Scharf, J. Thomas, ed. History of Westchester County, New York, including Morrisania, Kings Bridge, and West Farms, which have been annexed to New York City, Vol. I. Philadelphia: L.E. Preston & Co., 1886.
4798 passages
1,467,807 words
Page 18 of 32
For these reasons, we prefer to believe that the American lines were not, generally, furnished with an abatis. ' Vide page 448, ante. ' General Jlowe to Lord Ueorge Gemiaine, " New-York, 30 November, " 1776." * General Heath said, (Sfomoirs, 79,) "the British having got posses- " eion of this hill, it gave them a vast advantage of the American lines, " almost down to the …
5 There was something which required explanation in what was written by General Washington's Secretary and, undoubtedly, with his approval, to the President of the Congress, when he said, " Our post, from " its situation, is not so advantageous as could be wished ; and was only " intended us temporary and occasional, till the Stores belonging to tlie " .\rmy, which hail been …
There is, generally, a prodigality in the expenditure of both money and materials and labor, in all which relates to Armies ; but there seems to have been an excess of prodigality in the use of all these, of which the .\merican Army had such an insufficient supply, if the only purpose of the two lines of entrenchments, one at the foot and the other on the crest of the high …
If there had been, in fact, no other reason than these, for occupying and fortifying that position, there was reason for General George Clinton's doubts, when he wrote, " Uncovered, as we are ; daily on fatigue ; " making redoubts, tleches, abatis, and lines; and retreating from " them and the little temporary Inits made for our comfort, before they " are well flnished, I …
From the best in- " tclligence he is able to obtain, there is not more fn Camp and at the " several places where it has been deposited, than will servo the Army " longer than four or five days, proviiled the utmost care and economy " were used in i.ssuing it out ; but, from the waste and embez./.lement, " for want of proper attention to it, as it is reported to him, it is not …
General Howe determined to attack the American lines, on the following day, [^Thursday, October 31 ; ] and, for that purpose, all necessary preparations were duly made ; but the preceding night and the morning of that day were very rainy ; and the proposed movement was necessarily postponed.* During the same day, ^Thursday, October 31,] the Americans remained within their …
General Washington detached General Rezin Beall, with three fine Regiments of Marylanders, to occupy that very important pass; and General Lord Stirling was ordered, with the Brigade which he commanded, " to keep pace with the enemy's left flank, and to " push up, also, to Croton-river, should he plainly " perceive that the enemy's route lays that way." ^ At the same time that …
''"Our Army is decreasing, fast: several gentlemen who have come " to Camp, within a few days, liave observed large numbers of Militia " returning home, on the different roads." -- {Colonel Robert H. Harrison to the President of the Congress, " White-Plains, October 31, 1776.") "It" [o reinforcement,] "will arrive, very seasonablj', and in part "make up for the deficiency …
post were evidently diligently employed in preparing to move to a new position -- an operation in which the great scarcity of teams added, very greatly, to the personal labor of the men^ -- and, during the following night, that of Thursday, the thirty-first of October," the entire line of the Army, taking the extreme left of the line for the pivot,'" swung back, from the lines …
^ Chief justice Marshall, {Life of George Washington, ii., 505,) stated, in harmony with what General Howe also stated in his despatches to Lord George Germaine, {ride page 448, ante,) that the American Army was withdrawn from the lines on the night after the engagement on Chatterton's-hill ; and that it was moved, a second time, during the night of the thirty first of …
i^"Tlie left of our General's Division was not to move; but the re- "uiaiuder of his Division and all the other Divisions of the Army "were to fall back and form," on that stationery pivot, {Memoirs of Gnitral Heath, 70;) the whole occupying a new line, without having disturbed the relative positions of any of the Kegiments or Divisions of whom the Army was composed. 'I …
Lossing, {Pictorial Field-hook of the Rero- Intion, ii., 823,) said, uncertainly, it was "toward tho Croton River." General Kno.\, in a letter written to his brother, dated " Near White- " Plains, .32 miles from New-York, 1 Nov. 1776," said "the enemy's "possession of this hill obliged us to abandon some slight lines thrown "np on the White Plains. This we did, this morning …
See, also, Gor.lon's History of tlte American Revolution, ii., 344 ; Marshall's Life of Genrgi Washington, ii., 506 ; [Hall's] History of the Civil War in America, i., 210 ; Stedman's History of the American War, i , 216 ; etc. THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, 1774-1783. which had been vacated ; ' and, during the night, it set fire to several barns and one house, which contained …
On the morning after the withdrawal of the main body of the American Army from its lines, at the head of the Wliite Plains, \_Fridaij, Nocembcrl, 1776,] General Howe gave orders for the occupation of those lines, by the Royal Army ; but, again, a violent rain interposed; and the project was abandoned.^ At a later hour, however, the Hessian Grenadiers were moved from …
See, also, a Letter from a Gentleman in the Army, Anted " Camp near "the Mills, about three miles North oi' the White-Plains, Novem- "berl, 177G," published in The I'ennsyhania Erenimj Post, No. 280, Philadelphia, Thursday, November 14, 177(5; General George Clinton to John MeKeason, "Camp at the old place, near the White Plains, 2 "November, 1776 ;" General Hoite to Lord …
We did not lay upon our anus." The inquiry was continued by the ('oiiimittee asking, " From the situation of the relicl *' Army aiul of our's, was that siorni in their or our faces?" to which bie Lordship replied, I do not apprehend that the attack was pre* "vented by the storm of rain being in either of our faces; there are "other effects of a storm, hiicIi as s|H>iliiig the …
' Although it was not stated, at the time, and notwithstanding it has not been stated, since that time, that General Howe proposed to attJick the Americans, in their new position, on the mjrning after it was taken by them, we are sure that that was his purpose, when he ordered the Hessian Grenadiers from Chatteiton"s-liiU ; and made the preparations for "drawing of artillery …
On the morning of Friday, the first of November, simultaneously with the movement of the Hessian Grenadiers and with other equally important preparations-- the whole, we believe, preparatory to an assault on the new position of the American Army, in the high grounds of North Castle, -- a heavy body, from the Right of the Royal Army, with a number of field-pieces, was moved …
