Town of Walkill

This town originally extended South to the line of Minisink, and included the now towns of Montgomery and Crawford. In 1772 the “ Walkill Precinct” was divided by an act of the Assembly into two, and one called the “Hanover Precinct,” and the other the “ Walkill Precinct.”

The surface of this town is very uneven and broken, and

though not mountainous, yet very hilly. The hills are high and long, and in direction, North and South; in which they are ruled by the physical law which governs all the ridges and hills in this region of country. The soil is of every Variety; but not as warm and genial for the production of grain as some other towns, and is best conditioned for grass and stock. We have not observed the same rapid improvement in general agriculture in this, which is seen in other places; still, this remark has many notorious exceptions, while the whole may be considered respectable on comparison. The central portion of the town, North and South, lies very high, and slopes gradually to the East and West; which makes its physical outline a ridge of moderate elevation, fluted with long vallies and lesser ridges. As a consequence of such general surface outline, we find the streams in the eastern and western sections. The Shawangunk Kill divides it from Sullivan county, while the Walkill at the East separates it from Hamptonburgh. Independent of these streams, there are no others worth noticing.

During the war of the Revolution this town was patriotic, and nobly bore her share of public duty. Col. Wm. Faulkner—then a Captain—was in the service at the taking of Fort Montgomery by the English, and received a bayonet wound in the side, which affected him more or less through life, though he lived to be an old man. He was brave, fearless, and a true patriot.

EARLY SETTLEMENT.

This town was not settled as early as many others, and the operation when commenced was slow in execution.

William Bull, of Goshen, procured a small patent of about five hundred acres in this town, lying East and West, in a long strip on both sides of the Walkill River, which he gave to his two sons, William and Thomas Bull. William was the ancestor of William, Moses, James and Charles of the last generation; and Thomas, of Daniel, Cadwallader and Absalom.

Though the patent was unequally divided by the stream—-there being about three hundred acres on the west side and two hundred on the east—yet they divided their rights by the stream; William taking the western, and Thomas the eastern port on.

William built his first house nearly in the vicinity of the brick mansion of his grandson William Bull, deceased, on the high bank of the Walkill, and now occupied by his widow Mrs. Keturah Bull.

Thomas built also near the residence of the present stone house, known as the Cadwallader Bull house, on the road from Goshen to Montgomery.

He afterwards built that stone house. He was a mason by trade; and it is said, that or several years previous to erecting it, he was engaged in preparing the stone. He kept his hammer in the field, and when disengaged from other business, would shape a few stones for the purpose, by which process, continued through several years, the materials were all prepared and ready for the building, so that in the process of erection the sound of a hammer was not heard on the building. The material is limestone, and the work as perfect now as when erected. These two brothers were in the town as early as 1767.

Farther south there was an early settlement made by Mr. John McCord, the father of Andrew McCord, Esq., of the last generation on the farm now owned by Col. Wilbur.— The family, we believe, is Scotch. The building in which he lived, like that of almost all others at the time, was loop-holed for musquetry. This family was attacked one night by some Indians, but the neighbors hearing of it, came in time to drive them off and save the family. In the morning a track of blood was found leading in the direction of the high hill, directly in the rear of the house, then covered with wood, and it was found that an Indian had been killed. The hill is called ‘‘Jerrard’s Hill,’’ after the name of the Indian.

On the farm now owned by Stephen Harlow, Esq., on McCormick’s Kill, where there was an ancient flour mill, there was an early settlement. At the organization of the town it was owned by Mr. John McNeal, whose descendents, in name at least, have nearly run out in the town and county. They were connected with another old family by the name of Borland, who resided in that vicinity, the descendents of which are yet numerous, though widely dispersed. Charles Borland, Esq. the present Surrogate of the county, and Col. Charles Borland, of Texas, of the army now in Mexico, under General Taylor, are of that family. The original settler was from the Emerald Isle. Israel Rogers and Daniel Butterfield lived in that vicinity also.

