Pelhamville Citizens Petitioned to Establish a Fire District In Early 1893

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In late 1892 and early 1893, before the incorporation of the Village of North Pelham and the adjacent Village of Pelham (today's Pelham Heights), residents of the area north of the newly-incorporated Village of Pelham Manor agitated to form a modern volunteer fire fighting unit to fight fires in Pelhamville and the area we know today as Pelham Heights.  

Under recently enacted New York State laws, the taxpayers of Pelhamville and Pelham Heights prepared a petition signed by more than half the resident taxpayers in that part of the town  asking for the "authority to organize a fire department in that portion of said town lying north of the old Boston Post Road, and to be known as the Pelhamville fire department."  

The petition, presented to the Board of Supervisors of Westchester County, was signed by a host of the most notable residents of Pelhamville and Pelham Heights including Congressman Benjamin L. Fairchild, Reverend Cornelius Winter Bolton, noted architect F. Carles Merry, Pelhamville Station Agent Charles H. Merritt, longtime schoolmaster and principal Isaac C. Hill, Judge William H. Sparks, real estate developer Benjamin F. Corlies, and many other important citizens.

The petition to create the fire unit was presented to the Board of Supervisors by Sherman T. Pell, Supervisor of the Town of Pelham and a member of the Board of Supervisors.  Pell was in the waning weeks of his last term as Supervisor of Pelham.  Pell engaged in election fraud to extend his service as Town Supervisor of the Town of Pelham.  Then, shortly (after he presented this petition to create the Pelhamville Fire Unit on February 20, 1893, after completing seven years of service as Town Supervisor but recently defeated in his bid for re-election, Sherman T. Pell simply disappeared, never to be seen again.  It turned out that he had embezzled Town funds for years and had forged Town of Pelham bonds that he fraudulently sold to unsuspecting investors in New York City for more than $100,000.  Pell was rumored to have fled to Canada or to South America, but was never heard from again and was never brought to justice.  See Bell, Blake A., Take the Money and Run: Pelham Town Supervisor Sherman T. Pell, The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XIV, Issue 19, May 13, 2005, p. 14, col. 2.

On February 20, 1893, however, Sherman T. Pell was simply doing what the constituents he surreptitiously was cheating demanded.  He was presenting a petition to the Board of Supervisors of the Westchester County to establish what would become the First Fire District of the Town of Pelham, a forerunner to today's Village of Pelham Fire Department.

As would be expected, the Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to grant the petition as submitted.  Sherman Pell immediately presented the following resolution:

"Resolved, That there be levied and assessed upon the taxable property of all that portion of the Town of Pelham, lying north of the northerly boundary of the village of Pelham Manor, in said town, and collected, the sum of four thousand dollars for the purpose of purchasing a site and erecting a building thereon for an engine house; also for a suitable fire apparatus as provided by chapter 18 of the laws of 1892."

According to the records of the meeting that day, Pell's resolution "was adopted, a majority of all the members of the board, including the supervisor of the town of Pelham, voting in favor thereof."  Thus, today's Village of Pelham Fire Department, after months and years of labor, was formally born.  

Map of Pelhamville Published in 1868. 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. 36 (NY, NY: Beers, Ellis & Soule, 1868) (Detail

from Page 36 Map Entitled "Town of New Rochelle,

Westchester Co., N.Y. (With) Pelhamville").  NOTE:  Click on

Image to Enlarge.

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"Proceedings of the Board of Supervisors of Westchester County.
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Annual Session of 1892-93
-----
MONDAY, February 20th, 1893. . . . 

Mr. Pell [Sherman T. Pell, Supervisor of the Town of Pelham and a member of the Board of Supervisors] presented the following petition:

To the Honorable, the Board of Supervisors of the County of Westchester:

Gentlemen -- The undersigned, taxpayers of the town of Pelham, would most respectfully petition your honorable body for authority to organize a fire department in that portion of said town lying north of the old Boston Post Road, and to be known as the Pelhamville fire department, by authority of and in accordance with the laws of 1892, chapter 18, general laws, section 37, P. P. 1755 and 1756 and laws of 1892, chapter 20, general laws, section 171, P. P. 2261 and 2262.

