Written by Joshua G. Borthwick and originally published
on February 17, 1883, in the Catskill "Examiner". Copy
provided by the Durham
Center Museum and retyped by Annette Campbell
In resuming these sketches, the writer would beg the indulgence of the reading
public, while he presents the few remaining chapters of the early settlement
of the town. It is exceedingly difficult to obtain reliable information on
many of the points of interest connected with the subject, from the fact that
nearly all the records of the town previous to 1821, were destroyed by fire in
that year; and also from the additional fact that many of the families who
have descended from these early settlers have preserved no records that are of
historical value to the public. It is our design to be strictly accurate in
every statement, and if at any time a mis-statement is made, we hope those who
are better informed will correct it. To this end we invite correspondence from
all who will favor us with facts or corrections in the work.
Among the family names of the early settlers of the town, there are none that
appear so often as that of Baldwin. The DeWitts,
and the Barkers, and the Bagleys, and the Herveys,
and the Smiths,
and the Strongs, and the Cowles, and
the Hulls, and the Chittendens, and
the Pratts, and many others, were numerous and
influential; but none were so numerous as the Baldwins,
nor
more influential than they. It seems almost a wonder that the town was not
named Baldwin, and the settlement Baldwinsville. In
the first Manual of the Presbyterian Church of Durham, NY, published in 1858,
we find the name of 55 Baldwins, members of that church
up to that time; 5 have been added since, making a total of 60, all of whom
except 4 were members of this family by birth or marriage, besides quite a
number of the female descendents who were married into other families. No less
than eight young strong men of that name came at different times from Durham,
in Connecticut, and settled in this town; and no less than eight young, strong
women, their sisters, followed them. They belonged to two families, brothers Abiel
and Noah. Their father was Deacon Ezra
Baldwin, of Conn., who owned a farm and also worked at the blacksmith
trade. He built a substantial house which was still standing and in good
repair only a few years ago. He died about 100 years ago, leaving seven sons
and three daughters. This is as far back as we can go in our history, and it
gives us six generations of Baldwins. One of
Dea. Ezra Baldwin's sons is located in Milford, PA, and three removed to
Granville, while Abiel and Noah and
Reuben remained near the old homestead. Reuben,
the youngest inherited that and married a daughter of Dea. Christopher
Lord of Durham, NY.
Abiel Baldwin and Noah, his brother, were
partners in farming in Connecticut, and each had large families. Abiel's
sons were Jonathan, Abiel, Curtis, Seth, David and Aaron.
His daughters were Eunice, Ruth, and Mabel.
Jonathan Baldwin was born in Durham, Conn., in 1758; was
married in 1782 to Submit Lord, the youngest daughter of Dea.
Christopher Lord. In 1783 or early 1784, he emigrated to the town of
Durham, NY, and took up wild land, now comprising the farm owned by Mr.
Curtis Osborn, where he lived until the year 1816, when he removed to
Atwater, Portage county, Ohio, where he died. He was a very useful
man---naturally modest and retiring in his nature, yet willing to make
sacrifices for the benefit of others, and of absolutely unimpeachable
integrity, and abundant capability, he was greatly beloved and trusted by all.
He cleared up his land, built a blacksmith shop, and worked at that trade in
the Winter season and at other times of leisure. When the Presbyterian Society
was formed he was its treasurer; he led the singing in all their
religious meetings, and also took care of the church, sweeping it and
otherwise caring for it for $3.25 per year. He had no care of the
furnaces or other heating apparatus, as at that early day they had no fires in
their church, except that some of the elderly ladies carried footstones. (
NOTE: These were thin squares made of soapstone, with a wire bail attached,
heated in the fire and wrapped and placed at the feet to keep them warm--A.C.)
Jonathan, and Submit Baldwin had six
children; the three eldest were daughters; the fourth child, Elihu
Whittlesey, was born Dec. 25, 1789. In early childhood he
developed a remarkable thoughtfulness and love of truth. His grandfather Lord
used often to say, as he laid his hand on Elihu's head,
"This boy will preach the Gospel." At the age of five years he
began to pray in his own language. About this time he says "He formed a
distinct resolution to speak the truth at all times," and in mature years
he said that he was "Not conscious of having ever been guilty of
falsehood." He speaks of his "native temper" and being
"quick and furious." and in order to control it he at nine years of
age resolves ' that he would restrain his words of resentment under every
provocation, until he should have repeated the alphabet to himself from A
to Z, and back again; or retired for a time sufficient to cool his excited
feelings.' He prepared himself for college after three years
of study under the direction of his pastor, the Rev. Jesse Townsend,
and at the age of eighteen he entered Yale College. At the close of his
first year in college his means were exhausted, and he was obliged to teach at
intervals through the remainder of his course. He then became the principal of
the academy at Fairfield, Conn., and in 1814 he entered the Theological
Seminary at Andover, Mass. He was ordained as a minister on the 10th of
September, 1817. He immediately commenced labor as a City Missionary in
the City of New York under the direction of the "Young Men's Committee of
Missions," of which Rev. Dr. Spring was the secretary.
