History of Westchester County, New York, from its Earliest Settlement to the Year 1900
From 1821 to 1816 this comity belonged to the 2d senatorial district, embracing also Dutchess, Putnam, Rockland, Orauge, Sullivan, Ulster, Queens, and Suffolk. Westchester County's representatives in the assembly, at first six in number, were reduced successively to five, four, three, and finally (May 23, 1836) to two. The number was again increased, in 1857, to three, at which figure it has since remained. The assemblymen were elected on a general ticket until 1817, when the county was first divided into assembly districts. The county judges, district attorney, treasurer, clerk, and sheriff held their offices by appointment until the constitution of 1846 came into effect. Since then they have been elected by popular vote. The presidential vote of the county from 1828 to 1840, inclusive, was as follows: 1828. -- Andrew Jackson, 3,788 ; John Quincv Adams, 3,153. 1832.-- Andrew Jackson, 3,133 ; Henry Clay", 2,293. 1836.-- Martin Van Rnren, 3,009 ; William H. Harrison, 1,749 ; scattering, 287. 1840 --Martin Van Buren, 4,354 ; William H. Harrison, 4,083.
The foundations of the common
school system were laid, after an
GENERAL
COUNTY
HISTORY
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elementary fashion, toward the beginning of the nineteenth century. In 1795 the legislature passed an act giving annually for five years the sum of £1,192 of State money for school purposes in Westchester County, to which the people of each town added an amount equal to one-half that received from the State. Later the towns each contributed a sum equal to the State appropriation. The moneys were distributed by school commissioners specially selected. But the present system of school commissioners dates from the legislative act of 1819.' Ever since colonial times, the people of this county had always been rated as exceptionally intelligent, with but a small percentage of illiteracy. The New York newspapers enjoyed a very considerable patronage among our citizens before the Revolution, and after the beginning of the present century there was scarcely a farmhouse that did not receive some newspaper from New York.