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Table of Contents Town of Walkill Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Orange County AHGP/ALHN New York AHGP/ALHN AHGP ALHN	History of Orange County
	Town of Walkill This town originally extended South to the line of Minisink, and included the now towns of Montgomery and Crawford. In 1772 the “ Walkill Precinct” was divided by an act of the Assembly into two, and one called the “Hanover Precinct,” and the other the “ Walkill Precinct.” The surface of this town is very uneven and broken, and though not mountainous, yet very hilly. The hills are high and long, and in direction, North and South; in which they are ruled by the physical law which governs all the ridges and hills in this region of country. The soil is of every Variety; but not as warm and genial for the production of grain as some other towns, and is best conditioned for grass and stock. We have not observed the same rapid improvement in general agriculture in this, which is seen in other places; still, this remark has many notorious exceptions, while the whole may be considered respectable on comparison. The central portion of the town, North and South, lies very high, and slopes gradually to the East and West; which makes its physical outline a ridge of moderate elevation, fluted with long vallies and lesser ridges. As a consequence of such general surface outline, we find the streams in the eastern and western sections. The Shawangunk Kill divides it from Sullivan county, while the Walkill at the East separates it from Hamptonburgh. Independent of these streams, there are no others worth noticing. During the war of the Revolution this town was patriotic, and nobly bore her share of public duty. Col. Wm. Faulkner—then a Captain—was in the service at the taking of Fort Montgomery by the English, and received a bayonet wound in the side, which affected him more or less through life, though he lived to be an old man. He was brave, fearless, and a true patriot. EARLY SETTLEMENT. This town was not settled as early as many others, and the operation when commenced was slow in execution. William Bull, of Goshen, procured a small patent of about five hundred acres in this town, lying East and West, in a long strip on both sides of the Walkill River, which he gave to his two sons, William and Thomas Bull. William was the ancestor of William, Moses, James and Charles of the last generation; and Thomas, of Daniel, Cadwallader and Absalom. Though the patent was unequally divided by the stream—-there being about three hundred acres on the west side and two hundred on the east—yet they divided their rights by the stream; William taking the western, and Thomas the eastern port on. William built his first house nearly in the vicinity of the brick mansion of his grandson William Bull, deceased, on the high bank of the Walkill, and now occupied by his widow Mrs. Keturah Bull. Thomas built also near the residence of the present stone house, known as the Cadwallader Bull house, on the road from Goshen to Montgomery. He afterwards built that stone house. He was a mason by trade; and it is said, that or several years previous to erecting it, he was engaged in preparing the stone. He kept his hammer in the field, and when disengaged from other business, would shape a few stones for the purpose, by which process, continued through several years, the materials were all prepared and ready for the building, so that in the process of erection the sound of a hammer was not heard on the building. The material is limestone, and the work as perfect now as when erected. These two brothers were in the town as early as 1767. Farther south there was an early settlement made by Mr. John McCord, the father of Andrew McCord, Esq., of the last generation on the farm now owned by Col. Wilbur.— The family, we believe, is Scotch. The building in which he lived, like that of almost all others at the time, was loop-holed for musquetry. This family was attacked one night by some Indians, but the neighbors hearing of it, came in time to drive them off and save the family. In the morning a track of blood was found leading in the direction of the high hill, directly in the rear of the house, then covered with wood, and it was found that an Indian had been killed. The hill is called ‘‘Jerrard’s Hill,’’ after the name of the Indian. On the farm now owned by Stephen Harlow, Esq., on McCormick’s Kill, where there was an ancient flour mill, there was an early settlement. At the organization of the town it was owned by Mr. John McNeal, whose descendents, in name at least, have nearly run out in the town and county. They were connected with another old family by the name of Borland, who resided in that vicinity, the descendents of which are yet numerous, though widely dispersed. Charles Borland, Esq. the present Surrogate of the county, and Col. Charles Borland, of Texas, of the army now in Mexico, under General Taylor, are of that family. The original settler was from the Emerald Isle. Israel Rogers and Daniel Butterfield lived in that vicinity also. 889th