Erastus — 141. 
Corning, Rev. J. L. — 191, 222. 
Cornish, John (1824) — 98. 
Correspondence, committees in Revolu- 
tion — 34, 35, 40; first Poughkeepsie 

committee — 39, 40. 
Cornwallis, surrender celebrated — 53. 
Cornwell, George — 157, 220. 
Corwin, Wm. (N. Y.) — 215. 
Cossum, Charles F. — 263. 
Cottage Hill — 123, 124, 165, 167, 176, 

205, 314- 
Cotter, Dr. John H. — 263, 276. 
Counties comparison of, in Revolution — 

48, 49. 
County House — 190. 

Court House, first — 19, 20; second — 20, 
28; in Revolution — 37, 49, 51; burned 

— 56 ; Const. Convention — 56, 57 ; 

burned, 1806 — 75, 76; last — 259. 
Courts, General Sessions established — 

20; suspended during 1777 — 44; 

conducted by John Jay — ^49; by 

James Kent — 55. 
Courts Martial — 51. 
Cowles. Col. David S.— 182. 
Cowlcs, John — 98, 129. 
Cowman, Augiistus T. — 133. 
Coxe, Robert E. — 157. 
Coxhead, John F. — 156. 
Cramer, Elizabeth Anderson — 202. 
Cramer. George E. — 253. 
Crane, Joseph, Jr. — 69. 
Crandler and Crawler, Peter — 25. 



318 



INDEX 



Crannell, Bartholomew — 24, 30, 31, 36, 
37, 38, 

Crannell House, evidence as to its oc- 
cupation by Gov. Clinton — 47, 48, 
65. 

Crary, Rev. Robert Fulton — 157, 207. 

Crawford, George (1813) — 82. 

Crego, Josias (1718) — 21. 

Cronk, Smith — 172. 

Crooke, Dr. Charles — 65. 

Crooke, Charles — 145, 158, 280. 

Crooke, John — 29. 

Crooke, Philip S. — 135. 

Crosby, Rev. Howard — 188. 

Crosby, Julia M. — 207. 

Crosby, Willard H. — 237, 266. 

Crosby, W. S. & W. H.— 160. 

Crosby, Prof. William H.— 188, 224. 

Crosby, Mrs. William H.— 183. 

Cruger, John C. — 182. 

Crumniey, Edward — 182. 

Cunley, Court B. — 235. 

Cunningham, Garwood — 88. 

Cunningham, J. H. — 86. 

Cunningham, Walter — 82, 86, 88, 98, loi, 
102, 104, 108, 112, 123. 127, 137, 139. 

Currency, State, printed in Po'k. — 50; 
Continental — 52; scarcity after 1815 
-7-95; 1837 — 128; Civil War — 192. 

Curtis, Hon. George William — 168. 

Cusack, John H. — 263. 

Cuyler, Rev. Cornelius C. — 81, 90, 121, 
122. 

r> 

Daly, James^i90. 

Daniels, Briggs & DuBois (i860) — 161. 

Daun, R. — 219. 

Danskammer, deeds to land opposite — 

II. 
Darrow, Samuel K. — 188. 
Daughton, Joseph A. — 263. 
Davids, George W. — 186, 208, 222, 280. 
Davids, Washington — 123. 
Davies, Thomas L — 86, 104, 107, 112, 

124, 127, 140, 14S, 157, 160, 162, 173. 
Davies, Mrs Thomas L. — 183. 193. 
Davies, Thomas — 222. 
Davies, William A. — 82, 107, 156, 158, 

162, 188, 207, 209, 220. 
Davies, William (see also Davis) — 82, 

108. 
Davis, Andrew Jackson, "seer of Pough- 

keepsie" — 138, 139. 
Davis, Fred W. — 162, 212. 
Davis, Prof. George Fred — 166. 
Davis, Gerret — 26. 
Davis, Henry, son of Richard — 82, 90, 

104. 
Davis, John — 34, 74. 
Davis, John H. — 104. 
Davis, Leonard, sou of Richard — 65, 82, 

86, 108. 
Davis, Richard — 28, 31, 32, 36, 44, 62, 

67, 69; children of — 82. 
Davis, Richard D. — 119, 135, 138. 
Davis, Theodore W. — 212. 
Davis (Davies?) William — 67, 82, 90, 

136, 139- 
Dawson, Symmes & Usher — 228. 
Dean, Hon. Gilbert — 172, 182, 190. 
Dean, John W. & Son (i860)— 161. 
Deanc, Gilbert A. — 242. 
Debt, city 1873-1876 — 224. 
de Duiser, Rollef, marriage 1738 — 30. 
Dc Graef, Jan. — 21. 

De Grafif, AbrahaTu, marriage 1741 — 30. 
De Grafif, Hester, marriage 1735 — 30. 
De Grafif, Joseph (1804)— 74. 



De Grafif, John (probably son of Jan) 

— 26, 28, 31, 36. 
De Grafif, Moses — 26. 
De Grofif, Amos T. (1830)— 122. 
De Groflf, Jacob — 129, 145. 
De Garmo, Elias S. — 209. 
De Garmo, Smith L. — 260. 
Delafield, John — 122, 123, 124, 127, 136, 
de Lang(h) Louwerens, marriage, 1738 

—30. 
De Laval Separator Co. — 234 ; sketch — ■ 

276. 
De Lavergne, Benjamin — 90. 
Delemater, John W. — 259. 
De Long, Elias — 67. 
Dennis, A. L. (Newark, N. J.) — 220. 
Dennis, G. L.— 188. 
Depew, Chauncey M. — 190, 240. 
de Peyster, Johnston L. — 225. 
de Reimer, Marthe (wife of Robert G. 

Livingston) — 29. 
Deremer, Peter, 1804 — 78. 
De Witt, Jacob, leftenant, 1734 — 25. 
De Witt, John, Const. Convention, 1788 

—61. 
Dewey, William — 139. 
Deyo, Jerome V. — 222. 
Dickinson, Charles R. — 251. 
Dickinson, Pomeroy P. — 214, 216, 220, 

230. 
Dimond, C. A. — 190. 
Dix, John A. (Governor) — 225, 
Dobbs, Ely R.— 181. 
Dobbs, J. H.— 161. 
Dobbs, William C— 18S. 
Dobbs, William Lyon — 250. 
Dobson, Dr. W. G.— 264. 
Do'dge, Mrs. LeGrand — 193. 
Doherty, P. C— 263. 
Donald, Converse & Maynard — 237, 256. 
Dorland, Cyrenus P. — 205, 240. 
Dorland, Peter — 205. 
Doty, Isaac, Jr. — 86. 
Doty, Spencer C. — 160, 182. 
Doty, Thomas — 209, 222. 
Doughty, Augustus — 222. 
Doughty, Cornell & Co. — 210. 
Doughty, Isaac T. — 102. 
Doughty, Joseph C. — 138, 167, 210, 217. 
Doughty, Sterling — 222. 
Doughty, William — 162. 
Douglas, Nathan, of Danbury, Ct. — 62. 
Douw, John de Peyster — 162, 277. 
Downing, A. J., landscape architect — 

148. 
Downing, James — 122. 
Downing, Mitchell — 251. 
Downing, Silas — 122. 
Downs, M. S.— 266. 
Draft Riots— 186. 
Drafts in Civil War— 183, 185. 
Driving Park, Doty's Union — 222. 
Driving Park, Poughkeepsie — 222, 225. 
Du Bois Brothers — 86. 
Du Bois, Cornelius — 167, 168, 172, 192, 

208, 209, 217, 222. 
Du Bois, Elias — 67. 
Du Bois (Duboys), Gideon — 26. 
Du Bois, Joel (1824) — 33, 98. 
Du Bois, Lewis — 20, 24, 25, 26, 31, 32, 

36, 38, 64. 
Du Bois, Metthis — 25. 
Du Bois, Pieter, elder Dutch Church — 

22, 24. 
Dudlej', Guilford — 251. 
Dudley, James H. — 153, 190, 208, 217. 
Dudley, Lavinia (Mrs. Guilford) — 251. 
Dudley & Thomp.son (i860) — 161. 
Duerstein, Rev. Daniel — 146. 



Du Lang, Frans, capt. 1729 — 24. 

Dunbar, Elan — 135. 

Duncomb, Charles H. — 90. 

Dungan, Charles B. — 148. 

Durando, Stephen — 74, yj. 

Durlin, John (Revolution) — 40. 

Dutch, compared with English, first as- 
sessment — 21 ; language in church 
service — 23, 68. 

Dutcher, James E. — 224, 244. 

Dutcher, John B. — 167, 182. 

Dutcher, Lawrence W. — 263. 

Dutchess County, organization — 19, 20, 
21. 
Divisions into Wards and Precincts 

—21, 25. 
Early politics — 57, 61. 
Division after Revolution — 64. 
Division of school mone}' — 68. 

Dutchess County case (1891) — 242. 

Dutchess County Telephone Co. — 239. 

Dutchess Hotel, Cannon St. — 88. 

Dutchess Manufacturing Co. — 235. 

Dutchess Ins. Co. — 90, 115, 162, 277. 

Dutton, Samuel — 123. 

Dutton, Samuel B. — 108, 129, 163. 

Dwight, William B. — 250. 

Dyckink, Gerardus — yj. 

B 

Eagan, Madison — 170. 

Farley, Rev. Terence J. — 251. 

Eastman College — 166, 191, ig8, 200, 225, 

254- 
Eastman Park — 200. 
Eastman, Harvey G. — 166, 170, 191, 192, 

194, 197. 201, 206, 212, 214, 215, 216, 

217, 218, 219, 220, 221, 222, 223, 225, 

22H. 
Eastmead, Charles — 222. 
Eastmead & Osborne — 237. 
Ebstein, Ludwig — 157, 188. 
Eckert, Jacob I. — 127. 
Eden Hills — no, 148. 
Education (see schools). 
Education, Board of, first elected — 145; 

first appointed — 254. 
Egerton, John — 21. 
Eighmie, George D. — 235. 
Eighmie, Jeremiah — 215. 
Eisel, John E. — 133. 
Elmendorf, Rev. Joachim — 250. 
Elmendorf, Lucas (of Ulster) — 95. 
Eldridge, Judge Egbert Q. — 133. 
Electric Light — 230, 237. 
Elections (see politics). 
Ellison, Thomas — 64. 
EKworth, Edward — 165, 217, 224, 240, 

249, 250; biog. sketch — 280. 
Ellsworth Greys— 178, 181, 1S6, 188, 263. 
Elting, Abraham & Son — 131. 
Filing, Henry D. — 95. 
Filing, Irving — 18. 
Elting, Capt. Luther — 127. 
Elting, Noah — 69. 
Ely, Andrew — 130. 
Emans, Albert — 182. 
Emans, Storm — 242. 
Emerson. Ralph Waldo — 146. 
Emott, Judge James, Sr. — 55, 74, 90, 91, 

98, 107, 11.^, I3.S. 
Emott. Judge James, Jr. — 138, 152, 153, 

162, I7rt, 178, iSj, 188, T90, 197, 210, 

2T9 ; biographical sketch — 280. 
FmoU, Mrs. James — 183. 
I'.moll, (Sciuirc) William — 36, 38, 49, 

61, 63, 65, 72, 73, 74, 77, jio. 
Fngrrni (Ingrahani?) Duncan — 67. 
Enlistments, Civil War — 175, 183. 



INDEX. 



319 



Eno, William (Pine Plains) — 215. 

Ernest, Anthony (1798) — 69. 

Erskine, Robert, letter to Geo. Clinton, 

i77ti— 39. 
Esopus Island (Cline Sopas Island)— 25. 
Eureka mower — 209. 
Euterpe Glee Club — 266. 
Everitt, Clear — 26, 29, 30, 32, 36, 48, 65. 
Evertson ancestry — 281. 
Everlson, George B. — 67, 75, 80, 81, 82, 

89, 90, 121. 
Everitt House (see Clinton House). 
Everitt, John — 73. 

Everitt, Peter — 86, 89, loi, 107, 117, 139. 
Everitt, Richard — 32, 36, 69, 72. 

F 

Fall Kill (Relation to name Poughkeep- 

sie) — Chap. I. 
Fall Kill Improvement — 212, 214. 
Fallkill Manufacturing Co. — 237. 
Family Magazine — 137. 
I^'anning, Robert — 131, 304. 
Fanning, William A. — 153, 170, 217. 
Farnum, Morgan L. — 160, 171, 219. 
Farnum, Samuel J. — 167, 170. 
Farrington & Co. — 161. 
Farrington, George W. — 145. 
Farrington, Walter — 248. 
Farrington, W. R. — 247. 
Fay, Eliphaz — 124, 165. 
Federalists — In Const. Convention — 57, 
6i. 

Political campaigns — 61, 91, 96, 102. 

Downfall of part}' — 103. 
Fenner, Thomas — 123. 
Ferdon, Jacob — yj. 
Ferdon, Johannes — 24. 
Ferguson, Uriah L. — 177, 216. 
Ferris, Mary — 207. 
Ferris, Nathaniel — 104. 
Ferris, Robert M. — 264. 
Ferris, William L. Jr. — 222. 
Ferry — Estal)lished— 69. 

Incorporated (horseboat) — 95, 96. 

