Barr, Settlement of the Ancient Town of Pelham (1946)

Historic Pelham is pleased to present below the complete text of the principal (and popular book) on the History of Pelham published by Lockwood Anderson Barr in 1946.  The book has now entered the public domain, has recently been reprinted by one publisher and is presented as a text file below.  Please note that the file is very large and can take several minutes to load over a slow connection.

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     Girls and boys reared in the TOWN OF PELHAM, have a right to know the history, the traditions, and the romance of this ancient place.  It is their natural heritage . . . theirs to perpetuate by passing it along to their children. No one book condenses this story of the Pelhams; and few people have the time or the inclination to read ancient reference works--even if these books were available to everyone--which they are not.

     And so this account of the TOWN OF PELHAM compiled from those books, is dedicated to the young people of this community--also their eldersmin the hope that there will be found in it something of interest which will not only increase the natural pride in their home town . . . but, in the years to come, provide them with the background for the pleasant memories of their youth.

September 1946.

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     THE Manor of Pelham was established by Thomas Pell and his nephew, Sir John, who had held high offices in the royal household of Kings of England. The inimitable Samuel Pepys of  London did an estimable job of recording in his famous Diary, the doings and the goings on of the great and the near-great of that period. It is passing strange that the exploits of these two Pell gentlemen in the English court, and later in the New England Colonies, escaped entirely any comment by Pepys.  Here are a few entries as Pepys might have recorded them in his Diary--but didn't!

1649--30 Jan.  At Break of dawn, my wife and I arose to see a mighty fine spectacle--with all its pomp and circumstance--the King lose his head on the Block. Heard someone say that nothing in his life so became Charles as leaving it. Truly, to the end he carried himself King and Gentleman. After the ceremony, Sir W and--his fair Lady invited us to sup at the Bull's Head Tavern. Had little appetite, but I ate a barrel of pickled oysters and drank some ale. And so to bed.

1654--5 Jan. Five years ago come the thirtieth of this month, Anniversary of the King losing his head. Capt. P---, just back from a voyage to the Virglnias, reports that Thomas Pell--onetime Gentleman of the Bedchamber of Charles I, do prosper mightily in New England, where he has been a soldier of fortune--his sword for sale. He has a residence in Fairfield, Connectlcut--and has just come into possession of a plantation of 9,000 acres near Manhattan,

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viii.                   F O R E W O R D.

bought for a song from the Indians. It is said he fled from England in I635, to save his neck--he being caught making love to Mrs. ---, then a favorite of the King.
 

1661--30 July. His Majesty, King Charles II, is paying off some obligations. He has named to a good living from the Church, the famous mathematician, the Rev. & Rt. Hon. John Pell, D.D., who was the personal representative on the Continent of Oliver Cromwell, and Ambassador for England to the Swiss Cantons, 1654-58. It is said that the Doctor befriended the King when he was in Exile on the Continent, and also rendered valuable services to the Church.  P.S.--Wonders never cease!  The King also appointed his son, Sir John Pell, Jr., Sewer in Ordinary to the Royal Household.

1670--15 Jan.  Letters from New England tell of the death last September, of Mr. Thomas Pell, Esq., of Fairfield in Connecticut--leaving large plantations and great estates to his nephew, Sir John, a great favorite at the Court of the King.

1688--4 Feb.  Reports from New York say that on 20 October, last year, Sir Thos. Dongan, Governor, issued a royal patent to Sir John Pell, confirming his inheritance from his uncle, Thos. and naming him First Lord of the Manner of Pelham.

     It is indeed unfortunate that these members of the Pell family--whom Pepys must have known well and intimately--escaped his editorial notice, since what he might have written would have made rare reading.

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x.                                                              T A B L E  O F  C O N T E N T S.
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Lieut. Colonel John Pell IV, 1643-1700, Second Lord of the Manor of Pelham Frontispiece
Pell Coat-of-Arms, 1594--3, 54.

Thomas Pell's Treaty with the Indians in 1654--Plate I, facing 13.

Chart Showing Pedigree of Pell Family--Plate XIV, facing 36.

Colonel Philip Pell, Memorial Tablet--Plate XV, facing 44.
Home of Colonel Philip Pell II, Pelham Manor, New York, known as Pelham Dale--Plate XVI, between 44-45.

The Bartow Mansion in Pelham Bay Park-East Elevation and Garden--Plate XVII, between 44-45.

The Bartow Mansion--Front Elevation--Plate XVII, between 44-45.

Chart Showing Pedigree of Bartow Family--Plate XVIII, facing 45.

Signature, John Pell of Pelham, 1697--54

Signature, Rachel Pinckney Pell, March 19, 1697--54.

Pinckney Coat-of-Arms--54.

Town of Pelham Official Seal--79.

Hon. John Hunter, 2nd, Esquire (1788-1852) of Hunter's Island, Town of Pelham, Westchester County, New York--Plate XX, between 92-93.

Hon. John Hunter, 2nd, Esquire (1788-1852) of Hunter's Island, Silhouette--Plate XXI, between 92-93.

Hunter's Island Mansion--General View--Plate XXII, facing 93.

Signature of Hon. John Hunter, Esq., of Hunter's Island--105.

Coat-of-Arms of the Hay Family--Plate XXV, facing 172.

The Little Red Church--Plate XXVI, between 172-173.

Old St. Paul's Church--East Chester--Plate XXVII, between 172-173.

Pedigree of Schuyler of PelhamDPlste XXVIII, facing 173.

The Homestead of Colonel Philip Pell. Erectecl 1750--154.

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Map of Pelham in the Year 1853--Endsheet, Left.

Town of Pelham--Endsheet, Right.

Copy of Map of Land in Eastchester Granted to William Peartree and Associates by Queen Anne in 1708---Plate II, between 28-29.

Map 1798, Town of Pelham by James Davenport, Showing Captain Bond's Boundary Line (1710) between Pelham and New Rochelle--Plate III, between 28-29.

Map from a Survey of the Roads of the United States of America by Christopher Colles, 1789--Plate IV, between 28-29.

Map of the Southern Part of West Chester County, New York--Plate V, between 28-29.

Map of  the Country in the Vicinity of the Anne Hutchinson Settlement--Plate VI, between 28-29.

Map 1851, Pelhamville--an Extension into Pelham Heights--Plate VII, between 28-29.

Map 1867 Town of Pelham from Beer's Atlas 1868--Plate VIII, between 28-29.

Pelhamville and New Rochelle from Beer's Atlas 1868--Plate IX, between 28-29.

Town of Pelham and City Island from Beer's Atlas 1868--Plate X, between 28-29.

Town of Pelham and Pelham Manor from Bromley's Atlas 1881--Plate XI, between 28-29.

Town of Pelam and Pelham Manor from Bromley's Altlas 1881--Plate XII, between 28-29.

Maps 1888 of Bartow Estate made by New York City, showing tracts in the Bartow Estate acquired by City for future park development--now included in Pelham Bay Park--Plate XIII-A, between 28-29.

Map of Bartow 1874--Now Part of Pelham Bay Park. Proposed Real Estate Development at the Bartow Station, Harlem Branch, New Haven Railroad--Plate XIII-B, between 28-29.

Village of New Rochelle from Bromley's Atlas x88I--PIate XIX, facing 52.

Map 1873, Pelham Manor & Huguenot Heights Association, shown in prospectus--owned by New York Historical Society--Plate XXIII, facing 116.

Town of Pelham (1899) Atlas of Mt. Vernon and Town of Pelham by John F. Fairchild--Plate XXIV, facing 124.
 
 

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     THE Town of Pelham has been a residential community continuously for nearly three centuries; and is one of the earliest English settlements in Westchester County, being the second Royal Patent granted by the English Throne.

     The story of Pelham is told in part in many ancient books--monumental works seldom now to be found, outside public libraries. Members of the Pell family publish Pelliana--a series of booklets, privately printed in limited editions--being genealogical studies of the Pell family. Scharf's History of Westchester is excellent, and the ancient history of Pelham is told in Bolton's History of Westchester, which is quite an amazing piece of exhaustive research.  It was published originally in 1848 by Robert Bolton, and reissued in 1881 by his brother, C. W. Bolton. The authors were sons of the Rev. Robert Bolton, who built Christ Church in Pelham, and the Priory. Pelham is indebted to members of the Bolton family for many contributions of inestimable and lasting value; and not the least of these is this History of Westchester.

     It is passing strange that no one has written the Dynasty of the Pells--a real biography relating the lives of the several Lords of the Manor of Pelham.  The chronicles contain sufficient fact, genealogical data, and information about these Lords of the Manor, which, if judiciously mixed with a bit of imagination and a pinch of romance, would make a readable story.

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     Such a biography would bring the record down to the era following the American Revolution, when Westchester County in 1788 was divided into Townships--among them being the Town of Pelham.

     The history of the Town--since the Revolution--is buried in the archives, but it is there for those with the patience to dig deep. Descendants of Thomas Pell, 3rd Lord, sold large pieces of land to settlers, and just after the Civil War these large tracts began to be broken up into smaller tracts. Subsequently, these sections were subdivided by streets and into small residential building plots, to attract business men who wanted their families to live in the country, while they commuted daily to the City.

     Pelham remained just country on the outskirts of New York, until the turn of this century, where nothing of interest could possibly occur, worthy of being noted in the New York papers. Fortunately, however, to help fill the gaps in the narrative, there exist the memories of old residents, a series of ancient maps, county and town records, and finally, booklets and monographs issued at times of anniversary celebrations and other events, from which sections of the story have been gleaned.
I here admit my indebtedness to the historians, biographers and cartographers, and I am grateful for their painstaking labors. Having pilfered from their best, I offer no apologies, .because as Kipling wrote in his Barrack Room Ballads:

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     My appreciation is herewith expressed to those who interested themselves in my behalf--especially several who did exhaustive research for me. Without the encouragement of these people this undertaking, I fear, would never have progressed to the present stage.

     If what I have compiled accomplishes no other purpose than to inspire someone to write the lives of the Lords of the Manor--and tell the real story of Pelham--then my labors will have served some useful end.

Pelham Manor, N. Y.
September 1946.

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     THE Pelhams--consisting of Pelham Manor, Pelham Heights, North Pelham--are three separate residential commuting villages.  They form the Town of Pelham, located on the main line of the New York, New Haven & Hartford Rail Road--about 15 miles north and east of Grand Central Terminal, at 42nd Street and Vanderbilt Avenue--the heart of New York City. Most residents of Westchester County think these names are
just high-sounding designations which resourceful real estate operators may have given their promotions. And not all the residents of these three villages know the origin of those names--or that the settlement dates back to 1654.

     Thomas Pell was descended from the de Pelle family of France, which migrated to England soon after the Conquest, according to genealogical research, conducted by the Pell family in recent years. The word ham was early English for home--so Pelham came to mean the home of the Pells, in the English Colony of America.

     Although sometimes referred to as the Ist Lord of the Manor of Pelham, Thomas Pell is described in the archives as "Mr. Thomas Pell, Esq., of Ann Hooks Neck"--or as the first Proprietor. Nowhere in the

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2     History of the Ancient Town of Pelham

original grant of October 8, 1666, issued to Thomas Pell by Richard Nicholls, the first English Governor of New York, is to be found "... the lordshipp and manner of Pelham." That designation first appeared in the patent of October 20, 1687, issued by Governor Thomas Dongan, confirming the inheritance of Sir John Pell, from Thomas Pell, his uncle.

     While John, the nephew of Thomas, was the 2nd generation of Pells, and was the 2nd Proprietor, actually, under the royal grant, he was the Ist Lord of the Manor of Pelham. Therefore, to prevent confusion and to conform to the practice common to histories of Westchester County, the following designations will be used:

Ist generation--Thomas, Ist Proprietor (or Ist Lord).
2nd generation--John, his nephew, 2nd Lord of the Manor.
3rd generation--Thomas, his son, 3rd Lord of the Manor.
5th generation--Joseph II, 4th Lord (grandson of Thomas, 3rd Lord).

     John Pell, 2nd Lord, was usually referred to as Sir John Pell, or as Lord John Pell of the Manor of Pelham. He signed himself "John Pell of Pelham."

     The County of Westchester was divided into Towns on March 7, 1788, and the Manor of Pelham was designated officially as the Town of Pelham. Such it  has remained until this date. One of the earliest references to the Town, found in the archives, was:  "At a town meeting held at the School House in the Town of Pelham on Tuesday, the 7th day of April 1801. . ."

     The Rt. Rev. Treadwell Onderdonk, Bishop, made a report to the Episcopal Diocesan Convention from which the following is quoted: "Friday, 28 April 1843,

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Origin of the Name of Pelham.      3

laid, on the Rev. Robert Bolton's estate, the cornerstone of Christ Church at Pelham . . . the first building devoted to religious worship ever commenced in the town of Pelham. . ."

     Rev. Robert BoRon, Rector of Christ Church, gave the land on which the Church was built. On September 15, 1843, he relinquished all right in the property, in a document quoted in part as follows: "I, Robert Bolton, of the Town of Pelham, County of Westchester and State of New York, having by the good providence of Almighty God, erected in said town a house of public worship, etc. . ."

     Many similar references may be cited to prove that soon after the Town of Pelham was erected, the term, the Manor of Pelham went out of usage--and was not
revived for nearly a century, when, in the eighteen seventies, a real estate promotion was organized styled the Huguenot Heights & Pelham Manor Association.
 

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     TO get a perspective of where the Pelhams fit into other early settlements in the Colonies, remember that James Town, in the Virginias, was established in 1607; that Henry Hudson sailed into the Lower New York Bay in 1609; that the Pilgrim Fathers landed at Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1620; that the Dutch bought Manhattan Island from the Indians in 1626; that the Swedes in 1638, sailed up the Delaware to Wilmington; and in 1639, one Jonas Bronck bought from the Indians, the tract between the Harlem and the Bronx Rivers. Anne Hutchinson was scalped by the Indians in 1643--and Thomas Pell made his Treaty with the Indians in 1654.

     The shores along the Sound from Hell Gate to Connecticut, and the adjacent islands, were dotted with permanent villages of the Indians. An important tribe was the Siwanoys, and in the territory which Thomas Pell acquired one of their principal chieftains was the terrible Wampage, later known as Anhooke. His village was on the point of land east of the mouth of Hutchinson River, long known as Ann Hooks Neck,
subsequently Pell's Point. When Thomas Pell purchased his tract from the Indians, Wampage was one of the group of chieftains who signed the document, and his signature, "Anhooke," was third on the list--

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Anne Hutchinson Massacred.         5

some indication of his importance among his people.

     For nearly a century, when the story has been printed of the massacre of Anne Hutchinson and her little band of faithful followers, the site of her settlement has been stated as being in Pelham, not far from Split Rock, near a big spring on the old Indians Trail which ran from Pell's Point up the Hutchinson River Valley. That site was first named in print in Robert Bolton's History of Westchester County, published in 1848. In the revised edition of 1881, edited by C. W. Bolton, that story was again told. In various books and publications, the legend of the site of the settlement by Anne Hutchinson, has been repeated.

     Research now fixes the site of Anne Hutchinson's settlement as being on the west side of the Hutchinson River, in Eastchester, just south of the present Boston Post Road. This research is embodied in two books--Anne Hutchinson and Other Papers, being Vol. VII of the publications of the Westchester Historical Society, printed in 1929. Otto Hufeland made a complete transcription of the town records of Eastchester and patiently pieced together the boundaries of the lots owned by the Ten Families---which required years of patient search. The second book is A Woman Misunderstood, by Reginald Pelham Bolton, published privately in 1931. For those who would delve deep into
this fascinating phase of the history of Westchester, these two books are essential to a complete understanding of the facts about Anne Hutchinson.

     Bolton's History of Westchester County, Vol. I, p. 515, published in 1848, states: ". . . the residence of Anne Hutchinson appears to have been Ann's Hoeck, literally Ann's point or neck--Hoeck being a Dutch

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6     History of the Ancient Town of Pelham.

name for neck or point. . ." Bolton quotes Chandler's American Criminal Trials, published 1844, which states: ". . . the whole family of Hutchinsons removed from New Haven to Eastchester in the territory of the Dutch. . ." These two statements contradict each other.  The second edition of Bolton's History, published in 1881, edited by C. W. Bolton, brother of Robert, in Vol. II, p. 32, locates the site of Anne Hutchinson's settlement as definitely being on the Provost Farm near Split Rock, in the Town of Pelham.

     The territory originally in the Town of Pelham--along old Split Rock Road, from the Pelham Home for Children, down to the Sound--was the site of many Indian Villages. The logical places Anne Hutchinson might have tried to start her colony, have been excavated by many amateur archeologists and Indian artifacts have been discovered. Several foundations of early houses--which might have been Anne Hutchinson's--have
been discovered. The story of these efforts is told at length in Vol. VI, No. 2, July 1922 of the New York Historical Society's Quarterly Bulletin, in an article entitled "The Home of Mistress Anne Hutchinson," by Reginald Pelham Bolton. This also records, quite in detail, all the local Pelham traditions, and gives sketches of one of the foundations uncovered during those excavations.

     Anne Hutchinson was born in 1591 in England.  With her husband, their children and some of his relatives, she arrived in Boston in 1634. Because of her radical religious teachings among the women of the colony, she was banished from Massachusetts in 1637-38.  She found temporary refuge in Rhode Island, where her husband died in 1642. Late that year, Anne

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Anne Hutchinson Massacred.     7

     Hutchinson, with some of her children and a few faithful followers--among them several men--came down the Sound, to the mouth of the Hutchinson River.  There were sixteen persons in her party.

     She selected as the site for her colony what became known as the Eastchester Planting Ground, an ideal spot, "extending half a mile back from the path that came up from Westchester (settlement). It bordered the Hutchinson Meadow, which was between it and the Hutchinson River. It is a gentle slope, rising sixty or seventy feet in the half mile, watered on each side by a large fresh water brook, so the upland was high and dry. The spot is protected from cold winds by higher ground. In front of it lies a half mile of the Hutchinson salt meadows, traversed by two broad creeks navigable for small boats--that come practically up to the farmland. . . There was no better site for a settlement for miles around, borne out by its choice as a home for the Ten Families. . ." This is a quotation from Anne Hutchinson and Other Papers, published as Vol. VII in 1929 by the Westchester County Historical Society.

     There was a Captain James Sands, who subsequently lived on Block Island. Captain Sands married Katherine Walker, granddaughter of Edward Hutchinson, brother of Anne's husband William. There is an account of how Capt. Sands helped build Anne's house--presumably told by Capt. Sands. In the Collection of the Massachusetts Historical Society, 3rd series, Vol. VI, published 1837, is printed: Niles, History
of the Indian and French Wars. The author Rev. Samuel Niles (1674-1762) may have heard what he wrote directly from the actors in it. On pages 197-199 of that volume, he wrote: ". . . I shall give my readers

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8     History of the Ancient Town of Pelham.

a brief account of remarkable passages relating to Mrs. Hutchinson . . . the Court (Church) ordered her to depart out of the Government of Massachusetts. She accordingly removed to Rhode Island, but making no long stay there, she went further westward to a place called Eastchester, now in the eastern part of the province of New York, where she prepared to settle herself; but not to the good liking of the Indians that lived back in the woods, as the sequel proves. In order to pursue her purpose, she agreed with Captain James Sands, then a young man, to build her house, and he took a partner with him in the business. . . there came a company of Indians to the frame where he was at  work, and made a great shout and sat down. After some time, they gathered up his tools, put his broad axe on his shoulders and his other tools into his hands, and made signs for him to go away. But he seemed to take no notice of them, but continued in his work." This account tells that the Indians repeated this friendly gesture several times but to no avail. Obviously, Captain Sands had completed his task and was not in the neighborhood when the Indians lost patience and took extreme measures.

A few months after Anne Hutchinson, another dissenter, John Throckmorton, arrived from New England, with a company of thirty-five souls, and chose as his site, what became known as Throg's Neck--not far southwest of the Hutchinson settlement.

     According to A Woman Misunderstood, by Reginald Pelham Bolton, the Indians, on August 20, 1643, attacked Throckrnorton's and Anne Hutchinson's settlements
on the same day, massacred the people and burned the houses. Only Susanna Hutchinson, daugh-

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Anne Hutchinson Massacred.     9

ter of Anne, escaped, she being taken prisoner by the
savages.

     The terrible Wampage led the war party, and he is said to have boasted that he personally had scalped Anne Hutchinson. It was customary among the Indians, when they murdered some important personage, to add the name of their victim to their own name--and so Wampage took the name of Anne Hutchinson, which became Anhooke. The territory where he had his village became known in the archives as the Land of Ann Hook, spelled in various ways.

     On June 24, 1664 Thomas Pell made the following grant: "Know all men that I, Thomas Pell, have granted unto James Eustis and Philip Pinckney for themselves and their associates to the number of Ten Families, to settle down at Hutchinson's, that is where the house stood, at the meadows and uplands to Hutchinson's River. . ."  The Ten Families drew up articles of agreement in 1665, for their future government, the first paragraph reading: "Imprimis:  that we by the grace of God, settle down on the tract of land lying between Hutchinson's Brook, where the house was, until it comes unto the River that cometh in at the head of the meadow. . ."

     Richard Nicholls, the first of the English Governors, under a royal grant dated March 9, 1666, described this tract as:  ". . . bounded to the east and ye north east by a certain river commonly called Hutchinson River, which runs in at ye head of ye meadow, and is ye west bounds of Mr. Pell's patent, to ye south east, including ye meadows heretofore called Hutchinson's Meadow and ye uplands, to ye now known common path coming up from Westchester, to take in also upland between

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10     History of the Ancient Town of Pelham.

     Hutchinson's and Rattlesnake Brook, from said path to ye extent of half mile north west from ye path--more over I do hereby grant and confirm unto ye said patenties--That their plantation shall continue and retain ye name of Eastchester."

     Here is further evidence as to the site of Anne Hutchinson's settlement. "On a map dated August 1, 1708 , filed in the Office of the Secretary of State, Albany--the earliest known map of Eastchester on record--the path coming up from West Chester (town) is shown passing near the edge of the meadow and what is apparently the "half a mile northwest" is indicated by a line running from Hutchinson's Brook to Rattlesnake Brook, agreeing with the royal grant confirmed by Governor Nicholls in 1666 thereby furnishing a quite definite location of a small piece of land containing about 300 acres of upland, which Thomas PelI gave to the Ten Families in 1664:  ". . . to settle down at
Hutchinson's, that is, where the house stood."  This is a quotation from Anne Hutchinson and Other Papers, which further states: "There is no record of any other
settlement or of any other house in that vicinity that existed before 1664, when the Ten Families came to the Eastchester Planting Grounds. The words 'where the
house stood' distinguished the particular spot where they settled, from other lands where no such land-mark existed. . ."

     Anne Hutchinson settled in the territory late in 1642 and was massacred on August 20, 1643. Living there less than a year, she must have been some personage--or the massacre must have been horrible in its gory details--to have so impressed her personality upon the early settlers, that her name was given to Hutchinson

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Anne Hutchinson Massacred.     11

River, Hutchinson's Bay and to the Settlement at Hutchinson's. These designations appear in the very earliest records of Eastchester.

     For those who cherish the tradition that Anne Hutchinson settled in Pelham, and was there scalped by the Indians, there is this consolation. Eleven years after the massacre--when Thomas Pell signed his treaty with the Indians in 1654, he gained possession of some land west of the Hutchinson River, as well as all the land east of the Hutchinson River up to Mamaroneck. Technically speaking, therefore, Anne Hutchinson was massacred on a spot which subsequently was included in Thomas Pell's grant. When Thomas Pell died in 1669, and left his property to his nephew, Sir John Pell, 2nd Lord, the property west of the River, where Anne had settled, was then part of Eastchester; and so was never technically a part of the Lordship and Manor of Pelham proper which was not established until the royal patent of October 2o, 1687 was issued by Governor Dongan.

     "Boston, Feb. 28, 1945 (AP)--Anne (Marbury) Hutchinson will .have to remain banished from Massachusetts after all. By voice vote, and without debate, the Senate today refused to reverse the action of the General Court of 1637 which ordered Mrs. Hutchinson to leave the State because of her religious beliefs."

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CHAPTER III.

Thomas Pell Buys the Pelhams.

     THE English Colony in Connecticut claimed the territory as far west as the present site of Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania. The claims of the English in Connecticut and the Dutch in New York City, to the Shores between New York City and Norwalk, Connecticut, therefore were overlapping. The Connecticut Colony, was instrumental in having "Mr. Thomas Pell, Esq. of Fairfield" make the Treaty with the Indians, on November 14, 1654, for it blocked the Dutch.

     No map has been found on which there has been accurately plotted the exact boundaries of this land which Thomas Pell purchased from the Indians. However, there is an old map reproduced on page 721, of Scharf's History of Westchester, showing the west boundary, north from "the Wading Place" in the Hutchinson (where Colonial Avenue now crosses the River) up to the Bronx River--namely the spot ". . . eight miles north from the point at Ann Hook's Neck. . ."

     This treaty conveyed to Thomas Pell the lands east of Hutchinson River to Mamaroneck, including City Island, Hunter's Island, Travers Island and all the others, large and small, bordering the Shore. On the mainland, the tract included Pells Point, all the

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[Blank, Unnumbered Page Which Is the Back of Plate I]

*PLATE I

[Facsimile of Handwritten Treaty, With Caption Set Forth Below]

THOMAS PELL'S TREATY WITH THE INDIANS IN 1654

     The original has disappeared. This copy in Pell's writing, he sent to his relations in England, where it was discovered in recent years. It is copied with permission of S.H.P. Pell of Fort Ticonderoga, from Pelliana, Vol. I, No. 6, May 1941.

PLATE I

[CLOSE INSPECTION OF THE HANDWRITTEN FACSIMILE REVEALS THE TEXT SET FORTH IMMEDIATELY BELOW.]

["Know all men by this present yt we Shawanarockqúot: poquorum: Anhõõke: Wawhãmkus: Mehumõw: Beinge ye true owners & ye only Lawffull Heyres & proprietors off a piece of land Bounded by ye Sea to ye South wth yt Tract off land Called by ye English Longe Island; to ye west & west & by South wth ye bay & River & River Diawockinge Acqueonunge (Chemaquanaock to ye East) wth all ye Islands yt are in ye salt water to ye South South East & South West Against yt Tract off Land wch is Beffore expresd; wh all trees medowes & all Land wh in ye tract off Land wch is Beffore Expressed: doo sell & deliver to Thos Pell now inhabitinge in Fayrffield his heyres & assignse to hould injoy improove plant as hee shall see cause to his Best to be improved ffor & to him & his heyres fforever wh out any molestation on our pt And doo herby ingage our Selves to make good our selves against all Claymes intayled either by Dutch or Indyans wt ever & doo deliver it into ye posession off ye sayd Thos Pell & his Assignes: markinge ye bounds to ye mayne Land wch is & shalbe ye present bounds to ye mayne Land: only Liberty is ffreely graunt ffor ffeedinge offe cattle & Cuttinge off timber beyound those Bounds; & wee doo Acknowledge to have Reseved in full for it ye trou valew & just Satisfaction Accordinge to our Estimate to wch we sett our hands beffore these wittnesses off English & Indyans this twenty seaventh off June 1654.

English Wittnesses                              Saggamores (Markes)
     Richard Crabb Magistrate             +Shawanórõckquot
     Thomas Lawrence                         +Poquõrúm
     John Ffinch                                    +Anhõõke
                                                          +Wawhamkus
                                                          +Mehúmõw

Articles of Agreement

We also as lovinge neighbours & ffriends doo mutually ingage our Selves to send too men off Each yr one Day in ye Springe every yeare to marke ye Bounds of ye Land yt a Right Knowledge may be kept wh out injury to Either side yt Mutuall peace & love may be mayntayned 2nd Wee allso doo promise Each to other if any plotts on either Side yt may be to hurt off Either yt we Seasonably Discover ym as Lovinge Neighbours & friends yt peace & love may be mutually preserved

Indyan Wittnesses
+Marke Cockho
+Mark Kamaque
+Marke Cockinsecawa

This wrightinge was signed & wittnessed Beffore A great multitude off Indyans & many English we who are under written do testify

mark
Henry + Accorly
William Newman

This is A True Coppy off ye originall written Thos Pell"]

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Thomas Pell Buys the Pelham     13

Pelhams, and New Rochelle. West of the River it included the Town of East Chester, part of Mt. Vernon, and a portion of the Bronx--in all, some 9,160 acres more or less. The original Treaty disappeared, but fortunately, Thomas Pell made a copy and sent it to his English relatives--where it was discovered in recent years. A reproduction of this copy of the Treaty appeared in Pelliana--Vol. I, No. 6.

     What Thomas Pell paid for these lands is not recorded in the Treaty with the Indians; and the price has not been discovered. However, Thomas Pell testified in Court on September 29, 1665: "... that he bought the land in question in 1654, of the Natives, and paid them for it. . ."

     Tradition says that every one in Anne Hutchinson's Company perished in the massacre--save one little girl who became the wife of an Indian Chief, residing in a settlement near the Split Rock. That territory was long known as the "Land of Ann Hook." Tradition says that Thomas Pell--the 3rd Lord of the Manor, married an Indian Princess--a descendant of this Hutchinson girl, and Anhooke.

     Orders of the Court dated October 13, 1669, instructing that an inventory be taken of the estate of Thomas Pell deceased, described him as "Mr. Thomas Pell of Ann Hook's Neck." And further in the Connecticut archives, as late as 1675, his nephew is described as "John Pell of Ann Hook's Neck."

     Cornelius Van Thienhoven, the Fiscal of the Province of New Netherlands, served a protest against Thomas Pell on April 19, 1655, for having settled at Vreelant (East Chester)--claiming that lawful title

*14

14     History of the Ancient Town of Pelham.

had been taken by the Dutch to that land from the Indians. The Court Messenger who delivered the Protest to the Magistrates of the new Village, brought back the answer: ". . . Why doth not the Fiscal write in English? then could we answer in writing? We expect a settlement of the boundary between Holland and England; until then, we abide under the State of England."

     The English took over New Amsterdam on September 18, 1664, renaming the settlement New York. After the surrender by the Dutch to the English, certain residents in West Chester, in 1664, surrendered to Thomas Pell, all rights to a tract of land Pell had claimed, west of the Hutchinson River.

     Thomas Pell, on 24 June 1664, granted the right ". . . to James Eustis, Philip Pinckney, for themselves and associates, to the number of Ten Families, to settle down at Hutchinson, that is where the house stood at the meadow and uplands, to Hutchinson River." The number of acres sold is not stated in the archives.

     In 1666 Governor Richard Nicholls issued the royal "patent of East Chester and described it as: ". . . which said plantation is commonly known and called by ye name of The Ten Farms or East Chester. . ."

     OLD ST. PAUL'S, EAST CHESTER--The congregation of Old St. Paul's in East Chester, dates back to the settlement by the Ten Families from Fairfield. Thomas Pell is not recorded as a member of the Congregation, and his nephew John, the 2nd Lord, was interested in Trinity Church in New Rochelle.

     On the site of the existing building of Old St. Paul's have been previous church structures, but the present

*15

Thomas Pell Buys The Pelhams.     15

structure was erected 1765 or before. The old church was restored in 1942 to all its original glory. During the American Revolution, the Church was used as a British hospital.

     The history of St. Paul's Church is closely interwoven with that of the Pelhams. Not only were many of its parishioners residents of the Pelhams, but its outstanding minister was Rev. Robert Bolton, in charge from 1837 to 1843.

     THOMAS PELL'S HOME.--Some historians claim that Thomas Pell did not build a home, in Pelham. Other accounts relate that his wife refused to leave the society she found in Fairfield.

     Bolton, in his History of Westchester, Vol. II, page 71, edition of 1881, records that a portion of the southern extremity of the Town was formerly Ann Hook's Neck, subsequently called Pell's Point and later Rodman Neck, and that ". . . Pelham Neck is terminated by the property of the late Gilbert Bowne. On the site of the dwelling house, stood the residence of Thomas Pell, Esq. History of Westchester by J. Thomas Scharf, Vol. I, page 520, edition of 1886, states in part: ". . . Pelham Neck is now the site of many handsome residences, chief among which, for its historic interest, is the Bowne dwelling, which stands on the spot once occupied by the manor house of Thomas Pell."

     Now just a few hours pleasant motor trip from Fairfield to Pelham, meant days or weeks of tedious travel for Thomas Pell. Doubtless he made the trip by sailing down the Sound. Business then was transacted personally, man to man--the only alternative being communi-

*16

16     History of the Ancient Town of Pelham.

cations sent by personal couriers or by agents. To have managed his large properties in Fairfield and Pelham, he must have had lieutenants. Yet, no references to any men or group associated with him in his enterprises, have been found. Thomas Pell must have been a very busy man, with his large and scattered interests, and he could not have spent a great deal of time in Pelham --if the accounts of his comings and goings made necessary by the personal supervision of his enterprises, are substantially correct.

*     *     *

     Thomas PelI was born in England in 1613, son of a distinguished preacher and teacher, Rev. John Pell, D.D. When a young lad, he began to serve at Court as a Page to Prince Charles, and later became a Gentleman of the Bedchamber of Charles I, King of England, who was beheaded in 1649.

     Accounts do not agree in all particulars; however, there seems to be no question but that Thomas Pell arrived in the Colonies in 1635. Pelliana, Vol. I, No. 3, May 1935, states: ". . . a Thos. Pell, Carpenter, aged 25 years, accompanied by Marie Pell, aged 26, and infant Marie Pell, aged one year, took passage for New England on the ship Planter on April 5, 1635. However, for some reason, the passage was cancelled so late that these Pells are not included in the passenger list--but are ruled out with a pen. A few weeks later, a Thos. Pell, this time giving our Thomas' correct age of 22 years (he was born 1613)--engaged passage on the ship Speedwell. He called himself a tailor."

Original Lists of Persons of Quality from Great Britain to the American Colonies, compiled by John C.

*17

Thomas Pell Buys The Pelhams.     17

Hotten, includes the Pell family of three on the ship Planter, as noted by Pelliana. However, this same book lists but one trip for the ship Speedwell, and that passage as of May 28, 1635, from London to the Virginias--not to New England. Thos. Pell was not listed as a passenger on that voyage of the Speedwell.

     Founders of New England by Samuel G. Drake, shows the Hopewell, Wm. Burdock, Master, April 1635, bound for New England. Among the passengers there was a Thos. Pell, aged 22, listed as "A Taylor."

     If Thomas Pell--the "Carpenter" and Thomas Pell the "Taylor" were one and the same person--then the question is still open as to what became of Marie, and the infant? Research has been made by the authors contributing to Pelliana, without result--so that story may never be told.

     When Thomas Pell arrived in the Colonies to start life anew at the age of 22 years, he began by doing various and sundry things--living in many different places. He settled first in Dorchester, Massachusetts and was one of the early company of Windsor, Connecticut. At some period he traveled extensively through Virginia and Delaware--which raises the question of whether or not he first landed in Virginia and then worked his way up into New England. He served in the Pequot War in 1637 under Captain Mason, and was with Lion Gardner before 1639 at Fort Saybrook, Connecticut.

     In New Haven, Connecticut, where he lived for a while, Thomas Pell married in 1647, Lucy French--widow of Frances Brewster; and in June of that year, located in Fairfield, Connecticut. There he made his

*18

18     History of the Ancient Town of Pelham.

principal place of residence to the end of his days. He never returned to England.