Wm. Edinger,
E.A. Schwartz,
Wm. Broege,
Vincent Barker, 
Wm. H. Sparks,
Gustave I. Karbach, 
Ben L. Fairchild, for the Pelham Height Ass.
William Barry,
Louis C. Young, 
C. W. Bolton,
W. B. Caffrey,
John Lynch,
M. Whitley, 
A. S. Ford,
Alex Anderson, 
Wm. S. Algie,
J. Rohrs, 
Ezra Daggett, 
L. L. Hecinbothem,
F. Carles Merry,
C. F. Caldwell,
Pelhamville Land and Homestead Assoc'n by Geo. C. Appell, attorney
C. Barker, 
W. J. Evert, 
S. Gregove,
B. F. Crewell, 
L. T. Vorhans,
George Bowden, Esq.,
Geo. McGalliard,
John H. Young,
C. H. Merritt,
I. C. Hill,
E. A. Patterson,
Wm. C. Barker,
C. Green,
John T. Logan,
J. Henderson, 
Conrad Bifer,
Wm. H. Sparks, Jr.,
M. I. Sparks,
B. F. Corlies,
Geo. C. Appell.

Westchester County, ss.:

Wm. H. Sparks, being duly sworn, deposes and says that he knows the individuals whose names are signed to the within petition and knows they are taxpayers and residents of the district mentioned in said petition, and that they comprise more than one half of the resident taxes assessed and collected in said district.

WM. H. SPARKS.

Subscribed and sworn before me this 20th day of Feb. '93 }
GUSTAVE I. KARBACH, Justice of the Peace. }

The question was taken on said petition and it was declared granted by the following vote:

Ayes -- Messrs. Banta, Breakell, T. E. Carpenter, Close Fancher, Johnson, Lent, Molloy, Morris, Pell, Platt, Read, Secor, See, Taylor, Thurton and Todd -- 16; nays -- none.

Mr. Pell presented the following resolution:

Resolved, That there be levied and assessed upon the taxable property of all that portion of the Town of Pelham, lying north of the northerly boundary of the village of Pelham Manor, in said town, and collected, the sum of four thousand dollars for the purpose of purchasing a site and erecting a building thereon for an engine house; also for a suitable fire apparatus as provided by chapter 18 of the laws of 1892.

The question was taken on said resolution and it was adopted, a majority of all the members of the board, including the supervisor of the town of Pelham, voting in favor thereof. . . ."

Source:  Proceedings of the Board of Supervisors of Westchester County -- Annual Session of 1892-93, The Eastern State Journal [White Plains, NY], Feb. 25, 1893, Vol. XLVIII, No. 48, p. 1, col. 4.  

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Below is a list of prior Historic Pelham Blog postings that touch on firefighting and the history of firefighting units within the Town of Pelham.

Fri., Jan. 20, 2017:  A Proud Pelham Fire Department Took Possession of a New American La France Fire Engine in 1914.

Thu., Jan. 19, 2017:  Revenge is a Dish Best Served Cold:  Don't Mess With a Pelham Fireman.

Thu., Jan. 12, 2017:  Six of Pelham's Earliest Firefighters Marched in the 36th Annual Fire Inspection Parade in 1930.

Tue., Dec. 06, 2016:  An Account of the Tragic Vaughan Livery Stable Fire in Pelhamville in 1907.

Wed., Nov. 16, 2016:  More on the 1889 Fire that Destroyed the Hunter House on Travers Island.

Tue., Oct. 04, 2016:  Harry R. King, Fire Chief of the First Fire District From 1911 to 1913.

Wed., Jun. 15, 2016:  Organized Volunteer Fire Fighting in Pelhamville Began as Early as 1885.