He, therefore, ordered " Major Keith, one of his Aides, to gallop over, and order Colonel Mal- "colni to come off. immediately, with Lieutenant Feuno's Artillery , but, " upon a more critical view of the ground, in the hollow, (at the head "of which there was a heavy stone wall, well-situated to cover a body of "troops to throw a heavy fire directly down it, while an oblii|ue …
His first question to our General, " was, ' How is your l)ivisi(jn ? ' He was answered, ' They are all in or- " ' der.' ' Have you,' said the Comlnander-iii chief, 'any troops on the hill, "' over the hollow? ' He was answered, ' Malcolm's Regiment is there.' ' If " 'you do not call them ofr,immPdiately,' says the General, 'you may lose " ' them, if the enemy push a column up …
"The Artillery of the Division was so well directed as to throw the "British artillery-men, several times, into confusion ; and, fiinling that " they could not, here, make any impression, they drew back their pieces, "the Column not advancing," [itrohahly because of the failure of the main body to advance against Ihe American lines, in cooperation with this detachment, as we …
Having been thus frustrated in all his efforts to cut oif the communications of the American Army with the upper country as well as with New England and to draw General Washington to give him battle, in a general engagement -- in other words, having been completely outgeneraled by the Commander-in-chief of the forces whom his associates in arms had so contemptuously ridiculed …
The two Armies continued in their respective lines, not more than a long cannon-shot from each other, ^ until the following Saturday night, \^November 2,] when the American sentries heard what they supposed to have been the rumbling sound of moving artillery.' On Monday night, the fourth of November, however, the entire encampment of the enemy was broken up; and, on the …
1 " I did not think the driving their rear-guard further back, au object **of the least couBetiuonce," were General Howe's official words, de- Bcrii)tiTe of that very important determination. See, also, [Hall's] History of the Cii'il War in Amrrica, i., 211 ; Stedman's JlisU>ry of the Atiiericiin Wur, i., 216 ; Memoirs of General Heath, 81 ; Gordon's llittoyy nf the American …
Vide pages 429, 434, ante. ^ Vide pages 428, 429, ante. over the Bronx-river, near De Lancey's Mill, [now the village of West Farms,'] in the Town of Westchester ; and the Waldeckers whom General Knyphausen had left at New Rochelle, on the preceding Monday, was moved to another bridge, also over the Bronx-river, three miles above the other, [then and noiv known as Williams' …
The purposes of that party were such as New Englanders of that period were apt to regard as peculiarly " patriotic " -- they evidently went down to see what the merciless Hessian and British soldiery had left, when the Royal Army had retreated ; to select, for their own or their families' uses, and to carry away, into New England, whatever, of that remainder, should best suit …
8 "The question being asked Miyor Austin, whether he had any " orders for burning said houses, he confesseii that he had no orders "for it; but he alleged, as an excuse, his being in company with " some of the General Officers, just before the houses were burnt on the "Plains," [those containing the forage, etc., which had been burned when the Army ei'acnated the lines, on the …
"The measure convinced them they had little to expect from pcnetrat- •' ing the country. They saw liow much we would Kftcriflce," [»/ the property of olh rs,] "to the safety of our Army and disiulvantJtge of " theii'S ; at the sjime time, it must have struck terrour into the Tories "and influence in our favour, from the strong motive of interest, as " they i)erceive their …
The Major and his men entered house after house, as they lyent down the roadways leading through the Village ; carrying from each, such articles as pleased their cupidity ; * hastening the occupants from the houses, without suffering them to dress the children, where there were children, " but drove them out of " doors, naked ;" carrying the sick and helpless, outdoors, on …
That great outrage, inflicted on the inhabitants of Westchester-county, called forth the denunciations of the Commander-in-chief, in the General Orders of the Army, * and those of the Committee of Safety of the State ; ' the leader of the band of ruffians who ' " When she went out of the house, some of the men began to carry " things out of the house ; wheu she asked them whj …
"On the night of the 5th instant, he had been out on a scouting party, " with Me^or Austin; and,on their return.the Major ordered him back, with '■ five men, to the houses which they burned ; and told him to take good care "of whatever things he got ; to keep them safe ; and bring them off, to his " markee ;" etc. -- (Testimomj nf Sergeant Churchill, at the s;ime trial.'' Nov …
See, also, the testimony, on the same subject, of Sergeant Churchill, of Tilley How, of James Linzer. and of Captain Keith, at the same trial. •Understood, from aged peo|de, many years since, to have occupied the lower portion of the pro|>erty now occupied by the rcsi)ected widow of the late C. Halsey Mitchell -- that portion of that property, indeed, which was occupied, so …
had inflicted the great wrong, only after the most vigorous effort of General Lee, was mildly " dis- " missed from the service," by the verdict of a second Court-martial, who sat in judgment, on the culprit; and he was turned over to the Convention of the State, to be dealt with, in an action by the State, resulting in his escape from the Jail at Kingston, which closed the …
On Friday, the eighth of November, two Battalions of Light Infantry and the remainder of the Chasseurs, with four field-pieces, took post on the line of communication with Kingsbridge ; and, on the part of the Americans, the troops belonging to New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and the more Southern States, began to file off, from the lines which were occupied by the American Army, " …
The Council referred to agreed, unanimously, that, in ca.se the enemy was really retreating towards New Y'ork, it would be proper, immediately, to throw a body of troops, into New Jersey; that those troops who were from the States to the westward of the Hudson, should be thus detached, the others to l>e subject to "the movements of the enemy and '■the circumstances of the …
of the line, which it had so honorably occupied ; and took up its line of march, towards Peekskill, where it was to be permanently posted, for the defense of the Highlands ; ' and, on Sunday, the tenth of November, General Washington left the White Plains, to take command of those troops who had crossed the Hudson-river, and who, soon afterwards, were engaged in that …
On Sunday, the tenth of November, a Brigade of Hessians was moved to that place, to increase the strength of General Knyphausen's already strong Division;* and, two days afterwards, [Tuesday, November 12,] the main body of the Royal Army broke up the encampment, at Dobbs'sferry, which it had occupied since the preceding Wednesday, and, in two columns, moved towards …