     Thomas Pell purchased land in Fairfield on February 9, 1653 from Philip Pinckney, one of the "Ten Founders" that settled East Chester. On November 14, 1654 Pell made his treaty with the Indians for the purchase of the Pelhams. In 1662 he was made a freeman of Fairfield, and in 1665 elected a Representative to the General Court. Richard Nicholls, the first English Governor of New York confirmed Pell's treaty with the Indians on October 8, 1666, by issuing to him a royal patent--being the first and only official recognition Thomas Pell received either from Connecticut or from the Throne--for his daring and successful mission against the Dutch---namely his settlement of Pelham.

     Thomas Pell died at the end of September or the beginning of October 1669 in Fairfield, and is there buried. His wife had died in 1667-68. If Thomas Pell had any children by the marriage with the Widow Brewster, he did not mention them in his will, dated September 21, 1669. He named his nephew Sir John Pell, his sole heir.

     Thomas Pell, having left property in Connecticut and New York, two separate Inventories were taken--both cover sheet after sheet of paper. They read like the inventory of a general merchandising establishment of olden days. Many items are most amusing. It must be remembered that Thomas Pell had to carry in stock all the goods and supplies needed by the people on his estates, for almost everything had to be imported from England and the Continent, since the colonists in the beginning had to devote most of their efforts to hunting

*19

Thomas Pell Buys The Pelhams.     19

and farming to put food on their tables---so had little time to manufacture anything except urgent necessities.

     The itemized appraisal of the New York estate of Mr. Thomas Pell, Esq. of Ann Hook's Neck. . . dated October 20, 1669, is given in Bolton's History of Westchester. In Pelliana is shown in detail, the Connecticut Inventory. The total of the Inventory was 1,294. pounds--for New York alone--quite a tidy estate! Here are two entries of interest to property owners in the Pelhams:

     "The howsing, lands, barnes, islands, adjoyning--from Hutchinson's River westward and so far eastward as were Mr. Tho. Pell's inst. and lawful right . . . . . . . . . . . £ 500-0-0
House and land in West Chester . . . . . . . £ 20-0-0"

     The grant of 9,160 acres of land, the houses, buildings, etc., were appraised at the equivalent of $3,100--less than 40 cents an acre for the land. This appraisal proves that up to the time of his death, Thomas Pell still owned property on the west side of Hutchinson River, as well as the tract east of the River.

     The Inventory filed in Connecticut January 2, 1670, of Thomas Pell's property in Fairfield, was as long and detailed as that filed in New York. While the total value was not given, it clearly exceeded the estate in New York. Among the items listed in Fairfield were:

"To a silver tanked--a silver salt seller--a silver bole--2 wine cups--a poringer--& a drinking cup--all silver. . . £ 20-0-0.
"To a great rappier . . . . . . . . . . . . £ 7-0-0."

     The great rapier and the silver tankard--both of which doubtless Thomas had brought with him originally, from London, were handed down through the Pell family for several generations. Sometime around

*20

20       History of the Ancient Town of Pelham.

     1760, they were stolen from Joseph Pell (1740-1776) the 4th Lord--supposedly by a relative of the family--and pawned in New York City, where they vanished.

THOMAS PELL--WHAT MANNER OF MAN WAS HE?

     No portrait of Thomas PelI exists, but it is not difficult to create in the mind's eye, an imaginary image of this attractive young swashbuckler.

     A small expectant company of men and women gathered upon the wharf--that early summer morning of 1635, to welcome the newcomers on the ship Hopewell, from London--for a ship was an event in those days. Of course, no one did so--but pretend a member of that band did write a letter describing the occasion. That imaginary letter might well have read:

". . . When the fog lifted we saw a tall broad-shouldered passenger standing aloof from his fellow voyagers. . . He carried himself as if to the manner born. There was a flutter of excitement among the fair sex, & we all were consumed with curiosity as to the identity of the distinguished gentleman. Evidently he had arrayed himself in his best, & had taken time & pains with his toilette. He wore the full-length powdered wig which formed a frame for his pleasing countenance & emphasized the large deep-set blue eyes, his strong mouth, & the firm set of his jaw. . .

"His suit of light blue velvet piped in silver braid was cut in the latest fashion. A long circular cloak lined with silk of a lighter hue, was thrown back over one shoulder with a studied carelessness--the effect of which was not lost upon us. Under his arm was a low-crowned, wide-brimmed beaver hat--from which flowed a great white plume. The shirt of sheerest linen, had ruffs of fine lace at the throat & wrists. . .

"From the sword belt swung a great rapier--weapon of self-defense essential to any Gentleman who might venture forth day or night, in the streets of London. . ."

*21

Thomas Pell Buys The Pelhams.       21

     Unfortunately, this testimony of an eye witness is purely imaginary. No reference exists in the archives, of Thomas Pell's arrival.

     Shakespeare created his characters by what he made them do--by what he made them say--and by what he made others say about them. Since there is no authentic likeness of Thomas Pell, there is no way now to portray his actual personal appearance. However, from the hardships he was to endure in after years, he must have been physically fit to have given such a good account of himself. None of his letters to his family and his associates--or their replies--have been found. The early archives shed little light upon his character and personality. But, even in the absence of all of these essential indices, Thomas Pell stands up head and shoulders.

     He must have been a gifted diplomat, and had a way of getting what he wanted from others. His successes show he was an able executive with boundless energy, absolute courage and integrity. The positions of trust, to which he was elected by his fellow men, mark the esteem in which he was held in the Connecticut Colony.

     Thomas Pell had been a privileged member of the royal household of Charles I, King of England. When he came to the Massachusetts Colony he had turned his back upon the life of ease of a courtier, and at the age of 22 years had chosen to become a soldier of fortune, an adventurer and pioneer in the unknown wilderness of the New World.

     During the first twenty years in the land of his adoption, Thomas Pell's experience paralleled that of many other Englishmen of rank and social position. However, approaching middle-age, he put over a coup

*22

22     History of the Ancient Town of Pelham.

for England which, for its effectiveness, its bravado or sheer effrontery, has few equals and no superior in the annals of this country. Yet he received no recognition from his fellow-compatriots or from the Throne. The importance of what he did for the cause of England has now so faded that it is mentioned in but few histories.

     The Dutch were masters of the high seas. They were intrepid explorers and shrewd traders. They had fleets of merchant vessels backed up with well-trained armed forces. Having bought Manhattan Island from the Indians in 1626, fortified the place and made good their claims, the Dutch had taken possession of the lands along the Sound as far east as the Hutchinson River, and up the Valley of the Hudson to Albany, also on the south shore of Long Island. They were beginning to reach over into what later became Westchester, claiming to have bought from the Indians rights to all the lands lying along the Shore up to Connecticut.

     The story from the Dutch viewpoint is told in Old Dirck's Book, a history of the Storm Family, by Raymond W. Storm of Pelham Manor, New York, a portion of which is here quoted:

     "When Thomas Pell made his treaty with the Indians, he defied old Petrus Stuyvesant and the whole Dutch West India Company, owners of Nieuw Amsterdam Colony. He pressed deep into Dutch country, close under the guns of Fort Amsterdam--in fact less than 20 miles away--risking his life and fortune in the territory of the enemy. . .

     "The Dutch people chartered the West India Company especially for the purpose of colonizing the great valley of the Hudson. In 1629 the Company (not the Dutch Government) made the first

*23

Thomas Pell Buys The Pelhams.     23

feeble attempt to found a colony on the island of the Manhattes, bought three years before from the Indians by Peter Minuit.

     "The English had come from Massachusetts down to Connecticut, and had also dug in at Southampton on Long Island. There was a grandiose scheme concocted in London, to consolidate all the English settlements along the Atlantic--but the Dutch were still masters of the seas--so the English had to bide their time. That is where Thomas Pell came on the scene. The English, no doubt, needed an 'incident,' as it would be called today, to precipitate an argument with the Dutch. If Pell could establish a settlement along the southern reaches of the Sound, close enough to Nieuw Amsterdam, that might furnish the cause for the English.

"An armed neutrality existed between the two nations, in spite of the frequent battles between their fleets. The military and naval support Thomas Pell needed for his mission, England could not well furnish without going to war before they were ready. And England was not ready. . .

     "Thomas Pell bought 9,000 acres from the Indians (which they had already sold to the Dutch) with the tacit 'approval' of the New England Governor and the powers-that-be in London. Imagine! The English 'approved' the purchase! Of course they did. They needed the colony of Nieuw Amsterdam, and this was the first step towards taking it. . .

     "They sought to seduce the Burgomaster of the post, and subsequently did, but the 'incident,' which they sought to create through the instrumentality of Thomas Pell, failed for want of resistance. The Dutch wanted peace, but most of all, they wanted more time to develop their holdings up the Hudson Valley and entrench in the settlements they had started.

     "The Dutch and the English had fought twelve great naval engagements, and in most of them the Dutch had won. But in 1664, the English fleet sailed up into the Lower Bay and in September of that year the Dutch Burgomaster--who tradition says had been 'fixed'--turned over the City with little resistance. The Dutch raged, but were powerless. The two navies continued to fight upon the high seas, whenever one could jockey the other into a disadvantageous position.

     "Charles II made his nephew, the Duke of York, the Admiral of
 
 *24

24     History of the Ancient Town of Pelham.

the English Navy. He was a real sailor. In 1665, riding high on the wave of his successes, the English met and defeated the main Dutch fleet, and a year later won again in a four-day engagement. That did it! The naval power of the Netherlands was broken-- almost!

     "Three years went by. The English were lulled into false security, and then a strange event occured. At anchor in their stronghold at Chatham, the main English fleet was surprised by the remnant of the Dutch Navy, and was sunk to a ship, while still riding at anchor. The Dutch, however, could not recoup, though they did retake and hold New York for a turn of two years, sometime later on.

     "In the meanwhile the English were not slow in following up the advantage which Thomas Pell's bold stroke had given them. With New York City in their possession, and already strongly entrenched in Connecticut, they wasted no time in establishing themselves in Westchester and Long Island, which gave them undisputed possession of the shores along the Sound. . ."

*     *     *

     When the English first tried to settle on Long Island and over in Jersey, they had made little headway, because of the hostility of the Indian tribes. The massacre of Anne Hutchinson and her little band of settlers at East Chester in 1643 is cited as an example of what too often happened to colonists who intruded.

     Thomas Pell must have known the frightful fate of Anne Hutchinson and her followers. Nevertheless, just eleven years after her massacre, not far from the scene, under a great oak tree on the shore near the present Bartow Mansion, Thomas Pell signed his treaty with the Indian chieftains of that territory--among them being the terrible Wampage--who boasted that he personally scalped Ann Hutchinson with his own hands! What spell of magic did Thomas Pell work on those Indians--as well as the Dutch? He was not in command of well-armed foot soldiers from Connecticut,

*25

Thomas Pell Buys The Pelhams.     25

and he did not have a fleet of English warships at his back to stand off the Dutch while he made his treaty. There is no mention of his being accompanied by any company of men. There were but three white witnesses to the treaty: one a magistrate, and the other two, perhaps his body servants, for their names do not appear subsequently in any important connection. It now seems inconceivable that alone and single-handed, Pell could have had the audacity to conduct those negotiations and carry them to their successful conclusion, which he did.

     To buy from the Indians and to colonize the tract now known as the Pelhams was an awful enterprise-- and the adjective awful is used advisedly in its original meaning. History now records how this complex business finally turned out for the Pell Family--but the two principal actors in the drama, Thomas, and his heir and nephew, Sir John, could not foresee that result. They had to live through each uneasy day in fear of some mess that tomorrow might hatch forth and deposit on their door steps.

     This bold stroke by Thomas PelI drove in a wedge for the English, blocking effectively the Dutch in what became Westchester. Thomas Pell did it, and made it stick, without striking a blow, firing a shot or losing his scalp. Believe it or not! Truly it must have required courage for Thomas Pell to have planted his colony right under the guns of the Dutch. There is no record of him having built a fortification, so that his little band, settled on the tract, was vulnerable from both land or sea. He even had the temerity to build for himself some kind of a home on the shore, on Ann Hook's Neck, the extreme tip of

*26

26     History of the Ancient Town of Pelham.

his tract, where he occasionally resided when not in Fairfield.

     The Dutch at any time could have sailed up the Sound, landed a force in Pelham Bay, and wiped out him and his colony. The territory was alive with roaming bands of savages which maintained villages along the Sound. There is no record of the Indians repudiating their treaty with Thomas Pell by uprising against his settlement--of itself unbelievable, but a fact.

     While Thomas Pell was establishing himself as one of the leaders of Fairfield, he could not have been ignorant of the uncertainty of the future of the English settlements in the Colony. Though advices by mail were slow, and new arrivals from England were few and far between, he must have kept informed upon the political situation in Europe and the upheaval brewing in England, which resulted in the beheading, in 1649, of Charles I, King of England, his onetime patron saint--the coming of the Cromwells, and the restoration to the Throne of Charles II, in 1660, and the unrest which followed.

     When he made his treaty with the Indians in 1654, Thomas Pell must have known he could expect no help from the mother country, and little from Connecticut. As things turned out he was able to stand off the Dutch and the savages for nearly ten years--since it was not until September 18, 1664, when the Dutch handed New York City over to the English. How he did it, nobody knows!

     The first English Governor of New York--Richard Nicholls--on October 8, 1666, confirmed Pell's treaty with the Indians by issuing a royal patent. Other than that, so far as is known, neither the Crown nor the

*27

Thomas Pell Buys The Pelhams.     27

Connecticut Colony issued to Thomas Pell any official recognition of what he had accomplished for the cause of England and the Colonies.

     Thomas Pell lived only fifteen years after he signed the treaty with the Indians, and only five years after the English took over New York. Personally he did not reap the benefits of his great gamble. It paid off, however, with amazing dividends, for his nephew Sir John and his descendants. During the succeeding century, the Pell family established in the virgin forests along the shores of the Sound, a bit of old England, long known well and favourably as the Lordshipp and Manner of Pelham.

     Pause and ponder why Thomas Pell, when he had arrived at an age when most successful men want to take it easy, should have deliberately planned such a gamble? He was one of the principal men of Fairfield in property and position. Surely he had already acquired ample competence for all his personal wants, and he had no children for whom he needed to build up a great future estate. He could not then have been planning a career for his sole heir, his young nephew Sir John, an eleven-year-old schoolboy residing in England.

     Could it have .been that Thomas Pell had been made some tempting offer of a position of great consequence by the political powers then on the ascendancy in England, if he would undertake this mission against the Dutch? Might have been! If so, it was a long shot with heavy odds against him.

     To have risked his life and fortune to gain a doubtful title to some 9,000 acres of unproven value--surely that alone was not enough of a capital prize to have

*28

28     History of the Ancient Town of Pelham.

induced Thomas Pell to take the risks involved. Whatever the promised award--and it must have been large--there is nothing to indicate that it was conferred upon him. There must have been some deeper, more significant reasons that influenced Thomas Pell-- reasons which still lie buried beneath the accumulated dust of ages--a story which may never be uncovered.

-------------------

THOMAS PELL PHYSICIAN AND CHIRURGEON

     The archives of New Haven. Saybrook and Fairfield often refer to Thomas Pell as "physician and chirurgeon", and Lt. Governor Lion Gardiner in his account of an expedltion from Ft. Saybrook against the Pequot Indians says that he ". . . sent Mr. Pell the surgeon with them. . .". In the tradltlons of Saybrook it is related that "Thomas Pell Chirurgeon of Saybrook Fort . . . taught Lady Alice Fenwick the use of herbs she raised in her garden . . . wherein there grew everyrthing for medical and household use . . . until she knew how to care for the sick etc. etc. . .".

     There is no proof that Thomas Pell had studied medicine or surgery in England or that he served an apprenticeship under any recognized physician alter coming to the Colonies. However, in the Inventory of his Estate 1669 there were listed Surgeon's Tools, Medicine Chest, drugs, etc.--indicating that he followed the art until his death.

*28-A

A COLLECTION

OF MAPS

FROM THE BEGINNING

OF THE MANNOUR

TO THE PRESENT

DAY

[Unnumbered Page Introducing Subsequent Plates]

*28-B

[Blank Page Facing Plate II]

*PLATE II

[ZZZMust Review Original Plate for Text]

Copy Of Map Of Land In Eastchester Granted To William Peartree
Associates By Queen Anne In 1708

Original in Secretary of State's Office, Albany, N.Y.

PLATE II

*PLATE III

[ZZZMust Review Original Plate for Text]

Map 1798, Town Of Pelham By James Davenport, Showing Captain Bond's
Boundary Line (1710) Between Pelham And New Rochelle.

Note the "Boston Post Road"--now Colonial Avenue, the Road to "New
Rochelle Landing"--now the Shore Road, and the road following the
River from Rodman's Point up to the Post Road--subsequently Split Rock Road--Wolf Lane.

PLATE III

*PLATE IV

[ZZZMust Review Original Plate for Text]

Map From A Survey Of The Roads Of The United States Of America
By Christopher Colles--1789

PLATE IV

*PLATE V

[ZZZMust Review Original Plate for Text]

Map Of The Southern Part Of West Chester County, New York

Published 1853 by M. Dripps, 103 Fulton St., N.Y. Surveyed by R.F.O.
Conner, C.E. Original in the New York Public Library.

PLATE V

*PLATE VI

[ZZZMust Review Original Plate for Text]

Map Of The Country In The Vicinity Of The Anne Hutchinson Settlement

From Anne Hutchinson & Other Papers published by Westchester County
Historical Society, Vol. VII. 1929.

PLATE VI

*PLATE VII

[Map of proposed development on the property of John R. Coppinger showing a proposed extension of Pelhamville into what is now Pelham Heights; bounded to the north by the New York and New Haven Rail Road track; bounded to the west by what is labeled "Fifth Avenue"; bounded to the south by two plots of land including W.W. McClellan's land; bounded to the east by ZZZ_____ land]

[In Upper Right Hand Corner:]

Map Of
Building Lots
Being a Continuation of
Pelhamville
Westchester County, N.Y.
The Property of
John R. Coppinger
Scale 132 inch to one foot.

[In Lower Right Hand Corner:]

Surveyed & Laid out by

WILLIAM BRYSON

Architect & Civil Engineer

NEW ROCHELLE

Oct. 11th 1851.

[Caption at bottom of Plate VII:]

Map 1851, Pelhamville--An Extension Into Pelham Heights

PLATE VII

*PLATE VIII

[Map of East Chester, Pelham and New Rochelle]

[In Upper Left Hand Corner:]

Plans of
 

EAST CHESTER,
PELHAM
and
NEW ROCHELLE
Westchester Co.
ZZZ____________

[Caption at Bottom of Plate VIII:]

Map of 1867 Town of Pelham From Beer's Atlas 1868

PLATE VIII

*PLATE IX

[Map of Town of New Rochelle With an Inset of Pelhamville, Plate 36 from Beer's Atlas 1868]

[Near Upper Right Hand Corner of Page:]

Town Of
NEW ROCHELLE
Westchester Co NY
ZZZ_________
 

[Near Upper Right Hand Corner of Pelhamville Inset:]

PELHAMVILLE
ZZZ__________

[Caption at Bottom of Plate IX:]

Pelhamville And New Rochelle From Beer's Atlas 1868

PLATE IX

*PLATE X

[Map of Town of Pelham Including Inset of City Island; Plate 35 from Beer's Atlas 1868]

[Near Upper Left Hand Corner of Page:]

Town Of
Pelham
Westchester Co NY
ZZZ____________

[Near Upper Right Hand Corner of Page:]

City
Island
ZZZ_______
ZZZ_______

[Caption at Bottom of Plate X]

Town Of Pelham And City Island From Beer's Atlas 1868

PLATE X

*PLATE XI

[Map of Pelham and Pelham Manor]

[Near Lower Left Hand Corner of Page:]

Town Of
PELHAM
Scale 1200 feet per inch.

[Caption at Bottom of Plate XI:]

Map Of Town Of Pelham And Pelham Manor From Bromley's Atlas 1881

PLATE XI

*PLATE XII

[Map of Town of Pelham With Inset Of "Pelham-Manor"]

[Near Upper Right Hand Corner of Page, Inside Inset:]

PELHAM-MANOR

[Caption at Bottom of Plate XII:]

Map Of Town Of Pelham And Pelham Manor From Bromley's Atlas 1881

PLATE XII

*PLATE XIII-A

[Map of Portion of Bartow Estate]

[Near Lower Right Hand Corner of Page:]

Map "A" Detailed Survey of Plots Located in Proposed Pelham Bay Park Designated by Commissioners Numbers and Owned by the Bartow Estate

[Caption at Bottom of Plate XIII-A:]

Maps 1888 Of Bartow Estate Made By New York City, Showing Tracts In
The Bartow Estate Acquired By City For Future Park Development--
Now Included In Pelham Bay Park.

PLATE XIII-A

*PLATE XIII-B

[Map of Portion of Bartow Estate]

[Near Right Margin of Page:]

Map "B" Detailed Survey of Plots Located in Proposed Pelham Bay Park Designated by Commissioners Numbers and Owned by the Bartow Estate

[Caption at Bottom of Plate XIII-B:]

Map Of Bartow 1874. Now Part Of Pelham Bay Park. Proposed Real Estate Development At
Bartow Station, Harlem Branch, New Haven Railroad.

PLATE XIII-B

*BLANK PAGE

[Blank Page Before Text Begins Again]

*29

CHAPTER IV.

Sir John Pell--2rnd Lord of the Manor.

     FOR generations the Pells had been ". . . a family of education, culture and high social position. . ." (For a pedigree of the family, see Bolton's History, Vol. II, pages 39-42, and the several issues of Pelliana.)

     The Rev. John Pell, D.D., after a long and useful life, died in England in 1616, leaving two sons:

     1--Thomas (1608-1669), who is described in early London records as being ". . . Gentleman of the bed chamber of Charles I, King of England. . ."--and subsequently the first Proprietor or Lord of the Manor of Pelham. Just why Thomas Pell, at the age of 22 years, should have relinquished a sinecure and life of ease at Court, to seek his fortune in the wilderness of a new world, will doubtless remain an enigma.

     2--Rev. John Pell, D.D. (1611-1685) a professor of mathematics on the Continent, and the author of several volumes on subjects pertaining to that science. Persona grata with both Charles I and Charles II, he was sent by Oliver Cromwell as Minister to Switzerland. He returned to England to live, just before the death of Cromwell. In 1661 he was ordained Deacon by the Bishop of London and subsequently given the living of the Rectory of Fobbing in Essex. (See Pelliana, Vol. I, No. 2, issue 1935, pps. 11-45 for his biography.) Dr. John Pell for a while appeared to prosper. However, in the political turmoil that followed his lucky star descended rapidly, so much so that when he died, in 1685, he was in actual want.

     Sir John, the son of Rev. John Pell, D.D., sole heir

*30

30     History of the Ancient Town of Pelham.

to his uncle, Thomas of Fairfield, Connecticut and Pelham, New York, was born in England, February 3, 1643. In the English records he is designated as "Sewer in ordinary to his Majesty Charles II, King of England." This meant an officer of the royal household, master of ceremonies or superintendent of formal banquets and state dinners. The word "sewer," derived from the French, meant a table attendant who placed and removed dishes from the table. "In ordinary" meant in actual constant service or statedly attending and serving.

     What a contrast frontier life in the Colonies must have been to Thomas Pell and his nephew John, compared to their life of luxury in the service of the royal households of the English sovereign!

John Richbell, on June 8, 1661, made a treaty with the Indians, by which he became the principal proprietor of Mamaroneck. John Richbell and Thomas Pell were in dispute over the ownership of ". . . a certain parcel of meadow ground set upon one of the three necks at Mamaroneck." On September 13, 1669 a special warrant was served on Thomas Pell, citing him to appear in the next court of assizes. However, Thomas Pell died at that time, and Sir John came to an agreement with Richbell over the property on January 18, 1671. Subsequently the two men were associates in several undertakings.

     Sir John Pell had arrived in the Colonies in the fall of 1670, for he carried among his credentials and letters of introduction, one dated June 23, 1670, from his friend, Lord William Brereton of London, addressed to Governor John Winthrop of Hartford. Lord Brere-

*31

Sir John Pell--2nd Lord of the Manor.     31

ton had been a pupil of Dr. John Pell, D.D., the father of Sir John Pell.

     Arriving in Hartford, John Pell met the Governor of Connecticut, John Winthrop (Jr.), on December 9, 1670, and presented his letters and papers. The Certificate of Recognition dated December 15, 1670, reads in part as follows: ". . . that the Governor hath received from persons of honor in England (letters and testimonies) that the bearer of them, Sir John Pell, sewer in ordinary to his Majesty, and son of Dr. Pell of London, is undoubtedly the nephew of Mr. Thomas Pell of Fairfield. . ." and consequently was entitled to his inheritance of the Pelhams and also the properties in Connecticut.

     Soon thereafter, John Pell was settled in Pelham, for in 1671, he and John Richbell were appointed to lay out the new Road to New England, through East Chester.

     Philip Pinckney, one of the original Ten Proprietors of East Chester, on October 30, 1677, was appointed by his fellow townsmen ". . . to go to our Governor to meet Mr. Justice Pell, Esq. (John, 2nd Lord), where it is intended that our Governor is to decide any differences that may arise betwixt us concerning the bounds of our patent."--(Bolton, Vol. I, p. 208.)

     Sir John Pell--2nd Lord--married Rachel, daughter of Philip Pinckney. Record of this marriage has not been found in the archives. It must have taken place in 1674-75 , since Thomas--the 3rd Lord--was born of this marriage in 1675, according to Pelliana. Soon after his marriage Sir John Pell erected his Mansion House on the shores of the Sound, near where now stands the Bartow Mansion in Pelham Bay Park.

*32

32.      History of the Ancient Town of Pelham.

     Governor Thomas Dongan, on October 20, 1687, issued to Sir John Pell a royal patent quoted in part as follows: ". . . the tract of land, islands and premises aforesaid are by these present, erected and constituted to be one lordship and manner, and the same shall from henceforth be called the lordship and manner of Pelham. . ." This patent, quoted in full in Bolton, Vol. II, page 57, is well worth reading.

     Colonized by Thomas Pell soon after he purchased the tract in 1654 from the Indians, it was one of the first of the English settlements in Westchester. It also bears the distinction of being the second early royal patent in Westchester, the first being Fordham, November 1671. The third was Philipsborough, June 1693; the fourth, Morrisania, May 1697; the fifth, Cortlandt, June 1697; and the sixth and last, Scarsdale, March 1701. Incidentally, these Manors were all made Townships when Westchester County was divided into townships in 1788.

     Sir John Pell was drowned off City Island. The exact date is not known. A stone erected to his memory in the Pell private burying ground at Bartow Mansion dates his death as 1700. There are references to him in Westchester archives, however, indicating that he was alive as late as 1719, for up to that date he was executing deeds to properties. Here are extracts from two letters which shed some light upon Sir John Pell, the 2nd Lord. In the days of Oliver Cromwell, French was the official language of the Court, and diplomatic communications were usually in Latin. England being a maritime nation, its life blood was foreign commerce, so it was essential that businessmen and those in government service have com-

*33

Sir John Pell--2nd Lord of the .Manor.     33

mand of many languages. It is recorded that Dr. Pell was not only an eminent mathematician, but a great linguist, reading and writing ten tongues. While serving Cromwell as his Minister to the Swiss, Dr. Pell's family resided in England. His daughter was to marry, and under the date of April 14, 1656, he wrote his wife, asking that she instruct young John--then 13 years of age--to write him a long letter: ". . . in English describing the marriage, time, place, Company &c. &c. . . . I would see what he can doe by his own wit, in his Mother tongue. . ." From which it would appear that the young Gentleman wrote in several languages.

     And here is the second quotation. While teaching on the Continent, one of Dr. Pell's pupils was the famous Lord Brereton. When Sir John Pell, Jr. sailed, in 1670, for the Connecticut Colony to claim his inheritance from his uncle Thomas, among his letters of identification was one from Lord Brereton to Governor John Winthrop, Jr., from which the following is quoted: " . . . I hope he will prove Sober & an Industrious man, for which the great Obligation I have to his Father (Dr. Pell) doe make me the more concerned. . ." From which it might be inferred that the young man's conduct at the Court of Charles II did not give promise of his future good behavior. So far as the record goes, it would seem that Sir John led an exemplary life to the end of his days in the land of his adoption.

*     *     *

New York State Library, Albany, N. Y.
In "Land Papers," Volume II, Page 274.

To the Honble John Nanfan Esqr Lieut Govr (of the) . . . Province of New York & the Honble Councell (of the) . . . Same--

*34

34     History of the Ancient Town of Pelham.

The Humble Peticon of Cragamavot Pethin Henhoots Indians in the behalfe of themselves & other Indians of their nation-- Humbly Sheweth/

     That some of their nation having Sold Several Pecells of Land to John Pell Esqe & Mr Risbell deceased for wch they neve received the Satisfaction Promised them altho for these many Years they have looked for ye Same but the Said Persons have & do refuse to Satisfie yor honos Petitionrs & have more land . . . than ever was sold unto them

     (Yoe Honos) . . . Petitionrs therefore humbly . . . Yoe Honos for redress & relief in the pemisses & most humbly Pray that ye Said John Pell & the heires of said Risbell may be ordered to Satisfy Yoe Petitionrs & that they may have no more land than was actually sold unto them
 

And Yoe Petition s as in Duty
bound shall Prayte

The mark of Cragamavot

Aug. 1699 (?)   In behalf of his nation

(Endorsed on the back):

The Indians Petition
Read in Councill
2" Aug . . . .

There is no further record of this petition. The children of Sir John Pell and Rachel Pinckney, were as follows--all born at the Manor House in the Manor of Pelham:

Thomas*--(1675-1752) 3rd Lord.
John --died young.
Philip Tamar--married James Eustace.

------------

     *Married Aeltje Beeks--according to the Dutch--or Anna, the daughter of the reigning Indian Chieftain of Westchester--according to Pell family tradition . . . a descendant of the Hutchinson child, who escaped the massacre, and Wampage, alias Anhooke.

*35

Sir John Pell--2nd Lord of the Manor.     35

Mary--married Samuel Rodman of Rodman Neck, owner of Bowne place, where had stood the mansion of Thomas Pell--1st Proprietor of the Manor.

     The children of Thomas Pell, 3rd Lord and Ann, his Indian Princess, were:

               Ann           Joseph
               John          Mary
               Joshua       Sarah
               Philip         Bathsheba*
               Caleb        Thomas

----------------

     *"Bathsheba Pall married Theophilus Bartow, the parents of John Bartow of Barrow Mansion. The will of Thomas Pell (1675-1752) was dated September 3, 1739, and proven August 18, 1752. In his will he mentions his wife Ann and his children, as named in the foregoing.

     The line of descent of .the title of Lord of the Manor of Pelham is as follows:

Generation     Name                          Dates               Title
I     (a)           Mr. Thomas Pell Esq.  (1608-1669)    1st Proprietor
                         to his nephew
II    (b)          Sir John Pell                 (1643-17??)     2nd Lord
                         to his eldest son
III   (c)          Thomas Pell II              (1675-1752)    3rd Lord
                         his eldest son
IV   (d)          Joseph Pell I                (1715-17??)     Died before father
                         his eldest son
V    (e)          Joseph Pell II               (1740-1776)     4th and Last Lord

     (a) Thomas Pell, the 1st Proprietor, had no children, so he named as his sole heir, Sir John Pell, the son of his brother.

     (b) Sir John Pell was the 1st Lord--according to the royal patents--but because he was the 2nd owner of the Manor, he is generally designated as the 2nd Lord. His will dated Dec. 11, 1685; but the date it was probated is not in the records.

     (c) Bolton's History, Vol. II, p. 60 states, Sir John married

*36

36     History of the Ancient Town of Pelham.

Rachel Pinclmey in 1684-85, and that Thomas, the eldest son, was born 1686. For the pedigree of the Pinckney family, see Bohon Vol. I, p. 248. The record of the marriage has not been uncovered in the archives, but evidence indicates the marriage was 1674-75, and that Thomas, the first child, was born 1675. Thomas died 1752, although Pelliana, Vol. I, No. 1, says he died in 1754. Will of Thomas, dated Sept. 3, 1739, shown in Bolton, pp. 63-64, was filed Aug. 18, 1752, Surrogate Office, New York Record of Wills, Vol. X, ong. pp. 155-156, dated 1751-54.

     (d) Will of Joseph I, son of Thomas, dated Aug. 1, 1752, proven Sept. 25, 1752. See Bolton, pp. 64-65. Joseph I, evidently died before his father, Thomas, and so did not inherit title of Lord. Title of Lord of the Manor was passed on to his son, Joseph II, who became the 4th Lord of the Manor, and the last.

     (e) English rule of primogeniture, by which the eldest son inherited the family estate, abolished by Thomas, 3rd Lord, who divided this estate among all his children. As a result that part of the estate on which had stood the Manor House of Sir John, passed to Thomas, brother of Joseph II, the 4th Lord.

     (f) The Pell wills filed in Westchester County, as shown in the records of the New York Historical Society, follows:

                              Dated                     Probated
John                       Feb. 19, 1779        Mch. 1, 1779
John, 2nd Lord         Dec. 11, 1685        ........................
Joseph                    Aug. 31, 1732        Sep. 28, 1752
Joshua                    Mch. 1, 1758         Aug. 14, 1781
Thomas                   Sep. 11, 1753        Feb. 12, 1754
Thomas, 1st Lord     Sep. 21, 1669        ........................
Thomas, Jr.             Jan. 2, 1752           Mch. 12, 1755
Thomas, Sr.             Sep. 3, 1739         Aug. 18, 1752

*     *     *

The descendants of Sir John, 2nd Lord of the Manor, intermarried with families of the early settlers of Pelham, West Chester, East Chester and New Rochelle, but the Pells ceased to be the ruling family in the Manor of Pelham after the fourth or fifth generation. "The real breaking up of the Manor was

*PLATE XIV

[Plate XIV consists of a genealogical chart showing the family tree of the Pells of Walter Wellingsly, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, England, and Pelham, Westchester County, New York. It is not feasible to reproduce that chart here, but its contents are indexed immediately below for purposes of searching:]

ZZZ____________

*37

Sir ]ohn Pell--2nd Lord of the Manor.     37

done by the second Thomas (3rd Lord), who, instead of leaving the Manor intact to his eldest son, and giving the other sons a few hundred dollars, divided it among them all, with the result that none of them had enough to be of any importance. . ." According to S. H. P. Pell.

COLONEL PHILIP PELL III
(1753-1811)

     One of the most distinguished members of the Pell family was Colonel Philip Pell III, the son of Philip II (1732-1788) and his wife, Gloria Treadwell; son of Philip I, who died 1751, and his wife Hannah Mott; the son of Thomas, 3rd Lord of the Manor of Pelham.

     Colonel Philip III, was born July 7, 1753. He was graduated at the age of 17 years from Kings College, now Columbia, Class of 1770. He entered the Continental Army in 1776, in the 3rd Dutchess Militia. For a while he served as a member of the Forage Commission, charged with buying supplies for the Army in Westchester County. He served as Judge Advocate of the Continental Army, 1781-82-83, and as such attracted the attention of George Washington.

