Chapter VI: Part 6

In November, winter apples, and the few potatoes, turnips and other roots raised in those times, were brought into the cellar; and the killing and putting up of pork and beef was done in the latter part of this month and beginning of December. The manufacturing of leather, which each farmer had tanned during the season, was done at this time and made into shoes, (generally by a member of the family), also the weaving of linsey-woolsey and woolen check for winter wear, and the dressing of some flax for winter spinning. In November, each farmer generally took a load of wheat and flax seed to market, for procuring salt, pepper, iron and other articles.

The women, as well as the men, had also to perform a great amount of labor. Besides their ordinary housework, they had to spin the yarn for all their clothing, hatcheled their flax, and card their wool, bleach all their linen for shirts and some other uses, make all the wearing apparel of both men and women, and did all the knitting of stockings and mittens, which amounted to more than double the knitting now done for a family, which had become necessary in consequence of the fashion of men in former times wearing short breeches, which also made it necessary for them to wear over stockings.

All those necessary occupations made a great amount of business for our ancestors, and furnished them with a very plentiful supply of the necessaries of life. They had very little help besides that of a few slaves, which generally did not amount to more than a man and a woman slave to a family, exclusive of children and old people not able to do much. The inhabitants were generally farmers, and few laborers could be obtained by them.

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CHARACTERISTICS.

The characteristics of each individual by a marriage union becoming changed in their children, form characters differing, in some degree, from those of each parent, which, being continued from generation to generation, gradually extinguish those of the original parents; but to what extent of time or how many generations would have to succeed each other before these would all become extinguished the writer cannot determine. By bringing into calculation the first pioneers as the first generation, the sixth, and a part of the fifth and seventh, are now, in 1861, on the stage of action. In many individuals of the fifth and sixth generations are yet remains of the characteristics of their respective, most anterior parentage. These are more prominent in some of the descendants than in others, and also have been inherited in a greater degree in some families than in others, and certain predominating characteristics of an anterior ancestor have been the most prevalent in the line of their descent.

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CHARACTERS OF SOME OF THE FIRST SETTLERS.

Very little is now known respecting the seven first pioneers. I imagine that they had all been in comfortable circumstances of life, and had become reduced so that they were in want of means for a livelihood, and became associated to obtain possession of some good land which they were not able to purchase in the settled part of the country, and had to venture to emigrate into its wilds which remained unsettled by white people but was inhabited by Indians, who at that time were thought to be a more savage and cruel people than what they in reality were.

The three Swartwouts, we have reason to presume, were best calculated for this enterprise, and that their companions must have had much reliance on them for protection. Not only were they possessed of superior capacities in respect of body and spirit for adventurous undertakings, but also were a very social, jocose, humorous and witty people, well calculated to become easily familiarized with strangers and court friendship, which first qualities were necessary to intimidate the Indians, and the latter to court and maintain friendship with them. They were an easy people and made no great exertions to acquire property by means of hard labor, but provided for a good living. Some of these characteristics have become much changed in the descendants of those who remained in this vicinity, and some of them have been inherited to the present time. The Swartwout character became much changed by the union of Major Swartwout with the daughter of the first Peter Gumaer, whose only surviving son, Philip Swartwout, became the greatest business man of his time in this neighborhood. He also was more sedate and economical than his ancestors; in other respects he had inherited the Swartwout character. A great degree of these existed in the two succeeding generations, and have not become extinguished in the sixth.

Caudebec and Guimar, reduced from a state of affluence to that of indigence, differed widely to meet such a change and undertake the task of manual labor for a living which became necessary after they landed in this country, and was undertaken by them, but, as they were not able to perform as much as men habituated to it, they received only low wages. Caudebec, being dissatisfied, told Guimar that he would not work for such low wages; Guimar replied that they had to do something for a living, and, as they could not do much, they could not expect much, and that while they labored they had their living, if no more. At the instigation of Caudebec, they went from the State in which they first landed into the State of New York, and he, having been habituated to a trading business, became introduced into the family of Benjamin Provost, who also were in such business, and was married to one of his daughters. Guimar, in the meantime, undertook the business of cleaning flax by the pound, for which he received wages according to what he did, and also became married to a daughter (as has been supposed) of a Deyo.

