Historic Pelham

Friday, September 27, 2019

Loyalists in Pelham Were Punished with Targeted Taxes in 1784 Following the Revolutionary War

Archive of the Historic Pelham Web Site.
Home Page of the Historic Pelham Blog.
Order a Copy of "The Haunted History of Pelham, New York"
Order a Copy of "Thomas Pell and the Legend of the Pell Treaty Oak."

At the close of the Revolutionary War, Americans were justly angry toward their British oppressors and the so-called "Loyalists" who resided in America and supported Great Britain during the War. Indeed, among the many manifestations of such anger were the extensive forfeitures of Loyalist lands forced by New York and other states including forfeitures of lands in the Manor of Pelham authorized immediately after the War. See Thu., Jun. 23, 2016: Original Record of Forfeiture Sale of Lands of British Loyalists in the Manor of Pelham; Fri., Aug. 03, 2007: Abstract of Sale of Lands of Joshua Pell of Pelham Manor by the Commissioners of Forfeiture in the Southern District of New York State in August, 1784; Wed., Aug. 30, 2006: 1786 Notice Requiring Filing of Creditors' Claims Against Forfeited Estates of Loyalists Including Joshua Pell of the Manor of Pelham.

Another effort to punish those who either supported the British during the War or remained behind British lines and refused to support the American cause was a New York statute enacted over the Governor's veto on May 6, 1784. Entitled "An Act for raising £100,000, within the several Counties therein mentioned," the statute ostensibly imposed a large tax on southern New York including the Manor of Pelham to be used to reimburse the middle Western and Eastern sections of the State for the burdens and expenses those sections suffered during the War.

In reality, the statute imposed a tax on residents of parts of southern New York including the Manor of Pelham that were controlled by the British during the War but exempted all residents who fled the region while it was in the control of the British (whether such refugees fled elsewhere in New York or to any other State). In short, the statute was an effort to tax Loyalists who remained in the region controlled by the British during the War and stayed after the War. According to a preamble to the statute, the tax purportedly was imposed by consent of those taxed, but as one author has noted "the detailed provisions for collection cast great doubt upon its voluntary character." Reppy, Alison, The Spectre of Attainder in New York (Part 1), 23 St. John's Law Rev. pp. 1, 37 (Nov. 1948).

The statute provides a fascinating glimpse of the times. It imposed a £100,000 tax apportioned among the following communities in southern New York: (1) City and County of New-York (£56,000); (2) County of Suffolk (£10,000); (3) Kings County (£13,000); (4) Queens County (£14,000); (5) County of Richmond (£5,000); and (6) "that Part of the County of Westchester comprised in the Bounds of the Borough and Town of Westchester, the Township of East-Chester, the Yonkers, Manor of Pelham, New-Rochelle, Mamaroneck and Scarsedale [sic]" (£2,000).  The tax applied to the real property and personal property of "all the Freeholders, Residents and Inhabitants" therein.

Significantly, the statute contained the following exemption:

"Inhabitants of the Southern District, not in the Power of the Enemy during the War, exempted from this Tax.

VII.  And be it further enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That every Person who being an Inhabitant in the Southern District of this State, at the Time of the Invasion thereof by the Troops of the king of Great-Britain, who removed from the said District into any Part of this, or any other of the United States of America, in Consequence of the said Invasion, and whose stated Residence has, from the Time aforesaid until the first Day of March, 1783, been in such Parts of this State, or any other of the United States, not in the Power or Possession of the said Troops, and every other Person whose stated Residence during the late War has been in such Parts of this or any other of the United States, not in the Power or Possession of the said Troops, shall be exempted from paying any Part of the Rate imposed in and by this Act. That it shall and may be lawful to and for the Assessors, and they are hereby required to omit the Names of such Persons respectively, in forming the Assessment-Rolls directed in and by this Act, to be made by such Assessors."

Source: Laws of the Legislature of the State of New York, &c. in Force Against the Loyalists, and Affecting the Trade of Great Britain, and British Merchants, and Others Having Property in that State, CHAP. LVIII:  An Act for raising £100,000, within the several Counties therein mentioned. Passed May the 6th, 1784, pp. 145-51 (London: H. Reynell No. 21 Piccadilly, 1786).

The statute further specified extensive procedures for having assessors determine the value of lands and personal property held by those subject to the tax. It required the tax to be paid only in gold or silver coin and provided procedures for pursuing and even punishing those who refused, or failed, to pay the tax.

The statute contains no indication as to why southern Westchester County including the Manor of Pelham (the Town of Pelham was not created by statute until four years later in 1788) was required to pay only two thousand of the one hundred thousand pounds required. Most likely, however, the amount was comparatively low for southern Westchester including Pelham for at least two reasons. First, the region was utterly devastated during the Revolutionary War. It was part of the so-called Neutral Ground that was subject to marauding bands of irregulars known as "Cowboys" and "Skinners" that plundered the region and tormented, tortured, and even murdered its residents. Little in the way of "wealth" remained. Secondly, compared to the other more urban counties named by the statute, there were comparatively fewer residents in rural Westchester County to bear a share of the tax.

Nevertheless, the State of New York made its point. It would continue to take its pound of flesh from Loyalists and others who failed to support the American cause during the War for Independence.

