Abstract of the Town Accounts of the Town of Pelham in 1876

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What can we learn from a review of an abstract of the 1876 town accounts of the Town of Pelham published in 1877?  Plenty, as it turns out.  

On February 23, 1877, the Eastern State Journal of White Plains published abstracts of the 1876 town accounts of various Westchester towns including Pelham on its front page.  Though the abstracts are brief, they provide a wealth of information that I am summarizing below.

Town Officials of the Town of Pelham During 1876

Town Supervisor:  James Hyatt
Town Clerk:  Ethan W. Waterhouse
Assessor:  N. W. Abbott
Assessor:  James W. Roosevelt
Assessor:  E. A. Patterson
Town Counsel:  Joseph S. Wood
Excise Commissioner:  William H. Sparks, Jr.
Excise Commissioner:  Thomas Martin
Justice of the Peace:  William H. Sparks
Justice of the Peace:  Joseph Lyon
Justice of the Peace:  Thomas Peressoni
Justice of the Peace:  David Carll
Constable:  John N. Munson
Constable:  Joseph H. Glazier
Constable:  James Anderson
Constable:  James E. Ketchum
Constable:  Charles Golding
Constable:  Charles C. McClellan
Town Auditor:  Samuel P. Billar
Town Auditor:  John Hewitt
Commissioner of Highways:  Thomas Hewitt
Commissioner of Highways:  David Lyon
Commissioner of Highways:  Elisha Booth
Inspector of Election:  Thomas Martin
Clerk of Election:  John F. Adams
Poormaster:  William N. Hazier
Poormaster:  Jacob Heiser

Notable among the information above is the fact that in 1876, the entire Town of Pelham with a population of about 2,000 people and covering an area much larger than today's Town of Pelham had only a part-time constable force of up to six persons.  In addition, by law the Town was responsible for the care of paupers and, thus, had up to two poormasters charged with the task.  Finally, the Town Supervisor was James Hyatt, about whom I have written before.  See Mon., Jan. 05, 2009:  Brief Biography of James Hyatt, Town Clerk and Town Supervisor of Pelham in 19th Century.

The abstract of Town accounts indicates that in 1876, the Town of Pelham collected $1,390.92 in school taxes from its residents to fund its tiny public school system.  

The appropriations authorized by the Town of Pelham in 1876 likewise are interesting.  At the time, the Town was responsible for the Pelham Bridge over the mouth of the Hutchinson River.  Thus, the Town appropriated $300 to pay a bridgekeeper who was responsible for opening and closing the drawbridge to permit the passage of ships up and down the creek.  

Additionally, the list of appropriations suggests that the construction of some or all of Pelhamdale Avenue was completed in 1876, as was First Avenue and River Avenue in Pelhamville.  Additionally, the data appears to confirm that Fordham Street on City Island was, indeed, named after John O. Fordham.    

The Town of Pelham in 1868 Before the Creation of

Pelham Bay Park. Source: Beers, F.W., Atlas of New York

and Vicinity from Actual Surveys By and Under the

Direction of F.W. Beers, Assisted By A.B. Prindle &

Others, pg. 35 (NY, NY: Beers, Ellis & Soule, 1868)

(Detail from Page 35 Map Entitled "Town of Pelham,

Westchester Co., N.Y. (With) City Island").

NOTE: Click Image to Enlarge.

*          *          *          *          *

Below is the abstract of town accounts of the Town of Pelham in 1876.  The abstract is followed by a citation and link to its source.  

"ABSTRACT OF TOWN ACCOUNTS -- 1876
-----
PELHAM.

