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Towns of Bloominggrove, Cornwall and Monroe

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JOHN CALDWELL died at his residence at Salisbury Mills on Saturday morning, October, 29, 1803.

“To those who were unacquainted with his life, the language of truth might be mistaken for the coloring of panegyrick, but the memory of his virtues is engraven on the hearts of all who had the happiness to know him. It is to be regretted, that the short period of his residence in this country has given so little opportunity for the display of those exalted qualities which so eminently distinguished him. An outline of his character might be attempted here, but when expression fails to do justice to truth, it is eloquence to be silent.”

“GEN. VINCENT MATHEWS, long an eminent citizen of Western New-York, died at his residence in Western New-York on the 23d of June, 1846, aged 80 years. He was born in Orange county, June, 1766, and in 1789 removed to New-town, Tioga county, (then a part of Montgomery) and commenced the practice of Law in 1790, and in the same year chosen to the Assembly. In 1796-fifty years ago-he was elected to the State Senate from the Western District, then embracing the whole state west of Otsego county, and in 1809 was chosen a Member of Congress. In 1816 he removed to Bath, Steuben county, and thence in 1821 to Rochester, where he has ever since resided. He has long since been regarded as the Father of the Bar of Western New-York, devoting himself assiduously to his profession to the last, though ceasing to hold office since 1833. A meeting of time Rochester Bar was held on the day of his death-Vice Chancellor Whittlesey presiding-and was addressed by the chairman, by Hon. Ashley Sampson, E. Griffin, Esq. and several others in terms of profound admiration for his character and life. Appropriate resolutions were presented and adopted.”

Zachariah Dubois.--This gentleman during the Revolution lived at Salisbury, and owned 700 acres of land. The farm of the lion. Robert Denniston is a part of it, and we believe the old stone mansion is still standing. This family is of Huguenot descent, and a branch of the Duboises of Ulster, from whence they came to Orange at an early period. In 1776 be received, a commission of 2d Major in Col. Woodhull's regiment of militia, from Gov. Clinton, and served on various occasions till 1780. In 1777, 6th of Oct. he was taken prisoner at the reduction of Fort Montgomery, and remained so for 10 months, when he was exchanged for Col. Moncrief. Shortly after his exchange he commanded the guard which, under the direction of Sheriff Nicholl of Orange, received Claudius Smith from the Sheriff of Dutchess, at the house of Mr. John Degrove in Newburgh, and conveyed him to Goshen. On the way there they stopped at Dubois' house, to get something to eat. The stairs to the cellar, led down from the jam of the fire place of the room, near which Smith, heavily ironed sat, and a black woman going down, on entering the door, touched his chains, and instantly in a ferocious manner, he ordered her not to touch or interfere in any manner with his property again. This shows that Smith was an unmitigated scoundrel, even in small things. Mr. Dubois kept a public house during the war, and did a good business at it, united with farming, while continental money was plenty. When it began to degenerate in value, he being in the war and a prisoner for almost a year, his family made no use of it, and it accumulated on his hands. He was executor to some of his deceased relatives' estate, and the avails of the inventory and other claims, were paid in to Mrs. Dubois in continental money, while he was a prisoner. By the time he was released and able to attend to his pecuniary affairs, the money had depreciated, and the heirs refused to receive it from him. They demanded payment in hard money, which he could not comply with, but to satisfy them and act the part of more than an honest man, (for the heirs, in law, we think, were bound to receive the money,) he confessed a judgment for the claim. Under this claim, unconscious in the extreme, his large estate was sold at public auction, after his death, with every article of his personal property. He died in 1783, and the judgment was revived against his executors.

Thus was his widow with several small children turned out of house and home, to satisfy this demand, without a mouthful to eat, or a knife and fork to eat with, if they had it. This money, consisting of thousands issued by a nation, remained valueless to the family. Was this justice on the part of the government? We think not. We never heard of but two reasons for not paying it, that were worth a moments consideration; that it was largely counterfeited, and was held by speculators who paid nothing for it. It was the business of government to see that it was not counterfeited, and if it was, to punish and prevent. These things the farmer, merchant and soldier could not do, and had to receive it, for goods sold and hard services rendered, there being nothing else. That it was held by speculators was nothing to the government which had issued the money and received the value of their promises to pay, and it ought not to have been anything to them, whose hands their bills were in, when due. This principle extended to individual transactions would break up all confidence, the very framework of society. It sent many an old soldier in destitution to his grave, and clad thousands in poverty and rags. An act of Redemption ought to have stood on the national records, on the same page with the Pension law of 1818. Till this is done, the nation remains guilty of ingratitude and fraud. No nation in Europe has so treated her subjects. The large debasement of their money, never worked so deep an injury, and thousands will unite with us in crying shame, shame.