The progress of the Royal Army through Westch ester-county was distinguished by the outrages which were inflicted on the inhabitants, without respect to persons or sexes, on both those who were entirely conservative and disposed to favor the Royal cause and those who were radically and actively opposed to it -- as General Washington described them, while forewarning the …
" Whig and Tory has been lost in one general sceni " of ravage and desolation." ' In that work, the Hessians and the British troops were equally notorious ; and what the soldiery spared, was frequently carried away by the soldiers' wives and mistresses, who formed a part of the retinue of the Army.* Indeed, the warmth of controversy called out from one of the most prominent …
We have already alluded,'" incidentally, to the robberies of Horses which were inflicted on the farmers of that County, by Officers of the American Army, for their private uses, at their respective homes -- not by the Rank and File, nor by the soldiers' wives and concubines, nor in a foreign country ; but by the Commissioned Officers of the Army of Americans who had been moved …
8 "The people who remained in that part of the country," [Weslclietter-couiily,] " through which they pass'd, have been most cruelly plun- " dered ; many helpless women had even their shifts taken from their " backs by the soldiers' wives, after the great plunderers had done ; and, " in this general ravage, no discrimination was made of Whig or Tory." (lA^Uer from Stamford …
He hopes every Officer will set his face "against it, in future; and does insist that the " Colonels and commanding Officers of Regiments im- " mediately inquire into the matter, and report to him " who have been guilty of these practices ; and that "they take an account of the Horses in their re- "spective encampments; and send to the Quarter- " master-general all that are …
Nothing whatever was unacceptable to the thieves; and the bags of Feathers and of unmanufactured Wool, the Desks and Tea-tables and Chairs, the Book-cases and Books, the Andirons and brass and copper Kettles, the linen Curtains and Looking-glasses and women's Hat.s, the Churns and Washtubs, the sets of Sleighharness and skips of Bees, which appear recorded among the articles …
Van Wart, of Greenburgh ; Talman Pugsley, who is said to have lived where the brick School-house now stands, opposite to the residence of Abraham Beare, of Greenburgh; Ph(L>be Oakley, who was the sister-in-law of Talman Pugsley ; Marmaduke Foster, who was the son-in-law of John Martine ; and Solomon Pugsley and the widow Elizabeth Pugsley, whose places of residence are not …
In view of these great outrages, and of many others of which no records have been preserved, the Committee of Safety for the State addressed a letter to the President of the Continental Congress, in which are these concluding words : " I have the satisfaction " to assure you that the fortitude of this State and " their zeal for the glorious cause in which we are " engaged, is …
Unless tliere were two Taverns, in the White Plains, with Oakleys for their Landlcjrds, in 1775 and 1771! ; or, unless Miles had succeeded Isaac, as the Lamllord of the one Tavern which was " Oakley's "Tavern," between April, 1775, and Xoveniber, 1770, we were probably in error, in ouv former statement, concerning the imine of the Oakley who was the Landlord of that Tavern …
3 Petition of Miles Oakley to General Washimjlon, " November 9, 1776 ; " Deposition of John Murtine and Memorandutn of Goods plnmlercd from him, "dated November 13, 177G " ; Deposition of Talman I^sley, "dated "the second day of I>ecember, 1776 " ; Petition of Phoebe Oakletj to the C«nvention of New- York, and her Deposition, ' ' dated the second of December, "1776" …
At a " time when the utmost resources of this State were " laid open to their wants, and the members of Con- " vention personally submitted to the labour and " fatigue which were necessary, on a sudden emer- " gency, and after frequent losses of Provisions and " Barracks, to supply two numerous Armies, aug- " mented by the Militia, with every article which " they required, the …
He is guilty of the crime of Arson ; and if " he cannot be punished by the Articles of War, he " ought to be given up to the Laws of the land. If " so glaring a violation of every sentiment of human- " ity should be passed over, in silence, if the Army " is not seasonably restrained from such acts of bar- " barity, the consequence must be fatal to the cause " of a people whose …
liament, with want of wisdom, in the formation of their plans ; and with want of vigor and energy, in the execution of those plans.^ " A connection with "the Opposition, and a resolution, assumed before " their departure from England, to frustrate every "measure of the " [</ien] " present Administration, " and, thereby, to bring them " [the Administration,'] " into disgrace …
But there were, also, other circumstances, of which their accusers knew nothing and of which the world, to-day, knows only very little, which largely controlled them ; and it is only reasonable and fair, therefore, that the accused should, also, be heard on the subject -- when a Committee of the House of Commons was charged with the grave duty of inquiring into the conduct of …
Sir William Ilowe, on a pampblet, entitled Letters to a Xobleman ; Letter from " Cicero " to Lord Huioe, 2, 3 ; Wraxall's Memoirs of his own Time, Edit. Philadelphia : 184.5, 163 ; etc. 3 A Letter to the Right Honorable Lord Viscmmt H e. Edit. London: 1779, 42, 43 ; Letter from " Cicero" to Lord Howe, 196 ; Wraxall's Memoirs, 163 ; etc. * A Letter to the Uiijht HonoraUe Lord …
But it has been " asserted, that, by my not attacking the lines, on the " day of that action, I lost an opportunity of deslroy- " ing the Rebel Army ; and it has been also said, "that I might have cut off the enemy's retreat by the " Croton-bridge. Sir : an assault upon the enemy's " right, which was opposed to the Hessian troops, " was intended. The Committee must give me …
And, Sir, I do not hesitate to confess that, " if I could, by any manoeuvre, remove an enemy " from a very advantageous position, without hazard- " ing the consequences of an attack, where the point "to be carried was not adequate to the loss of men to " be expected from the enterprise, I should certainly " adopt that cautionary conduct, in the hopes of "meeting my adversary …
"The history of nations," said Taine, "is the history of the men who make up nations; it is in the homes of the common people, their daily lives and their ambitions, that we find the motives which actuate the most important national events, revolutionize governments and change the political geography of continents." To no communities could this judicious comment of the keenest …
The successive tides ot Dutch and English immigration, the original sharp definition of the lines which separated the two nationalities, the obliteration of those lines by a merging of racial interests, the institution of slavery, the growth of the colony toward moneyed prosperity, the influence of the Revolutionary War in domestic circles, the political and social …