     He was a member of the Commission for the Exchange of Prisoners at the end of the Revolution. When the British forces moved out of New York City, on Evacuation Day, Nov. 25, 1783, Col. Pell was invited to ride with other Continental officers as an escort of honor to George Washington upon his Triumphal Entry into the city. He was proposed by Washington as a Member of the Society of Cincinnati on July 6, 1784. After the Revolution he was a member of the Assembly, 1779-81, and practiced law in New York City and Westchester County, being a leading member of the bar. He was Surrogate of Westchester County and Regent of the University of the State of New York 1801-11. Col. Pell resided in the Town of Pelham after the Revolution, his home being located where is now Cliff and Colonial Avenues, in the Heights. He married twice: 1st, Mary Ward, and 2nd, Ann Lewis. Among his children was Philip IV. Colonel Philip Pell III died May 21, 1811, and was buried in the churchyard of old St. Paul's in East Chester.

*38

CHAPTER V.

Sir John Pell's Manor House.

     BARTOW MANSION in Pelham Bay Park, stands not far from the site selected for his Mansion by Sir John Pell, the 2nd Lord of the Manor of Pelham. It is on a sheltered cove, and there may still be seen, at low tide, the remains of the foundation stones of the private wharf and boat anchorage for the great estate at the foot of the old road which is bordered with horse chestnut trees, imported from England. Access to the water was essential in those days, since the principal mode of travel was by boat, there being no roads through the virgin forests--only Indian trails. When he selected this site, Sir John must also have been influenced by the magnificent view of the Sound--an unbroken sweep of water between Hunter's Island on the north, and Ann Hook's Neck on the south. Nearby his Mansion Sir John built a small family burying ground, where still rest many of the Pells.

     The present Bartow Mansion stands between the Shore Road and the Sound, south of the Pelham Manor line, north of the entrance to the Hutchinson River Parkway and opposite the public golf course. The estate is now part of Pelham Bay Park of the City of New York.

     The International Garden Club leased the property

*39

Sir John Pell's Manor House.     39

from the City in 1914, as its permanent headquarters, restored the Mansion, and rebuilt the formal Gardens, expending something over $100,000 in the restoration. Delano & Aldrich, New York City, were the architects.

     Sir John Pell, the 2nd Lord of the Manor, around 1675 married Rachel, the daughter of Philip Pinckney, one of the original Ten Proprietors, who had purchased East Chester from Thomas Pell, the 1st Proprietor of Pelham. The exact date Sir John built his Manor House has not been found, but it was soon after his marriage. Here, the Lord of the Manor held his Courts, governed his great estates, and his tenants came to pay their tribute. And here Sir John entertained with pomp and circumstances those of rank and social status who passed through his domain.

     When Sir John Pell died, his title of Lord of the Manor passed to his son, Thomas, 3rd Lord, who had married the Indian Princess. Their eldest son, Joseph I, had two sons--Joseph II and Thomas. Joseph I died before his father, Thomas--so the title of 4th Lord passed to Joseph II. However, that part of the estate on which stood the original Manor House was inherited by the second son of Joseph I, who was Thomas, and he married Mary Bartow.

     Tradition in the Pell family relates that during the Revolution--members of the family being Loyalists--they fled to New York City for British protection; and, that the Manor House, being empty, was burned.

     John Bartow bought from Thomas Pell and his wife, Mary Bartow, the site of Sir John's Manor House, several parcels containing 220 acres. No house is mentioned in these dceds. There were two deeds: the first dated March 20, 1790, recorded February 15,

*40

40     History of the Ancient Town of Pelham.

1815; and the second dated November 17, 1792 , recorded August 19, 1799.

     John Bartow was the son of Theophilus Bartow and Bathsheba Pell, daughter of Thomas, the 3rd Lord. Theophilus was a son of Rev. John Bartow, Rector of St. Peter's Church in West Chester. John Bartow was married twice: 1st m. Mary Ryder, and 2nd m. Ann Pell, the daughter of Joseph Pell, the 4th Lord. By the first wife, John Bartow had a son Augustus, who married Clarina Bartow, a cousin, and their son was Robert Bartow, who married Maria Lorillard.

     John Bartow was a man of wealth and influence. In the town of West Chester he was elected a Trustee and one of the Assessors in 1788. He was Clerk of West Chester County 1760-1764, and Surrogate 1754- 61. He was a Vestryman of St. Peter's. He was one of the promoters, in 1812, of the Pelham Bridge, across the mouth of the Hutchinson River.

     According to Bartow family tradition, John kept open house for his relations and entertained lavishly his many distinguished guests, among them Colonel Aaron Burr, who had married into the family of Bartow. John Bartow, towards the end of his life, moved to Spring Street, New York, where he died in 1816.

     John Bartow and his wife, Ann Pell, on May 20, 1813, sold their Pelham estate of 200 acres for $20,500 to Hannah Le Roy, wife of Herman Le Roy, a wealthy merchant of New York City. The Le Roy family had a city residence at 7 Broadway, and this was evidently a summer home on the Sound for the large LeRoy family of twelve children.

     Herman LeRoy's sister married William Bayard,

*41

Sir John Pell's Manor House.     41

Jr., and in 1788 the two brothers-in-law established LeRoy, Bayard & McEvers, which firm became one of the principal export and import firms in New York City, having its own fleet of vessels, trading in merchandise all over the world. Herman was Consul General in New York City, for Holland. He represented the Holland Land Co., which had vast acreage in western New York State. LeRoy and Bayard owned 300,000 acres in western New York State, and LeRoy founded the Town of LeRoy, in Genessee County. He was a Director at Philadelphia of the Bank of the United States in 1793; President of the Bank of New York in 1802; Warden of Grace Church in 1809.

     Hannah LeRoy died on December 25, 1818, and her heirs on December 11, 1820, conveyed the property to her husband, Herman LeRoy, Sr., and he conveyed the property to his son, Herman, Jr., on February 17, 1829.

     Herman LeRoy, Jr. sold the property for $40,000 on August 25, 1836, to Robert Bartow, grandson of John Bartow and Ann Pell.

     Robert Bartow was himself a man of means and took an active interest in the affairs of the community of his ancestors. He was a Warden of old St. Paul's in East Chester (1850-1853). Robert Bartow died in Pelham June 24, 1868, and his estate passed to his widow and then to his sons.

     In 1888 the City of New York bought the Bartow estate for future park development. The consideration was $190,625 of which amount $33,000 was for the Mansion, $63,000 for the immediate surrounding tract of land, and the balance $94,625 for some 14 other parcels of land (see Note b).

*42

42     History of the Ancient Town of Pelham.

     So the Manor House of Sir John Pell, the 2nd Lord, was lived in from 1675 to 1790 by four generations of Pells--passing from father to son. Furthermore, with the exception of the period from 1813 to 1836, when owned by the LeRoy family, the site had remained in the hands of the family for 234 years.

     The Bartow estate was in the Town of Pelham, as the western boundary was the Hutchinson River when the Town was founded in 1788. In June 1895, the present boundary between Westchester and Bronx Counties was established, placing the Bartow Mansion and the site of the original Mansion House of Sir John Pell, within the Pelham Bay Park of the City of New York. So much for the title to the estate.

     The several authorities on the history of Westchester do not agree on the date the present Bartow Mansion was erected, and the mystery may never be solved beyond all question of doubt. Bolton's Guide to New Rochelle, published in 1842, says in part: ". . . the present proprietor (Robert Bartow) has lately erected a fine stone house in the Grecian style, which presents a neat front, with projecting wings. . ." This indicates that Robert Bartow did build a new house between 1836, when he acquired the property, and 1842, when the Guide to New Rochelle was published; also that it was in the Grecian style, then the height of fashion in architecture.

     Bolton's History of Westchester, originally published in 1848--six years after the Guide to New Rochelle--states: ". . . the old Manor House was pulled down many years since. It stood southwest of the present Mansion. . ." And further, Bolton's History, edit. 1881,

*43

Sir John Pell's Manor House.     43

Vol. I, p. 35, records: ". . . the dwelling house, which is constructed, of native stone, presents a fine Grecian front to the road, with Wings on the east and west. The old house, which was pulled down not many years ago, stood near the summer house in the garden, a little southwest of the present stone Mansion. . ." This is proof that the present Bartow Mansion was not built on the old foundations of the Manor House of Sir John Pell.

     "The present Bartow Mansion is an obvious entity: its plan, its exterior mass, the beauty of its proportions, alike outside and in, are the product of one controlling idea carried out with a great sense of dignity and refinement. All these characteristics, especially the treatment of the exterior stonework, the large scale and vertical emphasis of the windows, and the rich freely designed interior detail, would seem to point to a date somewhere in the late 1830s or the early 1840s.

     "The interior trim of the great parlor suite, like the unusual detail of the long cast-iron balcony across the bay front, bespeaks a true architect's hand. They are much more than the product of mere carpenters following handbooks. Especially remarkable are the overdoor patterns with eagles and with cherubs. "The Bartow Mansion has been attributed to Minard Lafever, both on the ground of the freedom and inventiveness of its design, and on the fact that Lafever executed the Holy Trinity Church of .Brooklyn, one of the leading members of which was Edgar John Bartow, a brother of Robert Bartow. Certain qualities in the treatment of the overdoor patterns of the Bartow

*44

44     History of the Ancient Town of Pelham.

Mansion do slightly resemble designs which Lafever published in The Young Builder's General Instructor, but there is little else in the building to warrant an absolute attribution, although Lafever seems more than possible. Other names that have been suggested are those of Martin E. Thompson and A. J. Davis. Whoever the architect was, the Bartow House in its completeness, !ts elegance, and its beauty, is the product of a designer of great skill." This quotation is from Talbot Hamlin, Avery Librarian, Columbia University, also author of the book Greek Revival Architecture in America. Pub. 1944.

     The Catalogue of Historic American Buildings, issued by the National Park Service, Washington, D.C., on p. 260, has: "Bartow House, Pelham Bay Park, Regular ashler, two stories, Mid 19th C., Mansion type. Greek Revival, cast iron balconies."

     Excavations have uncovered what is said to have been the original foundation of the Manor House of Sir John Pell, southwest of the present Mansion across the old road to the Sound. There are no other foundations on the estate for a large house, except the foundation of the existing Bartow Mansion.

     In view of the traditions, the history of these several families owning the estate, and the dates of transfer of the property, it would appear that:

     First--Sometime after 1675 , Sir John built his Manor House. According to tradition it was destroyed by fire during the Revolution.

     Second---In 1790 John Bartow acquired the estate and lived there until 1813. If the original house was then destroyed he would have rebuilt on the old foun-

*PLATE XV

[Photograph of memorial plaque affixed to stone standing on the grounds of the Pelham Memorial High School. The plaque reads:]

THE GROUNDS OF THE
PELHAM MEMORIAL HIGH SCHOOL
WERE PART OF THE FARM BELONGING TO
COLONEL PHILIP PELL
1753-1811
JUDGE ADVOCATE CONTINENTAL ARMY
MEMBER OF THE NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY
REGENT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK
SURROGATE OF WESTCHESTER COUNTY, N.Y.
DELEGATE TO THE CONTINENTAL CONGRESS
-------------
THE DATE STONE 1750 WAS TAKEN FROM HIS HOMESTEAD
THIS TABLET IS PRESENTED TO THE TOWN OF PELHAM
IN MEMORY OF MARY SARGENT GAUSE.
OCTOBER 15, 1938

PLATE XV

*PLATE XVI

[Two photographs of Pelhamdale; top photo is taken from the front toward the side of the home; second photo shows the front of the home]

[Caption near bottom of the page reads:]

Home Of Colonel Philip Pell II, Pelham Manor, New York.
Known As Pelham Dale. Erected 1750-1760.

Photographs by G. Hoyle Wright, Pelham Manor, N.Y.

PLATE XVI

*PLATE XVII

[Two photographs of the Bartow-Pell Mansion; top photo shows east elevation of the home, facing the Long Island Sound; bottom photo shows front elevation of the home, facing away from the Sound]

[Caption beneath top photograph:]

The Bartow Mansion In Pelham Bay Park--East Elevation And Garden.
Erected 1835 By Robert Bartow.

[Caption beneath bottom photograph:]

The Bartow Mansion--Front Elevation

PLATE XVII

*45

Sir John Pell's Manor House.     45

dation, which would have been the logical thing to have done in those days.

     Third--The LeRoy family acquired the estate in 1813 and lived there until 1836. They evidently resided in the house occupied by John Bartow, since there is no reference to the LeRoy family having built a house.

     Fourth--In 1836, Robert Bartow acquired the estate. His family sold it in the 1880s. The evidence indicates that he built a complete new house, in the style of the Greek Revival, between 1836, when he acquired the estate, and before 1842 , when the Guide to New Rochelle was published. That house exists at the present time.

     Fifth--Fortunately the Garden Club, in 1914, leased the property and restored it, otherwise this magnificent mansion would have been destroyed by the Park Department, as was the fate of the historic Hunter Mansion, the Bowne house and the other ancient Structures in that historic section of the Manor of Pelham.

     NOTE: (a) See Bolton's History of Westchester, Vol. II, p. 250 edit. 1881, for chart of Bartow Family; see Bartow's Family by Evelyn Bartow, pub. 1875; see Bolton, Vol. II, p. 40, for chart of Pell family; see LeRoy Family by Alexander Du Bin, pub. 1941; also see LeRoy Family by Edwin A. LeRoy, pub. 1933.

*     *     *

     NOTE: (b) City of New York, Board of Estimate, Bureau of Real Estate, under date of Sept. 1, 1944, supplied the following record of awards paid to Bartow

*PLATE XVIII

[Plate XVIII consists of a genealogical chart showing the family tree of the Bartow Family, Westchester County. It is not feasible to reproduce that chart here, but its contents are indexed immediately below for purposes of searching:]

ZZZ____________

[Caption near bottom of Plate XVIII reads as follows:]

Chart Showing Pedigree Of Bartow Family, From Bolton's History of Westchester, Vol. II, p. 350.

PLATE XVIII

*46

46     History of the Ancient Town of Pelham.

Estate for the Bartow property, now within the area of Pelham Bay Park:

Parcel               Award                Parcel               Award
*L-28 *Land      $63,017.24         J-29     Land   $21,516.11
        *Bldgs.      33,000.00                    Bldgs.       225.00
K-30    Land           750.00          I-31    Land          250.00
E-32        "           3,529.35         F-33        "        3,664.65
D-34        "           4,730.88         C-35        "        4,875.20
B-36        "           4,832.52         A-37        "        5,579.75
H-2-38      "         19,892.95         G-40        "      12,946.56
         }
      39                                        M-41       "           937.80
N-73/74, 95/98, 113/114, 119/120  }
     122, 124/127, 130/131, 133/199} included
     223/227, 229/247, 249/259,       } in
     264/289, 292/323, 331/335,       } Parcel
     338/349, 358/363, 365, 367/372}133 "           20,900.00
                                                                       ________
GRAND TOTAL . . . . . . . . . . . .                      $190,625.00
___________s *The present Bartow Mansion and the tract surrounding it. See maps A and B of Bartow Estate by New York City Park Department.

BARTOW VILLAGE

     Bartow situated in the Town of Pelham, Westchester County, New York, is the title of a map filed October 11, 1874 by Maria Lorillard Bartow, widow of Robert Bartow. The New York, New Haven & Hartford, Harlem Branch was opened in 1873, and a station was placed just east of the Hutchinson River, near the point where the Shore Road meets the present highway coming up from City Island. Near that point on the Shore Road still stands the old Town Hall of the Town of Pelham. A horse car line connected the Bartow Railroad Station and City Island, which gave the residents of that Island excellent transportation facilities to and from New York City.

*47

Sir John Pell's Manor House.     47

     In 1873 there was projected an ambitious real estate development of that part of the Bartow estate lying north and west of the Shore Road, extending beyond the railroad, on the west to Pelham Bay, and on the east as far as a small stream then known as Bartow's Creek.

     On July 30, 1874, a U.S. Post Office known as Bartow, was opened in the railroad station, to serve the proposed development, and also the large estates along the shore. The real estate development did not meet with success, so "the project remained on paper." Soon thereafter, New York City began to acquire, for future park development, properties along the shore of the Sound and adjacent Islands (in pursuance of Chapter 522, Laws of 1884, as amended by Chapter 421 of the Laws of 1888), and the Bartow development was included in the tracts of land absorbed by the City. In June 1895, by an Act of the Legislature, the present boundary line between Westchester and Bronx Counties was established, which took the Bartow project out of the Town of Pelham, Westchester County, and placed it in New York City. This area now is part of Pelham Bay Park.

*48

CHAPTER VI.

New Rochelle Settled by Huguenots.

     THE French Huguenots, who had fled their homelands because of religious persecution, came to New York not only from Europe, but from the West Indies. Jacob Leisler, a Dutchman, was then one of the leading citizens and merchants of New York City. He was commissioned to find a place for these refugees, nearby New York City.

     Jacob Leisler and a small group of Huguenots had made what appears to have been a preliminary purchase of the tract of land now known as Davenport's Neck, and the adjacent island, now Fort Slocum. The number of Huguenots continuing to arrive in New York so increased that there resulted a contract on July 2, 1687, between Jacob Leisler and Sir John Pell, for a large tract of land on the mainland. In the fall of 1688 the settlement was well established.

     On September 20, 1689, Sir John Pell and his wife, Rachel, conveyed to Jacob Leisler for 1,675 pounds, 6,100 acres of land, or about a dollar and forty cents an acre. From this it will be seen that the arrangements for the settlement of New Rochelle by the Huguenots was made in New York, not in Europe, as is so often stated in the histories of New Rochelle. In addition to the purchase price, ". . . said Jacob Leisler, and his heirs and assigns, agree to yield and to

*49

New Rochelle Settled by Huguenots.     49

pay unto said John Pell and his heirs and assigns, Lords of the said Manor of Pelham, as an acknowledgement to Lords of said Manor, one Fatt Calfe on every four and twentieth day of June yearly and each year for ever . . . if demanded. . ." Incidentally, that token payment continued to be paid for many years!

     The actual date of the settlement of New Rochelle has not been established beyond doubt; however, there is evidence it was before 1687. The Huguenot settlers, consisting of merchants, artisans and craftsmen, as well as farmers, landed at Bonnefoy Point in Hudson Park. There, on a boulder is a Bronze Tablet commemorating the landing. They named their little settlement New Rochelle, after La Rochelle, France, whence a substantial number of them had come.

     Incidentally, this same Jacob Leisler was tried for high treason and was hanged May 1691, in New York City. ". . . but everything proves that Leisler was condemned unlawfully and executed unjustly. . ." Leisler had deeded the greater part of his purchase to the Huguenot settlers, but died owning a large share of the New Rochelle land, also the original mill. These holdings went to his son. A map by Capt. Bond dated 1710 shows two early Indian trails: one is now Huguenot Street and the other comes up along the Shore from Pelham. The original settlement was laid out along Huguenot Street with narrow home lots at right angle running down to the Sound. The first census record, taken in 1698 , shows that the population had grown to 232 men, women and children. There were 44 slaves.

*50

50     History of the Ancient Town of Pelham.

     TRINITY CHURCH, NEW ROCHELLE.--In the deed from the Pells to Leisler for the tract of land there was included "also one hundred acres of land more, which said John Pell and Rachel, his wife, do freely give and grant for the French church erected, or to be erected. . ." The congregation of Trinity Church, as the successor of the original congregation, dates back to before 1688, for in the spring of that year, arrangements were made for the second minister. The present church building on Huguenot Street does not stand on the 100-acre tract given by the Pells. In the old burying grounds, Union and Division Streets, nearby the church, have been found some very early tombstones and grave markers--a number of them inscribed in French.

     Sir John Pell, 2nd Lord, as impropriator, laid the cornerstone of what appears to have been the second church. Under the foundation stone there was found a paper containing the signature of both Sir John Pell and his wife, Rachel Pinckney, and the date--March 19, 1697--the date of the erection of that church building. By the Act of the Assembly of the Colony of New York, passed on March 24, 1693, the Manor of Pelham was made one of the four precincts of West Chester Parish, under the Anglican Church, and ". . . the first Vestry-Man elected under the Act, in 1702 , was the said impropriator, John Pell, Sen., Esq." This was of Westchester Parish and not of the New Rochelle Church separately. The latter had no vestry and was a Colonist Church until the confirmation in 1709.

     Up until the turn of this century New Rochelle remained an interesting quaint village, with a distinct

*51

New Rochelle Settled by Huguenots.     51

foreign flavor. The march of progress has destroyed nearly all the old homes except a few small places here and there. New Rochelle was incorporated in1857 as a Village, and as a City in 1899.

     THE TWO BOSTON POST ROADS.--In 1671 Sir John Pell, 2nd Lord of the Manor of Pelham, and John Richbell of Mamaroneck, were appointed to lay out: ". . . the New Road to New England, through East Chester." A map of New Rochelle, dated 1710 , shows what had been an Indian Trail called the Westchester Path, along the Shore from Mamaroneck. One part swung west through what is now Huguenot Street and on towards Pelham; the other continued along the Sound to the mouth of the Hutchinson River. The Shore Road was made into a real road by the Westchester and Pelham Turnpike Co., incorporated April 5, 1817. Westchester Path became Huguenot Street in New Rochelle. After it reached the Manor of Pelham, it followed the general line of what is now Colonial Avenue. It became known as the old Post Road in the Pelhams, and Kings Highway in New Rochelle. It was renamed Colonial Avenue in the Pelhams, after 1896, when the Village of Pelham was incorporated.

     A map of New Rochelle and Pelham, dated 1798 , shows no sign of an old trail or road, where is now Main Street, New Rochelle; nor any road through the center of the Village of Pelham Manor, where is now the present Boston Post Road. In 1790 Lewis Morris and others obtained from the New York State Legislature a franchise to build a bridge across the Harlem River into New York City, with a view to shortening distance on the existing Post Road from New York to

*52

52     History of the Ancient Town of Pelham.

Boston. He transferred his right to John B. Coles and associates and in 1798 the bridge was opened.

     On April 7, 1800, a charter was granted to the President, Directors and Company of the Westchester Turnpike Road. Among them were John Peter deLancey, Peter Jay Munro, Cornelius C. Roosevelt, Philip Pell, Gabriel Furman. Work was begun in the summer of 1800 on the Road through Pelham and Main Street in New Rochelle. Toll gates were located at intervals. They collected 4 cents for a horse and rider; for a one-horse passenger vehicle, 10 cents; for a stage-coach, 20 cents. Other tolls depended upon distance, passengers and load. Tolls were not exacted on Sundays from those attending church. In 1867, by authority of the State, the County took over the toll road and threw it open to the public. The turnpike company was dissolved April 22, 1867.

     The original Post Road from New York to Boston, was opened on January 22, 1673 , for Post Riders on horseback, carrying the mails. It was not until 1772 that the first stage-coach for passengers ventured to make the trip from New York to Boston, and even then, there were no real highways, but many ruts and mudholes, impassable most of the year. So the journey required ten days of rough going.

     There is quoted in part an advertisement from the New York Journal of July 9, 1772: "The Stage Coach between New York & Boston, which for the first Time sets out this day from Mr. Fowlers Tavern at Fresh Water, will continue to go the Course between Boston & New York. So as to be at each of those places once a fortnight, coming in on Saturday Evening and setting out to return by way of Hartford on Monday

*PLATE XIX

[Map of New Rochelle showing New Rochelle and Pelham border, from Bromley's Atlas 1881]

[Caption at bottom of page:]

Village Of New Rochelle From Bromley's Atlas 1881

PLATE XIX

*53

New Rochelle Settled by Huguenots.     53

Morning. The price to passengers will be 4d. New York or 3d. lawful money per mile and Baggage at a Reasonable rate. Gentlemen and Ladies who choose to encourage a useful new and expensive Undertaking may depend upon good Usage and the best Coach. Will always put up for the Night at Houses on the Road where best food & Entertainment is provided for man and beast. . ." There are accounts of how some southbound travellers, because of sheer exhaustion, would quit the stage-coach at New Rochelle. They would continue their trip by sailboat--or steamer after 1829--down the Sound, through Hell Gate, to New York City.

     A complete History of the Marquis de Lafayette, Major General in the Army of the United States of America in the War of the Revolution, printed 1845 at Hartford, by S. Andrus & Sons, pages 344-345, has the following reference to Lafayette's visit to New Rochelle in 1824:

     "The General was met at Harlem, on Friday morning, by a deputation from the town of New-Rochelle, who presented him with the following address:

     "'The inhabitants of the town of New-Rochelle, have deputed Gideon Coggeshall and Laird M. H. Butler, to wait on Major General Lafayette, to express to him their happiness, on his safe arrival, in the bosom of that country, for whose liberty he so nobly fought and bled, and to request him to allow them the pleasure of expressing personally to him their feelings of gratitude for his important services, in that arduous struggle, from which emanated that glorious independence, now their proudest boast.'

     "He stopped at New-Rochelle, and took refreshment. The utmost joy, and the most affectionate welcome was expressed in all the towns and villages through which he passed to the line between New-York and Connecticut."

*54

54     History of the Ancient Town of Pelham.

     For those who would delve deeper, there is the Historical Landmarks of New Rochelle by Morgan H. Seacord, Vice President-Historian, Huguenot and Historical Society, and William F. Hadaway, former President, Westchester County Historical Society.

[Near bottom of page is a facsimile of the handwritten paper found beneath the foundation stone of Trinity Church, New Rochelle]

[Top contains a rectangle with "1697" contained within]

[Beneath that are two hand-drawn coats-of-arms: on the left, the Pell coat-of-arms; on the right, the Pinckney coat-of-arms]

[Handwritten Signatures appear below the coats-of-arms]

"John Pell of Pelham"

"Rachael Pinckney Pell"

"March 19, 1697 - - - - "

"This Church Erected"

[Beneath the handwriting is a caption that reads:]

Pell And Pinckney Coat-Of-Arms, Found Under The Foundation-Stone

Of Trinity Church, New Rochelle

From the History of Westchester County, by Bolton, Volume I, p. 603.

*55

CHAPTER VII.

WESTCHESTER IN THE REVOLUTION

Battle of Pell's Point.

       QUEEN ELIZABETH was on the throne from 1558 to 1603. Under her reign the movement to colonize this country began. Elizabeth was followed by:

James I             1603-1625       Wm. & Mary*        1689-1702
Charles I            1625-1649       Anne                    1702-1714
Cromwells*        1653-1659       George I                1714-1727 
Charles II           1660-1685       George II               1727-1760     
James II             1685-1688      George III*             1760-1820

       And so the Colonists were subject to a long line of English sovereigns, including George III, who is charged by historians with having precipitated the American Revolution (1775-1783).

       While Westchester County was considered neutral ground during the Revolution, yet there were numerous Pelham patriots who cast in their lot with George Washington. Many of them became famous--among others, Philip Pell III, who rode beside Gen. George Washington in his triumphal entry into New York City, November 25, 1783, Evacuation Day.

       Upon his several trips from Philadelphia to Boston,

-------------
*Interregnum after Richard Cromwell. Mary died in 1694. George IV was regent from 1811.

*56

56       History of the Ancient Town of Pelham.

George Washington passed through the Pelhams on the Old Post Road, now Colonial Avenue. Herbert B. Nichols, in his Historic New Rochelle, says in part:

       "On Tuesday, 27 June 1775, General Washington reached New Rochelle, escorted by Generals Charles Lee and Philip Schuyler. General Schuyler had received a part of his early education here (New Rochelle). . . The Commander-in-Chief was met here by General Wooster's and Colonel Waterbury's regiments. It appears that these gentlemen conferred briefly here in town, perhaps at a tavern near the church, or at Bestley's tavern, before continuing the trip eastward."

       There is the tradition that George Washington, upon several occasions, spent the night in a home of the Pells, which stood near the corner of Colonial and Cliff Avenues, Pelham; and Lafayette on one of his trips visited this Pell home.

       Washington was forced to retreat from New York City towards White Plains in October 1776. The British, hoping to cut off his escape, sent their warships, under General Howe, up the Sound, and landed their army of seasoned soldiers with heavy field pieces--and the Battle of Pell's Point ensued. A bronze tablet on a glacial boulder, near the present Orchard Bathing Beach, had an inscription which read:

       "Glovers Rock. In memory of the 550 Patriots who, led by Gen. John Glover, held Gen. Howe's Army in check at the Battle of Pell's Point 18 October 1776, thus aiding Washington in his retreat to White Plains. Fame is the perfume of heroic deeds. Erected .by Bronx Chapter of Mount Vernon, D.A.R."

       The story of the Battle of Pell's Point is told in a book by that name, published in 1901 by William Abbatt. This book states the British landed on Pell's Point near the glacial boulder, on which was placed

*57

Battle of Pell's Point.       57

the bronze placque by the Bronx Chapter of Mt. Vernon D.A.R. In the book Westchester County During the American Revolution 1775-1783, by Otto Hufeland, privately printed in 1926, the original landing by the British is fixed as Throg's Neck. The British then marched to a point where is now the Shore Road Bridge across the Hutchinson River. The passage across the River was made in small boats.

       The British Army marched up Old Split Rock Road in solid ranks. Behind the stone walls, the volunteers with their long rifles would mow down the Red Coats, then retreat to the next wall. That went on all day long. The British believed those local sharpshooters were the advance guard of Washington's Army. They were not an army like the British, just fishermen, farmers-woodsmen. The British were so cautious that it took them a day to advance from the Sound to a point beyond Wolf Lane and Colonial Avenue, where is now the Pelham Memorial High School.

       That night the British encamped on Wolf Lane and the High School Grounds. Nearby, on the Parkway, stands the Boy Scout Cabin, behind which is the stump of what was once a gigantic chestnut tree. That spot, according to local tradition, is where General Howe and other British officers pitched their camp for the night. George Washington's Army in the night slipped past the British, reaching White Plains safely. The British then moved up into New Rochelle and encamped there, making their plans for their next move against Washington at White Plains. The importance to Washington of the brave stand and the gallant fight by this small band of untrained

*58

58       History of the Ancient Town of Pelham.

recruits, in the Battle of Pelham, has been lost in the histories of the American Revolution. It is worthy of note, however, that George Washington, when he reached White Plains, took the pains to express his appreciation in writing: "Headquarters, 21 October 1776, General Order: the Hurried situation of the Gen'l. the last two days have prevented him from paying that attention to Col. Glover and the Officers and soldiers who were with him in the skirmish Friday last, their Merit & Good Behaviour deserved, he flatters himself that his thanks, tho delayed will nevertheless be acceptable to them as they are offered with great sincerety and cordially. . . at the same time, he hopes that Every other part of the Army will do their Duty with equal Bravery & Zeal whenever called upon, and neither Danger nor Difficulties nor Hardships will discourage Soldiers engaged in the Cause of Liberty and while we are contending for all that Freemen hold dear & Valuable."

*       *       *

       The history of the European nations during the Middle Ages, which is also the ancestral background of the American Colonists, is among other things a history of violence and greed and cruelty. Torture as a means of extracting evidence, and utterly 'barbaric punishments--legalized cruelty--steadily increased during the centuries following upon the period usually called the Dark Middle Ages, and culminated in the revolt against the penal codes and frightful treatment of prisoners during the eighteenth century. Without at least a working knowledge of the public attitude towards these customs, it is difficult to understand some

*59

Battle of Pell's Point.       59

of the events in the American Colonies during the Revolution.

       During the entire period of the Revolution the City of New York was occupied by the British Army. Its fleet patrolled the Sound. Washington's forces were encamped in the hills in the north of Westchester. Westchester received protection from neither side, and was constantly raided by both Armies. The advertising on the jacket of The Neutral Ground, by Frank I. Hough, published by J. B. Lippincott Co., 1941, reads: "Westchester County, before it became the embattled 'neutral ground' was feudal, serene and rich. When the tempest of 1776 broke, landowners and peasants, idealists and profiteers, mistress and maid, were swept away on the dark waves of war and bitterness. The seven years of privation and struggle between 1776 and 1783 took their toll. . ."

       The author puts these words into the mouth of Aaron Burr, when he turns over his command in Westchester to his successor: " . . . The region separating the two Armies is neutral in the sense that it is occupied by neither side, each wishing to keep a sufficient distance from each other, to avoid surprise attack. The people who live there are neutral perforce because, being at the mercy of both parties, they can't afford to be known as adherents of either. Every attack, every raid, moving in either direction, crosses the region, and in between times, forage parties from both Armies have combed it repeatedly. Bands of ruffians prowl there with impunity, burning, raping, murdering, stripping the luckless inhabitants of what poor possessions they have somehow managed to retain for no civil government exists, nor any means of enforcing law. . ."

*60

60       History of the Ancient Town of Pelham.

       Col. Aaron Burr was a strict military disciplinarian and an able and efficient officer in the Revolutionary Army. He distinguished himself for his diplomacy, but never gained the full confidence of George Washington. He served from January 1775 to March 15, 1779, when he resigned because he felt he could make no headway against Washington's apathy--and against the charges of his enemies. He was only 22 years old when he resigned and began the study of law.

       There is a letter written by Col. Burr, soon after he took charge at White Plains, of the outposts in Westchester, from Tarrytown eastward across the Country. It reads in part as follows: "Not withstanding the caution I gave (against plundering) . . . I blush to tell you that the Party returned loaded with plunder. . . The Party had not returned an hour before I had six or seven persons from New Rochelle to Throg's Neck with piteous appeals for stolen goods and horses. Some of these persons are of the most friendly families. . ." So plundering in Westchester was not confined exclusively to the British foraging forces--according to this first-hand testimony by Aaron Burr.

       In Westchester County archives, the term "Skinners" was applied to the members of the Revolutionary sympathizers who turned marauders in Westchester and literally skinned the territory of food, livestock and movable property. The term "Cow Boys" was applied to the Loyalist banditti. William S. Hadaway, former president of the Westchester Historical Society in the publications of that society, Vol. 5, No. 1, Jan. 1929, has a very interesting article upon those raids. He has searched back into the origin of "Cow" in archaic English and concluded that "Cow Boy" was then equi-

*61

Battle of Pell's Point.       61

valent to the modern gun man. He quotes from the Sloan Manuscripts in the British Museum, Vol. 4280, p. 151, an extract from a letter to Dr. John Pell, D.D. of England--father of Sir John, 2nd Lord--written Sept. 14, 1681 by his Curate, Stephen Nye. This letter concerns the children of Dr. Pell's daughter, Mary, sister of Sir John, who had married a Capt. Raven in 1656. We quote in part as follows:

       "Your designe of sending them to N. England (Manor of Palham) can advance them no better preferment than being Cow Boys & the money that will send them thither will bind them to good handy craft trades. So I consider this is a thing proper for you to consider & dispatch as soon as may be & you cannot be excused to God or men if you do not provide agt. their becoming Beggard or Rogues."

       If conditions in southern Westchester during the Revolution were even a fraction as shocking as authentic eye-witness accounts graphically portray, it's a wonder that anything remained of the Manor of Pelham, which was right in the path of the two armies during all those long, dreary and dreadful years.

*62

CHAPTER VIII.

The Town of Pelham.

       THE royal patent granted by Governor Richard Nicholls, dated October 8, 1666, confirmed to Thomas Pell his purchase of the Pelhams from the Indians, in 1654. The royal patent to Sir John, 2nd Lord, granted by Governor Thomas Dongan, confirming John's inheritance from his uncle, Thomas Pell, was dated Oct. 20, 1687.

       Westchester County was incorporated November 1, 1683. The County was divided into Townships on March 7, 1788, among these being the Town of Pelham, which had for its boundaries those of the lordship and manor of Pelham, erected under patent of 1687.

       The Town of Pelham is divided into three incorporated villages: Village of Pelham Manor (1891); Village of North Pelham (1896); Village of Pelham (1896). The external boundaries of the three villages now constitute the boundaries of the Town of Pelham.

