"The Dutchess's County" (Background material on Mary Beatrice d'Este, wife of James Stuart, Duke of York

TEACHING HISTORY WITH LOCAL GOVERNMENT RECORDS °Kathle.en D. Roe

The chaZZenge of ZocaZ history using primary resource material is discussed. Early town records avaiZabZe in Dutchess County provide a fascinating Zook at the past. Kathleen Roe is an Archivist at the New York State Archives in Albany~ N.Y.

The excitement of history comes to life for students.when they view the past through the eyes and activities of the people who actually lived it. Historical records provide young people with a direct link to the past because they were created by and for history's participants, unlike textbooks which necessarily speak in generalities and stereotypes. Teachers, local historians, and other educators can use historical records to achieve both historical and educational goals while making history a more personal experience. /

The records of local governments in Dutchess County are an especially valuable resource fbr obtaining a more complete and accurate understanding of the county's past. They provide a framework for understanding both individuals and their concerns, as well as showing how those individuals interact as a society. For example, records kept by overseers of the poor give.details on the economic and physical state of individuals who had.fallen on "hard times" and also show how people provided for the care of the poor and sick at a time when it was generally understood that care of such persons was the responsibility of the family. Local government records also include a wide range of people in their scope, not just those who could write. Commonly unrecorded groups such as blacks appear in slave manumissions, or registers of children born to slaves. Social issues are also reflected in local government records, ranging from the seventeenth century concern over destruction causedl by marauding pigs and cattle to twentieth century controversies over allowing bikini bathing suits to be worn at the public swimming pool. By providing both a panoramic view and an individual peek into the past, local government records help students to achieve a better understanding of all the facets of local.history, not merely the chronological Jjnes ~nd achievements oj' ceirt-ain .. loc.a1 •p~~iSJ>nages_,_ap.d) ·f a!fiJ,1ies:r .. treat.ad. in, p0-iii.. t't.(i!a;tr: .hist0r:y. ,, "· • :L!:. :: • ':>;, •. ; ,.,.:J : .

-~- :-'· ;,• r :; . =; .·,·:._•,··_•0,y;_ ·1.--,

:· ..... ·~: •_Jl ~;-::j•J:·; :._,, ... :~_,.;--;;,~~ .. ~§,\.

6 Kathleen D. Roe

Types .of· P~ecords • for Use

Local government records in Dutchess County are a particularly useful resource as a result of settlement beginning in the Dutch period and much activity continuing in the county through the colonial and revolutionary periods. Localities developed quickly, setting recordation and regulation processes in place, and thereby leaving detailed records of life from the early period on .. These local governments have found themselves involved in regulating everything from suffrage to sewage, settling disputes between-neighbors, aiding the sick, and punishing the recalcitrant. Each municipality offers its own unique set of paper records reflecting the growth and development of government; a number of standard types of records usually exist, however, which may se~ve as examples of the ways in which local government records may be used in teaching.

The most basic records available are the laws and ordinances passed by the local governing bodies. The laws of a community report local concerns and reveal important issues at a given time. Early laws, for example, often show the great importance that property had·to the founders of a community. At the 1791 annua.l meeting of the town of Amenia, the following laws we~e among those passed: • Voted that a ZawfuZZ (sic) fenoe shaZZ be four feet and four inohes high weZZ Ereoted; Voted that no swine shaZZ Run on the Commons without a good Ring in there (sio) Nose above one month oZd of Six Pence and for under the PenneZty (sio) a grown hog one shiZZing. 1 Both of these laws provide minor mysteries for stu~ dents to unravel. Students who have grown· up in the modern age may not be familiar with the perils of protecting one's crops from damage by stray animals in the days before barbed wire, electrified fences, or modern hogpens. The protection of property was a major concern, not because ancestors .were grasping and greedy, but because there were so many variables and uncontrollable threatening forces, and because real estate was their most important possession.