lished sketch of the early settlers, their manners and customs, " was not as Dutch a county as many others, although many of its settlers were Hollanders and their descendants. The Dutch language was not so much spoken as in Rockland or Orange. In the southern part of the county the Huguenot and English stocks prevailed, and the near proximity of New York caused an advance in …
The house of logs from which the bark had been peeled was a mark of gentility and a second story was a luxury, although the occupant might have to reach his chamber under the roof-poles by ascending steps on the outside, or by climbing up a perpendicular ladder within the house. A dwelling of logs hewn and squared with the broad axe and adze was the highest of the kind. But …
for much valuable information pertaining to the early history of Westchester Coiinty that could not elsewhere be obtained. The family records in her possession are improved in their historical worth by her arrangement of them, and by her clear and logical deductions from the facts which they contain. She has taken the utmost interest in the prei>aration of this history aud has …
They had usually a crescent cut near the top to admit the early light, and were held back by an iron somewhat in the shape of an S inserted in the stone wall. As ground was cheap, these houses were large in extent and commonly a story and a half in height, the roof sloping steejjly from the ridge pole, and dormer windows broke its uniformity. Double-pitched houses were of …
" In houses of much size the rooms were often wainscoted to the height of about three feet, or a chair board (a beveled moulding) ran about the same height from the floor. Sometimes the wainscot was carved, as well as the paneling about the deep wooden seats and the mantel-pieces. The fire-places occupied a large space, in some very old houses being placed cornerwise. Tiles …
As they built better houses they made or imported fine furniture for them, but the earlier equipments of the living rooms were as rude in character as scant in number. The pallet on the floor -- " the Kermis bed," as the Dutch called it -- was an occasional resort, even in good houses. The Labadist travelers in 1688 sojourned in a tavern near the Hudson that put its guests to …
The patroons, and indeed all the landed proprietors, gloried in the solid magnificence of their household appurtenances. Mrs. Van Cortlandt has written of these stately houses so graphically that pictures of them may be recreated in the mind's eye from her description : " The furniture of well-to-do people was massive and costly and that of the plainer classes good and made to …
The cupboards set in the walls held china, which was often very beautiful, especially that of the favorite Lowestoffe and Chinese makes. The glassware was finely cut, and some of the goblets had stems adorned with spiral threads of opaque glass. Pewter platters, plates, dishes and mugs were in daily use. ' "The bed-room furniture embraced an enormous four-post bedstead, the …
with large holes, worked with coarse linen thread in button-hole stitch. Through these orifices a stout rope was inserted and drawn around the corresponding pegs in the bedstead by strong hands, and upon this foundation great feather beds were piled. In the guest chamber, over the blankets and sheets was spread a white quilt, which was often a work of art, so beautifully was …
I have such a cover, veiy artistically worked with oak leaves and acorns. Sometimes the bed and window-curtains were of chintz, worked with birds and flowers never known to nature. One set yet preserved represents Fame with a trumpet hovering over Washington, upon whose brow she is placing a laurel wreath. The curious and, in some cases, very beautiful blue and white …
were put to rest in heavy mahogany cradles, which had a sort of roof extending over the head to shield the child's eyes from the light. " The parlors or drawing-rooms were laid with Turkey carpets, and round mirrors hung on the walls. They were topped with brass eagles, and fitted with branches for holding the wax candles used by the rich. Other mirrors were oblong, and …
" Tall eight-day clocks in mahogany or ebony and gilt frames were found in all households of the better class. One that was stolen from the Van Cortlandt manor-house during the Revolution was cased in gilded ebony, and above its face was a painting of the Queen of Sheba on her way to lay her gifts at the feet of King Solomon. If these big time-pieces were not decorated with a …
Wild turkeys, pheasants, quail and other feathered game abounded, and Cooper tells us that as late as 1755 ' nothing was easier than to knock over a buck in the Highlands.' The negroes were uniformly good shots, and used pointers and setters when hunting. " The kitchen fire-places were of huge size. A large back-log was rolled into the yawning cavity by the united power of …
In a corner of the fire-place stood, on thick squat legs, a bake-pot, filled with a savory mess, and its iron lid covered with hot embers. From beneath the chimney-piece swung the crane, whose long, horizontal arm bore a profusion of pot-hooks and trammels, from which depended innumerable pots, long-handled frying-pans and other paraphernalia of the cuisine. But no kitchen …
Presently some unknown genius invented a frame that held thirty-six wicks, and eight or ten such frames made the labor quick and easy of performance. Tin molds were employed when a small supply of candles was needed, and the big box of ' dips ' nearly empty. Mr. Jesse Ryder, of Ossining, says that at one time cotton was so high priced that tow was used for wicks, and the ' …
By the help of a small tin tube, it was packed in small linen bags, or casings, as they were called. " Soap-making was an occupation of the spring. Great leach tubs standing out of doors on high frames were filled with wood ashes, on which water MANNERS AND CUSTOMS. 4G1 was slowly poured to i)roduce lye, and the work of soap-boiling began. To be perfect soft-soap, it must be ' …
His " Knickerbocker " is made to say of the " grand parlour :" " In this sacred apartment no one was permitted to enter, excepting the mistress and her confidential maid, who visited it once a week for the purj)ose of giving it a thorough cleaning and putting things to rights, always taking the precaution of leaving their shoes at the door, and entering lightly on their …
" In these primitive days, a well-regulated family always rose with the dawn, dined at eleven and went to bed at sundown." Our frugal ancestors were averse, it seems, to giving dinners, but the wealthier classes " that is to say, such as kept their own cows^ and drove their own wagons," gave tea-parties. On these occasions the company assembled about three o'clock, and went …
To sweeten the beverage, a lump of sugar was laid beside each cup, and the company alternately nibbled and sipped with great decorum." In such parties propriety and dignity of deportment prevailed ; " the young ladies seated themselves demurely in their rush-bottomed chairs. and knit their own woolen stockings, speaking but little, and chiefly in brief answers to questions put …