       The records of the Town of Pelham show that there are now only 1,568 acres in the three Villages, remaining out of the original grant of 9,160 acres. It is of interest to trace the physical attritions which have taken place since 1654, when Thomas Pell made his Treaty with the Indians.

       From the descriptions in the royal patents it is difficult to fix now the exact boundaries of the original

*63

The Town of Pelham.       63

tract. It covered the land on the Shore and adjoining islands east from Hutchinson River to the Mamaroneck Line, including Pelham and New Rochelle; also west of the Hutchinson River, a portion of West Chester, East Chester, Mt. Vernon, and a section of the Bronx. Just how many acres were west of the River, and how many acres were east of the River, the records do not show.

       When the Town of Pelham was formed in 1788 , none of it lay west of the Hutchinson River, according to an early map of Westchester County in Scharf's History, showing original boundaries of the Manors. Thomas Pell, at his death in 1669, passed over to his nephew, John Pell, 2nd Lord, all the land he had bought from the Indians, except, of course, that tract he had sold in East Chester to the "Ten Families" on June 24, 1664. The number of acres concerned in this sale is not stated in the record. What then remained in this tract of 9,160 acres, more or less, was erected into the Lordship and Manor of Pelham by the patent of October 20, 1687, issued by Governor Thomas Dongan to John Pell, the 2nd Lord.

       The second slice taken off the Manor of Pelham was the 6,100 acres that John Pell, 2nd Lord, sold to Jacob Leisler for the Huguenots in 1689, and which became New Rochelle. The Manor of Pelham remained a political entity for 100 years, when it was made into the Town of Pelham in 1788.

       The third slice taken off the Town of Pelham was on December 12, 1888, when the City of New York began to acquire 1,728 acres for future park development. Some 1,481 acres of this was in Westchester

*64

64       History of the Ancient Town of Pelham.

County, east of the Hutchinson River, farms on the Mainland, and also Hunter's Island, The Twins, etc., then in the Town of Pelham, now included in Pelham Bay Park.

       After this tract of 1,481 acres had been acquired by the City of New York, the Town of Pelham continued to be responsible for maintenance of roads and bridges, police and fire protection, etc. in this area, but received no taxes, since this property, being held for future park development .by the City, was off the assessment rolls of the Town. With the object of correcting this situation an act was passed by the Legislature establishing a new boundary line between Westchester and what has since become Bronx County. That act, which became effective June 6, 1896, reads in part as follows:

       "All that territory comprised within the limits of the towns of Westchester, Eastchester and Pelham, which has not been annexed to the city and county of New York at the time of the passage of this act, which lies southerly of a straight line drawn from the point where the northerly line of the city of New York meets the center line of the Bronx river, to the middle of the channel between Hunter's and Glen islands, in Long Island Sound, and all that territory lying within the incorporated limits of the village of Wakefield, which lies northerly of said line, with the inhabitants and estates therein, is hereby set off from the county of Westehester and annexed to, merged in and made part of the city and county of New York, and of the twenty-fourth ward of the said city and county, and shall hereafter constitute a part of the city and county of New York and of the twenty-fourth ward of said city and county, eto. etc. . ."

       It was the intention of the framer of that Act to rid the Town of Pelham of the responsibility for this tract, by making the southern boundary of Westchester County the northern line of the tracts of farmland on the mainland, acquired in 1888 by New York City for

*65

The Town of Pelham.       65

future park development, including, of course, Hunter's Island and Harts Island, etc. City Island, in 1888, was still a part of the Town of Pelham, and by this Act of 1895, was annexed to New York City.

       Something quite unexpected happened. The Town of Pelham lost a fourth slice! When the actual new line was established it did not coincide with the northern boundary line of the farm tracts on the mainland, held by New York City for future park development. The new line was approximately parallel to, but some 250 feet more or less north of the northern line of these tracts of farmlands. From the Sound to the River is about 6,600 feet, so that this tract contains 24 acres, more or less. That land, which had been in that part of the Town--now Pelham Manor--was placed in the City of New York. That 24. acres remains today in the hands of private owners and is not part of the Pelham Bay Park.

       The Village of Pelham Manor was incorporated in 1891. Study of maps of early real estate projects, in what was then the southern part of the Town, shows that the promoters of these projects had expected the southern boundary of the Town to be established as the northern boundary of this farmland owned by the City for park development. Consequently, today there are on early real estate maps, dead-end streets, building plots and a few actual houses all in this "No Man's Land" in the City of New York lying between the Pelham Manor line and Pelham Bay Park.

       In the spring of 1931 a group, financially interested in properties in "No Man's Land," filed a petition with the Board of Trustees of the Village of Pelham Manor, asking that steps be taken by the Village looking

*66

66       History of the Ancient Town of Pelham.

toward the enactment of special legislation which would place this strip back into Pelham Manor. There developed opposition from some owners of property in "No Man's Land," and further, it appeared that ". . . due to the bonded indebtedness of New York City, which would be a lien on all this land, the Legislature could not release the land from its share of bonded debts. . ." if transferred back into the Village of Pelham Manor. Therefore the matter was dropped.

       The Act, which became effective June 6, 1896, fixing the Westchester-Bronx Counties line, also sliced off City Island, then part of the Town of Pelham, some 230 acres more or less; also Hart Island, 85 acres, acquired by New York City from the Hunters in 1869, and put these Islands into the County of the Bronx, City of New York. Incidentally, that resulted in a large loss in population for the Town, because at that time there was perhaps a larger population in City Island than in all the rest of the Town of Pelham combined.

       The sixth slice off the Town was the 83 acres east of the Hutchinson River, and north of the Boston Post Road, acquired by Westchester County Park Commission for that portion of the Hutchinson River Parkway in the Town of Pelham. The Parkway from Boston Post Road to Westchester Avenue was opened October 27, 1928, and the extension to the Connecticut Line on January 30, 1937. The section of the Parkway south of the Boston Post Road was extended to New York City line December 11, 1937. While this land acquired by the Parkway is taken off the lists of taxable property it still remains in the acreage of the Town.

       The next slice to come off the Town doubtless will be

*67

The Town of Pelham.       67

the Pelham Portchester Highway, originally projected in 1928-31, and yet to be built. A strip of land was acquired in Pelham Manor, about 4 acres, east of and parallel to the New Haven Railroad Branch line, extending from New York City line to the southern boundary of the Country Club.

       When Westchester County was divided into Towns in 1788 , there was delegated to the Towns, the function of local government through a Town Board. Members of the Board, and a Supervisor (the presiding officer) are elected by residents of the Town. The Town of Pelham is represented in County affairs by its Supervisor-- a member of the Board of Supervisors of the County. They are paid a salary.*

       It is of interest to note some of the principal attritions which have taken place in the powers of government, originally delegated to the Towns. Some have been taken over by the State, some by the County, some by the Villages, and others by specially appointed bodies. Each Town originally was the keeper of the roads within its boundaries, except, of course, the Toll Turnpikes, which were franchises granted to private enterprises. The State, the County, the Cities or the Villages have taken from the Town the responsibility for highways, the roads, and streets. Such as it was, education of the children was a responsibility of the Town, until about the time of the Civil War, when the State Legislature created Union Free School Districts, making education a function of the State. True, each school district elects its Board of

------------------
*List Pelham Supervisors, page 172.

*68

68       History of the Ancient Town of Pelham.

Education and runs its own schools; but, for example, in the Pelhams, neither the Town nor the three Villages exercise any authority over the Board of Education, Union Free School District No. 1, Town of Pelham, which reports only to the State Department of Education.

       Another responsibility of the Town was fire protection and fire fighting, which, in Pelham, has been taken away from the Town. In 1893 there was created Fire District No. 1, Town of Pelham, covering the then unincorporated property, namely North Pelham and Pelham. Property owners in that area.elect a Board of Fire Commissioners, which is solely responsible for that function. The Village of Pelham Manor had been incorporated in 1891, and had its own volunteer fire fighting force, which incidentally has been developed into one of the best in the County. Subsequently North Pelham and Pelham were incorporated as Villages in 1896, and Fire District No. 1 affords these Villages protection. However, neither the Town nor the two Villages have any control over Fire District No. 1.

       As has been stated, the Village of Pelham Manor was incorporated in 1891; the Village of North Pelham in 1896; and the Village of Pelham, in 1896. Since the external boundaries of the three Villages now constitute substantially the boundaries of the Town, there is no property in the Town not now incorporated in one of the three Villages. The three Villages, as incorporated, took over most of the local government affairs, leaving to the Town of Pelham these principal functions--in addition to representing, through its Supervisor, the residents of the community in County

*69

The Town of Pelham.       69

matters: 1--Administering public welfare of the Town. 2--Assessing property and collecting taxes--State, County, Town, School and First Fire District taxes, composed of Pelham and North Pelham. (Note: In addition to these taxes, the three Villages each collect their own taxes.) 3--Miscellaneous Town matters.

       POPULATION OF THE PELHAMS.--In 1790 the first census of the Town of Pelham shows 199 souls, of which number 38 were slaves. There were 31 families counted by the census taker. The growth in population, of the Town, since the first census in 1790 , follows:

Years       Town of Pelham       Years       Town of Pelham
                    Population                                 Population

1790                199                  1910               2,844
1846                486                  1920               5,195
1870             1,790                  1930             11,851
1880             2,540                  1940*           12,274
----------
       *Population in 1940, of Pelham Manor, 5,270; Pelham, 1,918; and North Pelham, 5,046. There are now between 3,000 and 3,500 families in the community.
       Note: See page 173, Census of Slaves in the Mannour of Pelham in 1755.

FIRST FIRE DISTRICT OF THE TOWN OF PELHAM

       The First Fire District of the Town of Pelham was established by the Board of Supervisors of Westchester County on February 20, 1893 , upon the petition of forty taxpayers of the district. The proceedings are recorded in the Minutes of the Board of Supervisors, page 269, of the fiscal year 1892-3. The Village of Pelham Manor was incorporated in 1891 with its northern boundary line being the southern edge of the old Boston Post Road, now Colonial Avenue. That Village had its own Fire Department.

*70

70       History of the Ancient Town of Pelham.

       The territory included in the First Fire District was that portion of the Town of Pelham, north of the northern boundary line of the Village of Pelham Manor, which today is the Village of Pelham and the Village of North Pelham, both of which Villages were incorporated in 1896. Neither of these two Villages nor the Town, have authority or jurisdiction over the First Fire District.

       The Board of Fire Commissioners and the Fire District Treasurer are elected to office by vote of the residents who have resided in the district thirty days. The Board of Fire Commissioners prepare and approve an annual budget. This budget is presented to the Town Board which includes it with the Town Budget and submits it to the Board of Supervisors of the County, which levies the tax against the Fire District. The tax is collected by the Receiver of Taxes for the Town of Pelham.

       The operating fire companies in the First Fire District of the Town of Pelham are Liberty Engine & Hose Co., Relief Hook & Ladder Co., and Pelham Hose Company No. 2.

       Liberty Engine & Hose Co. and Relief Hook & Ladder members, mostly have resided in North Pelham, while Pelham Hose Co. No. 2 has recruited memberships from the Village of Pelham and the Pelhamwood section of North Pelham.

PELHAM--NEW ROCHELLE BOUNDARY LINE

       The boundary line between the Town of Pelham and the City of New Rochelle has been shifted several times, from its original location. When John Pell, in

*71

The Town of Pelham.       71

1689, sold to Jacob Leisler the 6,100 acres--which tract is now New Rochell--the boundary line started at a point in the Hutchinson River at the northern tip of the Manor of Pelham, ran south to a monument in the Great Swamp, now in the Pelham Country Club, just north of the Branch Line of the New Haven Railroad. Thence the line ran in a southeasterly direction to ". . . a certain White Oak Tree, standing at High water mark on the South end of Hog Island." (Now Travers Island.)

       This White Oak tree has long since vanished, but evidences of this original line, from the monument in the Great Swamp to the White Oak tree, may still be traced on old maps showing property lines in New Rochelle, and by remnants of stone walls. A section of one of these old stone walls is in the woods directly opposite the present entrance gate of The Priory.

       The original line from the monument in the Hutchinson River to the monument in the Great Swamp was shifted eastward 200 feet more or less. Where this new line then intersected the original line, from the monument in the Great Swamp to the White Oak, a new monument was set in the Swamp, south and east of the original monument. At this new monument in the Swamp an angle was turned, swinging the line from there to the Sound, south and eastward. This new line ended at the Sound, bisecting Travers Island, and a monument was set at the Water several hundred feet north and east of where stood the old White Oak on the South End of the Island. At that time, two other monuments were set on Travers Island. That placed back into Pelham Manor tracts which had been con-

*72

72       History of the Ancient Town of Pelham.

sidered to lie in New Rochelle. One such piece is the corner of the property of Christ Church, at the corner of Pelhamdale and the Shore Road.

       Since the several shifts which have been made in this boundary line have not elsewhere been compiled--a summary is herewith presented.

       The present line was established by an Act of the New York Legislature, Chapter 782, of the laws of 1870, and its location fixed by Act of the Board of Supervisors of Westchester County, passed March 16, 1898, and is shown on Map 1332 filed July 18, 1898, in the Office of the Recorder. The boundary dispute was again brought up before the Board of Supervisors and fixed November 1927 . (See Appendix to Laws of 1929, page 1773, Sec. A.)

       The original boundary line was established on Sept. 20, 1689, when Jacob Leisler bought from Sir John Pell, 2nd Lord, the 6,100 acres of land as a home for the French Huguenot refugees. The line in the deed was as follows: "Beginning at the West of a certain White Oak Tree marked on all four sides, standing at High water mark on the South end of' Hog Neck, by shoals harbor and runs (thence) northwesterly through the great fresh water Meadow lying between the Road (the old Post Road now Colonial) and the Sound, and from the north side of said Meadow where the said line crosses said Meadow to run thence due North to Bronckes river, where is the west division line between John Pell's and the aforesaid tract. . ."

       The earliest known map showing that boundary line between the Manor of Pelham and New Rochelle bears the title "Drawn from an Ancient Map which was Surveyed by Abraham Bond in the year of the

*73

The Town of Pelham.       73

Lord 1711. Laid down 20 Chains to the Inch--Drawn by James Davenport."

       There is also a map entitled Town of Pelham, West Chester County. James Davenport, surveyor, February 22, 1798, which map purports to show Capt. Bond's line between New Rochelle and the Town of Pelham, the latter erected in 1788 when the County was divided into Townships.

       From the monument in the Hutchinson River, Capt. Bond's Line ran due south by the magnetic compass to the monument in the swamp in the Pelham Country Club. At the monument, Capt. Bond's line bent south 27° east and ran to the Sound--presumably to the "White Oak Tree marked on all four sides, standing at High Water mark on the South end of Hog Island."

       There are several undated maps showing Pelham and New Rochelle--being pages from books of real estate maps. Some of these maps can be dated after 1848 , for they show the main line of the New Haven Railroad, but surveyed before 1873, since they do not show the Harlem Branch Line. These maps show the boundary line clearly.

       The Shore Road has been widened and shifted since these maps were drawn. What is now Pelhamdale Avenue was shown on these maps as a country lane beginning in New Rochelle, running north-westerly for a short distance into Pelham, then curving back into New Rochelle, and coming to a dead end south of the present Hillcrest. These maps show clearly a small triangular tract in New Rochelle, bounded on the south by the Shore Road, on the east by what was then Pelhamdale, and on the third side by Christ Church property in Pelham.

*74

74       History of the Ancient Town of Pelham.

       Supporting these maps there is the fact that John Hunter and his wife, Anne, owned a tract extending several hundred feet easterly from the Christ Church, along and north of the Shore Road (except the Kemble-Emmet tract on the Shore Road). This Hunter tract was subsequently owned by their son, H. G. Hunter. There is a map of this tract dated 1891, bearing the name of Anne M. Hunter, and a subsequent undated revised map bearing the name of her son, H. G. Hunter--the latter map being a tracing of the first. Neither of these two maps shows the present boundary line between Pelham and New Rochelle. Both of them show this triangular tract of land as being west of Pelhamdale Avenue.

       This triangular tract was sold to Nanette Ann Bolton of The Priory by John and Anne Hunter, March 27, 1867, and the deed is recorded Liber 640, p. 54. The tract is described as follows: "All that certain piece or parcel of land situate, lying and being in the Town of New Rochelle, in the County of Westchester, State of New York, being a small triangular shaped piece of land lying northeasterly and a short distance from the stone building formerly used for a school house, but now an Episcopal Parsonage, bounded southeasterly on one side by Pelham Road, northeasterly on one side by land now or late of Elbert Roosevelt, and westerly on the other side by land now or formerly owned by said Nanette Anne Bolton, etc. etc." This triangle Miss Bolton subsequently deeded to Christ Church.*

       The Hunter map of 1891 shows the base of the triangle on the Shore Road as 72 feet 6 inches, extending west from the corner of the Shore Road and Pel-

----------
*See page 174

*75

The Town of Pelham.       75

hamdale. Unfortunately, the length of the other two sides are not shown. The angle formed by the Shore Road and Pelhamdale was shown as 88 degrees and 26 minutes; the angle formed by the Shore Road and what would be the hypothenuse, if it were a right-angled triangle, is shown as 60 degrees and 4-5 minutes. Consequently, the third angle must be 30 degrees and 49 minutes. The Hunter map of 1891 gives the bearing of the northwesterly side of the triangle--namely, the side across the face of the Christ Church property, as N.23 and one-half degrees W. This triangular tract which, in the deed of 1867 was described as being in New Rochelle, of course is now part of the Christ Church property, being the corner of the tract, and is in Pelham Manor, since the present boundary line is several hundred feet eastward.

       The Schuyler-Crosby Survey, made 1872, is shown on map No. 615, filed February 17, 1874 , and is entitled Map Showing the Boundary Line dividing the Towns of Pelham and New Rochelle, Westchester County, New York, surveyed in accordance with the law passed by the New York Legislature, May 12, 1870: George W. Davids, Supervisor, New Rochelle; Ben Hegeman, Supervisor, Pelham; John Schuyler and Horace Crosby, Surveyors, scale 200 feet to an inch (surveyed) 1872.

       This Schuyler-Crosby Map has the following note: "The point marked A on Town Line was established by measuring the width of the Town as given on Captain Bond's map, from the Town Line between Marmaroneck [sic] and New Rochelle, westerly along the line of the center of Eastchester Road. The point marked B on the Town Line was established in like

*76

76       History of the Ancient Town of Pelham.

manner, by measuring westerly, the distance given on Capt. Bond's Map from the center of the Town, along the line between Andara Barrat and Andara Nodind, Jr. A straight line was then run through these points from the middle of the Hutchinson River to the north edge of the big swamp (now in the Country Club, north of the Harlem Branch of the New Haven Railroad). This is the Town Line as shown on Capt. Bond's map, the bearing of which then given, stood North and South. From the Swamp to the Sound, the bearing of the line according to :Capt. Bond's map is S27'E, hence at the north edge of the swamp a deflection of 27' to the left was made, and another straight line was run to the Sound. The broad red line upon the map represents the correct Town Line." On this 1872 Survey Map No. 615, filed February 17, 1874, the line from the monument in the Country Club to the Sound has the following notation above it: "N27W by Capt. Bond's Map 1711"; and below the line: "N28 30W from magnetic meridian."

       The next map found showing the boundary is No. 1332, filed July 18, 1898, surveyed by John F. Fairchild, Engineer, title of which reads: Map Showing the Established Boundary line between the Town of :New Rochelle and the Town of Pelham, Westchester County, New York. We hereby certify that the map was made in accordance with provisions of Chapter 782, Laws of 1870, State of New York, and an Act of the Board of Supervisors, Westchester County, passed March 16, 1898.

       On this map there is a monument at the edge of the Sound on Travers Island, marked G, and a monument beyond the Great Swamp in the Country Club, marked

*77

The Town of Pelham.       77

C. Underneath the line between these two points there is a Note which reads : "Line 'G-C' is the line surveyed by Schuyler & Crosby (in 1872) as the Town Line, south of the angle at the northernly edge of the Big Swamp, and shown upon Map 615 (filed February 17, 1874)." Immediately above the line is the following notation: "N 27--15W."

*       *       *

       From a letter dated New Rochelle, Sept. 13, 1944, from Morgan H. Seacord of the Huguenot & Historical Associates, the following is quoted: "There appears to have been some disagreement about this line prior to 1870. I do not know when or how it started, or the details of the respective claims; however, the matter was not settled as it was supposed, by legislation, Chapter 782 of the Laws of 1870, which act fixed the line as shown by the Bond Map of New Rochelle. Evidently this did not clear up the matter as to exact location, and Pelham petitioned the Board of Supervisors in the fall of 1897 , to locate and fix the line. I do not have before me, a record of the subsequent proceedings there, but it appears that it was done in due course. Nevertheless, the action so taken was challenged in the case of Govers vs. Board of Supervisors, which was decided in the Court of Appeals in 1902 , reported in 171 New York Reports, page 403. In the interval between 1870 and 1902, the Bond map had disappeared, probably stolen, and has never been found to this day. The boundary line dispute was again brought before the Board of Supervisors in 1927, and it was fixed in November of that year." (See Appendix to Laws of 1929, page 1773 &c.)

*78

78       History of the Ancient Town of Pelham.

       Thomas B. Fenlon, one time member of the Board of Supervisors of Westchester Co., from the Town of Pelham, wrote in January, 1945: ". . . the case of Govers v. Board of Supervisors shows that Supervisor Shinn of Pelham applied to the Board of Supervisors in 1897 for a resolution or act determining the boundary line between the Towns of Pelham and New Rochelle. Mr. Shinn claimed that the line was disputed, and the Court of Appeals found that it was. Apparently the Legislature in 1870 had defined the line between the two towns as that laid down upon the map made by Capt. Bond in the year 1711, and on file in the Town Clerk's Office in the Town of New Rochelle, and as laid down on a copy of said map made by James Davenport in 1798, and now on file in the office of the State Engineer and Surveyor.

       "In 1872 Engineers had been employed to locate the line and their work resulted in a line which was acquiesced in until the autumn of 1897, when the Town Board of Pelham petitioned the Board of Supervisors, through Mr. Shinn, to locate the boundary line in question. The Board of Supervisors selected the Bond map, but it appeared that the Engineer who had worked in 1872 did not consult the Davenport map. The Bond map had been filed in New Rochelle and the Davenport map had been filed in Albany. The Bond map was lost some time after 1870. At the time it was last seen it was torn and patched on the back and repaired in several places, and it was difficult to tell from it upon what scale the map had been drawn. That was the principal objection made by Govers. Govers claimed that there was no dispute because the 1870 law referred not only to the Bond map but also to the

*79

The Town of Pelham.       79

Davenport map, and if the Davenport map had been examined it would have shown the exact line. The Court of Appeals sustained the action of the Board of Supervisors in fixing the line.

       "In 1927 the Board of Supervisors passed another act, pursuant to section 37 of the County Law, defining the line by metes and bounds. That act, which appears in the appendix to the Laws of 192 9, page 1773, shows that the line as there defined runs from the New Haven Railroad tracks to the Boston Post Road. The exact line is given in that act, and it seems to follow a map made by John F. Fairchild in 1898."

[Here Appears a Replica of the Official Seal of the Town of Pelham. The Caption Beneath It Says:]

Official Seal
Of The Town of Pelham, N.Y. Showing The Old Town Hall,
Still Standing On The Shore Road, Pelham Bay Park.

*80

CHAPTER IX.

City Island--and Hart's Island.

       CITY ISLAND, which lies south and east of the Town of Pelham, was a part of the territory bought by Thomas Pell in 1654 from the Indians. It remained part of the Town of Pelham until June 6, 1895, when the present boundary line between Westchester and Bronx Counties was established, placing City Island within Bronx County, City of New York. Incidentally, there was a period when City Island was the dominant political faction in the Town of Pelham, because its population exceeded that of the balance of the Town--and the Pelhams breathed a sigh of relief when City Island was made part of New York City. The City Island Post Office, established November 19, 1862, was one of the earliest in the Town of Pelham; it was consolidated with New York City Post Office January 1, 1896.

       The Island was originally called Great Minnefords or Minneweis--from its Indian owners, who for centuries had a fishing village there. It takes its present name from the fact that long before the American Revolution, a group of proprietors developed an ambitious plan to establish there a great city--a competitor of New York--in foreign commerce. Sir John Pell in 1685 sold the Island, containing 230 acres more or less, to one John Smith. In 1700 the

*81

City Island--and Hart's Island.       81

principal owners were Wm. Everden and Gabriel Umbriel, and from them it passed to Amos Dodge. On June 21, 1753, Dodge sold the Island for 2,300 to Samuel Rodman,* who had large acreage on the mainland opposite the Island. On June 1, 1755, Rodman sold Minnefords Island to John Jones of Jamaica, Queens County, Island of Nassau. The next owner was Joseph Palmer who, on June 19, 1761, sold the island to his brother Benjamin Palmer. On October 27, 1763, Benjamin Palmer secured from Governor Cadwallader Colden letters patent covering riparian rights to the 400 feet of land under water at high tide around Minnefords Island.

       Palmer interested, as proprietors in his promotion, a group of men who were also property owners in that part of Westchester, including David Hunt, Jonathon Fowler, Caleb Hunt, Edmund Ward, Samuel Ward, James Lewis, John Wooley, Isaac Barnes, Enoch Hunt, Joseph Mullineaux, Aaron Hunt, Samuel Le Roux.

       These proprietors laid out streets and sub-divided the Island into small building lots for residences, stores, ship-building site, docks, etc., in anticipation of a great city. But the Revolution interrupted these ambitious plans. The plans were revived after the peace was proclaimed, but by then ocean trade, export and import business had gravitated to New York, Philadelphia and Baltimore--so the great dreams for City Island never materialized. This story is told at length in Bolton's History, Vol. II, p. 74-83.

       Benjamin Palmer addressed a letter June 1, 1790, to His Excellency General Maunsell, which is quoted in
--------
       *Samuel Rodman married Mary Pell, daughter of Sir John, 2nd Lord and Benjamin Palmer married Sarah Pell, daughter of Thomas, the 3rd Lord of the Manor.

*82

82       History of the Ancient Town of Pelham.

part: ". . . in the year 1761 I bought an Island in the Manor of Pelham, in the County of Westchester, and province of New York, commonly called Minnefords Island, for £2,730, and divided it into thirty equal parts; sold 26 parts to one gentleman (unnamed) to make a trading town out of it, because it lay very advantageously for Foreign Trade. Four-thirtieths parts I preserved for myself, which were 600 house lots, 25 feet front & rear and 100 feet in length, except some of the lots against the Market Place and some of the slips were shortened to make room for the Market Place and for Vessels. The whole number of house lots on said Island, 4,500 besides two squares of 30 lots each, reserved for public use for building Churches, Meeting Houses, etc. . . . I have sold and otherwise disposed of 187 of my lots so that I had still remaining, 413 lots on said Island, at the time of the War between England and these States. I sold many of my lots for £10 each, and bought some for that price, and so have the other proprietors; for £10 was the stated price. . ."

       City Island suffered great damage during the Revolutionary War, being under the control of the British. Residents who were anti-British received harsh treatment and had their property taken away from them.

       During the War of 1812, the American Navy under Stephen Decatur, captured the British frigate, Macedonian. The Vessel was towed into City Island and broken up. According to tradition among the oldtimers on the Island, the deck house of the Macedonian was embodied in an Inn on the Island, becoming the dining room and tap room. The Inn, long known as the Macedonian Inn, is now City Island Casino, a bathing pavilion on East Ditmars Street. Some of the

*83

City Island--and Harts Island.       83

great timbers from the hull of the Macedonian were utilized for many years in the shipyards, for props for boats on the ways, and for other purposes. The Macedonian was sheathed with copper, nailed on with great copper spikes. The sheathing was ripped off and salvaged, but the copper spikes remained embedded in its timbers. It is the memory of some of the old-timers on the Island that when they were children they would dig out these copper spikes, sell them to the junk dealer for a few pennies, which they would invest in candies at Dickey's.

       A ferry from the Mainland to City Island was opened May 10, 1763, and another ferry was opened from the other end of the Island to Hempstead, Long Island, May 13, 1766. Even after the ferry was established to the mainland, it must have been far easier to travel by water to West Chester, Pelham or New Rochelle, than by Indian trails through virgin forest. From the tip of Pell's Point--where is now the Causeway to City Island--there was an Indian trail up to the Shore Road. There it connected with the trail skirting the ridge parallel to the Hutchinson River-- later Split Rock Road and Wolf Lane--up to the head of the Hutchinson Valley. When New York City developed Pelham Bay Park, famous old Split Rock Road was dosed and destroyed.

       Near the Memorial High School in Pelham was the Wading Place, the first spot where the River could be forded. The mouth of the River is wide at the Sound. Winds and tides at times made the crossing by boat or ferry doubtful and dangerous. A group of property owners in Pelham, West Chester and City Island were instrumental in getting passed an Act of the Legisla-

*84

84       History of the Ancient Town of Pelham.

ture, March 16, 1812, authorizing the erection of a toll-bridge across the River at its mouth. Among the incorporators were John Bartow, John Hunter, Elbert Roosevelt, William Bayard, James Harvey, Richard Ward, Daniel Pelton, Joshua Eustace, Herman LeRoy. A storm destroyed the bridge on April 12, 1816, and it was not until 1834 that a new bridge was built. In 1860 the Supervisors of Westchester County were directed, by an Act of the Legislature, to purchase the Pelham toll-bridge and make it free.

       The toll-bridge from the mainland to City Island was completed in 1873 , although it had been projected as a causeway nearly 100 years previous to that date. The principal owner of the Bridge was David Carll, who operated a shipyard on City Island. That bridge is reputed to have been largely built from great timbers taken from the U. S. battleship, North Carolina, broken up in the Carll shipyards. In 1876, the Bridge was taken over by Westchester County and made free to the public.

       Hell Gate in East River, as the name implies, held terror for even-the most daring and able sea captains. Few would attempt the passage except at certain tides and favorable winds. Sailing vessels found, off the southeast shore of City Island, deep water and safe anchorage for ships of considerable draught. There they would lie at anchor and choose their own time for the balance of the dangerous passage down the Sound to New York. The navigation of the entrance to New York City by the East River, was considered exceedingly difficult, for the larger class of vessels, so professional pilots who make their headquarters on City Island, have always found profitable employment of

*85

City Island--and Harts Island.       85

their time, taking ships in and out through Hell Gate. They maintain a Pilot Station and Pilot Boats at the end of the Island, with pilots on duty. Incoming ships signal the Station and .the Pilot Boat takes out a Pilot; while outgoing ships stop off the Island, signal the Station, and a Pilot Boat takes off the Pilot.

       In 1818, Nicholas Haight, and Joshua Huested, owned nearly the whole of the Island, together with Rodman's Neck (Pell's Point) and the Marshall estate on the mainland. On January 1, 1819, Nicholas Haight sold to Capt. George Washington Horton 42 acres on the southerly part of City Island. Most of that property passed to his two sons, Capt. Stephen Decatur Horton and Capt. George Washington Horton, Jr.

       Grace Church at the corner of Main Street and Pilot Avenue was organized in 1862, under the auspices of Christ Church, Pelham. On October 12, 1863 George W. Horton and his wife presented the plot of ground for the Church, and in March 1871 Stephen D. Horton and wife, Carolina, gave ground for the Rectory.

       A source of supply of salt was as necessary to the early colonists, and demand always exceeded the available supply, until the opening of the salt mines after the turn of the past century. Along the Atlantic seaboard there were numerous solar salt plants built, which depended upon the sun's rays to evaporate the seawater and deposit the salt crystals. E. C. Cooper maintained a small solar salt plant on City Island about 1830 but the enterprise did not last long because of competition from the salt mines. On page 14 of The History and Description of Manufacturing and Mining of Salt in New York State, by Charles J. Werner,

*86

86       History of the Ancient Town of Pelham.

published 1917, will be found the reproduction of a picture of this old Cooper plant on City Island.

       Long ages before the white man came to Pelham one of the favorite locations on the Sound for the Indians was City Island--for there they found an easy living during the summer months, fishing, digging clams, oysters and shell fish. For many years the Island was one of the most important fishing villages around New York for commercial fishermen, and it still retains the atmosphere of a New England fishing village. Since the Civil War, City Island has been a great place for city folk to spend a day's outing on the water, and an enormous number of people from New York have come to the Island for their holidays.

       August Belmont was once one of the powers in New York City subway, elevated and street car lines, and was interested in the horse-car line from City Island to the Bartow Station on the Harlem Branch of the New Haven Railroad. So goes the story: August Belmont, John Hunter 3rd, and others actively interested in horse-racing in the 1870's, projected a plan to buy all the property on City Island. The high ground along the center of the Island was to have been converted into a race track, with its grandstands, Club House, and stables. Around the water's edge was to have been a carriage boulevard, and back of that a boardwalk, on which would face hotels, clubs and private seaside summer cottages. The plan fell through because details of the project leaked out before the property could be acquired, and owners of land, sensing fabulous profits, refused to sell their holdings.

       After the Revolution there developed a number of small shipyards along the east shore of City Island,

*87

City Island--and Hart's Island.       87

where the water is deep and the harbor is well-protected by Hart's Island. Its safe harbor, deep water and its proximity to New York have made City Island a well-known yachting center. The shipyards have specialized in the construction and maintenance of the finest pleasure craft. In the days of the picturesque Sir Thomas Lipton's challenges for the America's Cup, his green Shamrocks were a familiar sight in the roadstead. Sails for many of the great cup defenders were turned out by City Island sailmakers. In 1835 a successful shipyard was taken over by one David Carll, and operated by him until 1870, when he sold it to Henry Piepgras. In 1900 this property was bought by the late Robert Jacob, whose descendants are interested in the yard. Among other firms in operation at the present time are Ratsey and Lapthorn, Ltd., sailmakers; Fuller Sails Co.; the yacht yards of H. B. Nevins, Inc.; Minneford; Archibald Robinson; John Hawkins; Kyle and Purdy; Hansens; and George W. Byle. During World I and II [sic], the yards were engaged to capacity in building minor war vessels and other craft for the United States Navy.

HART'S ISLAND

       Off the eastern shore of City Island, is Hart's Island, known in the early days as Little Minnefords. Like the other Islands along the shore, Hart's Island was part of the grant to Thomas Pell. Hart's Island changed hands several times before the Revolution. Bolton's History, Vol. II, p. 88, states ". . . in 1774 Oliver Delancey was seized in demesne as of fee of all that certain island, situate and being in Long Island Sound, commonly called Spectacle or Hart's Island, or one of

*88

88       History of the Ancient Town of Pelham.

the Minneford Islands containing 85 acres. From Oliver Delancey it passed to Rodman and Haight. The latter sold it to the late proprietor John Hunter, Esq. . . ."

       The Island in those days, of course, was in the Town of Pelham. In 1869 New York City bought the Island from the heirs of John Hunter and it has since been used by the City as a prison. In 1895, when the Westchester-Bronx County line was established where it now is, Hart's Island became part of Bronx County.

