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 21 of 32
It is historically noted a.s the pbice where Edward Palmer, a British s|)y, was executed by order of General Putnam. He was hanged from a tree on the village green. The beautiful Highlands rise in their lovely majesty to the northward and westward of the town, and the river, pent up into a narrow channel between their flinty jaws, rusiies onward in impetuous course only to …
It would be impossible to depict in language the manifold beauties and advantages of its Hudson Riverfront, already lined with beautiful homes and destiued to become, no doubt, in coui-se of time, one of the most densely populated localities in all the world. For nearly fifty miles it presents an unbroken succession of pictures<iue building sites with charming prospects of …
Opposite City Island, on the northeast side of the point, are the well-known Stei)ping-Stones, a line of rocks projecting from the Long Island shore, wliich become visible at low water. On the highest of them stands the lighthouse known as " Stepping-Stone Light." On the northeast side of the point lies Locust Island, and on the south are many handsome residences liiiiiiir the …
The township of the latter name -- formerly ])art of the borough of Westchester and uotv incorporated with the city of New York -- contains many beautiful sites, among them being the former residence of the poet, Joseph Rodmsiu Drake, on Hunt's Point, near its extremity, overlooking the East River and Flushing Bay. Near the entrance of Jefferd's Neck is Rose Bank, the …
In the vicinity of the bridge is the terminus of the New Haven and Hudson River Railroad, with a large depot and dock. On an elevation northeast of the depot stands the manor-house of what at one time was known as " Old Morrisania," with the ancient vault of the Morris family. On the east side of the Mill Brook, at the southwest angle of the old township of Morrisania, stands …
East of the brook and nearly opposite North and South Brother Islands, East River, lies Port Morris, said to be " unsurpassed for the anchorage of large vessels by any port in the world." At one of the docks here the famous " Great Eastern " rode in safety. Just above Port Morris, opposite Riker's Island, there is an admirable site for a navy-yard, with the means at hand for …
A fine view of City Island and the Sound and Pelham Bay is to be obtained from this locality. City Island is .so named from the hopes of the early settlers, inspired by its great advantages of location, that it would one day become the site of a great commercial city. It is a beautiful spot, but its only important industry is a large dock-yard, at which a number of noted …
The lands of this portion of the county, as a rule, are level and stony, but the soil is productive and there are handsome growths of timber on the unimproved tracts. Mamaroneck, adjoining New Rochelle on the east, was a favorite resort of the Indians, who are supposed to have been attracted bj' the renuirkable beauty of the scenery. The Mamaroneck River, which forms the …
New Castle west of the centre, and Yorktown, Somers and North Salem in the western portion. Those fronting on the Hudson, beginning at New York City and traveling westward, are Yonkers, Grcenburgh, Mount Pleasant, Ossiningand Cortlandt. The entire face of the county is well watered by a number of streams and lakes and is remarkable for the picturesqueness of its scenery in …
The principal streams of the county are Peekskill Creek, Furnace Brook, the Croton, Pocantico and Neperhan Rivers, and Tippett's Brook, tributary to the Hudson and the Bronx Rivers ; Westchester and Hutchinson's Creeks, Mamaroneck aud Byram Rivers, flowing into Long Island Sound ; Maharness and Stamford Mill Rivers, flowing east into Connecticut ; aud Muscoot Creek, Plumb …
ready been described, but it may be added that to its other advantages as a place of residence Westchester adds the important one of an abundance of building stone of the best quality. There are valuable quarries of marble at Sing Sing and traces of valuable ores have been discovered. Several mineral springs have been found in dirterent portions of the county, chief among …
The county, as we have indicated, is steadily becoming more and more popular with the class who appreciate the great advantages of semi-rural homes as a relief from the cares of business. In the summer months the population, of course, is greatly increased. Many wealthy inhabitants of New York have summer residences in the county, and not a few prefer to live here both winter …
Viele, H. A. Chauncey, Professor J. W. Draper, P. J. Armour, Cortlandt Palmer, J. C. Fargo, E. O. Matthiessen, Eliphalet Wood, H. R. Bishop, James Benedict, the late William E. Dodge, Robert Hoe, John T. Terry, George Lewis, S. B. Scheffelin, the Beekmans, John Anderson, A. C. Kingsland, H. Aspinwall, 0. B. Potter, General George W. Morell, the Onderdonks, Colonel Van …
There were 22,043 men fit for military duty, -- i.e, from eighteen to forty-four years old, inclusive ; 7826 were over forty-four years of age, making the total voting population 29,869. The death-rate per thousand was small, as compared to that of the whole State. The census tables do not give the mortality in each separate county, but in groups of several counties. Group No …
The difference between these two rates will be better understood when it is remembered that the mortality in the whole State -- 88,332 deaths in a population of 5,082,871 inhabitants -- includes that of all the large cities where death's harvest is always greater than in the rural districts. The deaths in New York City and Brooklyn alone aggregate 43,208, or very near half the …
Mount Pleasant Town, including North Tarrytown Village 5450 5210 North Tarrytown Village 2804 New Castle Town ■ 2297 2152 New Rochelle Town 5276 3915 North Castle Town 1818 1996 North Salem Town 1693 1754 Ossining Town, including Ossining Village . . . 8709 7798 Sing Sing Village 0578 4690 Pelham Town 2540 1790 Poundridge Town 1034 1191 Bye Town, including Port Chester Village …
Westchester County contains 2991 farms, of which 2385 are cultivated by their owners, 455 are rented for fixed money rentals and 151 are rented for shares of products. Of these farms, 888 have an area of from 50 to 100 acre« ; 909 from 100 to 500 acres ; 17 measure over 500 and under 1000 ; and 3 over 1000 acres. There are only 4 farms under three acres ; 183 are over 3 and …
There are 40,462 acres in woodland and forest, and 11,464 acres in old fields and other unimproved lands. The value of farms, including land, fences and buildings, is set down at $33,264,505. That of farming improvements and machinery at $597,892; of live stock at $1,805,838. The cost of building and repairing ferries, in 1879, was $129,336 ; that of fertilizers purchased …
There were also produced in 1879, 300 tons flax-straw and 10 lbs. maple sugar; 63,408 acres of hay were mown, yielding 69,221 tons. There were on hand, June 1, 1880, exclusive of spring hatching, 116,782 barn-yard fowls and 7506 other poultry. The number of eggs produced in 1879 was 662,672 dozens ; 13,475 pounds of honey and 363 pounds of wax were gathered in 1879 ; 3 acres …
