More on Efforts to Divide Pelham Into Two Towns During the Late 1850s

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During the mid-19th century, the Town of Pelham was split into two principal camps:  the islanders versus the mainlanders.  The principal population of the Town at that time lived on City Island.  The population on the mainland, however, was growing. The mainlanders began to chafe at the refusal of City Islanders to vote in favor of authorizing funds to improve roads and infrastructure on the mainland. 

As I have written before, during the late 1850s, there was an initiative by many of the most illustrious mainland residents to have the Westchester County Board of Supervisors split the Town of Pelham into two towns. 

Eventually, the proposal was to create a then-unnamed town consisting of City Island, Hart Island, and High Island (and their "appurtenances") and a second town consisting of the mainland, Hunter's Island, the Twins (and their "appurtenances").  In 1859 an application was made to the Board of Supervisors by members of the Marshall, Morris, Bartow, Grenzebach, Coudert, Roosevelt, Hunter, Schuyler, and Secor Families, among others, to have the town split along these lines.  

I have written before about this multi-year campaign to split the Town of Pelham into two towns.  See, e.g.:  

Thu., Feb. 16, 2017:  Pelham Mainlanders Wouldn't Give Up: More Efforts to Split the Town in Two During 1859.

Fri., Jul. 15, 2016:  Efforts to Divide the Town of Pelham Into Two Towns Began as Early as 1856. 

Mon., Mar. 09, 2015:  The Feud Between Mainlanders And City Islanders in the Town of Pelham Turned Ugly in 1859.

Although we know that the Town of Pelham was not split into two towns at that time, research has not yet revealed the precise manner in which the petition to divide Pelham was resolved.  As I have noted before, however, one possibility is that the Board of Supervisors of the County of Westchester may not have had the authority to enact such legislation.  Only the State of New York had such authority since the Town of Pelham and its boundaries were created by State statute in 1788, as reaffirmed by State statute in 1827, defining the "limits and divisions" of the Town of Pelham. See Mon., May 07, 2007 1827:  Statute Defining the "Limits and Divisions" of the Town of Pelham.

Today's Historic Pelham article documents the fruits of additional research on the failed efforts to divide Pelham into two towns.

It now is clear, as one might have suspected, that the citizens of City Island, Hart Island, and High Island fought back against the initiative over a period of years.

The Board of Supervisors of the County of Westchester appears to have rejected the initiative, at least initially, as early as 1856.  Thus, on Tuesday, November 18, 1856, the Board of Supervisors of the County of Westchester met in White Plains.  During the meeting, the Supervisor of White Plains who also was a member of the Board's Judiciary Committee, John J. Clapp, summarized the situation involving a petition received from Pelham residents who wanted to divide the Town into two towns and a "remonstrance" from Pelham residents who opposed the initiative.

Mr. Clapp then presented a report on the matter recommending against the division of the Town of Pelham.  According to records of the Board, "On motion, the Report was agreed to by the Board."  (Emphasis in original.)

The Board's agreement with the report read by John J. Clapp of the Judiciary Committee does not, however, seem to have ended the matter.  The initiative clearly continued well into 1859, though there remain gaps in the historical record that must be filled in as best possible. 

On November 17, 1859, the Board of Supervisors of the County of Westchester met pursuant to adjournment.  At the time, the Supervisor of the Town of Pelham was Samuel Lippencott.  

During the meeting, the Town Supervisor of the then-Town of New Rochelle, Thaddeus Davids, presented a "remonstrance" of citizens of the Town of Pelham opposing division of the town.  It is interesting that the remonstrance was presented to the County Board by the Supervisor of the Town of New Rochelle and not Samuel Lippencott, the Supervisor of the Town of Pelham.  The record of the meeting indicates only that a "quorum" was present, without indicating which Supervisors attended.  Thus, it is possible that Lippencott was not present.  Of course, it also is possible that Lippencott was attempting to maintain an appearance of impartiality in the matter because, as Town Supervisor, he represented all of the citizens of Pelham including, of course, both mainlanders and islanders.  Lippencott's name does not appear in any of the published newspaper legal notices giving notice of the proposal to divide the Town of Pelham, though the names of many supporters of the measure were included in such notices.

Interestingly, Samuel Lippencott most likely opposed the initiative to split the Town as he was a "carpenter" who lived with his wife and family on City Island.  See Mon., Nov. 02, 2015:  Samuel Lippincott, Town Supervisor of Pelham in 1859, 1860, and 1861.  It would not be unreasonable to assume that Lippencott made his views on the initiative known to his fellow members of the County Board.  

The County Board received the remonstrance from Mr. Davids and immediately referred it to the Judiciary Committee for consideration.