* * * * *

The text of the statute on which today's Historic Pelham article is based appears immediately below, followed by a citation and link to its source.

"CHAP. LVIII.

An Act for raising £100,000, within the several Counties therein mentioned. Passed May the 6th, 1784.

Preamble. Reciting that heavy Burthens have been sustained by Part of the State, in Support of the War.

WHEREAS the several Counties in the middle Western and Eastern Districts of this State, and a Part of the County of Westchester have sustained many and heavy Burthens and Expences, in prosecuting the late War between these States and the King of Great-Britain.

And who ought to bear Part of Expenses

And whereas it is just and equitable, that all who participate in the Blessings derived from the Freedom and Independence which this State now happily enjoys, should contribute in the Burthens and Expenses whereby the same was obtained.

£100,000, deemed a Compensation for the Southern District.

And whereas the Citizens of the Southern District of this State, impressed with a just Sense of the Exertions and Sufferings of their Brethren in the other Districts, have by their Representatives declared their Readiness to afford a Testimonial of the Sense they have of the Exertions and Sufferings aforesaid, and it being conceived by this Legislature, that, if the Sum of One Hundred Thousand Pounds should be raised in the said Southern District, it would be such a Compensation to the other Districts as would prove satisfactory to the Citizens thereof, and that no future Compensation would be required from the Southern District: And it being the Intention of this Legislature, that on all future Occasions where Burthens are to be borne by the Citizens of this State, each County shall be charged with a Proportion according to the relative Value of such County to the Whole.

Quota of different Counties in said District.

I. Be it enacted by the People of the State of New-York, represented in Senate and Assembly, and it is hereby enacted by the Authority of the same, That there shall be raised within the City and County of New-York, the Counties of Suffolk, Kings, Queens, and Richmond, and that Part of Westchester County herein after described, the Sum of One Hundred Thousand Pounds; that the Quota of the City and County of New-York of the said Sum, shall be Fifty-six Thousand Pounds; the Quota of the County of Suffolk, Ten Thousand Pounds; the Quota of Kings County, Thirteen Thousand Pounds; the Quota of Queens County, Fourteen Thousand Pounds; the Quota of the County of Richmond, Five Thousand Pounds; and the Quota of that Part of the County of Westchester comprised in the Bounds of the Borough and Town of Westchester, the Township of East-Chester, the Yonkers, Manor of Pelham, New-Rochelle, Mamaroneck and Scarsedale, shall be Two Thousand Pounds.

How an Account of Inhabitants Estates to be taken.

II. And be it further enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That the Mayor, Recorder and Aldermen, of the City and County of New-York, or the major Part of them for the Time being, shall meet and assemble at the City-Hall of the said City, within ten Days after the passing of this Act, and then and there issue their Warrants to the several Assessors of the said City and County,

When and how to be assessed.

to take a true and exact Account of all the Estates real and personal of all the Freeholders, Residents and Inhabitants, within the several Wards of the said City and County (and liable to be assessed by this Act) for which they at the Time of issuing such Warrants shall be Assessor or Assessors, and true, equal, and impartial Assessments to make, and at such Day to be therein prefixed, no more than fifteen Days after the Time of issuing such Warrants, to the said Mayor, Recorder and Aldermen, or the major Part of them to exhibit:

Assessments being made, how Warrants to be issued to Collectors, and Monies collected.

And when the said Assessments shall, by the said Assessors, be compleated, and a full Account of the same, made and cast up according to the pound Value of the Estates of Persons, by this Act liable to be assessed, then the said Mayor, Recorder, and Aldermen, or the major Part of them, shall issue their Warrants to the several and respective Collectors in the City and County (within fifteen Days after the Day on which such Assessments to be laid by the Assessors of the respective Wards as aforesaid shall have been exhibited) to collect the Monies so assessed,

And paid to the Treasurer, by 1st of August next.

and pay the same from Time to Time to the Treasurer of this State never retaining in the Hands of any such Collector, more than the Sum of Five Hundred Pounds, and so that the Whole of the Monies to be raised in the said City and County, be paid to the said Treasurer of this State, on or before the first Day of August next.

Assessors to take an Oath before they proceed to assess.

III. And be it further enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That each of the Assessors of the said City and County of New-York, shall, before he enters on the Performance of the Duties required of him by this Act, take an Oath before the said Mayor, Recorder, and Aldermen, or the major Part of them, in the Words following, viz.

Form of such Oath.

'I ________ do solemnly swear and declare, that I will well, truly, equally, and impartially, in due Proportion, according to the best of my Skill, Knowledge, and Understanding, assess and rate the Freeholders, Residents, and Inhabitants of the Ward for which I am Assessor, who are liable to be rated and assessed in Pursuance of the Law, entitled, "An Act for the raising the Sum of One Hundred Thousand Pounds within the several Counties therein mentioned, agreeable to the Directions of the said Law.'

To be taken before Mayor, Recorder, &c.

Which Oath the said Mayor, Recorder, and Aldermen, or the major Part of them are hereby empowered, required, and directed to administer.

Gold and Silver only to be taken in Payment, and on Refusal to pay it, to levy by Distress, &c.