------------------

SOME EARLY RESIDENTS OF THE MANNOUR OF PELHAM

       Who were the first settlers in the tract which Thomas Pell acquired in 1654 from the Indians? The witnesses to the Treaty were Richard Crabb (Magistrate), Thos. Lawrence and John Ffinch. The members of the Ten Families acquiring East Chester in 1664 from Thomas Pell included Philip Pinckney (whose daughter Rachel married Sir John 2nd Lord in 1675), John Pinckney, Thos. White, Nathamel Tompkins, Joseph Joans, John Hoitt, James Eustis, Daniel Godwin, Wm. Squire, David Osburn, Richard Shute, John Hollind, Moses Hoitte, Richard Hoadley, John Goding, Samuel Drake, John Jackson, John Drake, Nathaniel White, Wm. Haidon, John Gay, John Tompkins, Henry Ffowlir, John Emory, Moses Jackson, John Clarke.

       The Weatchester Inventory of Thos. Pell's Estate filed in 1669 mentioned two men--evidently tenant farmers or settlers in the Pelhams--"In Applebyes keeping 2 Cows". . . "In Johnathan Burge, his keeping a oxen." The Inventory was made by John Richbell of Mamaroneck, Wm. Hoyden and Samuel Drake--the later two men from the Ten Families.

       In 1755 John Pell, Capt. of the Militia of the Mannour of Pelham, made a report of the number of Slaves in Pelham and listed the names of their owners. This John was son of Thomas 3rd Lord. John Pell named three of his brothers Joshua, Caleb and Philip Pell; his aunt Phebe--widow Of Joseph Pell; his uncle Samuel Rodman--who married Mary Daughter of Sir John; Bernard Rylander; and Isaac Cotine. It is a fair assumption that this list of owners of slaves included the principal property holders in the Mannour of Pelham in 1755.

*89

CHAPTER X.

Hunter's Island -- and the Twins in
Pelham Bay Park, New York City.

       THE great show place of Westchester during the early part of the 19th Century was Hunter's Island in Long Island Sound, near the Shore, just south of the Pelham Manor, New York City boundary line. For over fifty years it was the country estate of Hon. John Hunter, Esq.--a rich retired New York City merchant and his wife, who was a great heiress. The Island is now the public picnic grounds of Pelham Bay Park, City of New York.

       The Island was part of the tract which Thomas Pell bought from the Indians in 1654. The estate of Thomas passed, at his death, to his nephew, Sir John, 2nd Lord, and then to John's son, Thomas, 3rd Lord. In 1743 this Island was in possession of Joshua Pell, son of Thomas, 3rd Lord, according to Bolton's History of Westchester.

       No deed executed by Joshua Pell, transferring the Island, has been found. The explanation may be that the Pell family was split by the Revolution, and Joshua may have been a Loyalist. His son, Joshua II (1733- 1821), was a Captain of Militia of Pelham at the outbreak of the War, refused to fight against his King, and fled to New York City, becoming Captain of British Militia. He went to Halifax when the British evacuated New York City in 1783, and his property was

*90

90       History of the Ancient Town of Pelham.

confiscated. He returned to Pelham in 1818 and Aaron Burr recovered part of his property by proving that it was entailed, and that Joshua had only a life interest.

       The Island is often called Appleby's in the archives, and that name appears on early maps of Pelham. Appleby must have taken it over from Joshua Pell, although nothing has been found about Appleby personally, nor is there any legal proof that he owned the Island. It then was bought by the Hunts, next the Hendersons, and later by John Hunter1, who in 1812 built his Mansion there.

       Jesse Hunt is named as the owner of the Island in reference books and histories of the County. He resided in New Rochelle from 1776 to 1784, when he bought property in Rye and resided there until his death in 1800. Hunt was High Sheriff of Westchester 1780-81, and also 1785-88. He was Supervisor of the County from Rye 1785-1786. No deed conveying the Island to Jesse Hunt has been found, and no legal record has been located of the transfer to Thomas Hunt, his son, and so the exact dates of the Hunt ownerships are not known. Proof that they were owners, however, will be found in a deed of 1866 from John Hunter 3rd, the grandson to Kingsland, when the property was described as ". . . being the same premises heretofore conveyed by Thomas Hunt to John Blagge and by him to Alexander Henderson. . ." Here is some additional evidence as to the Hunt ownership, which gives an approximate date. During the Revolution, the British warships lay off City Island and continuously raided the Islands off shore and the Mainland. Benjamin Palmer was one of the principal proprietors of City Island and he married Sarah,

*91

Hunter's Island--and the Twins       91

daughter of Thomas, 3rd Lord of the Manor, and her brother, Joshua Pell, married a sister of Palmer. Benjamin Palmer and his family were held prisoners by the British. He lost his entire fortune. Under the date of February 28, 1788, Benjamin Palmer petitioned George Clinton, Governor of New York State--and also under date of September 29, 1789, petitioned His Excellency George Washington, President of the United States--asking reimbursement for his losses. Palmer complained bitterly of the treatment he received at the hands of a Captain Brown of the British guardship Scorpion, who at the beginning of 1779 forced Palmer to cut wood: ". . . on Jesse Hunt's Island--and no other place"--this according to Bolton, Vol. II, p. 79.

       Jesse Hunt's son was Thomas2. The records show that in 1795, John Blagge mortgaged the Island for £2000 to Thomas Hunt--evidently a purchase money mortgage--which Thomas Hunt took back in connection with the sale; however, no deed from Hunt to Blagge has been found.

       The first conveyance of the Island found in the office of the County Clerk of Westchester, is a deed dated January 17, 1797, transferring an Island ". . . commonly called Appleby's. . ." from John Blagge to Alexander Henderson3. A map of the Town of Pelham, dated February 28, 1798, shows the Island as Henderson's.

       The earliest reference to Alexander Henderson, being in New Rochelle, is in an original parchment deed now in the New York Historical Society files, dated February 1, 1794, from Nicholas H. Bogart, Farmer of New Rochelle to Alexander Henderson, Merchant

*92

92       History of the Ancient Town of Pelham.

of New York City, for a tract of 40 acres adjoining the Boston Road, the lands of Jacob Abramse, Newberry Davenport, and Tho. Huntington--which, of course, was not the Island, but a tract on the mainland.

       Here is another early reference to Alexander Henderson. On April 28, 1795 the vestry of Trinity Church appointed Trustees to superintend the erection of an Academy upon the lands of the Church. Among them were Alexander Henderson, Philip Lee, Isaac Roosevelt, Herman LeRoy. The Rector was Rev. Theodosius Bartow, whose daughter, Theodosia, married Aaron Burr. A stock company to operate the school was incorporated April 13, 1826, and among the directors were John Hunter and Herman LeRoy, Jr.

       Alexander Henderson, a bachelor, was born 1757 in Charleston, S. C., educated as a physician and surgeon in Scotland, and served as a surgeon with the British Army in India, according to Scharf's History of Westchester. While in India--so the romantic story goes-- Henderson was called upon by a great Rajah to administer to one of his favorite wives who was seriously ill. Henderson worked such an amazing cure, that the Rajah paid him some fabulous sum. As further evidence of his gratitude, the Rajah presented Henderson with his favorite daughter, then but a child, as a future bride-to-be. Proof that Henderson was in India is to be found in his will. Capt. James Hague, an old sea dog, who commanded his own ship in the East Indies trade, then resided in Pelham. Henderson is said to have commissioned Capt. Hague to bring the young lady to .Pelham on one of his trips. The young lady, however, refused to make the voyage. Henderson adopted her brother named him William, and reared

*93A

[Unnumbered Plate]

THE HON. JOHN HUNTER ESQUIRE

AND HIS MANSION

*PLATE XX

[Photograph of Oval Oil Portrait of John Hunter, 2nd]

[Caption Beneath Portrait Reads as Follows:]

Hon. John Hunter, 2nd, Esquire (1788-1852) Of Hunter's Island,
Town Of Pelham, Westchester County, New York

Photograph of oil portrait by Boyle now owned by Mrs. Elias Des Brosses Hunter
of Charleston, South Carolina, whose husband was son of John Hunter 3rd.

PLATE XX

*PLATE XXI

[Reproduction of Silhouette of John Hunter, 2d in Topcoat, Holding Tophat in Right Hand]

[Caption Beneath Silhouette Reads as Follows:]

Hon. John Hunter, 2nd, Esquire (1788-1852) Of Hunter's Island,
Town Of Pelham, Westchester County, New York

Silhouette executed around 1825-30. Now owned by the Hunter family.

PLATE XXI

*PLATE XXII

[Photograph of Hunter's Mansion]

[Caption Beneath Photograph Reads as Follows:]

Hunter's Island Mansion--General View

PLATE XXII

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Hunter's Island--and the Twins       93

him as his own son. That is the romantic story as related by Scharf.

       Alexander Henderson died December 26, 1804 and is buried in the old French Cemetery, Division and Union Streets, now part of Trinity Church Cemetery, New Rochelle. By his side lies the son, William, who died in 1812, aged 25 years, according to his tombstone inscription4.

       William Henderson, the son, bequeathed money to build a Town Hall in New Rochelle, but due to litigation in settling his estate the Town did not get the gift until 1828 when a settlement was made for $3,550. The Town Hall stood where the present City Hall is, but the building is now at No. 10 Lawton Street, New Rochelle. At a Town Meeting on March 27, 1855, money was voted to put up an iron fence enclosing graves of William and Alexander Henderson.

       Since no deed for Hunter's Island to John Hunter, has been found, it is not known exactly when Hunter acquired the Island, but obviously it was after 1804 and before 1812--the dates of death of the two Hendersons. Proof that John Hunter purchased the Island from William Henderson is contained in the deed to Ambrose C. Kingsland, dated 1866, from John Hunter 3rd, Executor of the estate of his grandfather, John, which reads in part: ". . . tracts of land heretofore conveyed to John Hunter, senior, now deceased, by William Henderson . . . and known by the name of Hunter's Island, formerly known by the name of Henderson's or Appleby's Island, and the two small islands contiguous thereto, commonly called The Twins. . . containing as estimated, 250 acres more or less . . . being the same

*94

94       History of the Ancient Town of Pelham.

premises conveyed by Thomas Hunt to John Blagge and by him to Alexander Henderson. . ."

       The title to the Island, from Henderson, was not satisfactory, for soon after the death of William Henderson in 1812, John Hunter took legal steps to clear the title. Peter Jay Munro, one of the leading lawyers of that day: "levied a fine and recovery in behalf of John Hunter, Esq. for the entire Island. . ."--according to a footnote in Bolton, Vol. II, p. 89.

       The Will of Alexander Henderson was never admitted to probate in the Surrogate's Court of Westchester. In the Office of the Surrogate5, is a copy of the Will with this notation: "The original Will of Alexander Henderson was lent to John Hunter of the Manner of Pelham with a view to get it proved by the Court of Common pleas, for which John Hunter has filed a receipt in this Office." That was 1815.

       The Will of Alexander Henderson, dated December ---, 1804, made three specific bequests of money: "Secondly--$250 to a woman named Betsey now residing in Bengal in the East Indies"; "Thirdly---One hundred pounds sterling to my friend John Castiers of City of London, Merchant"; "Fourthly--One hundred pounds to Arabella Elmsley the widow of my friend, Peter Elmsley" of London. If these specific bequests of money were not satisfied by the Executors, there doubtless would have been a prior claim upon the estate of which the Island was the principal part. "Fifthly--I give & bequeath all the residue of my Estate both real & personal to my son William Henderson, (now residing with me), when he shall have attained the age of twenty-three years. Lastly--I nominate & appoint the above named John Castiers Esq. of

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Hunter's Island--and the Twins       95

London Merchant, John Watts & Robert Ross, Esquires, of the County of Westchester, Executors of this my last Will & Testament." There is no record of an accounting having been rendered by the executors, and no proof that the bequests were paid.

       The techhical legal difficulties surmounted by John Hunter in clearing up his title to the Island, are now buried deep in the dust of the old court records, which offer interesting reading for those with the inclination and the time to dig deep; however, those .proceedings have little bearing upon his subsequent records of Hunter's Island.

       John Hunter was in the auctioneering and commission business with Robert, his father, in New York City. On May 8, 1799, just before Robert died, an advertisement appeared announcing a change in the style of the firm, to John Hunter & Co. On April 28, 1799, John Hunter married Elizabeth, the daughter of James Desbrosses 2nd, who died in 1807. His vast estates which he had inherited from his bachelor uncle, Elias Desbrosses, he divided between his two daughters, one of whom was Elizabeth.

       Elizabeth was a great heiress, coming into possession of many pieces of New York City real estate and some two and a half million acres of land in the Hudson Valley. John Hunter purchased No. 5 State Street, New York City, on April 1,1801, and sold it December 5, 1804. The New York City Directories list John Hunter as residing there 1801-13. He retired about that time, and after that he resided in the Town of Pelham until his death in 1852. Elizabeth (Desbrosses) Hunter died on Hunter's Island in 1831, leaving one child, a son, Elias Desbrosses Hunter. She was

*96

96       History of the Ancient Town of Pelham.

buried in the Desbrosses vault in Trinity Church, New York City. John Hunter did not remarry, and Elias and his wife kept house for him.

       The New York Herald, of July 12, 1839, says John Hunter acquired the Island in 1812 for $40,000 and about that time, built his Mansion. John Hunter chose for his house, the English Georgian style of architecture so popular after 1800. It was square two-story and basement. . . with one-story balanced wings . . . quoined stone corners . . . stone window sills and stone keystones above the windows. On the façades of the second story front and rear, were Palladian windows. Across the rear was a comfortable verandah overlooking the formal terraced gardens, reaching down to the water's edge. The style of the Mansion was so similar to the style of the old City Hall of New York City, that the two structures might well have been the work of the same architect. Hunter family traditions say that most of its furnishings were imported from England and the Continent. Historic American Building Survey Catalogue by National Park Service, Washington, describes the Hunter Mansion as being irregular ashlar, two stories early 19th century mansion type--Greek Revival--formal composition. Measured drawings made in 1937, by the New York City Park Department, show this detail and the many changes made in the original structure, among others being the addition of a top story and a flat roof and the brick columns flanking the front door.. [sic]

       After he had retired, John Hunter made politics his principal concern, being a member of the State Legislature 1823-38-40-41-42; a Supervisor of Westchester County; member New York State Constitutional Con-

*97

Hunter's Island--and the Twins       97

vention 1846; member ex-officio in 1843, of the Court of Errors. He was a close friend of Silas Wright, Governor of New York State 1844-46, also of Martin Van Buren, President of the United States 1840-44. The descendants of John Hunter have many important private papers and personal letters to Hunter from the distinguished men in public life, during his [sic] period. Among these papers are letters from both Wright and Van Buren. Based upon these and other documents, there was the belief in his family, that John Hunter might have been the candidate for the Presidency instead of Van Buren, had he not been "double crossed" by his supposed political friend.

       According to the records of The Delaware and Hudson Company, Hon. John Hunter, Esq. : ". . . was one of the original thirteen Directors of The Delaware and Hudson Canal Company, being elected on March 8, 1825, and serving until March 1, 1831. '' The name of the Company was changed on April 28, 1899 to The Delaware and Hudson Company. John Hunter's interest in the Canal Company arose primarily from the fact that, through the Hardenberg Patents, inherited from his wife's estates, he had 21/2 million acres of land in Delaware, Sullivan and Green Counties. He at one time was a big factor in the leather business in New York, and secured the necessary tan bark for his tanneries, from his vast tracts of virgin timber lands. Because of his interest in the leather industry, John Hunter, according to family tradition, was a factor in the Leather Manufacturers National Bank, organized in April, 1832. It was merged with the Mechanics National Bank in 1904, and finally absorbed by the Chase National Bank in 1926.

*98

98       History of the Ancient Town of Pelham.

       John Hunter was the typical country squire. A widower in his later years, having great wealth, and being involved in politics, he was seldom without distinguished guests and relatives in his home. He entertained lavishly on the Island, in the style and manner of the times, befitting one of his social position and station in life.

       Here are a few of the many distinguished families with which the Hunter family was connected. A grandson of Gen. Philip Schuyler, aide to George Washington, Philip, married Grace, sister of John Hunter. Alexander Hamilton married Elizabeth, daughter of Gen. Schuyler. Aaron Burr married Theodosia Bartow, the only child of Theodosius Bartow. Her uncle was Theophilus Bartow, who married Bathsheba Pell, a direct descendent of Lord Pell. The son of Theophilus and Bathsheba was Hon. John Bartow, Esq., of The Bartow Mansion, which stood just south of Hunter's Island. The LeRoy family owned Bartow Mansion from 1813 to 1835. Gabriel Ver Planck Ludlow married a daughter of Robert Hunter, and their son, Robert H. Ludlow, in 1831, married Cornelia, daughter of Jacob LeRoy. Another connection was Daniel Webster, who for his second wife, married in 1830, Catherine Bayard LeRoy, a daughter of Jacob LeRoy. Another daughter of Jacob LeRoy married William Bayard. Ruth Hunter, the aunt of John Hunter, married Robert Bayard.

       It is said that Louis Philippe and his brothers, seeking a refuge, made a handsome offer for the Island through their emissaries, which was refused. Later in 1815-20, Joseph, King of Spain, the brother of Napoleon, tried to buy the Island, without success, and so

*99

Hunter's Island--and the Twins       99

settled at Bordentown, New Jersey. There are unconfirmed traditions that Lafayette was a guest of John Hunter during his visits, but he might well have been, for he passed through Pelham several times.

       This is not tradition. Martin Van Buren, the President of the United States (1840-44) made a visit to New Rochelle in 1839, and on his long and tedious way out from New York City he put up for the night with Hon. John Hunter, Esq. The New York Herald, which was bitterly opposed to Van Buren, in its issue of July 12, 1839, described the doings and goings-on at Hunter's Island, during this visit by Van Buren. This Herald editorial contains facts about the Mansion which have not found their way into the archives, and so it is quoted in part: ". . . Mr. Hunter became the possessor of Hunter's Island by purchase, for $40,000 in 1810. Soon after his purchase, commenced building his present mansion, which cost him $40,000; he also spent at least $40,000 on various improvements upon the Island, making a total expense. . . of about $120,000. His splendid collection of pictures cost him about $130,000. . . collected for Mr. Hunter by his agent in Europe, during different periods of political commotion . . . In that way, he has obtained undoubtedly originals by Salvator Rosa, Snyder, Rubens, Raffaello, Carlo Dolci, Andrea del Sarto, Leonardo da Vinci, Pompeio Battoni, Raffaelle Mengo, Tibaldi, Andrea Sacchi, Paolo Veronese, Titian, Rembrandt, Van Dyke.6

       ". . . The house . . . is a miniature resemblance of the style of the Duke of Buckingham's splendid show place at Stow, of which Pope has spoken so beautifully. The building has a very capacious and well-arranged

*100

100       History of the Ancient Town of Pelham.

basement floor, containing all the apartments for domestics, underneath which are very extensive (wine ?) cellars. The first floor is divided by a wide handsome hall; entering by the west door the first room on the right is the Library, containing a large and choice collection of ancient and modern works; the grand staircase adjoins the Library, and a small passage divides it from the grand Dining Room, which extends two-thirds the length of the building. On the opposite side of the hall are Parlour and Drawing Rooms opening into each other. . . The whole is furnished in the most elegant style of the period (of Duncan Phyfe) immediately preceeding the panic. The second story is composed entirely of beautiful bedrooms, dressing rooms, and anterooms to complete each suite. . ."

       The Library and the great collection of Hunter papers and letters from noted personages of that day, are owned by one of his descendants. The Metropolitan Museum of New York City has the loan of a large silver plateau, made by John W. Forbes of New York, early in the 19th century. This piece was doubtless part of the set Elias Hunter, only son of John, passed on to his son, John 3rd, and described in his Will as ". . . my entire silver dinner set and service, consisting of one Plateau and its ornamental appendages, 18 dishes, 2 turines, etc. etc. . ." Incidentally, that Silver Service was mentioned by the New York Herald in its account of the Van Buren visit to Hunter's Island. There has also survived some English Chippendale dining room chairs of mahogany, said to have been presented to the Hunters by one of their distinguished guests, an English architect, after a visit to the estate. These chairs are owned by the author.

*101

Hunter's Island--and the Twins       101

       John Hunter had a private lane from the Island over to the Prospect Hill section of Pelham Manor. This private lane paralleled the present southern boundary line of Pelham Manor, up to the point where the line crosses the tracks of the New Haven Branch Line Railroad. At that point, now stands a steel bridge over the tracks, and on either side of the railroad still remain the earthen approaches to the span. When the Branch Line was built in 1873 , this bridge was erected because of the legal difficulties involved in closing an old road. A map of Pelham of 1850 clearly shows this lane, used by John Hunter to get from his Mansion over to his Provost Farm, then bounded by the Hutchinson River, the Boston Post Road, and old Split Rock Road. In his will, John Hunter made disposition of his farm lands on the mainland in the Town of Pelham, and recognized the necessity of providing ". . . right of way with Cattle and teams over the lane now used by me across my farm, commonly called and known as the Sackett Farm, situate in the said Town of Pelham, opposite Hunter's Island and between the farms of Geo. Thacker and Elbert Roosevelt; and also the right of way from said lane through the woods of said Sackett Farm, to and from the Provost Farm." This right of way was conveyed in the deeds subsequently transferring the Island. This old lane was closed when the golf course of Pelham Bay Park was made, but the lane and the bridge form part of the Bridle Path in the Park.

       John Hunter died September 12, 1852 on the Island. He left a life interest in his estates to his only surviving child, Elias Desbrosses Hunter--who with his wife and family had always lived with his father. Elias resided on the Island until his death March 22, 1865. [No Footnote 7 in Text; It Is Believed It Should Be Inserted Here: 7.]

*102

102       History of the Ancient Town of Pelham.

       Elias Desbrosses Hunter had a son, John 3rd, and several daughters. John Hunter, senior, in his will offered grandson, John 3rd, title to the Island and to the farms on the mainland (after the death of Elias) if John would make the Island his residence; otherwise these properties were to be sold and the proceeds distributed to the heirs. John Hunter 3rd, elected to continue to live on the Bayard Farm, Throg's Neck, where he had been residing after his marriage. Upon the death of Elias, the heirs conveyed to John Hunter 3rd, as Executor, their rights and interests in the Island, thus clearing the way for its sale to Ambrose C. Kingsland, one time Mayor of New York City. The Deed to Kingsland, from Hunter, dated September 4, 1866, was recorded October 20, 1866, Liber 611, p. 374, Westchester Co. The consideration was $127,501.

       In 1868 Alvin Higgins purchased the Island from Kingsland.8 Higgins then owned what is now Glen Island, and operated there a famous Hotel. In 1879 Gardinir Jorden acquired the Island from Higgins.9 Between 1880 and 1882, C. Oliver Iselin bought the Island from Jorden, but the deed, if recorded, has not been found in the Westchester archives. In 1882, Iselin, through Frederic de P. Foster, a third party, conveyed "an undivided half interest" in the Island to Mrs. Iselin, so that they might occupy the premises "as tenants in common." In 1884, through John F. Coffin, a third party, Mrs. Iselin conveyed this "undivided half interest; back to her husband, C. Oliver Iselin. In those days, husband and wife being one person, in the eyes of the law, could not transfer property to each other, except through a third person.10

       In 1885--the State of New York conveyed to Oliver

*103

Hunter's Island--and the Twins       103

Iselin the land under water and between high and low tides, adjacent to Hunter's Island; also occupied by the Causeway to the Island.11

       In 1888--the City of New York began to acquire for future park development, tracts along the shores of Long Island Sound, and the adjoining Islands in the Town of Pelham, Westchester County.

       In 1889--C. Oliver Iselin and wife conveyed Hunter's Island and the Twins to The Mayor, Alderman and Commonalty of New York City. The consideration was $324,292.70 . . . a handsome sum!12

       The present boundary line of Westchester--Bronx Counties was established in June 6, 1895, which took Hunter's Island out of the Town of Pelham and placed it in Bronx County, City of New York. In the development of the Orchard Bathing Beach of Pelham Bay Park, the sweep of open water separating Hunter's Island from the mainland, called LeRoy's Bay at one time, was filled in, making the Island a peninsula, and providing the vast acreage for the bathing beach and the acres of automobile parking space. Hunter's Island and the Twins were converted into a public picnic ground with outdoor fireplaces for cooking, rustic tables and benches. There those from the congested districts of the City may enjoy a day's vacation in the open country, near the water. The Park Department, in 1937, tore down the old Mansion of John Hunter. Too bad it could not have been preserved and used as a City Museum for the area---one of the most historic places in Westchester.

       At night, surely the ghost of Hon. John Hunter, Esq. of Hunter's Island, must walk abroad in protest.

*104

l04       History of the Ancient Town of Pelham.

       Frick Art Reference Library, New York, under date of August 22, 1944, writes:

       "Thank you for the photostat of the Boyle portrait of John Hunter. We shall be glad to add it to our files. There were several artists named Boyle who painted during the 18th century. The portrait of John Hunter was probably the work of Ferdinand Thomas Lee Boyle, portrait and miniature painter, who was born in Ringwood, England, in 1820, came to this country in 1828 and died in Brooklyn, December 2, 1906. He is recorded as having lived in New York City in 1838, New Rochelle in 1843, New York City 1844-46, 1849, 1851, 1853-55, St. Louis 1857. He returned to New York in 1866. He was a pupil of Henry Inman and exhibited at the National Academy of Design intermittently from 1838 to 1857. He painted portraits of General Grant, Edgar Allan Poe and other celebrities. For many years he was a professor at the Brooklyn Institute of Arts."

THE SIGNATURE OF HON. JOHN HUNTER, ESQ.
OF HUNTER'S ISLAND, PELHAM, N. Y.

       The concluding section of a letter written May 18, 1849, by John Hunter--to his grandson, John 3rd--then in Richmond, Va., suggesting that:

". . . I would not come on by express, I would go the first day to Washington, which to give you time to see what you have not there seen & I would ask Mr. O. Sullivan to introduce me to the President--he is the first Magistrate of the Country--you owe him respect. You will be a greater wonder to him, wanting nothing, than Presidents are to you. I would go from Washington to Philadelphia, & from thence home.

                                                        Yours with affection
                                                               Jn Hunter

*105

Hunter's Island--and the Twins       105

[Facsimile of Handwritten Conclusion of May 18, 1849 Letter From John Hunter to His Grandson, John 3d, Quoted Above at p. 104, Beneath Which is The Following Caption:]

SIGNATURE OF HON. JOHN HUNTER, ESQ., OF HUNTER'S ISLAND

*       *       *

THE TWINS.

       Off the eastern end of Hunter's Island there are two small islands known as The Twins, which were owned by John Hunter at the time of his death in 1852.

       The Twins were connected by a causeway to Hunter's Island, and on one of the Twins was a fine house. A one-time occupant of the house was James C. Fish, connected with the firm of Ward and Grant, members of the New York Stock Exchange. It was this firm to which General U. S. Grant had "loaned" his name, after he had served as President of the United States. In the Panic of 1884 this firm failed, which brought not only financial ruin upon General Grant, but slurs upon his integrity, from which he never recovered.

*106

106       History of the Ancient Town of Pelham.

Fish was convicted of financial irregularities, and served a term in prison, although there are reasons to believe that he was made a "scapegoat."

       The Twins are now part of Pelham Bay Park, having been acquired by the City in 1888 when it took over Hunter's Island.

*       *       *

Notes to Hunter's Island.

1.       See Bolton's History of Weschester, Vol. II, p. 89. [Return To Body of Text]

2.       Genealogy of the Hunt Family, Bolton, Vol. I1, p. 738. [Return To Body of Text]

3.       Recorded Jan. 24, 1797, Liber M. p. 72, WestChester Co. [Return To Body of Text]

4.       Tombstone inscription--old French Cemetery, Division and Union Streets, New Rochelle, N. Y.: "In Memory of Alexander Bampfield Henderson a native of Charleston, S. C. but late of the Town of Pel ham and County of Westchester, departed this life 26 Dec. 1804 aged forty-seven years. In Memory of William Henderson who departed this life Jan. (or June) 19, 1812, in the 25th year of his life." [Return To Body of Text]

5.       Will of Alexander Henderson, Liber S. p. 98, Westchester Surrogate. [Return To Body of Text]

6.       New York Herald, Wednesday, Jan. 17, 1866, had an advertisement, column 1, page 7, which is quoted in part: "H. H. Leeds & Miner will sell by auction, on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday evenings, Jan. 17, 18 and 19, 1866, .at 8 o'clock each evening, at the Dusseldorf Gallery, 548 Broadway, next door to Tiffany's, the Hunter Gallery of Ancient and Modern Oil Paintings, being the entire collection of the late Mr. John Hunter, of Hunter's Island, Westchester County, N. Y., being the largest and finest collection ever exhibited or offered for sale in this coumry. The late owner,. Mr. Hunter, formed the principal part of it from the year 1800 until 1835; no pictures having been added since 1850. Many of the finest were purchased especially for him by his European agent, Mr. Hobson, during the Revolutionary troubles in France; the balance being the careful selection of the late owner during a period of fifty years. It has always been esteemed the best representative gallery of the old masters in the United States."

       The New York Public Library has a copy of the catalogue of the Hunter Collection--70 pages, 373 lots, published by the Auctioneers. [Return To Body of Text]

7.       While both his father and grandfather were men of means and property, John Hunter was one of the very wealthy residents of Westehester at the time of his death on Sept. 12, 1852. Besides Hunter's Island, which was sold for $127,500, he owned Travers Island, Harts Island, riparian rights to City Island, the Sackett Farm on the Mainland, opposite Hunter's Island, and the Provost Farm, also in Pelham. His wife, Elizabeth Desbrosses, who died in 1831, had inherited from her family, a number of pieces of property in New York City, and an interest in the Great Hardenberg Patent--rights to some two million acres in Green, Sullivan, and Delaware Counties, New York State. [Return To Body of Text]

8.       Kingsland to Higgins, April 16, 1868, rec. Dec. 14, 1868, Liber 695, p. 220. [Return To Body of Text]

*107

Hunter's Island--and the Twins       107

9.       Higgins to Jorden, Jan. 16, 1879, rec. Jan. 18, 1879, Liber 961, p. 89. [Return To Body of Text]

10.       Iselin to Foster, dated Nov. 1, 1882, recorded Nov. 6, 1882, Liber 1017, cp. 153, Westchester County. Deed Foster to Fanny Garner Iselin, dated Nov. 2, 1882, recorded Nov. 11, 1882. Liber 1015, cp. 358, Westchester Co. Deed Fanny C. Iselin to John F. Coffin, dated Apr. 29, 1884, recorded July 28, 1884, Liber 1048, cp. 322, Westchester Co. Deed from Coffin to Iselin, dated Apr. 29, 1884, recorded July 28, 1884, Liber 1048, cp. 310, Westchester County. [Return To Body of Text]

11.       Deed Jan. 20, 1885, rec. Mch. 14, 1885, Liber 1059, cp. 132, Westchester County. [Return To Body of Text]

12.       Deed Apr. 5, 1889 was not recorded, until April 17, 1934, Liber 895, cp. 162, Bronx Registers Convs. [Return To Body of Text]

HUNTER-DESBROSSES FAMILY.

DIGEST OF THE HISTORY OF THIS FAMILY.

Compiled by Lockwood Barr, Pelham Manor, N. Y., 1944, and filed with
New York Historical Society.

V.--John Hunter 3rd (1833-1914) last of family to hold title to Hunter's Island. He resided at Bayard Farm, Throg's Neck--now in the Bronx. See note (c). He was son of

IV.--Elias DesBrosses Hunter (1800-65) and Ann Munro. Resided on Hunter's Island until his death, when Island was sold to Ambrose C. Kingsland. See note (b). He was only child of

III.--John Hunter 2nd (1778-1852) and Elizabeth Desbrosses (1778-1831). He bought Island between 1804 and 1812, and resided there until his death in 1852. See note (a)

                                                           |
                            ________________________________
                            |                                                       |
II.--John Hunter was son of                           Elizabeth Desbrosses
Robert Hunter (1730-1800)                            was daughter of
and Ruth Breck.                                          (d) James Desbrosses, Jr.
He was son of--                                          (1732-1807) and Elizabeth
              |                                                    Butler.
I I.--John Hunter 1st (b. 1700) and Margaret     He was son of--
Brown.                                                                          |
                                                                    James Desbrosses, Sr.
                                                                    (1705-1807) and Magdalen
                                                                              --------.

*108

108       History of the Ancient Town of Pelham. 

                                                                 He was son of--
                                                                                     |
                                                                 Jacques Desbrosses,
                                                                 (b. 1667) and Helene
                                                                  Gaudineau. She was dau. of
                                                                  Dr. Giles Gaudineau, New
                                                                  York City physician.

       (a) John Hunter 2nd (1788-1852) was in the Auctioneer and Commission business in New York City--in partnership with his father Robert. Firm was changed to John Hunter and Co. in 1799, when John was just 21 years old. His father died the next year. Married Elizabeth Desbrosses in 1799. Lived at 5 State Street, where his only child, Elias, was born. Between 1804-1812, bought Hunter's Island. Devoted his time to running his estate, operating his farms on the Mainland, Town of Pelham, and handling the large estate inherited by his wife from her Desbrosses family. She died 1831 and was buried in the Desbrosses vault in Trinity Church, New York City. Interested in politics, being a Senator; member of the board of Supervisors of Westchester 1825 and 1826; and member of the New York State Constitutional Convention in 1846. When he died, he owned besides Hunter's Island, Harts Island, Travers Island, three large farms in Pelham and one on Throg's Neck, several houses, lots and stores in New York City, and an interest in the famous Hardenbergh Patent, covering vast acreage in Sullivan, Greene and Delaware Counties, besides bonds, mortgages, etc.

       (b) Elias Des Brosses Hunter (1800-1865) lived on Hunter's Island until his death, and is buried in a Desbrosses vault in Trinity Church, New York City. Helped his father John 2nd, manage the Island and their several farms. Elias received a life interest in the estate, but John 3rd, his son, was Executor and principal beneficiary under the will of John 2nd. Elias was a Supervisor from New Rochelle, 1837 to 1840, and again 1846-47.

       (c) John Hunter 3rd (1833-1914), the last of the family to hold title to the Island, lived on the Island with his father and grandfather until his marriage in 1852, when he took up residence on Bayard Farm, Throg's Neck, now in the Bronx, then owned by John 2nd, and left to him in his will. It was the hope of John 2nd, that

*109

Hunter's Island--and the Twins       109

his grandson would live on the Island and carry on the family traditions after the death of Elias. However, John 3rd elected to reside on the Bayard Farm, and so, in accordance with the will, the Island was sold. John Hunter 3rd, devoted his time to raising thoroughbred race horses; was one of the organIzers of the Jockey Club, and is credited with having done more than any other man to improve the breed of the American race horse.

       (d) Jacques Desbrosses had two sons, James Sr., who married, and Elias, a bachelor. James Sr. had a son, James Jr., in business with Elias Desbrosses, his uncle. Elias started as a confectioner, but became one of the leading export and import merchants. Elias was Alderman 1767; City Treasurer 1778; President of the Chamber of Commerce 1771-72; Warden of Trinity Church; owner of the famous Hardenbergh Patent, covering vast acreage in New York State; and one of the largest owners of New York City real estate at the time of his death in 1778. James Sr. died in 1781, reputed to have left an estate of one million dollars. Executor of these two estates, and the principal beneficiary, was James Jr. When he died in 1807, he left as heirs, two daughters, one being Elizabeth Desbrosses. She married in 1799, and died in 1831, when her estate came to her husband, John Hunter.

RECORD OF TRANSFERS OF HUNTER'S ISLAND
FROM 1654 TO 1895.