After these two individuals became settled in our present town, the same difference continued to exist in relation to their business transactions. Guimar, with the help of his daughters, two slaves he bought or had of his father-in-law, and one son, (his youngest child), became the greatest farmer in this town. He was very persevering in his business transactions, and severe to compel his slaves, also his daughters and son, to do all the labor they could perform. The daughters, five in number, although of delicate constitutions, did all the housework and manufacturing of all their clothing, also a part of the work on the farm and taking wheat to market. He, himself, dressed all his flax, to which business he had become habituated before he settled on his farm, which was about all the farmer's work he could do. He also was severe to enforce the moral and religious duties of his children. His descendants have, from generation to generation, very generally inherited his persevering business character to the present time; in other respects many of his characteristics have become extinguished.

Caudebec was the reverse of Guimar in respect to his business transactions, and more tender towards his children. He had much of a speculative disposition, and aimed at getting a living by easier means than that of steady manual labor, and this probably was the view of the seven first settlers and cause of their emigration to get possession of land where wild animals, fowls and fishes abounded, which, together with the cultivation of small portions of such land, would furnish means for an easy life and a better living, in respect of eatables, than what we can now enjoy.

After those individuals became located in our present town, it was necessary for them to procure a title for the land they wanted to occupy, and it appears that they selected Caudebec, as the most proper person, to send to the Governor and procure a patent for as many acres of land as would cover what they wanted to occupy.

After one of the Swartwouts, Caudebec and Guimar became owners of the patent right, they had to contend for the possession of a great part of the land they claimed and had in their possession, and it was necessary for them to devise means to counteract those who wanted to dispossess them. Caudebec, who was of a contemplative mind, must have been well calculated to assist in forming plans for that purpose, and I have understood that he, and certain individuals of his own family, officiated in some of those which were very important.

After his daughters became married, he devised means for their livelihood, by inducing the husbands of three of them, Abraham Louw, Evert Hornbeck and Harmanus Van Gordon, to locate on the east side of the Delaware river, in the State of New Jersey, opposite Shipikunk Island; and also his son James and two of his brothers-in-law to do the same, and each of them take possession of as much land on the island as was necessary for a livelihood for his respective family. This island was a body of very good river land, and the first possessor of any part of it had a right to hold what he had in possession without paying for it. It was termed King's land, and to remain unsold by his Majesty or Government. Other islands in that river were in the same situation, and the husband of another of his daughters, Westfall, located himself on the same side of the river, opposite Minisink Island, and took possession of a part of that island.

From all of which we must infer that he was a man well calculated to overcome difficulties, and had a penetrating mind. He was characterized as a sensible man. He had been educated, but to what extent is not known. He had told his family that he had been a great reader before he left his country, and that he regretted that his children did not have the opportunity to become educated. He instructed them in moral and religious duties, and was very tenacious of their characters. At a certain time two of his daughters told him that certain persons had made a scandalous report respecting them. He asked if it was true what they had said. They replied no, it was all lies. "Well," said he, "maintain good characters and let them talk; they will get ashamed of their lies."