Puritanism was somewhat successful in its fight against long hair, but when the periwig re-appeared, in the reign of Charles II., it proved too enticing for human vanity to resist. It probably succumbed at length to the very completeness of its victory. Not only men of dignity wore it, but many humbler men followed their example. " One finds," says Mr. Eggleston, " half-fed …
Women wore the lofty " tower " or " commode" head-dress, which, in the exaggeration that preceded its abolition, usually exceeded in its height the length of the face below it. The Dutch dames did not fall victims to any of the eccentricities of fashion ; but with their close-fitting caps, velvet bodices, short and voluminous skirts -- the muslin petticoats crisp and stiff …
They embraced themselves in the cruel stays that comj)ressed their figures into the wasp-like waist then the object of foolish admiration, and tilted themselves forward on the pinching and high-heeled shoes, which had passed from Louis Quatorze to Charles II., and thence to the colonies. The stalwart and heroic impulses which united the colonies In their revolt against the …
1 The Assembly of New York resolved September 9, 1730, that a tax of three shillings be laid " on every inhabitant, resident or sojourner, young or old, within the colony, that wears a wig or peruke made of human or horse hair mixed, by whatever denomination the panie may be distinguished." -- " HUlm: 3Ing." vol H., Xo. 12, December, 1878. the alphabet and numerals, following …
Large and showy patterns of flowers and buds prevailed. " For fiill dress, brocades and moire antique were worn. The robe of a bride in 1748 was of moire antique with a long train, the sleeves coming to the elbow. The bosom and sleeves were trimmed with lace, headed by a narrow pinked ruffle of the silk. The exquisitely quilted petticoat came from Holland, as did the clocked …
" When calves were killed for family use, the skins were tanned and kept until the peripatetic shoemaker, who traveled through the country, made his annual visit, when he halted long enough to make shoes for the elders, the children and the servants. The tailoress, too, made yearly or semi-yearly visits and undertook to turn the homespun cloth into garments. The coming of the …
Captain Cresar Carter, who was stationed there in 1692, was the envied possessor of a wardrobe which cost nearly a thousand dollars outside of his military accoutrements. Jacques Cosseau, a merchant who was a bankrupt before his death, in 1682, possessed but three old coats, the same number of old shirts, two pair of worn-out breeches and one neckcloth ; but Dr. Jacob De …
One i>air black worsted stockings 0 4 0 One i>air gray worsted stockings 0 5 0 One coat lined with red serge 1 15 0 Two old coats 1 10 0 One fine black hat, one old gray hat, one black hat. . . 1 10 One black gros-grained suit 1 17 0 Mrs. De Lange was a fashionable lady, well -known to the families along the Hudson in 1685. Here is the appraisement of her costumes and their …
One black tartanel saniare, with a tucker 1 10 0 > Silver buttons and buckles marked every gentleman's costume. The plate silver buttons, made of Spanish dollars and smaller coins, which flourished in England in the days of Qiieen Anne, were worn in America. Wl full dress for gentlemen required knee and shoe-buckles, which were of silver or, for great occasions, of paste …
Four cornet caps, with lace, one without lace 3 0 0 One black silk rain cloth 0 10 0 One yellow love-hood 0 10 0 One black plush mask 0 16 One embroidered purse with a silver bugle and chain to the girdle, a silver hook and eye 1 4 0 Five small East India boxes 0 1 6 Five hair curlings 0 7 0 Four yellow love drowlas 0 2 0 Jeuelri/. One silver thread wrought small trunk 3 0 0 …
Samuel Leete, clerk of the Court of Mayor and Aldermen in 1679, who is styled " a literary gentleman," was worth £23 10s. in garments and furniture. Cornelius Steenwyck, " one of the principal merchants and leading citizens of New Amsterdam," who died in 1686, kept the following enviable total of chattels in the " great chamber " of his house : Valuation . £ ». ((. Pl.ite of …
One old velvet waistcoat, with silver lace 0 15 0 One old coat, silver plate buttons 2 30 Six pieces of clothes, as coats, breeches and doublets .... 2 50 One buff coat and silk sleeves 1 10 0 One yellow silk scarf, with silver fringes 1 5 0 One light-colored gros green closk 1 00 One dark-coloreil gros green cloak, with lining 2 5 0 One cloth-colore<i cloak, with lining of …
Two small ditto 0 12 0 Two small ditto, old 0 8 0 Seventeen napkins 0 17 0 One carpet 2 0 0 It is not the easiest of tasks to follow up the evolutions of dress as styles grew into extravagance up to the last quarter of the eighteenth century. When peacock gorgeousness prevailed, men and women vied with each other in the costliness of their costumes, and sartorial sobriety was …
This, in turn, was superseded by the "queue de Paris," an abridged edition of the " bishop," and not unlike the "bustle" of our day. The press, during all this time, tried in vain to exercise its nascent power by denouncing folly. An editor gives vent to his indignation in the following outburst (1754) : "These foreign invaders first made their attack upon the stays, so as to …
The prettiest was the "skimmer" hat, made of some shining material like silver tinsel, with a flat crown and large brim ; the "horse-hair" bonnet was very light, but stifl'; the bath-bonnet, made upon the principle of the modern gentleman's crush-hat, -- one could sit on it, -- was more becoming than the mush-melon bonnet, ribbed and stiff-looking, which was in use just before …
A large, flat, white beaver was once worn, with scarcely any crown, and fastened under the chin by two strings. The only kind of wrap used by the ladies was the loose cloak which, with slight alterations in the cut, went by the names of roquelaure, capuchin and cardinal. After the Revolution the influence of French fashions was felt throughout the republic. American ladies …
After that the finest gentleman was content to carry a silver watch- The first gold watches were an article of jewelry, becoming only to wealthy and fiishionable ladies. Old gentlemen, at the close of the last century, carried a tall, gold-headed cane, and, generally, a gold snuti' box, from which they were ever ready to offer a sociable pinch to an acquaintance. They held on …
The Revolution brought about a greater simplicity ' of manners ; the "coarse" element came in after- [ wards when the power of money " began to be felt. ] The Duke de la Rochefoucauld Liancourt, writing | about the social life of the Americans some time after the Revolution, remarks : " Luxury is very high there, especially at New York and Philadelphia, and makes a dangerous …
