Orange County Archives — New York Genealogy

Knapp Family Bible

The Knapp Family Bible was given by J. H. Knapp to his grandson, John Henry Knapp of New York. The author of the writing within it is not clear, but it likely is Mehitable (Heatty) Covell Ackerman Knapp, John’s second wife. It takes a little to unscramble this family, but both William Ackerman and John Knapp married Mehitable (Heatty) Covel. William first in 1784. After his death in 1798, Heatty married as her 2nd husband, John Knapp. While the Bible was handed down to John, the inclusion of William Ackerman and her children would presume that she was the writer.

Old Houses of the North Country

730 (numbered) Articles written by David F. Lane about the old homes and the families who built and lived in them in the area of New York called “North Country”. These articles were published in the Watertown (NY) Daily Times, 1941-1956 in a series titled Old Mansions of the North Country (No. 1-87), Old Homes of the North Country (No. 91-99, 103), and Old Houses of the North Country. Placed online by the Genealogy Department of Roswell P. Flower Memorial Library, Watertown, NY. Predominantly these houses were located in Jefferson and St. Lawrence Counties, however, some were also located in Lewis, Oneida, Ontario, Orange, Ulster and Ontario Canada.

A Crooked Little Brook, Orange County, New York

I am well aware of the many omissions and errors incident to the compilation of so small a historical narrative as the present one, and I trust the reader will accord a generous measure of charity for its imperfections. If I have brought to mind recollections of youthful scenes and incidents to the aged, and inspiration and renewed interest and ambitions to the young of the present day in their native county I shall be content, for no fairer land than Orange County can be found in any clime, though one search the world over. To those who have found … Read more

Associate Reformed Church, Orange County, New York

The records of the Associate Reformed Church, Little Britain, have been preserved with great care and the history of this ancient religious organization dates from Colonial times. The history of this Church is best told by the Rev. John Scott King, the present pastor, in a pamphlet issued at the time of the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the foundation of the society. This brief history of the Little Britain Church says in part: “By a lease dated the 10th of September, and a release dated the 11th of September, 1765, ‘in the fifth year of His Majesty, George … Read more

Bethlehem Presbyterian Church, Cornwall, Orange County, New York

Bethlehem Presbyterian Church enjoys the distinction of being the third oldest Presbyterian congregation organized north of the Highlands and west of the Hudson River, and the further distinction of being the third oldest religious organization in the County of Orange. The congregation is composed of residents of the Towns of Cornwall, New Windsor and Blooming Grove. The church edifice stands in the Town of Cornwall, on the main highway leading west from Newburgh towards Washingtonville, Chester and Goshen. The first church building was erected in 1729, although previous to that date the inhabitants worshipped at various places in the immediate … Read more

Orange County Poets, Statesmen, Historians,

Orange County can claim the distinction of having been the home of many men and women who have achieved literary fame as poets, historians, journalists and writers, the work of several having found a permanent place in English literature. Chief among her poets may be mentioned Nathaniel Parker Willis, of Cornwall, and Goshen’s sweet singer, Mrs. Ethel Lynn Eliot Beers. Poems of both these writers are to be found in Bryant’s “Family Library of Poetry and Song,” a standard work of international reputation. Ethel Lynn Eliot Beers Ethel Lynn Eliot Beers. Goshen’s Sweet Singer, Mrs. Ethel Lynn Eliot Beers, who … Read more

Blooming Grove Congregational Church, Orange County, New York

Blooming Grove Congregational Church is situated in the Town of Blooming Grove, Orange County, New York, twelve miles west of the Hudson River, and two miles west of the Village of Washingtonville, on the main road running from the City of Newburgh to the Villages of Chester, Warwick and Goshen. The first congregation was formed in 1759, by early pioneers settling in this section, who came chiefly from Suffolk County, Long Island, many of whom were descendants of the Pilgrims. The first house of worship was erected in the same year. It was a small wooden structure, painted yellow, and … Read more

More Orange County Poets, Statesmen, Historians,

William Henry Seward William H. Seward was born May 16, 1801, in the village of Florida, Town of Warwick, Orange County, New York. His father, Dr. Samuel S. Seward, was a physician of good standing and the first Vice-President of the County Medical Society. Dr. Seward was a farmer, as well as physician, and also the magistrate, storekeeper, banker and money-lender of the little village. He lived to a good old age, dying after his son’s election to the United States Senate, in 1849. The family was of New Jersey origin. John Seward, the grandfather of William Henry, served in … Read more

Celebrated Horses, Orange County, New York

The ancestry of the American trotting horse goes back for several centuries and is chiefly confined to the early racing records in England, coupled with local tradition. Some two or three centuries ago the trotting horse was a great favorite in and about Norfolk and Yorkshire, England, and trotting races were frequent occurrences in that locality. Several authorities state, and the fact is partially borne out by early records that a trotting mare named Phenomena, owned by a horseman of Norfolk, in 1800, trotted 17 miles in 56 minutes, carrying a weight in saddle of 225 pounds. In 1806 the … Read more

Celebrated Taverns of Historic Interest, Orange County, New York

From the earliest times the old taverns of Orange County were important factors in each local community and around each the social and political life of the people centered. Licenses for the sale and manufacture of intoxicating liquors date from the earliest recording period. Local travel in early times required a greater number of taverns than later periods, or since the introduction of railroads. It was in these hostelries that the people gathered at their political conventions and elected their representatives to county, state and national gatherings. To record the history of even the prominent and well-known taverns of early … Read more