His character, in relation to what has been mentioned respecting his mental ability, has been inherited from generation to generation by some of his descendants (who remained in this town) to the present time. The bodily capacities of his sons, in respect of size, strength and agility, I consider to have been inherited from his wife, which, although much reduced from that of those ancients, is still superior in some of the descendants of the present time to that of the generality of men. Some of those ancients, in our neighborhood, were a very talkative people and uncommonly fond of conversation, in which they embraced a great variety of topics in relation to what had transpired in this valley for a distance of sixty or seventy miles, and included a great many remarks in relation to the conduct of the people of those times and much argumentation on different subjects. I have sat many a long winter evening, and many an hour in the daytime, to hear the conversations and arguments of a few of the individuals of the second generation. These propensities, which were inherent in this family, have become much changed in their descendants of the present time. Many of these communications, remarks and arguments were entertaining and instructive, and had a tendency to induce good morality, of which they possessed more in principle than in language. I will here introduce one good remark, which one of them made in the presence of myself and a few others, which was that, "The first of anything from which trouble accrued was the cause of all the evil consequences which originated from the same."

In bodily size, strength and agility, there was a great similarity between the Swartwouts and Cuddebacks, but those I have known differed in visage. It was said that some of the ancients were superior in personal beauty and natural mental abilities to their descendants. This information I have had from different sources. The first time I saw Nathaniel Owen, who kept a store and tavern many years ago, about two miles east of the Wallkill, on the road to New Windsor and Newburgh, he told me that he had been acquainted with the old people in our two neighborhoods, and that he had never been in a place where there was so great a proportion of portly, handsome men as were in those neighborhoods, which he considered as remarkable for such a by-place as this was at that time. He named Major Swartwout, the second Peter Gumaer, William Cuddeback, Johannis (John) Westbrook and the first Peter Kuykendall as the most superior in those respects, and that their children generally were inferior to them, not only in bodily capacity, but also in natural mental ability. The ancient Swartwouts, Cuddebacks and Gumaers had black, curly hair and generally blue eyes and fair skin. The first Van Inwegen had red hair, his son Gerardus had black, curly hair and his children had black hair.

Harmanus Van Inwegen's character has been represented in this work as a bold and fearless man, which is about all that is now known respecting him. This was well known by Anthony Swartwout, Jacob Cuddeback and the first Peter Gumaer, before they procured him to locate in their little neighborhood for their assistance in defending the premises they claimed. His co-operation with them was important for all these four individuals, for he, as well as the others had become interested therein by having a portion of the land granted to him by the others, and as the saying is "He became a great spoke in the wheel" to maintain their possessions. He was always honored by his companions for his bravery and help in their struggles. He and they continued to live near neighbors in friendship and harmony until death ended their lives.

Van Inwegen had only one son (Gerardus) and one daughter (Jane). Gerardus lived a very near neighbor to my father, and I was familiarly acquainted with him in his old age for several years previous to his death. I did also sometimes see his sister; they were both small and very lean in flesh during the time I knew them, and their skin was much wrinkled, (which latter denoted they had been more fleshy in earlier life) they appeared to be more healthy and were smart for their ages. Gerardus retained his health until old age ended his life, and after his death it was said of him that he died a natural death, of old age, without sickness.

The characteristics of the father and son of this family have not been generally inherited by the children and grand-children. It has been said that Cornelius Van Inwegen, Jr., father of Moses Van Inwegen, resembled and took more after his great-grandfather, Harmanus Van Inwegen, than any other individual of all his descendants. Moses, his son, has some resemblance to his father, but I consider him to take more after the ancient DeWitt family than that of any other. There were certain traits of character which some of the children and grand-children of Gerardus inherited from him, but generally they took more after other families from whom they were also descendants.

Many of the ancient characteristics of both the Swartwouts and Cuddebacks still remain in their descendants, but I consider James D. Swartwout as possessing those of the ancient Swartwout family in a superior degree; Col. Peter Cuddeback as having the greatest resemblance to the ancient Cuddeback family; Abraham Cuddeback, son of Col. William A. Cuddeback, when in prime of life, appeared to have more of the character of his grandfather, Capt. Cuddeback, than any other of the descendants of the latter; James Devens, Esq., grandson of the second Peter Gumaer, had some resemblance of his grandfather. But all these differed in some respects from the originals. Benjamin Hornbeck, a grandson of Capt. Cuddeback, had much of the penetrating mind of his grandfather.

