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History of Orange County

Town of Warwick

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During the war Burt served under Col. Hathorn, who commanded at the battle of Minisink, and was stationed at Fishkill when the war closed. On returning home the troops had to cross the river in an old continental scow. It was crowded with horses, troopers and soldiers. Before they got half over, she leaked so fast that they had to bail her out with their hats to keep her from sinking. They had but one oar, and the water being quite rough, they made out to get her ashore at New Windsor in place of the continental dock at Newburgh.

Extract from Family Record of Daniel Burt.
Phebe,	born	July 15, 1738,	married	Daniel Lobdell.
Daniel,	do	Oct. 20, 1740,	do	Martha Bradner.
Martha,	do	April 3, 1743,	do	Daniel Whitney.
Hannah,	do	May 24, 1745,	do	James Benjamin.
Ruth,	do	July 3, 1747,	do	Edy Newbury.
Lydia,	do	May 1, 1750,	do	Daniel Jayne.
Sarah,	do	Dec. 15, 1752,	do	Joshua Carpenter.
Esther,	do	May 17, 1755,	do	Benjamin Coleman.
Ann,	do	Jan 27, 1758,	do	Gideon Scott.
James,	do	Oct. 25, 1760	do	Abigail Coe.

Mrs. Daniel Burt died January 10, 1810, aged 94 years. At her death she had 524 descendents. All the children above named have been dead 20 years, except James the youngest, who alone survives.

The farm owned by Daniel Finch, and afterwards by Capt. John Jayne, situate on Long Ridge, on the road from Florida to Warwick, on the western part of the Van Horn tract, was located before 1762, and that road was then a public highway. Francis Armstrong and Joseph Bailey resided in that vicinity.

When Daniel Burt returned to the county in 1760, Daniel Whitney came with him, married his sister and located. An individual by the name of David Benjamin was located upon the side of the mountain on the land now owned by James Burt, Esq.

Benjamin Burt, a young man, came into the town about that time and settled on the farm now owned by Belden Burt.

John Vance was early in the town and lived near Judge Wheeler, on the farm now owned by John Pelton.

Mr. David McCamley, the ancestor of those of that name, settled about 1760, and built the mill where James Wheeler now lives.

Phillip Ketcham located about halfway between Warwick and Bellvale, where Joel Wheeler lived and died.

Jonathan Knap settled on the farm now owned by the McGee family.

John and William Blane purchased the lands now possessed by Samuel Blane, Robert and Henry Pelton.

Thomas De Kay was an early settler, and Maj. J. Wheeler and Joel Wood own his lands.

We think this family must have been among the earliest in the town, for Thomas De Kay was a justice of the peace in Orange county, and a Colonel of militia before 1754, and the lands he then held in possession had been located and tenanted 50 years previously. Vide, Report of Mr. Nicoll in Assembly.

Charles Beardsley lived where the old stone house is, in the village of Warwick, and owned the lands now covered by the village.

The first settlers in the present village of Warwick were Daniel Burt, jun., in 1765, Francis Baird, who built the stone house now standing, owned by the widow White, and William Wisner, who lived where the Messrs. Welling now keep a public inn, and owned by the Hon. Nathaniel Jones.

We acknowledge ourselves under deep obligation to the Hon. James Burt for many of the facts in this article of our paper.

We made an effort to insert the family of Jeffrey Wisner, Esq., of this town, in our paper, but did not procure it in time. The family were early settlers in this and in the town of Walkill, and connected by marriage with the old family of the Phillipses, and contributed their part in various ways to clear up the country and sustain her during the war of the Revolution. The members of this family were strong minded, sensible and enterprising; and well calculated to settle a new country and infuse strength and energy into its early institutions. In 1759 Henry Wisner, Esq., with Col. Abraham Herring represented the old county of Orange in the General Assembly, and served till after 1765.