Moved td Main Street — 230. 
Field, George S — 22S. 
Field, John— 38, 74, 86. 
Fifteenth Sep. Co. — 263. 
Filkin, Elizabeth, marriage — 30. 
Filkins. Frans, judge, etc. — 25, 30. 
Filkins, Henry (Sheriff)— 26. 
Filkintown Road — 24, 26, 32, 55, 70, 78. 
Finch, Henry — 143, 158. 
Fires— Court House (1785)— 56; (1806) 

-75- 
Vassar Brewery, 1811 — 85. 
Big lire of 1836—120. 
In 1849-1852— 149. 
Dutch Church — 154, is6. 
Lent's (Red) Mifls— 156. 
Morgan-Wright block, i860 — 156. 
Pardee block, 1870—219. 
Whiteliouse factory — 262. 
Glass Works- 262. 
Reynolds Elevator — 262. 
Gas Works — 262. 
Fire Companies, first mention— 70; ap- 
paratus in 1805 — 74- 
Bag Men — 74. 
Engine Co. No. i (1804)— 74; name 

"Protection" — 150 : disbanded — 

154, 260. 
Engine Co. No. ' (Niagara)— 74, 

150, 156. 2(X) 
Engine Co. No. 3 (Washington) — 

74. i.SO, 154- 
Engine Co. No. 4 (Cataract)— 120, 

149, T50, 154. 156, 2(10; charter 

members — 310. 



Engine Co. No. 5 (Neptune)— 120, 

149, 154. 156, 260. 

Engine Co, No. 6 (Young America) 

— 154; reorganized as Hose Co. 

— 260. 
Hook and Ladder Men — 74; Davy 

Crockett — 120, 149, 150, 260. 
Hose Co. No. i (Red Rover) — 120; 

Reorganized as Phoenix — 149, 

260. 
Hose Co. No. 2 (Howard) — 120; 

reorganized as Booth Hose — 

150, 260. 

Hose Co. No. 3 (Lady Washington) 
— 260. 

Fire Department — 74, 119, 120, 149, 150, 
260; list of chief engineers — 313. 

Fire Engines — 72, Ji, 74, 149, 154; 
steamers — 156, 260. 

Fishkill — In Revolution — 43, 51, 52; af- 
ter Revolution — 69, 130, 140, 208, 
215. 

Fishkill Landing — 123. 

Fishkill and Poughkeepsie churches 
united — 22, 23. 

Flagler, E. O.— 161. 

Flagler, Emma (Mrs. E. O.) — 251. 

Flagler, Henry — 120. 

Flagler, John P. — 147. 

Flagler, Joseph — 208. 

Flagler, Paul — 206, 209. 

Flagler, Samuel P. — 240. 

Flegelar, Zacharias — 21. 

Flegelar, Getrui, marriage 1738 — 30. 

Poland, Peter — 259. 

Fonda, A. (i860) — 161. 

Fonda, James H. — 137, 138. 

Fonda, Walter Cunningham — 137. 

Forbus, Alexander — 99, no, 115, 135, 
138, 264. 

Forbus Hill — 172-174. 

F'orbus, John — 75, 90. 

Forbus, John B. — 119, 122, 124, 162. 

Forby, William — 237. 

Forman, William — 36. 

Forrest, Robert — IJ2, 200. 

Forster, R. S.— 161. 

Fort, Major Abraham — 46, 68. 

F'ort Constitution — 40, 42. 

Fort Montgomery — 40, 41, 42. 

Foster, David C. — 102, 223. 

Foster, D. Crosby — 251. 

Foster & Gale — 149. 

Foster, Thomas — 222. 

Fowler, Benjamin M. — 24S. 

Fowler, C. A. — 237. 

Fowler, Charles E. — 212. 

Fowler, George P. (i860)— 161. 

Fowler, John W. — 162, 165. 

Fowler. Milton A. — 205, 20Q. 

Fowler, Oscar A. — 171, 20S. 

Fowler. Sidnev — 208. 

Fox, Wni. B.— 18S. 

Francis. John (1824) — 98. 

Francklyn, Charles G. — 220. 

Frank. Valentine — 160: Jr. — 264. 

Frank, William H.— 253. 2b2. 264. 

Franklin, Town of — 69. 

Frear, James B. — 119, 122. 

Frear, Simeon I. (1804) — 74. 

Freartown — 174. 

Frederick, Town of — 69. 

Freer (Frorc), Abraham — 26. 31, 33. 

Freer, Baltus (1798)— 67- 

Freer, Jacobus — :s},. 44. 

Freer, John— 32. 38, 30, 63, 68. 

Freer, T.— 67. 

Free Masons, Solomon's Lodge — 50: see 

also IMasons. 
French. Colonial wars with — 26. 27. 



French, Bronson — 66, 109 

F;rick, H. C. (Pa.)— 228. 

Frost, Aaron — 172. 

Frost, Henry S. — 170, 237. 

Frost, John (1771) — 32. 

F'rost, Joseph G. — 205. 

F'rost, Miss Julia — 252. 

Frost & Parish — 219. 

Frost, Robert W. — 216, 217, 222. 

Frost, Solomon V. — 98, 104, iio, 138, 161. 

F'rost, Stephen — 122. 

Frost, William (1836) — 120. 

Frost, William & Son, i860— 161. 

F'uller, Benjamin (1807) — 90. 

Furman, William — 264. 

G 

Gager, John — 218. 

Gaines, Clement C. — 254. 255 ; Biograph- 
ical sketch — 282. 

Gallaudet Home — 251. 

Gary, John — 85. 

Gas lighting — 148, 237; first lamp dis- 
trict — 312. 

Gausman, George — 133. 

Gay, Bartholomew — 67. 

Gaylord, Charles J. — 183, 190. 

Gaylord, Doty & Co. — 210. 

Gaylord, George R. — 182, 220. 

Gay, Luther (Town Washington) — 98. 

Gebrants, Lowerens, marriage 1737 — 30. 

Genet, "Citizen," French minister, mar- 
ries daughter of George Clinton — 
61 ; children of — 67. 

Centner, Andrew — 133. 

Gerard, W. R. — 14, 250. 

Germania Singing Society — 194, 266. 

Germond, Isaac — loi. 

Germond, Silas — 115. 

Gerow, Joseph W. & Co. — 161. 

Gibbons, William P. — 141. 

Gibbs, W. \\'.—22?.. 230. 

Gidlev. Townsend E. — 122. 

Gilbert, Walter D.— 266. 

Gildersleeve, Elmer D. — 252. 

Gilderslceve, Henry A — 182, 183. 

Gile, Benjamin — 145. 

Giles, John — 127. 

Gifford, Nathan — 117, 145. 

Gifford, Sherman & Innis — 149, 157, 233. 

Gill Place, below Pok.— 43. 

Giraud, Jacob P. — 204. 

Giraud, Pierre — 191. 

Glass, A. J. — 235. 

Glass Works, Poughkeepsie — 114. 234; 
sketch — 291. 

Glebe House (Eng. Church) — 24. 

Goetschius, Rev. John PI. — 2^. 

Goff, Edward H.— 237. 

Goshen — 27, si. 

Goss. Sarah (1807)— 90. 

Goss, \\'illiani (1807) — 90. 

Gow, Prof. Geor.ge C. — 250. 266. 

Graham. Charles (Revolution) — 39. 

Graham, Col. Morris (Revolution) — 35, 
38, 40. 42. 

Graham. William — 153. 

Granger, Francis — 103. 

Grant. E. F.— 138. 

Grant. James — oS. 104, 107, 123. 

Gray. ,\uo-ustus B. — 225. 

Graves, Orson — 173. 

Graveyards — 23. 73, 76, 90, 109, I2i ; 
Rural Cemetery — 14S; Inscriptions 
in Dutch Burial Ground. Main St. — 
300: Original plot holders Dutch 
Reformed Burial Ground, Hyde 
Park Road — 311: B.aptist Burial 
Ground, Garden St. — 312. 



320 



INDEX. 



Great Barrington (Mass.) — 215. 

Greelej', Horace — 200, 205. 

Green, Jacob — 104. 

Green, John — 95, 112, 117, 122. 

Green, John L. — 182. 

Green, William H. — 153. 

Gregory, Rev. G. H. — 252. 

Gregory, Theodorus — 118, 127, 135, 161, 
172, 215. 

Gregory, Mrs. Theodorus — 148, 157. 

Gregory, Uriah — 117, 127, 143. 

Griffin, Angelica (Y. W. C. A.)— 251. 

Griffin, Elihu (Clinton)— 215. 

Grimling, F. — 266. 

Grinnell, Irving — 222. 

Grjnnell, Moses H. — 141. 

Grube, Charles — 266. 

Grubb, John — 146, 216, 218. 

Guernsey, Daniel W. — 205. 

Guernsey, Stephen Gano^244; biograph- 
ical sketch — 283. 

Gunn, Abel J. — 127. 

Gurney, May — 251. 

H 

Haber, Fragharys — 25. 
Hackett & Williams— 248. 
Haff, William, Revolutionary story — 27. 
Haggerty, James — 171. 
Hague, William (Vassar trustee) — 167. 
Hagenian, Rev. Charles S. — 194. 
Hager, Mrs. Eliza — 148. 
Hager, J. Henry — 157, 186. 
Haight, A. V. — 219, 244, 278. 
Haight, Hiram (i860) — 161. 
Haight, Zebulon — 122. 
Hale, Matthew — 165. 
Hallock, Nathaniel (Milton)— 222. 
Halloway, Seneca V. — 225. 
Hallidav, Harrison — 175, 177, 185. 
HaUiwell, George (1806)— 86. 
Halliwell, George W. (i860)— 161. 
Hall, Edwin — 172. 
Hall, Israel P. (1835)- 120. 
Hall, Tallmadge — 56. 
Halpin, William — 157. 
Halstead, Benjamin — 162. 
Halstead, Frank W. — 263. 
Halstead, John G. — 173. 
Ham, Milton (i860)— 162. 
Hamilton, Alexander, visits Pok. — 50; 
in Const. Convention, 1788 — 57, 61. 
Hammond. Lewis C. (i860) — 161. 
Hanchette, Hon. B. F. (Wis.)— 165. 
Hannah, B. L. — 156. 
Hannah & Storm — 158. 
Hanscom, A. J. — 217. 
Harbottle, John (1807) — 90. 
Harloe, Matthew— 178, 181. 
Harloe, William — 168, 209, 225. 
Harper, James (N. Y.) — 167. 
Harris, David — 192. 
Harris, Edwin S. — 253. 
Harris, Ira — 167. 
Harris, Joseph^^2, 119, 127, 129. 
Harris, Joseph C. — 162. 
Harris, Peter — 24, 32, 33. 
Harris, Richard (1804) — 74. 
Harris, Stephen (1804) — 78. 
Hartford, Ct. — 216, 227, 230. 
Hartman, William — 264. 
Hart's Village — 215, 216. 
Harvey, Albert B.— 20S. 
Harvey, John C. — 153. 
Harvey, Gen. Thomas W. — 136, 137. 
Hasbrouck, Aliraham — 220. 
Hasbrouck, Dr. Alfred— 1S8. 
Hasbrouck. Frank — 222, 225, 248. 
Hasbrouck, Mrs. Frank — 266. 
Hasbrouck, Henry — 263. 



Hasselberg, L. — 266. 
Hatch, A. S.— 123, 126. 
Hatch, Rev. Frederick W.— 123. 
Hatch, Mrs. Frederick W.— 147- 
Hatton, Robert (Revolution) — ^49. 

Haubennestel, John — 264. 
Haubennestel, William— 188, 206, 215, 
244, 263. 

Hawkins, Barnet — 14S. 
Haupt, R. W.— 264. 

Haydock, Mrs. — 193. 

Hayes, Peter P.— 112, 117, 123, 129, I39- 

Hayes & Adriance — 102. 

Hayes, Edmund — 228. 

Hayman, Capt. R. R.— 188. 

Haynes, E. M.— 138. 

Hay scales — 83. 

Hayt, Peter B.— 219, 237. 

Heartfield, Rev. Frank— 250. 

Heath, J. Parker— 217. 

Heath, Charles— 217. 

Heermance and Van den Bogart tradi- 
tion — 20, 314. 

Heermance, Martin — 240 ; biographical 
sketch — 283. 

Heermance, Mrs. Martin — 266. 

Hegeman, Henry — 68. 

Hegeman, Isaac, marriage 1740 — 30. 

Hegeifian, Sara, marriage 1744 — 30. 

Hegeman, Wallace W. — 205, 209, 212, 
216, 222. 

Helms & Peters (i860)— 161. 

Henderson, Adam — 104, 161. 

Henderson, George R. — 145. 

Henderson, Oliver S. — 153. 

Henderson, Samuel (1824) — 98. 

Hendrickson, Stephen — 49, 65, 88, 123. 

Hengstebeck, Frank — 188, 190. 

Hermans, Hendricks, Capt. (1729) — 24. 

Herrick, Benjamin — 84, 86, 88, 92, 104. 

Herrick & Losec — 248. 

Herrick, Mrs. Mary — 205. 

Herrick, P. 181. 

Herrick, Rufus (Revolution) — 39. 

Herrick, Sarah Jane — 202.', 

Hevenor, J. — 216. 

Hewitt, Gideon P. — 107, 108, 116, 117, 
123, 124, 135, 138. 

Hibbard, David (1826)— 121. 

Hickok, Charles H.— 266. 

Highet, William — 171. 

Highlands, defense of up to fall of Fort 
Montgomery — 40. 41, 42; new de- 
fenses — 46, 48, 52. 

Hill, David B. (Governor) — 228, 240. 

Hill, James T. (i860) — 153, 161, 170. 

Hill, Nathaniel — 156. 

Hill, N. & Son— 156. 

Hill, Rev. William Bancroft — 251. 

Hill, William C. — 222, 263. 

Hillequist, Casper (1804) — 74. 

Hills, named about town — 174. 

Hinckley, Voice — 83. 

H inkle, Charles J. — 204. 

Hinkley, James W. — 240, 242, 244, 259. 

Hine, George M. — 235, 244. 

Hitchcock, Mark H. — 216, 217. 

Holiart, John Sloss — 49. 

Hobart, Powell — 264. 

Hobson, John (1804, 1814) — 74, 86. 