The true criterion of prosperity is not so much the amount of capital and the namber of manufacturers, as the proportion of working people who find employment at fair wages and the margin of profits after all expenses are paid. A comparison of the various factories of our manufiacturing interests with those of some other counties liaving a larger number of manufacturing …
Examining other tables, we find that Erie, the largest manufacturing county, has 5,281 establishments, with an aggregate capital of $62,719,399, an average of $11,688.57 per establishment. Forty-eight thousand seven hundred and ninety-eight hands find employment, at a cost of $22,867,176 -- an average of $468.62 per hand. But Erie has a large number of industries requiring …
They are as follows, the figures showing the number of establishments engaged in the industry : Agricultural implements, 1 ; boots and shoes, 11 ; bread and baking products, 12 ; brick and tile, 21 ; buttons, 1 ; carpets, 1 ; carriages and wagons, 14 ; cheese and butter factory, 1 ; men's clothing, 7 ; combs, 1 ; cooperage, 1 ; files, 2; flouring and grist-mill products, 24 …
harness, 19 ; sash, and doors, 9 ; scales and balances, 1 ; ship building, 9; shirts, 5; silk and silk goods, 8 ; slaughtering and packing, 2 ; soap and candles, 2 ; spectacles and eye-glasses, 1 ; sugar and molasses refinery, 1 ; tinware, copperware and sheet-iron ware, 23 ; tobaccO) cigars and cigarettes, 13 ; wire, 1 ; wool hats, 3. Among the liiost important industries is …
The printers and publishers payj on an average $495 per hand ; the scales and balances manufacturer.-*, $487.50, and the ship-builders a little over $500 ; but these industries employ only men and these in limited number. The worst paid bread-winners are the shirt makers. The five firms engaged in this business give employment to 15 men, 477 women and 4 children, at average …
Most of the granite works in the country are suited for rough work only, and the stone is quarried for local use. A coarse-grained gneiss, striped alternately light and dark, which is quarried near Hastings, is extensively used in New York City for general construction purposes. The Tuckahoe marble is quarried at several points. The following interesting account of the belts …
" In composition the stone from these quarries is a Dolomite, containing a small amount of iron and some mica. The buildings constructed of the stone from the Tuckahoe Marble Company's quarry are those of the New York Stock Exchange, New York City, and the Mutual Life Insurance Company, at Boston. Those constructed of the material from Mr. Masterdon's quarry are the New York …
This quarry has recently [1880] been furnishing about twenty-five tons of stone per day lor making soda water." Finances. -- -The valuation and taxation of the county in 1880 were as follows : V;ilue of re.al estate, S5-2,09.'),188 ; of personal property, $3,.W9,G58. Sliite tax: schools, $7:^,.')4.'') ; other piiiposes, $I22,U01. County tax for other pui-iioses than schools …
I'ublic buildings 12,000 Kefuudiug old debt 730,OI)() Water works 62'),0(10 Total $l,38a,ii'0. Sing Sing had a floating debt of . . . 857G I'eckskill, bonded debt fl35,208 Less sinking fund 5,r>47 129,.'i61 Port Chester, floating debt lll.UOO White Plains, bonded 823,300 Floating 1,000 24,000 Mount Vornou, bonded 86,".5i) Floating 1,111 7,SG4 The finaucial report of the mayor …
The total amount paid on account of the county indebtedness during the year, as shown by reports, was twenty-one thousand two hundred and sixty-nine dollars. Education. -- The people of our county manifest a constant interest in educational affairs and the condition of our schools is such as we may justly be proud of. There has been for many years a steady improvement in the …
1st Commissioners' District 0,767 2d " " 12,884 3d " " 10,!l9ii The average attendance in the county was 9,440, di Tided as follows : Ist Commissionei's' Distnct , 2d " " 4,110 3d •' " 3,453 The School Commissioners are for the,-- l.st Di.'trict Jared Sauford 2d " James B, Lockwood 3d " John \V. Wttel, Peekskill The citj' of Yonkers being a separate commissioners district, is …
According to the annual report of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction for 1886 Westchester County has ninety-one children over five and under twenty one years of age, for each qualified teacher; forty-eight children attending school any portion of the year for each qualified teacher; twenty-eight children the average daily attendance for each teacher; 30.76 per …
Preparatory to writing this chapter we have carefully examined the court records, in the county clerk's office at White Plains, from the earliest times . perused the fragments of history, here and there extant, bearing upon the subject, and such biographical sketches of judges and lawyers as can be found : and also received from the lips of some of the veteran members of the …
With this mass of materials before us, it is no easy task to write a chapter upon the bench and bar of Westchester County ; it would be much easier to write a volume. Under the scheme of this work, however, many of the leading judges and lawyers are treated of at length elsewhere, in separate biographies, or in connection with the history of the several towns where they …
greeting : know ye that we have assigned, constituted and aiipciiud d, and by those presents do assign, constitute and appoint, our trusty and well beloved 8ub.ject, John Pell, Esq., to be judge of our inferior Court of Common Pleas, to be holden in our county of Westchester, in our ti rritory and dominion of New England, with authority to use and exercise all power and …
The first Court of Sessions, shown by the court records, was held on the 3d of June, 1684, the next year after the county was established. The record does not show who presided, or who sat as associate judges. We have not been able to learn from any source the name of the presiding judge. It is possible, therefore, that some one may have been appointed, or acted, as judge of …
" From the time of his arrival he became a leading man in the colony," and being possessed of great wealth, which he had acquired in mercantile pursuits, he made extensive purchases of lands in Westchester County. These, on the 21st of March, 1701, were "erected into the lordship and manor of Scarsdale, to be holden of the King in free and common soccage, its Lord yielding and …
William Willett, who succeeded Colonel Heathcote as judge of the Court of Common Pleas of the county in 1721, was the son of Colonel Thomas Willett, of Flushing, Long Island, and the grandson of Honorable Thomas Willett, first mayor of New York. The Willetts descend from the Rev. Thcmas Willett, a distinguished English divine, who died in 1597. The descendants of Honorable …