A further resource for reflecting issues of great interest to the community ancestors are the minutes of municipal meetings. At a meeting of the Trustees of Poughkeepsie in 1803, for example, a re~olution was passed providing:

Teaching History

7

that Morris Billings a:nd Jesse Oakl~y be a corronittee to procure two good ladders for the use of the corporation; one of which to be about forty feet long, the other twentyfour feet long--a:nd also one good fire hook on each side of which is to be affixed a chain, fastened to the shanks of the iron hook, at least four feet long--there must also be on each chain a:n eye or ring through which to fasten the ropes; also resolved that they likewise procure for the purpose aforesaid two strong ropes at least fortyfive feet long each--and that they be deposited in the market in this viUage until further directions of this board. . 2

This resolution has extensive information on iife in Poughkeepsi~ in_1803. Students' attention can f~rst b~- drawn to the fact that·fire prot~ction w~s a major co~cern before the advent of local fire departments. A useful activity might be for students to compare the difficulties of firefighting in 1803, 1903, and -the ~resent. Other students with a mechanical talent might be·encoura~~d to build a repiica of the fire -hook and. chain apparatus described here. Local fire ··depart~ent personnel cotild p~rhaps provide clues to the use of this implement. Co.ntemporary newspapers· might be checked for atticles on local fires, to lend a human interest level to the problem.

Beyond the specific information given in the resolution, it sugge_sts other questions. If the tallest ladder was forty feet long, students might attempt architectural studies of buildings in that period to determine average and maximum heights. They may fully understand the relationship between technological advances like firefighting equipment and building construction .. In their architectural study, students may also consider the building materials used for various homes and businesses, as well as the relative merits of each. As should be evident, a single document can literally become a "hotbed" of ideas, questions, and research projects.

Another kind of local government record students may be able to relate to are those of the local school district. Records of attend~nce, payment fo teachers, subjects taught and rules enforced give students information they can relate directly to their own experience. Imagine their surprise at learning that

·8 Kathleen D. Roe

in 1840 the Amenia School District paid a total of $27.95 for teachers' salaries, had fifty·v.olumes in its library, and only twenty-hlx out of forty-one children between the ages of five and sixteenattended school.3 This raises questions about the value of the dollar in 1840, along with the value placed on education for young people. They may be par~icularly surprised by the subjects taught, such as recitation, handwriting and ciphering; in fact, a day spent in the learning and teaching m9de of ~he nineteenth century, may in addition to the information it imparts, bring a new appreciation of the advantages of twentieth century schooling!

Land records are a major resource created by local governments, whether in the form of deeds, pat~nts, land~mortgages, tax lists or liens. These records are~pafiicularly extensive in many parts of Dutchess CoUhlj1 as it was part of many early large grants including the Great and Little Nine Partners, Beekmans,·•Rombouts, Oblong and Schuylers Patents. The differ.ence in methods of land purchase and ownership, for''e~~~ple, is evident in the following deed: :'.·} , t , , October __ , 1? 15 Grantors: Roger Brett of the Fishkills and Catharyna, his wife Grantee: Robert Dengee, carpenter of Hempstead on Long Island •.;, Consideration: One year's work by grantee for -:H grantors; and an agrerrmt by grantors to convey •.· '-i • • title to 100 acres of land at expiration of said ',.-. year of work. ;,!· · .. > -, .. r; :.~ ,:, ~i • : Appended clause ' , r·, .n ; June 3 0, 1 ? 16 ·, '1 -~·,; : ·Land: Parcel of 110 acres on the east side of '.< ' · ; . • Hudson 's River, on the north side of the High0 '; • lands and on the north side of the first landing .. , p iace beyond Peter Deboys

,: Quit-Rent: Four good fatt grown fowles every year at Chris-tmas :' 3 :;-, ;_;,., • Witnesses: John Terbos, John Jones 4

' . ,,J •'? J ~: • S~µd~~t$:~s~d to thinking of money as the only medium of exch~nge~qan consider the advantages and disadvantages (µf .. making payments in labor or "fatt grown f owJe,$: ., "·::,. __ The .. reasons for boundary disputes will become evident from the descriptions of land based on

Teaching History

such fleeting phenomenon as the 11 f irst landing place beyond Peter Deboys. 11

Records created by various local officials in the process of completing their daily tasks can also bring intriguing information to light. The records of the overseer of the poor, as previously mentioned, provide insight into the care of the poor and sick. Control and identification of animals emerges as an important concern in the records kept by poundkeepers or the town clerk on property destruction done by strays, . registering of dogs, and earmarks. Election records kept by the inspectors of elections, and boards of canvassers not only can be used by students to determine how an area voted in any given election, but also to determine who could and did vote. Much can be learned about transportation, from the whereabouts of roads to the problems of maintaining them, through records of the overseers of the highways. Each locality has its own set of officials, which may include fenceviewers, constables, moderators, sheriffs and many other variations. A variety of records produced by these officials often remains and can be of great use in the classroom.