" An European coming into the new world, and bringing with him the need of the usage of the politer attentions of that which he has quitted ; he, above all, who brings with him the need of what we call in France the charms of society, which we know so well how to appreciate, of which we know how to participate, and which affords us so many moments of happiness, such a man will …
He will there enjoy the blessing of liberty in the greatest extent which it is possible to desire in any polished country. He will see himself with an active people. THOMAS SULLY. easy in their circumstances, and happy. Every day will bring him to observe a new progress of this new country. He will see it every day take a step toward that strength and greatness to which it is …
The social atmosphere of these great houses possessed a warmth and refinement that were favorable to artistic appreciation. Painters were welcome guests within their walls. Peale made excursions into this region, and Sully visited the home of Governor Daniel D. Tompkins to obtain sittings for the admirable portrait which he produced of the statesman. The wealthy people kept …
1 Do. £60. 1 Do. £3f.. 1 Do. £20 1 Do. £10 12s. 4d 198 16 4 1 Bag qt. 730 piatareans 1 Bag 125 09 13 9 1 Bag (jt. 112 oz. dipt silver calculated at 91 oz 50 8 0 2 Bags coppers 13 0 0 1 Wedge of gold 2 oz. 18 dw. IG grs Total 6593 19 8 How amply furnished were the old-time houses is shown in the subjoined inventory of property removed 50 linen sheets. 11 damask table cloths. 21 …
1 boilsted, small, with drawers. 1 copper tea kitchen and stand. 1 old.iapanncd tea table. 1 mahogany dining table. 1 large boilsted table. 2 square tables. 1 fine screen. 13 large painted pictures 12 small painted pictures. 1 large cedar chest. 8 pairs handirons. 1 old desk. 1 old painted cupboard. 1 marble, mortar and kettle. 2 pair brass scales and weights. 2 copper pye …
2 brass mortars. 1 lime squeezer. 2 dripping pans. 1 ladle. 2 flesh forks. 1 cake i)an. 1 gridiron. 2 waffle irons. 1 cullander. G brass candlesticks. 1 snuffers and stand. 2 pairs kitchen hand irons. 7 iron pots. 1 hand skillet. 1 sheep shears. 3 tubs. 4 pails. 3 pairs branches. 3 chains. 12 caudle moulds. 8 emuotliing irons. 47 pattee pans. 3 tea boards. 15 black leather …
1 eased bowl. 1 tea pot. 6 spoons. An old fashioned of plate. 2 milk pots. 1 chafing dish. 15 tea spoons. 2 tea tonge. MANNERS AND CUSTOMS. S sheep. 3 Iambs. 3 hogs. 1 large steel gray horse. 1 mare. 1 jonng mare. 1 young mare with foal. 1 horse. 7 hogs and pigs. 20 hoi'ses. 1 tin case. 1 screen. 2 carpets, 1 churn. 2 waffcl. Settee and twelve chairs. 1 dining table. 14 cons …
" During the pleasant weather of the autumnal months (circa 1G90), a house was built on Bonnefoy's Point, -- not a very commodious one, nor yet very elegant in its architectural design. An excavation was made in the earth to tlie depth of five or six feet, and faced around with stones, after the manner of building cellar-walls at the present day, preparatorjto the erection of …
On the Sabbath it was the temple whither the settlers went up to worship and listen to the religious Instructions of the pious Bonrepas, their beloved pastor, and to join in the raptures inspired by the singing of Marot's hymns. It is surprising to see what exjiedients necessity will adapt ; into how narrow a comjiajts It will compress the proprieties of life, both civil and …
" Not in former times, as now, were the families in country villages or districts dependent on the butcher's stalls for the daily supply of their table, nor yet \ipon the baker's shops and the flour mercliunts for bread and pastry. These staples of life, iis well as their wearing apjiarel, were furnislied upon their own premises. Their < ereals were gathered from their fields …
Thus a thrifty farmer, in the early summer or spring, would slaughter a calf, sheep or lamb and, reserving what was required for his own use, send the rest to his neighbors,mntil they in turn did the same thing ; and thus the supply was mutual and alternate. This policy was frequently adopted also upon tlie occurrence of a stone, or ploughing ' frolic,' as they were called, or …
Even mechanics, carpenters, shoemakei-s, weavers, tailors, coopers, and blacksmiths bad each his acre of land, cow and fatted pig, and whatever they lacked of other provisions they had no difficulty in obtaining by an exchange of labor for farmers' products, at the rate of four dollars per hundred weight of beef, eighteen cents per bushel for potatoes, fifty cents a barrel for …
The manufacture of flax and wool spinning-wheels was usually done by cabinet-makers and turners, which class of mechanics was far from numerous. 3 The turning was performed on the old-fashioned pole lathe. "The dress worn by men consisted of pantaloons, vest and coat ; the latter trimmed with large brass buttons, and an overcoat, or, as it was then called, a malch-coat, a wool …
Their long tresses were parted in front, combed back and braided into a cue ; rolled up spirally upon the back of the head, and secured by a huge turtle-shell or horn-comb. Small side combs were also used to keep the hair evenly parted in front. The shape of their hats varied constantly, a,s now, in acconlanco with the fickle dictates of fashion. At one time it would be a fur …
" Strange as it may seem, all of these, to us, outlandish costumes and fashions looked well hi tlieir time.' Boys, until grown-up, mostly w.^nt barefooted ; nor was it at all uncommon to see grown-up men pursuing their occupations without shoes upon their feet. All, of course, wore shoes and yarn stockings in winter. Moreover, the young man who could afford a pair of calf-skin …
At the age of sixteen ime or more of them would be put out to learn a trade, and bound by indentures to serve five years as apprentices. The girls meantime, while attending the district school, assisted their mother in household duties, and indeed some of them did not hesitate to help at an emergency in the out-iloor work upon the farm -- in such light occupations as stirring …
But although thns early tra ned to habits of industry, and to contribute their share of labor towards the support of the family, the young people of both sexes were by no means deprived of amusements. They had their holiday seasons and afternoon and evening sports. They enjoyed, in winter, skating and riding down hill, and spinning tops, flying kitesand playing ball in the …
The endless ceremony, ]iarade and lavish expenditure of time and money upon bridal costumes, trousseaus and wedding tours were unknown to the simplicity of those times. If it had not been so, thecostly paraphernalia of a wedding would have driven the young lovers of that day into the despair of a hopeless celibacy ! Mutual happiness and success in life, and not idle vanity or …
For as much more, they could be furnished with all that was needful for housekeeping in the way of furniture, etc.; the wife, as a general thing, providing beds, bedding and such carpets as she had been able to manufacture as the fruit of her own handiwork and industry ; so that the entire outlay, in cash, for the first year, over and above what was provided by the pareuts …
