Two new townships were erected -- Ossining (1845) and West Farms (1840), and the territorial dimensions of four others were somewhat changed by the annexation of a portion of North Salem to Lewisboro in 1844, ami of a portion of Seniors to New Castle in 1840. From 1810 until 1845 Mount Pleasant, embracing the village of Sing Sing, had been the most populous township of the county. The federal enumeration of 1840 gave it a population of 7,307. It was also one of the largest townships in area, and chiefly on this account its

HISTORY

WESTCIJ

ESTER

COUNTY

division was determined upon. By a legislative act passed May 2, 1845, the present Township of Ossining was erected from it. "The meaning of the term ' Ossining ' and its derivation," says Dr. Fisher, - wore given by Mr. Henry M. Schoolcraft in 1844, at the request of General Aaron Ward, member of congress from this district at the time. We arc told that the word ossin, in the Chippeway language, signifies 'a stone'; that ossinee or ossineen is the plural for 'stones.' This etymology was accepted, and in May, 1845, when our town was taken from Mount Pleasant, it received the name of ' Ossm-sing/ In March, 1846, it was changed (by dropping the third s) and made to read k Ossiii-ing,1 and still later omitted." hyphenin was the Including its limits Sing1 Sing Village, Ossining naturally took a prominent place among the towns of the county from the start. The Town of West Farms was carved out of Westchester by a law passed May F5, 1846. The new township comprehended all of the ancient patents of West Farms, Morrisania Manor, and F 0 r d h a in Manor, Westchester Town retaining only the territory east of the Bronx River.