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History of Orange County
Town of Montgomery
Page 10
The names of some of these Lutherans were, Oolis Shulp, Hanse Yerry Smith, Jacob Rickey, Jacob Pitts, Matthew Newkirk, Dederick Shafer, and — Filmore. Some of the land in this vicinity and on the opposite side of the Walkill, once owned by Johannes Miller, deceased, is subject to a rent of ten bushels of wheat and a few fowls per annum for one hundred acres; but the claim has gone into disuse, the rent not having been demanded in many years by the owners entitled to it.
We may as well mention the fact here as any where in our paper, that many of the Hessians who were brought out by the English—16,000 of whom were hired of the German Princes to fight her battles—settled in this town. Before taken prisoners, as many of them were, they were made to believe that the Americans were cannibals, and, if taken, would be eaten up by them. There was policy in inculcating this belief, as it would make them fight to extremity rather than surrender. The American officers were apprised of this delusive opinion and directed that all such prisoners should be treated very kindly. The good treatment they received after capture confirmed them for a short time in their suspicions that they were being fatted for the day of slaughter, and induced many of them to run away—the very thing the Americans wanted. Of those taken at the battle of Princeton several ran away and came into this town, doubtless induced to do so by the German settlements previously made here. They were industrious and made valuable citizens.
We are also informed by the chronicles of those times that when the English troops evacuated the city of New York to return to Europe, “The Hessian troops were peculiarly desirous to desert, so as to, remain in the country, and hid themselves in every family where they could possibly secure a friend to help them escape. “It was really an affecting sight to see the operation of the final departure of all the king’s embarcation. The royal band beat a farewell march. Then to see so many of our countrymen with their women and children leaving the land of their fathers because they took the king’s side, going thence to the bleak and barren soil of Nova Scotia, was at least affecting to them. Their hearts said, ‘My Country! with all thy faults, I love thee still.’ In contrast to this followed the entry of our tattered and weather-beaten troops followed by all, the citizens in regular platoons.
"Oh! one day of such a welcome sight,
Were worth a whole eternity of lesser years."
“Then crowded home to their own city all those who had been abroad, reluctant exiles by British rate, how fondly cherishing in their hearts, ‘This is my own, my native land."
Neelytown.—This place was settled before 1741 and by emigrants from Ireland. In that year William Eager, the great-grandfather of the writer, made a purchase of several hundred acres and located it; a part of which is still in the in the possession of his descendents of the fourth generation from him. When he came, he found, at least, two settlers there before him—Mr. John Neely and Charles Booth—both snugly seated in their new habitations. At the first organization of the town in 1768 we find the name of William Eager the second, (son of the first settler of the name) on the records as overseer of the poor. The family of Neely gave name to the settlement, and, at this day, the name has run out in all that vicinity. This portion of the town is a body of fine land, and well adapted to grass and grain. Through the central portion of the settlement runs the Beaver Dam Brook, a never failing stream fed wholly by springs, but, lying low, furnishes no water power. Along this are the natural meadows extending in one unbroken glade from just south of the Goodwill or Walkill Meeting house to Campbell Hall on the Otter Kill. This settlement was of large extent, reaching from the Goodwill meeting house at the north down to Campbell Hall at the south; and from the Walkill, near Capt. James McBride’s on the west, to the west line of the town of New Windsor, about four miles square.
Some of the early settlers of the town, now recollected, were,
Little John Neely, Grandy John Neely, Chas. Booth, his Sons Charles and George, Wm. Eager, his sons William and Thomas, Jas. Houston, Patrick Barber, John Blake, Alex. Tremble, James McCobb, Rob’t Monell, Teunis Van Orsdell, Gideon Pelton, Robert Sutter, Rev. Robert Annan, James McBride, William Jackson, Jas. Jackson, Dr. Clinton, Col. John Nicholson, and James Barkley.
These old settlers, of different religious creeds, with others of the established church, in about 1765 joined their temporal means for spiritual benefit, built what was called the Neelytown Church, and called the Rev. Robert Annan to be their pastor. The church was Associate Reformed Presbyterian, a more particular history of which we will lay before the reader in this paper. In old times, when churches were few and the population sparse, a congregation covered a large extent of territory. Within the recollection of the writer, Messrs. Shaw, McWilliams, Mrs. Wilson and others from Scotchtown; Messrs. Wood and Youngs from Little Britain; Moses Bull, William Bull, James Bull, Robert Hall and his sister Miss Miriam, Youmans, John Wilkin, Robert Wilkin and others from Walkill, were in regular attendance at this church, besides a large number of those who formed the congregation of Graham’s church in the now town of Crawford. We shall never forget the Sabbath day appearance of Robert Hall, his sister Miriam and colored servant woman. They usually came in a cart, driven by Miriam, for Robin was a poor Sawney of a thing and worthless for every purpose. A certain form and order indicating notions of rank and superiority were clearly observed in the manner of these people. In the cart, drawn by a horse which spent the day in going to and returning from kirk, first sat Miriam, holding the lines in one hand and driving with the other, cutting and hurrying on, but making little progress by the hour. Next, and straight behind her, sat Robin, dull and stupid as a piece of carved wood, and in greater dread of Miriam's tongue than the horse was of her gad. Third, and last in the row, sat the African servant, clean and respectful, the very image of submission and obedience, who would not speak unless bidden by her mistress, if her poor life depended upon the act. When they arrived, cart unloaded and horse secured, the same order of precedence in the line of march to the church door was systematically taken up and rigidly enforced. We have seen this a hundred times and never saw it otherwise. The return from church was conducted in the same invariable order. The whole affair was novel and truly ridiculous in the eyes of young republicans, and between the three, the neat and obedient African shared the largest respect of the people. Peace to the memory of Miriam for though hard and cruel in all her exactions, self-willed, dictatorial and bigoted but rigid in the discharge of Christian duties, by her last will, she established and founded the Ed scholarship in the Theological Seminary at Princeton.