Since every deed transferring the Island was not filed, it is not possible to fix exactly, the date of each transfer; however, ownership of Hunter's Island, compiled from books giving the early history of Westchester, old maps, and archives of the County, follows:

       1654-1739.--Island named for John Hunter, whose family owned the Island 1812-1868. It was part of tract Thomas Pell bought from Indians in 1654. Sir John Pell, 2nd Lord, inherited the Island as part of the estate of his uncle, Thomas, who died 1669. Thomas, 3rd Lord, inherited the Island as part of estate of his father, Sir

*110

110       History of the Ancient Town of Pelham.

John, who died 1719. Joshua inherited the Island as part of his share of the estate of his father, Thomas, 3rd Lord.

       1739.--Will of Thomas, 3rd Lord, dated Sept. 3, 1739, says Joshua was left nothing, save a small sum of money, since Joshua was then already in possession of his share of the estate, which share presumably included this Island. Bolton, Vol. II, p. 63.

       1743.--Island was in possession of Joshua Pell in 1743, and from him it passed to Appleby, to Hunt, to Henderson, then to John Hunter. No proof that Appleby owned the Island has been found, except that the Island is so named on ancient maps, and so named in subsequent deeds.

       1743-1776.--Island passed from Appleby to Jesse Hunt, High Sheriff of Westchester 1781-1785, and a Supervisor of County from Rye 1785-86. No deed to Hunt found.

       1779.--Benjamin Palmer, a proprietor of City Island, captured by British and forced in early part of 1779 to cut wood on Jesse Hunt's Island, according to his petition to Geo. Washington, asking reimbursement for his losses during Revolution.

       1784.--Jesse Hunt resided in New Rochelle until 1784, when he purchased property in Rye, where he died in 1800.

       1795.--Jesse Hunt had a son, Thomas Hunt, to whom the Island passed. In 1795 John Blagge mortgaged the Island to Thomas Hunt (evidently purchase money mortgage). Thomas Hunt took it back, in connection with the sale of the Island to Blagge. No deed from Hunt to Blagge found.

Following record from 1797 to 1879 compiled by County Clerk Westchester:

       1797.--John Blagge sold to Alexander Henderson, an "Island commonly called Appleby's Island." Deed dated Jan. 17, 1797, and recorded Jan. 24., 1797, Liber M, p. 92. Map dated 1798 shows Island as Henderson's.

       1804.--Alexander Henderson adopted a young man, named him William, and reared him as his son. Alexander Henderson died Dec. 24, 1804. William inherited his property, and died 1812.

*111

Hunter's Island--and the Twins       111

       1804-1812.--William Henderson conveyed the Island to John Hunter. No deed has been found. In deed of subsequent sale is ". . . tracts of land conveyed to John Hunter by William Henderson . . now known by name of Hunter's Island, and formerly by name of Henderson's or Appleby's Island . . . being same premises conveyed by Thomas Hunt to John Blagge, and by him to Alexander Henderson. . ."

       1815.--Will of Alexander Henderson dated December 1804, filed by John Hunter to clear title.

       1852.--John Hunter died Sept. 12, 1852. Left life interest in his estate to only child, Elias Des Brosses Hunter.

       1865.--Elias Des Brosses Hunter died March 22, 1865. His son, John 3rd, under will of John Hunter, was offered the Island if he would make it his place of residence; otherwise Island was to be sold.

       1866.--John Hunter 3rd elected to remain on Bayard Farm. Other heirs transferred to John, as Executor, their rights, etc., clearing way for sale of Island. John Hunter 3rd, as Executor, sold to Ambrose C. Kingsland--one time Mayor of New York City--Hunter's Island and two small islands called The Twins, etc. The Deed dated September 4, 1866, recorded October 20, 1866, Liber 611, p. 374.

       1868.--Ambrose C. Kingsland sold Island to Alvin Higgins. Deed dated April 16, 1868, rec. Dec. 14, 1868, Liber 695, p. 220.

       1879.--Alvin Higgins sold Island to Gardinir Jorden. The Deed dated January 16, 1879 was rec. January 18, 1879, Liber 961, p. 89.

       Note: Here ends record compiled by County Clerk, Westchester County, White Plains, New York, dated June 8, 1944.

*       *       *

       Following record 1882-1889, compiled by Register City of NewYork (Bronx) July 6, 1944: ". . . a search of the Index of Westchester Conveyances in our office

*112

112       History of the Ancient Town of Pelham.

fails to show any Deed from Gardinir Jorden to C. Oliver Iselin of the said property. . ."

*       *       *

       1881.--C. Oliver Iselin purchased from the Executors of Ambrose C. Kingsland, certain properties and rights attached to the Island. The deed dated October 28, 1881 and recorded November 14, 1881 in the Register's Office of Westchester Co., Liber 1000, p. 457. These rights were conveyed also to Frederick de P. Foster, in the deed dated November 1, 1882.

       1882.--C. Oliver Iselin sold undivided half interest in Island, to Frederick de P. Foster. Deed dated Nov. 1, 1882, recorded Nov. 6, 1882, Liber 1017 cp. 153, Westchester Co. Convs.

       1882.--Frederick de P. Foster to Fanny Garner Iselin, wife of C. Oliver Iselin. Deed dated November 2, 1882, recorded November 11, 1882, Liber 1015, cp. 368, Westchester Co. An undivided half-interest in property.

       1884.--Fanny Garner Iselin to John F. Coffin, deed dated April 29, 1884, recorded July 28, 1884, Liber 1048, cp. 322, Westchester Co.--"undivided half interest, etc."

       1884.--John F. Coffin to C. Oliver Iselin, deed dated April 29, 1884, recorded July 28, 1884, Liber 1048, cp. 310--"undivided half interest, etc."

       Note: Object of transfers of an undivided half-interest in Island by Iselin and wife in 1882, was to vest the property in husband and wife, as tenants in common. Husband and wife could not convey property between themselves, they being one person legally. Transfer had to be effected through a third person.

       1885.--Patent granted by People of New York, dated January 20, 1885, recorded March 14, 1885, Liber l059, cp. 132, Westchester County. Rights to land under water between low and high tide, adjacent to Island.

       1888.--New York City began acquiring land along the Shore of Long Island Sound, and adjacent islands in Westchester and Bronx, for future park development.

       1889.--C. 0liver Iselin to City of New York by Deed Block 5650, dated April 5, 1889, recorded April 17, I934, Liber 895, cp.

*113

Hunter's Island--and the Twins       113

162, Bronx County Register; Hunter's Island, the Twins, etc., with land under water, the Causeway, etc. 161 acres more or less--described as "Title to certain land, in Pelham Bay Park, Map Nos. 7, 71/2 and 8. . ." The consideration $324,292.70.

       Here ends the record from 1882 to 1889, compiled by Register of the City of New York, County of the Bronx.

*       *       *

       1895.--Boundary line between Westchester and Bronx shifted to where it now is, placing Island in the Bronx.

       1937.--When the City developed Pelham Bay Park, the stretch of water .between Hunter's Island and the land opposite City Island Bridge, was filled, converting the Island into a peninsula. This provided the great public Orchard Bathing Beach and the acres of parking space required by private automobiles. The Island was converted into a public picnic grounds, and in 1937 the Park Department tore down the old Mansion.

*       *       *

TRAVERS ISLAND--ORIGINALLY HOG ISLAND.

(New York Athletic Club.)

       At the end of Pelhamdale Avenue, in Pelham Manor, lies Travers Island, the summer club house and great playing fields of the New York Athletic Club. The narrow strip of water originally making it an Island was filled in, converting this tract into a peninsula.

       On early maps of this section is shown Hog Island, being part of the original grant to Thomas Pell. Having been sold by one of the descendants of John Pell, 2nd Lord of the Manor, this Island passed through several hands.

       On August 10, 1836, the island was sold by William E. Sheffield and his wife, Mary, and Rhoda Silliman, to Elias D. Hunter, son of John Hunter of Hunter's

*114

114       History of the Ancient Town of Pelham.

Island. Subsequently, John Hunter acquired Hogg Island from his son, Elias, for in the will of John Hunter dated May 13, 1852, it provided that ". . . I give and devise unto Mary Mills, now residing with me, the use and enjoyment of the Island formerly called Hogg Island, purchased by me from Capt. Sheffield, and the land purchased by me from Elbert Roosevelt, contiguous thereto, up to the Post Road, as long as she shall remain unmarried, and upon her death or marriage, I give and devise the same unto my grandson, John Hunter forever. . ."

       The New York Athletic Club purchased from the estate of John Hunter, on January 13, 1887, the Island and some acreage on the adjacent mainland, partly in the Town of Pelham and partly in New Rochelle. The property was then known as Edgemere.

       The name was changed to Travers Island, in honor of William R. Travers, president of the Club until 1886, when the project to establish the summer residence was started. The first club house on Travers Island was opened June 15, 1889, and the present club house was opened June 29, 1907.

*115

CHAPTER XI.

The Village of Pelham Manor.
(Incorporated 1891.)

       THE designation of The Manor when referring to holdings of the Pell family, was in common usage until 1788, when Westchester County was divided into townships, and the Town of Pelham was founded. Subsequently, the designation was lost for nearly a century--but not forgotten.

       In the section of the Town of Pelham now known as The Manor, a real estate development was promoted in 1873, known as The Pelham Manor & Huguenot Heights Association. The properties owned by members of that Association, were incorporated in the Village of Pelham Manor in 1891. Subsequently other subdivisions were promoted and incorporated into the Village until, by 1915, the Village of Pelham Manor included that part of the Town bounded by the New York City Line, by Long Island Sound, by New Rochelle, by the Village of Pelham, and by Hutchinson River.

       The dividing line between Pelham Manor and the Village of Pelham is the southern edge of Colonial, since that Avenue lies entirely within the Village of Pelham. The dividing line between the Village of Pelham Manor and the City of New Rochelle is discussed under the chapter on the Town of Pelham. The

*116

116       History of the Ancient Town of Pelham.

southern boundary of the Village of Pelham Manor, extending from the Sound to the Hutchinson River, is now part of the northern boundary of New York City. It was established by an Act of the Legislature, June 6, 1895, fixing the Westchester-Bronx Counties line. Parallel to and some 250 feet south of that line is the northern boundary of the Pelham Bay Park. Between Pelham Manor and Pelham Bay Park of the City of New York, there is a strip of land, some 250 feet wide, by 6,6oo feet long--about 24 acres--which is in the City of New York, but is not in the Park. It belongs to private owners. Maps of Pelham Manor real estate developments along this boundary line show that deadend streets, building lots, and even a few houses which are entirely in New York City, lie within this strip. Since this No-Man's-Land also involves the Town of Pelham, this matter is discussed under the chapter on the Town of Pelham.

       The Village of Pelham Manor is governed by a Mayor* and Board of Trustees, all of whom serve without pay. The Village maintains a. paid Police department, paid fire department, paid street department. The Village operates an incinerator plant, located near the Hutchinson River and the Boston Post Road. This plant also serves the other two Villages. It is interesting to compare early maps of the Town of Pelham and surrounding communities with present automobile road maps, and try to visualize the amazing changes in the flow of traffic which have taken place within the village; the changes after the New Haven Main Line railroad came in 1848; the Branch Line in 1873; and finally the influence exerted by through
_____________
       *See List of Mayors, page 171,

*PLATE XXIII

[Map Showing Proposed Pelham Manor, Huguenot Heights, and Pelhamville, Bounded by New Rochelle]

[In Upper Right Corner of Map Appears the Following:]

SCALE
120 RODS TO ONE INCH

[In Lower Right Corner of Map Appears the Following:]

1873
MAP
SHOWING LOCATION OF LANDS
OF THE
PELHAM MANOR
AND
HUGUENOT HEIGHTS
ASSOCIATION
STEPHENS BROTHERS & CO.
Managing Agents
197 Broadway
NY CITY

[In Lower Left Corner of Map Appears the Following:]

NEW YORK CITY ON THE SOUND
PELHAM MANOR & HUGUENOT HEIGHTS
QUICK TRANSIT
ALREADY SECURED
BETWEEN
LOWER AND CENTRAL NEW YORK CITY AND
THIS BEAUTIFUL SUBURB

           One hour only                 |             Thirty five Minutes
        from Wall Street                 |        from Grand Central Depot
                   on                          |                       on
      Harlem River Branch             |           New York, New Haven
      Railroad & Express [ZZZZ]    |             & Hartford Railroad
 

[Caption Beneath Map Reads as Follows:]

MAP 1873, PELHAM MANOR & HUGUENOT HEIGHTS ASSOCIATION, SHOWN IN PROSPECTUS--OWNED BY NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY

PLATE XXIII

*117

The Village of Pelham Manor.       117

traffic to and from New York City and New England.

       When the Town of Pelham was erected in 1788 there were then three old roads--originally Indian Trails--all near the outer edges of what is now the Village of Pelham Manor. These were: (1) the outside Shore Road, from the mouth of the Hutchinson River to the "Boat Landing," on the Sound near Glen Island in New Rochelle,

       (2) the Old Trail, which became Split Rock Road and Wolf Lane, parallel to the Hutchinson River, and

       (3) Westchester Path, from East Chester to New Rochelle. This was later known as Kings Highway in New Rochelle, and The Post Road in the Pelhams (now Colonial Avenue). In the early days there was no trail corresponding to the present Boston Post Road through Pelham Manor. When the Beech Tree Lane section of Pelham Manor was developed in 1926-27 there still remained an outline of an old dirt road, parallel to Park Lane, which could be traced by the line of Beech trees and old walls made of great glacial boulders, from Manor Circle down the valley of Nellie's Brook, to the Shore Road at a point just north of Hunter's Island.

       John Hunter of Hunter's Island, in his will dated May 13, 1852, disposed of his large farm known as the Provost Farm, on the Mainland, in the Town of Pelham, at the Hutchinson River near the point where the Boston Post Road crosses the River. Hunter recognized the necessity of granting right of way and access from the Shore Road to that farm--across a second farm he owned, known as the Sackett Farm. So, in his

*118

118       History of the Ancient Town of Pelham.

will, he provided: ". . . right of way with Cattle and teams over the lane now used by me across my farm, commonly called and known as the Sackett Farm, situated in the said Town of Pelham, opposite Hunter's Island and between the farms of Mr. Thacker and Elbert Roosevelt, and also right of way from said lane through the woods of Said Sackett Farm to and from the Provost Farm. . ."

       These Hunter tracts are now part of the Split Rock Road Golf Course of Pelham Bay Park, and the Hutchinson River Parkway. A map, dated 1853, shows the dirt road running from Hunter's Island, over towards the old Split Rock Road on Prospect Hill. This dirt lane was closed when Pelham Bay Park Golf Course was built, but the bridge over the tracks of the New Haven Railroad Branch, and its earthen approaches, still stand, south of the Pelham Manor Line.

       There was no trail or early road across the Town of Pelham, that would correspond to the present Pelhamdale Avenue. When Elbert Roosevelt, in 1800, purchased his tract of 250 acres on the Mainland, opposite Travers Island and Hunter's Island, the northern boundary of his property was evidently an old dirt road--now Pelhamdale Avenue--beginning at the Shore Road, near the present boundary line between New Rochelle and the Village of Pelham Manor, and running north to where is now Hillcrest. When the New Haven Railroad, Harlem Division, opened the Pelham Manor Station in 1873, Pelhamdale was extend.ed from the Shore Road to that Railroad Station, and reached the Boston Post Road soon thereafter, as is shown on maps of The Pelham Manor & Huguenot Heights Association.

*119

The Village of Pelham Manor.       119

       On the Bromley map of the Town of Pelham, dated 1881, Pelhamdale then crossed Colonial Avenue, diagonally through the back corner of the present High School property, intersecting Wolf Lane near 2nd Street, Village of Pelham, not far from the Pelham Picture House. On this old map that section of the Village of Pelham (now The Heights), between 2nd Street and Colonial, appeared the name "Pelhamdale" while the word "Avenue" was in Pelham Manor. The road was named from the old Philip Pell stone house, called Pelham Dale. When Pelham Heights was developed, after 1890, and the Village of Pelham incorporated in 1896, the diagonal cut was eliminated and Pelhamdale was cut through to the New Haven Main Line Railroad Station.

       Col. Philip Pell III (1753-1811), one of Pelham's most distinguished residents, had a home at Cliff and Colonial Avenues, Pelham. It was destroyed in 1888. This Philip was the son of Philip II, son of Philip I, son of Thomas, 3rd Lord of the Manor of Pelham. There is still standing near Hutchinson River Parkway, not far from the Christian Science Church in Pelham Manor, the old stone house of Philip II. It is the only pre-Revolutionary mansion still standing in Pelham Manor. It was erected around 1750-60.

       This old stone house is on a small triangular tract bounded by Carol Place, Iden Avenue and the Hutchinson Parkway. It is all that remains of the original large farm, which was bounded by "the old Boston Post Road, the Lane, the new turnpike to Boston and the River." After the Revolution, Col. David Pell, another son of Philip Pell II, lived in the old homestead until his death in 1823. He is buried in St. Paul's.

*120

120       History of the Ancient Town of Pelham.

       His widow sold the tract to James Hay, who named the place Pelham Dale. In the north wall of this house is imbedded a large piece of red sandstone on which is cut in relief the coat-of-arms of the Hay family.

       The Hay family coat-of-arms was granted by King Kenneth III of Scotland, in 980 A.D. to the first Hay and his two sons, who saved the life of the King in the battle against the Danes, at Lancaster Pirth. See Bolton's History of Westchester, Vol. II, p. 69; Vermont's America Heraldica, p. 40; Eaton's History of Reading, Mass.; Burke's General Armory of England; Book of Family Crests.

       Pelham Dale was one of the magnificent country estates of Westchester. It has passed through many ownerships; yet today, in spite of its use and abuse, it still is a fine example of the mansions of its day. Numerous unsuccessful attempts have been made to interest some patriotic society in purchasing this old Pell place and restoring it as a historic museum for the Pelhams.

       In 1837, the Reverend Robert Bolton bought from Elbert Roosevelt, a tract of 33 acres, more or less, at the Shore Road and Pelhamdale. He built a house after the style of an early English country mansion, and named it The Priory. The entrance was originally on the Shore Road, west of the corner of Pelhamdale Avenue, running up by the Lake to The Priory, situated on the crown of the hill in the center of the tract, which has a fine view of the Sound. Scharf, Vol. II, page 708, says The Priory land was the corner of a tract of 250 acres on the Shore, opposite Hunter's Island, purchased in 1800 for $25 an acre, by Elbert Roosevelt, from a William Bailey, who had

*121

The Village of Pelham Manor.       121

bought the land after the Revolution at $5.20 an acre--the tract having been confiscated because its owner was pro-British--presumably a member of the Pell family.*

       The Rev. Robert Bolton was Rector of old St. Paul's, East Chester, from-1837 through 1843. Soon after beginning The Priory in 1837, he made plans for a small Episcopal Church to serve Pelham. He donated the land in the corner of his tract--some 3 acres---and through the efforts of his own family, the cornerstone of Christ Church in Pelham, was laid April 28, 1843. He and his sons did most of the work of erecting the structure, the decorative carving, and some of the stained glass windows.

       About the same time, the Bolton family built a small stone building for a public school for the Parish. The Bolton daughters taught there until 1866, when the school was discontinued, as the Town, sometimes prior to that date, had opened a public school in the Prospect Hill section.

       In the office of the County Clerk, Westchester, Liber 640 , page 54, is recorded a deed dated March 27, 1867, from John Hunter 3rd, and Anne M., his wife, to Nanette Anne Bolton, conveying a triangular piece of land, lying and being at that date in the City of New Rochelle (now in Pelham Manor) a short distance northeasterly from the brick and stone building formerly used as a school house, to paraphrase the wording of that deed. This tract, Miss Bolton in turn donated to Christ Church, Pelham. The plot was a triangular one, with its short base on the Shore Road, its perpendicular side being formed by the western edge of what is now Pelhamdale, and the third side, op-
____________
       *See page 174.

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122       History of the Ancient Town of Pelham.

posite the large angle--being the then existing frontage of the Church property. The story of the boundary line between Pelham and New Rochelle is set forth under the chapter on the Town of Pelham.

       Besides Christ Church, the Bolton family was instrumental in the establishment of two other churches in the Town of Pelham. The Church of the Redeemer in North Pelham (then Pelhamville) had its origin in 1859 as a Sunday School, started by the daughters of Rev. Robert Bolton. In 1864, a Chapel was erected. Grace Church in City Island was established with the help of the Bolton family in 1862, City Island then being part of the Town of Pelham.

       Soon after Rev. Robert Bolton had built Christ Church and The Priory, one of his friends in Savannah, Georgia, asked that his daughter be taken into the family to share the schooling given by the Rev. Bolton to his eight daughters and five sons. That was the beginning of the Priory School for Young Ladies. Rev. Robert Bolton died in England, August 19, 1857, but the School was continued by Nanette Anne Bolton until 1881. Among the pupils had been Adele Livingston Sampson, who became the wife of Frederic W. Stevens. Because of her attachment for the place, Mrs. Stevens bought The Priory on August 8, 1883, from Miss Botton. She presented it to her daughter, Mrs. Frederick H. Allen, as a wedding gift, and it has since remained in the Allen family.

       When the Boltons began their development, there was an old settlement along the Shore Road in New Rochelle. From the Pelham line south to the Hutchinson River there were large farms and estates with impressive old manor houses. All of these have now

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The Village of Pelham Manor.       123

vanished, except the Bartow Mansion, which stands near the site where Sir John Pell, the 2nd Lord of the Manor, had his Manor House. There was then the great Mansion on Hunter's Island, which was destroyed in 1937 by the New York City Park Department. Other estates on the mainland were DeLancey; Anderson; Rogers; Wood; Raymond; Morris. All this property, of course, was absorbed in 1888 by New York City for future park development and is now incorporated in Pelham Bay Park.

       Subsequently there will be presented a summary of the real estate developments now included in the Village of Pelham Manor, but there are two projects which should be mentioned at this point, for they were the nucleus around which grew the present Village. A map by William Bryson was filed August 11, 1852 , entitled "Map of Prospect Hill Village, Town of Pelham, Westchester County, Now York." That was the section of Pelham Manor on the crown of the ridge near the Boston Post Road, bounded by what are now Highland, Prospect, Esplanade, New Haven Branch, Washington and Old Split Rock Road. It was a very old settlement, as indicated by early maps. This section was not incorporated in the Village of Pelham Manor until 1915, at which date all the remaining tracts in the Town which had not been incorporated were brought into the Village of Pelham Manor.

       The second project was the Pelham Manor C_ Huguenot Heights ,Association with a capital of $1,000,000, organized June 3, 1873. The promoters were Silas H. Witherbee, Henry C. Stephens, Robert A. Mitchill, Charles J. Stephens, Charles F. Heywood and others who owned large tracts in that section of the

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124       History of the Ancient Town of Pelham.

Town, now Pelham Manor. The map of this Association shows that it was originally planned to subdivide nearly all the land now occupied by the Manor (except Prospect Hill Village) together with nearly all the tract of land lying between Colonial Avenue and the Main Line of the New Haven, namely, the present Village of Pelham. On the map of the prospectus the words "Pelham Manor" were shown, where is now the Manor; and "Huguenot Heights," where is now the Village of Pelham, or "The Heights."

       Pelham Manor & Huguenot Heights Association, on October 30th, 1874, drew up articles looking towards the erection of a Community Church out of which came the Huguenot Memorial Church (Presbyterian) now located at Pelhamdale and the Post Road, Pelham Manor. The church was opened July 9, 1876, with Rev. Charles E. Lord, the Pastor. The present stone Church Building was dedicated June 10, 1917, and the Church House was built in 1932. When the site of the proposed Church building was originally discussed there was considerable opposition to the location, for the reason that the site was too far from the center of population of the community, then near the present Manor Club.

       The affairs of the Pelham Manor Huguenot Heights Association did not prosper. There is a map by Horace Crosby, filed in Westchester July 1, 1875, entitled: Map of Chestnut Grove Division--as subdivided into 225 plots of land of The Pelham Manor Huguenot Heights Association, Pelham, Westchester County, N.Y. A large part of this tract was acquired by Silas Witherbee, which subsequently was inherited by his daughter, Mrs. Robert Black.

*PLATE XXIV

[Map Showing Prospect Hill, Proposed Chestnut Grove Division, Proposed Mansion Place and Location of Pelham Country Club]

[Caption Appearing Beneath Map Reads as Follows:]

Town Of Pelham (1899) Atlas of Mt. Vernon and Town of Pelham By John F. Fairchild

PLATE XXIV

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The Village of Pelham Manor.       125

       The Esplanade now extends from the Hutchinson Parkway to the New Haven Branch Line--the land being donated by the Black and Witherbee interests, according to traditions. The map of 1876 of the Pelham Manor & Huguenot Heights Association proposed development shows that it was planned to extend the Esplanade from the Hutchinson River down to the Sound. Park Lane was opened around 1896 as a lane to the Sound through New York City Park holdings, by Wm. B. Randall. Park Lane occupies the proposed position of the Esplanade, from the Harlem Branch of the New Haven Railroad to the Sound. The construction of the New Haven Branch Line in 1873 made necessary a bridge to carry the Esplanade over the Railroad, but the expense was prohibitive. A map of 1874 shows the Esplanade beginning at the Branch Line and ending at the Boston Post Road. Maps of the 1880's show the Esplanade extending down to the Hutchinson River.

       The groves of trees between the Harlem Branch and the Sound were once a favorite picnic ground. The old trees bear the scars of amateurs who carved their initials--and worse--in the bark. Near the sidewalk on the curved plot between Park Lane and Beech Tree Lane, bearing the house number 16 Beech Tree Lane, stands a great beech with the initials "J H" carved on the east and west sides. Early maps show this tree to be a Surveyor's Corner, for at that point there was a bend in the boundary of a tract owned by John Hunter, extending from the Sound to the Harlem Branch Railroad.

       Another interesting mark is "Isaac Roosevelt 1833," carved on a boulder at the edge of the Sound, just south

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126       History of the Ancient Town of Pelham.

of the Pelham Manor Line. As already related, the Roosevelt family, around 1800, purchased the great tract bounded by the Shore Road, Pelhamdale Avenue and what is now the Branch Line. On an eminence on the edge of the Sound, now in New York City, just south of the Pelham Manor line, Elbert Roosevelt built his home. In Christ Church, Pelham, there is a memorial tablet to Isaac Roosevelt (son of Elbert), who died in Pelham, September 30th, 1856, aged 43 years (born 1813). So, when Isaac Roosevelt carved his name on the boulder in 1833 he was just 20 years old. Records of the Church show that Isaac Roosevelt was one of the organizers of Christ Church, serving as Vestryman and as Treasurer from its formation, until his death. The site of the old Roosevelt home on the Shore Road is now included in Pelham Bay Park.

       After the American Revolution Col. Aaron Burr and his wife occasionally spent part of their summers in Pelham, residing in a house long since vanished, which then stood where the present Boston Post Road crosses the Hutchinson River. This statement is upon the authority of the book, Westchester County during the American Revolution, by Otto Hufeland, p. 278-81.

       Aaron Burr's wife, Theodosia, was the daughter of Theodosius Bartow, and cousin of John Bartow, son of Theophilus Bartow, who owned Bartow Mansion on the Shore Road. She had married 1st, James Marcus Prevost, a British Army officer who died 1779, leaving two sons. In 1782 Widow Theodosia married 2nd, Col. Aaron Burr--he then being twenty-five, and she ten years his senior. To this marriage in 1783 was born one child, the lovely Theodosia Burr who mysteriously disappeared at sea in 1813.

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The Village of Pelham Manor.       127

       One of the sons of widow Theodosia, by her Prevost husband, owned a large farm near the Hutchinson River, the Boston Post Road and Split Rock Road, in the Town of Pelham, with a fine old pre-Revolutionary home on it. When visiting Pelham Theodosia and Col. Burr were guests at this home of her son--or at her cousins', the Bartows, in their Mansion on the Shore. After Aaron Burr killed Alexander Hamilton in their duel in 1804, Aaron Burr lived in seclusion for a while at the Bartow town house on Spring Street, New York City. The Prevost Farm subsequently was owned by John Hunter, Esq. of Hunter's Island.

*       *       *

       FIRST CHURCH OF CHRIST, SCIENTIST, PELHAM, was formed April 20, 1928 and was incorporated on July 31, 1928. Services were first held in the Manor Club, Pelham Manor; and then from July 1933 to November 1936 in the Masonic Temple, North Pelham. The Reading Room, first opened in the Brook Building in May 1928, was moved to Wolf Lane, Pelham, in April 1930. The lot at Wolf Lane, Colonial Avenue and Carol Place, in Pelham Manor, was bought in July 1929, the funds for the building having been given by a member. The cornerstone of the Church was laid July 13, 1935 and the first service was held in the new edifice November 3, 1935. The church being free from debt, was dedicated May 7, 1944.

REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENTS IN PELHAM MANOR.

       The Register's Office, Westchester County, White Plains, New York, maintains an Index of Maps filed. These maps have been published in large bound

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128       History of the Ancient Town of Pelham.

volumes for use by real estate brokers, insurance companies, banks, and others. There is an Atlas of Towns of Westchester County, by G. M. Hopkins Co., Philadelphia; also an Atlas of Maps of Mount Vernon and the Town of Pelham, put out by John Fairchild. Study of these maps indicates that Pelham Manor developments came out of large holdings by the estates of Mrs. Robert C. Black and Silas H. Witherbee, the Secor family, the Roosevelts, Couderts, Hay, and others.

       From these and other sources there has been compiled the following summary of maps of the many real estate developments which have taken place in that section of the Town of Pelham which is now the Village of Pelham Manor:

       Map filed Aug. 11, 1852--Prospect Hill Village: bounded by Highland, Prospect, Esplanade, New Haven Branch Railroad, Washington, Split Rock Road.

       Map dated June 3, 1873--The Pelham Manor Huguenot Heights Association: incorporating nearly all the property now in the Village of Pelham Manor and in the Village of Pelham.

       Map dated Apr. 3, 1874--Roosevelt, Chas. H.: Tract on the Sound opposite Roosevelt Ave., south of New York Athletic Club.

       Map filed July 1, 1875--Chestnut Grove Division of property of The Pebham Manor & Huguenot Heights Asoociation: bounded by Pelhamdale, Esplanade, Prospect, Highland and Boston Post Road.

       Map filed Feb. 5, 1889--Robert C. Black, Beech Tree Lane district: developed after 1927.

       Map filed Oct. 1l, 1890--Anna M. Secor property.

       Map filed June 18, 1892--Parkside section: south of Prospect Hill.

       Map dated Sept. 29, 1894--Rosedale: section south towards the Shore Road.

       Developments having to do with land adjoining the Pelham Bay Park were Parkside Land & Improvement Co., map filed June 18, 1892; and Pelham Bay Park Land Co., map filed July 24, 1902.

       Map filed June 11, 1894--Coudert Park: bounded by Hutchinson River, Wolf Lane, Esplanade.

       Map filed Sept. 4, 1894. and Sept. 6, 1901--Mansion Place: bounded by Post Road, along Esplanade, Manor Lane.

       Map filed May 27, 1895, 1899, 1926--Pelham Manor Park No. 1: bounded by Hutchinson River, Esplanade, Wolf Lane, Secor Lane.

       Map filed Oct. 11, 1901 and Feb. 16, 1905--Manor Heights: bounded by Colonial, Rochelle Terrace, Poet Road, Pelham Manor Road.

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The Village of Pelham Manor.       129

       Map filed Dec. 24, 1903--Glen Mitchill: bounded by Monterey, Pelham Manor Road, Colonial.

       Map filed Sept. 24, 1904--Windsor Heights: section south and east of Prospect Hill village.

       Map filed Feb. 16, 1905--Fairlawn Terrace, bounded by Colonial, Iden, Reid, Wolf Lane.

       Map filed July 13, 1906--Secor Realty Co.: western part Pelham Manor.

       Map filed Feb. 8, 1907--Wm. B. Randall: Hermitage tract in Park Lane, extending to Beech Tree Lane.

       Map filed May 25, 1908--Roosevelt Park.

       Map dated Sept. 7, 1910--Roosevelt Heights: Bolton Road and Roosevelt Ave. section, from Pelhamdale towards the Sound.

       Map dated Oct. 24, 1912--Pelham Country Club.

       Map dated Aug. 4, 1922--Mt. Tom section: Hillcrest, Rockledge, Mt. Tom (developed after 1925).

       Map dated Aug. 16, 1924 and June 4, 1926--Manor Circle: off Pelhamdale, east of Branch Line of New Haven.

       Map filed May 27, 1926--Beech Tree Lane section: original map filed by R. C. Black, Feb. 5, 1889.

       Map filed in 1923--Bon Mar Road: tract north Pelhamdale, opposite Black Street.

       Map dated May 20, 1926--Circle Hill: Street south of Pelhamdale.

       Map filed in 1933--Country Club Lane: tract bounded on north by Pelham Country Club.
__________

AARON BURR VISITED PELHAM

       Aaron.Burr was a frequent visitor in .Pelham--according to traditions of the Manor--his hosts being the Bartow family and his step-son Augustine Prevost who owned the Shrubbery located near the present Boston Post Road Bridge over the Hutchinson River.

       Aaron Burr in 1782 married Theodosia Bartow, widow of Col. Frederick Prevost--a British officer by whom she had two sons. Theodosia was the daughter of Theodosius Bartow . . . the uncle of John Bartow of the Bartow Mansion on the Shore Road. John Bartow in 1790 bought the tract on which had stood the Mansion Honse of Sir John Pell, 2nd Lord.

       Aaron Burr (1756-1836) was the son. of the Rev. Aaron Burr, President of Princeton where Burr had graduated in 1772. Burr joined Washington's Army in 1775 at Cambridge, served with Arnold in Canada; with Washington at Valley Forge; and in 1779 he was in charge of the Westchester County Line facing the British in New York City. Aaron Burr was an able, efficient officer distinguished for his bravery. Resigned in 1779. Washington ". . . had no trust in him." Member of New York Assembly 1784; Attorney General New York 1789; U.S. Senator 1796; Vice President U.S. 1800. Duel with Alexander Hamilton on 11 July 1804 ended his political career.

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CHAPTER XII.

The Village of North Pelham.
(Once Pelhamville.)

       THE Village of North Pelham was incorporated August 29, 1896. The boundaries are now the New Haven Railroad, the Hutchinson River and the New Rochelle line. The Village is governed by a Board of Trustees and Mayor,* who are paid salaries. The Village maintains its own paid police department and paid street department, and utilizes the incinerator plant of Pelham Manor for garbage disposal. Fire protection is provided by Fire District No. 1, Town of Pelham, which serves both North Pelham and the Village of Pelham.

       Within and part of the Village of North Pelham are two restricted residential areas--Chester Park in the northern tip, a map of which was filed August 20, 1891, and Pelhamwood, once property owned by. Col. Richard Lathers, being the triangular tract bounded by the Railroad, the Boston & Westchester, Harmon Avenue, and the New Rochelle line. A map of this latter promotion was filed April 7, 1910, and also November 10, 1921, in the Register's Office, Westchester County, White Plains.

       These two residential districts formed protective civic organizations--the Pelhamwood Association on
________
       *See List of Mayors, page 170.

*131

The Village of North Pelham.       131

May 12, 1912, and the Chester Heights Association on September 24, 1912.

