CHAPTER XIII.

TOWNS OF WAWAYANDA AND GREENVILLE.

WAWAYANDA.-The causes which led to the forma tion of this town from a part of the old town of Minisink are quite difficult to discern at the present time; in fact like many another change in times past, it would perhaps puzzle the originators of the scheme themselves to account for it. It was doubtless the result of some political party movement, since its completion has not added materially to the welfare of the citizens of the two towns, in a pecuniary point of view. The legis lature of the State in 1848 and 1849, conferred the power of erecting and dividing towns (previously held by the State) on the Board of Supervisors, and the division of Minisink was among the first that took place under the new act. At the Town Meeting in the spring of 1849, the following notice was given of an intention to apply for a division of the town:

"Notice is hereby given that the undersigned freeholders of the town of Minisink, Orange county, will make application to the Board of Supervisors at their next annual meeting for the division of said town, to form a new town out of that part of the town comprising the first election district,"

The Board of Supervisors was composed as follows: D. H. Moffat, Chairman, Blooming Grove, Whig. Daniel Fullerton, Minisink, Whig.

Augustus P. Thompson, Mount Hope, Whig.

David Swartout, Deerpark, Whig.

William V. N. Armstrong, Warwick, Whig.

Morgan Shuit, Monroe, Whig.

Odell S. Hathaway, Newburgh, Whig.
William Jackson, Hamptonburgh, Whig.
Lindley M. Ferris, Montgomery, Whig.
Hezekiah Moffat, Chester, Whig.
Augustus Thompson, Crawford, Democrat.
Richard M. Vail, Goshen, Democrat.
Abraham Vail, Jr., Wallkill, Democrat.
James Denniston, Cornwall, Democrat.

James R. Dickson, New Windsor, Democrat.

On the 27th day of November (1849) the matter was brought before the Board on motion of Mr. Fullerton of Minisink, the petitioner for the division, the maps and survey of the proposed new town, made by Dr. D. C. Hallock, having been previously presented by him. He then proposed to name the town "Wawayanda,"

after the old Indian patent upon which it is located; the name being an Indian word, used by an Indian while standing on a hill, defining the boundaries of the tract to the early settlers, and supposed to mean “way over yonder."

Mr. Fullerton then moved the passage of the bill, which was seconded by Mr. Ferris, when the house was called by towns and voted as follows:

Ayes-D. H. Moffat, Hezekiah Moffat, Lindley M. Ferris, Daniel Fullerton, Wm. V. N. Armstrong, A. P. Thompson, David Swartout, William Jackson, Odell S. Hathaway, Morgan Shuit.

Nays-R. M. Vail, Abraham Vail, Jr., James Denniston, James R. Dickson, Augustus Thompson.

It was therefore declared carried.

The town is bounded on the east by the town of Goshen, south by Warwick and Minisink, west by Greenville, and north by Mount Hope and Wallkill. Rutger's creek forms part of the boundary line on the south, and the Wallkill on the east and south-east.

The principal villages are, Hampton on the Erie Railway, Ridgebury and Brookfield in the central part of the town, Gardnersville in the southern, and Millsburgh and Centreville in the south-western portion.

Hampton is a small village owing its importance to the fact that it is the only station in the town on the railroad. Its public buildings consist of a hotel, three stores, tin shop, &c. There are grist mills a short distance below, at Phillipsburg, on the Wallkill; also a hotel and store about half a mile south, at Denton.

Ridgebury is said to have taken its name from the Presbyterian church first erected at that place, which was so called from the number of berries that grew on

a neighboring ridge, still known as "whortleberry hill." It is an old established place, and the site of the village was owned in 1800 by Benjamin Dunning, Jonathan Bailey, Benjamin Howell, Isaac Decker and others. John Dunken, killed at the battle of Minisink, was from this locality. John Hallock, Sr., James Hulse, Benj. Smith, Moses Overton, Noyes Wickham, Richard Ellison and Charles Durland, were early settlers in the neighborhood. The business part of the village at present is a hotel and store.

Brookfield is undoubtedly named from its proximity to a brook, which nearly surrounds it. It was early settled, and before the construction of the Erie Railway was a place of some notoriety, having a printing office, grist mill, plaster mill, saw mill, tannery, &c. At pres ent it has but one hotel and store.

Gardnersville is named after Ira Gardner, who for merly owned the mills and kept store at the place. It is situated on Rutger's kill, and has a grist mill, saw mill and one or two stores.

Millsburgh and Centreville are but a short distance apart, both situated on the outlet of the Binnewater pond. Millsburgh was formerly called Racine, after Mr. John Racine, who resided there. It is also known with Centreville as Wells' Corners. Two grist mills, two saw mills and two stores make up the business portion of the two places.

OLD FAMILIES OF WAWAYANDA.

HALLOCK. The ancestor of this family, John Hallock, Sr., came from England before the Revolutionary war, and settled at Mattatuck, Long Island. At the commencement of the war he was doing military duty on

the Island, and left it when it was captured by the English. He then removed to Oxford, in Orange county, and was in the military service some time in the Highlands. His brother Daniel was acting as his substitute at the capture of Fort Montgomery in 1777, and narrowly escaped being taken prisoner. In 1783 he purchased two hundred acres of land of John Scott, just south of the present village of Ridgebury. The land extended west and included the site of the village of Brookfield. He gave the lot upon which the Old School Baptist church stands in that place. Eager says (page 416) that when he was building his log cabin he fell short of nails, and in order to raise funds, traded off a good new hat for one of less value, and purchased the nails with the difference. His son, John Hallock, Jr., was a man of ability, and very quick witted, with a fund of perpetual good humor. These qualities brought him before the public, and he was elected to offices of various grades in the old town of Minisink (before its division)-Justice of the Peace, Town Clerk, and a number of terms as Supervisor, all of which duties he discharged with energy and integrity. He was afterward elected twice a member of the State Legislature, also a member of the 19th and 20th Congresses. His former residence is now owned by Mr. Randall Stivers, of Ridgebury. His son, Dr. Dewitt C. Hallock, inherited a large share of his father's talents. He held two or three terms as Town Clerk of Minisink, and after the town of Wawayanda was set off, was elected Supervisor of the new town in 1852 and 1853. He was said to be a good surveyor, had an extensive practice as a physician, and was noted for his extraordinary powers as a violinist, in which he was said to excel any player in the State.