V. And be it further enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That Gold and Silver Coins only shall be received in Payment for the said Rate. -- That if any of the Persons so rated, shall neglect or refuse to pay the Rate imposed on them, the Collector shall levy the same by Distress and Sale of the Goods and Chattels of the Persons so refusing or neglecting; that where Distress and Sale shall be made in either of the Cafes above-mentioned, the Overplus, after deducting the Charges of such Distress and Sale, shall have been made --

For Want of Goods, to commence a Suit, before a Justice of Peace,

That for Want of Goods and Chattels whereon to levy the Rate, the Collector shall be, and is hereby authorised and required to commence a Suit in his own Name, before any Justice of the Peace of the County, and the Justice or Jury shall give a Verdict and Judgment for the Amount of the Sum at which the Defendant shall be so taxed, with Costs, upon the Rate Lists being duly proved to have been signed by the Supervisor or Supervisors or Justice; which is hereby declared to be conclusive Evidence to entitle the Plaintiff to recover;

Whole Authority is extended to all such Actions, &c.

and the Authority and Jurisdiction of such Justice is hereby extended to such Actions, notwithstanding the Sum to be sued for shall exceed the Sum of Ten Pounds: And it shall an may be lawful to and for the Justice giving Judgment as aforesaid, and he is hereby strictly enjoined and required, to award Execution forthwith after such Judgment, and former Law to the Contrary in any Wise notwithstanding,

And direct a Return, &c.

therein directing the Officer to make Return of such Execution within ten Days from the Date of the said Execution, and to pay the Amount of the Rate to be paid by the Person against whom such Execution shall have been awarded, to the Collector who sued for the same, within fifteen Days from the Date of such Execution; or if the Person is committed to the Custody of the Sheriff, or cannot be found, to give such Collector a Certificate thereof, which Certificate shall be, by the said Collector, delivered to the Treasurer of the County, and who is hereby directed to credit the said Collector for the Amount of the Rate mentioned in such Certificate --

Collectors Allowance for collecting Rates.

That the Collectors shall be allowed, and are hereby authorised to retain in their Hands, out of the Rates by them collected, Four-pence in the Pound, for their Services in the Execution of this Act, except in the City and County of New-York, where the Collectors respectively shall only retain Two-pence in the Pound -- That the County Treasurer shall pay the Monies they shall respectively from Time to Time receive from the Collectors into the Treasury of this State, within fifteen Days next after the Days and Times in which the Collectors, by this Act, are directed and required to pay the same into the County Treasury --

And retain 8s. for every 100l.

That the several County Treasurers shall be allowed and are hereby authorised to retain in their Hands, out of the Monies they shall respectively receive from the Collectors, a Commission of Eight Shillings for every Hundred Pounds, for their Services in receiving the said Monies, and paying the same into the Treasury of this State.

Inhabitants of the Southern District, not in the Power of the Enemy during the War, exempted from this Tax.

VII. And be it further enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That every Person who being an Inhabitant in the Southern District of this State, at the Time of the Invasion thereof by the Troops of the king of Great-Britain, who removed from the said District into any Part of this, or any other of the United States of America, in Consequence of the said Invasion, and whose stated Residence has, from the Time aforesaid until the first Day of March, 1783, been in such Parts of this State, or any other of the United States, not in the Power or Possession of the said Troops, and every other Person whose stated Residence during the late War has been in such Parts of this or any other of the United States, not in the Power or Possession of the said Troops, shall be exempted from paying any Part of the Rate imposed in and by this Act. That it shall and may be lawful to and for the Assessors, and they are hereby required to omit the Names of such Persons respectively, in forming the Assessment-Rolls directed in and by this Act, to be made by such Assessors.

Assessors may summon any Persons before them, to examine them on Oath relative to Personal Property.

XXI. And be it further enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That the Assessors or a Majority of them may, by Writing under their Hands, summon any Person actually resident within the City, Town, Manor, District, or Precinct, to appear before them at such Time and such Place within the City, Town, Manor, District, or Precinct, respectively, as they may think proper, to be examined on Oath (or if of the People called Quakers) on Affirmation, which Oath or Affirmation the Assessors, or a Majority of them, are hereby authorised to administer, touching the Value or Amount of any personal Estate;

On Refusal to appear, such Persons to forfeit 5l. for each Offence.

and if the Person so to be Summoned, shall not, upon being served with such Summons, appear before the Assessors, or appearing, shall refuse to answer to Interrogatories upon Oath (or if of the people called Quakers) on Affirmation, touching the Value or Amount of the personal Estate or any person or Persons within such City, Town, Manor, District, or Precinct, the Person or Persons so offending, shall, for every such Offence, forfeit the Sum of Five Pounds, to be recovered with Costs in an Action of Debt, in the Name of the Treasurer of the County; and when recovered, paid in like Manner as last aforesaid, so as the person to be summoned, shall not be compelled to answer to any Interrogatories touching the Value or Amount of his or her Property.

Proviso. By the 7th Section of an Act of the 26th November, 1784, all legal Remedy against any Collector barr'd.

Provided always, That no such Evidence shall be conclusive for forming any Assessment, but that the Assessors shall be at Liberty to determine the actual Value of such personal Property as aforesaid, by such Evidence as aforesaid, or any other Means, which in their Judgment, may be deemed most proper for estimating such actual Value.