       Col. Richard Lathers had owned an estate in Winyah Parish, South Carolina, and so, called his Pelham and New Rochelle holdings, Winyah Park. An undated item in the New York Times, published between 1906 and 1909, reads: "William Bradley Randall; Charles T. Barney, Pres. Knickerbocker Trust Co.; Col. Walloch of Walloch & Cook, attorneys; Frederick L. Eldridge, V. P. Knickerbocker Trust Co., have purchased from Richard Lathers Estate, the tract of land known as Winyah Park, Pelham, opposite the New Haven Railroad Station. It contains 132 acres of rolling land (part of this land was in New Rochelle). They have incorporated a land improvement company known as the Winyah Park Realty Co. The company intends to lay out the property as a high class residential park. John H. Murphy was the broker that put the deal through for the Lathers Estate. Mr. Murphy has been made a Director of the company. Washington L. Jaques, proprietor of the Murray Hill Hotel, and Thos. Leclaire Jaques, President of the Village of Pelham (1906-1909) have organized a hotel company, with strong financial backing, to erect an up-to-date hotel costing $350,000 and containing 300 rooms. They have taken an interest in the land syndicate. It is said the property brought $3,000 an acre."

       This project was taken over by the Clifford B. Harmon Co., which developed Pelhamwood. That is where Clifford and Harmon, derived their names. The first reference found in the Westchester archives to the area, now North Pelham, was under the date of March 3, x729, when Thomas Pell, the 3rd Lord of the

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132       History of the Ancient Town of Pelham.

Manor, sold to Edward Blagge, of New York City, a portion ". . . of all that tract of land . . . which lyes on the North side of the Boston Road or Highway, which leads from East Chester to New Rochelle. . ."--in other words, the tract now north of Colonial.

       Sometime after the turn of the century that part of the Town on both sides of the present site of he [sic] Railroad Station became known as Pelhamville. There is a map dated October 11, 1851, showing a sub-division with streets and building plots south of the Station, bounded by Fifth Avenue, by what is now 2nd Street, and extending east to where is now Cliff Avenue. The title on this map is Map of Building Lots, being a Continuation of Pelhamville, Westchester County, the property of John B. Coppinger. On the east was the land of Grenzebach, and on the south the McClellan tract; all of which is now in the Village of Pelham.

       The New Haven Railroad Main Line was opened at the end of December 1848, and the station was called Pelhamville until July 1, 1896 when the station was changed to Pelham. Sometime before 1850-51 there was organized the Pelhamville Village Association, to develop certain tracts of unincorporated property in the Town of Pelham lying north of the Railroad and east of the Hutchinson. This Association purchased Wolf Farm and laid out streets, residential plots, and a business district.

       The Index of Maps, Office of the Register, Westchester County, White Plains, lists the following maps, which help fix some of the dates in the developments in the Village of North Pelham. Pelhamville, June 21, 1851 and July 26, 1893; Map of North Pelham, Town of Pelham, Westchester County, New York, May 13,

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The Village of North Pelham.       133

1892, property of E. Heisser, Pelhamville, New York; The Heisser property Map, August 10, 1906; Pelhamville Land Homestead Map, March 9, 1893; Chester Park, August 20, 1891; Pelhamwood, April 7, 1910; and November 10, 1921.

       A map of the Town of Pelham dated 1881, giving the Pelhamville district, shows three undeveloped tracts at that time. First: the extreme northern tip, now Chester Park, was marked "Andrew Browse," being bounded on the south by what now is approximately 7th Street; Second: a tract marked "Andrew Heisser," bounded on the west by Third Street, on the north by the Browse tract, and on the east by New Rochelle; Third: the triangular tract north of the railroad and west of the New Rochelle line, marked "Col. R. Lathers," now Pelhamwood. Col. Lathers also owned an adjoining tract in New Rochelle.

       In some of the ancient books narrating life in Westchester, there are references to a famous Pelhamville Race Track, where Westchester squires, who bred fasttrotting and pacing horses and were proud of their sporting proclivities, would meet to hold friendly brushes, each driving his own favorite steed; and they do say the side bets were often sizeable! In the map room of the New York Public Library, is a map of Westchester dated 1851, showing this "Race Field" in Pelhamville as being located west of the present New Haven Railroad Station, east of the Hutchinson River, extending from about where is now the old ice plant, up beyond where is now St Catharine's Church. The word "Race" is on the south side, and "Field" on the north side of the New Haven Railroad. Since the Railroad began operation through Pelham in 1848, the

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134.       History of the Ancient Town of Pelham.

Race Field must have been there long before that date.

       Early maps of the Town of Pelham show a trail parallel to the Hutchinson River, established by the Indians, running north and south. It became a country road, taking its name from Anthony Wolf, who owned a farm and had a house which stood not far from 3rd Street and Fifth Avenue, Village of North Pelham. The Wolf house was moved in 1909 to 210 South 6th Avenue, where it still stands. That section of this old "trail, now in North Pelham, is Fifth Avenue; while that part of the old road in the Village of Pelham and Pelham Manor is still called Wolf Lane.

       The Post Office in the building between 1st Street and the New Haven, in North Pelham, is Number One Wolf Lane. The explanation is that the plot on which the building stands was so close to the railroad that it was not believed it would be built upon. When the street numbering system was devised by the Post Office to expedite mail deliveries the buildings on Fifth Avenue, north of First Street, were allotted numbers, the northwest corner of First Street and Fifth Avenue being logically Number One, Fifth Avenue. Consequently, when the Bank Building was erected (now occupied by the Post Office) the only solution then was to give the new building the designation of One Wolf Lane, or renumber the houses on Fifth Avenue.

       The first public school in North Pelham was opened before 1866, and was known as the Pelhamville School. A new school building was opened January 8, 1889. It is now the Hutchinson School on Fourth Street, the modern building having been erected in 1914 and the addition added in 1928.

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The Village of North Pelham.       135

       THE OLD STONE HOUSE.--The old Stone House at 463 First Avenue, corner 6th Street, North Pelham, has accumulated many myths and traditions. The lot now measures 100" x 100". Map 346 of Pelhamville, dated August 4, 1851, by Wm. Bryson, was sold September 8, 1851 to Alexander Diack, by Lewis C. Platt and Henry Marsden, promoters of a real estate development of 1l0 acres, taken over from the Wolf family. The district then, of course, was Pelhamville.

       Alexander Diack was born in Dundee, Scotland, and he copied the house of one of his ancestors. Alexander Diack sold the place to James Diack, his brother, on February 16, 1855. James Parrish in NewYork bought the house, October 15, 1855, and his widow transferred the house to Wm. H. Sparks, in whose home she resided in her later days. After that it passed through many hands until 1920, when it was purchased by Frank Miles Snyder, an architect who had studied abroad. He had great interest and understanding in the old place, and restored it. His family reside there. So much for the cold facts. Now for some fancies--myths--traditions.

       Parrish was said to have employed in his business a truckman named Adams, and with him started an express business as a sideline, which prospered. After Parrish died, his widow received her dividends in gold from the express business. Having been robbed by masked men, she thereafter secreted her gold somewhere, and it is said that a million dollars in gold is hidden in the house, or buried in the gardens. Search has been made of the house, and grounds excavated, but without result. However, underneath a hearthstone in the basement kitchen, a hundred small coins of early

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136       History of the Ancient Town of Pelham.

date were found by one of the owners--but no pot of gold.

       It is tradition among the old-timers that the house is haunted by the ghost of a beautiful lady who appears in broad daylight dressed in the height of fashions of the 1850's. Edward Everett Horton, of cinema fame, is a descendant of one of the Diack family, and some years ago he visited the home of his ancestors. The owner, who had seen the beautiful lady, related her story, describing in detail her costume and its color; whereupon Horton told her that the description fitted exactly a daguerrotype of one of his great grandmothers.

       A title search of the property goes back to 1826, when the tract was a 30-acre plot bounded on the west by the Hutchinson River. Tradition says there was a farmhouse situated near where the Old Stone House now stands. In the early days of the Stone House it did have a frame wing, long since removed, and this might, Of course, have been the original farmhouse.

*       *       *

       CHURCH OF THE REDEEMER.--In the early days of Pelhamville there were no churches. Residents of the district petitioned Christ Church in Pelham Manor to establish a Chapel, and in 1859 a Sunday School was started in Pelhamville by daughters of Rev. Robert Bolton, Rector of Christ Church. Subsequently a congregation was organized and a chapel built and put into service under the guidance of Christ Church. In 1864 a tract of land was bought at Fourth Avenue and Third Street and later a church erected. On February 17, 1872 there was incorporated the Church of the Redeemer. The first Rector was the Rev. Cornelius

*137

The Village of North Pelham.       137

Winter Bolton, son of Rev. Robert Bolton of Christ Church, Pelham. The cornerstone of the present Church House, on Fifth Avenue near the station, was laid September 28, 1928.

*       *       *

       ST. CATHARINE'S CHURCH.--The Parish of St Catharine of Alexandria, in Pelham, was founded as an out-missivn on January 11, 1896 by St. Gabriel's Church, New Rochelle, being made a separate Parish on December 8, 1896, with the Rev. Francis P. McNichol as the Pastor. The land for the Church was given by Patrick and Catherine Farrell, and a temporary Church built. On May 13, 1896 The Pelham Press announced that "The cornerstone of St. Catharine's Church was laid last Sunday, with impressive ceremonies."

       The Rectory was built in 1899. The Church structure was enlarged in 1908. The Lyceum, built in 1901, was converted into a school building and opened in February 1907, with four Sisters in charge. At that time, a Convent was erected for the Sisters of St. Francis. The present school building was completed September 17, 1939. The school is under the supervision of the Regents of the State of New York.

       Monsignor McNichol, the Pastor, became ill, and in January 1939 the Rev. Henry F. Hammer was appointed Administrator. The W. T. Grant home with its large tract of land on the Post Road, Pelham Manor, was given to the Church, and in June 1940 it was opened as the Chapel of Our Lady of Perpetual Help.

       CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH OF THE PELHAMS.--In

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138       History of the Ancient Town of Pelham.

July 1919 The Trinity Congregational Church of New York sold its property and moved to North Pelham, and on December 20, 1919 ten lots were purchased at the corner of Highbrook and Washington Avenues, Pelhamwood. Ground was broken for the present structure in June, 1921. The first service was held in a finished room in the then unfinished basement on December 11, 1921. The name of the Church was changed to the Congregational Church of the Pelhams in April 1922 , and on June 11, 1922 the cornerstone of the present building was laid by the Rev. Newell Dwight Hillis. The first minister was the Rev. William Milton Hess, who came to Pelham with the Mother Church and remained as minister until June 1931.

*139

CHAPTER XIII.

The Village of Pelham.
(Called The Heights.)

       THE Village of Pelham--generally called "The Heights" was incorporated in 1896, by a special Act of the Legislature. It is bounded by the New Rochelle line, the New Haven Railroad, the Hutchinson River and the southern edge of Colonial--all of which Avenue lies within the Village. The Village is governed by a Board of Trustees and Mayor,* who serve without pay. It maintains its own paid police department and paid street department and utilizes the incinerator plant of Pelham Manor for garbage disposal. Fire protection is afforded by Fire District No. 1, Town of Pelham.

       The tract near the station was known as the Johnson property. The McClellan property was to the south. The Henry Grenzebach tract was on the east end, towards New Rochelle. Benjamin L. Fairchild, who had real estate interests in Mr. Vernon, secured control of the Grenzebach and McClellan tracts. Benjamin F. Corlies, of Pelham Manor, secured control of the Johnson tract. Fairchild, Corlies and their associates, with John Fairchild as engineer, in 1889, laid out the three tracts as a suburban commuting village, building streets, installing water, sewers, gas, etc. The Pelham
_______
       *See List of Mayors, page 170.

*140

140      History of the Ancient Town of Pelham.

Heights Company was formed in 1891, and the Village of Pelham was incorporated in 1896.

      The Index of Maps, in the Office of the Register, Westchester County, White Plains, shows, the following maps covering the Heights: B. F. Corlies, Pelham Heights, March 20, 1891; December 5, 1892; April 19, 1894; April 14, 1897; and October 20, 1902.

      The Heights several times narrowly escaped being combined with one or the other of the two villages. The first reference to the area, now the Village of Pelham, is to be found in the archives of Westchester, under the date of March 3, 1729, when Thomas Pell, 3rd Lord of the Manor, sold to one Edward Blagge, of New York City, a portion of all the land north of Colonial Avenue, which is now both the Village of Pelham and the Village of North Pelham.

      The next official reference to the tract, now the Village of Pelham, was a map dated October 11, 1851, showing a sub-division into streets and residential plots of the land bounded on the north, by the Railroad, on the west by Fifth Avenue, on the east by what is now Cliff Avenue, and on the south by what is now Second Street. This map is labelled "Map of Building Lots, being a Continuation of Pelhamville, Westchester County, N. Y., the property of John B. Coppinger." On a plot 200 x 200, now the corner of Wolf Lane and First Street, where stands the Honor Roll, is shown a building--the only one on the tract--and it is labelled, Hotel Ground. The Railroad Station is shown as being at the comer of Fifth Avenue and 1st Street, North Pelham.

      The Heights was almost combined with the Manor in 1873, when there was organized The Pelham Manor

*141

The Village of Pelham.      141

& Huguenot Heights Association, to develop unincorporated property in the Manor (except Prospect Hill), and all the property in the Heights, except the Johnson Tract. The old Map of that real estate project, has on it "Pelham Manor" on the section south of the Post Road, and "Huguenot Heights" on the section north of Colonial. Out of this project came the Village of Pelham Manor, incorporated in 1891. The Pelham Heights Company was also formed in 1891, and at that time there was agitated the question of combining the Heights and the Manor. The principal reason this was not effected was the existence of a State law fixing the ratio between population and acreage, with respect to the incorporation of a village, and the combination of the acreage of the two areas was excessive.

      In the early days of the Town of Pelham maps show that Wolf Lane branched at where is now 2nd Street, in the Village of Pelham. The branch paralleling the River was, of course, Wolf Lane, while the other which swung to the east, was marked Pelhamdale on the map. It cut diagonally across the back corner of the present High School property and met Colonial where Pelhamdale now crosses Colonial. When the Heights was plotted into streets the diagonal was eliminated and Pelhamdale carried through to the railroad, along its present route.

      It is of interest to know why the avenues were given their names: It so happened that the streets were named following Benjamin F. Fairchild's return from a trip to California and Alaska. He was shipwrecked on an island off the Alaskan coast, at a place called Loring. Hence, Loring Avenue. The shipwrecked steamer was named Ancon, the rescuing steamer was

*142

142      History o[ the Ancient Town of Pelham.

named George W. Elder, and the remaining steamer of the line was named Corona. Monterey Avenue was named after Monterey, California. Nyac Avenue was named after the New York Athletic Club at Travers Island. Highbrook Avenue was named after an open brook, now hidden. Cliff and Eastland Avenues conform to topography and location. Corlies Avenue was named after Benjamin F. Corlies.

      The map of 1888, of this new development, showed the dividing line between the Village of Pelham and the Village of Pelham Manor as being the southern edge of the Old Boston Post Road. Subsequently the Old Road was renamed Colonial Avenue.

      To protect this residential section, the Boulevard was made a parkway, which is closed all the time to heavy traffic between New Rochelle and Mr. Vernon, and shut off at night, so through traffic must use Colonial Avenue. In 1896, when the Pelham Heights section was incorporated into the Village of Pelham, there were just nine votes cast--one for each of the nine families then living on the tract. The growth of the Heights did not begin until after the first World War. The population in 1940 was 1,918.

      The home of Colonel Philip Pell III, stood near the corner of Cliff and Colonial Avenues in the Village of Pelham. The home of his father, Philip II (1732- 1788), is still standing, being the old stone house near the Hutchinson River Parkway, not far from the Christian Science Church in Pelham Manor.

      The farm of Colonel Philip Pell III (1753-1811) is said to have occupied a large part of what is now the Village of Pelham. This homestead, built in 1750,

*143

The Village .of Pelham.      143

according to the chimney Stone, was destroyed in 1888. There is a sketch of the Colonel Philip Pell homestead by Fred Schall of Pelham, drawn from an old picture of the place owned by C. S. McClellan of Mount Vernon, whose family at one time owned part of the Pell farm. There were several springs and brooks on the farm, one of the largest being opposite the house at Cliff and Colonial, across Colonial, then King Highway, on the hillside in Pelham Manor. After the Battle of Pell's Point, October 18, 1776, the British Army camped that night on what is now the High School grounds, and across Wolf Lane by the River, and accounts relate that the British took their supply of water from the McClellan Spring.

      On a boulder in the grounds of the Pelham Memorial High School, corner of Colonial Avenue and Wolf Lane in the Village of Pelham, is a bronze tablet which bears this inscription:

"The grounds of the Pelham Memorial High School were part of the farm belonging to Colonel Philip Pell 1753-1811 . . . Judge Advocate of the Continental Army . . . Member of the New York State Assembly . . . Regent of the University of the State of New York . . . Surrogate Westchester County, New York . . . Delegate to the Continental Congress . . . The date stone 1750 was taken from his homestead . . . This tablet was presented to the Town of Pelham in Memory of Mary Sargent Gause, October 15, 1938."

      Colonel Philip Pell III had a son, Philip IV, who succeeded his father as Supervisor of Westchester County from the Town of Pelham. There are recorded two interesting traditions credited to Philip, the younger: ". . . (he) often pointed out the room in the

*144

144      History of the Ancient Town of Pelham.

old house (Cliff and Colonial) in which General George Washington slept on several occasions . . ."; and the following tradition: ". . . when General Lafayette arrived at the Eastchester Inn, in the year 1825, on his way to Boston to assist Daniel Webster in laying the corner-stone of Bunker Hill Monument, he was advised of the death of his old friend, Colonel Philip Pell. General Lafayette learning that he was buried in St. Paul's Church Yard, requested the stagecoach driver to go past the Cemetery. After paying his respects at the grave, he continued a short distance and stopped at the old Pell homestead, greeting the son . . ."*
___________
      *See page 37 for further data on Col. Philip Pell III.

*145

CHAPTER XIV.

Coming of the Railroad 1848.

      IN England, among the profitable investments, were shares in turnpike companies and horse-drawn stagecoach enterprises. There were steam-driven stagecoaches with regular scheduled runs--after 1825--which not only damaged the toll roads because of their great weight, but they frightened the horses and, by their speed, threatened the horse-drawn stagecoaches. A series of cartoons lampooning the steam-driven vehicles, published 1825-30 in magazines and books, as part of the propaganda against the steam vehicles, were largely responsible for legislating the steam automobile off the roads of England. It is quite difficult now, to realize that in the early days of the promotion of the railroads in this country, they met similar opposition from the turnpikes interests.

      The New Haven began operating trains from New York to New Haven, at the end of 1848, and would have started earlier, but ". . . the New York State Legislature held up the Charter for the New Haven Railroad because it was claimed that the new means of transportation would injure the business of the Westchester Turnpike Road. The toll company that operated what is now Main Street (New Rochelle), fought against the coming of the railroad. However,

*146

146      History of the Ancient Town of Pelham.

the Charter was later granted, with compensation to the turnpike." Nichols on page 92 in his Historic New Rochelle.

      The first train on the Main Line of the New Haven, carrying passengers, left New York City for New Haven at 8 A. M., December 28, 1848. The station was Pelhamville up to July 1, 1896, when it was changed to Pelham, to conform with the name of the Village of North Pelham, incorporated August 1896. The first train on the Branch Line of the New Haven ran on November 24, 1873, with a station in Pelham Manor, at the end of the Esplanade.

      The following quotations are from a letter dated November 12, 1940, written by A. E. Clark, Secretary of the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad: "The railroad from New Haven to the junction, with the New York and Harlem, near Williams Bridge, N. Y., was opened December 27, 1848, and operated trains to Canal Street, New York.City. . . Its cars were hauled by horses from 42nd Street to Canal Street. The terminal remained at Canal Street until July 15, 1857, when it was moved to 27th Street and Fourth Avenue, the terminal at that point being abandoned in December, 1872, and fixed as at present, at 42nd Street."

      Concerning the Pelham Station: "Prior to July 1, 1896, this Station was known as Pelhamville, and on that date, was changed to Pelham. In 1906, there was some agitation on the part of the Village of North Pelham, to have the name changed to North Pelham, due to the fact that the station property was located in both the Village of North Pelham and the Village of

*147

Coming of the Railroad--1848.      147

Pelham--the westbound station being in the former and the eastbound station in the latter village. "The following is quoted from a resolution adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Village of Pelham, December 19, 1906: 'Whereas the boundary line between the Villages of Pelham and North Pelham is located in the center of the railroad property, the two stations are located in different villages and have always been regarded as town stations, being used by the residents of the Villages of Pelham, Pelham Manor and North Pelham, and the unincorporated section of the town; and Whereas the name of the station and Post Office which was originally Pelhamville, was changed to Pelham several years ago, upon a petition which originated in the Village of North Pelham; and, Whereas the property interests in the Village of North Pelham represents less than one-third of the total assessed valuation in the Town; Be it resolved that the authorities of the Village of Pelham protest against any change of the name of this station.'"

      Relative to the Branch Line: "New York and New Haven Railroad Company, as early as 1869, acquired a majority of the capital stock of the Harlem River and Portchester Railroad Company, the road of which, from New Rochelle to Harlem River, New York, about 11.5 miles, was then under construction. The road was leased to the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Company on October 1, 1873, and opened on November 24, 1873." Commuting trains on the Branch Line, were discontinued July 26, 1930.

*      *      *

      BOSTON & WESTCHESTER.--The Boston & Westchester, controlled by the New Haven Railroad, was

*148

148      History of the Ancient Town of Pelham.

incorporated in 1910, to take over several earlier projected electric railways serving Westchester County and New England. At the Harlem River, New York City, the Boston & Westchester trains connected with New York City subways. There was a branch of the Boston & Westchester which paralleled the New Haven Railroad across North Pelham. There was a station at Pelhamwood, North Pelham, at the edge of New Rochelle, and a station at 5th Avenue and 3rd Street, North Pelham; also one at Columbus Avenue, Mt. Vernon, nearby the present New Haven Main Line Station at that point. The Boston & Westchester was placed in receivership and ceased operations December 31, 1937, and soon thereafter the tracks were taken up.

*149

CHAPTER XV.

Pelham Schools.
(Public and Private.)

      THE first mention of a school in that section of Westchester County, in the tract owned by Thomas Pell, is found under the date of August 13, 1683. This school was located in the tract which he sold to the "Ten Families," not far from Old St. Paul's Church in Eastchester. The school was under the jurisdiction of the Rector of the Congregation, according to Bolton's History of Westchester, Vol. II, p. 100. The first reference to a school in the Town of Pelham, states that ". . . at a Town Meeting held at the School House in the Town of Pelham on Tuesday, the 7th day of April 1801 . . . there were elected seven Commissioners of Schools." The location of that school is not known.

      Free education is now accepted as a natural right; so that it is difficult to realize that the present system was not established in New York until 1849. Before that time children of the poor had received free schooling, but those who could do so were required to pay part of the cost. In Westchester County the several townships conducted the schools through their Commissioners until just before the Civil War, when the Union Free School Districts were established.

*150

150      History of the Ancient Town of Pelham.

      Because of the lack of adequate schools in the Town of Pelham, several private schools were established and some of these attracted more than local attention. After the Reverend Robert Bolton had built Christ Church and the Priory (1837-43), one of his friends, living in Savannah, asked that a daughter be taken into the Bolton family to share in the instruction given by the Reverend Bolton to his eight daughters and five sons. That was the beginning of the Priory School for Young Ladies operated by the Bolton family until 1881. On the Shore Road adjoining Christ Church the Boltons built a small brick building, about 1843-45, to house a school for the children of the parish and the teachers were the Bolton daughters. That school was discontinued soon after the Civil War, but the old building is still standing.

      A map of the Town of Pelham, dated 1851, shows the J. V. Cole School on the Shore Road, opposite Hunter's Island. The Hazen School for Girls (1889- 1916 ) was located in what is now the apartment house at the corner of the Esplanade and the Post Road. In 1890, Horace D. Taft organized the Taft School for Boys in a house on Pelhamdale Avenue, across from the Huguenot Church. That school was moved to Watertown, Conn., in September 1894. The Pelham Day School on Edgewood Avenue was operated from 1917 through June, 1938.

      Union Free School District No. 1 of the Town of Pelham was organized about 1857, but the exact date has not been found. The earliest existing minutes of the Board of Education of the Town of Pelham are dated 1866.

*151

Pelham Schools.      151

      Some years before the Civil War a school in the Prospect Hill district near Split Rock Road was established by the Town. It is shown on a map dated 1851. There was a Pelham School on the Shore Road not far from the Bartow mansion. The building, bearing the date 1859, is still standing. It was once the Town Hall of Pelham and is now used by the Pelham Bay Park Department of the City of New York.

      The Pelhamville School was in operation before 1866. A new building was opened January 8, 1889, and the present Hutchinson School in North Pelham was opened in 1914. An addition was erected in 1928. The original Colonial School in the Village of Pelham was built in 1900, and the present building was opened in 1928. The Siwanoy School in Pelham Manor was erected in 1910, and for many years it housed both elementary and high school classes. The present Junior High School in Pelham and the Prospect Hill School in Pelham Manor were erected in 1929.

      The Parochial School of St. Catherine's Church, North Pelham, was opened in February, 1907. The present school building was completed in Sept., 1939.

      The corner-stone of the Memorial Senior High School in the Village of Pelham was laid in 1919, and the building was completed in 1922. The grounds of the Memorial High School at Wolf Lane and Colonial Avenue were once a part of a large farm owned by the famous Colonel Philip Pell III (1753-1811). His homestead stood near the intersection of Cliff and Colonial Avenues and was built in 1750. On the campus of the High School is a boulder carrying
__________
      Note: See page 37 and 143 for further data on Col. Philip Pell III.

*152

152      History of the Ancient Town of Pelham.

a bronze tablet dedicated to Colonel Philip Pell (1753- 1811). It sets forth his many claims to fame, for he was vne of the most distinguished citizens of the Colonies in the days of the American Revolution.

      On the corner of Wolf Lane and Colonial Avenue, in the Athletic Field of the High School, there is a glacial boulder on which there is a tablet reading:

The Old Boston Road
originally an Indian Trail
New York City to Boston
First travelled by a Post Rider, January 13, 1673
Making the round trip in one month
First Stage Route established in 1732
Site of English encampment Battle of Pell's Point, Oct. 18, 1776
Erected by National Society Daughters
of American Revolution, Knapp Chapter
Pelham Manor, County of Westchester,
State of New York, 1930

      The Town of Pelham voted many years ago to buy the school sites and erect the buildings. Today, the payment of interest on the bonded indebtedness of the school district, and the payment of school bonds as they mature, takes almost 25c. of every school-tax dollar. In other words, only about 75c. of every school-tax dollar is available for the current expenses of the schools. The budget allocation for interest on bonds and for the payment of maturing bonds was $1,640 in 1905 ; $5,120 in 1910; and $153,862 in 1944. The bonded indebtedness has been reduced from a high of $2,651,000 to $1,822,000. The school budget for the year 1944-45 is $41,423 less than for the year 1930-31, notwithstanding the fact that the budget allocation for Debt Service for 1944-45 is higher than for 1930-31.

*153

Pelham Schools.      153

      The constitutions of all of the States now specify that public education is a function of the State. The State controls the certification of teachers; it indicates the subjects which must be taught in all schools; and it specifies the length of the school year. The State delegates to each school district, through local Boards of Education, the right and the obligation to conduct free public schools.

      The Board of Education of Union Free School District No. 1, Town of Pelham, consists of nine members who serve without pay. Three members are elected from each of the three Villages. The Superintendent of Schools is designated by law as the executive officer of the Board. The Board submits an annual financial budget for approval at the meeting of the voters of the School District in May, and the Town of Pelham assesses and collects the school taxes. The general operation of the Pelham Schools comes under the jurisdiction .of the Department of Education of the State of New York. The excellence of the Pelham Schools is recognized by the State Department of Education and by colleges and universities. The Regents Survey rated the Pelham Schools as superior.

      In normal times from 65 to 70 per cent of the graduates of the Pelham Memorial High School enter College. Hundreds of these graduates have entered College immediately after graduation, without entrance examinations.

      The classrooms in the Pelham Schools were constructed for small classes. Rarely does a class in an academic subject enroll more than 30 pupils, and the medium class size is about 25. In the elementary school special teachers are provided in physical education,

*154

154      History of the Ancient Town of Pelham.

fine arts, music, and dramatics. The health of the pupils is safeguarded by two part-time school physicians, three nurses and a part-time dental hygienist.

      The school enrollment has increased manyfold since 1900. At the end of the first decade of the present century the total enrollment for the year was less than 300. It now exceeds 2,000. As late as 1920 the enrollment was less than 900. In 1910 , there were 21 teachers in the entire system. The maximum number of teachers in the system was 118 in 1931. The teaching staff now numbers one hundred.

[Sketch of Homestead of Colonel Philip Pell III, Beneath Which is the Following Caption:]

The Homestead of Colonel Philip Pell Erected 1750
Cliff and Colonial Avenues, Village of Pelham, Destroyed 1888.

*155

CHAPTER XVI.

Post Office in Town of Pelham.

      THE first Post Office in the Town of Pelham was established July 14, 1849, with John Bolton the first postmaster. This office was discontinued August 8, 1860, but re-established September 8, 1860. It was finally discontinued June 6, 1893, at which time mail to former patrons of the office was ordered sent to New Rochelle. The records of the Post Office Department, Washington, D.C. do not show the exact location of this Office. Presumably this was the Pelham Post Office, shown on old maps located in New Rochelle, near Glen Island.

      The next Post Office in the Pelhams was established November 19, 1862, on City Island, then part of the Town of Pelham. That office was made a Branch of the New York City Post Office, January 1, 1896.

      There was a station on the New Haven Branch Line named Bartow, then in the Town of Pelham, near where the highway turns off from the Shore Road to City Island. The Bartow Post Office was established July 30, 1874, presumably in the railroad station.

      The first Post Office located in what is now the Town of Pelham was established January 9, 1873, with Wm. H. Sparks as the first postmaster. It was discontinued October 21, 1878. The records of the Post Office Department do not show the location of this Office. How-

*156

156      History of the Ancient Town of Pelham.

ever on November 21, 1878, there was established the Pelhamville Post Office, housed in the Station of the New Haven Main Line, then known as the Pelhamville Station. Pelhamville Post Office was changed to Pelham Post Office April 14, 1896. The Pelhamville district was incorporated in 1896 as the Village of North Pelham, and the Railroad also changed the name of its station to Pelham. The Pelham Post Office was made a Branch of the New York City Office February 15, 1910, serving the three Villages. Pelham Post Office was made a Branch of New York Post Office, because the combined population of the three Villages was then not sufficient to entitle the community to free delivery of mail; and further, the then 2-cent rate for first class mail between New York and Pelham.

      The Pelham Manor Post Office was established on March 3, 1879, being housed in the Station of the New Haven Branch Line at the end of the Esplanade. That Post Office was consolidated with the Pelham Post Office on February 15, 1910. There was, however, a sub-office from February 16, 1910 to December 31, 1936 on the Esplanade at the Station Plaza. Since November 1, 1936 the Pelham Post Office has been located at No. 1 Wolf Lane, North Pelham; and prior to that Fifth Avenue between 2nd and 3rd Streets.

*157

CHAPTER XVII.

Some Pelham Institutions.

PELHAM COUNTRY CLUB.

      PELHAM COUNTRY CLUB dates its beginnings in the eighteen-nineties, but unfortunately the written records of the early organization have now disappeared. Many of the residents of the Pelhams were then interested in tennis. The Manor Club had two courts nearby on the Esplanade. There were a number of courts along the eastern side of the Esplanade at the comer of Wolf Lane. Beyond Wolf Lane on the Esplanade, toward the Hutchinson River, was a baseball court. Down at the bottom of the hill on Wolf Lane, near Colonial, was a large fresh water pond which was used for skating. On Wolf Lane, between Stellar and Reed, was the old Iden House which was converted into a club house.

      Some time soon after Pelham Manor was incorporated (1891) there was promoted the first Pelham Country Club. There was leased, for a golf course, the undeveloped tract in Pelham Manor, bounded on the north by Colonial; on the east by the New Rochelle line; on the south by the present Boston Post Road; and on the west by a property line corresponding to what later became Fowler Avenue. A house now on Fowler, just south of Colonial, was used as the Club House.

*158

158      History of the Ancient Town of Pelham.

The 1899 Edition of the John F. Fairchild Atlas of Mount Vernon and the Town of Pelham shows on this tract the Pelham Country Club and its "Golf Links," a 9-hole course, and the Club House. The next edition of the Fairchild Atlas was 1908, and that tract of land in Pelham Manor is shown as then being laid out in streets, sub-divided into building plots, and with a number of residences erected.

      When that real estate development was being projected in 1903-4 the Pelham Country Club, obliged to seek a new location, leased the present large tract of land in New Rochelle on North Avenue, then known as the Disbrow Farm. The property was leased in September, 1904, and soon thereafter purchased. The name of the organization was changed to The Wykagyl Country Club.

      Many of the leading men in the Wykagyl were residents of the Pelhams; in fact the first three presidents of Wykagyl were Martin J. Condon, Paul A. Heuber and W. B. Randall, all Pelham residents.

      The men and women interested in the tennis activity in Pelham Manor organized the Pelham Country Club, April 13, 1906, and the Certificate of Incorporation specified among other things: ". . . the particular objects for which this Corporation is to be formed, are to promote interest in all kinds of athletic sports, etc. etc. . ." Golf was not mentioned in these incorporation papers, for tennis continued to be the principal interest of the Club until after World War I.

      Arrangements were made by the Pelham Country Club to take over the tract of land in Pelham Manor, south of the Boston Post Road and east of Pelhamda!e, now the site of the Country Club. There a club house

*159

Some Pelham Institutions.      159

was erected and enlarged tennis facilities built. There was no golf course connected with the Country Club at that time. A map of the Pelham Country Club property was filed in the Office of the Register at White Plains on October 24, 1912. Then came the War.

      A special meeting of the members of the Country Club was called ". . . to be held Tuesday, December 30, 1919 at 8:30, to consider and take action upon a proposition for the enlargement of the Club and the construction of a Golf Course. . ." As the result of this special meeting a group of members organized the Pelham Leasing Corporation, early in 1920, for the purpose of building a model golf course and leasing it to the Pelham Country Club. The new Golf Course was opened for play in July 1921.

      The capital of the Leasing Corporation was $600,000, consisting of 6,000 shares of common stock, par value $100 a share. Membership in the club required the purchase of stock in the Pelham Leasing Corporation. The first 20 shares were sold at $2,000 or $100 a share, and the initial number of memberships was limited to 200. That quota having been filled, another 35 memberships were offered and sold at $150 a share.

      The Leasing Corporation took title to a tract from the Black and the Witherbee interests, lying southeast of the Post Road and Pelhamdale, in Pelham Manor and New Rochelle; and also a tract extending across Mt. Tom Road towards the Sound, in New Rochelle. On this tract of 120 acres there was constructed one of the finest 18-hole championship courses in the Metropolitan area. The course was opened for play July 1921. The first professional retained by the Club was the famous Jim Barnes, in 1921. His assistant was

*160

160      History of the Ancient Town of Pelham.

Wally Whiting, who succeeded Barnes in 1924, and is still with the Club, now in the capacity of Manager as well as golf professional. There are now 575 members.