Hoff, C. C— 170, 173. 

Hoffman, Abraham — 83. 

Hoffman, Anthony — 36, 67, 69. 

Hoffman, Rev. E. — 146. 

Hoffman, Isaac — 67, 83. 

Hoffman, Martin (1755) — 29, 83. 

Hoffman, Martin, Jr. — 95, 101. 

Hoffman, Martin & Co.— 77, 82, 83. 

Hoffman, Robert — 32, 81, 83. 

Hoffman, Theodore A. — 242. 



Holden, John G. P.— 148, 186. 
Holden, Oliver— 81, 86. 
HoUey, A. H. (Gov. Ct.)— 221. 
Holmes, Obadiah (Holmes St. named 

from) — no. 
Holt, Miss Isabella — 123. 
Holt, John, printer in Rev. — 50, 51. 
Home for the Friendless — 157. 
Home Guards (Civil War)— 186. 
Hoogeboom, Bartholomeus — 21. 
Hooker, James — 92, 102, 104, 107, no, 

127, 141. 
Hook Landing — Old name of New Ham- 
burgh— 33. 
Hooper, John T. — 210. 
Hopewell Junction — 216. 
Hopkins, Benjamin — 162. 
Hopkins, Elias G. — 133, 153. 
Hopkins, John M. — 141. 
Hopkins, Lemuel J. (i860) — 161. 
Hopkins, Col. Roswell— 36, 38. 
Hopkins, Rev. William Herman — 264. 
Horse racing — 168, 222. 
Horsfall, J. H.— 217. 
Horticultural Society — 264. 
Hospitals — Hudson River State — 208. 
St. Barnabas — 207. 
Vassar — 207, 248, 249. 
Hotels— Early— 88, 107. 

Eastern House — 118, 161. 
Exchange House — 118, 233. 
Forbus House — 98, 161, 174, 259. 
Franklin (Fowler) House — 88, 161. 
Gregory House — 172, 206. 
Mansion House — 123. 
Morgan House — 172, 206. 
Northern Hotel — 118, 126, 161, 190, 

259. 
Nelson House — 259. 
Poughkeepsie Hotel— 78, 86, 88, 98, 
126, 129, 131, 140, 161; list of 
purchasers in 1804 for political 
headquarters — 306. 
Houghton, Charles L. — 222. 
Houston, Andrew — 166. 
Howard, Harriet R. — 251. 
Howard, Seth, 1814 — 84. 
Howard, Peter M. — 219, 256. 
Howell, Eugene N. — 235, 240, 260, 264. 
Howland, Dr. Anna C. — 251. 
Rowland, Gardner R. — 141. 
Howland, Joseph — 122. 
Howland, Joseph (State Treas.) — 314. 
Howland, Peleg — 122. 
Howland, Seneca — 102. 
Hoysradt, Willett— 254. 
Hoyt, Dr. James — Biog. sketch — 284. 
Hoyt, Stephen (1804) — 74. 
Huddleston, the spy, hanged — 52. 
Hudson — 182, 183. 
Hudson River — Efforts to obstruct in 

Revolution — 40. 
Hudson River Iron Co. — 209, 225. 
Hudson River Railroad — See Railroads. 
Hudson River Slate Hospital— ^oS, 209. 
Hudson River Telephone Co. — 237 
Hufcut, Mrs. Horace D.— 266. 
Hughes, Charles T. — 263. 
Hughes, Christopher (1785) — 56. 
Hughes, Christopher — 1C2, 209. 
Hughes, Col. (Revolution) — j^ 
Hull, Dr. A. Cook— 209. 
Hull, George D. — 217. 
Hull, John F. — 138, 162, 208 '^g 
Hull, J. Frank (John F. Jr.)— 222, 2^7. 

244. ' ^ 

Hull, Mrs. J. Frank— 251 
Hull, William B.— 263. 
Hulinc. Peter — 224, 263. 
Humphrey, Cornelius (1775) 36, 



INDEX . 



321 



Humphrey, Col. William — 38, 41, 42. 

Hunt, Freeman, quoted — 1 18. 

Hunting, Edward — 172. 

Hunting, Isaac (1821) — 98. 

Hunter, Robert H. — 206, 225, 244, 253, 

259. 
Hussey, James (Capt. 1729) — 24. 
Husted, Gen. James W. — 221, 225. 
Husted, Walter I.— 188. 
Hustis, H. H.— 182. 
Hyde, Gny — 89. 
Hyde, Liberty — 161, 219. 
Hyde Park — 43, 84, 117, 170. 



Ibbottson, Henry — 137. 
Ice Yachting — 168-170, 221. 
Improvement Party — 108, 115, 123, 126, 

.135, 138. 
Indian names — Chapter I. 
Indians — 21, 26. 

Innis, Aaron, Sr. — 83, lOi, 107, 112, 117. 
Innis, Aaron, Jr. — 170, 171, 188, 216, 

220, 222, 227, 263. 
Innis, George — 117, 182, 186, 187, 188, 

208, 209, 215, 217, 220, 223; biog. 

sketch — 284. 
Innis, Mrs. George — 193. 
Innis, William R. — 263 
Insurance Companies — 90, 115, 162. 
Iron Foundries — 116, 136, i5i. 
Iron Furnaces — 143, IS7, 233- 



Jackson, Charles — 178, 181. 

Jackson campaign, 1828 — 103. 

Jackson, Joseph H. — 129, 131, 145, 147, 

151- 
Jarmon, John — 30. 
Jay, John — Sent to Pok. 1776—40; holds 

court in Pok. — 49; Constitutional 

Convention — 58, 59; vote of County 

for Governor — <5i. 
Jennings, Edgar S. — 177- 
Jennings, Eli — 120, 127. 
Jenny, William — 124. 
Jervis, John B. — 141. 
Jewett, Grace Bayley — 202. 
Jewett, Henry — 256. 
Jewett, Herman — 200. 
Jewett, Jacob B.— 141, 148, 151, 188, 190, 

223, 224. 
Jewett, Milo P.— 165, 167, 168, 203, 205. 
Jewett, Nathan H.— 145. 
Jewish Synagogue — 156. 
Jillard, Thomas — 247. 
Jillson, Augustus — 138. 
Jillson, J. A.— 161, 171- 
Johns, Victoria L. — 251. 
Johnson, Albert— 178, 181, 183. 
Johnson, Charles D. — 263. 
Johnson, Samuel (Wap. Falls)— 222. 
Johnston, Mattie F. (Mrs. Floy M.) — 

251. 
Johnston, Floy M.— 142, 222, 263. 
Johnston, F. R.— 173. 
Johnston, Theodore V.— 142, 170, 222, 

239. 
Johnston, Samuel B. — 14S, 148- 
Johnston, William S.— 142, 182, 185, 194, 

259. 
Jones, Catharine Rogers— 202. 

Jones, Edward — 141. 
Tones, Daniel — 160. 
Jones, Samuel (1788)— 59- 
Joy, P. A.— 161. 
Joyncr, Nathaniel — 91. 
Juffrow's Hook — 18. 



Kaal Rock (many spellings) — 9, 26, 44, 
69, 98. 

Kaess, William — 237. 

Keep, Jan (widow of) — 21. 

Kelly, Henry — 122. 

Kelly, Hon. William (Rbk.)— 167, 168, 
176, 182. 

Kemble, Gouverneur — 141. 

Kendrick, Rev. J. Ryland — 252. 

Kent, George — 133. 

Kent, James, in Pok. — 54, 55, 57 ; de- 
scribes Const. Convention — 59, 61. 

Kenworthy, Richard — 149, 172, 205, 215, 
217. 

Kerr, James A. — 263. 

Ketcham, James — 173. 

Ketcham, John N. — 115. 

Ketcham, Gen. John H. — 167, 172, 173, 
182, 190, 191, 195, 197, 200, 205, 
244 ; biog. sketch — 285. 

Ketcham, William M. — 244. 

Keteltas, William— 65. 

Kettel, Rev. G. F.— 178. 

Kidney's Creek, northern boundary city 
—70. 

Kidney, William (1804) — 74. 

Kiessler, P. — 266. 

Killey, Egbert B., Sr. — 73, 104, 129, 130, 
140, 141, 145, 146, 148. 

Killey, Mrs. Egbert B. (Julia A.)— IS7- 

Killey, Egbert B. Jr. — 171, 172, 242. 

Kimball, Dr. Grace N.— 251. 

Kimball, H. — 219. 

King, Andrew — 216, 218, 224. 

Kingston — Burning of — ^43, 44; Legis- 
lature there — 46, 51 ; other refer- 
ences — 27, 39, 89, 91, 107, 210. 

Kinney, John — 56. 

Kip, Matewis — 26. 

Kip, Jacob, Jr., Capt. 1729—24, 25. 

Kip, Rd., justice 1729 — 24. 

Kipp, James H. — 259. 

Kirchner, Charles — 220, 266. 

Kirchner Hall — 2ig, 262. 

Kirkwood, James P. — 212. 

Knapp, Abraham P. — loi. 

Knapp, George H. — 173. 

Kneass, Strickland — 220. 

Knickerbocker, Lowerens, Capt. 1729 — 
24. 

Knights of Columbus— 259, 263. 

Knights of Pythias— 263. 

Knower & Hobson, hat manufacturers, 
1798 — 69. 

Korner, Lieut. — 188. 

Kosciuszko, visit to Clinton at Pok. — 49. 

Kiihn, A. — 266. 



Labout, Sovryn, "the Baker," reference 
_ in Sanders-Harmse patent— 13, 16, 

17- , 

Lacounte, Boudewyn — 23, 25, 31, 70. 
Ladd, Rev. H. O., ref. to "Founding of 

the Episcopal Church in Dutchess 

county" — 2T,. 24. 
Lafayette, visits Clinton at Pok.— 49; 

visit to Pok., 1824—98, loi. 
Lamp District, ist— 312. 
Lamper, P.— 219. 
Lamoree, George — 162, 174. 
Lamoree, Nathaniel— 209. 
Lancaster School— 90, 144. 
Land grants, patents — 12-18, 32. 
Land titles questioned— 32. 



Landings — Lower (R. Davis's, Pine St.) 
— 28, 31, 82, 117, 174, 210; Main St. 
(Kaal Rock) — 26, 69, 77, 82, 83, 117, 
210, 230; Reade's Landing — 77; 
Union — 28, 69, 81, 82, 117, 143; Up- 
per (Hoffman's, Mill St.)— 82, 83, 
95, 117, 174. 210, 230; others — 82. 
Landon, Francis G. — 225, 265, 285. 
Landon, Jonathan — 36, 286. 
Lane, Dr. Charles E. — 247, 257, 286. 
Lane, John G. — 234. 
Lane, William J. — 234. 
Langdon, John (Revolution) — 39. 
Lansing, see also Lassing. 
Lansing, Derrick vs. D. Russell — ^^131. 
Lansing, Gerret, Indian mortgage — 11, 17. 
Lansing, Gerret (1798) — 67. 
Lansing, Gerret P. (1859)— 171. 
Lansing, W. C. — 242. 
Lansingh, Pieter, Indian deed to 1683 — 
10; petition for patent — 12; "Peter 
the Brewer," ancestor of Lansing, 
Lawson and Lossing families — 16. 
Lapham, Thomas — 133. 
La Roy, Simeon — 26, 30. 
Lasher, Haight & Kelley — 235. 
Lassing (Lassen), Abraham — 26. 
Lassing, Isaac — 26, 30. 
Lassing, Isaac, Jr. (1771) — 33- 
Lathrop, Edward (Vassar trustee) — 

167. 
Laufersweiler, Edward — 264. 
Lawrence, August, shipbuilder, Revolu- 
tion — 39, 49. 
Lawrence, Rev. Edward A. — 250, 251. 
Lawrence, Daniel — 49. 
Lawrence, William A. — 253. 
Lawson, Peter L. — 67. 
Leach & Co. (contractors) — 216. 
Leary, Dennis (Newburgh) — 170. 
Leary, William F. — 240. 
Lee, Ann, imprisoned in Pok. — 48. 
Lee, Per Lee A. — 251. 
Lee, Samuel (1826) — 121. 
Lee, William — 157. 
Lee, William Morgan — 224, 263. 
Lefever, Jacob — 244. 
Leggett, Thomas H.— 188. 
Legislature — Meetings at Pok. in Rev- 
olution and later — ^47, 49, 51, 56, 64; 
see also Assembly. 
Lloyd, Percival M. — 252. 
Lloyd, Thomas S. — 209. 
Lent, David B. — 86, 120, 121, 123, 127, 

I3S. 141, 156. 
Lent, George B. — 162, 192, 223. 
Lent, John R. — 153, 156, 161, 237, 260. 
Leonard, Moses G. (of N. Y.) — 140. 
Le Roy, Daniel — 170. 
Le Roy, Francis — 33, 78. 
Le Roy, Fransoy (Frans) — 21, 24, 26. 
Le Roy, Peter— 67. 
Lester, Catharine — 82. 
Leslie, Col. John R. — iSi, 204. 
Lewis, Barent — 25, 32. 
Lewis, D. — 173. 
Lewis, James (i77S) — 36. 
Lewis, J. F. — 157. 
Lewis, Jonathan (1775) — 36. 
Lewis, Leonard, judge, etc. — 20, 21, 28, 

30, 31, 78, 121. 
Lewis, Leonard B., collector 1803 — 72. 
Lewis, Miles K. — 259. 
Lewis, Gov. Morgan — 98, 306. 
Lewis, Thomas — 21. 

Liberty Poles (1775) — 35, 54; Civil 
War— 178. 



322 



INDEX 



Library, Pok. — go, 145, 146; Adriance 
Memorial — 2S3 ; Library Trustees — 
253. 

