COURT OF OYER AND TERMINER:

 

The following is a record of the opening of the first session of the Court of Oyer and Terminer, transcribed from the minutes:

 

"At a Court of Oyer and Terminer and General Gaol Delivery held at Cats Kill in and for the County of Greene on the fourth Tuesday of September, 1801.  September 22nd."  "Present His Honor Mr. Justice Kent"  "Samuel VanVechten, Thomas E. Barker, Rufus Stanley, Judges of the Court of Common Pleas."  "Peter A. VanBergen, Assistant Justice."

 

"The panel of the Grand Jury being Returned the following Gentlemen appeared & were sworn:

 

James Bennett, of Catskill---Foreman

Charles F. Davis, Esq.of Catskill---Foreman

Tunis VanSlyck, of Coxsackie---Yeoman

James Dunn, of Coxsackie---Merchant

Simeon Guild, of Freehold---Yeoman

Ephraim Garrit, of Coxsackie---Merchant

Samuel Haight, of Catskill---Merchant

John Schuneman, of Catskill---Yeoman

James Bogardus, of Catskill---Merchant

Daniel Green, of Windham---Merchant

Benjamin Johnson, of Windham---Yeoman

Matthew B. Anger, of Freehold---Yeoman

Eliphalet Ackley, of Freehold---Yeoman

Levy Stedman, of Freehold---Yeoman

Michael Hann, of Catskill---Merchant

Thomas B. Cook, of Catskill---Merchant

John Rouse, of Catskill---Yeoman

Henry L'Homedieu, of Coxsackie---Merchant

Archibald McVicker, of Coxsackie---Merchant

Isaac Minard, Jr., of Coxsackie---Black Smith

Thomas Keller, of Coxsackie---Hatter

Stephen Warren, of Coxsackie---Shoe Maker

Timothy Mapes, of Coxsackie---Merchant

 

The grand jury found bills of indictment in one case of assault & battery, two of grand larceny, two of petit larceny, and one of horse stealing. The court acted upon five cases of assault and battery, two of petit larceny and one of grand larceny.

 

SURROGATES:

 

The surrogates of Greene county have been as follows; at first appointed by the governor and Senate, afterwards by the constitution of 1846 the office in this county was united with that of county judge: John H. Cuyler, appointed March 29th 1800; Dorrance Kirtland, appointed June 18th 1808; John Adams, appointed March 15th 1810; Dorrance Kirtland, appointed February 5th 1811; Malbone Watson, appointed April 18th 1838.

 

DISTRICT ATTORNEYS:

 

The office of district attorney (first called assistant attorney general) was created by the act of April 4th 1801. Greene county was then included in the third district, which embraced the counties of Columbia, Greene and Rennselaer.  The incumbents of this office, appointed by the governor, were as follows:

 

Ebenezer Foot---August 13, 1801

Moses I. Cantine---March 5, 1805

John V.D.S. Scott---March 10, 1806

Moses I. Cantine---February 8, 1808

Thomas P. Grosvenor---April 3, 1810

Moses I. Cantine---Feb 15,1811 til 1818

 

By a law passed April 1818, each county was made a separate district for this purpose, and had a district attorney. Under the constitution of 1821 they were appointed by the court of General Sessions. The dates affixed in the list below are only approximate to the time of their holding office. This list has been gathered from imperfect data:

 

Alexander Fraser---1819

Erastus Barnes---1821

Lewis Benton---1824

Malbone Watson---1832-1837

Lucius Robinson---1838

Danforth K. Olney---1840-1845

Lyman Tremain---1846-1847

 

Under the constitution of 1846 the office became elective, and since that time the following have been elected to it on the dates accompanying:

 

Rufus W. Watson---June 1847

Danforth K. Olney---November 1850

Peleg C. Mattoon---1853

John A. Griswold---1856

James B. Olney---1859 and 1862

A, Melville Osborne---1865

William E. Leete---1868

Sidney Crowell---1871

Addison C. Griswold---1874

Eugene Raymond---1877

G. Howard Jones---1880

 

PRACTICING ATTORNEYS---PAST AND PRESENT:

 

The following attorneys were practicing in the courts of this county about the year 1860:

 

John Olney, Alonzo Greene, A. Melville Osborne, Samuel P. Ives, James B Olney, Ezekiel P. More, Lucius Hill, Augustus Hill, Peleg C. Mattoon, Rufus H. King, Henry Mott, John A. Griswold, Sheldon A. Givens, Charles C. Givens, Charles F. Bouton, Manly B. Mattice, Herman Winans, William E. Leete, Henry C. VanBergen, Lemuel C. Bennett, Charles H. Porter, Danforth K. Olney, Rufus W. Watson, Ebenezer Haight, J.C. Dewitt, Augustus R. Macomber.

 

The following list comprises the attorneys now belonging to the Greene County Bar, with their several locations:

 

Athens---Charles E. Nichols, John Sanderson

 

Catskill---Frank H. Burroughs, Emory A. Chase, Sidney Crowell, Jeremiah Day, Orrin Day, Andrew C. Fancher, Addison C. Griswold, John A. Griswold, Joseph Hallock, W. Irving Jennings, (Hallock, Jennings & Chase), G. Howard Jones, Rufus H. King, Manly B. Mattice, Arthur M. Murphy, James B. Olney, Frank H. Osborn, William Palmatier, Eugene Raymond, James H. VanGelder, Jacob I. Werner, Fred Werner.

 

Coxsackie---F. H. Brandow, John B. Bronk, N.A. Calkins, William Cochran, Alfred W. Curtis, D. Henry Daley, E.C. Hallenbeck, James W. Hiseerd, William E. Leete, J. L.B Silvester.

 

Cairo---Augustus Hill, Lucius Hill

Durham---A.C. Cowles

Hunter---C.N. Cartwright

New Baltimore---Augustus Sherman

Prattsville---John H. Caughn, James F. Fitch

West Kill---D. H. Hubbard

Windham---Leonard B. Cornell, J.B. Daley, Cicero C. Peck, (Peck & Cornell), Josiah C. Tallmadge.

Windham and Catskill---(Raymond & Tallmadge)

 

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