Tue., Jun. 14, 2016:  The First Annual Inspection of Pelhamville Fire Fighting Units in 1894.

Tue., Jun. 07, 2016:  When Did Pelham's Minneford Engine Company Acquire its First Fire-Fighting Steam Engine?

Mon., May 16, 2016:  Fatal Fire in 1902 at One Fifth Avenue Burned Down the Post Office and Pharmacy.

Fri., Apr. 29, 2016:  Famous Meyers Mansion in Pelham Manor Burned Down in 1897.

Thu., Apr. 28, 2016:  Pelham Manor Dutifully Extinguished a Fire That Nearly Burned Down its Hated Wooden Train Station in 1896.

Mon., Jan. 04, 2016:  Pelham Manor Voters Voted to Disband the Pelham Manor Fire Department in 1928.  

Mon., Dec. 14, 2015:  Early History of the Village of Pelham Manor Fire Department.

Fri., Dec. 11, 2015:  Evidence of An Early Independent Firefighting Unit in Pelham Named "Indians."

Thu., Dec. 10, 2015:  Grand Fire-Fighting Competition and Parade Held in the Town of Pelham in 1891.

Wed., Dec. 09, 2015:  Pelham's Minneford Engine Company Built a New Fire House on City Island in 1894.

Mon., Dec. 07, 2015:  The Code Used on the City Island Fire Bell in the Late 19th Century Used for Fire Alarms.

Mon., Nov. 30, 2015:  Another Detailed Account of the 1901 Fire that Destroyed the Clubhouse of the New York Athletic Club on Travers Island.

Fri., Nov. 20, 2015:  Account of 1894 Fire in One of Pelham's Earliest Newspapers.

Wed., Sep. 30, 2015:  Was it Arson that Destroyed the Prospect Hill School at Jackson and Plymouth Avenues in 1917?

Thu., Sep. 17, 2015:  An Account of the February 28, 1925 Fire at Pelhamdale, A Home on the National Register of Historic Places.

Fri., Jun. 12, 2015:  The Tumultuous Reign of Pelham Manor Fire Chief J. Louis Cunningham in the Early 1900s.

Tue., Jun. 09, 2015:  Reminiscences of Firemen Who Served From 1893 Until 1923 in North Pelham.

Wed., Jun. 03, 2015:  The Bell in Firemen's Memorial Park at First Street and Wolfs Lane.

Tue., Jun. 02, 2015:  Important Early Images of the Pelham Fire Department.

Fri., May 22, 2015:  History of Pelham's Beloved "Nott Steamer" Known as "Jim Reilly's Boiler."

Thu., Mar. 26, 2015:  Fire Destroyed the Old Pelham Manor Post Office in 1945.

Fri., Mar. 20, 2015:  Fire in 1932 Devastated the Bolton Priory in Pelham Manor.

Tue., Feb. 17, 2015:  More on the Early History of Organized Firefighting in the Settlement of Pelhamville.

Mon., Feb. 16, 2015: The Great Furniture Fight of 1896: Company of Pelhamville Firemen Resigned En Masse.

Thu., Feb. 12, 2015: Rare 19th Century Image of Pelhamville Firemen Who Served in Relief Hook and Ladder Company No. 1.

Fri., Dec. 12, 2014: Parade and Housewarming Hosted by Pelhamville Fire Department in 1894.

Thu., Dec. 11, 2014:  Pelhamville's First Attempt to Create a Fire Department in 1893 Failed Due to a Legal Technicality.

Thu., Jul. 24, 2014: Dedication of the New Fire Headquarters in the Village of Pelham on December 29, 1927.

Wed., Jul. 02, 2014: Election Shenanigans Involving Fire Commissioner Election in 1898.


Thu., Apr. 24, 2014: Information About the History of Fire Departments in the Town of Pelham Published in 1927.

Thu., Jan. 30, 2014:  The Night Pelham's Town Hall Burned.

