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History of Orange County
Settlement of Orange County
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We place before the reader a copy of a letter from Hazard’s Register, written by Samuel Preston, Esq., which will throw much light upon the point of early settlement in the Minisink county, by whom and when made, and be far more satisfactory than any thing we could say. Though the settlement particularly treated of was located in Pennsylvania, yet their operations, roads, excavations, &c., were within the limits of Orange County; and as it is connected with the question of the settlement of the County, we think it interesting on that account and for other curious matter detailed,— Any document which runs back and covers the time when a town, or other smaller district, was first occupied by early settlers, must be deemed valuable at this day.
Copy of Letters from Sam'l Preston, Esq., dated Stockport, June 6 & 14, 1828.
MINISINK, MINEHOLES, &C.,
In 1787 the writer went on his first surveying tour into Northampton County; he was deputed under John Lukens, Surveyor General, and received from him, by way of instructions, the following narrative respecting the settlement of Minisink on the Delaware, above the Kittanny and Blue Mountain:
That the settlement was formed for a long time before it was known to the Government in Philadelphia. That when the Government was informed of the settlement, they passed a law in 1729 that any such purchases of the Indians should he void and the purchasers indicted for forcible entry and defamer, according to the law of England. That in 1730 they appointed an agent to go and investigate the facts; that the agent so appointed was the famous Surveyor, Nicholas Scull; that he, James Lukens, was N. Scull’s apprentice to carry chain and learn surveying. That as they both understood and could talk Indian, they hired Indian guides, and had a fatiguing journey, there being then no white inhabitants in the upper part of Bucks or Northampton County. That they had very great difficulty to lead their hordes through the water gap to Minisink flats, which were all settled with Hollanders; with several they could only be understood in Indian. At the venerable Depuis’s they found great hospitality and plenty of the necessaries of life. J. Lukens said that the first thing which struck his attention was a grove of apple-trees of size far beyond any near Philadelphia. That as N. Scull and himself examined the banks, they were fully of opinion that all those flats had at some very former age been a deep lake before the river, broke through the mountain, and that the best interpretation they could make of Minisink was, the water is gone. That S. Dupuis told them when the rivers were frozen he had a good road to Esopus, near Kingston, from the Mineholes, on the Mine road, some hundred mile. That he took his wheat and cider there for salt and necessaries, and did not appear to have any knowledge or idea where the river ran— Philadelphia market--or being in the government of Pennsylvania.
They were of opinion that the first settlements of Hollanders in Minisink were many years older than William Penn’s charter, and that S. Dupuis had treated them so well they concluded to make a survey of his claim, in order to befriend him it necessary. When they began to survey, the Indians gathered around; an old Indian laid his hand on N. Scull’s shoulder and said “Put up iron string, go home.” They then quit and returned.