In the last continental congress held under the old confederation of the State, that of 1788-89, Philip Pell, of our county, had the honor of being one of the representatives from the State of New York. Daring the eight years of Washington's administration as president the Federalist party usually enjoyed the preponderance in AYestchester County. With the incoming of Jefferson, however, the anti-Federalists, or Republicans, gained the ascendency, which they transmitted to their political heirs, the Democrats; and indeed since the beginning of its organization the Democratic party has lost but two presidential elections in Westchester County (1818 and 1896). The congressional district to which this county was apportioned was represented in the national house of representatives for sixteen successive years (1793-1809) by General Philip Van Cortlandt.1 From 1795 until 1801 our John Jay was governor of the State. In the fall of 1797 John Adams, then president of the United States, for some time made his official residence in the Halsey house in Eastchester, having come there to escape the yellow fever, which was raging in Philadelphia, the national capital.2 One of the Jefferson presidential electors of the State of New York in 1800 was Colonel Pierre Van Cortlandt, a younger brother of Philip. In 1791 the representation of Westchester County in the assembly was reduced from six members to five, in 1802 to four, and in 1808 to three. In such a work as this, which makes no pretensions except as a narrative history of the county, it is impossible to note, progressively, the names and services of the various incumbents of the many offices, legislative, judicial, county, and local, elected or appointed from time to time. Such an exact record does not come within the scope of a general history. An exhaustive Manual and Civil List of Westchester County has recently been published by Mr.