He espoused the patriotic side in the Revolution, and his influence was greatly felt in its behalf. In 1777 a party of British troops, making oneof their frequent raids into the interior of the county, seized Judge Thomas at his house in " Rye Woods." He was particularly obnoxious to the British, who had long been seeking to effect his capture. He was taken to New York and …
* Button's "History of Westctiestcr County." See also Edward F. de lancey's cliapter on tlio "Manors of Westchester County," in tliis Tolnme, and his sketcli of Maniaroneck. •Bolton's "History of We.itcUcstor," vol. ii., Apiwndi.'i A, ^Buird's "History of Rye." country in 1661, and in right of his wife, Elizabeth Richardson, daughter and co-heiress of John Richardson (one of …
Caleb Fowler was a resident of the West Patent of North Castle, where he owned a good deal of property. He was surrogate in 1761-66. His son Jonathan (one of the twelve children) was appointed one of the executors of his will, which instrument, dated in the year 1760, was ofi'ered for probate September 14, 1784. The persons already mentioned appear by the court records to have …
" He was the son of Edmund Ward, of East Chester, for a long time a member of the Colonial Assembly, and grandson of Edmund Ward, of Fairfield, Conn., who removed to East Chester about the latter period of the seventeenth century." Hon. Stephen Ward was an ardent patriot, and was proscribed at an early period of the Revolution by the Loyalist party and a price set upon his …
Tompkins, of Scarsdale, father of Vice- President Daniel D. Tompkins, was first judge from 1794 to 1797. " He was a member of the State Convention which adopted the Declaration of Independence and the first Constitution of the State. He was elected to the Legislature and remained in that capacity during the whole period of the Revolution, and on the institution of the …
At twenty-five years of age he was appointed royal recorder of the city of New York, 1774. and was the last to hold the position. From 1791 to 1794 he was Speaker of the Assembly of New York, and afterwards he became a member of Congress. His home was at No. 3 Broadway, New York. He was one of the wealthiest men in New York City, and owned much property not only there, but …
Watts died September 3, 1836, being then within three days of eightyseven years of age. Of his family of eight or nine children, but one survived him, and that one was childless. He had three grandchildren, however, one of whom, John Watts De Peyster, now living in New York, was his chief legatee. Mr. AVatts was the founder and endower of the Leeke and Watts Orphan House …
He was born at Rye, Westchester County, November 29, 1775, and until his death, on November 1, 1855, occupied the lands on which he was born, and which had been held by his family since the first settlement of the town. Few men were better known in his county or held in higher esteem. Of sound judgment, inflexible integrity, withal genial and given to hospitality, his counsel …
The second was Pamelia, daughter of Dr. Clark Sanford, of Petersburg, Va. The third and surviving wife was j Abby Jane, daughter of David Brown, of Rye. His ' only children were by his second wife, viz. : Sanford C. Brown, a young man of exceeding promise, who, although dying at the age of twenty-eight years, from exposure in Asia Minor, on business for his firm, waa[l a …
This office he beld with honor to himself, and to the credit of the community of wliicli he formed a part, until 1842 when he was relieved from the j)osition by Governor Bouck, in compliance witli tlie demand of that portion of the Democratic party whose sympathies were with the South and slavery, and on account of his plainly expressed views in favor of Abolition. From his …
Going to the city of Washington, he was there arrested as a fugitive slave and advertised for sale, to pay the expenses of his arrest and imprisonment. Providentially, a copy of the newspaper containing the advertisement came into the hands of Judge Jay, and he made ajiplicatiou to Governor De Witt Clinton to demand his release as a free citizen of the State of New York. This …
When the Legislature seemed about to pass laws intended to crush the efforts of the Abolitionists, by prohibiting the publication and circulation of Anti-Slavery documents, he charged the grand jury of the county that any laws tending to prevent freedom of speech or of the press were null and void. The official manifesto of the American Anti-Slavery Society was also written by …
It is sufficient to say that all, without exception, were devoted to the elevation of society, by the removal of the evils which retard its progress. His useful and eventful life ended October 14, 1858. This event caused heartfelt grief among all who realized the value of the friend of humanity. The various societies of which he was a member paid tributes of respect to his …
His portrait is placed over the bench in the county court-house at White Plains, in grateful and appropriate recognition of the illustrious position which the name of Jay holds in the annals of Westchester jurisprudence. After Judge William Jay left the bench, in 1823, Judge Caleb Tompkins was re-appointed to the position of first judge, which he held up to 184(), when he …
Judge Hart is still in vigorous health and active practice, and in years of practice is the senior member of the Westchester bar. He was the last of the judges appointed. His successor, Albert Lockwood, of Sing Sing, was elected under the Constitution of 1846 as county judge, and those who have occupied the position since have been elected. Mr. Lockwood proved to be a very …
At one time he had a very large and lucrative practice, perhaps the largest, of the members of the Westchester bar at that time. Judge William H. Robertson' who succeeded Judge Mills in 1855, is a son of Henry Robertson, of whom a brief sketch appears in another part of this work. He was born at the family homestead in Bedford, October 10, 1823. His boyhood was spent on his …
He has been four times supervisor of Bedford and twice chairman of the Board of Supervisors. His legislative career began in 1848, when he was elected to the Assembly, and he was re-elected the following year. In 1853 he was chosen to the State Senate, where he at once took a prominent position. Among other public acts, he introduced the bill for establishing the Department of …
He served six years as inspector of the Seventh Brigade New York State Militia, was chairman of the military committee appointed by Governor Morgan in 1862 to raise and organize State troops in the Eighth Senate District, and was commissioned to superintend the draft in Westchester County. In 1860 he was a member of the Electoral College, and voted for Abraham Lincoln. He …
Judge Robertson's second term of service in the State Senate began in 1872 and continued without interruption for ten years,during the last eight of which he was president pro tern, of that body. He served as chairman of the Committees on Commerce and Navigation, Rules, Literature and Judiciary. As the head of the Judiciary Committee for eight years, he occupied a position of …
