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History of Orange County
Settlement of Orange County
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The eastern portion of the town of New Windsor, was settled at an early period, perhaps in Queen Anne’s time, by emigrants principally from England. The village of New Windsor is thought to be the oldest village in the County while farming operations, in tilling the lands, building houses, setting fruit, &c., were first done probably in the vicinity of Snakehill, if there is any truth in and credit to be reposed on well attested tradition. The western portion of New Windsor was first settled by emigrants principally from Ireland, who located there in considerable numbers at about the same time, in 1731, at the head of whom was Col. Charles Clinton, the grandfather of Dewitt Clinton.
In like manner the eastern portion of Montgomery, as it was before the erection of Hamptonburgh, was settled by Irish emigrants, who located in the extensive neighborhood called Neelytown, and its vicinity,—among whom were the Blakes, Eagers, Neeleys, Barbers, Booths, and others. This was at an early period and more than one hundred years since. The now town of Crawford, and perhaps at a period nearly as early, was settled by Irish emigrants, among whom were the Crawfords, Johnstons, Elders, Hills and others. The Irish continued to keep up a scattering emigration to various localities in the County, and contributed quite their proportion to the general mass of population and labor of settling a new country.
It does not appear that the Scotch emigrated to any location in the County in such considerable numbers as they did to other parts of the State, except to the single district of Scotchtown in the western part of the town of Walkill and its vicinity. In other respects the emigration from Scotland was as scattering in numbers and time as that of the Irish. You cannot, however, go into any district of the County of any extent but you will find the name of an old Scotch family.
The now towns of Goshen, Hamptonburgh, Warwick, Chester, Blooming-Grove, Monroe and CornwaIl, received their emigrants and early settlers directly or indirectly from England. Some, in considerable numbers, came directly and settled in Cornwall at the now village of Canterbury, and named that place. The English emigration to this town accounts for the number of English names in it. Others, if they did not come directly, came indirectly, from previous settlements made by the English in the Eastern States and on Long Island. At an early period in the history of that Island many individuals came and settled there from Connecticut, caused somewhat by the proximity of location. These again emigrated from time to time, came and constituted the great mass of the early population of the towns last named; of the extent of which we were not aware till we looked into and examined the subject.
At the time of which we speak the town of Goshen was of very large extent, embracing within her limits the whole of those towns, with Walkill, and settled in part as early as *1703.
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*Errata read 1712