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EMIGRATION FROM THIS TOWN.

Enumeration of families who were in this town during the time of the Revolutionary War, and of those who removed out of it after the war ended, and of those who now, in 1861, remain in it of those descendants of those ancients including marriage connections.

First of those of the upper or Peenpack neighborhood, two of whom, DeWitt and Terwilliger, were no descendants of the first four families.

The names of the heads of those families were the following, to wit:

Capt. Jacob R. DeWitt, Capt. Abraham Cuddeback, Benjamin Depuy, Esq., Benjamin Cuddeback, Abraham Cuddeback, Jacob D. Gumaer, Elias Gumaer, Harmanus Van Inwegen, Esq., Cornelius Van Inwegen, Philip Swartwout, Esq., John Wallace, Peter Gumaer, Matthew Terwilliger, Ezekiel Gumaer, Capt. Abraham Westfall.

Of these, their children, grand-children, and great-grand-children who had formed marriage connections, and together with these had become families, the following number have, from time to time, removed from this neighborhood, to wit:

No. of family _________________ Name. Of Of Of parents' grand- great- children parents' grand- children parents' children Jacob R. De Witt 8 4 0 Benjamin Depuy 7 2 0 Abraham Cuddeback 3 1 0 Elias Gumaer 7 0 0 Cornelius Van Inwegen 6 3 2 John Wallace 3 0 0 Matthew Terwilliger 4 0 0 Capt. Cuddeback 4 8 5 Benjamin Cuddeback 4 14 0 Jacob D. Gumaer 6 1 2 Harmanus Van Inwegen 3 15 0 Philip Swartwout 3 3 0 Peter Gumaer 3 1 0 Ezekial Gumaer 0 1 0 Abraham Westfall 1 0 0 _____________________ 62 53 9 62 + 53 + 9 = 124.

This emigration amounts to 124 families and now, in 1861, there remain 30 within the former limits of the neighborhood; gives the amount of 154 families of descendants of the men named and have formed families by connected marriages. These had their living during the time they remained in this place from the productions of the small patent of 1200 acres of land, and although it had become reduced to a low state of cultivation, more of its productions have been transferred to other people than would have supported another such a number of families. Emigration commenced about the year 1790 and has continued to the present time. The families first mentioned of, DeWitt, Depuy, Cuddeback, Gumaer, Van Inwegen and Wallace, settled on the military lands in the state of New York at Onondaga and at the Owasco and Skaneateles Lakes at an early period of the settlement of those lands, and some were among the first pioneers of the same where they all procured lands and became farmers in very comfortable circumstances, and many of their descendants, like their forefathers, have also sold their farms and removed into the western states to advance their interest for the benefit of their children. The other families have removed in all directions from this neighborhood at greater and less distances from it, but generally into the western part of this state and into Pennsylvania and different other states.

Of the four first families, who remained permanent residents in this neighborhood, twelve children became married to non-residents of the same and founded twelve families, two of which settled in the lower neighborhood and were among the first settlers in it, five in the State of New Jersey, four in Rochester and its vicinity in Ulster County, and one in Orange County, east of Shawangunk mountain. The other children of those ancients were seven in number, and formed only six families. These remained in the neighborhood until about the year 1790. From this it appears that only half as many families of the first descendants remained in it as what moved out of it, or settled in other places.

Now, if the 12 families mentioned had become settled and remained in the neighborhood, together with the other six, and increased and emigrated, in the same proportion of the latter, the amount, after deducting those of DeWitt and Terwilliger numbering 16, would now be 324 emigrated, and 90 of present residents, and the whole amount 411 families.

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INCREASE OF POPULATION.