Map of Town of Pelham with Inset of City Island, 1868.

Source:  Beers, F.W., Atlas of New York and Vicinity, p. 35

(NY, NY: Beers, Ellis & Soule, 1868). NOTE: Click Image to Enlarge.

*          *          *           *           *

"Proceedings of the Board of Supervisors.
-----
ANNUAL SESSION, NOVEMBER, 1856.
-----
Members of the Board.

Bedford........................Truman Clark.
Cortlandt......................Frost Horton.
East Chester,................Darius Lyon.
Greenburgh,.................Seth Bird.
Harrison,......................Daniel W. Gray.
Lewisboro,...................Daniel Hunt.
Mamaroneck,...............John Morrell.
Mount Pleasant,...........Henry E. Paulding.
Morrisania,..................Gouverneur Morris.
New Castle,.................John Y. Haight.
New Rochelle,.............Thaddeus Davids.
North Castle,...............Charles Purdy.
North Salem,...............Isaac H. Purdy.
Ossining,.....................John F. Purdy.
Pelham,.......................George W. Horton.
Poundridge,.................Alsop H. Lockwood.
Rye,.............................John E. Marshall.
Somers,.......................Joseph Reynolds.
Scarsdale,...................Francis Secor.
West Chester,..............Abraham Hatfield.
West Farms,................Samuel M. Purdy.
White Plains,...............John J. Clapp.
Yonkers,......................William W. Scrugham.
Yorktown,....................Samuel Fowler.
-----
Chairman,
Hon. DANIEL HUNT.
Clerk,
HIRAM P. ROWEL, Esq.
-----

Tuesday, Nov. 18.

The Board met pursuant to adjournment.

-- Mr. Hunt, in the Chair, and a quorum present. . . . 

Mr. Clapp, from the Judiciary Committee, . . . to whom were referred the petition for and the remonstrance against the division of the town of Pelham, presented a Report, against dividing said town.  On motion, the Report was agreed to by the Board. . . ."

Source:  Proceedings of the Board of Supervisors -- ANNUAL SESSION, NOVEMBER, 1856, Eastern State Journal [White Plains, NY], Dec. 19, 1856, Vol. XII, No. 32, p. 2, cols. 5-7.

"BOARD OF SUPERVISORS, 
WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
-----
November Session, 1859.
CHAIRMAN -- ALSOP H. LOCKWOOD, Esq.
CLERK -- E.O. SUTHERLAND.
-----

MEMBERS OF THE BOARD:

TOWNS.                        NAMES.
Bedford,........................HEZEKIAH D. ROBERTSON.
Cortlandt,......................OWEN T. COFFIN.
East Chester,................DARIUS LYON.
Greenburgh,.................CHARLES W. LITTLE.
Harrison,......................SAMUEL HOPPER.
Lewisboro,...................DANIEL HUNT.
Mamaroneck,...............WILLIAM L. BARKER.
Mount Pleasant,..........ISAAC M. TWITCHINGS.
Morrisania,..................WILLIAM CAULDWELL.
New Castle,.................DANIEL HALLOUCK.
New Rochelle,.............THADDEUS DAVIDS.
North Castle,...............CHARLES PURDY.
North Salem,...............GILBERT F. BAILY.
Ossining,.....................GEORGE A. BRANDRETH.
Pelham,.......................SAMUEL LIPPENCOTT.
Poundridge,.................ALSOP H. LOCKWOODK.
Rye,.............................JOHN K. MARSHALL.
Scarsdale,...................FRANCIS SECOR.
Somers,......................WILLIAM MARSHALL, JR.
West Chester,..............ABRAHAM HATFIELD.
West Farms,................JOHN BUSSING.
White Plains,...............GILBERT S. LYON.
Yonkers,......................AUG. VAN CORTLANDT.
Yorktown,....................BENJAMIN D. MILLER.
-----

WHITE PLAINS, Thursday, Nov. 17.

The Board met pursuant to adjournment -- Mr. Lockwood in the Chair, and a quorum present. . . .

Mr. Davids presented the remonstrance of citizens of the town of Pelham against the division of said town, which was referred to the Judiciary Committee. . . ."

Source:  BOARD OF SUPERVISORS -- WESTCHESTER COUNTY -- November Session, 1859, Eastern State Journal [White Plains, NY], Nov. 25, 1859, Vol. XV, No. 29, p. 2, cols. 2-7.

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Samuel Lippincott, Town Supervisor of Pelham in 1859, 1860, and 1861

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Samuel Lippincott (also known as Samuel Lippencott) served as town supervisor of the Town of Pelham in 1859, 1860, and 1861.  Little is known about him.  Today's posting to the Historic Pelham Blog is an effort to document a little about Lippincott's life.  