Abstract of Accounts audited by the Board of Town Auditors of the town of Pelham at their annual session, November 9, 10, and 15, 1876:

Bills of –		Claimed.	Allowed.
E.W. Waterhouse, town clerk	……………..	$205.36	$305.36
William H. Sparks, Jr., excise commissioner	……………..	60.00	60.00
Thomas Martin, do	……………..	36.00	36.00
John F. Adams, clerk of election	……………..	10.50	6.50
William N. Hazier, poormaster	……………..	45.50	45.50
Joseph Lyon justice of the peace	……………..	30.00	30.00
John N. Munson, constable	……………..	30.00	30.00
Thomas Peressoni, justice of the peace	……………..	135.00	135.00
Thomas Hewitt, commissioner of highways	……………..	200.00	200.00
David Lyon, do	……………..	208.00	208.00
David Lyon, do	……………..	36.00	36.00
N. W. Abbott, assessor	……………..	45.00	45.00
James W. Roosevelt, do	……………..	65.00	65.00
E. A. Patterson, do	……………..	45.00	45.00
James Hyatt, supervisor	……………..	322.45	322.45
Thomas Hewitt, commissioner of highways	……………..	62.00	62.00
William H. Sparks, justice of the peace	……………..	202.50	202.50
Joseph H. Glazier, constable	……………..	31.50	31.50
James Anderson, do	……………..	3.00	3.00
John O. Fordham, opening Fordham street, City Island	……………..	30.00	30.00
James E. Ketchum, constable	……………..	26.75	26.75
Thomas Martin, inspector of election	……………..	10.00	6.00
Charles Golding, constable	……………..	6.00	6.00
Joseph S. Wood, counsel	……………..	10.00	10.00
Chronicle, printing for the board of excise	……………..	15.00	15.00
Charles C. McClellan, constable	……………..	14.88	14.88
John R. Boulle, stove-pipe for town hall	……………..	11.31	11.31
John Leviness, horses and carriages for town officers	……………..	60.00	60.00
Jacob Heiser, poormaster	……………..	41.00	41.00
Elisha Booth, commissioner of highways	……………..	72.00	72.00
Robert H. Scott	……………..	6.00	6.00
David Carll, justice of the peace	……………..	33.00	33.00
David Carll, supplies	……………..	14.14	14.14
Samuel P. Billar, town auditor	……………..	5.00	5.00
John Hewitt, do	……………..	15.00	15.00
Totals	……………..	2,307.37	2,209.37

Pelham, November 15, 1876.
LEWIS K. OSBORN,
SAMUEL P. BILLAR.
JOHN HEWITT,
Town Auditors.

State tax	…………….	$2,457.25
County tax	…………….	3,451.09
School tax	…………….	1,390.92
School commissioner’s extra compensation and traveling expenses	…………….	26.07
Total	…………….	7,325.33

APPROPRIATIONS.

To pay salary of keeper of City Island bridge	……………...	300.00
To repair bridge and culvert on road from Hutchinson river to Third street	……………...	300.00
To pay principal Winyah avenue bonds, 6 to 11 inclusive	……………...	3,000.00
To pay principal East Chester creek bonds, 1 to 4 inclusive	……………...	2,000.00
To pay interest on town bonds	……………...	4,440.00
To build culvert on Pelhamdale avenue	……………...	100.00
For general road purposes	……………...	1,750.00
To repair road from Bartow to Prospect Hill	……………...	200.00
To repair road in front of estate of P. Roger’s	……………...	100.00
To complete First Avenue, Pelhamdale	……………...	300.00
To repair bridge on Hutchinson river	……………...	350.00
To repair culvert between M. Meyer’s and Hargon’s	……………...	250.00
To repair road from Pelham road to City Island bridge	……………...	200.00
To remove obstructions and repair town dock, City Island	……………...	250.00
To complete River avenue, Pelham	……………...	100.00
To grade Second avenue between Third and Fourth streets	……………...	100.00
To build bulkhead at the foot of Ditmar street, City Island	……………...	500.00
To pay for lots bid off to town	……………...	264.09
To pay audited town bills	……………...	2,299.37
To repair and alter bridge over Hutchinson river	……………...	200.00
To build retaining walls on road from Woolf’s lane to Hutchinson river	……………...	300.00
For improvement of East Chester creek	……………...	29.68
To pay principal, interest, and fees of first bounty loan	……………...	2,556.52
Total	……………...	27,219.99
Returned school tax, district No. 2	……………...	97.20
Rejected tax (amount not specified)	……………...	-----
Returned school taxes, district No. 1 (amount not specified)	……………...	-----"

Source:  ABSTRACT OF TOWN ACCOUNTS -- 1876 -- PELHAM, Eastern State Journal [White Plains, NY], Feb. 23, 1877, p. 1, col. 2.  

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