Lindley,. Alfred F. — 171, 188, 262. 

Littamore, Francis — 26. 

Littel, Emlen T. (N. Y. architect) — 206. 

Little Britain — 43. 

Little Giants — 173.- 

Livingston, Beekman — 53, 77. 

Livingston, Catharine, widow of Gilbert 
— 109. 

Livingston, Cornelia, marries Andrew 
Billings— 55. 

Livingston, Gil., Major 1734 — 25. 

Livingston, Gilbert (son of Henry) — 
29, 30 ; in Revolution — 36, 48 ; part- 
ner of James Kent — 54; Const. 
Convention — 57, 61 ; later — 65, 69, 
74, 304. 

Livingston, Henry (Colonial County 
Clerk) — 25, 26, 29, 32, 148; children 
of — 30; division of property, 1800 — 
.39, 77- 

Livingston, Henry, Jr., surveyor — 64, 65, 
68, 70. 

Livingston, H. A. (on map) — 71. 

Livingston, Henry A. — 89, 90, 98, 107, 
127, 129, 209. 

Livingston, Col. Henry B. (Revolu- 
tion)— 38, 39. 

Livingston, James — 23, 31, 32, 33, 36. 

Livingston. James G. (Sheriff 1761-69) 
26, 29. 

Livingston, Rev. John H. — 53, 68, 107. 

Livingston Mansion, built — 29; struck 
by shot. Revolution — 44. 

Livingston, Peter R. (1819) — 97, 98. 

Livingston, Philip J. (last Colonial 
Sheriff)— 29, 33, 35. 

Livingston, Robert Henry — 29, 72. 

Livingston, Robert R., Jr. (Chancellor) 
— 3S; Const. Convention — 58; can- 
didate for Governor — 61. 

Livingston, Robert G. (son of Robert 
. .I-)-29. 

Livingston, Robert L (of Clermont and 
Pok.) — 29, 69, 71, 83. 

Livingston, Samuel, in British Navy. 
Letter from to Henry Livingston — 

Livingston, Sidney M. (1830) — 122. 
Livingston, Walter (1791)^)9. 
Livingston, William T. — 120. 
Lockwood, J. Arthur — 263, 276. 
Lockwood, John — 107, 122. 
Locomotive Engine Factory — 136, 157. 
Looniis, Rev. Henry A. — 259. 
Lossing, Benson J. — 104, 167, 178, 182, 

208. 
Lossing, Mrs. Benson J, — 183, 193. 
Lottery, The, in Pok. — 99, 102. 
Louis Pbillippe, in Poughkeepsie — 124. 
Low, Aaron, 104. 
Low, Jacob^26. 
Low, John — 33. 

Lowell, James Russell (quotation) — 139. 
Lown, David — 157, 286. 
Lown, Frank B — 222, 225, 226, 2^2, 240, 

248, 254, 260; biog. sketch — 286. 
Loyalists (see also Tories) — 35. 
Lucas, C. S- — 143. 
Luckey, Charles P. — 138, 160. 
Luckey, James — 26. 
Luckey, Piatt & Co.— 160, 256, 286. 
Luckey, Samuel — 69. 
Ludlow, Gabriel H. — 26. 
Ludlow, George — 64. 
Ludlow, Rev. Henry G. — 147, 148. 
Linnl), George W — 209, 258, 287. 



Lumb, Levi — 209, 259. 

Lull, IJev. De Los — 191, 193. 

Lyceum — 145, 146, 165. 

Lyman, G. K. — 133. 

Lynch, C. E. — 235. 

Lyster, Peter — 33. 

M 

Mabbett, James — 115, 215. 
Macdonald, Charles F. — 228. 
MacGeorge, William — 145, 165, 204. 
Mack, John E., biog. sketch — 287. 
Macpherson, Thomas J. — 266. 
Madison, Charles H. — 251. 
Magoon, E. L. (Vassar trustee) — 167. 
Maison, Gen. Leonard — 99, 102, log, 120, 

129, 131, 141. 
Maison, Peter R.— 86, 89, 90. 
Mallory, David S.— 161. 
Maloney, William R. — 247, 263. 
Manchester — 84. 

Mann, Rev. Alexander M. — 147, 148, 154. 
Mann, Mrs. Alexander M— 148. . 
Manney, John, assessor 1803 — 72. 
Mansion Square — 123, 125, 200. 
Manufacturing, before 1815 — 83, 84, 86; 

1815-1837—95, 115-117; 1837-1854— 

136, 143; 1854-1861-157, 158, 161; 

1865-1873 — 209, 210; recent — 233- 

237. 
Maps of Pok., 1798—8; 1770 — 31; 1790— 

65; 1799—71; 1837—111- 
Marble, Byron M. — 266. 
Marble, James F. — 112. 
Marglea, Chris (1804)— 74. 
Marill, Dr. J., biog. sketch— 288. 
Market, village dispute over — 73. 
Market St. named-— 67, yy, 305 ; paved — 

108, 310. 
Markle, George (1803)— 73. 
Marriages (Colonial) — 30. 
Marsh, Silas (1775) — 36. 
Marshall, D. C— 172. 
Marshall, Edwin — 171. 
Marshall, Ejihu (Revolution) — 49. 
Marshall, George C. — ug, 145. 
Marshall, James — 217, 218, 260. 
Marshall, Joseph H.— 208. 
Marshall. Robert — T17. 
Martin, Charles — 266. 
Martin, Henry S. — 153. 
Martin, Jeremiah (1814) — 86. 
Masons, Free — 50. 103, 104, 194; Pok. 

Lodge — 133 ; Triune Lodge — 263 ; 

Masonic Temple — 263. 
Mathews, John H.— 188, 210. 
Matthews, Samuel — 162. 
Matthews, DeWitt C— 257. 
Mawenawasigh, Indian name of Wap- 

pingcrs Creek — 12, 15, 266. 
Maxfield. John — 25. 
Mayors, list of — 312, 313. 
Maxon, Joseph, 1804 — 74. 
Maurice, Charles S. — 228. 
McCabe, Charles — 239. 
McCaffertv, Robert — 259. 
McCandless. Gardner F. (N. Y.)— 220, 
McCarth}', James — 174. 
Mccgriery, Ened, marriage 1738 — 30 
McClellan. Charles H. P.— 145, 165. 
McConnell. Robert— 182. 
McDonald, Jack — 215. 
McDougall, Gen. Alexander — 51. 
McDuffee, D. (editor 181 1)— 91. 
McDuftie, Sharp & Proper — 136. 
McEckron, Rev. G. M.— 194. 
McEnery, Sen. L. B. (of La.)— 165. 
WcEuen. Malcom — 49. 
McGee, R. J.— 263. 



Mclntyre, Patrick — 210. 

McKeen, Levi — 74, 76, 89, 90, 123. 

McKesson, John (Revolution) — 41. 

McKinney, James — 173. 

McLellan, George W. — 165, 183. 

McLean, John — 161, 224. 

McLeod, Archibald A. — 230. 

McSweeny, Rev. Edward — 206. 

McWhinnie, Thomas — 209; biog .sketch 
—288. 

Medical Society, Dutchess County — 90. 

Medlar, Aaron — 33. 

Meeks, Edgar M. — 222. 

Meeks, Richard C. — 223. 

Meetings (public), village — 73, 119, 128, 
148, 198; political — 131, 172-173, 198; 
Civil War— 176, 178, 183. 

Meinecke, P. — 266. 

Melrose, J. D. — 2ig. 

Mendelssohn Society — 266. 

Merritt, Isaac — 112, 138, 216. 

Metzler, E.— 86. 

Meyer, Capt. B. F.— 263. 

Meynema, Rev. B., 2nd pastor Dutch 
Church — 22. 

Michaels, Lieut. — 188. 

Miles, Mrs. William A. — 266. 

Militia, Dutchess, Colonial officers — 24, 
25, 27; Revolution — 38, 40, 41. 42, 
51, 52; Officers, 1786-1799 — 302, 303; 
War of 1812 — 92; 2ist Reg. — 175, 
188, 262; 19th and 15th Sep. Go's.- 
262, 263. 

Millard, J. H.— 248. 
Millbrook — 216, 234. 
Miller, Alex. Litch— 49. 
Miller, Dr. C. D.— 233. 
Miller, Henry — 84. 
Miller, Henry C— 161. 
Miller, John W. (i860)— 161. 
Miller, Leonard C. — 222. 
Miller, Peter— 68. 
Mill Ponds — 31, 83, in, 212, 214. 
Mills, first saw mill — 10, 16, 18; early 
grist mills — 28, 30; in Revolution — 
so, 52; after Revolution — 69, 71; af- 
ter 1800 — 77, 83, 84. loi, 156; see 
also Red Mills. 
Mills, James — 86, 99, 127. 
Milton Ferry — 69. 
Mitchell, Isaac, editor and author — 62, 

91- 
Mitchell, Maria — 203. 
Mitchell, Thomas — 77. 
Mitchell, Robert— 129. 
Mohonk (Lake) — 205. 
Montgomery, Gen. Richard — 36, 39. 
Moravian Mission to Indians — 26, 27. 
Moore, James (1803) — 76. 
Moore, J. Leverett — 138. 
Moore, John — 190. 
More, Charles C— 263. 
Morehouse, Col. Andrew — 38. 
Morgan, Caleb — 129, 145. 156, 210. 
Morgan, Edwin D. — 104, 141, 168. 
Morgan. George — 204. 206, 20S. 215. 
Morgan Lake — 210, 212. 
Morgan, Peter B., fire warden 1803 — 72. 
Morgan, Richard D. — 140. 
Morgan. Richard P. — 259. 
Morgan, William S. — 104. 145. 172. 
Morgan. Mrs. William S.— 183. 193. 
Morris. Henry — 149. 
Morris, Henry W. — 172, 218. 
Morschauser. Charles — 240. 
Morschauser, Joseph — 244. 247 ; biog. 

sketch — 289. 
Morse. Prof. S. F. B.— 140, 147. 167 
Morton, Mrs. Levi P.— 68, 78 



INDEX 



32^ 



Morton, Thana — 69. 

Morton, Thomas (Newburgli) — 222. 

Moss, Joshua — 33. 

Mott, Capt. of riflemen 1796 — 62. 

Mott, Ebenczer — 69. 

Mott, John— 77. 

Mott, Thomas (1799) — 66. 

Mullcr, Frank— 188. 

Mulrein, James — 161, 219, 220. 

Muntross, John, Capt. (1729) — 24. 

Mnrphy, Charles — 158. 

Murray, John — 81. 

Museum, Poughkeepsie — 166. 

Myer, Peter B.— 98. 

Myers, Fannie S. — 266. 

Myers, Henry (Pine Plains) — 222. 

Myer.s, Henry D. — no, 122, 137, 138, 217, 

224. 
Myers, John S. — 102, 121, 219. 
Myers, Matthew J.— 138, 145. 
Myers, Michael J. — 217. 
Myers, Nathan — 90. 
Mygatt, Ambrose — 1(12. 
Mylod, John J.— 242, 2(>i. 

N 
Nagengast, George — 261, 262, 2S9. 
Nash, Isaac — 129. 
National Guard — Sec Militia. 
Neilsdu, Samuel, dies in Pok. 1803 — 73. 
Nelson, Mrs. C. M— 251. 289. 
Nelson, Homer A. — 17(1, 182, 183, 184, 

I9r, 205, 216, 220, 248, 259, 264. 
Nelson, Helen J. (Mrs. Homer A.) — 



251. 
Nelson, 
Nelson, 
Nelson, 
NcKon, 
Nelson, 
NelsDii, 



J. M.— 108. 
John P.— 156. 
John — 74. 

Capt. Joseph — 91, 92. 
Richard — 92. 

Thomas — 67, 72, 78, 89, 91. 
-•Al. 289. 



Nelson, Hon. Williani- 

Nesbitt, F. J.— 263. 

Ne\illc, Uorsey — 237. 

Ne\ ins, John T. — 2(13. 

Newlinid, Fred R.— 2<i4. 

Ncwhold, Thomas — 240. 

New Bedford, Mass. — 112. 

New Brunswick — Tories settle there — 38. 

Newburgli — 27, 44, 50, 92, 117, 208, 210. 

Newcomb, Zacheus — 77. 

New England Society — 264. 

New Hamburgh — 33, 82; disaster — 206. 

New Hampshire, ratilies Constitution — 

58. 
Newhouse, Jonathan (1807) — 90. 
New Paltz— 17, 18, 69, 124, 143, 216. 
Newspapers — Advertiser — 219. 

American (1845)— 133. 

American Farmer (1798) — 62. 91. 

Anti-Mason — 104. 

Bulletin (ist daily, 1849)— 148. 

Casket — 5(), 104. 

Courier, Sunday — 205. 

Democrat — 133, 172. 

Dutchess Fanner — 242. 

Eagle— 104; united with Journal— 
131; location — 161, 219; daily 
established — 174 ; sketch — 278. 

Enterprise (Daily I'^cniiig) — 242. 

b'armer (1806) — 91. 

Fire of the Flint (l.nssing)— 131. 

Gazette — 156. 

Guardian (i8or) — ()i. 

Herald. Republican (1811)— 91. 

lnc|iiirer — 104. 

Tnlelligenccr — 103, 104. 

l.iurnal. Holt's (Revolution)- 50, 
51- 



Journal, Poughkeepsie — 55, 56, 62, 
86; P. Potter — 91; supports 
Jackson — 103 ; Conservatives — 
129-131 ; united with Eagle — 131. 

Journal, Republican (1796) — 62. 

News, Daily — 205; News - Press, 
News-Telegraph — 240. 

Observer — 92, 103. 

Political Barometer — 91. 

Poughkcepsian, Daily — 186, 205. 

Poughkeepsie — 247. 

