He was appointed He accompanied the Marquis de Lafayette in lieutenant-colonel in the continental army, and his tour of the United States in 1824, and remained in active duty until the end of the entertained him at the Manor House. He died war, retiring with the rank of brigadier-gen- November 21. 1831. oral. He rendered very distinguished services -The Halsey house was owned at that time on many occasions. He was a member of by Colonel V\\ S. Smith, a son-in-law of the military court which tried General Bene- President Adams.

HISTORY

WESTCHESTER

COUNTY

T. Smith, of New Rochelle, to which we refer all of our readers who may have occasion to obtain specific information on these lines. We must restrict ourselves in the present pages to incidental notice of the more conspicuous men who figure in the general annals of the county, and even in this particular we must crave the considerate indulgence of the reader if our allusions are hut partial, pleading for our justification the necessary limitations of the plan of this History. From 1802 to 1807 the distinguished John Watts, Jr., occupied the position of kk first judge" of our county court, lie was the son of The John Watts, Sr., and Ann, daughter of Stephen de Lancey. father was a member of the king's council and a stanch adherent of the 3*&! crown; his magnificent estate on Manhattan Island was confiscated, and lie died, an impoverished exile, in Wales. The son was the last royal recorder of New York City (1771-77). After the organization of the federal government he was speaker of the New York assembly for three years, and served one term in congress. His last public office was that of judge of Westchester County. His city house was at No. 3 Broadway, New York, and he had a tine country residence near New Uochelle, on a slope overlooking Hunter's Island.