Settling in a country where water-courses were so numerous, the early Dutch did most of their traveling on the North River or the Sound and its tributary streams. The periauger was in constant use for water transportation. Charlevoix calls it pirogue, a canoe formed of the trunk of a tree, while Cooper, in the "Water Witch," says: "It partook of a European and an American …
Box wagons, guiltless of springs, were owned by some farmers, but for easy travel a good horse was preferred, the man riding in front and the wife or daughter behind upon a pillion. Physicians needed and bestrode stout nags, always carrying saddle-bags and the few simple surgical instruments then known. The infallible lancet was stored in the l)ig ])ocket-book, as at least …
In 1803 Oliver Evans had begun to build steam-engines in Philadelphia, and in 1813 published an article in which he claimed that in 1773 he had suggested steam as a motor on land, and in 1778 had proposed its application to boats. In 1804 he built a machine for cleaning docks, and propelled it by its own engine overland to the Schuylkill River, where he launched it into the …
The Rumsey Society, of which Benjamin Franklin was president, was formed to aid him, and there ensued a sharp controversy for priority of invention between Rumsey and John Fitch. The latter had, in July, 1786, experimented on the Delaware with a steamer moved by upright paddles, fitted at the gunwales, but his first successful boat was operated in July, 1788. He changed the …
She was one hundred and thirty feet in length, eighteen in width, seven in depth, and of one hundred and sixty tons burthen. Her engine was bought from Watt & Boulton. On Friday, August 7, 1807, she started on her first voyage to Albany, and reached there in thirty hours, an average for the one hundred and fifty miles of five miles an hour. In September she began running …
HISTORY OF WESTCHESTER COUNTY. and sinuosity of the roads than the coach. The chaise was a kind of two-wheeled gig, having a top, and sometimes drawn by one and sometimes by two horses ; the chair had two wheels, but no top ; the sulky, which was much used, differed from the chair chiefly in having room for but one person- Ladies took delight in driving about alone in open …
In 1673 the post or messenger was instructed to apply to the Governors for " the best direction how to form the best Post-Road ;" fitch's first steamboat. to establish places on the road where to leave the way -letters, and " to mark some Trees that shall direct Passengers the best way, and to fix certain Houses for your several stages both to bait and lodge at." The messenger …
Shippen, who travelled from Boston to Philadelphia on horseback, carrying Or baby on her lap} We get here, also, an insight into the primitive postal system : " Tuesday, October y" third, about 8 in the morning, I with the Post proceeded forward . . and about 2, afternoon, arrived at the Post's second stage, where the western Post met him and exchanged letters. Having here …
I asked him of the rest of the road, foreseeing we must travel in the night. He told me there was a bad river to ride through, which was so very fierce a horse could sometimes hardly stem it : but it was narrow, and we should soon be over." The post-oflSce scheme for British America was first devised in the year 1700, by Colonel J. Hamilton, of New Jersey, and son of Governor …
The necessity for increased postal facilities had been represented to the home government in 17U4, by the Governor of the province of New York, who wrote that ' " The post that goes through this place goes eastward as far as Boston ; but westward, he goes no further than Philadelphia : and there is no other post upon all this continent." As late as the year ISIO the mail …
Until 1755 there had been but one a week, eastward and westward from New York,-- Boston and Philadelphia being still the extreme points, -- and this only in the summer ; once a fortnight was the winter arrangement. In 1755 it was arranged that the New England post should start weekly all the year round. When this post was first established, in 1672, by Governor Lovelace, it …
James Rees, from whose " Foot-prints of a Letter-Carrier" we have quoted the above paragraph, says : " Nor was it until 1732 that the first stage-route to Philadelphia was established ; stages also departed for Boston monthly, taking a fortnight on the route." Advertisements of that year mentioned the departure of the post "in order to perlbrm his stage," but we find no …
Public travel was in its infancy : the hardy colonist bestrode his own good horse and started on a distant journey with no more concern than we board a railroad train nowadays. After the Revolution, however, there was a marked and general improvement. A stage line was begun, in 1785, between New York and Albany. In 1787 stage communication with Boston was had three times a …
Westchester had no newspaper until after the Revolution, but its people not only read the New York journals, but also advertised in them. Here are some advertisements inserted by the people of Rye, and preserved in Mr. Baird's history of that town : "Oct. 23, 1749. W«>. Bl ETlS, Hat-Maker, Now living at Harrison's Pnichiise, in Rye, carries on the Hatter's Trade there, and …
Abraham Bush, of Kye, in the province of New York, on a voyage from the eastward, bound home, coming out of Milford harbour, in Connecticut, Sunday morning the 14th day of last April, about three hours after his departure, saw (above half sound over towards Long Island) a wreck . . . which he brought into Kye harbour. Any pel-son proving his property in said scow and boom, by …
There must have been a peculiar meaning in the singular custom existing among the Dutch families of that period, of the father giving a bundle of (joose quills to his son and telling him to give one to each of his male posterity. Watson saw one which had a scroll appended saying, "This quill, given by Petrus Byvanck to James Bogert, in 1789, was a present in 1689 from his …
In 1672 a number of inhabitants of that locality complained to the Governor and Council that " a witch had come among them from Hartford, where she had been before imprisoned and condemned."' The woman was removed. A similar complaint was also made in 1673 ; " but the Military Governor, Captain Colve, a son of the ocean, not under this land influence perhaps, treated it as …
Tablecloths and napkins, woven in diamonds and squares, were as smooth and glossy as satin, while the sheeting was fine, even-threaded and most durable. Every farm had a wood-lot, in which the men-servants exercised their thews in preparing the immense logs for the gaping fire-places that daily swallowed fuel by the cord. They also cut chestnut rails for the zigzag fences that …
' The Dutch settlers in Westchester County obtained their first .\fri- I can slaves under the "Freedoms and Exemptions" granted by the n West India Company in 1629, which promised that to all planters of col- I onies in the New Netherlands '* the Company will use their endeavors I to supply the Colonists with as many Blacks as they Conveniently Can ; | in such manner, however …
