First son, Daniel Decker, married ____ ____. They settled in New
Jersey, some distance down the Delaware river, where he owned a
farm. They had ____sons, ____, ____, ____, ____, and ____daughters,
____, ____.
Second son, John Decker, first married Margaret Gumaer; for their
history refer back to their names, and afterwards Sarah Hornbeck,
daughter of Benjamin Hornbeck, of Rochester, They had two
sons--Benjamin and Daniel, and four daughters--Margaret, Jane,
Hannah and Mary. At the commencement of the Revolutionary War, he
became Major of a Regiment of Militia of Orange county, and, when the
Indians invaded the lower neighborhood, he was wounded by the enemy
on his return from a funeral, and narrowly escaped from being taken.
Third son, Peter Decker, married (Catrina) Cole. They resided in the
north part of New Jersey, and had two sons Thomas and John, and
____ daughters--Sarah (bap. July 24, 1763), Jane.
First daughter, Hannah Decker, married Anthony Van Etten, son of
Jacob [FN] {tn} Van Etten, of Rochester, or its vicinity. He obtained
a piece of land of his father-in-law and built the house afterwards
occupied by his son, Henry Van Etten, on which he also erected a
blacksmith shop, and with the help of an apprentice pursued the
blacksmith business, of which he obtained a great run and became
owner of one of the best farms in the present town of Deerpark. He
served some years as a Justice of the Peace. They had ____ sons--Levi
(bap. Feb. 12, 1758), Henry, Thomas (bap. Sept. 8, 1751), Anthony.
(The Mahackamack church records gives the baptism of other children,
namely: Antje, bap. Jan. 14, 1753; Jenneke, bap. Ap. 28, 1754;
Margrieta, bap. Feb. 13, 1756; Alida, bap. Aug. 19, 1759; Blandina,
bap. Sept. 4, 1763; Maria, bap. Nov. 2, 1765; Tomas, bap. October 16,
1768; Jacob, Oct. 29, 1770), and ____ daughters.
* * * * *
[FN] See page 133, note
{transcriber's note: Both the name Jacob and the footnote are hand
written.}
Second daughter, Huldi Decker, married Jacob De Witt Gumaer. (For
their history refer back to their names.)
The descendants of those four ancient families are dispersed into
different parts of our country, and have become settled in different
parts of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan,
Wisconsin, California, and probably in some other States and
territories; and some, in connection with those among whom they have
intermarried, have remained on the premises of their forefathers and
now possess nearly all the valuable land for agricultural purposes in
the present town of Deerpark.
The reader will learn from this history that generally the
descendants of the first pioneers became farmers, and continued in
those occupations to the end of the third generation; and the
greatest proportion of the fourth and fifth generation of the present
time (1858) are farmers. Our ancestors were not in opulent
circumstances, but generally had a plenty of the necessaries of life
and were a thriving people, and, so far as the writer's knowledge
extends in relation to those who have settled in other parts of our
country, they have generally acquired farms.
Jacob Cuddeback has been known to say that by leaving France he had
been deprived of many enjoyments he might have had in that country,
but for these sacrifices he had the satisfaction of leaving his
posterity in a country of good land and easily to be acquired.
It appears that the first emigrants craved title for no more land
than what they wanted to occupy, thinking that the mountainous land
bordering on it would remain unsold, and that they and their
descendants could always get wood from it without paying for the
land. This continued so for about sixty or seventy years, when they
had to buy it at a higher price than they felt willing to pay for it,
for a supply of fuel, fencing, timber, &c. The patentees now saw
their mistake, and Jacob Cuddeback at a certain time was censured by
his son William for not having included land enough in the patent to
cover an additional tract of wood land. The old man, not relishing
this, replied, "We all can see the mistake now, when it is too late.
You have the same chance I had to provide for your family. See if you
will do better."
The descendants of the four pioneers have generally acquired as much
territory as was necessary to obtain by the sweat of the brow
comfortable livings for their respective families; and not only have
they obtained a competency for their livelihood, but a large surplus,
which, as the avails of it, have reached all branches of mechanical
and other business whatever in our country; and many of their
productions, together with the masses of other producers, have been
conveyed to European countries. In consequence of which they have
been valuable citizens, and have rendered extensive benefits to
mankind, from whom, in return, they have received an equal amount of
necessary articles and luxuries. The whole annual surplus amount now
produced by the fourth and fifth generations of the ancient little
neighborhood of Peenpack, must amount in value to many thousands of
dollars.
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