The Town of Beekman 1788 Lee Eaton Historian, Town of Beekman
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n March 17, 1788, when Beekman became one of the original towns of New York State, Jonathan Dennis led the civil affairs by becoming the first Town Supervisor. The town he presided over was far larger than the Beekman of 1988. The town borders encompassed the present town of Unionvale and part of LaGrange which were not set off until the next century, along with what was know as Beekman today. In spite of the vastness of the area, Beekman was rural in nature and was never a major hub of activity as were other sections of the county. However, five years after the end of the American Revolution, Beekmanites, along with residents of all the thirteen states, were struggling to find their national identity and to form a new nation. The major settling of Beekman took place only 50 or so years earlier. Living in the newly formed town were approximately 3,500 people of whom about 3% were slaves. A number of substantial homes had been built by this time. Roads, crude though they were, made travel possible between the outlying towns and the county center in Poughkeepsie. By 1788, there were mills, churches, stores and large cultivated farmlands as well as smaller clustered settlements. Along with the excitement engendered by becoming a town, the citizens of Beekman no doubt had great interest in the ratification of the Constitution. Certainly it was of more than mere interest to people like James Vanderburgh and Ebenezer Cary who played their roles during the recent war. Indeed, Cary tried to become a delegate to the Constitutional Convention, but his Federalist views prevented him from gaining this honor. Dr. Cary went back to his peacetime pursuits as doctor of medicine and farmer. Col. Vanderburgh also had a large farm as well as a store. Dr. Cary remained interested in politics and was a Town Supervisor from 1797 to 1804. Col. Vanderburgh, a friend of George Washington, must have been influential in the affairs of the day. He also was a Federalist and, being a storekeeper, surely made his views known to fellow townsmen. And who were these townsmen who lived here 200 years ago? We know that most of them were descendants of the early settlers whose roots were as varied as the trees they cleared for homesteading. They were not the aristocrats of the county who inhabited Beekman's Back Lots. They were for the most part common folk who took advantage of the easy rental terms offered by the Beekmans. The descendants of Zachariah Flagler, John Brill, Jr., Arie DeLong, Nicholas Emigh, Martin Buck and John Hall were proud of their heritage. Their forefathers came from varied backgrounds and faiths and forged their place in the wilderness. Flaglers and Brills among many others were part of the Palatine Germans who left East Camp and West Camp in the early 1700s to find religious freedom and to find land on which to raise their families. The DeLongs were of Huguenot heritage. John Hall was a descendant of English pioneers from Rhode Island, as were the Carys who were to come later. In the area known as Gardner Hollow and in the place called Oswego, the Quakers were to erect meeting houses. Most of these members of the Society of Friends came 42
