The First White Child Born in Dutchess County

THE FIRST WHITE CHILD BORN

IN DUTCHESS CO-UNITY

Clifford M. Buck

James H. Smith in his "History of Dutchess County" (Note 1.) refers to Nicholas Emigh as the earliest settler in the Town of Union Vale, Dutchess County, and his daughter is identified as the first white child born in the County. She married a Lossing. However George Olin Zabriski writing for the "New York Genealogical and Biographical Record', (2), shows that Nicholas Emigh did not come to Dutchess County until 1710 at the time of the Palatine emigration, not early enough to be the parent of the first white child. From the same sources, (3), there is a record of the baptism on October 16, 1698 of William, son of Peter and Catherine Hoffmayer Lassing, and a quotation, (4), from the Poughkeepsie Advertiser of August 15, 1791: "Poughkeepsie, August 11, died a few days since in this town, Mr. William Lawson, age near 100 years. He was the first born white child in the County of Dutchess."

In the diary of John Drakem Jr., of New Hamburg dated May 6, 1831, there appears the following, (5) : "Died at his house in the Town of Poughkeepsie, John P. Lawson, known by me for Forty-five Years. He is gone, one of the oldest that remains of this once numerous and respectable family of Dutch — the first settlers of the south portion of this great County of Dutchess, Town of Poughkeepsie. His grandfather William Lawson died at the advanced age of flinty years old, owner of the farm now possessed by Ferris Bell, Esq., and was to be the first white child born in Poughkeepsie. John P. Lawson was buried at the Presbyterian burying ground at Wappingers Creek." There follows a lengthy description of his good qualities.

Years ago when the historian, Helen Wilkinson Reynolds, was asked: "Who was the first white child born in Dutchess County?", she replied that it was probably an Ostrom or a Van Kleeck, but that she had not found sufficient records to reach a conclusion. There were a few families setded near Rhinebeck before 1698, at Kips-berg or Kipsburg. Ulster County deeds (6) refer to a patent given June 2, 1688 to Gerret Aertsen, Adrian Roose, Jan Elting, and Hendrick and Jacob Kipp amounting to 1,200 acres in the Rhinebeck-Rhinecliff area. These men probably settled here before 1698. In his "Historic Rhinebeck", Howard H. Morse states that Hendrick Kip built the first house in 1700, but that log huts or dougouts may have preceeded the Kip house. There is an Ulster County deed, (7), October 12, 1698 from Hendrick Kip to Walran Der Mont, Jr., both of Dutchess County.

In her book "Poughkeepsie, the Origin and Meaning of the Word", Miss Reynolds gives a very thorough study of the early settlers in the Town of Poughkeepsie. There is a reference, (8), to the patent of Peter Schuyler of Albany, June 2, 1688, which quotes from the records of the Secretary of

State Book of Patents: (9), " . . . at Long Reach, bounded on the south and east by a certain creek that runs into the Hudson River on the north side of a certain house now in possession and occupation of Pieter the Brewer." His last name is known to have been Lassing in its various spellings, and mention of a house indicated Peter Lassing was living in Dutchess County prior to 1688.

The 1962 Year Book of the Dutchess County Historical Society contains the translation of a lease of land at Langhe Rack, dated June 9, 1687, by Robert Zanders (Sanders) and Meyndert Hermens (Van Den Bogert) to Barenz Cleek (Van Kleeck) and Henderh Jans °Ostrom. Miss Reynolds book on Poughkeepsie, (10), refers to a mortgage dated June 15, 1691, Meyndert Van Der Bogert of Albany to Abraham DePeyster of New York. Five tenants are listed: Balms Barents (Van Kleeck), Henderick Oostram, Jan Buys, and Symon Schoute. In the same article, (11), reference is made to a sale, June 3, 1697, by Sanders and Hermense of a sizable tract to Balms Van Kleeck, including four lots "now or lately in possession of Myndert Hermans, Bathazar Barnes, Hendrick Ostroom and Symon Scoute."

It should be noted that in Miss Reynolds book "Poughkeepsie", (12), Catherine Hoffmeyer is listed (1688) as the widow of Peter Lassen, yet the New York Lutheran Church records, (13), state Pieter and his wife were witnesses to a baptism May 27, 1707, and that his death occurred February 9, 1709. Other early settlers mentioned by Miss Reynolds include Jacobus Van Den Bogert, Helena Schemerhorm, and Myndert Harmense Van Den Bogart 1692, and Michael Parmentier 1699. In the Ulster County Deeds, (14), it is recorded that Philip French of New York City bought 600 acres in Dutchess County from Myndert Hermance on June 11, 1692, and sold the same acrage, (15), on May 29, 1700. There is no record that Philip French ever lived in Dutchess County however.

We know for certain the names of the early settlers in Dutchess County but to try to determine the birth places and birth dates of their children is difficult since the first church records in the County, the Dutch Reformed, start in 1716. The only earlier churches in this region are those of the Dutch Reformed Churches of New York, Kingston and Albany, and the Lutheran of New York City. A study of those records indicate children of early Dutchess County settlers were born as early as 1684. The Kingston records include the children of Pieter and Catryna Hoffmayer Lassing, Johannes, baptised May 4, 1684, and Marytie, baptised June or July 1687, (17). And from the same source Hendrick Kip, son of Hendrick and Antle Van Patten Kip, was baptised July 7, 1688; (18), Rachel, daughter of Johannes and Lysbeth Aertsen Ter Bos, March 17, 1689; (19), Syman, son of Gent and Clara PeIls Aertsen, April 7, 1689. (20). There are many other baptisms recorded in New York, Albany and Kingston of children whose parents undoubtedly lived in Dutchess County, but proof of their birth dates in the County is not available thus far except for three boys and

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three girls namely: Marytie Lassing, baptised 1687, Henderick Kip, 1688, Abraham Buys, date uncertain, Jannetje Oostrom, 1694, Rachael Bos (Ter Bos), 1695, and Roelof Kip, 1697. All of these six children were born before William Lassing and perhaps there were many more.

The search for proof of Dutchess County's first white child goes on and on.

References: (1) History of Dutchess Co. p. 474, James H. Smith (2) N. Y. Gen. & Biog. Record Vol. 70 (3) Same Vol. 14, p. 87. (4) Poughkeepsie Advertiser, Aug. 15, 1791, p. 2 (5) Diary of John Drake, Jr., p. 221 (6) Ulster Co. Deeds, Lib. AA, pp. 268-70, 418, Lib. BB162 (7) Same Lib. AA p. 196. (8) Poughkeepsie, Origin & Meaning of the Word Reynolds (9) State of N. Y. Book of Patents Vol. 6: 325 (10) Poughkeepsie etc. Reynolds, P. 38 (11) Dutchess Co. Hist. Soc. Year Book Vol. 47, pp. 49-50. (12) Poughkeepsie etc., Reynolds, p. 55 (13) N. Y. Lutheran Church Records, Holland Society of New York Year Book 1903. (14) Ulster Co. Deeds, Lib. AA, p. 233. (15) Same, p. 234. (16) Records of Dutch Reformed Church, ICzngston p. 367. (17) Same, p. 519. (18) Same, p. 579. (19) Same, p. 619. (20) Same, p. 625.

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