Press, Daily — 148, 186, 240. 

Republican — 104. 

Star (Daily Evening) — 247. 

Telegraph — 102, 103, 104, 172, 174; 
united with New.s — 240. 

Temperance Safeguard — 133. 

Thompsonian — 133. 

True American — 103. 
New Windsor — 39, 46. 
Nichols, Thomas J. — 148, 205. 
Nilan, Rev. James — 251, 253. 
Niver, Conrad (Ancram) — 215. 
Nolly, Joseph — 69. 
Norman, D. R. — 171. 
Norris, David — 146. 
North East (Town of) — 69. 
North, Reuben — 162. 
North, Robert, letter from Albany — 48. 
Norton, Thoinas (1792) — 66. 
Novitiate of St. Andrew — 257. 
Noxon, Bartholomew — 26, 32, 33, 36, 65. 
No-xon, Robert- 67, 72, 90. 
Nye, Ebenezer — 102. 

O 

Oakley, George P.— 73, 74, 82, 83, 95, 99, 
103, 107, 108, 112, 120, 123, 124, 126, 

i-'7, 137- 
Oakley, Jesse — 61, 69, 72, 74, 83, 86, 90, 

lor. 
Oakley, John H.— 89. 
Oakley, Judge Thomas J.— 55. 83, 9-'. 98. 
O'Brien, Jnlin — J2~, 
Odd Fellows— 133, 194, 263. 
Odell, Casper L. — 263. 
Office Holders (list 1729)— 24, 25. 
Ogden, J. & J. (i860)— 161. 
Oosterhout, Lowerens(Capt. 1729) — 24. 
O'Rourke, John F.— 228. 
t)rton, James — 204. 
Osborne, Edward B.— 133, 171, 172, 176, 

222. 225, 242. 
Oslerhout, Jan (Ensign 1734) — 25. 
Ostrander, Charles — 31. 
Ostrander, Gideon — 24. 
Ostroni, Jan (1718) — 21. 
Ostrom, Hendrick — if 
Oswego, N. Y.— 166. 
Otis, John H.— 153, 154, 175, 1S2. 
Overbaugh, Abraham (1830) — 122. 
Overhaugh, Helen — 127. 
Overbaugh & Stanton (i860)— 161. 
Owen, Joshua — 32. 



Paine, Arthur B. — 228. 

Paine, Ephraim — 3(1, 49. 

Paine, George W — 172. 

Palmatier, Jacobus — 32. 

Palmatier, John — 67. 

Palmatier, Magiel Sr,, Jr., and Pieter— 

21. 
Palmatier, Michael — 22, 
Palmatier, Peter— 22. 
Palmer, Abiah W, (.\nicnia)— 205. 200. 
Palmer, Enos H.— 153. 



Palmer, Nathaniel — 175, 177, 197. 

Palmer, Robert N. — 153, 217, 218. 

Palmer, Dr. Stephen, biog. sketch — 290. 

Palmatier, Rebecca (1740) — 30. 

Pardee Block — 219. 

Pardee, Stephen — 81, 82. 

Pardee, Nelson J. — 170. 

Parish, Thomas — 186, 190, 222. 

Parish, James — 222. 

Parker, Amasa J. — 172. 

Parker, Dr. Edward H. — 207, 216, 239, 

251, 290. 
Parker, George (1807) — 78, 90. 
Parker, George H. — 171. 
Parker, George — 182, 209, 216, 217, 220, 

223. 
Parker, John G. — 129. 
Parker, Thomas — 188. 
Parsons, Frederick T. — 103, 104. 
Paving, cobblestones — 81, 108; signers 

of petitions — 307, 308; asphalt — 244. 
Pawling (Town of) — 69. 
Payn, Lewis F. — 240. 
Payne & Fowler — 161. 
Payne, John C. — 171. 
Payne, Thomas R. — 138. 
Pearce, John — 82. 

Pease, Albert S.— 130, 14S, 181, 186. 
Pease, E. R. — 219. 
Peasley, George — 215. 
Peck, Elisha — 141. 
Peck, Richard— 182. 
Peck, Rufus — 77. 

Peckham, Dr. Alva L., biog. sketch — 291. 
Peek, George (Revolution) — 49. 
Peekskill— 43, 50. 
Pelham, Stewart — 204. 
Pells, Abraham (1798) — 70, 67. 
Pells, Evert— 67. 
Pells, Francis (1804)— 78. 
Pells, John E.— 74, 78. 
Pells, Zephaniah^?6. 
Pels, Hendrick — 21, 30. 
Pels, Michael— 33. 
Pelton, Charles AI. — 115, 136, 151. 
Pelton, George P. — 1(56, 216, 217, 220, 

227. 
Pelton, Henry V. — 222, 250. 
Pelton, Mrs. Henry V. — 250. 
Pelton, John W. — 222. 264. 
Peudergast, William, trial — 27. 
Pendleton, Judge Edmund H. — 104. 
Pennoyer, Frederick — 83. 
Perkins, John S. — 157. 
Perkins, Lithgow T.— 188. 
Per Lee, Edmund — 69. 
Peters, Charles — 266. 
Peters, Charles C. — 171. 
Phillips, Adelaide — 266. 
David— Si, 84. 
Rev. John — 90. 
Marquis de LaFayette (1826) — 



Phillips, 
Phillips, 
Phillips, 
121. 
Phillips 
PhimicN 



(Town of) — 69. 
F. S.— 161. 
Phcenix I-Iorse Shoe Co. — 227. 
Pier, Silvester — 251. 
Pierce, George T. — 167, 176. 
Pierce. Marinus — 108. 117. 
Pilgrim, Dr, Charles W — 208. 
Pinckney, William — 18=;. 
Pine Hall— 176, 182, 1S8, 193, 206. 
Pine Plains — 139, 143, 214. 
Pine, Col. Henry — 129, 131, 
Pine, Dr. Per lice — 145, 150, 176, 18S. 
Pine, Samuel — 117. 122. 
Pine Street— 28. 67. 77. 
Pinkncy, Samuel — 67. 
Pitcher, Cornelius — 224. 



324 



INDEX. 



Pittsbury Church (Washington Hollow) 

—23- 
Pitts, Elias — 133. 
Place, Charles — 171. 
Plank Roads — 143. 
Piatt, Dr. A. H.— 133. 
Piatt, Edmund — 253. 
Piatt, Edmund P. — 160, 251 ; see also 

Luckey, Piatt & Co. 
Piatt, Mrs. Edmund P. (Mary E. Bart- 

lett)— 251. 
Piatt families — 61, (note) 62. 
Piatt, James B. — 217, 244, 251. 
Piatt, Mrs. James B. (Emma Bartlett) 

—251- 
Piatt, Isaac — 102, 103, 117, 129, 130, 133, 

138, 140, 141, 14s, 173, 182, 185, 215, 

216. 
Piatt, Mrs. Isaac — 157. 
Piatt, Isaac I. — 190. 
Piatt, John I. — 57, 157, I74. 188, 191, 

216, 220, 222, 223, 227, 228, 230, 237, 

240, 251. 
Piatt, Jonas (son of Zephaniah) — 55, 77, 

102. 
Piatt (Platto ?), Thomas— 108. 
Piatt, Zephaniah— 32, 34, 35, 36, 39, 44; 

Judge, after Revolution — 55, 63 ; 

Constitutional Convention — 57, 59 ; 

Founds Plattsburgh — 61, 62. 
Platto, Thomas (i860) — 161. 
Platto, Capt. William— 197. 
Pleasant Valley — 23, 43, 215. 
Plough, Jacob^2i. 
Plunkett, Michael — 223. 
Polhemus, Rev. A. — 145. 
Political Parties — 

Abolitionist — 172. 

Anti-Clintonian — 97. 

Anti-Federalist- 56-62, 88. 

Anti-Masonic — 103, 104, 133. 

Clintonian — 91, 97, 98, 308. 

Conservative (1821) — 98, 309; 
(1838)— 129. 

Democratic — 103, 129-133, 153 ; (in 
war) — 176, 186, 188-191; re- 
cent — 205, 224, 239-244. 

Federalist — 56-62, 91, 92, 96-98, 102, 
103. 

Free-Soil (soft shell. Barnburners) 
—133. 172- 

Liberal (Greeley) — 205. 

Loco-Foco — 128-130. 

Prohibitionist — 172. 

Republican (Jeffersonian — 62, 88- 
91, 92, 102-104; (modern) — 172, 
174, 188-191, 205, 206, 224, 225, 
239-244. 

Native American (Know Nothing) 
—133, 172. 

Whig— 104, 128-133, I.S3, 172. 
Politics, Early — 61, 62, 68. 

1800-1815 — 91, 92. 

1815-1837 — 96-98, 102-104. 

1837-1854— 128, 135- 

1854-1861— 153, 154, 171-174- 

1861-1865— 186, 188-191. 

1865-1873 — 205, 206. 

Recent — 223-225, 239-247. 
Police — 150, 171, 239. 
Police Commissioners — 239. 
Polk, George W. — 158, 168, 170, 215, 222, 

228, 233. 
Pomeroy, George — 138. 
Population statistics — 306; comparisons. 

etc. — 19, 27, 54, 210. 
Poquosin, Pacaksin.g, etc., Indian names, 

discussion of derivation of Pough- 

keepsie — 12, 15. 



Porter, Rev. E. S. (Chatham)— 145. 

Post, Edward — 170. 

Post, N. Y. Evening, about Pok. (1838) 

—135. 
Post, James S. — 172, 219. 
Postmasters, list of — 311. 
Post Road, early location, etc — 18, 19, 

20, 27; map (1770) — 31; map (1798) 

— 8, 68; Highland Turnpike — 73, 78. 
Post Office, location — 56, 86, 130, 197; 

new — 259. 
Potter, Bishop Horatio — 102, 157. 
Potter, Paraclete — 86, 90, 91, 98, 101-103, 

112, 119, 123, 129, 135, 137, 138. 
Potter, Rufus — 119. 
Poucher, Dr. J. W. — 244 ; biog. sketch — 

291. 
Poughkeepsie Bridge, planned — 219-221 ; 

finished — 227-230. 
Poughkeepsie Iron Company — 143, 233, 

234- 
Poughkeepsie — 

Meaning and derivation of word — 

9-15. 

Population — 306. 

Precinct formed — 25. 

Resolutions (1774) — 34. 

State capital — 46. 

Village incorporated — 69, 71; vil- 
lage trustees — 304. 

City incorporated — 151. 

City government organized — 153. 

City officers, list of — 312, 313. 
Pound Masters — 26, 33, 73. 
Powell, Caleb — 122. 
Powell, Henry — 120, 122. 
Powell, Dr. Horace R. — 253. 
Powell, Joseph (1804) — 74. 
Power, Henry R. — 153. 
Power, Nicholas (founder of Pough- 
keepsie Journal) — 55, 56, 60, 62, 86. 
Powers, Thomas A. — 263. 
Pownal, Governor; reference to old 

print of "Pakepsey" — 10. 
Pratt, Mrs. Mary Morris— 248. 
Preston, Senator William C. — 131. 
Pritchard, James (Revolution) — 49. 
Pride's Tavern — 53. 

Provincial Congress, Delegates to — 35. 
Provincial Convention, Delegates to 

(177.S)— 36. 
Pudney, Richard — 99, 102, 107, 112. 
Pugsley, Frederick W. — 210, 248 
Pultz, J. I.— 216. 
Purser, Thomas (partner of M. Vassar) 

-85. 
Putnam County (part of Dutchess) — 

40, S4- 
Putnam, Howard B. — 222. 
Putnam, Gen. Israel — 40, 41 ; follows 

Vaughn's ships — 43, 44. 

Q 

Quigley, Edward — 188. 
Quintard, F. F. (i860)— 161. 

R 

Radcliff, Jacob — 69. 

Radcliffe, John — 90. 

Radcliff, William (Sheriff 1799)— 65. 

Railroads — 

First planned — 115, 137, 139. 

Central New England — 230. 

Dutchess & Columbia — 215, 216, 227. 

Dutchess County — 230. 

Citx- R. R.— 216; 227, 244. 

Harlem — 140, 214. 



Hudson River — 139-143, 210, 235; 
Subscribers to stock in 1847 — 

311- 

N. Y., N. H. & H.— 230. 

City, electric — 244. 

P. & E. — 214-216, 227, 230. 

Rhinebeck & Ct.— 216, 227. 