Robertson throughout the State made a vigorous eflPort to place him in nomination for the Governorship, and with excellent prospects of success, until the assembling of the convention, when the name of the honored soldier and statesman, General John A. Dix, was presented, and he was chosen to head the ticket. Again, in 1879, Judge Robertson had a strong support for the …
Soon after the State Convention he published a letter in the Albany Journal, in which he repudiated theprinciple of the unit rule, and declared for Mr. Blaine. The letter attracted attention throughout the country and gave its author great prominence in the opposition to the " third term movement." It is generally conceded that it was his leadership and organizing ability …
Robertson has been conspicuous and influential in local and State Conventions for many years, took an active part in the National Conventions of 1864, 1876, 1880 and 1884, and was for fifteen years a member of the Republican State Committee. In his political life he has been remarkably successful, having never been defeated when a candidate before the people, although his …
In the community where he lives, he is a judicious and willing counselor of all who seek his advice, a liberal contributor to religious and charitable objects, a public-spirited citizen and a valued friend. Robert Cochran, who succeeded Judge Robertson in 1867, was born in New York City in 1824, and after being graduated from Columbia College, became associated in the practice …
In 1874 he was elected to the office of district attorney, and in 1875 was elected supervisor of White Plains, over Elisha Horton, Jr., the then Republican incumbent. In all these positions Judge Cochran discharged the duties confided to him with marked ability, and no one ever questioned his integrity. In the practice of his profession ha was remarkably successful, and was …
He then went to Columbia County, where he lived for some years, when he was accidentally recognized by an acquaintance, which led to his restoration to his friends and relatives in Dutchess County. He married Sarah Whitman, and they were the parents of four children, -- David, who died in Rensselaer County ; Samuel, who moved to the West ; Mary, wife of Silas Devol ; and Isaac …
The first episode of his life was a service of one year as school-teacher at Sleepy Hollow, near TarrytoAvn, where he was a successor of the immortal " Ichabod Crane," though his career as an instructor of youth did not terminate as disastrously as did that of his " illustrious predecessor." He then entered the law-oflice of Hon. Robert S. Hart, at Bedford, and upon being …
1 This sketch was prepared and inserted by the editor. tinuously till the close of 1883. Upon the occasion of his retirement from a position he had so long and worthily filled, he was presented by the officers of the court with a beautiful gavel, as a token of their high appreciation of the dignity and impartiality which had ever characterized his discharge of official duties …
They have two children, Jessie and Stanley, both now living with their jjarents at Marble Hall. Judge Gifford lives in the village of Tuckahoe, in the town of East Chester, in a mansion known far and wide as "Marble Hall." It stands upon the site of the home of Stephen Ward, a prominent Revolutionary hero, who was surrogate of the county and a citizen of character and …
" He is a descendant, on his father's side, from a family of farmers, of moderate means, who have resided and filled farms in the town of Thompson, Windham Co., Connecticut, prior to the Revolutionary War. On his mother's side, he is descended from a family of Rhode Island Quakers, residents of that State for many generations, to a branch of which family General Greene, of …
Of that class, two of the graduates are now professors in Columbia College, one is a professor at Williams College and several others are prominent in other professions. Mr. Mills then entered Columbia Law College, of New York City, from which he graduated in 187<). In October, 187G, he came to Mount Vernon and became a member of the law-firm of Mills & Wood. He continued as …
His ability as a lawyer, his thoroughness, 1 his keenness in detecting the salient point, and, above all, his judicial temperament, the proprietor of the Chronicle can speak most uncjualifiedly, because he has known Mr. Mills as a fellow law student and a partner in the practice of the law for eight years. In the law school he ranked among the very brightest, keenest …
ner he obtained sufhcient education to enable him to teach a common school at a very early age. He pursued this occupation until he commenced the study of the law in the office of the Hon. William Nelson, then a prominent lawyer at Peekskill, Westchester County, who manifested a lively interest in his advancement, and gave him generous aid. After his admission to the bar, he …
He is kind and obliging to the members of the bar, and especially so to the younger lawyers. He has been a member of the general term of the Supreme Court from the time he took his seat on the bench, and his oi)ini()ns in that court, in the numerous cases on apj)eal, evince laborious research, sound judgment and discretion and absolute fairness and impartiality, and …
He is a man of simple habits and mode.st deportment, but studiously observes the qualities of amenity and propriety, and treats all with whom he comes in contact with great consideration and politeness. In many ways he is an illustration of what may be accomplished under ourrepublican iustitutions, where HISTORY OF WESTCHESTER COUNTY. all positions are within the grasp of …
Trowbridge, of Peekskill, a descendant of the New Haven family of that name, a most excellent and domestic lady, who aided and encouraged him in all his struggles; and he never hesitated to declare that he owes his success and advancement to her untiring energy and zeal, her wise counsel and her laudable ambition. In many dark days she showed him the silver lining of the cloud …
He is a Democrat in the broadest sense of the term, but not a partisan, and a consistent member of the Episcopal Church. The following is a list of the surrogates, as given in the New York civil list. Most, if not all, are mentioned biographically in our sketches of the bar, which ibllow, -- 17.30, Gilbert Willet. 1754. Jolin Bartow. 17G1. Caleb Fowler. 176(5. David Daton …
Samuel Clowes counsel for the King in all cases where he is not already concerned for the subject." After 1744, owing to his advanced age, he gave up the active practice of a profession in which he had risen to eminence, commanding the respect and admiration of his brother lawyers and of the people. Mr. Clowes died, full of years, in Jamaica, Long Island, in 1760. In his will …
Jamison are next mentioned -- first name omitted-- as practicing, from 1719 to 1736- 37, in Westchester County. The former was, no doubt, Joseph Murray, of New York, member of the Colonial Council of New York from 1744-58.^ He died in 1758. There can be also little doubt that " Mr. Jamison''was David Jamison, one of the patentees of Harrison's Purchase (the town of Harrison) …