As no accurate calculation can be made of the whole number of families descended from the first four permanent residents in this neighborhood, I have adopted a rule for obtaining the number of those now in existence as near as the same can probably be arrived at without actual enumeration, by getting a ratio of increase of the first, second, and as much of the third, generation as I can ascertain; also the whole number of these from the time of the commencement of the first to the present time, in manner following, to wit:

The first four families had an increase of 18, and these had an increase of 66 families, and 27 of the latter had an increase of 129. This enumeration is made from a knowledge I have in relation to those ancients. Of these, however, there were two families of the second generation whom I could not determine, but have estimated them at the same average rate of increase as that of the others, and the remaining 39 are estimated to have produced an equal proportion of population, according to their number, as that of the 27, which latter giving an amount of 129, the remaining 39 will give an amount of 186, and both these amount to 315 families of the third generation. The average increase of each of these per family is as follows:

First 4 give a ratio of 4 1/2 Second 18 " " " 3 3/4 Third 66 " " " 4 3/4

These being compounded give an average ratio of about 4 1/2 families to one. Now a greater proportion of the fourth and fifth generations have died younger than of the three first, in consequence of which I have reduced the increase of the two former to that of a ratio of three per family, being about one-third lower than those enumerated. This is a great change for the term in which the alteration has occurred; still, the latter is about the same rate of increase as that of the United States since the year 1790 to the present time. In respect of foreign access of population the proportion which the former has acquired by intermarriages cannot differ much from that which the latter has acquired by immigration from Europe and by the importation of Africans to enslave them.

The year 1700 I contemplate to be about the medium point of time between the births of the oldest and the youngest children of the first four families, from which to the present time is 161 years and reaches on an average about the beginning of the sixth generation and leaves two unascertained whose increase on a ratio of 3 is as follows, to wit: 315 X 3--945 X 3 = 2835 families of the present fifth generation; and exclusive of these there must now be a great proportion of the fourth generation in existence, and that the whole of the present families of descendants mentioned cannot be less than 3200 now on the stage of action. The greatest part of these are now widely dispersed into different parts of our country.

The five generations have had their growth within a term of 161 years, which gives an average of 32 years for each.

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LOWER NEIGHBORHOOD.

Enumeration of families in the time of the Revolutionary War, embracing the head of each family, to wit:

____ Decker. Jacob Schoonover, Jacobus Van Fliet, Moses Cortright, Daniel Van Auken, Abraham Van Auken, Solomon Kuykendall, Johannis Westbrook, Simeon Westfall, Johannis Decker, Wilhelmus Cole, Major John Decker, Peter Kuykendall, Sylvester Cortright, Martinus Decker, Anthony Van Etten, Esq., Samuel Caskey, Levi Van Etten, Jacobus Davis.

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

Names. No. of Parents No. of grand- and children children ____ Decker 2 Jacob Schoonover 1 Moses Cortright 1 Abraham Van Auken 3 John Westbrook 2 John Decker 3 Maj. John Decker 3 6 Sylvester Cortright 2 Anthony Van Etten, Esq. 6 3 Levi Van Etten 1 4 James Van Fliet 1 4 Daniel Van Auken 11 5 Solomon Kuykendall's heir or devisee, James Van Fliet, Jr. 3 Simon Westfall 4 Wilhelmus Cole 3 Peter Kuykendall 4 4 Martin Decker 2 Samuel Caskey 1 James Davis 6 1 ____ ____ 56 30

There may have been a few other families who have removed out of the town whom I have not known.

Of the descendants of those ancients, there now remain, as near as I can ascertain, about 5 families in this neighborhood.

These numbers, 56 + 30 + 5 = 91 families.

There now are about 20 families in this neighborhood who are of the anterior emigration from the upper neighborhood and are included in its calculations.

The following is a calculation of the number of families of each generation of the lower neighborhood, to wit:

1st generation, which was contemporary with the second of this upper neighborhood 20 2d, 91 3rd, at an increase of three families to one 273 4th, at the same rate of increase 819

The two last 273 + 819 = 1,092 families. To this last number add the 3,000 of the upper neighborhood and the amount is 4,092.