      Within recent years the Country Club has added many improvements, including a large fresh-water swimming pool, complete with locker-rooms and terraces; the Spanish Room, and two large terraces for dining and dancing; two additional bowling alleys, making four in all; and other improvements to the interior of the Club House. The Club not only affords golf, tennis, bowling and swimming, as athletic diversions for its members and guests, but also operates a large and well-patronized dining service with cuisine of exceptional reputation. The Pelham Country Club is one of the outstanding social centers of the community and the County of Westchester.

THE MANOR CLUB.

The Manor Club had its beginning in family gatherings of men and women of Pelham Manor in each other's homes--literary, musical, or social evenings. The Club was formally organized in the eighteen seventies, but the official date in the records is January 10, 1882, when there was some form of reorganization and a meeting called for that purpose. Plans were made for a permanent home for the Club at a meeting on June 7, 1883. In the official records it was called "The Manor House." Mrs. Robert C. Black, whose family had moved to the Manor in 1877, and were large property holders, presented the land on the Esplanade for the new club house. The corner-stone was laid Thanksgiving Day, November 24, 1887. The

*161

Some Pelham Institutions.      161

Manor Club became the social club for families of the community and its presidents were men prominent in the affairs of the Manor.

      There had also been formed, in 1900, by the women of Pelham Manor, a Tuesday Afternoon Reading Club, which held its meetings in the Manor Club. In 1914 the Tuesday Afternoon Club was amalgamated with the Manor Club, and the Club was continued as a women's club. The late Mrs. James F. Secor, President of the Tuesday Afternoon Club, became the head of the Manor Club and remained its President until her retirement in 1925. In 1922 the present Club House on the Esplanade was opened. The Manor Club has presented significant programs of literature, art, music and drama, and has served as a cultural, civic and social center for the women of the Town of Pelham. The average membership during the past twenty years has been about 400.

MEN'S CLUB.

      The Men's Club of the Town of Pelham was the amalgamation, in 1919, of the Men's Club of the Church of the Redeemer with a group which had grown up out of community effort during the first World War. The objective, as set forth in the by-laws, is: ". . . to increase the bonds of sympathy and union between the members by good fellowship . . . to meet for the discussion of matters of general interest, and to develop correct views of the social and economic questions of the day . . . to stimulate, by an aggregation of personal

*162

162      History of the Ancient Town of Pelham.

influence, the intellectual, civic and moral life of the community."

      Any adult male resident of the Town of Pelham, is eligible for membership. Meetings are held monthly at the High School. Annual dues are five dollars, with no initial fees and no assessments. The Club, in addition to its dues, now asks for voluntary contributions to a Scholarship Fund which is used to give scholarships to boys and girls graduating from the Pelham Memorial High School. At the present time these scholarships are given only for the Freshman year in college.

      The membership was originally 85; but has averaged over 600 in the past 15 years. A new president is elected each year, and these, from the beginning of the Club, have been:

1919-20      Charles Durant Joslyn, Chairman Western Newspaper Union.
1920-21      Robert A. Holmes, Vice-President Crofut Knapp Co.
1921-22      William T. Grant, Chairman W. T. Grant Co.
1922-23      James Elliott, President Underwood & Underwood.
1923-24      Merton C. Robbins, President Robbins Publishing Co.
1924-25      Henry W. Nuchols, Vice-President Valvoline Oil Co.
1925-26      Roscoe C. Ingalls, Ingalls & Snyder.
1926-27      Ralph C. Angell, President Angell Lumber Company.
1927-28      Lockwood Barr, Publicity Department, General Motors.
1928-29      Richard J. Walsh, The John Day Company.
1929-30      Milton Towne, Alley & Richards Advertising.
1930-31      Raymond W. Storm, President Storm Flooring Company.
1931-32      Clarence L. Law, Vice-President Consolidated Edison Co.
1932-33      William L. Chenery, Editor-in-Chief Colliers Magazine.
1933-34      Perrin C. Galpin, Vice-President Belgian American Education Foundation.
1934-35      Richard G. Souther, Advertising Department Curtis Publishing Co.
1935-36      J. Donald Robb, Robb & Teass, Counsellors-at-Law.

*163

Some Pelham Institutions.      163

1936-37      Henry W. Simmen, President Ramseur Furniture Co.
1937-38      Walter H. Dickerson, Insurance.
1938-39      Earl Newsom, Public Relations Counsel.
1939-40      Clair W. Fairbank, Dean, Fairbank & Hirsch, Patent Attorney.
1940-41      Lawrence Bristol, Watson, Bristol, Johnson & Leavenworth, Patent Attorneys.
1941-42      Daniel S.Tuthill, National Broadcasting Company.
1942-43      George R. Martin, Head of Legal Department, American Cyanamid Co.
1943-44      Arthur M. Boal, Tompkins, Boa1 & Tompkins, Attorneys.
1944-45      J. Stewart Jamieson, President Lincoln Engraving & Printing Co.
1945-46      T. Harvey McClure, Sales Counsel.

THE PELHAM HOME FOR CHILDREN.

      The Pelham Home for Children, on Split Rock Road, Pelham Manor, was organized in 1888 by a small group of public-spirited women of the Town as a fresh air summer home for the under-privileged children of the City of New York. On June 16, 1898 the Pelham Summer Home for Children was incorporated and the present site purchased. The building was opened in 1900 and has been enlarged several times. On May 10, 1921 the name was changed to The Pelham Home for Children, Inc.

      Since 1915, the Home has specialized in the care of convalescent children suffering from heart trouble. It was the first cardiac convelescent [sic] home in this country and for many years the only such place for the care of cardiac children. It ranks as one of the outstanding institutions of its kind. The capacity of the Home is thirty children. The patients are girls between the ages of six and sixteen years, sent for observation by the

*164

164      History of the Ancient Town of Pelham.

clinics of the large hospitals in New York City, Mount Vernon, New Rochelle and Yonkers. The Board of Education of the City of New York maintains a day school in the Home.

      For many years the Home has been associated with the Columbia Presbyterian Medical Centre, during which time much investigation work on cause and cure of acute rheumatic fever has been done. The consulting staff of doctors includes many of the outstanding cardiac specialists of New York. The visiting staff consists of a group of Westchester County physicians who donate their services.

      The Home was maintained by voluntary contributions, raised by the women, until 1931, when the Pelham Community Chest was organized, which has assumed the responsibility of raising the funds for its maintenance.

PELHAM NEWSPAPERS.

      There have been several newspaper enterprises started in the Town of Pelham during the half-century since 1890 , most of which were but short-lived ventures in the publishing business. Among others there have been The Gazette (1890), The Press (1896), The Record (1897), The Republican (1903), The Post (190l), The Democrats (1903) , The Register (1905), The Free Press (1921), The News (1927).

      The Pelham Sun was started April 9, 1910 by Peter Ceder, a former New York City newspaperman who was conducting a real estate and insurance business in North Pelham. In 1919 a group of residents of the Pelhams, having large business interests in the City of

*165

Some Pelham Institutions.      165

New York, and believing that there was a real need in the community for a local weekly publication that would record, exclusively, the news of the three villages, bought The Pelham Sun. That has been the controlling editorial policy since that time.

      In that group were Robert A. Holmes, Vice President of Dobbs Hats; L. O. Thompson, silk merchant; William T. Grant, Chairman W. T. Grant Chain Stores; Merton C. Robbins, Publisher of Advertising & Selling; John Clyde Oswald, Editor of The American Printer; Harry A. Anderson, attorney; Walter R. Quick, Comptroller of the Metropolitan Insurance Co.; Charles C. Davis, Vice-President The Eaton Crane & Pike Paper Co.; Thomas L. McCready, advertising agent; and Roy W. Howard, Chairman of the Scripps-Howard Newspapers.

      The Pelham Sun purchased The Record, and The Register, in 1920 and on February 28, 1921 Thomas M. Kennett was appointed editor. Mr. Kennett purchased The Pelham Sun from its stockholders in 1925 and with his son, Frederick T. Kenneth has continued to operate the paper since that time.

*166

BIBLIOGRAPHY

BOOKS.

History of Weschester County, by Robert Bolton, pub. first 1848, revised 1881 by Rev. C. W. Bolton.

History of Westchester County, by J. Thomas Scharf, pub. 1886.

Westchester County (N.Y.) During the American Revolution 1775-1783, by Otto Hu_eland, pub. privately 1926.

The Hunter Family, by Lockwood Barr. 1944.

Battle of Pell's Point, by William Abbott, N. Y., pub. privately 1901.

Anne Hutchinson & Other Papers, Vol. VII, Publications of Westchester Historical Society, printed 1929.

An American Jezebel--Life of Anne Hutchinson, by Helen Angur, N. Y,., Brentano, pub. 1930.

Anne Hutchinson, a biography by Edith Curtis, pub. 1930.

Anne Hutchinson--Unafraid, by Winnifred King Rugg, pub. 1930.

A Woman Misunderstood--Anne, Wife of William Hutchinson, by Reginald Pelham Bolton, pub. 1931.

A Political Index to the Histories of Great Britain and Ireland, by Robert Beatson, London, pub. 1806.

The Book of the Court, by William J. Thomas, London, pub. 1844.

A Manual ot Dignities, Privileges and Precedence, by Charles R. Dodd, London, pub. 1842.

The Book of Dignities, by Joseph Haydn, London, pub. 1894.

Eighteenth Century London Life, by Rosamond Bayne Powell, pub. 1938 by Dutton & Co., N. Y.

Neutral Ground, by Frank O. Hough, pub. 1941, J. B. Lippincott &Co.

The Old Boston Post Road, by Stephen Jenkins, pub. 1913.

Old Roads From the Heart of New York, by Sarah Comstock, 1915.

The Major and the Queen, by S. L. Mershon, pub. 1915 by R. R. Beam & Co., New York, N. Y.

*167

Bibliography.      167

English Crown Grants, by S. L. Mershon, pub. 1918 by the Law and History Club, New York, N.Y.

Historic New Rochelle, by Herbert Nicholls, pub. 1938.

History and Development of the Manufacture and Mining of Salt in New York State, by Charles J. Werner, pub. 1917 by the author.

Westchester and Bronx Counties, a Check List of Books, etc., by Otto Hufeland, pub. 1928.

Manual of Westchester, in three volumes, by Henry F. Smith.

Quarterly Bulletins of Westehester County Historical Society.

New York Historical Society Quarterly Bulletins.

Story of the Bronx, by Stephen Jenkins.

History of Bronx Borough, by Randall Comfort.

Old Merchants of New York, in four volumes, by Scoville.

Guide to New Rochelle, by Bolton, pub. 1842.

1600-1914--Private papers of the Fish Family--by Stuyvesant Fish, Jr. Printed privately 1942.

A Servant of the Crown, by Norreys Jephson O'Conor. Pub. 1938 by D. Appleton-Century Co.

Young Builders General Instructor, by Minard Lafever, pub. 1829.

The Beauties of Modern Architecture, by Minard Lafever, pub. 1835.

Modern Builders Guide, by Minard Lafever, pub. 1841.

Architectural Instructor, by Minard Lafever, pub. 1856.

Greek Revival Architecture in America, by Talbot Hamlin, pub. 1944 by Oxford University Press, N.Y.

The Bartow Family, by Evelyn Bartow, pub. 1875.

Desbrosses Family, Trinity Church Notes--also Newspaper Advertisements, by William Kilby of the N.Y. Historical Society.

Biography of Minard Lafever (1797-1854), by Rev. T. Stafford Drowne, Rector St. Paul's, contained in Pamphlet issued 1867, upon completion of Holy Trinity Church, Brooklyn.

The Pell Manor, by Captain Howland Pell, printed privately, 1917.

Huguenot Memorial Church--Pelham Manor, in celebration of 50th Anniversary, issued 1926.

*168

168      History of the Ancient Town of Pelham.

The Pelham Pageant, by Wm. R. and F. E. Montgomery. Sketch of the Pelhams, issued 1926.

Pelliana--a series of pamphlets published privately by the Pell Family, printed by the Turtle Publishing Co., Rutland, Vt.
      No. 1, May 1934, Early Family.
      No. 2, May 1935, Dr. John Pell, D. D., brother of Thomas and father of John, 2nd Lord.
      No. 3, May 1936, Thomas, 1st Lord.
      No. 4, May 1937.
      No. 5, May 1938.
      No. 6, May 1941--Subsequent family history.

Trinity Church--New Rochelle, issued 1938--250th Anniversary.

Church of the Redeemer, North Pelham, issued 1941, reviewing its history since its founding in 1859.

Historic Land Marks of New Rochelle, by Morgan H. Seacord and William S. Hadaway.

St. Paul's Church, Eastchester, issued 1942, celebrating the Restoration.

MAPS

*169

Bibliography.      169

*170

170.      History of the Ancient Town of Pelham.

          Name                               Term of Office Served

PRESIDENTS AND MAYORS OF THE VILLAGE OF PELHAM.

          Name                              Term of Office Served

____________
      *NOTE: Prior to 1927 termed President.

*171

Presidents and Mayors.      171

PRESIDENTS AND MAYORS OF PELHAM MANOR.

          Name                              Term of Office Served

_____________
      *NOTE: Prior to 1927 termed President.

*172

172      History of the Ancient Town of Pelham.

SUPERVISORS OF WESTCHESTER COUNTY FROM THE
TOWN OF PELHAM.

                        Supervisors                                   Term of Office Served

*PLATE XXV

[Photograph of sandstone block embedded in north wall of Pelham Dale, showing the coat-of-arms of the family of James Hay who purchased the home in 1823. Beneath the photograph is the following caption:]

COAT-OF-ARMS OF THE HAY FAMILY

      A red sandstone block in the north wall of the Philip Pell house in Pelham Manor, erected 1750. The house was purchased in 1823, by James Hay, who made it one of the showplaces of Westchester. Bolton's History of Wetchester, Vol. II, p. 69, says: "This coat-of-arms of Hay was granted in 980 A.D. by Kenneth III, King of Scotland, to the first Hay and his two sons, who saved the life of the King, in the Baltic against the Danes at Lancaster Perth." The motto is Serva Jugum, meaning "Keep the Yoke." [Photo by K. H. Stevens of the Newton Ring of PeIham Manor, N. Y.]

PLATE XXV

*PLATE XXVI

[Architect's sketch showing the original building known as the Little Red Church, now known as the Huguenot Memorial Church with caption beneath that reads as follows:]

THE LITTLE RED CHURCH

      Architect's sketch of the original building, known as the Little Red Church--now the Huguenot Memorial Church, corner of the Boston Post Road and Pelhamdale Avenue, Pelham Manor. On the right is shown the George M. Reynolds mansion, now the slte of Weihman Park. This drawing was incorporated in one of the promotion pieces of The Pelham Manor & Huguenot Heights Association--organized in 1873, to develop the Manor and the Heights.

PLATE XXVI

*PLATE XXVII

[Photograph of Old St. Paul's Church in East Chester, with caption beneath that reads as follows:]

OLD ST. PAUL'S CHURCH--EAST CHESTER by A.A. Bieber, Pelham Manor.

Congregation started by "Ten Families" who bought East Chester 1664 from Thomas Pell. Present Church erected 1765. Restored 1942.

PLATE XXVII

*PLATE XXVIII

PEDIGREE OF SCHUYLER OF PELHAM

[zzzzz]

*173

Census of Slaves, Mannour of Pelham.      173

CENSUS OF SLAVES, MANNOUR OF PELHAM
WESTCHESTER COUNTY

      It is fair assumption that the owners of slaves in the Mannour of Pelham in the year 1755 included the principal property holders. Such a list from O'Callahan's Documentary History of New York, Vol. III, p. 854, is herewith quoted.

CENSUS OF SLAVES MANNOUR OF PELHAM
WESTCHESTER COUNTY

      A True List of all the Slaves Both Male & Female in the Mannour Of Pelham above the Age of Fourteen Years, according to Report to me made in Submission to the present Malitia Act of General Assembly of this province.

From yours Honnours Most Humble Servant,

                                               John Pell, Captain
April the 12th 1755.   of the Mannour of pelham.

      Capt. John Pell VI (1702-1773) was Captain of the Mannour of Pelham in the Colonial Wars. The Pells mentioned are his brothers--sons of Thomas 3rd Lord and Anne his Indian Princess descendant of Wampage--who scalped Ann Hutchinson.

      Philip Pell resided in the old Stone House still standing in Pelham Manor--known as Pelham Dale.

      Joshua II (1733-1821) had inherited Hunter's Island and properties along the shore. He was 1st Lt. of Militia in New York City under the British. Went to Halifax after the War. Returned in

*174

174      History of the Ancient Town of Pelham.

1818. His Pelham properties had been confiscated but Aaron Burr recovered some of it by proving that it was entailed and that Joshua had only a life interest in it.

      Samuel Rodman was an uncle, having married Mary Pell, daughter of Sir John, 2nd Lord. They owned the Bowne Tract on Anne Hook's Neck where had stood the Mansion of Thomas, 1st proprietor.

      Phoebe was widow of Joseph the 4th Lord who had died in 1752 and is buried in the old Pell cemetery on the Bartow Mansion estate.

*175

Manor of Pelham Properties Confiscated.      175

MANOR OF PELHAM PROPERTIES CONFISCATED AFTER THE
REVOLUTION
(See Chapter XI, Page 121)

      Frederick Allen of Pelham Manor, has an Abstract of Title to the Bolton Priory property covering the period 1800 to 1883 when Nannette Ann Bolton sold the property to Adele L. S. Stevens. The following extracts were copied from that document.

      ". . . prior to 1779 these properties were owned by one Pell who was attainted for Treason and all his properties forfeited to the people of the State of New York in accordance with the provisions of the Act of Forfeiture and sale of the estates of persons who have adhered to the enemies of this state, passed October 22, 1779 (See 1, Greenlief 26).

      ". . . upon the sale had by the Commissioners of Forfeiture under this Act the premises in question were sold to William Bailey (also spelled Bayley) (Bolton's History says for $5.20 an acre). In the year 1801 William Bailey conveyed the premises to Elbert Roosevelt under a mortgage dated Nov. 3, 1801 recorded January 15, 1802. (Bolton's History says 250 acres at $25 an acre.)

      "James Hague and Jeremiah Schureman Executors of the estate of William Bailey deceased. Deed from Thomas Bolton, Master, to Elbert J. Roosevelt--unmarried of Pelham dated Sept. 5, 1821 Lib. 66 p. 554.

      "Elbert J. Roosevelt to Robert Bolton 35 acres consideration $5,847. Deed dated 18 Sept. 1838. Recorded 16 Feb. 1849.

      "Robert Bolton and wife Ann to Wardens of Christ Church--Pelham--3 acres--consideration $1. Deed dated May 22, 1857, recorded 1857.

      "Nannette Ann Bolton to Adele L. S. Stevens 33 acres Deed August 8, 1883. Recorded Sept. 27, 1883, Consideration $100,000."

      Bolton's History says that in 1743 Joshua Pell I--son of Thomas 3rd Lord owned tract of land in Pelham on the Mainland--also Travers Island and Hunter's Island--citing will of Thomas. Hunter's Island had passed to one Appleby and then Jesse Hunt before 1776.

      Joshua II (1733-1821) Capt. of Militia of Pelham served in British Army during the Revolution. Migrated to Halifax 1785, and his properties were confiscated. Returned.1818 when Aaron Burr recovered part of his holdings proving that properties were entailed and that Joshua II had only life interest.

DISPOSITION OF LOYALISTS' ESTATES IN THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT
OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK

BY HARRY B. YOSHPE. PUBLISHED BY COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY PRESS, NEW YORK 1939.

Page 104: "Isaac Guion (a successful New York merchant) had purchased from the Commissioners a farm in the Manor of Pelham forfeited by the attainder of Joshua Pell, "subject to the right of dower in the widow of Joshua Pell the elder." Guion soon found himself summoned to court as a result of suit instituted aguinst him in the Supreme Court for certain legacies due from the attainted Joshua Pell and claimed as charged on his forfeited estate by the last will and testament of Joshua Pell the elder. Guion employed counsel to defend him against these claims among them Egbert Benson, then Attorney General of the State who was of the opinion "that the said suits were not maintainable" (45). The plaintiffs Jerusha, Gilbert, Benjamin and Sarah Pell--four of the legates engaged Aaron Burr as their attorney in their suits for recovery of the legacies to which they were entitled. The plaintiff gave in evidence the will of Joshua Pell the elder dated March 31 1758 indicating that he had bequeathed his son Joshua the northern most part of his real estate in the Manour of Pelham in consideration whereof Joshua Pull the younger was directed to pay £500 as his share "towards discharging the legacies" bequeathed by the testator unto his wife and other children, "as the said legacies should severally become due." The plaintiffs further proved that Joshua Pell the elder died Sept. 21, 1782 without revoking or altering his said will and testament that his son Joshua Pell the younger thereupon took possession of the premises and that subsequently Isaac Guion became possessed of the estate "taking the issues and profits thereof to his own use" and refusing to pay the legacies charged thereon. On Sept. 9, 1789 the justices of the Supreme Court gave judgement [sic] for the plaintiffs.

      "Guion appealed but lost. Again appealed to the Legislature and lost, but was reimbursed for his out-.of-pocket expenditures."

      Page 202: "Joshua Pell, Pelham Manor, Westehester Co. (17, 95, 29, 11, 11, 25, 4.) claimed loss of 200 acre farm in Pelham Manor with 3 houses, 2 orchards and other improvements valued at £4000 Currency. Also claimed loss of 20 lots and improvements purchased from James DeLancey, valued at £4000 currency. Also lost much stock and personal effects at hands of British, Hessions and American Troops. Estimated total losses at £6187, awarded £1630 sterling."

*176

176      History of the Ancient Town of Pelham.

THEFT OF THE PELL FAMILY SILVER

      Two hundred years ago the first families of the County of Westchester, New York, were shocked by the news that the Mansion House, in the Manor of Pelham on the Shore, had been robbed at night. The burglar made way with important pieces of silver plate which during the preceding century had been handed down in the family through several generations of the Lords of the Manor. Here was the announcement which appeared as an advertisement each week May 30 through June 27th, 1757 in the New York Gazette & Weekly Post Boy.

STOLEN: between the 24th and 25th Inst. of May at Night, from John PeIl, Esq; in the Manor of Pelham, in the County of West-Chester, four Silver Tankards, one being marked T. A. P. one I. A. H. and two I. R. P. one Silver Mugg, marked I. R. P. one Silver Tea-pot and one Silver Sword, to the value of Ninety Pounds. Al.l Gold-Smiths and others, are desi.red, if any of the above Articles should be offer'd to Sale, to stop the Same, and secure the Person, or Persons in any of his Majesty's Goals. Who ever secures the Goods, so that I may have them again, shall have THIRTY POUNDS as a Reward, paid by me.

                                                                  JOHN PELL.

      In those days it was customary to engrave upon silver the initial of the family name, and the initials of the given names of the husband and the wife, the three iinitials forming a triangle. From the genealogical charts of the family, it is possible to identify the owners of the Silver Tankards and the Muggs.

*      *      *

      Two weeks after the burglary the New York Mercury reported in its news column of June 13, 1757 that:

". . . Next Day was committed to our Goal, John Pell, Son of John Pell, late of the County of Westehester, deceased, being detected in offering to Sale, several pieces of Plate, which, is found to be the Property of this Uncle, John Pell, Esq; of the Manor of Pelham, having robb'd him about three Weeks ago, in Cunjunction with a Negro Fellow."

      Then did tongues wag in the City and in the Great Houses in the Manor and throughout Westchester for here was a choice bit of scandal.

      No further developments were reported in the newspapers until the New York Mercury carried this advertisement on June 27, 1757:

*177

Theft of the Pell Family Silver.      177

TAKEN UP, some nights ago, by one of the constables of this city, a silver hilted, sword: The owner, on proving his property, and paying the charge of this Advertisement, _nerei_emem, &c. may have it by applying to the printer hereof.

      However, nothing appeared in subsequent issues of the newspapers or in the archives to indicate whether or not this sword was the Great Rapier of the Thomas Pell, First Proprietor of Pelham, which had been stolen from John Pell, Esq.

      Burglary and theft were serious offences under the English law of those days and the punishment was usually death. Consequently, to put nephew John Pell in the town goal alleging he had stolen the family silver and that he was detected then offering it for sale, was a very grave matter. Search fails to disclose whether nephew John was acquitted or convicted; and whether or not Uncle John recovered all the loot.

      There was a John Pell of Westchester, who was evidently quite a bag [sic] egg from the scent he left behind. In the Hall of Records, New York City, there is this inditement--written on vellum--which reads in part: "Caleb Morgan of East Chester in the County of Westchester, Yoeman came before me this 2nd Day of July 1753 and complains against John Pell of East Chester in the County aforesaid, Yoeman, for that he the said John Pell the 26th Day of June last at East Chester aforesaid in the House of the said Caleb Morgan there, in and upon Abigail the Wife of the said Caleb Morgan did make an assault, and her the said Abigail did beat, etc. and threaten to kill said Abigail calling her a damned Negro Bitch, etc. etc." . . . broke open an inner door, etc. ". . . in order to get at and abuse the said Caleb Morgan."

*      *      *

      Except the coincidence of dates there is nothing to indicate that this John Pell who assaulted Abigail in 1753 was one and the same as the alleged burglar who stole his Uncle John's silver in 1757. The New York Gazette & Weekly Post Boy of Jan. 30, 1757 mentions a third John Pell, who was a privateer in the French and English war 1754-1765. He was captain of the Brig Mary which was captured by the French; also captain of the Snow Revenge captured Sept. 24, 1758. This John Pell was not descended from the Pell family of Westchester County but from the Pells of Long Island and New York City--according to Colonial Families in America, Vol. XIV, pps. 193-199. These two families were not connected.

      To return to the theft of the Pell family silver. It was the unfortunate fate of much of the fine plate, stolen in those days, to disappear in the melting pots of the "fence", for its high value per ounce as silver. Once the plate was destroyed obviously the conviction of the culprit became difficult. However, the news item of June

*178

178      History of the Ancient Town of Pelham.

13, 1757 quoted about the capture of John Pell the alleged burglar reads as if he were caught red-handed, with the Plate in his possession. If that is the correct interpretation, then it would appear that at least those pieces of silver were recovered by the Pells and must have been handed down in the family. Some of them may still exist. Pelliana, a series of privately printed papers by the Pell family giving the official family records says ". . . where they are, nobody knows."

      If the pieces of silver plate do exist, they may be "discovered" one of these days in a museum . . . on the shelves of an antique dealer . . . or in possession of an unsuspecting collector.

*      *      *

      Tradition says that when he arrived ,in the Colonies in 1635 Thomas Pell brought with :him f.rom London some of the silver plate he had acquired while a member of the household of his Majesty Charles I; also his famous "Great Silver Hilted Rapier."

      Daniel Burr was a business associate of Thomas Pell, or the overseer of his Fairfield Estates. In his Will dated Sept. 21, 1669, Pell bequeathed to Burr some horses and livestock on his Estate; and to Abigail, wife of Daniel, he left furniture, household goods, etc. also ". . . Six silver spoons and the use of all the silver plate in the house . . ." until his heir and nephew Sir John should arrive from London and give orders for the disposal of the properties.

      There was listed the following Silver Plate in the Inventory of Thomas Pell's Fairfield Estate which was filed on January 2, 1670:

*      *      *

      Thomas Pell named as his sole heir his nephew, Sir John (1643-1719), then serving as Sewer in Ordinary in the royal household of his Majesty, Charles II, King of England, later 2nd Lord of the Lordship and Manor of Pelham.

      The English custom of leaving everything to one's eldest son was not followed by Thomas 3rd Lord. He divided his property between his eleven children. He did not mention in his will the silver plate, leaving to his wife Anna, the Indian Princess, all the household furnishings and "all movable estate." Widow Anna .left no will . . . so there is no record of what disposition she made of the family plate.

      Thomas (the son of Thomas 3rd Lord) in his will dated Sept. 11, 1753 and proved Feb. 12, 1754, left his son David ". . . Also my silver tankard and tumbler, that formerly belonged to my grandfather

*179

Theft of the Pell Family Silver.      179

John Pell (2nd Lord)." What disposition David made of this silver is not known.

      Philip Pell (1708-1751) son of "Thomas 3rd Lord was therefore brother of Thomas, the father of David. Philip's will proved March 14, 1752 mentions silver plate to be divided between his two daughters Hannah and Martha and ". . . I leave my daughter Hannah . . . Also half dozen silver spoons which I made last winter."

      So there was a silversmith in the Pell family! What his "touchmark" was is not recorded, in fact, Phillp is not listed in the Early Colonial Silversmiths of New York.

      Proof that at least some of the plate was recovered by the family will be found in these facts. Caleb (the son of Thomas 3rd Lord) married Mary Ferris. The widow Mary in her will dated April 18, 1772, proved May 30, 1772, mentioned family silver thus: " . . . I leave my daughter Euphemia Pell my silver Tankard marked C.M.P" and ". . . I leave my daughter Helena my silver Pint Mugg marked T.P.A."

      Incidentally, the initials on this mugg are those of Thomas 3rd Lord and Anna his Indian Princess which were mentioned in the advertisement of 1757 announcing the theft of silver from Uncle John Pell.

      Some future researcher digging in the legal archives in New York, which for two centuries have been buried beneath the accumulated dust of time, by luck or accident may stumble upon the end of this story in the papers giving the final disposition of the case of Pell vs. Pell.

      Nor is it beyond the realm of possibility that some collector--and let us hope an amateur--may get the thrill of a life-time by tinding a great Tankard or a Silver Mugg, bearing the engraved initials of the ancient Pells, one time Lords of the Manor of Pelham, County of Westchester, State of New York.

      Stranger things have happened!

*180

180      History of the Ancient Town of Pelham.

PHILIP PELL--SILVERSMITH
OF THE MANOR OF PELHAM, COUNTY OF WESTCHESTER NEW YORK

      Check-lists of early American silversmiths show the touchmark PP of Peter Perreaux of Philadelphia and P q the mark of Peter Quintard of New York. None of these check-lists include the touchmark or the name of one Philip Pell, of the Lordship and Manor of Pelham, Westchester County, New York--who in his Will, proved in 1752, bequeathed to his daughter Hannah ". . . six silver spoons which I rnade last winter . . ."

      Presumably these six spoons passed on down to his descendants; but where they are now, nobody knows. So far as the family is aware no authenticated pieces of silver made by Philip Pell have been discovered. In fact this reference in his Will is all that is known about his silversmithing activities. Whether Philip Pell worked at that trade in the then flourishing Village of Westchester or the Village of Eastchester, or in New York City, the archives do not disclose; however, the records of the family and the archives of Westchester County do include a considerable amount of detailed information about this Philip, and his descendants.

      Philip, the silversmith, was born in 1708 on the ancestral estates of the Lordship and Manor of Pelham; and there died in 1752 being buried in the Churchyard of Old St. Paul's, in Eastchester. He was a fifth son, and one of the eleven children, of Thomas the 3rd Lord of the Manor of Pelham. His mother Anna, the Indian Princess, was said to have been the descendant of a daughter of Ann Hutchinson and a descendant of a descendant of the terrible Anhooke, who led the Eastchester massacre in 1643 and boasted that he personally scalped Ann Hutchinson.

      Thomas 3rd Lord was the eldest son of Sir John (1643-1719) the 2nd Lord. Sir John before coming to the Coloaies to take up his inheritance, had been Sewer in Ordinary to Charles II, King of England. He was sole heir to his Uncle Thomas, the First Proprietor of the Pe1hams. Thomas (1608-1669) served as Master of the Bedchamber of Charles I, migrating to New England in 1635; and in 1654 made the Treaty with the Indians whereby he came into possession of the tract now the Pelhams, New Rochelle, Mt. Vernon, part of the Bronx, together with City Island, Hunters Isl:and and others adjoining the shore line--in all some 9,000 acres.

      Sir John built his Mansion House around 1670 on the Shores of the Sound, not far from the present Bartow Mansion, located upon a tract now part of the Pelham Bay Park of the City of New York. Upon his death in 1719 his estate and title of Lord passed to the eldest son Thomas the 3rd Lord. (1675-1752.) The English rule of primogeniture--whereby everything went to the eldest son--had been

*181

Philip Pell--Silversmith.      181

followed in the Pell family, so Philip the silversmith being but a fifth son and one of eleven had little prospects of very much in the way of an inheritanoe. So if Philip was not a naturally talented amateur, then he must have apprenticed himself to a Master to learn the trade of silversmith.

      Thomas 3rd Lord at his death, however, while he passed on his title of Lord to his eldest son, divided his possessions among all his children--presumably before his death. The Will of Thomas 3rd Lord dated 1733 and proved in 1753 reads in part ". . . give and bequeath unto my son Philip, the sum of three pounds . . , he having received the use of his portion already. . ." Incidentally, the Executors of the Estate were Joseph the eldest son and Philip so this nominal sum of money did not mean that he was disinherited.

      Philip the silversmith married Hannah Mott on Feb. 28, 1731, the daughter of Wm. Mott. He married second Phoebe Fitch. His children were Philip II, Anne, Mary, and Hannah. The Will of Philip dated Dec. 1, 1751, Proved March 14, 1752 (according to the N. Y. Historical Society--abstract of Wills) indicates that he had accumulated a substantial estate:

"I leave my present wife Phoebe Pell all the plate which now remains which she brought with her when we were married . . . the use of one of the rooms in my house . . . I order son Philip to furnish her good horse and chair. . . If any differences arise with Philip he is to pay her £200 more than I have given her. All the valuable goods and plate I had by my first wife Hannah (Mott dau. Wm.) are to be divided between my two daughters Hannah and Martha Pell. . . I leave my daughter Hannah my 3 negro children and £300 and at the day of her marriage she shall have 6 cows. Also a half dozen silver spoons which I made last Winter. To Martha 3 negro children and £300 and 6 cows when she marries. . . All the rest of my estate real and personal I leave to my son Philip."

      Philip II (1732-1788) son of Philip the silversmith resided in the old stone house in Pelham Manor known as Pelhamdale, once one of the great show places of Westchester. It is still standing on the Hutchinson River Parkway near the intersection of Wolf Lane and Colonial Avenue. Philip III (1753-1811) son of Philip II was one of the most distinguished members of this most distinguished family. Having graduated in law from Kings College, he served in the Revolution, became Judge Advocate of the Continental Army, Member of the New York State Assembly, Regent of the University of New York, Surrogate of Westchester, Delegate to the Continental Congress, Supervisor of Westchester County from Pelham, rode with George Washington into New York City in his Triumphal Entry on Evacuation Day November 25, 1783, was one of the original members of the Sons of Cincinnati. His home on the Corner of Colonial and Cliff Avenues in Pelham stood until 1880. Philip Pell III is buried in the Churchyard of Old St. Paul's in Eastchester and there is a

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182      History of the Ancient Town of Pelham.

bronze tablet erected in his honor in the grounds of the Memorial High School of the Town of Pelham.

      Philip Pell IV (son of Hon. Philip III) is authority for these Pelham traditions. "(He) often pointed to the room in the old house on Cliff and Colonial in which General Washington slept on several occasions." Also the following ". . . when Lafayette arrived at East Chester Inn in 1825 on his way to Boston to assist Daniel Webster in laying the corner stone of the Bunker Hill Monument, he was advised of the death of his old friend Col. Philip Pell III. General Lafayette learning that he was buried in St. Paul's Churchyard requested the stage coach driver to go past the Cemetery. After paying his respects at the grave, he continued to Pelham and stopped at the old Pell Homestead, greeting the sons. . ."

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INDEX.

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184      History of the Ancient Town of Pelham.

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Index.      185