There are certain predominating characteristics in families which, in
some cases, will remain in their descendants from generation to
generation for a great length of time, and some of those of the first
pioneers have thus continued in some degree in their line of descent
up to the present time; and where intermarriages have occurred, of
such different characters, they have generally become united in the
children and, in some cases, this union resulted in better characters
than that of either of the originals, and in others, worse.
In respect to the characteristics of five sons of the first families
who remained in the Peenpack neighborhood, I will here give a short
narration, to wit:
Major James Swartwout was a large, heavy, strong, portly and likely
man, of a noble and dignified appearance, very suitable for a
military officer, and was possessed of a spirit as noble as his
appearance. He was very witty, jocose and humorous in conversation
(these were Swartwout family traits), and he was too liberal and easy
in his business affairs to accumulate property, in consequence of
which he became much involved. He was generally consulted in matters
of difficulty, in respect to which I will relate one instance, to
wit:
At a certain time after the fall of a light snow, the members of a
certain family who were neighbors to him, discovered apparently the
tracks of a person on the roof of the house where no person could
walk, which extended from one end of the roof to the other end. This
alarmed the family, who thought it ominous of some calamity which
would happen to them, and after some conversation respecting it,
concluded it was best to send for Major Swartwout, to see what he
would think of it. They accordingly got him there, who, on viewing
it, concluded in his mind that it had been done by some person, and
mistrusted a slave of the family, who kept near them to hear what
would be said respecting it. He stepped up to the black man and
accused him of doing it, which was denied. The Major told him he had
done it and that if he did not own it he would give him a flogging,
and still denying, the Major took a gad and gave him two or three
whippings before he would own it, and after owning it the Major told
him if he would tell how he did it he would let him go. He said he
took a long pole and fastened a shoe to the end and therewith made
the tracks. This eased the family of their fearful apprehensions.
William Cuddeback was a man of somewhat over six feet stature,
coarse-boned, muscular and lean. He was strong and very nimble, and
could outrun many young men after he was fifty years old. In the
French war, after his hair had begun to turn gray, he outran a
soldier who thought himself swift. He was very talkative and witty,
and I think from what information I have had in relation to him, that
he never had his equal in this town for humorous discourse and a
display of wit properly and suitably applied. He was characterised as
a wise man in his time. Argument was his hobby, and, as there was
much of it in his time in relation to the Scriptures, he, although
uneducated, became so versed therein that when among strangers he was
often thought to be a well read man. He was a disbeliever in the
superstitious notions which many people in his time had in relation
to witchcraft, &c., and would often tell very laughable occurrences
in respect thereto. He was somewhat slack in his business concerns
and careless in paying attention to the same, but he always had help
enough to manage the business of his farm.
Peter Gumaer was a man of about five feet ten inches stature. During
the time of my acquaintance with him he was fleshy and fat, and in
his younger days was a very persevering business man. He never was a
hard working nor an idle man himself, but all his children and slaves
performed a great amount of labor. His family produced a greater
amount of farmer's productions than any other farmer within 20 or 30
miles distance from his residence, and he had all the necessary
fixtures for his different branches of business in the best manner
of his time. He would not suffer idleness in his family, and was
inimical to it in others. He was a man of good judgment and of an
honest and independent principle.
Gerardus Van Inwegen [FN] {tn} was a man of about five feet eight or
nine inches stature. He was lean, bony, muscular and strong, and had
much of the Swartwout jocose and humorous disposition. He was the only
son of his father, and was brought up without work, and in his
neighborhood became fond of hunting, and did much of it in company
with the white and Indian boys of the neighborhood, and in early life
became a very skillful hunter and took great delight in it. He
continued to follow it through life, and killed more deer, bears and
other wild animals and wild fowls than any other man of his time in
this vicinity, whereby he not only obtained a very plentiful supply
of those meats for his own family, but contributed liberally to those
of Cuddeback and Gumaer, his neighbors, and enjoyed a very happy
life. He was much addicted to playing tricks on people, and, when any
of them happened to be offensive, he could generally end the matter
in good humor. (It appears those ancients generally were well
calculated to extinguish those offensive occurrences and restore
friendship, by means of which they maintained friendly relations with
each other and with the Indians.)
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[FN] Brother of Hannah, wife of Anthony Van Etten, page 59.
{Transcribers note: the footnote is hand written}
At a certain time he put a mean, dirty trick on a company of squaws
and their children, which they discovered in going to a certain
place, and immediately laid it to Gerardus, and, on their return,
stopped at his house and accused him of it. He asked what made them
think he had done it. They told him no other man in the neighborhood
would do such a nasty trick; that he was worse than a hog and they
would have satisfaction for that trick. After some altercation
respecting it, he got a pail of cider and gave them as much as they
would drink, which cheered them all up and they went off in good
humor, laughing at those who fared the worse.
Samuel Swartwout was reputed to have been a very strong man, and
naturally easy and very good natured, not easily provoked to anger
nor easily scared. He, by hunting and trapping, obtained a supply of
meat and some other necessaries for his family. He had a valuable
farm, but had no help to work it. Laborers could not be hired. After
Depuy married his daughter he brought some slaves from his father's,
and, with these, Depuy worked the farm and produced much wheat and
other grain. Swartwout was on very friendly terms with the Indians,
and when he removed from the residence of his father, he settled, as
has been mentioned, among a collection of Indians.
In order to give some idea of Swartwout's boldness and of having been
so characterized, I will relate a certain transaction, to wit: A
certain Indian in his time had made a false face of a very frightful
appearance, which was obtained from him by two or three of the young
men. It was said that when it was put before a man's face and a bear
skin wrapped around his body, the appearance in the night was very
terrifying. They gave the man so dressed the name of Santa Claus. On
a certain winter evening this Santa Claus went round among the
families and frightened the members of four of them by this imprudent
exhibition. After this they concluded to try if they could not scare
the fearless Swartwout. Santa Claus went and entered his house.
Swartwout sat before the fire, and, on seeing him, rose from his
chair, took hold of it, and put himself in a position to strike.
Santa Claus, fearing the blow, said, "Uncle Samuel, don't strike."
Swartwout told him to go out of the house, or he would split his
brains, and added, "If you are the devil, or from the devil, go to
where you belong."
These five men and their fathers had to encounter many difficulties
to retain the possession of nearly half the land they claimed under
the patent against Jersey claimants, and it appears they were well
qualified in all respects to counteract them. An account of this is
contained in Eager's history.
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