There are two of these prior generations who, by deaths, may fall short of these numbers mentioned, but I contemplate that as great an addition of families exists of the succeeding generation of each neighborhood as will amount to such loss, and that there now are at least 4,000 families in existence of descendants in some degree of the ancients mentioned.

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THOMAS WHITE.

This man's services have been of greater benefit and advantage to the third generation of descendants of our neighborhood than those of any other individual, in consequence of which he ought to be held in remembrance by our descendants, and he, together with ourselves, become incorporated in our history as the first important originator of education in it. In justice to the merits of Mr. White in respect of myself, I will here state that by means of his services I have become enabled to write this history and exhibit to its readers the information it contains; and in addition thereto the enjoyment of other sources of knowledge for which and all other blessings we have reason to be thankful, not only to the individual from whom we derived the same but also to that Being who is the originator of all our enjoyments.

The benefits we (who were of the generation mentioned) have derived from him, consisted in the literature he taught us in our childhood and youth at short different periods of time in the schools he kept in our neighborhood, whereby we generally received such a portion of education as enabled each of us to transact his own ordinary business in relation to his dealings with others, which, in our time, had become more necessary than what it was in the days of our forefathers, most of whom kept no written memoranda of their dealings with each other, which in their time (during about ninety years) was unnecessary for the greatest part of them. In addition to these benefits we became more enlightened and enabled to acquire additional knowledge and information by reading, &c. Mr. White and his wife Elizabeth, came to this neighborhood in the autumn of 1776 (as near as I can ascertain) to serve its inhabitants as a schoolmaster and they became residents in my father's house together with his own family, and taught school in one of its rooms during the ensuing winter, and probably until some of their neighbors moved into it and the construction of a fort commenced, and notwithstanding the danger to which the inhabitants of our town became exposed by the invasion of the Indians, he continued to live in the house during a great part of the war, and was in it at the time when the fort was attacked.

When the enemy came in sight, he told Capt. Cuddeback that he was a King's man, but would stand by him to help defend the fort against those savages to the utmost of his power. (He was a warm friend of his native country and its laws). Mr. White was in the fort during the hard winter in the time of the war, and kept a diary from which he ascertained that no water had dropped from the roof of the house during a term of forty days in that winter.

I will here, before proceeding further with the history of Mr. White, narrate how the inmates of the fort managed to sustain themselves during the winter. When the Indians burnt the houses of the neighbors, many of the pots were damaged by these fires. These were used for keeping small fires in them in different parts of the fort house. Two large fires were generally kept up in the two front rooms, and a fire in a stove in another, and in the other room a pot with hot coals, supplied from the fire places, was kept up to warm the room for a dwelling of some of the oldest women. On the chamber, against the sides of the chimneys, pots with fire were kept, supplied with hot coals from the fire places, and also with chips and small pieces of wood.

In the northwest corner of the chamber, a small room was partitioned off for a dwelling of Mr. White and his wife, so that in winter time they were out of the great bustle of those who were in the house. A pot with fire in it was also kept in his room, and sometimes a small fire was kept in one of the foremost cellar rooms for a few soldiers. After the snow became too deep to get wood from where it was previously got, the men first broke a road to a large hickory tree, which stood in a field, under cultivation, of Benjamin Cuddeback, at about one-quarter of a mile distant from the fort. This was cut up and brought to it. The butt log, about three feet thick in diameter, was cut through and served for a log in each fire place. The next log contained all the knots of its large limbs, and could not be cut through nor split with powder, and remained there until it became rotten, long after the war ended. Next a road was broke through the snow about the same distance of the first road, to the Neversink river, which (in ordinary winters generally remained open from the mouth of Basha's kill to the Delaware river, about ten miles distant) was all frozen over with strong ice, so that teams could pass on it.