Smith (possibly Thomas Smith, of New York, member of the Committee of One Hundred in 1775), whose name is frequently mentioned, 1727-69 ; EdwardBlagge, 1728-32; Seymour, 1729; Lodge, 1731-56; Kelley, 1732-51; Warrol, 1732; White, 1740-41; Crannel, 1744; Green, 1744-47. John Bartow, of Westchester town, was a lawyer of some repute from 1742 until 1772. He at one time (1760-64) …
James Wetmore, of Rye, and a man of influence in the community. Pie was graduated from King's College in 1758, and was admitted to practice April 26, 1760. He was a pronounced Tory, and signed the protest at White Plains, April 11, 1775, against Congress and committees, and pledged his life and property to support the King. He afterwards removed to the province of New …
1753- 67; Woods, 1762-76; Ludlow, 1761-71; Kent, 1762-72; Ryker, 1765-(38 ; Helme, 1765-73; Vincent, Matthews, 1770-71 ; Benson, 1771 ; Antill, 1771 ; Townsend, 1770-76 (probably Micah Townsend, Esq., of White Plains) ; Jphn McKcs.son, 1771 ; Wickham, 1763-72; De Peyster, 1773 ; Murray, 1774; and Bogart, 1776. Hon. Richard Morris (of the Morrises, of Morrisania, and whose …
Entering upon the practice of law, he soon gained a high reputation. lu 1775 he was a delegate to the Provincial Congress in New York. The same year he was appointed a member of the Committee for Public Safety for Westchester County. In 1776 he was one of the committee for draughting a Constitution for the State of New York. He went to France in 1787 and remained in Paris …
His wife was Ann Carey Randolph, daughter of Thomas Randolph, of Roanoke, and a descendant of the celebrated Pocahontas. He left a son, Gouverneur Morris, Esq., of Morrisania. Barber, already quoted, says of him -- " The activity of his mind, the richness of his fancy and the copiousness of his eloquent conversation were the admiration of all his acquaintances, and he was …
From the day when he was appointed to the First American Congress, in 1774, to the year 1801, when he retired from public life to enjoy wellearned rest at Bedford, in this county, his career was of usefulness and patriotic devotion. Chief justice of New York from 1777 to 1779, President of Congress, minister plenipotentiary to Spain in 1779, a signer of the definitive treaty …
The following entry appears in the record of the Court of Common Pleas of Westchester County, under date of May 25, 1829 : " The court and members of this bar, entertaining the highest respect for the pure and exalted character of the late venerable John Jay, do resolve that we will wear crape upon the left arm for thirty days in token of our respect." Ability, firmness …
During his college days the Anti-Slavery movement began to be the all-absorbing topic of the hour, but there are few of the rising generation who can appreciate the difficulties which a young man of talent and ancestral name would encounter in allying himself to the then unpopular party, and identifying himself with the avowed opponents of the system which was supported by the …
On the 4th of July of that year, a day sacred to freedom, an antislavery meeting in New York was disj^ersed by a mob, and the citj' was the scene of riot and outrage, against which the authorities afforded no protection. Among the residences marked out for attack was that of Dr. Abraham R. Cox, with whom Mr. Jay was then living, but the determined action of a few young men …
In 1842 he delivered an address on the " Progress and Results of Emancipation in the West Indies," and to his far-seeing mind the time seemed not distant when a similar result would be accomplished in our own land. la 1844, when the question of Texan annexation was attracting the attention of the country, he was the organizer of a demonstration against the project, and was …
Jay was frequently called upon to defend in the courts persons arrested as fugitive slaves. In the peculiar state of feeling which then existed, the defense of these cases could not fail to attract public attention in all sections of the country, and the reported cases, among which may be mentioned "In re Kirk," "la re Da Costa " and the famous " Lemon Case," which were …
A succession of meetings organized by him for the same object served to intensify this feeling, and resulted in the establishment of the Republican party, of which Mr. Jay was justly considered one of the most prominent founders. In the Presidential campaign of 1856 he could not fail to take a conspicuous part, and a speech delivered by hira at Bedford on the 8th of October, " …
When under the auspices of the Union League, and by the authority of Secretary Stanton, colored regiments were raised, lie made an eloquent address to the second of these commands previous to its departure for the seat of war. His son, Colonel William Jay, who served from the beginning to the end of the war on the staffs of some of the most prominent generals, frequently …
In 18G7 he was appointed by Governor Fenton a commissioner to represent the State at the establishment of the National Cemetery on the battle-field of Antietam, and true to his nature, he was prompt to sustain the view that liberality and magnanimity alike required that the Confederate dead should also receive honoralJle burial. In April, 1869, he was nominated by President …
While minister at Vienna he was empowered to negotiate a treaty which should determine the status of Austrian subjects who had become naturalized as American citizens, and it was finally ratified by the Austro- Hungarian government, after much opposition from successive war ministers, who naturally regarded it as an effort to aid Austrian subjects to evade the military service …
Charges made against him were, after full examination, found to be groundless, and his character as a wise and able representative of this nation was fully sustained. In 1874 he resigned his diplomotic position and returned to America during the following year. In 1876 he delivered before the New Y'ork Historical Society the Centennial Oration in commemoration of the battle of …
In January and February, 187S, he took an active part in opposing the ill-advised attempt of the city officials to erect an armory for the National Guard in Washington Square, and, in company with many of the best citizens, deemed it of importance that the few breathing-places in the crowded portions of the city should not be diminished. With a deep interest in the welfare of …
The four hundreth anniversary of the birth of Martin Luther occurred November 4, 1883, and the event was duly celebrated by a public meeting at the Academy of Music, under the auspices of the American Evangelical Alliance. "Never before," says the New York Herald, " was such a throng gathered under its roof," and the opening address made by Mr. Jay, as president of the …
Through a long life he has been a conspicuous actor upon the stage of jniblic events, and his views and ofjinions have never failed to attract attention and command respect, and his name will descend to ]jostcrity sus unsullied as that of his illustrous ancestor. During his whole career he has never in any controversy 8to|)ped to consider the odds against which he was …
He was a graduate of King's College (now Columbia) in 176G, and is said to have been one of the best Greek scholars of that day." Hon. Philip Pell was the grandson of Philij), fifth son of Thomas, eldest son of Lord John Pell. He lived in Pclham and was twice married -- first, to Mary Ward ; second, to Anna Lewis. He died in 1811, and left an only son, like him named Philip …
John Strang, one of the attorneys of the Supreme Court was admitted to practice in the Court of Common Pleas of Westchester County in May, 1779, and remained in practice until in the year 1797. During this ])eriod he was one of the three leading lawyers of the county. Mr. Strang was the son of ]Major Joseph Strang, a Revolutionary character of note in Yt)rktown, and was born …
In stature he was small. He is said to have been a man (if reserved manners and of strong likes and dislikes. He is said to have been buried at Cronipond- A tradition among the descendants of Underbill Strang is, that John Strang was an assistant judge ad»-ocate in the Revolutionary War, and, but for the fact that he was away on a furlough, would have acted as judge at the …
His great-grandson, William Popham, of Bundon, county of Cork, Ireland, was the father of Major William Popham- This gallant soldier was born in Ireland in 1752 and came to America with his parents at the early age of nine years. The Pophams settled in the town of Newark (State of Delaware), where William spent his youth and received a finished education. He was intended for …
He was a remarkably religious man and a member of the Episcopal Church. " He was the friend and companion of Washington, and claimed as his intimates many of the most remarkable men of his day. He belonged to the old school of American gentleman, and in mind and body was distinguished for activity and sprightlincss. He was an accomplished scholar, and in every particular a …
Other lawyers mentioned between 1778 and 1800 are Nathaniel Lawrence, district attorney in 1796, whose name is not frequently mentioned, however, in the court records ; Cutting, 1785-88 ; Skinner, 1787- 1805; Troup 1787-95 (probably Robert Troup, of New York; he had a good practice in this country); Pierre Van Cortlandt, of the town of Cortlandt, admitted in 1787, but not …
At this i)eriod Aaron Burr frequently had cases in this court, especially between and including the years 1785 and 1794, when he may be said to have been one of the active members of the bar. Alexander Hamilton, his distinguished political opponent, also tried cases in this county about that time, but they were very few in number. Peter J. Munro was the leading lawyer from …
Chauncey Root Mitchell, who practiced ia Westchester County, 1808-11, was the fourth child of Rev. Justus Mitchell, of New Canaan, Conn., and was a brother of Minott Mitchell, of White Plains. He was born June 25, 1786, married Anna, dauo:hter of Hon. Robert Johnston, of Bomers, moved shortly thereafter to Delhi, Delaware County, and died there February 5, 1814, aged …
The result of his labors is a manuscript which is deposited in the Lennox Library, New York. Aaron Warcl, of Sing Sing, was admitted to the bar in 1816. His history is given in connection with his native town. He was a member of Congress, and more noted as a politician than as a lawyer. He was a member of the law-firm of McDonald & Ward, 1816-18, of Ward & Miller, 1825-29, and …
He studied law with William Nelson, in Peekskill, and after being admitted to practice, was engaged in a number of cases in which Nelson was employed on the other side, and the intellectual combats between the two are yet remembered, by some of the old members of the bar, as having been the occasion of brilliant displays of legal abilities on both sides. Although a brilliant …
Then he studied law with McDonald, at one time of the firm of McDonald & Ward. He began the practice of law at Sing Sing about 1820, and continued it there till his death, in 1852. He left a widow and two children, -- Elizabeth L., who became the wife of Marlborough Churchill, and Edgar M., who was for many years a successful physician at New Rochelle. Richard R. Voris was …
McClelan practiced somewhat in this county during the first half of this century, especially in the second quarter of it. He was born at Troy, N. Y., in 1788, and was a son of Hugh Stuart McClelan, who was assistant commissary-general of the Continental army during the Revolutionary War, and a distinguished patriot. The familj^ emigrated to this county from Scotland in …
He practiced his profession assiduously and successfully in the city of New York until the year 1831, when he largely retired from practice, and established himself at New Rochelle, where he continued to act as counselor and adviser until the time of his death, in November, 1854. He was really more of a New York City than a Westchester County attorney, and his principal …
One of them, Polycarpua Nelson, was a signer of the famous declaration by the chief citizens of this country, in supi)ort of William and Mary, and in opposition to the House of Stuart. A branch of the Nelson family settled in Dutchess County, where, at Crum Elbow Creek, on June 29, 1784, William Nelson was born. His father, Thomas Nelson, was a farmer, and William was reared …
His sterling qualities were appreciated by the people, and brought him a large and lucrative practice and many public honors. From 1815 to 1818 he was district attorney of his district, comprising the counties of Westchester, Putnam and Rockland. Afterwards, when his district comprised Westchester alone, he held the same position. He held it altogether more than twentyfive …
Nelson had great natural vigor of character ; was painstaking and unwearied in every duty to which he addressed himself. He was wise in counsel, and eminently sagacious and practical, genial in nature, courteous in manner, simjile in his mode of life, and, above all, possessed a rare singleness of purpose and integrity of nature. These qualities, in addition to a piety that …
He soon commanded a large and lucrative professional business, which he retained to the end of his busy life. Up to within a few years of his death he had been employed in nearly every case of magnitude in this and the adjoining counties of Putnam and Rockland. Mr. Tompkins died at his residence in White Plains, August 23, 1872, in the seventy-first year of his age. He left a …
He was admitted to the bar when about twenty-seven years old, and in 1831 formed a partnership with General Aaron Ward, of Sing Sing, which lasted until about 1848. From 1847 until 1851 Mr. Lockwood was county judge, and further political honors would doubtless have been bestowed upon him but for his death, which occurred November 18, 1852. In 1852 he was the Republican …
Horton gave promise of obtaining eminence at the bar, but met with an early death. • He was descended from Barnabas Horton, who came to this country from England in 1640. Stephen was the son of Wright Horton, of Yorktown, and Ann Quers his wife, and was born in Yorktown October 3, 1808. He came to Peekskill in 1831, began the study of law with Hon. William Nelson, became the …
He was a Democrat in politics, and an active worker for his party. His death occurred January 15, 18()2. He was then barely thirty years old. He was buried in the church-yard at Sleepy Hollow. Mr. Coles was not regarded as a brilliant lawyer, but he was pushing and energetic and was considered honest and reliable. He was married to Elizabeth, daughter of Robert Palmer, of …
Coffin, the present surrogate of Westchester County, were the only representatives of the legal profession. After four or five years he returned to Peekskill, and later removed to Tarrytown, where he died in 1864. He was unmarried. Mr. Yerks was one of the most systematic and painstaking of men. He was not quick nor brilliant, and was not considered as more than a fair orator …
Wells as surrogate in 1844, was born at Nantucket in 1783. His parents removed to Hudson, N. Y., when he was a mere child. He was admitted to the bar in 1806 and almost immediately thereafter came to Westchester County. He settled in Somers, and married Charlotte Green. He was a master in Chancery for many years, and at one time a justice of the peace in Somers. He also held …
Coffin's children were Mary E., now of New York City; George G., of New York; Isaac G., of Brooklyn ; Jarvis B., of San Francisco ; and Sarah Ann, Robert A., Frederick J. and Josiah B., deceased. William Warburton Scrugham, a judge of the Supreme Court for the district including Westchester County and the first lawyer who practiced in the village (now city) of Yonkers, was the …
Lyons, at White Plains, and was admitted to practice in 1843. In the latter part of that year he removed to Yonkers, then a mere hamlet, the people of which were almost all tenants of Lemuel Wells. In 184() he was elected supervisor of the town of Yonkers, and he held that office for many consecutive years, until he declined to serve any longer. In 1847 he was chosen chairman …
In the conduct of his cases he showed good judgment. His practice grew with the growth of Yonkers, and he was enabled to follow his inclinations. He devoted himself chiefly to real estate and counsel business. As a judge he produced a favorable impression, and he would have undoubtedly been re-elected but for his death. He was possessed of a pleasant and genial wit. Judge …
He was admitted to the bar about 1842, began the practice of his profession in Peekskill, and soon afterwards entered into a partneiship with Calvin Frost, which lasted for many years. A number of years before the close of his life he went to New York and practiced there. Later he went to Haverstraw, and finally he returned to Peekskill. The following year he fell into the …
He graduated at Columbia College with a higla reputation as a scholar, especially in the classics, and was offered a professorship in Greek at that college. He was for many years a tutor in the family of John Hunter, of Hunter's Island, and educated the grandson, the present John Hunter. While in that position his unoccupied time was devoted to the study of law, under the …
A devoted adherent of the Methodist Episcopal Church, he was ordained as a lay preacher, and on several occasions ])reached eloquent sermons to large audiences. He died at New Rochelle, October 16, 1876, at the age of fifty-two. Although he did not participate largely in the general practice of law, owing to his special engagements, and so did not become as widely known in the …
He was highly esteemed by the members of his j)rofession, who invariably found him candid and liberal in his jiractice, while zealous in behalf of his client and his cause. He was very patient and j)er8evering in his examination of intricate questions, and in that importan* branch of the law wliich relates to titles of real estate, was especially skilled. During most of his …
Neither the arduous duties of his profession nor bodily infirmity influenced him to neglect his duties to the school. In all weathers, and at all seasons, he was j^romptly in his place. His time and labor were given without stint, and the high standard of public-school education in that city is, no doubt, mainly due to Mr. Mason's devotion and influence. As counsel of the …
His popularity with his fellow-townsmen was great, and he held many local offices and positions of trust, among others, justice of the peace, president of the village, president of the Board of Education and supervisor. His health failed him, and for several of his latter years he suffered from consumption, but displayed great resolution in resisting the disease and in …
As a lawyer, he was quick in perception, sound in judgment, fluent and ornate in speech, and of rare coolness and self-command. Of the lawyers who have passed away within the last decade, none stood higher in general estimation than Amherst Wight, Jr., of Port Chester. The son of Amherst Wight, who for sixty years was a member of the New York City bar, and in his prime a very …
Under the tuition of the father, the son in time became a ripe scholar and acquired a liberal education. In 1855 the son was admitted to the bar in New York City. In April, 185(5, he married Adele Griswold, a daughter of Daniel S. Griswold, of that city. The father and son entered into a law partnership under the name of Amherst Wight & Sou, and practiced in New York City. The …
Among other public positions which he held by popular suffrage were supervisor of the town of Rye, 1871 and 1872, member of the State Assembly, 1873 to 1875, and president of the board of trustees of the village of Port Chester. He was also, in the fall of 1876, the Republican candidate for Congress in his district. In August, 1867, he married Ellen M. Abendroth, a daughter of …
moved to Western New York, and in the year 1853, he came to Tarrytown, New York ; and while engaged in teaching school he commenced the study of law with Elijah Yerks, Esq., a lawyer of that village. After a year or two he went into the office of J. Warren Tompkins, at White Plains, New York, and continued his studies until September 1, 1856, when he was duly admitted in the …
The people of that city intrusted him successively with the important offices of corporation counsel and city judge. He was a son of the eminent theologian, the late Rev. Dr. Robert Baird, of Yonkers, and a brother of the Rev. Dr. Henry M. Baird, still of that city. His life was spent in Yonkers from early childhood until 1882, when he removed to Minneapolis and settled there …
Prentiss acting as his second. Mr. Williams was educated at the Academy of Exeter, N. H. While there he made the acquaintance of Ralph Waldo Emerson, and was invited by him to spend a part of the vacation at his home in Concord. This acquaintance ripened into a friendship, which lasted unabated until the death of Mr. Emerson. Through Mr. Emerson, Mr. Williams made the …
Greeley's management, among the most noted of which were the cases of the notorious Count Johannes, and of Dewitt C. Littlejohn, at that time Speaker of the Assembly, in both of which cases Mr. Williams was successful. He was also associated with Charles O'Conor in several important suits. For a time he was partner of Francis B. Cutting; but his mind was of a cast which …
While abroad he visited the principal capitals of Europe, enjoying exceptional facilities for meeting prominent men, because of Mr. Fillmore's letters of introduction. In Paris, in London and at Oxford University he received marked attention from men distinguished in scholarship, politics and law, by whom he was sought, for his brilliant conversational powers. While in Paris …
1877 he resigned the registership of bankruptcy and returned to the practice of his profession, and opened an office at White Plains, having formed a partnership with M. M. Silliman. In 1881 he dissolved this partnership and returned to New York, although he had built up a large and lucrative practice in Westchester County, and there continued in the active practice of his …
He was well read not only in the law, but in general literature, and in social intercourse he was a most kind, entertaining and courteous gentleman. Reuben W. Van Pelt, late of Yonkers, for many years, especially in his early manhood, held a very high position both at the Westchester and the New York City bars. He was of very great capacity as a lawyer and early in his …
He was born in Maryland, but lived abroad during most of his youth, and was educated in Germany. For some time he was an attache of the United States Legation at Madrid. He was about twentyfive years of age when he returned to this country and began the study of law in New Y''ork, where he made his home. He took a warm interest in the State Militia and was a member of the …
aged fifty -five years. The present members of the Westchester bar are Drajier, .\lonzo , . ....... Sing Sing. men of ability and integrity, and many of them are in Ellis Matt. II Ely, W. H. H Yonk©rs. the enjoyment of lucrative practice and of high repute, not only within the county, but throughout the State and at the bar of the Court o f Appeals. We here give their names …
Mount Vernon. PppL'oL'ill Westchester. Yonkers. tJAlla F \V Brown, William Reynolds Wniite Plains. Tarrytown. Hartsdale. TTimt Ttiiip^ TNf Yonkers. PTiinf Tiavtil Buel, Oliver P Vonkers. Butler, William Allen Yonkers. Butler, William Allen, Jr Yonkers. (fiinfin ir ti\rt R V Hartsdale. Peekskill. Burns, Arthur J Yonkers. Pa^L-ct ill Chamberlain, Henry C. . Inderhill. Clapp …
Lovatt, Edward T Tarrytown. Lyon, Addison J Mount Vernon. McCord, Robert Peekikill. McClellan, P. L Mount Vernon. McClelland, Charles P Dobbs Ferry. Marshall, William J Mount Vernon. Marshall, Stephen S AVhite Plains. MilLs, Isaac N Mount Vernon. Millard, James S Tarrytown. Mitchell, Josiah S White Plains. Murray, William Dobbs Ferry. Moran, James H White Plains. Neil, E. C …
Roosevelt, Charles H. New Rochelle. Sanders. James P. . . Yonkers. Sheil, Denis R Wms. Bridge. Sheldon, George P White Plains. Silkman, Theodore H Y'onkers. Silkman, James B Yonkers. Silliman, Minott M White Plains. Skinner, William M White Plains. Skinner, William M., Jr White I'lains. Small, John C Yonkers. Smith, Duncan Yonkers. Smith, Marvin R Peekskill. Stilwell, Benjamin …
Coffin, are treated of at length in another part of this work. As we review the Westchester judges and lawyers, their records, professional and otherwise, we readily conclude that the county has been especially gifted in both. Its judges, at least in the past, have been learned, upright and faithful to duty. There is neither record nor tradition that any of them ever was …
He is descended from an honorable ancestry, being sixth in the line from Tristram Coffin, who came from Devon-j shire, England, and was subsequently chief magis-| trate of the island of Nantucket. The energy of the ancestor has been impre.ssed upon his descendants, and their name is identified with many of the mosi importantbusiness enterprises of the country. Amon| the most …
Taking a great interest in the affairs of the State, he represented his county for a term or two in the Legislature. He married Magdalen, daughter of Taber Bentley and granddaughter of Col. James Vanderburgh, who was one of the most influential citizens of Beekman, Dutchess County, and a worthy representative of an ancient family, who came from Holland and settled in that …
Jane, the oldest (now. deceased), married Caleb Morgan, of Poughkeepsie, and Alexander H., the second child, is living in that city. Hezekiah R., Charles and Sarah, wife of Henry M. Swift, live in Dutchess County. Eliza married George B. Caldwell, of Poughkeepsie. George W. is mayor of Santa Barbara, Cal. William H., deceased, left a family now living in New York, and Robert …
Upon his admission to the bar, in 1840, he established practice in Carmel, Putnam County, where he remained two years, gaining a large business and winning respect and confidence. In 1845 he became a member of the well-known lawfirm of Johnston, Coffin & Eniott, of Poughkeejjsie. He retired from the firm to form a copartnership with General Leonard Maison, a distinguished …
To determine these questions requires a thorough knowledge of the statutory law, and a familiar acquaintance with the cases in which the brightest lights of legal science have given their interpretations of law. That Mr. Coffin possesses these qualities in the fullest degree is a fact that is fully recognized, and it is the unanimous opinion of those most capable to judge that …
Samuel Bancroft Barlow, and a sister of S. L. M. Barlow, of New York City. On her father's side, Mrs. Coffin is related to Joel Barlow, HISTORY OF WESTCHESTER COUNTY. the distinguished author of " The Columbiad," and on her mother's to Major Charles Wadsworth, who, when Sir Edmund Andros demanded the charter of Connecticut, snatched it in the darkness caused by the sudden …
Should a stranger call there in the early morn, or Just before the close of day, in the season for it, and when the weather is propitious, and should he encounter a slender man, in shirt sleeves, with a sharp face, aquiline nose, bright, but fixed and cheery look, iron-gray beard and hair, the whole head General Jackson like, and should he receive frank and cordial reception …
Wells, on his father's side, has been very thoroughly traced in the " History of the Wells Family," by the late Albert Wells, of New York, a work of the greatest value, and embracing the results of extended research ; and his genealogy on his mother's side appears in the " History of the Kilbourne Family," written by Hon. | Payne Kenyon Kilbourne. The children of Noah Wells …
In 1835 they removed to Sing Sing, where he continued his studies at Mount Pleasant Academy, then under his brother's charge, and at the conclusion of his preparatory course entered Yale College and graduated in 1839. He returned to Sing Sing and studied law in the office of General Aaron Ward, who was associated with Albert Lockwood, and remained till 1842, being ' for a …