Very little is now known respecting the seven first pioneers. I imagine
that they had all been in comfortable circumstances of life, and had
become reduced so that they were in want of means for a livelihood, and
became associated to obtain possession of some good land which they were
not able to purchase in the settled part of the country, and had to
venture to emigrate into its wilds which remained unsettled by white
people but was inhabited by Indians, who at that time were thought to
be a more savage and cruel people than what they in reality were.
The three Swartwouts, we have reason to presume, were best calculated
for this enterprise, and that their companions must have had much
reliance on them for protection. Not only were they possessed of
superior capacities in respect of body and spirit for adventurous
undertakings, but also were a very social, jocose, humorous and witty
people, well calculated to become easily familiarized with strangers
and court friendship, which first qualities were necessary to intimidate
the Indians, and the latter to court and maintain friendship with them.
They were an easy people and made no great exertions to acquire property
by means of hard labor, but provided for a good living. Some of these
characteristics have become much changed in the descendants of those
who remained in this vicinity, and some of them have been inherited to
the present time. The Swartwout character became much changed by the
union of Major Swartwout with the daughter of the first Peter Gumaer,
whose only surviving son, Philip Swartwout, became the greatest business
man of his time in this neighborhood. He also was more sedate and
economical than his ancestors; in other respects he had inherited the
Swartwout character. A great degree of these existed in the two
succeeding generations, and have not become extinguished in the sixth.
Caudebec and Guimar, reduced from a state of affluence to that of
indigence, differed widely to meet such a change and undertake the task
of manual labor for a living which became necessary after they landed
in this country, and was undertaken by them, but, as they were not able
to perform as much as men habituated to it, they received only low
wages. Caudebec, being dissatisfied, told Guimar that he would not work
for such low wages; Guimar replied that they had to do something for a
living, and, as they could not do much, they could not expect much, and
that while they labored they had their living, if no more. At the
instigation of Caudebec, they went from the State in which they first
landed into the State of New York, and he, having been habituated to
a trading business, became introduced into the family of Benjamin
Provost, who also were in such business, and was married to one of his
daughters. Guimar, in the meantime, undertook the business of cleaning
flax by the pound, for which he received wages according to what he did,
and also became married to a daughter (as has been supposed) of a Deyo.
After these two individuals became settled in our present town, the same
difference continued to exist in relation to their business
transactions. Guimar, with the help of his daughters, two slaves he
bought or had of his father-in-law, and one son, (his youngest child),
became the greatest farmer in this town. He was very persevering in his
business transactions, and severe to compel his slaves, also his
daughters and son, to do all the labor they could perform. The
daughters, five in number, although of delicate constitutions, did all
the housework and manufacturing of all their clothing, also a part of
the work on the farm and taking wheat to market. He, himself, dressed
all his flax, to which business he had become habituated before he
settled on his farm, which was about all the farmer's work he could do.
He also was severe to enforce the moral and religious duties of his
children. His descendants have, from generation to generation, very
generally inherited his persevering business character to the present
time; in other respects many of his characteristics have become
extinguished.
Caudebec was the reverse of Guimar in respect to his business
transactions, and more tender towards his children. He had much of a
speculative disposition, and aimed at getting a living by easier means
than that of steady manual labor, and this probably was the view of the
seven first settlers and cause of their emigration to get possession of
land where wild animals, fowls and fishes abounded, which, together with
the cultivation of small portions of such land, would furnish means for
an easy life and a better living, in respect of eatables, than what we
can now enjoy.
After those individuals became located in our present town, it was
necessary for them to procure a title for the land they wanted to
occupy, and it appears that they selected Caudebec, as the most proper
person, to send to the Governor and procure a patent for as many acres
of land as would cover what they wanted to occupy.
After one of the Swartwouts, Caudebec and Guimar became owners of the
patent right, they had to contend for the possession of a great part of
the land they claimed and had in their possession, and it was necessary
for them to devise means to counteract those who wanted to dispossess
them. Caudebec, who was of a contemplative mind, must have been well
calculated to assist in forming plans for that purpose, and I have
understood that he, and certain individuals of his own family,
officiated in some of those which were very important.
After his daughters became married, he devised means for their
livelihood, by inducing the husbands of three of them, Abraham Louw,
Evert Hornbeck and Harmanus Van Gordon, to locate on the east side of
the Delaware river, in the State of New Jersey, opposite Shipikunk
Island; and also his son James and two of his brothers-in-law to do the
same, and each of them take possession of as much land on the island as
was necessary for a livelihood for his respective family. This island
was a body of very good river land, and the first possessor of any part
of it had a right to hold what he had in possession without paying for
it. It was termed King's land, and to remain unsold by his Majesty or
Government. Other islands in that river were in the same situation, and
the husband of another of his daughters, Westfall, located himself on
the same side of the river, opposite Minisink Island, and took
possession of a part of that island.
