CURRENCY AND MEASURES.
Previous to the Revolutionary War, and for a few years after it ended, the currency in circulation here was that of the Colony of New York, afterwards termed State of New York, which was calculated in pounds, shillings, pence and farthings.
The grain measure was a skipple, and held 3 pecks. The cloth measure was an ell, 3/4 of a yard long.
For brevity, the prices annexed to the following articles, wages, &c., is in our present currency, and the measures are those now in use.
LIVE STOCK.
GRAIN.
MEAT.
CLOTHS.
These cloths were all woven five-quarters of a yard wide.
FLAX.
WAGES.
CARPENTER'S WORK.
MASON'S WORK.
Per day from $0.50 to $0.75
The sumspaid for the mason and carpenter's work of the dwelling house of Peter Gumaer, done about the year 1753, will show how cheap those mechanics worked at that time.
The house was 45 by 40 feet on the ground, with a cellar under the same, divided into four cellar rooms and four dwelling rooms. The walls were of stone, masoned with clay mortar and were about two feet thick, pointed outside of the house and inside of the cellar rooms with lime and sand mortar, and plastered inside of the rooms and chamber with mortar of lime, &c. The mason work of this house was done by three masons, by the job, for 30 L., equal to $75; and the carpenter's work was also done by the job, by a Mr. Wells, for the like sum of 30 L., equal to $75.
To show how cheap these mechanics worked, I have thought proper to give a further description of this house, being as follows, to wit: The two side walls were about 20 feet high from the bottom of the cellar to the plates, and the two end walls were about 28 feet high. The two walls, which divided the cellar and dwelling house each into four apartments, were about 16 feet high from the bottom of the cellar to the chamber floor. The two chimneys, with the supporting walls in the cellar and forming the fire-places, were about 40 feet high from the bottom of the cellar to their tops, and were each about 10 x 6 feet square above the upper floor, from which they were tapering towards the top of the roof, and above it were about 4 or 5 feet square.
The carpenter's work consisted of hewing, fitting and laying the cellar beams, which were about one foot square, and reached from the outside to the inside walls, also hewing, planing and laying the beams of the upper floor, which were of pitch pine timber and about 14 X 10 inches square, also hewing and planing the plates on which the roof rested, also hewing the rafters, which were about 8 x 6 inches square at the lower ends and about 5 inches square at the top end and those on the sides were about 32 feet long, and those on the two other sides, or ends, were about 26 feet long, and each pair of the long rafters contained a girth of about 25 feet long and about 8 x 6 inches square. The lath on which the shingles were nailed were of split timber, hewed 1 1/4 inch thick and about 5 inches wide, the shingles were of white pine timber 3 feet long and 1 inch thick at the butt end, shaved to near an edge at the other end; the lower and upper floors were of pitch pine boards, 1 1/2 inch thick planed on the side within the rooms.
The house contained 7 inside panel doors, four outside framed doors, and four cellar batten doors, five windows, which contained each 24 panes of glass, and panel window shutters to each window, four small windows above the outside doors and eight small chamber and cellar windows, and a large closet each side of one of the fire places. These two jobs were paid in money, which was of much more value at that time than at present.
Few country dwelling houses contain as great a weight of materials as were put into this building. It lasted until the year 1823, and, with a little repairing and a new roof, might have stood and been a good house until the present time. It contained all its first materials except a small repair of the floors before each fire place, and rebuilding the east wall, from which the pointing had been washed by northeast storms of rain and caused it to fall. The lower and upper floors, and the two end roofs, were yet water tight when the house was taken down. The roofs on the north and south sides had become leaky, and more on the north than south side. The two end roofs were very steep, and those on the sides were somewhat steeper than roofs of the present time.
BUSINESS TRANSACTIONS OF OUR ANCESTORS.
As there has been a great change in the business transactions of people in this part of the country generally within the last half century, I have thought proper to give a more particular statement in relation to that of the inhabitants formerly of our present town, than what has been mentioned in the preceding part of this work.
Commencing with the ending and beginning of the year, I will in the first instance narrate the manner in which Christmas and New Year's days were kept.
CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR'S.
