GAZETTEER

OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK

By J. H. French

R. P. Smith, Publisher

Syracuse, New York

1860

COLUMBIA COUNTY

Page 247

The Hudson Female Academy was organized in 1851, and occupies a substantial stone edifice formerly used as a private lunatic asylum.

     The Orphan Asylum was established in Oct. 1843, and is in charge of a board of lady managers.  Forty to 60 children are provided for.  It is supported by private donations, assisted by an annual stipend of $1000 from the co.

     The city contains 11 private schools, 2 public libraries, 3 banks, and 3 newspaper offices.  Pop. 6,720.

     A lunatic asylum was established here in 1832, but it was given up upon the opening of the State Asylum at Utica.¹  The first religious organization (a society of Friends) was formed in 1784, and a meeting  house was built in 1785.  There are now 11 churches in the city.²

     Hudson was formerly known as "Claverack Landing."³  The foundation of its future prosperity as a city was laid by Seth and Thos. Jenkins and their associates, in 1783.⁴  It grew with great rapidity, and soon became the center of a very extensive commercial business.  In 1775 it became a port of entry,⁵ and at an early period its commerce extended to the West Indies and Europe.⁶  Shad and herring, from the river and coast fisheries, ship timber, and country produce were exported, and numbers of ships were employed in the whale fisheries.  The embargo, and the war which followed, destroyed this trade.  The whaling business was afterward resumed, and for some time prosecuted with success; but it has since been entirely abandoned.  A daily line of steamers plies between this city and Albany, and the day line between Albany and New york touches here.

KINDERHOOK⁷--was formed as a district, March 22, 1772, and reorganized as a town March 7, 1788.  A part of Chatham was taken off in 1795, a part of Ghent in 1818, and Stuyvesant in 1823.  It occupies the central part of the n. border of the co.  The surface is level or undulating.  Kinderhook Lake, in the n. e. part, is about 4 mi. in circumference.  The principal streams are Kinderhook Creek and the outlet of Kinderhook Lake.  The soil is a fertile, sandy, and gravelly loam.  Kinderhook, (p.v.,) situated on the creek of the same name, was incorp. April 18, 1838.  It contains 4 churches, the Kinderhook Academy, a newspaper office, 2 banks, and several manufacturing establishments.⁸  Pop. 1078.  Lindenwald, the residence of Ex Pres. Martin Van Buren, is about 2 mil. s. of this village.  Valatie,⁹ (vol'a-che, p.v.,) situated at the junction of Kinderhook Creek and the outlet of Kinderhook Lake, was incorp. June 30, 1856.  It contains 4 churches, 5 cotton factories¹⁰ and several other manufactories.¹¹  Niverville, (p.v.,) on the outlet of Kinderhook Lake, is a station of the A. & W. S. R. R.  It contains a wadding factory, batting factory, gristmill, and 21 houses.  Settlements commenced under the Dutch Government.¹²  The rights of certain settlers were confirmed by the act of March 12, 1793.  A controversy concerning the patent of John Hendrick De Bruyn, granted in 1686, was settled by commissioners June 8, 1812.  A Ref. Prot. D. church was organized in 1712.  Rev. Johannes Lydius, of Albany, conducted the first religious services, and Rev. J. Van Driesen was the first settled pastor.  There are 8 churches in town.¹³

LIVINGSTON--was granted as a manor,¹⁴ July 22, 1686, formed as a district, March 24, 1772, and organized as a town, March 7, 1788.  Clermont was taken off in 1787, and Ancram and Taghkanick in 1803.  It is situated in the s. w. part of the co., bordering on the Hudson.  The surface is generally undulating.  Claverack Creek crosses the n. e. corner, Kleina Kil¹⁵ flows through near the center, and Roeliff Jansens Kil forms the s. w. boundary.  In most of the course

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¹ Established by Dr. S. White.  It was continued 6-1/2 years, and during that time 297 patients were admitted.

² Bap., M. E., Presb, Prot. E., Ref. Prot. D., R. C., Univ., Wes. Meht., Af. Meth., and 2 Friends meeting houses.

³ In 1783, Peter Hogeboom, Peter Van Hoesen, Caspar Huyck, John Van Allen, and John, Jacob, Jonathan, and Leonard Hendricks lived at this place.  Van Allen kept a store, and Conrad Flock kept a canoe ferry to Loonenburgh.

⁴ Seth and Thomas Jenkins, and 28 others, that year formed themselves into an association for commercial purposes, and selected "Claverack Landing" as the seat of the operations.  A city plot was at once surveyed, docks were built, and shipbuilding commenced.  The following year the Hudson, a ship of 300 tons, was launched by Jenkins & Gelston.  Cotton Gelston opened a store the same year, and in 1785 Thomas Jenkins and Josiah Alcott built a ropewalk, 600 feet long.  Josiah Barnard built a wind gristmill on Prospect Hill, in 1787; and Thos. and Seth Jenkins and Stephen Paddock, a hemp ducking factory, in 1789.

⁵ Henry Malcomb, the first collector, was appointed June 12, 1795.

⁶It is said at one time a greater amount of shipping was owned at this port than at New York.

7A Dutch name, signifying "Childrens Point."  There are several versions of the origin of this name:  one is, that it was given by Hudson from the number of Indian children congregated to see his vessel at a point above Stuyvesant Landing; and another, that it was derived form the number of children belonging to a family residing at the forks of an Indian trial, where the village of Kinderhook now is.

⁸A steam cotton factory, gristmill, sawmill, 2 hat factories, and a candle factory.

⁹A Dutch word, signifying "Little Falls."  There is a fall here of about 15 feet; and hence the name.

¹⁰There are about 400 looms in these factories, and 400 to 500 persons employed:  warp and wicking exclusively are made at one of them.

¹¹A paper mill, furnace, machine shop, plaster mill, and sawmill.  Pop. estimated at about 1500.

¹²A record belonging to the Ref. Prot. D. church, dated 1729, and signed by Johannes Van Driesen, gives the names of 100 families then residing in town.  Among these are the names Van Alsteyn, Van Allen, Van Schaack, Van Burjren, Van Der Pool, Conyn, Huijk, Vosburg, Schermerhorn, Klauw, Gardenier, Van Valkenburgh, Van Sleijk, Wieber, and Mulder.

¹³2 M. E., Bap., Evang. Luth., Presb., Prot. E., Ref. Prot. D., and R. c.

¹⁴The manor, of which this town is a part, was granted to Robert Livingston.

¹⁵Little Creek.

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