Along the east bank of the river, trees were cut, so as to fall on the ice, and thereby the men were enabled to get a plentiful supply of wood. In passing to and from the river, a spring brook had to be crossed, which in other winters generally remains open at the place where it was crossed that winter on strong ice. Much snow blew into the brook and coalesced with the water, and all froze together and formed thick, strong ice, so that teams passed over it during the coldest weather in that winter.

I will here resume my history in relation to Mr. White. A few years before he came into the neighborhood, a school house had been built in its central part, about twenty-five rods southwest of Capt. Cuddeback's residence. Mr. Thomas Kyte had been employed to teach school in this house, but, in consequence of much other business, the school was much neglected and very little education was acquired by those he taught, and after he quit, the neighborhood luckily obtained a good teacher by employing Mr. White. He had emigrated into this country from England where he had received his education, and also acquired the trade of manufacturing ropes. He said that every youth in England (when he was there) had to learn a trade, even the King's son, who was expected to become heir to the Crown, had to learn a trade, and that the King, who reigned when he was there, had been taught the trade of weaving silk.

Mr. White was a small, light-built man, very active and quick to perform the business he transacted. The action of his mind was also quick, and more suitable for acquiring a great amount of superficial knowledge than to penetrate and make deep researches into sciences which are difficult to be understood, for which a bright mind of slow action is more suitable. He was also a man of uncommon perseverance to transact the business of his trade, the teaching of his schools, &c., and, whenever he was not employed in either of these, he was generally engaged in reading or writing which he would pursue to a very late hour in the night; and early in the morning, at or before break of day, would be up out of bed, assist his wife to get breakfast, and resume his business. He was very fond of association and delighted to give and receive information, which induced him to write a great many letters to his distant friends and acquaintances, in which he was very expert and never at a loss for matter to make out a long letter, whenever he felt inclined to do it.

I conclude that Mr. White had been taught in one of the best of common schools in England, and in a very perfect manner as far as he had progressed. He was a very eloquent reader, and could perform the same with an air suitable to the nature of the subject on which the reading treated. I have always considered him to have been equal to the best of readers I have ever heard. He was also very perfect in orthography; arithmetic he did not understand as well as some other teachers we have had since his time. He said he had passed through the greatest part of Dillworth's arithmetic at school, but had forgotten some of the rules in the latter part of his assistant, which contained more arithmetic matter than the books now generally used in our common schools. He had some knowledge of the Greek and Latin languages, and as much of the French tongue as enabled him to interpret the French words which were interspersed in different parts of a book I read in school the last year he taught in our neighborhood, and, by much reading, he had acquired an extensive knowledge of the English tongue. He said that when at home in his country (which he always called his home) he had free access to a library of books, and that he had read many of them on different subjects, whereby he had received the greatest part of his historical and other information of different kinds.

After his last year's service in our neighborhood he retired to the east side of Shawangunk mountain, into a neighborhood of his former residence, where he continued a few years. During this time, and one or two years previous to it, Moses DeWitt, a son of Capt. Jacob Rutsen DeWitt, a resident of this neighborhood who had, in his youth, become the best scholar in Mr. White's school, and afterwards received a small addition thereto, became well qualified for a surveyor, and was employed as an under-surveyor, when he was about twenty-one years of age, to run the line between the States of New York and Pennsylvania, and afterwards to survey some Government lands at, and in the vicinity of, Tioga Point, and thereafter he and Maj. Hardenbergh obtained the whole business of surveying the military lands in this State. While DeWitt was occupied in that business he concluded to locate in the County of Tioga, and induced Mr. White to move into it. The latter, after becoming a resident in it, became its County Clerk. Mr. DeWitt's mind became changed in respect to locating himself, and he settled in the County of Onondaga. After Mr. White's term of service as County Clerk ended, he removed to the residence of Mr. DeWitt, whose health had become impaired by exposure in the pursuit of his business of surveying, and his constitution continued to debilitate until he was taken with a severe sickness, which, after a short duration, ended his days at the age of about twenty-seven years, at which time he had acquired an estate, in wild lands, worth about ten thousand pounds, New York currency. During the time he was confined to his bed, Mr. White was his affectionate and faithful attendant, but his services did not avail to prolong life, and all hopes of enjoying the remainder of his life, together with his friend, were ended.