Lands vested in the State, not to be taxed, i.e. the forfeited Lands

XXVI. And be it further enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That any Lands vested in the People of this State, as Sovereign thereof, shall not be subject to be rated by Virtue of this Act."

Source: Laws of the Legislature of the State of New York, &c. in Force Against the Loyalists, and Affecting the Trade of Great Britain, and British Merchants, and Others Having Property in that State, CHAP. LVIII:  An Act for raising £100,000, within the several Counties therein mentioned. Passed May the 6th, 1784, pp. 145-51 (London: H. Reynell No. 21 Piccadilly, 1786).

Labels: 1784, Manor of Pelham, Property Taxes, Revolutionary War, Statute, taxes

Friday, October 26, 2018

The Ghostly Gunship That Sails Off the Shores of Pelham

Pelham was desolate; almost ghostly. Warring armies battled across the region and left little standing in their wakes. The Revolutionary War fought between American Patriots and their British oppressors was underway. The so-called "Neutral Ground" of the Manor of Pelham, in those days, was nearly ground zero in the midst of the conflict.

Not a soul then could be found in Pelham. All had fled or had learned to spend their days and nights in hiding to avoid the brutal sadism of rogue "Cowboys" and "Skinners" who scoured the region looting, burning homes, and torturing residents.

Off the shores of Pelham large British naval ships prowled the waters. Occasionally American patriots known as "whaleboatmen" would pilot long rowboats with small cannons among the massive naval vessels firing at them and their crews with tiny cannons and small muskets, worrying the naval gunboats like pesky mosquitoes that often were swatted away with massive cannonades and hails of musket fire from the decks of the large ships. Occasionally, though, the mosquitoes drew blood.

On one such occasion, the winter evening was particularly dark and biting. Even worse, a thick fog shrouded the waters and the mainland of the Manor of Pelham. Not far from Locust Point on today's Throggs Neck, near the southern tip of City Island, a hulking British naval vessel rested on the black water silently. With no moon and thick fog the black night hung thickly. It was nearly impossible to see one's hand in front of one's face. Moreover, the soupy fog seemed to muffle noises across the water, distorting the sounds of lapping water until the sounds became almost unearthly.

American Patriots on the mainland knew the hulking gunship skulked off their shores. Word had spread quickly among the Patriots even as the ship previously had departed New York City and made its way to the Sound Americans were hiding along the shore. Other courageous Patriots dragged a long whaleboat fitted with a small cannon into the inky black waters and slipped silently into the dark fog, headed in the direction of the massive gunboat.

The entire region at the time was in the midst of the famed "wood famine" of 1777. For more than a century settlers had leveled forests for farmland and chopped every tree in sight for firewood. Matters only worsened as the two warring armies battled and camped throughout the region felling what few trees remained.

On that dark, foggy night during the war, the crew of the British gunship skulking off the shores of Pelham was low on wood. They needed wood for cooking and warmth. They also knew that their local garrison always needed firewood. Their captain was concerned enough to detail his men to proceed ashore to scrounge for wood despite the wood famine. Knowing wood would be hard to come by and assuming neither man nor beast would be afoot on such a black, biting, and foggy night, the Captain foolishly detailed nearly all his crew to head ashore for wood.

The large group of British sailors slithered off their mother ship under cover of fog and darkness and made their way by small boats to Locust Point on Throggs Neck, clearly up to no good. They muffled their oars with rags wrapped around the oarlocks and remained silent as they eased ashore.

As the British navy men left their mother ship, thinking they were undetected, they could not see that a group of armed Patriot whaleboatmen also were skulking silently in their long boat only yards away from the British ship, hidden in the inky blackness of the foggy night. The Patriots heard their enemies depart the ship and formed their own plan.

The whaleboatmen waited silently in the fog and darkness until the British sailors seemed long gone. Remaining deathly silent, they maneuvered their whaleboat alongside the British vessel and scaled it, springing onto the deck with boarding axes and muskets to the shock of the guard left aboard to protect the vessel. The surprise was so complete that not a shot was fired. The guard was quickly tied and stowed below while the Americans prepared to sail their massive prize into the night and northward to Connecticut.

Slowly the Americans got the great ship underway. They knew the waters off the Manor of Pelham like the backs of their hands. They steered the Leviathan northeast and slowly made their way around City Island into the inky black night. Had any been left behind, they might have been able to see the dark hulk of the giant vessel slithering slowly into the fog ahead until the black night enveloped it completely as it disappeared.

Once the British ship disappeared into the foggy night, neither it nor its Patriot crew were ever seen again. Its disappearance was complete. It vanished without a trace. No word ever was heard from any of the brave whaleboatmen who steered the vessel into the maw of darkness that terrible night.