From all of which we must infer that he was a man well calculated to
overcome difficulties, and had a penetrating mind. He was characterized
as a sensible man. He had been educated, but to what extent is not
known. He had told his family that he had been a great reader before he
left his country, and that he regretted that his children did not have
the opportunity to become educated. He instructed them in moral and
religious duties, and was very tenacious of their characters. At a
certain time two of his daughters told him that certain persons had made
a scandalous report respecting them. He asked if it was true what they
had said. They replied no, it was all lies. "Well," said he, "maintain
good characters and let them talk; they will get ashamed of their lies."
His character, in relation to what has been mentioned respecting his
mental ability, has been inherited from generation to generation by some
of his descendants (who remained in this town) to the present time. The
bodily capacities of his sons, in respect of size, strength and agility,
I consider to have been inherited from his wife, which, although much
reduced from that of those ancients, is still superior in some of the
descendants of the present time to that of the generality of men. Some
of those ancients, in our neighborhood, were a very talkative people and
uncommonly fond of conversation, in which they embraced a great variety
of topics in relation to what had transpired in this valley for a
distance of sixty or seventy miles, and included a great many remarks
in relation to the conduct of the people of those times and much
argumentation on different subjects. I have sat many a long winter
evening, and many an hour in the daytime, to hear the conversations and
arguments of a few of the individuals of the second generation. These
propensities, which were inherent in this family, have become much
changed in their descendants of the present time. Many of these
communications, remarks and arguments were entertaining and instructive,
and had a tendency to induce good morality, of which they possessed more
in principle than in language. I will here introduce one good remark,
which one of them made in the presence of myself and a few others, which
was that, "The first of anything from which trouble accrued was the
cause of all the evil consequences which originated from the same."
In bodily size, strength and agility, there was a great similarity
between the Swartwouts and Cuddebacks, but those I have known differed
in visage. It was said that some of the ancients were superior in
personal beauty and natural mental abilities to their descendants. This
information I have had from different sources. The first time I saw
Nathaniel Owen, who kept a store and tavern many years ago, about two
miles east of the Wallkill, on the road to New Windsor and Newburgh, he
told me that he had been acquainted with the old people in our two
neighborhoods, and that he had never been in a place where there was so
great a proportion of portly, handsome men as were in those
neighborhoods, which he considered as remarkable for such a by-place as
this was at that time. He named Major Swartwout, the second Peter
Gumaer, William Cuddeback, Johannis (John) Westbrook and the first Peter
Kuykendall as the most superior in those respects, and that their
children generally were inferior to them, not only in bodily capacity,
but also in natural mental ability. The ancient Swartwouts, Cuddebacks
and Gumaers had black, curly hair and generally blue eyes and fair skin.
The first Van Inwegen had red hair, his son Gerardus had black, curly
hair and his children had black hair.
Harmanus Van Inwegen's character has been represented in this work as a
bold and fearless man, which is about all that is now known respecting
him. This was well known by Anthony Swartwout, Jacob Cuddeback and the
first Peter Gumaer, before they procured him to locate in their little
neighborhood for their assistance in defending the premises they
claimed. His co-operation with them was important for all these four
individuals, for he, as well as the others had become interested therein
by having a portion of the land granted to him by the others, and as the
saying is "He became a great spoke in the wheel" to maintain their
possessions. He was always honored by his companions for his bravery and
help in their struggles. He and they continued to live near neighbors
in friendship and harmony until death ended their lives.
Van Inwegen had only one son (Gerardus) and one daughter (Jane).
Gerardus lived a very near neighbor to my father, and I was familiarly
acquainted with him in his old age for several years previous to his
death. I did also sometimes see his sister; they were both small and
very lean in flesh during the time I knew them, and their skin was much
wrinkled, (which latter denoted they had been more fleshy in earlier
life) they appeared to be more healthy and were smart for their ages.
Gerardus retained his health until old age ended his life, and after his
death it was said of him that he died a natural death, of old age,
without sickness.
The characteristics of the father and son of this family have not been
generally inherited by the children and grand-children. It has been said
that Cornelius Van Inwegen, Jr., father of Moses Van Inwegen, resembled
and took more after his great-grandfather, Harmanus Van Inwegen, than
any other individual of all his descendants. Moses, his son, has some
resemblance to his father, but I consider him to take more after the
ancient DeWitt family than that of any other. There were certain traits
of character which some of the children and grand-children of Gerardus
inherited from him, but generally they took more after other families
from whom they were also descendants.
Many of the ancient characteristics of both the Swartwouts and
Cuddebacks still remain in their descendants, but I consider James D.
Swartwout as possessing those of the ancient Swartwout family in a
superior degree; Col. Peter Cuddeback as having the greatest resemblance
to the ancient Cuddeback family; Abraham Cuddeback, son of Col. William
A. Cuddeback, when in prime of life, appeared to have more of the
character of his grandfather, Capt. Cuddeback, than any other of the
descendants of the latter; James Devens, Esq., grandson of the second
Peter Gumaer, had some resemblance of his grandfather. But all these
differed in some respects from the originals. Benjamin Hornbeck, a
grandson of Capt. Cuddeback, had much of the penetrating mind of his
grandfather.
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