The day preceding Christmas, preparations were made to enjoy some good diets on that and the next succeeding day, by baking cakes, boiling doughnuts, &c., on which to feast, especially the second Christmas day, when neighbors visited each other and partook of the good victuals previously and this day provided. Formerly two days were kept as Christmas, and two days as New Year's throughout our valley. The first Christmas day was kept holy and reverential as Sunday, and the second as mentioned, on the evening of which the young people generally had a dance. The day previous to New Year's, the same preparations were made for both New Year's days, and early in the morning of the first day, at or before break of day, a few individuals would be out in one part of the neighborhood and salute a near neighbor with the firing of guns by his door, which awakening the inmates they speedily arose out of their beds, and, on meeting their visitors, they mutually greeted each other with the wish of a Happy New Year, after which a treat of cider was given and sometimes other liquor after it became used, and some cakes, doughnuts and apples were distributed among them. Here they were joined by one or a few of this family and proceeded to the next neighbor, where the same routine was gone through and generally one or a few individuals were added at each house, and by this means quite a company was formed by passing through the neighborhood. In my time these proceedings began to be disapproved, and gradually ceased until they became abandoned. In all other respects, the first and second New Year's days were kept in the same manner as the second Christmas day.
After these festivities were past, the people resumed their business, which was very urgent at this time of the year, in which, before my time, it was said there generally was good sleighing and they had to do a great amount of teaming in the winter season while sleighing continued, to get their wheat to market, their fire wood, post and rail timber drawn, and much other work which teams had to perform. Wheat, in the first instance, had to be taken between 50 and 60 miles distance from our present town to market, afterwards between 40 and 50 miles.
As the days are short in winter, the people before my time occupied a part of the night after dark in the evening and in the morning before daylight, for threshing and cleaning wheat, and also for taking it to market. The great amount of fire wood, post and rail timber, which had to be provided in the winter season, also made much winter work. After sleighing ended, post and rail timber had to be split, the posts holed and rails sharpened, and, as soon as the frost was out of the ground, new fences were made of these and the old fences were repaired. In 1770 and afterwards, a great amount of fuel and fencing timber was used in consequence of the large fires farmers kept up in their sitting rooms and kitchens, the smallness and scattered situation to which farms had become reduced at that time, and the necessity of dividing them into small lots for pasturing purposes.
In March and April, the flax which had not been previously dressed, was in these months all crackled and swingled, rope yarn spun, and ropes made for halters, traces, lines and other uses. Each farmer in these months prepared his hides for tanning, procured white oak bark, and laid down the hides, together with the bark and water, in troughs, to be tanned during the warm season. The linen for summer wear was principally woven in these months by the men, the manure drawn from the barnyards and stables, and flax seed and oats sowed.
In May, the corn-ground was ploughed and planted, and ploughing for buckwheat was done for the first time.
In June, the corn was hoed twice, for which it was prepared by ploughing each time between the rows one way, so that much had to be done with the hoe, and the ploughing for summer fallow was also commenced, and at an early day of the settlement sometimes finished in this month.
In July the harvesting and gathering of winter grain and oats, and the pulling of flax was all done.
In August, after meadows were made, the grass was cut and gathered for fodder, flax taken up and brought into barns, and a second ploughing for wheat was principally done in this month. (It was customary with the ancient people to plough three times for wheat and twice for rye).
In September the plowing for seed and sowing winter grain was commenced, and was continued during the month of October and beginning of November. Cider was from time to time made during these three months. The topping of corn, by cutting off the stalks above the ears for fodder, was done in September until the time of the Revolutionary War, after which this practice was abandoned and the cutting up of corn near the ground and setting it up in small shocks became a general practice, in which, improvements in performing the work, and time and manner of doing the same, have from time to time been made. Until the time of the Revolutionary War, and during that war, the ears of corn on the stalks, standing out in the field after becoming dry, were pulled from the stalks and thrown into small heaps between the rows, from which they were taken with a wagon into the barn where they were husked, sometimes by means of one or more husking frolics, but more generally by the family only. In these months and beginning of December, flax was rotted, and some of it dressed for winter spinning, and rope yarn was spun, and ropes made for cow-ropes, halters, traces, lines and other purposes for winter use.
In November, winter apples, and the few potatoes, turnips and other roots raised in those times, were brought into the cellar; and the killing and putting up of pork and beef was done in the latter part of this month and beginning of December. The 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.
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.
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.
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:
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:
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.
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:
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.
LOWER NEIGHBORHOOD.
Enumeration of families in the time of the Revolutionary War, embracing the head of each family, to wit: