Discovery
and Settlement
Extracted from the History of Greene County, pages 22-25
By J. G. Beers, published in 1884
Transcribed by Arlene Goodwin
Henry Hudson was one of those ambitious navigators who were ready to sacrifice their ease, and even their lives, in the exciting enterprise of searching for the northwest passage to the Indies. A native Englishman, the early part of the seventeenth century found him in the employ, first of the London Company, and after that company had abandoned the enterprise, then engaged with the Dutch East India Company. Under the latter’s commission, he left Amsterdam in the "Half Moon," a ship of about eighty tons capacity, and on the 4th of April, 1609, sailed for the New World. He arrived on the "banks" of Newfoundland early in July, and for two months cruised along the coast, looking for some opening that would promise to admit him to the Indian sea beyond.
How easy it is for us, in the light of the present day, to smile at the unavailing enthusiasm of Hudson and the folly of his scheme! But as this voyage brought the first European discoverer to the lands of this county, and to the rock-ribbed hills that lift their eternal heads into the azure depths of heaven, and the first white navigator that ever sailed up the majestic river that washes cove and point along twenty-five miles of the county border, we shall notice with interest the account of that first voyage up the river, as we gather its substance from the journal of Hudson.
After entering the Chesapeake and Delaware bays, he returned to New York Bay and anchored there on the evening of the 3d of September. After remaining there several days, he started on the 12th, to explore the river. On the morning of the 13th, with a clear, northerly wind, they weigh anchor and sailed four miles. As the ship lay at anchor, four canoes came off to them bringing oysters, which the crew bought for trifles, but did not allow the Indians to come aboard. Here Hudson found the variation of the compass to be 13 degrees. In the afternoon they sailed up on the flood tide, seven and a half miles further. Here they anchored and lay all night in five fathoms of water, and found "soft, ozie ground," On the following morning, (14th), with fair weather and a southeast wind, they sailed up the river 36 miles, passing through a "streight between two points," (the Highlands, just below Peekskill), "and it trended northeast by north one league," with high land on both sides. Then they sailed northwest a "league and a half," then northeast by north five miles, then northwest by north six miles, which brought them to the neighborhood of what is now Cornwall Landing. Here they found the shores high and mountainous, the water varying in depth from five to fourteen fathoms, and the river full of fish. On the morning of the 15th, a mist hung over the river, but the sun dispelled it, and the "Half Moon" spread her wings to a south wind, and sailed up 60 miles, passing, on the way, the Catskill Mountains. Here, the record says, they found "great store of salmons in the river," of which they caught great numbers. That morning two Indians, whom they had taken prisoners, escaped out of a port and swam ashore. At night they anchored just above the present site of Athens. Here they were visited by Indians, probably the Catskill Indians, by whom they were well used. These Indians they found to be a "very loving people," and among them many old men. On the following day, (16th), the savages came aboard the ship, having, it seems, gained the confidence of Hudson and his crew to such an extent that they allowed them to enter the vessel. This morning they attempted to fish, but the Indians had been padding about with their canoes during the night and frightened the fish away. Here the ship lay at anchor all day, and the Indians brought them corn and tobacco and pumpkins, or perhaps, more properly squashes. These the crew bought for some trifling articles they had with them. After filling their water vessels, they weighed anchor at night, and sailed up six miles further, where finding the water growing more shallow, they anchored and lay till morning. The 17th brought them a clear, hot day. In the morning they set sail, and passing the islands that obstruct the river from New Baltimore upward, sailed eighteen miles and ran aground. This point was probably just above Castleton, perhaps half way between there and Albany. After grounding the second time and heaving off, they cast anchor and lay all night and the next day. Here the mate of the ship went ashore with an Indian chief who took him to his home and treated him kindly. Just before noon, on the 19th, they weighed anchor and sailed up six miles further, where they found better water, probably just above the present site of Albany. Here the ship lay at anchor until 23d, during which time the mate, with four men in a small boat, explored the river about 25 miles further up, but finding they had reached the head of navigation, no attempt was made to run the ship any further.
While the ship lay here, Hudson and his crew had an opportunity to trade with the Indians and study their character. They came aboard in great numbers, bringing grapes, pumpkins and beaver and other skins which were bought for beads, knives and hatchets. On the 21st, the carpenter went ashore, cut a tree and made a fore-yard. While the ship lay here, some of the officers amused themselves by experimenting upon the Indians with liquor, as the journal says, to see "whether they had any treachery in them." So they took them into the cabin and gave them wine and aqua-vitae until they were all merry. In the end, one of them who had been on board all the time the ship lay there, became drunk. This was new to the savages, and they did not know how to understand the strange condition of their comrade. They went ashore, but some of them returned bringing "stropes of beads," which they gave him. This, doubtless, was to break the spell which they supposed the evil spirit had fastened upon the man. However, the spell was not broken, and he lay asleep all night. The next day, about noon, the savages came aboard and found their associate all right again. They were so well pleased with this, that they returned, and at about 3 o’clock in the afternoon, came aboard and brought tobacco and beads and gave them to the master, and made an oration to him, and brought a great platter of venison, and caused him to eat with them, and after showing him all the country round about, they made him reverence and departed, all except the old man who had been drunk.
On the 23d the Half Moon started on her return trip down the river. Weighing anchor at 12 o’clock she sailed down about six miles, when she struck a shoal. And had to remain there until the swelling of the tide helped her off. When they gained deep water they anchored and lay all night. On the 24th they had fair weather and a northwest wind. Sailing down the river they ran aground on a flat in the middle of the river. This was probably the flat that lies between Hudson and Athens. At 10 o’clock at night they were able to get the ship off, and anchor in deep water. While the ship lay here aground the men went ashore and gathered chestnuts. On the 25th they had fair weather but a southerly wind, so they rode at anchor and went on shore to look at the land on the west side of the river, probably about the present site of Athens. Here they found "good ground for corne, and other garden herbs, with great store of goodly oakes, and walnut trees, and chestnut trees, ewe trees, and trees of sweet wood in great abundance, and great store of slate for houses, and other good stones." The next day the wind continued southerly, and the carpenter and master’s mate and four other men went ashore to cut some wood. A party of Indians from the place where they found the "loving people," generally supposed to have been Catskill Indians, came to the vessel in two canoes this morning. The old man who had become so attached to the ship and her crew while they lay at anchor above was with them. He had somewhere left the ship and gone out to seek his acquaintances, and brought them to see the wonderful ship and the wonderful people on board of it. The party consisted of the old man and another old man, who seemed to be a chief, and their wives and two girls of sixteen or seventeen years. "who behaved themselves very modestly." Hudson gave one of the old men a knife, and he in return gave him some tobacco. The old man brought Hudson some beads, and was invited by him to take dinner with him. After dinner the Indians departed, giving Hudson an invitation to come down to where they lived, which they said was only two leagues below. As they passed the place where the Indians lived, on the following day, the old man came again to them and desired them to anchor and come ashore, but the wind being fair Hudson would not stop. The record states that the old man turned away sorrowful at the departure of the ship. Having with considerable difficulty and delay got off the flats at Athens they had a fair wind from the northward, and were able to make about eighteen miles that day, when the wind changing to south-southwest about five o’clock in the afternoon they anchored. They were now about opposite the present site of Saugerties. Here they went fishing and caught a few "Mullet, Breames, Bases and Barbils." On the 29th the wind was south and southwest, and they were able to make slow progress. Reaching a point about opposite the present site of Kingston they anchored. Here the Indians came off to the ship and brought "Indian wheat," probably corn, which Hudson’s men bought. In the afternoon they sailed down and anchored against "the edge of the mountaines." On the 30th they rode at anchor and the Indians came aboard and brought skins, which they sold to Hudson’s men for knives and other small articles. This, Hudson says, is a pleasant place to build a town. The Indians also brought to them specimens of the rock which they saw on the banks.