Since that terrible night, according to veteran sailors on Long Island Sound, on dark foggy nights, a ghostly British naval vessel may be seen gliding along the water with a crew of specters dressed in 18th century sailing garb staring silently with ghostly eyes from the rails of the deck. Though the ship seems luminescent, there are no lights aboard. It glides silently with utterly no sound. Indeed, some say that as the ship passes in the fog, the waters of the Sound grow eerily quiet and even the wind seems to pause as the ghostly Patriot sailors continue to make their silent getaway with their British prize for all eternity. As one account published in 1897 put it:

"'Day after day, day after day, and still no tidings of the captured ship, until the heart was weary, and the eye was dim with watching. At last the skipper of a coaster gave the somewhat startling report: 'While lying-to off New London, in a fearful gale, he saw a small war-ship approach, apparently of English build, with every stitch of canvas set, even to her royal studding-sails. She heeded neither bar, shoal, nor rock, but kept steadily on her course, until nearly abreast of him, when sail after sail and mast after mast began to vanish, until nothing but the hull of the vessel with her open ports, through which the guns were projecting, was visible. Slowly and silently [p. 72 / p. 73] the outlines of the ship became less and less clearly defined, until nothing of the majestic vessel was left.' 'What this vision of another world portended nobody ever knew, but even to our own time many old salts are willing to swear that often, before the most terrific storms, when their vessels were compelled to lay-to under reefed topsails, they have distinctly seen an old-fashioned war-ship, under a cloud of canvas, approach near to them, and then gradually vanish into air. Some go so far as to say they could see the crew on her deck, and plainly recognized the knee-breeches and cocked hats of the last century. But, be this as it may, the vessel or crew, so far as I am able to learn, never reached port in this world, and was probably lost in one of the severe spring gales, so prevalent in this latitude at that season.'

* * * * *

Below are transcriptions of references on which today's Historic Pelham article is based. Each is followed by a citation and link to its source.

"THE WOOD FAMINE.

IT was March -- cold, cheerless, windy March. The roads were in that terrible condition between mud and frost that makes driving at this time of the year in the fair county of Westchester unpleasant, not to say almost impracticable. The sun of spring had scarcely yet caressed the southern slopes into a shade of green, while many a snowdrift still bade defiance to its power on the northern side of fences and hills.

The day itself was no exception to the characteristic weather of the month; the thermometer was just above the freezing-point and the sun was obscured by heavy, dark masses of cloud, while gusts of wind sighed [p. 65 / p. 66] in the trees and around the chimneys, making it anything but tempting to leave the cozy fireside and face the raw atmosphere outside. Still, I had been in the house so long, that I began to suffer from ennui, and resolved to take a ride, bad as the roads were, as far as Pelham, to visit an old gentleman, long a friend of the family, and hear him talk of his boyhood's days.

After a long, slow jouncing, mud-splashing ride, I arrived at the house of my old friend, and while I am sitting with my feet upon the andirons before the crackling hickory fire of the library in his comfortable old-fashioned mansion, sipping a glass or two of his choice wine, allow me to describe my host.

He is a grand-looking man of fully eighty-seven years, with fine features, and though he has now lost the straightness and suppleness of early manhood, and his eyesight is rapidly failing, in other respects his age sits [p. 66 / p. 67] lightly upon him.* [Footnote Transcribed Below at End of This Page.] But what is more remarkable is that his intellect is as clear and keen as though he were still in the prime of life, and he retains a quickness of perception that many a young man might envy.

As the cheery fire begins to have a soothing effect upon us and the discomforts of my boisterous ride commence to wear away, our conversation turns from the events of the day, back to that land of mist and fable called the past. There is nothing around us to jar upon our dream-land; the glowing hickory logs, the bright-polished fire-dogs, the low ceilings of the old homestead, and the old gentleman himself, as he sat there in his great easy chair, all seemed to belong to the epoch of which we were talking.

I remember admiring some fine trees that I could see through a window, upon an island in the bay, a short distance off.

'Yes,' said the old gentleman,

* Died about 1890. [This is the Footnote.] [p. 67 / p. 68]

'those trees have not been disturbed since the wood-famine of 1777.'

Upon my asking the particulars of that event, he continued: 'I well remember hearing my father speak about it some eighty years ago. The winter of 1777 was an intensely cold one, and the British troops posted in the city, as well as the town-people, suffered much for want of fuel, as the country was in such a disordered state that the farmers of the surrounding districts did not bring in the usual supply. Towards the close of the season the fuel became so scarce that something had to be done, as the entire population were brought to such a strait that much suffering and inconvenience was occasioned, and the price of even the poorest wood was something appalling.

'Under these circumstances, the commander of the post thought it advisable, as soon as the Sound opened, to send a small war-vessel a short way to the eastward to procure a load of [p. 68 / p. 69] cord wood for the use of the garrison. The point selected for cutting the wood was this same island at which we are now looking. Accordingly, the little sloop-of-war left port upon her not very nautical or romantic mission; and, doubtless, much to the disgust of her officers and crew, took a couple of large scows in tow, and proceeded slowly up the Sound. On through Hell Gate and past many a quiet farmhouse she sped, now sending her men aloft to set her royals, and now training her guns upon some imaginary enemy on shore. The sun set, and the stars twinkled in the frosty sky, but the wind was light and the progress slow. Several watches were set and relieved ere she rounded Throggs Neck, and the sun of a chill March morning was just rising when she anchored as near the island as her draught of water would allow.