Fri., Jan. 24, 2014: Early Days of Organized Fire Fighting in Today's Village of Pelham.

Thu., Jan. 23, 2014:  Another Account of the Devastating Fire that Destroyed the Travers Island Clubhouse of New York Athletic Club in 1901.

Wed., May 12, 2010:  Fire Partly Destroyed Pelham Town Hall in 1908.

Fri., Jan. 15, 2010: Photograph of Augustine C. McGuire, President of the Board of Fire Commissioners of the First District Fire Department in 1913.

Thu., Jan. 14, 2010: 1913 Report of the Firemen's Benevolent Association in Pelham.

Thu., Dec. 10, 2009: More 19th Century Baseball and Firefighting References.

Tue., Dec. 08, 2009: The Darling Triplets: Three Brothers Among Pelham's Earliest Firefighters.

Thu., Oct. 08, 2009: Firefighting Units on City Island in Pelham During the Early 1890's.

Fri., Sep. 04, 2009:  1901 Newspaper Article About Fire that Burned New York Athletic Club Clubhouse on Travers Island.

Mon., Aug. 31, 2009: Contest in 1891 To Determine Which Steam Fire Engine Company Could Throw a Stream the Greater Distance.

Fri., Aug. 28, 2009: Reorganization of the Minneford Engine Company on City Island in February, 1891.

Thu., Aug. 06, 2009: Brief History of the Fire Department in the Village of North Pelham Published in 1913.

Wed., Aug. 05, 2009: Pelham Manor Fire Chief Pleads for Taxpayers to Authorize Purchase of Village's First Fire Engine.

Wed., July 15, 2009: Liberty Hose Company Election in 1898.

Thu., Feb. 19, 2009:  The Old Hunter House Burns to the Ground in an Arson Incident on Travers Island on April 4, 1889.

Thu., Jan. 19, 2006: Pelham Manor's Earliest Fire Fighting Equipment.

Wed., Jan. 18, 2006:  Newspaper Report of the Infamous Vaughan's Livery Stable Fire in North Pelham in 1907.

Mon., Oct. 17, 2005:  The Firemen's Memorial of the Pelham Fire Department.

Mon., Aug. 01, 2005: An 1896 Inspection and Drill of the Fire Department in Pelham.

Tue., May 31, 2005:  The June 6, 1940 Fire That Destroyed the George M. Reynolds Mansion (Part I of II).

Wed., Jun. 01, 2005:  The June 6, 1940 Fire That Destroyed the George M. Reynolds Mansion (Part II of II).

Fri., May 06, 2005:  The Great Furniture Battle at Pelhamville's Relief Hook and Ladder Company in 1896.

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William McAllister, Supervisor of the Town of Pelham 1893 - 1894

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William McAllister served as Supervisor of the Town of Pelham from 1893 until 1894.  He was a City Island yacht builder who worked at William H. Webb's City Island shipyard and constructed important Union gunboats during the American Civil War.  

According to one source:

"William McAllister came to this country as a ship's carpenter from Scotland around 1850 in the ship City of Brooklyn which was wrecked by false light of pirates in the West Indies.  William McAllister came north to City Island and as years rolled by became one of the best known shipbuilders on the Atlantic Coast."

Source:  Build Cargo Ships Now to Care For Boom Trade Says Sea Dog -- Capt. McAllister Fears U.S. Shipyards Will Be Idle by End of 1932 If New York Doesn't Start, The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Nov. 29, 1931, p. 8A, cols. 1-3 (Note:  Paid subscription required to access via this link).

McAllistair married a woman named Abigail.  The couple's son, Charles Albert McAllister, was born in Dorchester, New Jersey on May 26, 1867.  Id.  Charles McAllister became President of the American Bureau of Shipping.  Id.  The couple also had daughters including Emma L. McAllister and Mary E. McAllister.  