Wallkill Valley— 216. 
Ramsdell, Homer — 210, 230. 
Rand, J. B. G.— 212. 
Ranney, Thomas S. — 104, 144. 
Ransom, J. — 161. 
Ransom, Thomas H. — 263. 
Rapelje, Lawrence C. — 220. 
Ranch, C— 266. 
Raymond, John H. (Vassar College) — 

167, 203. 
Raymond, Mary Carrington — 202. 
Reade, John (Landing) — 77. 
Real Estate sales — no, 126, 136, 138, 216- 

219, 259, 260. 
Reckard, S. B. (i860)— 161. 
Records, early county deeds, etc. — 20. 
Records, early village — 72. 
Recorders, list of — 313. 
Red Hook (Vaughn's Raid) — 43, 44. 
Red Mills — 84, 156, 158, 209, 214. 
Reed, Henry A. — 161, 219. 
Reed, Rev. John — 90. 
Reed, Rev. John J. — 252. 
Refugees in 1778^-^51. 
Regiments — See Militia; also for Civil 

War— 181-188, 197. 
Relay, Lewis — 81. 
Reliance (Steamer), names of persons 

serving on in Civil War — 312. 
Religious prejudices — 24. 
Renwick, James (architect) — 168. 
Republican Crisis (Albany newspaper) 

—91. 
Republican Herald (newspaper 181 1) — 

91, 92, 97. 
Rescue Mission — 251. 
Retail Merchants' Association — 239. 
Revolution — 34-54. 
Reynolds, Benjamin B. — 153. 
Reynolds, Clarence J. — 266. 
Reynolds, Egbert — 223. 
Reynolds, Harris S. — 264. 
Reynolds, Miss Helen W. — 23, 266. 
Reynolds, James, ist — 78, 81, 83, 95, 96, 

loi, 117. 
Reynolds, James, 2nd — 145, 175. 
Reynolds, James 3rd — 263, 264. 
Reynolds, William T. — 160, 210; biog. 

sketch — 293. 
Reynolds, William Winans — 138, 148, 

17s, 208, 210. 
Reynolds, William Wall — 146. 
Rhinebeck — 17, 68, 227. 
Rice, Rev. C. D.— 205. 
Rider, Rev. George T. — 205. 
Rider, William (innkeeper 1798) — 67, 69. 
Riedenger & Caire (i860) — 161. 
Rinders, Trintie and Helena married 

1738, 1741—30. 
Ringwood, John F. — 263. 
Riordan, Rev. Michael — 147, 178. 
Ritter, Frederick Louis — 266. 
River trade, colonial — 28; increase after 

Revolution — 54, 81, 83 ; 1815-1850 — 

117, 118, 142; recent — 210, 230-233. 
Rives, George L. — 222. 
Rives, Reginald W. — 259. 
Roads, early highways — 18, 26, 67; see 

also streets. 
Roberts, Charles H. — 161. 220. 
Robinson, Beverly — 33, 36, 38. 
Robinson, Charles (1851) — 167. 



INDEX. 



325 



Robinson, E. G. (Vassar trustee) — 167. 

Robinson H. C. (Mayor Hartford) — 221. 

Robinson, John D. — 135. 

Robinson, John Starks (1799) — 66. 

Robson, Adam — 161. 

Rochester University — 167. 

Rockefeller, John D. (gifts to Vassar 
College) — 248. 

Rockwell, William P. — 227 (note). 

Rogers, Archibald — 242. 

Rohr, Otto— 266. 

Romine, Isaac — 68. 

Roomin (Remain?), David — 30. 

Roosevelt, Isaac, letters to Richard 
Varick (1788)— 58, 59. 

Roosevelt, Isaac (1830) — 122. 

Roosevelt, John A. — 58, 60, 170, 222. 

Ross, Sanford & Baird — 228. 

Rothery, A. G.— 263. 

Rowing — 170, 171, 222. 263, 264. 

Rowland, P. vS.— 161, 263. 

Rowley, Charles M. — 240. 

Royce, W. A.— 138. 

Rubinstein Club — 266. 

Rudd, Theron — 89, 92, 93. 

Rudd, Zebulon — 13S, 192. 

Ruggles, Judge Charles H. — 123, 127, 
129, 172, 173, 176. 

Ruggles, Mrs. Charles H. — 183, 193. 

Ruggles, Henry J., letter quoted — J2i. 

Ruggles, Philo — 92. 

Rupley, Samuel K. — 237, 263. 

Ruppert, Jacob — 225. 

Russell, Isaac F. — 133. 

Rutgers, Anthony — 82 

Rust Platz (name of stream) — 18, 148. 

Rutsen, Jacob (letter 1745 to Henry 
Livingston ) — 27. 

Rutzer, John H. — 141, 161, 259. 

Rynders, Harmen ("Stcbo" or bell ring- 
er 1722) — 20, 21. 

Rynders, John — 26. 

Rysdyck, Rev. Isaac — 23. 

S 

Sackett, Leonard B. — 153, 206, 223, 224, 

248. 
Sackett, Nathaniel — 36. 
Sackett, Richard (First County Clerk) — 

20, 21. 
Sage, Russell — 230 (note). 
Sadlier, Dr. James E., biog. sketch — 294. 
Sagiie, Mrs. Horace — 251. 
Sague, John K. — 263. 
Salisbury Iron Works (Ct.) — 40, 44, 49 
Salt Point — 143, 215. 
Sanders, Elsie (widow of Robert) — 19. 
Sanders, Robert (first Patentee) — 16, 18. 
Sands, James — loi. 
Sands, Henry and George — 32. 
Sands, Isaac G. — 210, 215. 
Sands, Moses C. — 162. 
Sands, William — 102. 
Sanford, G. (i860)— 161. 
Sanford, Hon. Nathan — 162. 
Sanford & Hull— ts6. 
Sanford, Mrs. Peter P.— 148. 
Sanford, Robert — 162, 165, 207, 209; 

biog. sketch — 295. 
Sanford, Mrs. Robert — 266. 
Sanford, William N. — 247. 
Sanitary Fair — T93. 
Saratoga — 27, 39, 186. 
Saunders, Thomas — 21, 24. 
Say res, John (1805")— 73, 7^ 
Scarborough. Rev. John — 157, 252. 
Scheefer, Hcnrie — 24. 
Schell, William R.— 162. 



Schenck, Abraham (1821) — 98. 
Schenck, Gysbert — 36. 
Schenck, John (Revolution) — 38, 41. 
Schenck, Paul (Revolution)— 39; store 

on Main St.— 86. 
Schepmoes, Joseph — 247. 
Schermerhorn, Elizabeth — 250. 
Schickle, William — 138, 264. 
Schlosser, L. — 266. 
Schlude, George— 188. 
Schofield, Stephen (1813) — 82, 263. 
Schools — 

Gov. Clinton's message (1795) — 68; 
early — 89, 90. 

Academy, Dutchess Co., first — 64, 
65, 253 ; new — 124, 144, 165, 204. 

Academy, Pok. Female — 123, 145, 
165, 254. 

Academy, Free (High School) — 165. 

Bisbee's High School — 165. 

Bishop's — 204. 

Bockee's — 205. 

Brooks' Seminary — 205. 

Butler's Home Inst. — 205. 

Collegiate (College Hill) — 123, 124, 
144; abandoned — 204. 

Collegiate Inst. (Female) — 145, 165; 
Cook's — 205 ; Lyndon Hall — 254. 

Cottage Hill Seminary — 165, 176. 

Deaf Mutes— 165. 

Friends (Mansion Sq.) — 129, 145. 

Free Public Schools — 144, 145, 151, 

254. 

Mrs. Herrick's — 205. 

High School — 165, 204. 

Jewelt's — See Warring's, also Cot- 
tage Hill. 

Law School — 145, 162, 165. 

Lancaster School — 90, 144, 146. 

Leslie's — 204. 

L\'ndon Hall — 14S, 254. 

Miley's — 314. 

Military Inst. — See Warring's. 

Mansion Sq. Female — 165. 

Pelliam Inst. — 204, 205. 

Putnam Hall — 205. 

Quincy — 254. 

Riverview Military Academy — 204, 

254, 294- 

Warring'.s — 204, 205, 254. 

See also Eastman College and 
Vassar College. 
School Commissioners (first for Town 

of Pok.) — 69; see also education. 
Schoonmaker. Rev. Henricus — 23. 
Schram, William — 131. 
Schram. Mrs. William — 183. 
Schrauth, Jacob and Sons, Edward and 

William H., biog. sketch — 29S-296. 
Schryver, John T. — 104, 115, 138. 
Schr\ver, Peter A (1830) — 122. 
Schuster, Peter — 1S5. 
Schuvler, Col. Peter (sells land 1699) — 

18. 
Schuyler, Philip (letter about, 1745) — 

27. 
Schwartz. John — 235. 
Scoot, Jonas — 2\. 

Scott, Thomas .'\. (Philadelphia) — 220. 
Scott, William — 24. 
Scott, D. & Co.— t6i. 
Scoute, Svmon — iS. 
Seahurv, Rev. Samuel (founds English 

Church)— 23. 28. 
Seaman, George — 264. 
Seaman, Henry — 157. 
Seaman, Isaac N, — 259 
Seaman, James Harvey — 153, 175, 188. 
Seaman, Nathaniel — 28. 



Seainan, Oscar Nelson, biog. sketch — 

297. 
Seaman, Stephen (Revolution) — ^49. 
Sedgwick, C. H. & William (i860)— 161. 
Sedgwick, E. H. — 217. 
Seward, James A. — 192. 
Seward, William H. (election 1838) — 

129. 
Shatemuc Boat Club — 222. 
Shaw, Daniel — 49. 
Shaw, Henry W. (Josh Billings) — 153, 

154, 170, 171, 204. 
Shedd, Dr. O. M.— 247. 
Sheldon, Smith — 167. 
Sheldon, Wilson B. — 162. 
Sheiman, Alfred — 177. 
Sherman, David S. — 112. 
Sherman, George H. — 244. 
Sherman, Howland R. — 117, 129, 145, 

167. 
Sherrill, Hunting — 84. 
Sherrill, Isaac W. — 244, 253. 
Shields, John W.— 156, 185. 
Shields, William — 161, 208. 
Shinplasters (1815) — 95; (1837) — 128; 

(Civil War) — 192, 205. 
Ship Building, in Revolution — 39, 41, 49; 

in whaling days, 112; after 1837 — 

143, 158, 233; for ship yards also— 
. 77- 
Ship Yard Point (Fox's Point) — 39, 71. 
Shook, Jacob — 104. 
Shurter, James W. — 186. 
Shwartz, M. — 219, 314. 
Sickley, John C. — 250, 253, 264. 
Silk Company, Poughkeepsie (1835) — 

115, 116, 127. 
Silloway, Caroline — 254. 
Simmons, Edward H.-^I73. 
Simpson & Beesmer (i860) — 161. 
Simpson, Cornelius — 81. 
Simpson, Thomas — 146. 
Sincerbox, H. H. — 182. 
Sisson, Isaac — 172. 
Sketcbley, A. M. & E.— 89. 
Skinner, Warren — 118, 153. 
Slater, James — yj,, 81. 
Slavery in Poughkeepsie — 62-64 ; Gen. 

Tallmadge — 96, 97 ; later politics— 

133, 172, 173; fugitive arrested — 13.=;; 

list of people who freed their 

slaves— 301-302; slave births regis- 
tered — 302. 
Slee, John G. — 263. 
Slee, Robert — 160, 192, 206, 208, 220. 
Slee, Samuel (1814) — 84. 
Sleight, Henry A. — 223. 
Sleight & Paulding — 157. 
Sloan, Jared (Gerard S.)— 78, 86. 
Smeart, George — 49. 
Smeedcs, Jan (Indian deed, 1683) — 10, 

16, 17 
Smillie, William C. — 1=;7. 
Smith, Gen. Alfred B. — 157, 173, 175, 

182, 183. 197, 216, 220, 2i7. 
Smith, .Andrew — 262. 
Smith, Anning — 220. 
Smith Brothers — 191, 235. 
Smith, Casper D. — 13S, 145. T47. 
Smith, De\o — 219. 
Smith, Henry C— 183. 
Smith, Isaac ( Amenia, 1802) — 77. 
Smith, Isaac Piatt — 210. 
Snu'th. Jnmes (1775) — },6. 37. 
Smith, Col. James (o"f f28th Reg.) — 

182, 
Smith, Col. James (of 21st Reg.) — 222 

262 
Smith, James & Son — 161. 



326 



INDEX. 



Smith, James Scott (ist Pres. Village) 
—fA, 67, 72. 

Smith, John (1804)— 74. 

Smith, J. Edward — 252. 

Smith, Rev. J. M.— 90. 

Smith, Kate — 251. 

Smith, Melancthon— 36, 40, S7, 61. 

Smith, Morgan L. — 167. 

Smith's Restaurant — 161. 

Smith, Samuel (1798) — 67. 

Smith, William (1804) — 74 

Smith, William A. — 254. 

Smith, William C. (1848)— 149. 

Smith, William W. — 206, 250, 251, 252, 
262. 

Snedeker, Richard— 31, 32, 33, 36, 37, 4i. 
47, 65. 

Social life — 59, 96, 221, 222, 263. 

Solomon, David (N. Y.) — 220. 

Sons of Temperance — 133, 194. 

South wick, Edward — 39, 122. 

Southwick, Robert B. — 122. 

Southwick, Solomon — 104. 

Southwick, William C. — 138, 153, 172. 

Southwick, Zadock — 83, 90, 168. 

Spaight, John W. — 148. 

Spater, Johannis (minister 1735) — 25. 

Sparks, James — 153. 

Specken Kill— 67, 84. 

Spiritualism — 138, 139. 

Sports — 88, 168-171, 221,- 222, 263-264. 

Spring, R. — 219. 

Squire, William (Sheriff 1734) — 25. 

Staats, Henry — 182. 

Staatsburgh — 43. 

Stage travel — 56, 78, 118, 130, 141. 

Stanford (Town of) — 69. 

Stanton, J. C— 228. 

Stark, J. Wesley — 173. 

Starr, John (1800) — 83. 

Starr, David M. — 145. 

State Govt, in Pok.— 46, 47, 51, S4, 56, 
68. 

Steamboats, first— 82. 83; 1815-1837— 
—117, 118; 1837-1854-142-143; af- 
ter 1854 — 158, 17s, 210, 230. 

Sterling, Francis N. — 182. 

Sterling, George W. — 151, 167, 172, 176, 
191. 

Sterling, William C— 138, 148, 151, 162, 

173. 
Stevens, Francis K. — 209. 
Stevens, Frank L. — 188. 
Stevens, Samuel (of Albany, 1845) — 

131. 
Stevens, William — 170. 
Stevenson, Dr. W. G. — 225, 250. 
Stewart, George — 67. 
St. Louis, Mo.— 166. 
Stockholm, Aaron — Cg. 
Stockholm & Brownjohn (printers) — 92. 
Stone, A. B. (N. Y.)— 230. 
Storke, H. L. (telephone promoter) — 

239. 