'The expedition of the wood foragers had, however, not been kept as quiet as prudence and military caution [p. 69 / p. 70] ought to have suggested, for, in some unknown manner, the news had been spread abroad throughout the county of Westchester that a British man-of-war with a crew of wood-choppers was about to ascend the Sound, to give the city a supply of fuel. The movements of the ship had been eagerly watched from the shores as she passed along, and word carried to several irregular bodies of colonial troops and other persons favorable to the cause of the revolted provinces. So that a large body of armed men were secreted in the bushes of the main-land near the island when the English sloop-of-war anchored and prepared to land her party.

'Very foolishly, the captain sent nearly all his men ashore to chop and carry the wood, reserving only barely enough to attend to mooring the vessel, little thinking an enemy was in the vicinity. The colonists watched all these proceedings carefully, and saw that their chance had come. [p. 70 / p. 71]

Rushing to their boats they crossed the narrow channel, and boarded the ship before the wood party had time to observer their movements, or to give the slightest aid to their few companions left in charge. The resistance was necessarily feeble, and the ship's company was soon overpowered and compelled to yield the vessel to their captors, who no sooner got possession than they began to train their guns upon the wood-choppers, now deeply interested but helpless spectators of their proceedings.

'Although for the present masters of the situation, it was far too dangerous for the visitors to let the ship remain where she was. It was determined that the best plan would be to run her into some eastern port, and there fit her out as a colonial cruiser: so a sufficient crew was selected from among the most daring and best sailors in the neighborhood, and, under the command of a master of a coasting-vessels, the man-of-war again [p. 71 / p. 72] crossed her yards, shook out her canvas, and pointed her prow seaward. Out into the gray mists of the Sound she sped, every stitch of canvas drawing. Slowly, slowly she sank from the view of the watchers on shore behind the eastern horizon, and never by mortal eye was ship or crew seen again.

'Day after day, day after day, and still no tidings of the captured ship, until the heart was weary, and the eye was dim with watching. At last the skipper of a coaster gave the somewhat startling report: 'While lying-to off New London, in a fearful gale, he saw a small war-ship approach, apparently of English build, with every stitch of canvas set, even to her royal studding-sails. She heeded neither bar, shoal, nor rock, but kept steadily on her course, until nearly abreast of him, when sail after sail and mast after mast began to vanish, until nothing but the hull of the vessel with her open ports, through which the guns were projecting, was visible. Slowly and silently [p. 72 / p. 73] the outlines of the ship became less and less clearly defined, until nothing of the majestic vessel was left.'

'What this vision of another world portended nobody ever knew, but even to our own time many old salts are willing to swear that often, before the most terrific storms, when their vessels were compelled to lay-to under reefed topsails, they have distinctly seen an old-fashioned war-ship, under a cloud of canvas, approach near to them, and then gradually vanish into air. Some go so far as to say they could see the crew on her deck, and plainly recognized the knee-breeches and cocked hats of the last century. But, be this as it may, the vessel or crew, so far as I am able to learn, never reached port in this world, and was probably lost in one of the severe spring gales, so prevalent in this latitude at that season.'

And now the old gentleman ceased speaking, took a sip of wine, and indicated that his story had concluded, [p. 73 / p. 74] though he soon informed me that this was far from being the only tale he could relate of the olden time, and the exciting doings of the people now silent, and, except by him and a few tradition-hunters, forgotten."

Source: Pryer, Charles, Reminiscences of an Old Westchester Homestead, pp. 65-74 (New York and London: G. P. Putnam's Sons The Knickerbocker Press 1897).

* * * * *

Below is a local newspaper article published in 1959 recounting the tale of the Patriot Ghost Ship that sails off the shores of Pelham. The transcription of the text is followed by a citation and link to its source.

"GHOST SHIP: Did you know The Bronx had a mysterious 'Flying Dutchman' all its own. Neither did I until I read John McNamara's account in 'Alarm,' publication of the Edgewater Park Volunteer Fire Co. It seems that during the Revolutionary War a group of British soldiers came ashore to Locust Pt. from a sloop, leaving only a few sailors aboard. American patrols sighted the vessel, rowed out silently, captured the vessel and set sail around City Island for Connecticut. Alas, they disappeared in the fog and never again were heard of, though veteran schoonermen do say that on foggy nights you can see an old-fashioned sloop sailing up and down Long Island Sound. The crew, dressed in 18th century clothes stares silently from the rails."

Source: Gumpert, Bert, The Bronx Bandwagon . . . GHOST SHIP, N.Y. Post, Aug. 12, 1959, p. 13, col. 1.

* * * * *

I have collected ghost stories and legends relating to the Town of Pelham for more than fifteen years. To read more examples that now total in the several dozens, see:

Bell, Blake A., Pelham's Ghosts, Goblins and Legends, The Pelham Weekly, Oct. 25, 2002, p. 1, col. 1.

Bell, Blake A., More Ghosts, Goblins of Pelham, The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XIII, No. 43, Oct. 29, 2004, p. 12, col. 1.

Bell, Blake A., More Ghosts & Goblins of Pelham, The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XV, Issue 40, Oct. 13, 2006, p. 10, col. 1.

Bell, Blake A., Archive of HistoricPelham.com Web Site: Pelham's Ghosts, Goblins and Legends (Oct. 2002).