His labors resulted in the organization of the Seventh Presbyterian church, of
which he became the pastor. He was married on the 12 the of May, 1819, to Miss
Julia C. Baldwin, of Newark, N.J. February 27, 1835, he
accepted the presidency of Wabash College, at Crawfordsville, Ind. He
was the first president of the institution, and his labors were very
difficult. His health failed and he died, greatly lamented, Oct 15, 1840, aged
51 years.
Abiel Baldwin, Jr., and Eunice his wife,
came to this town at the same time that Jonathan Baldwin did,
and settled on the farm recently owned by the late "Honest John
Peck." They had eight children. One of the sons, Johnson,
became a minister of the Gospel.---James Baldwin, 2nd,
another son, lived at first on the farm owned by the late Anson B.
Hull, and afterward in the house now occupied by George
Ransom, where he died in 1848, aged 54. He had two sons by Louisa,
his first wife, viz: Elihu, who died several years ago,
and Johnson Hewett, who is a lawyer and lives in
Pittsburg, PA; he is also an elder in the Presbyterian church and has on two
occasions represented his Presbytery in the General Assembly. The father
of these sons was also an elder in the church and a teacher of the Old Ladies
Bible Class. He was a very gifted man in prayer and remark, and had a
very clear understanding of the scriptures. After the death of his first wife,
he married Harriet Newell, of Stamford, NY, whither she
returned after his death. Elizur Baldwin, another son
of Abiel, Jr., was a gifted musician. He was the first person
who attempted to play the bass-viol in church. It grieviously offended
some of the members. One of the deacons was so disturbed by it that he refused
to attend church while the "wicked fiddle" was played. But he
recovered. Simeon Coe, the youngest son, was born in 1814,
married Sarah Peck and lived near his father's place.
He was a tanner and shoemaker (those two trades frequently went together in
those days), and was a very excellent man. They had no children. His
wife died in 1854, aged 58, and he died in 1863, aged 79. Of Abiel
Baldwin, Jr., the ancestor of this family, we are informed that he
was a very quiet, unassuming man, consistent as a Christian, and universally
respected.---Eunice, his first wife, died in 1823, after
which he married Mrs. Elizabeth Sandford, of New Haven, Conn.
He died in 1847, aged ___; she died in 1854, aged___.
Curtis Baldwin, son of Abiel Baldwin, Sr.,
of Conn., was born in Durham, Conn, and came to this town in 1785. He
took up land, adjoining Selah Strong's, on
"meeting-house hill", and lived in Mr. Strong's
family
until 1789, when he married Miss Polly Chittenden, who with
her parents came from Guilford, Conn., two years before. She was a
schoolteacher, and taught the first neighborhood school ever held in the
settlement. The first school-house was a log building, and was used a
year or two for religious meeting also. It stood on the "Hill"
and was probably built in the Spring of 1787. Mr. Baldwin had
some difficulty in obtaining a good title to his land, and in the year 1800 he
sold his improvements and bought the farm now owned by Zelotus Brand.He and his wife were both members of the Presbyterian church and were useful
members of society. He died in 1824, aged 58, and she died in 1838, aged
68. They had eight children, some of whom died in youth. Samuel,
removed to Atwater, Ohio, and Curtis, Jr., went to
York, Livingston Co, NY. Anson, lived with his uncle, Deacon
David Baldwin, was married three times, and died in 1840 at the age
of 31 years. He left three children, Julia, Caldwell, and
Bathsheba.Betsey became the wife of Justus
Finch, and lived in the house with Deacon David to
care for him and his wife in their old age. She died in 1853 aged 51. Julia
married Levi B. Gilbert, of West Durham. They lived very
happily together until 1877, when he died; since which time she has lived with
her children in Durham and in Albany. They had three sons, Josiah
Hotchkiss, who has been for twenty years the principal of the Madison
Ave public school in the city of Albany; he married Abbie Newell,
of West Durham. They have five children. Judson, the
second son, married Emma Capps, of Albany, and died in his
youthful prime without children. Anson Baldwin, the youngest,
married Ellen F. Hull, and lives in Albany. He is connected
with the N.Y.C & H.R. Railroad. They have one child.