Storm, Abraham G. — 89, loi, 102, 104, 
107, 112, 127, 138, 139, 147. 

Storm, Edward — 171, 212, 216, 217, 220. 

Storm King Bridge project — 228. 

Storm & Wilson (1813)— 86, loi. 

Sto nnille— 143. 

"Stranger" Crew — 171. 

Streets named— 64, 67, 77, lop, 217; or- 
dinances — 305, 306. 

Street, Gen. Randall S.— 73, 7S, 90, 92. 

97- 
Street, William T.— 78, 129, 131. 
Street, Albert Billings— 78. 
Streit, Lewis F.— 153, 215. 
Streit & Lock wood— 158. 



Strippel, Nicholas — 162. 

Stuart, Archibald — 53, 69, 77. 

Stuart, Robert— 237. 

Sturgis, John G. — 119. 

Stuyvesant, John R. — 170. 

Suffern, Thomas — 141. 

Surrogate's office — 130. 

Sutcliffe, Eli— 206. 

Sutcliffe, John — 212, 297. 

Sutherland, Henry A. — 206. 

Swan, Cyrus — 167, 168, 171, 172, 248. 

Swart & Lumb — 209, 288. 

Swartwout, Bernardus — 25. 

Swartwout, Cornelius B. — 86. 

Swartwout, Col. Jacob (Jacobus) — 36, 

38, 40, 61. 
Swartwout, Jacobus — 24. 
Swartwout, Johannes — 26. 
Swartwout, John (1804) — 74. 
Swartwout, John B. — 121. 
Swartwout, Martin H. — 181. 
Swartwout, Rudolf (Sheriff 1729)— 24. 
Swartz, Rev. William P. — 252. 
Sweet, Abram N. — 133. 
Sweet, Eleazer D.— 138, 173. 
Sweet, Nehemiah — 108, 145. 
Sweet, George — 173. 
Sweet, Thomas — 82, 119. 
Sweetser, Emma Coming — 202. 
Swift, Beriah (Millbrook)— 117, 234. 
Swift, Charles W.— 131.' 148, I53. 'S.S, 

167, 168, 182, 208, 209, 220, 223, 248. 
Swift, Mrs. Charles W. — 193. 
Swift, Charles W. Jr.— 263. 
Swift, Elnia Doremus — 202. 
Swift, E. M.— 172. 
Swift, Henr_v — 82, 119, 131. 
Swift, Lily (Amenia Union) — 202. 
Symphony Society — 250. 
Synnott, Rev. S. H.— 206, 207. 

T 

Taber, Samuel T. — 138. 

Taller, Thomas — 107, 115. 

Taber, William — 69, 89, 98. 

Talleyrand, Prince, in Pok. — 124. 

Tallmadge, Charles B.— 86. 

Tallmadge, Charles W. — 122. 

Tallmadge, Elizabeth (daughter George 
Clinton) — 67. 

Tallmadge, Henry F. — 137. 

Tallmadge, Gen. James Jr. — 55, 65, 74, 
8g, 90, 92 ; the "Missouri Compro- 
mise" — 96, 97; Lieut. -Governor — 
103, 104. 

Tallmadge, Senator Nathaniel P. — 82, 
98, 107, 108, 112, 116, 123, 127, 137, 
139 ; leader of Conservatives — 128, 
130; Governor of Wisconsin — 138. 

Tallmadge, Thomas W. — 107, 122. 

Tallmadge, William H. — 145, 153, 160, 
210. 

Tallman, John P. H. — 130, :4s, 148, 
162, 208, 216, 248. 

Tappen Elizabeth — 109. 

Tappcn, John — 25. 

Tappen, Maria — 127. 

Tappen, Dr. Peter, 1st- 30, 38, 39, 43, 
46, 48, 49, 63, 64, 65, 68, 69, 109. 

Tappen, Dr. Peter, 2n(l — 109. 

Tappen, Tunis — 30, 63. 

Taimer, Reuben — 188. 

Tanneries — 83, 84, 116, 235. 

Tanzer, Rev. Jnhn — 147. 

Ta\ior, Edward P. — 149, 161. 

Taylor, Mrs. Edward P.— 259 

Taylor, Henry i\l. — 222,, 248. 

Taylor, Hudson — 170, 192, 194, 220, 222, 
240. 



Taylor, James M. (Vassar)— 247. 
Taylor, Robert E.— 173, 175, 193, 20S, 

223, 248, 266. 
Tax List, first for Middle Ward— 21. 
Taxes, paid by Counties in Revolution — 

48. 
Tefft, Thomas A. (architect)— 167. 
Telegraph, first office in Pok. — 140. 
Telephones — 237. 
Teller, Wm. B.— 167. 
Temperance Movement — 133, 172, 251. 
Tenbruck, John (justice 1747) — 20, 25. 
Tenney, Benjamin R. — 157. 
Ter Bos, Jacobus — 20, 25. 
Ter Bos, Johannis (judge 1734) — 25. 
Terry, Capt. Job, whaler — 115. 
Terry, William (1790) — 63. 
Thomas, Jacob (Revolution) — 39. 
Thomas, Dr. John — 90. 
Thomas, Dr. William — 92, 98, 102, 108, 

1:9, 121, 153. 
Thompson, Daniel (M. & C. Ry.)— 216. 
Thompson, Daniel R. — 206. 
Thompson, J. Edgar (P. R. R. ) — 220, 

221. 
Thompson, Ezra (Const. Convention) — 

61, 69. 
Thompson, Ezra, Jr. — 89. 
Thompson, I">ederick F. — 107, 248. 
Thompson, James — 107. 
Thompson, Jesse (Revolution) — 39. 
Thompson, John (father of Frederick 

F. Thompson) — 107. 
Thompson, John — 122, 130, 138, 142, 148, 

151, 167, 172-174, 176, 190, 216. 
Thompson, Mrs. John — 177, 183, 193. 
Thompson, Mrs. Mary Thaw — 248. 
Thompson, Judge Smith — 55, 77, 78, 98, 

102; candidate for Governor — 103; 

other references — 127, 129, 148. 
Thorn, Edgar — 172, 190. 
Thorn, Gilbert — 104. 
Thorn, Herrick — 173, 182. 
Thorn, Joseph (Sheriff 1806) — 75. 
Thorn, Stephen — 115. 
Thorn, William (1802) — 77. 
Thorn, William I. — 190, 205, 225. 
Thome, John S. — 182. 
Thorne, Joseph. Jr. — 122. 
Thorne, Nicholas (1S19) — 95. 
Thorne, Piatt M.— 182. 
Tice, Isaac — 172. 
Tice, Capt. Joseph — 117. 
Ticonderoga — 40. 
Tillotson, Thomas (1821) — 98. 
Titsor, William — 21. 
Titsorl, Jacob — 21. 
Titus, C. G. — r9o. 
Titus, Elias — 138. 
Titus, Obadiah — T02. 
Titus, T^latt — 49. 
Titus, Richard — 136. 
Tobey, A. G. — 205. 
Tompkins, George IT — 223 
Tompkins, Isaac — 133, 14S, 171. 
Tomliusdn, Aliraham — 745 165 
Tooker, Mrs. C. W.— 193. 
Tooker, Jacnl) C. — r4S, 165. 
Tooker. William Wallace " (authority as 

to Indian words) — 11, T2, 13. 14, 15. 
Topham, W. H. (whaling Capt. 1837) — 

.135. 
Tories, in Dutchess County — 36, 37, 38, 

,39, 40, 4T, 47, 48, 51; position after 
Revolution— 6r. 
Toucey, John M. — 220. 
Tower, Albert — 150, 234, 252, 297. 
Tower, A. Edward — 234, 252, 
Tower, Charlemagne — 228. 



INDEX. 



327 



Towle, Charles — 171. 
Towner, Samuel — <x). 
Transportation Co., Poughkeepsic — 210, 

233- 
Treasurers, City, list of — 313. 
Tripp, Robert C. — 183. 
Tripp, William A. — 225. 
Trivetl, Elias — cS6, 117, 1^3, 127, 139, 148. 
Trowbridge, John — 171, 173. 
Trowbridge, Nathan Conklin — 86. 
Trowbridge, Stephen H.-- 8(), 123, 141. 
Trowbridge & Wilkinson (if^'^) — i(>i- 
Tnnnbaner, Horace — 260. 
Trumbull, Gov. (of Conn.) — 49. 
Trust Co. oi Poughkeepsic — 106, 1(12, 202. 
Trustees, village of Tok — 72, 304. 
Tuckerman, Joseph — 143. 
Tudor, Samuel — 39, 49. 
Tuesday Club — 250. 
Turick, .\ugustus — 2(1. 
Turner, Daniel H. — 173. 
Turner, William — 108. 
Turnpikes, nuubess ^;o, yy, 88, 218; 

Highland (I'.isi Road)— 73, 78; 

Heekman and I^awling — 78; Wawar- 

sing— 95; New I'all/- <)5. 
Tulhill. Robert K. — 1S3, 157, l^'o. iSi, 

212. 2., 8. 
Tutbill, Sanuiel— 208, 298. 
Tvveedx'. Haniel H. — 192. 
Tyler, Rev. Moses Coil — 178. 

U 

Uhl, Stephen — 161. 

Ulricb, .\.— 20(1. 

Ulrich, I'".— 217. 

Ulster Counlv, Dutchess attached to — 19. 

Underbill, J .A— 172. 

Underbill, Josiaii 1. — 145, 1(12. 

Underliill, M.ir\ -251. 

Underwear Co., Poughkeepsie- 23(1, 237; 

sketch -2'),\ 
Underu<i(Kl, Capl .Abrah.im — 1 iS. 
Underwood, Rev. Ahnon — 122. 
Ihiderwood, Charles — i S3. 
Ihiderwood, DeWitt C— 183. 
Underwood & Son (i8tio) — 1(11. 
Lhiion Bridge Co — 22S. 
Union Store (Union Landing) — by. 6<), 

71. 82. 
Lhnon Street- -2,8. 08. 77. 



Valentine, .\ J.— 177- 

\'alentine, Richard - 78 

Valentine, Edw.ird W —200. 

Vail, .Alon/o H —203, 2O4. 

Vail, Benjamin — 1 10. 

Vail, Benjamin i\l, — 160. 

\'ail, Hiram — 173 

Vail, Joseph I. — 200 

\'ail. Lewis H.— 244. 253. 

Vail. Thomas M.— 117. 13S. 

\'an .\lc (Indian Mortgage K182) — II. 

V:ui .\llei. Col. lames H.— 178. 

\'an .Mien, J. j.— 222. 

\'an \iulen, Isaac (founder Brooklvn 

F.agle) — 133 
\'.\\\ .\nden. lohn — 67. 
\',m .Vnden, \\'illiain— 223. 
Van Beiischoten, Klias ( 171O-1729)— 21, 

.;^. .^.->.. 25. 
Van Beiischoten, F.lias T. (1.838)— 120 
Van Beiischoten. IClias, Jr. (Revolution^ 

— 39, 62. O4, 07. <i") 
Van Rentbuvscn, Tan — 24 
Van BenthuNSen. Jacob— loS, 112, 123. 

130, T30. 



Van Bcnthuysen, Watson (New Or- 
leans) — 230 
Van Blarcom, Hendrick — 31. 
Van Boniell, Jacobus — 26. 
Van Brunt, Cornelius — 250. 
Van Bummel, Abraham — 33. 
Van Bummel, Leonard — 32. 
Van Buren, Martin (defeats Smith 

Thompson for Gov.) — 103; visits 

Pok. — 129. 
Van Campen, Jacob (Capt. 1734) — 25. 
Van Cleef, J. Spencer — 174, 175, 186, 

1.8S. 22 J. 253. 
Van Cleef, Mrs. J. Spencer — 266. 
Vanderbilt Grace (name of slave freed 

1815)— 03. 
Van Den Bo.gart and Harnise — 20 ; see 

also Errata at end of Appendix. 
Van Den Bogarl, Isaac — 20. 
Van Den Bogart, Jacobus — 20, 21, 22. 
Van Den Bogart, Myndert — 20, 21, 2O. 
Van Den Bogart, Peter — 31. 
Vanderliurgh, A. — 222. 
Van Derburgh, Anna (1735) — 30. 
Van Derburgh. Magdalene (174S) — 30. 
Van Derburgh, William— 28. 
Van Derburgh, Henrv (second County 

Clerk)- 21. 22. 2^. 2O. 37, 38. 
\'anderburgh. Col. John (Revolution) — 

38. 
\'an Derburgli, Richard (1775) — 37. 
Van Derburgh, Richard (journalist 

1796) — 62, 86. 
Vandewater. John .\. — 225. 
Van Dvke, Rev. Henrv tChrist Church 

17S7)— 68. 
Van latcn. Grant — 204. 
Van Gie.soii, Kev. .\, P. — 22, S7, 00, 207, 

216, 224. 
Van Hoeseii, Judge George (N. \.) — 

165. 
V-'aii liigen. Prof. Henry — 203, 250. 
\'aii Keuren, rienjamiii — 25. 
Van Keuren, Edward — 242. 
\'aii Keuren, John .\ — 182. 
Van Keuren. Matthew (Revolution) — 

38. 43. 00 
Van Kleeck, .\lbert,— 172. 182, 198, 199. 
\'aii Kleeck &■ Knickerbocker (i860) — 

161. 
Van Kleeck, Baltns, ist. or Balthazar 

(first of the Dutchess Co Van 

Kleecks)— 13. 17, i8, 10, 20. 
Van Kleeck, Baltns Jr. (1735)— 30. 
\'an Kleeck, Barendt — 20, 21. 25. 
Van Kleeck, Cornelius — 77. 
\'aii Kleeck, Davis — 173. 
Van Kleeck, Edgar M. — 170. 208, 212 
Van Kleeck. Edward — 248 
\'an Kleeck. George— 139, 148, 172, 192, 

208. 
\\an Kleeck, George M.— 161. 
\"an Kleeck House— 19, 34. 40. 48. 4). 