Bell, Blake A., Bibliography of Pelham's Ghost Stories and Legends (Oct. 2002).

Fri., Oct. 26, 2018: The Ghostly Gunship That Sails Off the Shores of Pelham.

Thu., Oct. 25, 2018: The Ghostly Lantern-Bearer of Baychester and Pelham Bridge.

Tue., Oct. 31, 2017: An Eyewitness Account of the Headless Apparitions of the Haunted Cedar Knoll in Pelham.

Mon., Oct. 30, 2017: The Ghost of Captain Kidd Guards His Treasure on an Island Off Pelham.

Fri., Oct. 27, 2017: An Unusual Account of the Dark Spirit of the Devil and His Stepping Stones: A Pelham Legend.

Thu., Oct. 26, 2017: The Cow Rustler Ghosts of Pelham Road.

Mon., Oct. 31, 2016: Pelham Was Overrun by Ghosts for a Few Months in the Winter of 1887-1888.

Fri., Oct. 28, 2016: The Old Stone House Has At Least One More Ghost -- The Ghost of Mrs. Parrish is Not Alone.

Thu., Oct. 27, 2016: Did Google Maps Camera Capture the Ghost of the Elegant Lady of the Old Stone House at 463 First Avenue?

Wed., Oct. 26, 2016: The Ghost of the Murdered Traveler Who Wanders the Bartow-Pell Grounds.

Tue., Oct. 25, 2016: The Suicidal Specter of Manger Circle.

Mon., Oct. 24, 2016: The Fiery-Eyed Phantom of Pelham Heights.

Mon., Sep. 19, 2016: The Dark Spirit of the Devil and His Stepping Stones: A Pelham Legend.

Fri., Oct. 30, 2015: The Shrieking Ghosts of Execution Rocks: Yet Another Pelham Ghost Story.

Thu., Oct. 29, 2015: The Apparition of Wolfs Lane: Another Pelham Ghost Story.

Wed., Oct. 28, 2015: The Shadowy Specter of James Street: A Pelham Manor Ghost Story.

Tue., Oct. 27, 2015: The Ghostly Gardener of Bolton Priory: A Pelham Apparition.

Mon., Oct. 26, 2015: The Ghostly Matron of the Manor Club: Even a Ghost Whisperer's Nightmare!

Fri., Oct. 31, 2014: Ghosts in Pelham! Yet Another of Many Accounts of the Haunted Cedar Knoll.

Mon., Sep. 08, 2014: In 1888, The "Ghost of City Island" Upset the Town of Pelham.

Fri., Jan. 17, 2014: The Phantom Bell Ringer of Christ Church in Pelham Manor.

Wed., Oct. 14, 2009: 1879 News Account Provides Additional Basis for Some Facts Underlying Ghost Story of Old Stone House in Pelhamville.

Fri., Jan. 30, 2009: Article Published in 1901 Detailed Ghost Stories and Legends of Pelham.

Mon., Feb. 19, 2007: Another Manor of Pelham Ghost Story: The Whispering Bell.

Fri., Aug. 18, 2006: The Ghost Gunship of Pelham: A Revolutionary War Ghost Story.

Wed., May 03, 2006: Another Pelham, New York Ghost Story.

Thu., Oct. 13, 2005: Two More Pelham Ghost Stories.

Fri., Sep. 16, 2005: The Legend of the Spy Oak on Pelham Road.

Labels: 1777, City Island, Ghost, Ghost Story, Ghostly Patriot Gunship, Legend, Neutral Ground, Revolutionary War, Throggs Neck, Whaleboatmen

Wednesday, October 03, 2018

Bounty Land Awarded to Pelham Executors of the Estate of Captain Samuel Tredwell Pell for His Revolutionary War Service

Pelham's Revolutionary War history is surprisingly rich, yet nearly all that has been written about it has focused solely on the Battle of Pelham fought on October 18, 1776. Today the Historic Pelham Blog will focus on the life and death of an American Patriot who was born, and died, in the Manor of Pelham.

That notable Pelhamite, who served as an officer in the American Army during the War, was Samuel Tredwell Pell. After the War he became a member of The Society of the Cincinnati, an organization consisting of officers who served during the Revolutionary War. He died tragically on December 29, 1786 at the age of 32 from injuries he sustained in a fall of his horse.

I have written before about Samuel Tredwell Pell. See:

Thu., Oct. 12, 2006: Biographical and Genealogical Information Regarding Revolutionary War Officer Samuel Tredwell Pell of the Manor of Pelham.

Tue., Jun. 12, 2007: Amorous Exploits of Captain Samuel Tredwell Pell of the Manor of Pelham in 1778.

Fri., Jun. 20, 2014: Brief Letter Dated June 13, 1776 from Samuel Tredwell Pell of Pelham Manor and Others to General George Washington.

Samuel Tredwell Pell was born in the Manor of Pelham on July 26, 1755, a son of Philip Pell Sr. and Gloriana Tredwell. He was a brother of Philip Pell Jr. and David Jones Pell, both of whom also were notable Patriots who fought for and served the Patriot cause during the Revolutionary War.