After a short stay he removed from the place, which had become a melancholy situation to him, into the County of Orange and bought a small farm in the westerly part of the town of Wallkill, in the neighborhood where his former friends and acquaintances, Elijah and Elisha Reeve, Esqs., Erastus Mapes, Hezekiah Woodward, Alsop Vail and others, lived, where he not only became so situated as to enjoy the happiness of associating with them, but also had access, whenever desirable, to his friends and acquaintances in his former neighborhood on the west side of Shawangunk mountain. Mr. White had no children nor any relatives in this country to attract his affections; these, consequently, became more strongly directed towards those individuals who were the most agreeable to him. He remained in the neighborhood of his residence until death ended his mortal life, and, after his decease, was buried in the graveyard at the Presbyterian church near Otisville. In and by his last will he made several small bequests to his friends, as memorials of his friendship towards them. He also directed the sum of six hundred and twenty dollars, of the avails of his estate, to be kept at interest, payable annually, for the purpose of paying for preaching one sermon in each one of four different Congregations, annually, forever, one of which was the Dutch Reformed Congregation now in Deerpark, (formerly Mahackemeck Congregation), which appears in and by the will to have been intended for the inhabitants of Peenpack, to whom he had become much attached during the different periods of time he resided in it, and consequently also for the benefit of their descendants. [FN] He also bequeathed a few other small legacies to his best friends in the neighborhood of his last residence.

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[FN] The other three Churches were the Congregational Church at Middletown, and the Episcopal and Presbyterian Churches in Goshen.

The characteristics of Mr. White exhibited indications of his having been descended from a respectable family in his native country. He possessed very honorable and honest principles, also those of morality and piety, which were apparent in his transactions and walks of life, and also in the doctrines he generally advanced when those qualifications became a subject of discourse.

THE END.

CONTENTS.

Preface. Introduction. Statement by Committee on Publication with sketch of the Author. [FN] Geographical Formation of Valley. Game, Fowl, Fish, Fruit, &c. Indians. Manufacture of Implements of Iron and Steel. First Settlers--Who they were and whence they came. Ancient Families of Peenpack. Ancient Families of Lower Neighborhood. Longevity of First and Second Generations. Lower Neighborhood. Population of Peenpack, Manner of Living, &c., during Revolutionary War and later. Forts in Peenpack and Occupants. Forts in Lower Neighborhood, with some of the Occurrences during the War. Habits and Manner of Living. Use of Cider and Spirits. Use of Spirits at Funerals and Weddings. Treating Visitors. No Drunkards among Them for One Hundred Years. Physical Strength of First Generation. Some Prominent Characters--Major James Swartwout, William Cuddeback, Peter Gumaer, Gerardus Van Inwegen, Samuel Swartwout, Capt. Abraham Cuddeback, Benjamin Depuy, Philip Swartwout, Anthony Van Etten, Cornelius Van Inwegen. Minisink Battle. Great Changes in Agriculture, Manufacture, Travel and Improvements of Every Kind. Scarcity of Physicians in Former Times Birds, Reptiles and Animals. Health, Food, &c. Religious Worship--Organization of Reformed Dutch Church and its Ministers. Administration of Justice--First Justice of Peace. Prices of Stock, Grain, &c. Currency and Measures. Wages. Cost of Building a House. Business Transactions and Employments of Ancestors. Christmas and New Year's--Two days devoted to each. Characteristics of some of First Settlers and their descendants. Emigration from Town of Deerpark. Increase of Population. Thomas White.

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[FN] The statement by the Committee on Publication which appears {at
this point} should have preceded both the Preface and Introduction.
By an oversight not discovered until too late for correction it became
displaced and appears out of its proper order.