The residence of Jeffrey Wisner, Esq., is very elevated on the east side of and almost upon the crown of a long ridge which runs north and south, and overlooks all the eastern part of the town. The village of Warwick with its rolling glades clad in deepest verdure, and the Wawayanda gracefully sweeping her course to the south, lie directly at his feet. In the distance are seen the Warwick mountains encircling the south eastern portion of the town, and as it were, barring out all approach to New Jersey; and to diversify the beautiful prospect, Sugarloaf mountain at the north lifts up her forest crowned head and almost shakes her verdant locks. The lands around his ample dwelling are clean as a lawn, while the out houses are numerous and well painted. The spot looks as if it had been tenanted for ages, and has the calm and stately appearance of dignity and wealth.

Armstrong Family.--The name of the first emigrant was William. The family is Scotch, though it came here like many of the early settlers, from Ireland. He had several children, among whom were Robert, William, John, Archibald, Elizabeth Borland, still living, and Poll Jackson. He settled very early in this town, so that his children were principally grown up before the Revolution. The family tradition is that his wife was a descendant of Bishop Lattimore.

Robert Armstrong, his son was born 1754 and married Rachel Smith, born 1768; their children were

Julia,	born	August 1, 1788,	and	married	John Roe.
Jasper,	do	April 20, 1790,		do	Sarah Coe.
Robert G.	do	July 18, 1793,		do	Sarah A. L. Lewis.
George W.	do	March 7, 1796,		do	Fanny Wheeler.
Maria,	do	Sept. 18, 1798,		not married.
Harriet,	do	July 12, 1801,		married	John Smith. Calvin Sawyer.
John C.	do	April 15, 1803,		never married.
Rachel,	do	July 15, 1805,		married	Pollidore Seward.
Sally S.				do	Ira Brown.

His biography is contained in the following notice of his death published at the time in a newspaper, of which we avail ourselves. It will be seen that he was one of the first members of Assembly from old Orange county after the Revolution, and we have been told that he did not know that he was running for office or was even a candidate till he went to the polls. People are not so ignorant of their worth and pretensions at this day. At the battle of Minisink he acted as aid to Gen. Hathorn, who commanded.

At his residence, Florida, Orange county, state of New York, on Friday, May 30th, 1834, Robert Armstrong, Esq. in the 81st year of his age. He was a man honored and respected as extensively as he was known; and extensively known as a public man from the age of about 29 years. He intimately connected with the Revolutionary struggle as a member of the Committee of Vigilance for the district in which he lived, and as taking an active part in some of its most difficult and trying scenes. In the days of George Clinton he held a seat as the youngest member in the Legislature of the State, and from that day until age rendered him desirous of retiring from public business, he was incessantly called upon to sustain public trusts in different offices, both of election and appointment. As Justice of the Peace, County Clerk and Treasurer, Member of the Assembly, Judge of the Court of Common Pleas, and many others; in all, he secured the confidence of all and was one of those rare men who are never even suspected of selfish or corrupt designs.

But, without devoting himself to the service of God through Christ Jesus, his other qualities would have profited not for another and eternal world.- For 57 years he was a member of the Presbyterian church of Florida, and for 53 years a Ruling Elder in the same church. Within this period of more than half a century, many times of trial came upon that church; in all of which, from first to last, he stood the firm and unbending defender of the truth, and was the acknowledged and happy instrument often of saving that portion of Zion from distraction and apparent ruin. Before he left the field of his usefulness and toil, he had the happiness of seeing his whole family of eight children gathered into the church through rich grace, together with some of his grand-children; and one of his sons, the Rev. Robert G. Armstrong of Fishkill, an active and successful minister of the gospel; and another, an Elder in the church of Florida. When the protracted and painful disease, by which he was removed from the world, was about accomplishing its work, he seemed to view with calm and sweet confidence in God the change which he knew was coming so soon. His senses remained to the last moment of his life, and he expired in the firm hope of a blessed immortality. Shortly before he died, he blessed his children and his grand-children, and when his utterance entirely failed him, his hand still rested on the head of one of his daughter's babes. Thus, like one of the ancient patriarchs, he employed his last moments in leaving his blessing with the race that was to stand in his place after him; and adjusting his cap and drawing the covering of the bed around him, he lay down and breathed out his spirit without a sigh or groan, and was thus gathered unto his fathers. His death seemed like falling into a gentle sleep. “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.”