On the 1st of October occurred one those incidents which show how little conscience Hudson’s men had in regard to taking the life of an Indian. One of the latter paddled up under the stern of the ship, and climbing up on the rudder to the cabin window, stole a pillow, two shirts and two bandoleres. The master’s mate there-upon took a gun and shot and killed him. As might have been expected this act created consternation among the other Indians that were about the ship, who fled with precipitate haste, some not even entering their canoes, but leaping into the water. In the midst of the confusion the ship’s boats was manned and the stolen property recovered. While the men were doing so one of the Indians while struggling in the water near the boat seized hold of it, probably to save himself from drowning, but as the journal states, "thinking to over-throw it." The cook drew his sword and cut one of his hands so that he fell off and drowned. These inhuman acts very justly excited the resentment of the Indians, who followed the ship down the river, and in company with one of the young men whom Hudson had taken on the voyage up the river, and who had escaped, approached the ship. The crew were now very naturally suspicious, and would not allow any of the Indians to come on board. A party now approached the vessel in two canoes and shot arrows at the stern, whereupon the men fired six muskets from the ship and killed two or three of the Indians. Then about a hundred of them gathered on a point of land, perhaps to see the majestic ship pass, but as the journal insists, "to shoot at us." Without, however, waiting to give them a chance to manifest such an intention, if such they entertained, Hudson shot a falcon at them and killed two. The others then fled to the woods. Then a little later a canoe with nine or ten Indians in it approached the ship. Without intimating that they showed any hostile intention, Hudson says: "So I shot at it also a falcon, and shot it through, and killed one of them. Then our men, with their muskets, killed three or foure more of them." This was sufficient to drive the Indians away from the vessel. The record does not show that they were troubled any more by the approaches of the Indians on their voyage down the river. On the morning of the 4th of October they reached the "great mouth" of the river, and then the journal says: "We took in our boat an set our mayne sayle and spirit sayle, and our top-sayles, and steered away east-southeast, and southeast by east, off into the mayne sea." The expedition arrived at Dartmouth, England, November 7th, 1609.
By this exploration this territory, with all that through which the Hudson runs, was taken possession of by the Dutch. In 1614 forts were built at New York, Rondout and Albany, but no attempt was made to establish any kind of a footing within the present limits of Greene county until many years later.
When we turn back two hundred years and more, to look at the history of settlement in a locality so barren of any positive historical data as this, we find ourselves in the midst of almost impenetrable darkness. There were no organized efforts to settlement here. Occasionally a Dutchman ventured to buy of the peaceable Indians who infested this region the right to use a patch of their ground, and then some sort of permit from the Knickerbocker governor or director completed his title, and he took his chances in the midst of the wilderness, which we may well imagine, presented powerful attractions in the beautiful landscapes, but more practically in the rich flats of virgin soil, and the fish abounding streams and game infested woods. Up to 1650, but little had been done toward settlement along the river. Brandt Van Schlechtenhorst, Commissary of Van Rensselaer, the patroon had purchased of the squaw chief Pewasck and her son Supahoof, April 19th 1649, a tract on the Katskill, including three rich flats, and a few others had probably attempted to make individual settlements. The Dutch evidently had no idea of founding a democratic settlement. They had an ambition to become lords of extensive tracts, and through the influence of this class all persons were forbidden to buy lands of the natives without consent of the Director and Council. Some exceptions seem to have been made here, however, so that grants free from any feudal patronage were issued to individuals in the name of the Dutch West India Company. But the Dutch had no ambition for an organized settlement. Those who did not aspire to rule were content with their ease, and saw no charm in the association of citizens of equal rank for purposes of local self-government.
Jonathan W. Hasbrouk, in his collection of early history, printed in Sylvester’s History of Ulster County, says of the general conditions surrounding the first settlements in this region:
"The nearest settlement antedating settlement that of the town of Kinston, of which we have an authentic record, was Katskill, During the year 1643, Adriaen Van Der Donck, sheriff of the patroon of Rensselaerwyck ambitious of becoming a landed aristocrat, undertook to buy the Indian title to this section, and engaged settlers for his estate. Killiaen Van Rensselaer was highly incensed at his independent procedure of his liegeman, and took possession of it himself, claiming no one had a right to buy within eight miles of his estate without his consent. August 22d, 1646, Cornelius Van Slyck obtained a patent for it. Van Slechtenhorst, director for the former, waged war of words about it, and settled a plantation there. Either through these would-be lords. Or a desire to be independent, some few families had, in the mean time, fixed their homes on the banks of the Catskill Creek, and thus began the nearest settlement to Esopus. Harmen Vedder, Jan Dircksen of Bremen, Jan Jansen of the same place, and Peter Teunnisen were among them."
