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History of Orange County
Town of Montgomery
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Coldenham.—The Colden family was among the earliest that located in the town, and by talents, learning and industry soon grew up to be an object of official favor and regard. The confidence of power was not misplaced, and in the early settlement of this part of the county, to use a figure, this family rose up like some mountain elevation, clad with the evergreens of wealth and adorned with the stately trees of honorable station, far above the less favored lands around it. The results of the Revolution, however, were disastrous in the extreme to its ulterior prospects, and they appear in a few years to have divested it of all real or fictitious superiority, and placed it upon a common level with others, the product of republican institutions. This, though fair and equalizing in its character and operation throughout the community at large, may have been judged hard and unexpected in this particular case. While we respect and hold in grateful remembrance the character of the various members of this ancient family, we have no tears to shed over the reformation and results of the American Revolution. In relation to this family and descendent, we feel warranted in saying that from Lieutenant Governor Colden to the members of the present generation, they were to high-minded and honorable race of men. In the most exciting times that preceded the revolution, the known honesty of the Lieutenant Governor as a man, and his integrity of character as a public officer, saved him from all personal violence, though his property was sacrificed at the hands of a mob. When quite young, we frequently heard the aged citizens and early settlers of the town and vicinity speak of Alexander Colden, his son, in terms of great regard and approbation. He kept a store at this locality at an early period, several years before 1742, and the early settlers of the town, and back west to the Shawangunk mountains, were in the habit of trading there.— His third son, Cadwallader Colden, was the first Supervisor of the town. The first descendents of the Lieutenant Governor held large landed estates in the town, which they sold out from time to time; and we never heard aught of hard dealing or oppression on their part, but on the contrary, much of that which was of a fair, honest and liberal character. From a personal knowledge of many of their family descendents, embracing some of three generations, we are bound to state in this connection that the humane and generous mantle which clad and beautified the early settlers in this respect, happily fell upon their descendents, who have worn it from generation to generation. The family is not, as numerous in the county as we should expect to find it at this day, a century and a quarter from its early planting and vigorous growth.
We proceed to notice the settlement of Coldenham. In *1820 John Johnson procured a patent of land for **two thousand acres at this locality, which, on the day of its date, he transferred to Cadwallader Colden. The explanation of this sudden transfer, doubtless, was this:—Colden was Surveyor General of the province at the time, and to save appearance, the patent was for his private benefit, though taken out in the name of his friend, John Johnson. Shortly after this, Colden procured another patent to be issued directly to himself for ***one thousand acres, which lies south of the one to Johnson; and the settlement to be made thereon is declared, in the patent to be "Coldengham". Why it was so named we do not know, probably after some estate or locality with which the family had been connected in Scotland. By common consent, many years since, it was changed to Coldenham, in accordance which the name of the proprietor.
At that period the Government would not make large grants to one individual, for they had been admonished of the folly and iniquity of ****a contrary course by the extensive, and almost unlimited Wawayanda and Minisink patents, and the one to Capt. John Evans, which was cancelled for its magnitude, uncertainty and want of consideration.
Connected with this name and locality there is this historical curiosity: Coldengham, which was to be on the patent to Colden, in fact, is on the patent to John Johnson, which lies both north and south of the turnpike. It was on this patent to John Johnson the first settlement was made by Lieutenant Governor Cadwallader Colden, then Dr. Colden, and about half a mile south of the turnpike, on the farm owned and possessed for many years by David Woodruff, and now by his son. There he erected a stone house about the year 1728, and settled his family, previous to which be had resided in the city of New York. In a letter, dated May, 1742, to Mr. Collinson of London, Dr. Colden says:— Mr. Burnit soon succeeding him (Governor Hunter) as the Governor, I likewise, gained his friendship. My family being considerably increased I left the city at the time Mr. Burnit was removed from the government, etc.” According to the history of the colony, Governor Burnit was removed and left the Government in 1728, which fixes the date of the fist settlement of Coldenham. On the farm and in the vicinity of the stone house is the family burying ground. This old house was demolished last year by Mr. Woodruff, after having withstood time and the elements one hundred and eighteen years, to give place to a pretty, new, wood farm house. This old mansion was long known as the “Coldenham Academy." Before the war, the members of the family were high in office, and held military appointments, and the Academy was a military school, for their benefit and that of the Royal Government. This, we presume, was after the erection of the present Coldenharn stone mansion on the turnpike. When this was erected we do not know, but believe the Lieutenant Governor continued to reside there from the time of its erection till the year 1760, when, on the death of Governor Delancy, he, being the eldest of the Governor’s council, became ex officio, the acting Lieutenant Governor of the province; after which time he resided principally in the city of New York and on Long Island. We pursue this early settlement no farther than to remark that it was extensive during the early history of the town—very few single families in the State did more— and may he described as follows: This family built the old stone academy house, and settled the farm attached to it;— the present Coldenharn stone house on the turnpike, at two several periods, and cleared up the farm attached to it;—the long, low house, east of the stone house, at the foot of the bill;—the house known as Thomas Colden’s mansion, north of the turnpike, now owned and occupied by Cadwallader C. Colden, and farm attached thereto;—the two dwellings east of the one last named, owned and possessed by Mr. David Colden, and farm attached;—the dwelling on the bill south of the turnpike, now owned and possessed by Mr. John Scott, and farm attached.
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*Errata--read 1720 **Errata--read one thousand ***Errata--read two thousand****Errata--read such a course