81, 122; "White House" — 04. 
Van Kleeck, Hugli~3i, 32. 
\',iii Kleeck, Dr. James Livingston — 0). 

()o. 
\'aii Kleeck, Johannes — 21, 22, 25 
\'aii Kleeck, John- 25. 33. 
\'an Kleeck, Lawrence L (1830) — 122 
Van Kleeck, Leonard— 23, 31, 32. ,^i. 30. 

64. 
Wan Kleeck, Leonard B. (1830)— 129. 
\'an Kleeck, Lowarance (Lawrence) — 

21. 25, 30, 64. 
\'.ui Kleeck. Macliiel— 25. 
\'an Kleeck, Mindert— 31, 33. 30. 64, 07. 

08. 
\'aii Kleeck, Peter— 23, 25, 30. 



Van Kleeck, Peter 2nd (married 1740) — 
30. 

Van Kleeck, Theodore — 170, 181, 222. 

Van Kleeck, Trintie (married Bartholo- 
mew Crannell) — 30. 

Van Kleeck, Tunis — y3, 86, 87, 107. 

Van Kleeck, Walter — 170, 220. 

Van Kleeck, William A. — 160. 

Van Loan, Benjamin — 206, 207. 

Van Loon, Rev. Charles — 133, 147. 

Van Ness, G. B. (1802) — 72, 75. 

Van Ness, Jacob (1824) — 102. 

Van Schaak, Frans De Lang and 
Marytjen — 22. 

Van Schie, Rev. Cornelius (first paster 
of Dutch Church)— 22. 

Van Sicklen, Augustus — 263. 

Van Valkenburgh & Coffin — 160. 

Van Valkenburgh, C. A. — 162. 

Van Valkenburgh, John C. — 117. 

Van Valkenburgh, J. E. — 122. 

Van Vliet, Arie (1771) — 32. 

Van Vliet, Benson — 251. 

Van Vliet, George — 222, 

Van Vliet, Hiram H. — 117. 

Van Vliet, Piatt G.— 215. 

Van Vliet, Tunis — 26. 

Van Wagenen, Evert — 21, 25. 

Van Wagenen, Gerrit (Capt. 1730) — 25. 

Van Wagenen, Hubert — no. 

Van Wagenen. Nicholas (1735) — 30. 

Van Wagenen, Peter L. — 237, 263. 

Van W.igner. John — 157. 

\'an Wagner, John A. — 222. 

Van Wagner, William H. Jr., "Pough- 
keepsic Blacksmith" — 139. 

Van Wyck, Abraham — 67. 

Van \\'vck, Cornelius — 2=;. 

Van Wyck, C. S.— 209. 218. 

\'an Wyck, Lsaac — 56. 

Van Zandt, Jacobus (Revolution) — 40. 

Varick, Abraham — 145. 

Varick, Ann (devisee of Geo. W. Clin- 
ton) — 67. 

\'arick, Henrv D. — 148, 153, 210, 220 

Varick. Mary— 2OO. 

X'arick, Renisen — 222. 

\'arick. Richard A. — 109. 

Vas, Rev. Petrus (of Kingston) — 22. 

\'assar, .\iiii (1807) — 90. 

\'assar Brewery (\'assar St.) — 85. 108; 
(river) — iiS, 136. 142, 233 

\'assar Bros. Home for .\ged Men — 248, 
250 

\'assar Bros. Hospital — 207. 248, 250. 

X'assar Bros. Institute — 146, 250. 

\'assar, Carrie Elizabeth — 202. 

Vassar. Charles — 136. 

Vassar College, founded — i66-i(v8; open- 
ed, first faculty — 202-204; recent de- 
velopment — 247, 248. 

\'assar. Tames (father of Matthew) — 
81, 85. 

X'assar John Guy, 1st — 85. 

\'assar. John Guv, 2nd — 81. 107. 247. 
248. 252. 

X'assar. Margaret (mother of T. G. and 
Matthew. Jr.)— 81. 

\'assar. Matthew — 85. 98. 104. 107, 108. 
112, 117, 119, 123. 130. 140, 141. 146, 
148. lOti-Kx), IQ2, 204, 203. 

\'assar. Matthew. Jr. — 81, 129, 1(17, lOS. 
175. 182, 190, 208, 210, 217, 220. 223. 
247, 252. 

\'assar. Tlumias — 130. 

\'assar. Thomas E. — 157, 1S3. 

\'aughn's Raid (Revolution) — 42-4O. 

\'au.x & Withers (N. Y. architects) — 
200. 



328 



INDEX 



Veltman, Hiram — 123, 139. 

Vemont, Capt. (1796) — 62. 

Vemont, John P. (1798) — 69. 

Verein, Michael (1803) — 73. 

\'er Valin, David — 117, 122. 

Ver Valin, Isaac H. — 108, 109, 117. 

Volunteers (Civil War list) — 175-185. 

Viele, Arnout Cornelissen (first Indian 
deed Town of Poughkeepsie, 1680) 
II, 16, 17. 

Vielee (Fielee) Pieter — 21, 22, 26. 

Village Hall— see City Hall. 

Village of Pok. incorporated — 70; or- 
ganized — 72. 

Vilen, Mindert, marriag —30. 

Vincent, David D. — 162. 

Vincent, Edward — 171. 

Vincent, Gilbert I. — 117, 129, 145. 

Vincent, James — 115. 

Vincent, J. W. — 173. 

Vocal Union — 266. 

Waddell, Eleanor (1807) — 90. 

Waddell, Isaac (1807) — go. 

Wager, Ambrose — 182, 191. 

Wakeley, Rev. M. — 176. 

Walker;- S. L. (i860)— 161. 

Wallace, Eliot & Co.— 235. 

Wallace, Sir James — 43. 

Wappingers (early scheme of settle- 
ment) — 17. 

Wappingers Falls — 130. 

War of 1812 — 91, 92, 95. 

War relief (Civil) — 176, 177, 188, 193. 

Ward, Alson — 251. 

Ward, Daniel O. — 172. 

Ward, Dr. David B. (biog. sketch) — 
298. 

Ward, James H. — 160, 237, 239. 

Ward, "Josh" — 170. 

Ward, Thomas J. — 263. 

Wardwell, Allen (1806)— 81. 

Warner, A. C. — loi. 

Warner, Charles (1833) — 139. 

Warner, Jonathan — 204, 208. 

Warner, Richard — T,i, 49. 

Warner, Thomas (1759) — 66, 67. 

Warring, Charles B. — 165, 204, 205, 254, 
256. 

Washington, Gen. George — Orders fire 
rafts built at Pok. — 40; urges haste 
in building ships and chain — 40 ; 
visits to Pok. — so, 98. 

Washington Hollow — 214, 215. 

Washington (Town of) ^39, 98, 136. 

Wassaic — 214. 

Water Commissioners, 1st — 212. 

Water supply — 72, 74, 109, 118, 119; 
Cannon St. Reservoir — 1 19-120, 149, 
154, 219; new — 210, 211, 247. 

Watkins. William B.— 237. 

Wavland, Rev. Francis — 90. 

Webb, Dr. DeWitt— 217, 223, 225. 

Webendorfer, Henry — 259. 

Webster, Daniel (visit to Pok.) — 131. 

Weed, Thurlow — 103. 

Weeks, James H. — 153, 176, 182, 212, 
222, 248. 

Welling, James M. — 215. 

Wells, James— 67. 

Welsh, Waller— 215. 

Welton, Rev. Alonzo — 121. 

Wendover, J. A. (1836)— 120. 

West & Depew (i860)— 161. 



West Point in Revolution — ^49, 50, 52. 

West, Robert — 224. 

West, William B. (i860)— 161. 

Westerfelt, Casparus — 26. 

Westerfelt -(Westervelt), Roelif — 26. 

Westervelt, Benjamin — 68. 

Westervelt, Elias (1838) — 129. 

Westfalle, Wouter — 25. 

Whale Dock— 112, 114, 115, 143, 150, 151. 

Whalen, Patrick— 185. 

Whaling Companies, Poughkeepsie — 

no, 112, 135; Dutchess — 112, 115, 

135, 136. 
Wheeler, Corydon — 252. 
Wheeler, Rev. Francis B. — 176, 216. 
Wheeler, S. B.— 208. 
Wheaton, Caroline T. (Mrs. Charles) — 

271. 
Wheaton, Judge Charles — 176, 188, 216, 

220; biog. sketch — 298. 
Wheaton, Homer — 107, 115, 139. 
White, C— 173. 
White, Edward — 205. 
White, Ezra — 225, 240, 254. 
White (Wite), Isaac (1731) — 30. 
White, Isaac W. — 182, 209, 216, 217, 220. 
White, William — 122. 
Whitehead, Rev. Charles — 145, 147. 
Whitehead, Charles C— 188. 
W'hitehouse, John O. — 192, 205, 206, 209, 

210, 220, 222, 223, 23s; property — 

260. 
Whigs and Tories (Revolution) — 35, 36. 
Whinfield, Henry — 123, 136, 139. 
Whipple, Frank E, — 160, 192, 222. 
Whitney, Myron — 266. 
Wide Awakes — 173. 
Wiethan, Louis — 158. 
Wickes, Edward A. — 182. 
Wilber, Edwin J. — 161, 205. 
Wilber, Emmet A. — 263. 
Wilber, John D. — 209. 
Wilber, Mark D.— 165, 178, 183, 191, 

205, 209, 214, 215, 216, 217, 220. 
Wilcox, Roswell (Revolution) — 39. 
Wilkin.son, Arthur — 178, 181, 183. 
Wilkinson, C. S.— 181. 
Wilkinson, Fred — 182. 
Wilkinson, George — 117, 153, 154, 172, 

1,92, 314. . 
Wilkinson, Gilbert — 95, 100-102, 107, 127, 

129. 
Wilkinson, John P. — 182. 
Wilkinson, Robert — loi, 129. 
Wilkinson, Mrs. Robert — 147. 
Wilkinson, Robert F. — 157, 182, 215, 220, 

224, 225. 
Wilkinson, William — 174, 178. 
Williams, Capt. Abraham (Revolution') 



Williams, Charles H. S. — 171, 174, 
Williams. Gerome — 175, 190. 
Williams, James L. — 206, 225, 254, 

biog. sketch — 299. 
Williams, Joseph — 127. 
Williams, Joseoh D. — 177, 185. 
\Villiams, William (1826) — 121. 
Williamson, Griffin — 107, 122. 
Willis, Col. Samuel (Revolution) — 
Wilson, Archibald — 219. 
Wilson, George S. — 171. 
Wilson, Senator Henry (Mass.) — 173 
Wilson, James (Sheriflf I73S) — 25 
Wilson, James — 81. 90. 
Wilson, John (1798) — 67. 



264; 



43- 



Wilson, John S. — 230. 
Wilson, William — 138. 
Wiltsie, Abraham — 117, 127, 161, 206, 

208, 225. 
Wiltsie, Cornelius — loi. 
Wiltsie, Hiram S. — 264. 
Winans, Elsworth L. — 259. 
Winans, James — 28, 31, 36, 44, 67, 81. 
Winans, Joel — 210. 
Wing, John — 216. 
Winslow, Edward — 222. 
Winslow, James — 173. 
Winslow, Mrs. James — 193. 
Winslow, John (ist City Marshal) — 

153, 185. 
Winslow, John F. — 193, 209, 216, 220. 
Winslow, Mrs. John F. — 252. 
Winslow, Leonard C. — 206, 251. 
Wisconsin (Pok. people settle there) — 

138. 
Wisconsin Regiment in Pok. — 185. 
Wise, Hon. Henry A. — 131. 
Wodell, Silas— 173. 
Wolfe, John David — 141. 
Women's Christian Temperance Union 

—251- 

Wood, Fannie A. — 203. 

Wood, Hiram W. — 171. 

Wood. Isaac H. — 171, 233. 

Wood. James G. — 215. 220. 

Wood. William H. — 242, 254. 

Wooden, Homer — 170. 

Woodin, Capt. William R.— 182, 188, 190, 
219. 

Woods, John (printer 1798) — 62. 

Wool trade — 117, 136. 

Woolse}', Melancthon L. — 67, 77. 

Worden, Lieut. John L. — 202. 

Worrall. William — 217, 218. 

Wray. Harrj' — 146. 

Wright, Abraham — 156, 206. 212. 220. 

Wright & Irish (1860")- 161. 

Wright, Rev. D. G.— 165, 183, 254. 

Wright, Jere D. — 263. 

Wright, Jere V. — 222. 

Wright. Joseph — 127. 

Wright, Mary Elizabeth — 202. 

Wright, Norman — 263. 

Wj'oming (story of massacre first pub- 
lished at Pok.) — 50. 

Wynachkee (Winnakee), Indian name — 
II, 15. 



Yacht Club— 264. 

Yelverton, Anthony — 20. 29. 

^'elverton. Gale — 23. 

Yelverton, John H. P. — 153. 

Yelverton, Mo.ses (1804) — 74, 78. 

Young, A. M. (Waterbury. Ct.)— 237. 

Young, Henry L. — no. 162. 

Young, Mrs. Henry L. — 177. 

Young. William (1807) — 90. 

Young. William H. — 259, 264. 

Young. W. C. — 141. 

Young Men' Christian Union — 157. 

^ oung Men's Christian Association- 

157. tS8, 206, 250. 251. 
Young Women's Christian Association- 

251. 
Yonkers — 148. 186. 



Ziegenfiiss, Rev. Henry L.— 252, 263. 
Zimnier. II. — 219. 
Zimmei, P. — 266.