§15 Addendum

Thank you for your purchase of "OUT OF THE WILDERNESS."

As the booklet was going to press, I happened to be loaned a copy of "Early history of Amenia," by Newton Reed. As I read this, I ran across the name of Captain Jacob Bockee, whom you will find was a resident of Bethel, and I felt the information in Reed's booklet was significant enough to warrant being included in our booklet, but unfortunately was discovered too late to be part of the actual publication.

According to Reed, Jacob Bockee was of Huguenot stock, the family settling in Amenia soon after 1750. Jacob was a graduate of King’s College, N.Y., and a captain in the Revolutionary War. He was a member of the State Assembly from 1795 to 1797, during which time he introduced a bill for the abolition of slavery in New York State. Although the bill did not pass, it was an important beginning and certainly shows Jacob to be a man ahead of his times.

Reed relates that in 1794 Jacob had freed his slave Simon Le Grand I wondered why it took another 21 years for him to free his slave, Clara, as related in the Bethel booklet however, according to Reed, It was forbidden to free ones slaves unless they were able to provide for themselves. I think this may explain the time interval.

In the Bethel booklet, I surmised that Jacob was influenced by his Quaker neighbors in Bethel to free Clara and her son Charles. Obviously, this new information shows that Jacob was an enlightened man in his own right before ever settling in Bethel.

Source: Reed, Newton "Ear1y history of Amenia." Delacey & Wiley, Amenia 1875, The Harlem Valley Times, Inc., Amenia 1985.

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