Lippincott was born on November 27, 1827 in Rahway, New Jersey, according to his obituary (and consistent with the 1850 and 1860 United States Censuses).  By the age of 23, Lippincott was married to an eighteen-year-old woman named Mary L. who was born in New York in about 1832.  The couple lived on City Island in the Town of Pelham near storekeeper Benjamin Horton and oysterman Joseph B. Horton, according to the 1850 United States census.   

Samuel Lippincott is described as a "House Carpenter" in the 1850 census and as a "Builder" in the 1860 census.  The term "House Carpenter" was a term of art from at least the late eighteenth century until the mid-nineteenth century.  It denoted a master builder who was the equivalent of an architect, engineer, and carpenter combined. 

As a house carpenter and builder, Samuel Lippincott benefited from the fact that the population of the Town of Pelham almost doubled between 1850 and 1860 from 577 people to 1,025 people, most of whom lived on City Island.  Indeed, the 1860 U.S. census indicates that Lippincott was comparatively affluent with real estate valued at $4,500 and personal property valued at $1,000.  

By 1860, according to the federal census, Samuel and Mary Lippincott had five children, all of whom lived with them:  Mary E. (born abt. 1850), Stephen H. (born abt. 1854), Robert B. (born abt. 1856), Helen M. (born abt. 1857), and Belle Louisa (born abt. 1859; died 1872).  According to the 1860 U.S. Census, the couple had a number of others living in their household including:  Catharine Crane (a 22-year-old Irish "Domestic"), Mary Johnson (a 25-year-old Irish "Cook"), and Henry A. Mason (a 30-year-old "Pilot" born in New York) and his wife Cornelia H. (a 24-year-old native New Yorker).

Genealogical research reveals that Samuel and Mary Lippincott had at least two other children:  Frank (born 1861; died 1883); and Edith C. (born 1868; died 1869).  Mary L. Lippincott died on July 25, 1869.

Samuel Lippincott was described in a news article published in 1859 as an "'American' Democrat."  See Our Town Elections . . . PELHAM, Eastern State Journal [White Plains, NY], Apr. 1, 1859, p. 2, col. 3.  In 1859, Lippincott was first elected to the Town Supervisor position and was reelected to the position in each of the following two annual elections.  When he first began service as the Supervisor in 1859, he served with the following other town officials:

Town Clerk:  Benjamin Hegeman
Town Assessor:  George W. Horton, Sr.
Commissioner of Highways:  William S. McClellan
Justice of the Peace:  George W. Horton, Sr.
Justice of the Peace:  Benjamin Hegeman
Justice of the Peace:  James A. Grenzebach
Constable:  Alexander Rolle
Tax Collector:  Alexander Rolle
Overseer of the Poor:  Stephen D. Horton
Overseer of the Poor:  John L. Cooper
Inspector of Elections:  Alexander Jackson
Inspector of Elections:  John L. Roscoe

Source:  Id.  

The audited Town accounts for 1859, Lippincott's first year as Town Supervisor, provide an excellent example of the nature and cost of the town services Lippincott oversaw during the first year of his three-year tenure as supervisor.  The town spent $338.63 paying town officials for their services and expenses that year, of which Supervisor Lippincott received $10.75.  In addition, the town spent $1,670.01 on town services in 1859.  Finally, the town collected a total of $3,239.67 in State, School, and County taxes during the same year.  Immediately below is an abstract of the town's accounts published in a local newspaper at the time. 

"PELHAM.

Abstract of Accounts audited by the Board of Town

Auditors of the town of Pelham, at their Annual

Session, Nov. 10, 1859.

		Claimed.	Allowed.
Samuel Lippencott, supervisor	………………	$10.75	$10.75
George W. Horton, assessor	………………	50.00	50.00
George W. Horton, inspector of election	………………	9.00	9.00
George W. Horton, supervisor in 1858	………………	19.75	19.75
Benjamin Hegeman, justice	………………	12.75	12.75
Benjamin Hegeman, town clerk	………………	36.95	36.95
William S. McClellan, commissioner of highways	………………	49.75	49.75
William S. McClellan, justice	………………	20.25	20.25
William S. McClellan, overseer of the poor	………………	27.00	27.00
Joseph B. Horton, assessor	………………	27.72	27.72
Orrin Baxter, clerk of election	………………	9.00	9.00
William S. McClellan, inspector of election, and for disbursements	………………	15.75	15.75
John L. Roscoe, inspector of election	………………	9.20	9.20
Alexander Rolfe, constable	………………	5.25	5.25
William S. McClellan, assessor	………………	48.25	48.25
Moses T. Strong, constable	………………	7.26	7.26
		$338.63	$338.63



I certify that the above is a true Abstract of all the Accounts audited at the last session of the Board of Town Auditors of the town of Pelham.  --  Dated November 12, 1859.
SAMUEL LIPPENCOTT, Supervisor.