eas\-," Cooper makes Miles Walliiigroid say, to describe the affection of an attached slave, which has blended with it the pride of a jjartisan, the solicitude of a parent and the blindness of a lover." A common custom amonp; the Dutch was to assign to each child in the household, when it had reached six or eight years, a slave of the same age and sex, who clung to the little …
I had them," says he, "were very free and I'auiiliar ; sometimes sauntering among the whites at meal-time, with hat on head, and freely joining occasionally in conversation, as if they were one and all of the same lK)Uschold." ' "Yet," says Watson, "no case had ever occurred of 'amalgamation,' and no instance of j mixed colour had been seen until produced by some in the …
The same enactment includoil a rigid fugitive slave law and conuuanded all constables and inferior oHicers '• to prejw men. horses, boats or pinnaces to pnmie" runaway slaves "by sea or land, and to make diligent hue and cry, as by the law rcijuired." Later statutes pennitted masters to puu'sh al>Te6 with any chastisement nut extending to life or member ; forblde the …
In a dispute between Samuel Odell and the heirs of Jonathan Vowles about the southernmost part of that island, John Frost testified that in 1()93 he went, by request of Vowles, to the said island, " where he did see Jonathan Vowles . . . cut a turff upon the same, as also cut a stick or twigg thereon ; and the said Jonathan Vowles did then and there deliver the said turfe and …
The marriage festival was an event to which friends and neighbors from all the country round were bidden ; much ale and liquor was drunk, and the dancing was kept up the night through. There does not, however, seem to have been the strictest morality observed concerning the relation of men and women, for on January 5, 1658, the Council of the New Netherlands issued a very …
The minister finished the ceremony by kissing the bride; then all the gentlemen followed his example, while it was the bridegroom's privilege to kiss each of the ladies. A bride might receive the salutations of a hundred men in the course of the day; and as if this were not enough, the men called on the bride afterward, and this call was colloquially known as " going to kiss …
Debauchery presently usurped the place of innocent enjoyment and these assemblages were converted into orgies. Consequently, on December 1, 1655, the Council proclaimed " that from this time forth, on the New Year and May-days, there shall be no firing or May-poles planted ; nor shall there be any beating of the drum ; nor shall there be on the occasion any wines, brandywines …
There was an early custom of firing volleys over the graves of persons of rank and distinction, even though the one interred might be a woman. There were many other sources of expense. The " underbearers " who carried the cofiin, walking with their heads and shoulders covered Avith the pallcloth, wore plain gloves; but the pall-bearers, the minister and many of the friends …
I have seen long pins of the same kind worn like the present scarf-pins, and heavy rings of white enamel, with the name of the person in whose memory they were given inserted in gold letters."' The expenseof making such presents can readily be imagined. 472c If the distance to the burying-ground was short, the deceased was carried on a bier. The slaves followed, with spotless …
To 6 Porters, at (w 1 lU " 11 IT G To a coffin covereil with clutli and lined within. Finding for ditto, double gilt furniture, full trimmed with all belonging, except cloth, lining and Ribbon 10 tl 0 To making up a state room, finding stuft i tacks . . . (I 14 0 10 14 0 " And this does not include the funeral baked meats, the gloves, mouruing rings and other items of expense …
" The clerk had a long rod, slit at the end, into which he inserted the note, and handed it up to the minister, who occupied a very high pulpit in the shape of a half globe, raised on the top of a demi-column and canopied with a sounding-board. The minister wore a black silk mantle, a cocked hat and a neck-baud, with linen cambric 'beft'y' on his breast, for cravats were then …
It absolutely prohibited " all public or private conventicles or assemblies as are without the wonted (and only allowed by God's word) Reformed and appointed assembly of the Reformed Religion, in conformity with the synod of Dort, here, in this land, in our Fatherland and in other Reformed Churches observed and followed, under the penalty of one hundred pounds Flemish, to be …
The articles of capitulation expressly provided that "the Dutch here shall enjoy the liberty of their consciences in divine worship and church discipline." Noue but Protestant ministers were allowed to ofticiate within the government, but difference of judgment was allowed to all who professed Christianity. The English made the maintenance of the ministry and poor a chief care …
the order that " every township is obliged to pay their minister according to such agreement as they shall make with him, and no man to refuse his proportion, the minister being elected by the major part of the householders inhabitants of the town." It was the original scheme of the English that in each parish a church "should be built in the most convenient part thereof …
All the members of the Assembly but one were Dissenters, and in considering a bill for settling a ministry they obstinately refused to incorporate an amendment submitted by the Governor, providing that the bill should be presented to him, " to be apj)roved and collated." His object was to construct it to the advantage of the Church of England, and as the Assemblymen could not …
Two were ordered for Westchester County -- " one to have the care of Westchester, East Chester, Yonkcrs and the Manor of Pelham ; the other to have the care of Rye, Mamaroneck and Bedford." Each was to be paid fifty ])Ounds per annum by a levy laid upon the people, which they might pay "in country jiroduce at money price." Iron-clad enactments protected the pastor against the …
Francis Doughty, who had been expelled by the Congregationalists from Taunton, Mass., is said to have been the first Puritan or Presbyterian minister in New York. He officiated from 1643 to 1648, and was supported by voluntary contributions from the Puritans and Dutch of the city. Puritans were certainly among the early settlers of Westchester. In volume iii. page 557, of the …
In 1()75 Peter Prudden preached at Rye, and Thomas Denham settled there in 1677. Thus within twelve years there were five Presbyterian clergymen exercising their functions in Westchester County. They and their flocks shared in the struggle which all Dissenters liadtomake with GovernorSloughter's efforts to establish the Church of England as the State Church, but still …
In fact, it was arbitrarily and illegally wrested from its true hearing anil made to answer the purpose of the Knglish rimrcli i>arty, whicli was a very small minority of the people affected by the operation of the law. The act itself is a conclusive argument against the alleged establishment of the Church of England in the province of New York. It was not established of any …