When only twenty years old, Samuel T. Pell applied for a commission in the army. On June 28, 1775 he was appointed a Second Lieutenant in the 4th Regiment, New York Continental Infantry under Colonel James Holmes. Only a few weeks later he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant. He served with the 4th Regiment during an unsuccessful campaign to capture Canada and convert it to the 14th colony. After that campaign, the 4th Regiment was disbanded. Pell and a number of his 4th Regiment colleagues wrote to General George Washington in June, 1776 seeking further deployment in support of the Patriot cause. See Fri., Jun. 20, 2014:  Brief Letter Dated June 13, 1776 from Samuel Tredwell Pell of Pelham Manor and Others to General George Washington.

In connection with the reorganization of the New York Line, Pell was made a captain in Colonel Philip Van Cortlandt's 2nd New York Regiment. He served in that role until June 1783, shortly before the end of the war. After the war, Pell returned to the Manor of Pelham and developed a farm near those of his brothers David Jones Pell (who owned the home known today as "Pelhamdale" at 45 Iden Avenue) and Philip Pell Jr. (who owned a home once located on today's Colonial Avenue -- the old Boston Post Road -- and what is now Cliff Avenue).

In December, 1786, Pell was badly injured when his horse fell. He died of his injuries on December 29, 1786.  Interestingly, even after his death, Pell's estate benefited from land bounty programs that awarded land to War veterans to reward them for their service.

After Samuel Tredwell Pell's death, his two brothers (David Jones Pell and Philip Pell Jr.) were appointed executors of his estate. On behalf of his estate, the brothers pursued at least two claims for bounty lands to which Samuel Pell had been entitled: one from the Federal Government and another from New York State. Today's Historic Pelham Blog article documents a little about the two bounty land grants to Pell's estate.

July 9, 1790 New York Bounty Land Warrant for 1,800 Acres

In addition to Federal bounty land warrants, a number of States including New York rewarded veterans of the Revolutionary War with bounty land warrant certificates that entitled them to public lands. On July 9, 1790, the State of New York awarded a New York Bounty Land Warrant for 1,800 acres. The record reference, transcribed in an important book collecting such records published in 1996, reads as follows:

"Pell, T. Samuel. N. Y. Captain. 9 Jul. 1790. 1800 acres."

Source:  Bockstruck, Lloyd DeWitt, Revolutionary War Bounty Land Grants Awarded by State Governments, p. 412 (Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1996) (NOTE: Paid subscription required to access via this link.

By the time of this grant, of course, Samuel Tredwell Pell had been dead for almost four years. It appears that (as was another grant that occurred only five months later) this grant was sought and obtained for the benefit of his estate by his executors.

December 15, 1790 Bounty Land Warrant # 1681 for 300 Acres

A variety of records set forth below indicate that on December 15, 1790, bounty land warrant #1681 was issued to Philip Pell, Jr. and David Jones Pell as executors of the estate of their deceased brother, Samuel Tredwell Pell awarding an additional 300-acre tract as a land bounty for service during the Revolutionary War.

* * * * *

Samuel Tredwell Pell was an illustrious American Patriot who, after the war, died an untimely death. Yet, as executors of his estate, his two brothers honored his memory and sought on behalf of the beneficiaries of his estate the lands to which he was entitled as a veteran of the war. Below are images of, citations to, and links to a variety of records demonstrating the existence of two such bounty land grants.

July 9, 1790 New York Bounty Land Warrant for 1,800 Acres

Reference to July 9, 1790 Bounty Land Grant of

1800 Acres Awarded to Samuel Tredwell Pell.

Source: Bockstruck, Lloyd DeWitt, Revolutionary War

Bounty Land Grants Awarded by State Governments,

p. 412 (Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Co.,

Inc., 1996). NOTE: Click on Image to Enlarge.

Transcription of Pertinent Line Immediately Below.

December 15, 1790 Bounty Land Warrant #1681 for 300 Acres

Below are images of, citations to, and links to a variety of official records that reflect the issuance of the December 15, 1790 bounty land warrant #1681 for 300 acres of public land to Philip Pell and David Pell, executors of the estate of Samuel Tredwell Pell.

Record 1 of 2 from the Indexes to U.S. War Bounty Land Warrants

Reflecting Bounty Land Warrant #1681 Issued to Philip Pell and

David Pell as Executors of the Estate of Samuel Tredwell Pell.

Source: Ancestry.com. U.S. War Bounty Land Warrants,

1789-1858 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA (Original data:

U.S. Revolutionary War Bounty Land Warrants Used in the U.S.

Military District of Ohio and Relating Papers (Acts of 1788, 1803,

and 1806), 1788-1806; Microfilm Publication M829, 16 rolls; ARC ID:

635444. Records of the Bureau of Land Management, Record Group

49; National Archives at Washington, D.C.War of 1812 Military

Bounty Land Warrants, 1815-1858;Microfilm Publication M848, 14 rolls;

ARC ID: 4923870. Records of the Bureau of Land Management, Record

Group 49; National Archives at Washington, D.C.) (Paid Subscription

Required to Access Via This Link) NOTE: Click on Image to Enlarge.

(Detail from Image and Transcription Immediately Below.)

"Pell P. & Pell D. . . . . . . . . 1681 300 . . . . . . . . . . ."

Record 2 of 2 from the Indexes to U.S. War Bounty Land Warrants