Audited by the Board of Supervisors:
Harvey Kidd, referee	………………		$3.00

APPROPRIATIONS.



For temporary relief of the poor	………………		100.00
For the support of roads and bridges	………………		650.00
To pay damages in laying out new road on City Island	………………		194.56
To work and grade said new road	………………		150.00
To pay for a new ballot-box	………………		5.00
To pay for painting town hall	………………		30.00
To pay Valentine G. Hall, for error in assessment	………………		409.24
Rejected tax of 1856	………………	119.82
Interest on same, 7 per cent	………………	8.39	128.21
			$1,670.01
Audited Town bills	………………		338.63
Total	………………		$2,008.64
State tax	………………		$1,430.60
School tax	………………		613.12
County tax	………………		1,195.95
			$3,239.67"

Source:  PELHAM.  Abstract of Accounts audited by the Board of Town Auditors of the town of Pelham, at their Annual Session, Nov. 10, 1859, Eastern State Journal, [White Plains, NY] Dec. 23, 1859, p. 2, col. 1. 

Samuel Lippincott was serving as Pelham Town Supervisor and, thus, a member of the Board of Supervisors of Westchester County at the time the Civil War began.  He attended a special meeting of the Board of Supervisors of Westchester County on May 1, 1861, although it appears that he arrived late.  In that meeting, the Board considered whether to implement a county tax on the citizens of Westchester County to support the Federal war efforts against the Rebel states.  The Board concluded that it was not authorized under the law to implement such a tax and, thus, resolved to pledge the faith of the board for the "adoption of such measures by this Board, at its next session, as shall be necessary for the proper support of the families of her patriotic sons who have or may volunteer their services for the defence of our common country." See Board of Supervisors, WESTCHESTER COUNTY -- Special Meeting, May 1, 1861, Eastern State Journal, May 3, 1861, p. 2, cols. 4-6. 

After serving as Pelham Town Supervisor, Samuel and Mary appear to have moved their family to Oswego, Oswego County, New York where Mary died on July 25, 1869.  She is buried in Riverside Cemetery, Plot 59N, in Oswego.  The 1870 U.S. Census describes Samuel Lippincott as a "lumber merchant" which may have been a contributing factor for his move to Oswego, New York. 

Within a relatively short time after Mary Lippincott's death, Samuel Lippincott seems to have remarried to a woman named Lucinda (born 1838 in New York; died 1899).  (Great care must be taken in connection with the conclusion that Samuel and Mary moved to Oswego and that Samuel remarried to Lucinda after Mary's death.  There were a number of men named Samuel Lippincott of about the same age who lived in the region at the time.  Nevertheless, it appears that this was the same man to some family researchers.)

By about 1873, Samuel Lippincott and his wife, Lucinda, moved their family again and Samuel changed careers.  The couple moved to Brooklyn, New York where Samuel Lippincott became a baker in the Bedford-Stuyvesant area.  He remained in the baking business in Brooklyn for the next twenty seven years.  During the last five years of his life, Lippincott suffered from diabetes and asthma.  He lost his wife to death in 1899.  He then retired from his baking business shortly before his 0wn death in 1900.

Family researchers believe that the Samuel Lippincott who served as Town Supervisor of Pelham, New York in 1859, 1860, and 1861 died on March 29, 1900 in his home located at 740 Herkimer Street, Brooklyn, Kings County, New York.  He is buried in Riverside Cemetery, Plot 59N, Oswego, Oswego County, New York.  His brief obituary read as follows:

"Samuel Lippencott.

Samuel Lippencott died at his home, 740 Herkimer street, this morning of diabetes and asthma, after an illness of five years.  He had been in the baking business for twenty-seven years in the Stuyvesant section and had just retired from active life.  He was born in Rahway, N. J., November 27, 1827.  He was a Democrat of the old fashioned type.  He leaves three sons and two daughters.  The funeral will be at his late home and the burial in Oswego."

Source:  Samuel Lippencott, The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Mar. 29, 1900, p. 3, col. 6. 

Map of Town of Pelham with Inset of City
Island, 1868. Source: Beers, F.W., Atlas
of New York and Vicinity, p. 35 (NY, NY:
Beers, Ellis & Soule, 1868).  NOTE:  Click
Image to Enlarge.

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