Page 9
History of Orange County
Town of Newburgh
Page 9
1773. Voted that £50 be raised to support the poor, and Poor master have £10.
1777. Voted, £100 be raised for the poor.
1778. Voted that any person that shall take cattle to keep on the commons of this Precinct, from persons out of another Precinct, shall be subject to be assessed for them, &c.
Voted that the donations collected in this Precinct be applied to such poor whose husbands or parents were either killed or taken prisoners at Fort Montgomery, &c.
That £200 be raised for the poor,—and that Poor masters may hire money, &c.
We do, that is we, the subscribers, solemnly swear and declare, in the presence of Almighty God, that we will bear true faith and allegiance to the State of New York, as a free and independent State, and that we will in all things, to the best of our knowledge and ability, do our duty as good subjects of the said State ought to do —so help us, God. (Signed) Tho. Palmer, Isaac Belknap, Joseph Coleman, Jacob Lawrence, Col. Hasbrouck, Benj. Birdsall, David Handmore, Sand Stratton.
(These persons appear to have been town officers for that year.)
1780.
Voted that £800 be raised for the poor.
This sudden rise in the poor tax no doubt was caused by the war and the taking of Fort Montgomery, which caused great distress and suffering among the families of the militia men.
Jonathan BeIknap, in June, 1787, freed his black man, Peter, and the Justices, Wolvert Acker and Benj. Carpenter, certified him to be under fifty years old, and of competent ability to take care of himself. This was the first act of the kind on record.
1790. Town meeting.
The following Rules were handed in by Abel Belknap, Esq., wishing them adopted:
Whereas the business of town meeting has been done in the greatest disorder, much to the dissatisfaction of the good people of the town, to the end that they may be held in good order, &c., Ordered,
1st. That with permission of the Justices of the Peace, we will choose one Moderator, as an assistant, &c.
2nd. That the Justices and Moderator and Clerk take their seats at the table, and allow no other person to sit or stand by the table.
3rd. That all the people take seats, and when they speak must rise and stand.
4th. But one person shall speak at a time; if more than one rise at once the Moderator to determine who has the right, and no other person to make a noise or speak while he is speaking.
5th. No drink of any kind be drank or brought into the meeting while the people are on business, except water.
6th. There shall be no jesting nor joking with a view to make laughter and sport.
7. That if any person or persons shall refuse to comply with these rules, after approved by the meeting, he or they shall suffer such rebukes and admonitions from the Justices as they shall judge best for the first offence;
and for the second, the Judges shall order him or them to be tuned out of the meeting by the constable, and kept out till he give good security for him good behavior for the future.
These wholesome and sensible resolutions were adopted.
Up to 1785 the Record does not state the names of the individuals assessed on the road districts, but the names of the overseers only. This year those individuals are named on the nineteen road districts into which the town was divided. These names show the whole population at the time. In office this year—
Benj. Birdsall, Moderator.
Daniel Birdsall, Clerk.
Thomas Palmer, Supervisor.
Richard Wood, Constable; John Belknap, Security; Joseph Bloomer and John Jerow, Evidences.
John Belknap, Samuel Stratton, Reuben Tooker, Joseph Coleman, Robert Ross, Assessors.
Daniel Hudson, Benj, Birdsall, Poor-masters.
Cap. Isaac Belknap, Isaac Fowler, jun., Joseph Sherwood, Wm. Coddington, John Fowler, Com. of Roads.
Martin Wygant, David Gue, David Belknap, Arthur Smith, Pound-masters
Martin Wygant, Abel Belknap, Wm. Lawrence, Committee to settle with O. Poor.
John Robinson, Abel Belknap, Robert Waugh, George Gardiner, Robert Carscading, Maj’r Peddingle, Silas Gardiner, James Lyons, Samuel Griggs, Theophilus Mosher, Samuel Divine, Wm. Conklin, Arthur Smith, Johannis Cosman, Johanis Snyder, John Stratton, John Thomas, Wm. Cope, George Merrit, John Sniffen, Path-masters.