One governmental resource which is widely available for communities in Dutchess County is the State census. Copies are available in the Dutchess County Clerk's office in Poughkeepsie and microfilm copies can be obtained for a reasonable price from the Genealogical Society of Utah.5 The information generally given on individuals listed in the State census from 1855 and thereafter includes name, sex, age, occupation, place of birth, citizenship, and relationship to head of household. This information can be used by students to compile information on family relationships, ethnic make up of neighborhoods, occupations of men and women, sizes of families or the length of time a family stays in a house or an area.

The previous suggestions are only a portion of the wide variety of materials available in local records. These resources are an excellent reflection of how localities in Dutchess County developed into the unique communities they are today.

Locating Resources With the amount and variety of records produced by local governments, some local records should be availble for every community. These records are often kept

9

10

Kathleen D. Roe

by the county. •or mui:iicipal clerk, or these officials will know of their location. Local historians and historical societies also may be helpful in.identifying where local.records are being kept. In some communities, government.records have suffered damage from fire, flood, or environmental ·hazards, but this rarely applied to all the records. The body of records available for Dutchess County and it~ localities is sufficiently extensive that some form will have survived and be a useful resource.

When the original records cannot be copied or are difficult to read, a useful alternative is consulting published transcripts of, documents. T_he Dutchess County Historical Society has produced a fine series of transcripts, published in numerous volumes as the Collections of the Dutchess County Historical Soci~. 6 These volumes include transcript.ions of local government records from a number of towns in the county; as part of their on going publications ·program, the Society is continuing to add records from other localities in the County.·

Once the documents themselves have been located, identifying individual documents ~or use is the next task. It is far less difficult than ·may be anticipated, for the records are an incredibly rich resource. Major concerns at this point include the readability of handwriting and the potential for reproducing the document. Many documents can be adequately copied on standard copying machines; the possibility also exists for taking pictures of the document with a 35 mm camera and a copy stand, then enlarging it later for duplication. Some loc~lities have microfilm projects and either may have filmed the records, or may be able to do so. If these methods are all impossible, a transcript of the document can be used, or even a new facsimile copy can be made by someone who can reproduce old-style handwriting.

Once the educator has obtained copies of the records, there are many ways to.provide them to students. Individual copies can be provided to each student by using standard copying machines, or slides of documents can be shown on a screen. If students arework·ing in groups on one.document, it is useful to laminate the copy or cover it with contact paper to add to its longevity in the hands of eager young historians. Although some educators have found private publishers or groups to help fund more permanent

Teaching History

copies:, it is not necessary. The major concern in selection and use of documents is the flexibility they permit the educator.and students. The Value df Historical Records in Education

11

Along with providing students an important information base regarding people and events in history, using historical records can help educators accomplish a number of historical and educational objectives. Using original records will help students to understand how history is written. Textbook information tends to.be accepted wholesale by students, who see the events of history as written in stone. Through conflicting evidence, gaps in information and occasionally questionable sources, students come to realize the process by which the historian synthesizes information into historical generalizations.

Critical thinking skills may be developed in conjunction with this, as students themselves try to untangle the sometimes labyrinthine webs of evidence available in historical records. Students can gain experience in recognizing opinionated statements, verifying information, questioning inconsistencies, and carefully constructing solutions to problems. The critical frame of mind they develop through this process can be used well beyond the classroom as they attempt to deal with various situations in their own lives,.

Using local government records can be u~eful in developing basic reading skills as well. The previously maligned textbook also may be accused of presenting students with an unrealistic style of reading. ~ew forms of reading material students will encounter.as adults use the textbook style. They are far more likely to have legal forms like mortgages, deeds 11 wills, laws and business. letters to contend with. These are prolifically available in local government records, and it would indeed be a service to young people to prepare them for coping with the information contained in these formats.

Some larger goals may be achieved by ·exposing students to local government records. They may themselves become more able and active participants in contemporary government issues when they have learned to understand the controversies, issues, and actions of past governments. They may also become more aware