The colony of Palatinates at West Camp was among the early attempts at settlement of this region, but as that settlement was hardly within the limits of this county, it does not require extended notice here. The planting of this colony was a scheme of Queen Anne, but which she hoped to develop the resources of this country in the production of tar, rosin and other supplies for the British navy from the forest of pine which then abounded. Several hundreds of these German immigrants were sustained there by contract with Robert Livingston. The colonization began in 1710-11, but the fare was so uncongenial that in less than ten years it is said nearly the whole colony had gone away and found for themselves homes in the wilds of the Schoharie region or the Mohawk Valley.
But little progress was made for a century or more. This was the century of the Dutch predominance. Not long before the revolution, however, a tide of immigration from Connecticut began to set in. At an early period, Stephen Day from that State, purchased a large tract of the Hardenburgh Patent, embracing much of the old town of Windham, and parts of Lexington and Hunter. This was settled principally by immigrants from Connecticut. In the valley of the Batavia Kill a few Dutch families from Schoharie county had attempted a settlement, but the Indians and tories, during the Revolution, harassed them so much that they abandoned it. Afterward, Elisha Strong, the Simpson brothers, Agabus White, John Tuttle, Jarius Strong, Solomon Ormsbee, Dr. Thomas Benham, and Medad Hunt, in1788, settled in that neighborhood. They were mostly from Connecticut. The Dutch had previously gained a settlement at Prattsville, in which John Laraway, and his sons John, Jonas, Derick and Martinus, Isaac Van Alstine, John and Peter Van Loan, John Becker and others by the name of Schoonmaker and Vrooman were prominent.
The northern central part of the county was settled mainly by the English element about the time of the Revolution. The settlement of Greenville was made by Major Prevost, 1768; Stephen Lantman, Godfrey Brandow and Hans Overpaugh, 1774; Edward Lake, Peter Curtis, Abraham Post, Bethuel Hinman, and Eleazer Knowles, from Connecticut, 1783; and Asahel Jones and Rozel Post, from Connecticut, settled in Durham in 1788. George Stimpson, Abijah Stone, Increase Claflin, Perex Steele, Joshua Jones, William Henderson and Lemuel Hitchcock settled in the present Windham, 1790 to 1796.
In the southern part of the county we find the mountain region the refuge of those who fled from pursuit. The earliest settlers of Hunter were "cowboys" who located here during the Revolution, but were driven out and their property confiscated by the Whigs, soon after. After the suppression of Shay’s Rebellion in Massachusetts a number of the participants in it found their way hither in 1786, and settled among the mountains. Samuel Merritt, and Samuel and William Hayes joined the settlement in 1791. In the valley of Schoharie Kill settlement was made by Amos Bronson, Samuel Amos, Richard Peck, David and Benjamin Bailey and Benjamin Crispell in Lexington. These settlements began in 1788. William Gass, a Scotchman, settled near Schoharie Kill, in Jewett, about 1783. Others, who followed soon after, were Zephaniah Chase, from Martha’s Vineyard, in 1787; Chester Hull from Wallingford, Conn., in 1789, and Zadoc Pratt, Theophilus and Samuel Peck, Ebenezar, David and Stephen Johnson, Laban, Ichabod, Abraham and Amherst Benajah, John and Jared Rice, Henry Goslee, Justus Squires, Daniel Miles, Adnah Beach, Isaac and Munson Buel, Gideon, Reuben and Joel Hosford, and Samuel and Daniel Merwin.
Thus, individual settlements were made by the Dutch, along the river side of the present county, and, in a few instances, in the western part, up to the time of the Revolution; then the English began making settlements in isolated instances, or in small groups in the interior and western parts of the county. But in all these settlements there existed no municipal organization up to 1771, and there were no town organization in existence here until after the advent of the State government.
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