HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF UNION VALE
From
HISTORY OF DUTCHESS COUNTY, NEW YORK
By James H. Smith
1882
Chapter XLI
Part One


        The town of Union Vale lies southeast of the center of the county. It is bounded northerly by Washington; southerly by Beekman; easterly by Dover; and westerly by LaGrange. The surface of this town is quite hilly, and, in some portions, wild and uninviting. A broad valley, in which is some of the finest land in the town, extends north and south through the center. This is known as the valley of the "clove". This town was included in the patent of Henry Beekman, who, in 1716, conveyed to his son, also named Henry, one thousand acres in this locality. Settlements were undoubtedly begun within a few years succeeding this conveyance, but there are no records to show at what precise date, or by whom,, settlements were first made in what is now the town of Union Vale. The pioneers to whom credit is given for being the first settlers in the county of Dutchess, located in this region, between the Fishkill and Wappingers creek in the summer of 1687. These were a young couple of the name of Emigh (now spelled Eighmie), who had settled on one of the islands below Albany, and were driven out by an overflow of the Mohawk river in that spring.

        Emigh came to this country in 1686, and was one of the settlers engaged to locate on the Livingston domain purchased in 1685. He, like others, was dissatisfied with Livingston, and with others, and with his young wife removed to the location now referred to above. After settling in the precinct of Fishkill, Emigh bought from the Indians a tract of land extending from the river to the Connecticut line, including much of the present towns of Fishkill, Beekman, Dover, and Union Vale. He soon found that the best of his purchase was covered by the Rombout patent, granted in the fall of 1685, or nearly two years before, and that his "Indian Deed" was worthless. He was permitted to retain fifteen hundred acres in the Clove Valley, where he next located, northward of the present hamlet of Beekmanville. Some of his descendants now occupy portions of that tract. A daughter was born to them soon after their purchase from the Indians, and while yet residents within the precinct of Fishkill. This was the first white child born in Dutchess County. She, when arriving at maturity, married a man of the name of Lossing (a son of Peter Lossing, who came from Albany and purchased a tract of land north of "Wappingers Creek in 1865) from whom is descended the family of that name, now so worthily represented in this county by Benson J. Lossing, the historian.

        One of the oldest houses in the town, if not the oldest, was built by one of the family of Emigh. This is the house now owned by the heirs of George Brill, at North Clove, and which bears the inscription "N. E. (Nicholas Emigh) 1740".

        Other early settlers were the Klines, (or Kleins) Uheles, Reeds, Moreys, Wilkinsons, Abels, Adam and Daniel Crouse, John Mosher and James Skidmore, but the date of their coming is unknown. The last named was quite an extensive land owner, and built at an early date a mill near what is known as the Crouse store. (It is worthy of notice that the late Bishop Alonzo Potter, of the Diocese of Pennsylvannia and Bishop Horatio Potter, now of the Diocese of New York were born in the present limits of this town. Their parents, Joseph and Anna Potter, were Quakers.)

        Charles Delafield, of New York, at one time a clerk in the old Dutchess County Bank, built in 1835, the Delafield or Mansion House, some two and a half miles distance from North Clove. This in its early days was a noted house. Delafield failed, the house passed into other hands, and eventually went to decay. It is now stand in a ruined condition, and belongs, with its lands, to John W. Ross. It is used as a tenant house by David Malrony.

        Captain Bylandt, a retired seaman, built in 1838, on land now owned by Robert Dennis, a palatial residence, next to the Mansion House the finest dwelling in the twon. It has since been partially torn down and rebuilt, and is now owned by Robert Dennis.

        Union Vale was formed from Beekman and Freedom—now LaGrange—March 1, 1827. The first supervisor of the town was John Wilkinson, and the first town clerk was Allen Butler. From that year to 1881, the succession of supervisors and clerks has been as follows:

Year Supervisor Clerk
1828 John Wilkinson Abraham P. Hoxie
1829 Wm. D. Williams Allen Butler
1830-1831 Allen Butler Abraham P. Hoxie
1832 Stoddard Judd Ditto
1833-1834 Ditto Albert Hall
1835 Richard Vincent William A. White
1836 Ditto Gilbert H. Christie
1837 John D. Suedecor Isaac Pine
1838 Leonard Vincent Ditto
1839 Ditto Alex H. Coffin
1840 James Uhle Nicholas N. Haight
1841 Ditto Reuben L. Coe
1842 Andrew Northrup Gilbert Christie
1843 Richard Vincent Ditto
1844-1845 David D. Vincent Wm. D. Rickelson
1846 Isaac Vail John U. Abel
1847-1848 Jarvis Hall Leonard B. Sherman
1849 Reuben L. Coe Geo. T. Williams
1850 Robert Bennett Gerome Williams
1851 Leonard Vincent David A. Knapp
1852 William W. Abel Ransome Baker
1853 Joseph M. Cutler Leonard R. Vincent
1854 David D. Vincent William W. Abel
1855-1856 Wilson Hawley Harrison W. Tilton
1857 Lewis S. Davis Geo. T. Williams
1858-1860 Daniel W. Odell Reuben L. Coe
1861-1862 William R. Bagley Ditto
1863-1866 David D. Vincent Ditto
1867-1870 Joseph M. Cutler Ditto
1871 Edward Congdon Ditto
1872-1873 Wesley Butts Ditto
1874-1875 Henry L. Campbell Ditto
1876 Henry Bostwick Ditto
1877 John U. Abel Ditto
1878 Frederic Hicks Ditto
1879 John U. Abel Ditto
1880-1881 Isaac P. Vincent Ditto


        Union Vale has no large villages. The town contains a population of but 1,406. Verbank, the most important hamlet, has a population of 144. This is in the north-eastern part of the town and at one time had a cotton mill and paper mill, which did a considerable business. Threre is here now a grist and plaster mill. The postmaster at this place is Archibald L. Colwell, who has held the office some two years. The merchants are A. D. Davis & Son (Alonzo D. and Charles E.) general merchants, who have been in business as a firm twelve years. The business was established by A. D. Davis some thirteen years before. He is a native of Long Island, born in 1816. Charles E. was born in 1843.

        Stephen Scott, general merchant, was born in Amenia in 1836, and became a resident of this town in 1859. He established the business here nine years ago. A hotel in connection with the store has been conducted by him for three years. In 1861, Mr. Scott entered the United States service and remained nearly two years, and was discharged for disability.

        Nearly a mile from this place is Verbank Station, on the Dutchess & Columbia R. R. It contains the station, post office, two stores, a church, and a few dwellings. The postmaster is Franklin Crouse, appointed in April, 1881. The merchants are C. P. Colwell, in business here since June, 1881, succeeding Sherman & Colwell, and Jacob P. Fowler harness and horse furnishing goods, who has been in business here two years.

        The church was built by the Methodist Episcopal Society in 1878, and formally dedicated December 5thof that year. It is now presided over by the Rev. Harman Coons.
Continued in Part Two
Typed and submitted by Lynn Airheart Brandvold
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