William McAllister was a republican who defeated multi-term Town Supervisor Sherman T. Pell in the Town election held in March, 1893, setting off a chain of events that led to Sherman T. Pell's disappearance.  After Pell disappeared, it was discovered that he had embezzled Town funds and had even forged and sold tens of thousands of dollars of fake Town of Pelham bonds to investors in New York City.  Sherman Pell was never heard from again.  Some said he absconded to Canada.  Others claimed he had headed to Mexico and, from there, to South America.  He was never brought to justice.  His whereabouts and eventual death are among the greatest Pelham mysteries of all time.  William McAllister worked hard to clean up the financial mess and string of lawsuits against Pelham that were left by the dastardly thief, Sherman T. Pell.

McAllister was unable to run for an additional term after ending his service in 1894 because the City of New York annexed City Island, where he resided.  Consequently, John M. Shinn of Pelham Manor succeeded him as Town Supervisor.  

I have written before, briefly, about William McAllister.  See Tue., Mar. 30, 2010:  Obituary of William McAllister Who Built Civil War Gunboats in Pelham.  He became sufficiently well-known to have a steamer named after him (the William McAllister) that was operating in the years before his death.

Today's posting to the Historic Pelham Blog transcribes the text of several additional obituaries of William McAllister.  Each is followed by a citation and link to its source.  

"FUNERAL TOMORROW OF RETIRED YACHT BUILDER
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William McAllister Saw All the Races for the America's Cup.
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William McAllister, a retired yacht builder, formerly of City Island, N. Y., died yesterday morning at his home, 332 Indiana avenue northwest, after a long illness.  Until his death he was said to be the only man living who had seen all of the international yacht races for the America's cup.

Funeral services will be held tomorrow morning at 10:30 o'clock at the undertaking establishment of J. William Lee, where the body will be cremated.  Rev. J. S. Montgomery, pastor of the Metropolitan M. E. Church, will officiate.  

Mr. McAllister was a Scotchman and as a lad learned shipbuilding in the Delaware river yards while living in Philadelphia, and then sailed on the old 'Black Ball' packet line of clipper ships.  In William H. Webb's famous shipyard, in New York, he was employed on the construction of many federal gunboats during the civil war.

When a young man he happened to be in England when the Yankee yacht America captured the queen's cup, an event which he witnessed.  Subsequently he saw every international cup race in this country.

In 1888 [sic] he was elected supervisor of the town of Pelham, which included City Island, Pelham Manor, Pelham Bay Park and Pelhamville, and it was largely through his efforts that the greater part of the township was annexed to the city of New York.  

He was a republican in politics, and the late Lawrence Delmour, a Tammany sachem, and Richard Croker were his intimate friends.

He leaves a wife, two daughters, Mrs. A. A. Maxim of Washington and Mrs. H. E. Day of Jersey City, and a son, Charles A. McAllister, engineer-in-chief of the revenue cutter service."

Source:  FUNERAL TOMORROW OF RETIRED YACHT BUILDER -- William McAllister Saw All the Races for the America's Cup, Evening Star [Washington, D.C.], Mar. 25, 1912, p. 18, col. 6.

"WILLIAM M'ALLISTER DEAD.
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Noted City Island Yacht Builder Expires in Washington.

WASHINGTON, March 24. -- William McAllister, a retired yacht builder of City Island, New York city, died here to-day after a long illness.  Until his death he was said to have been the only man then living who had seen all of the international yacht races for the America's Cup.

McAllister was a Scotsman and as a lad learned the shipbuilding trade in the Delaware River yards when living in Philadelphia, and then sailed on the old 'Black Ball' packet line of clipper ships.  

He was employed in William H. Webb's famous shipyards in New York on the construction of many Federal gunboats during the civil war.

He was a Republican in politics, and once supervisor of the town of Pelham, N.Y.  Lawrence Delmour, a Tammany sachem, now dead, and Richard Croker were his intimate friends.  One of his sons, Captain Charles A. McAllister, is engineer in chief of the United States revenue cutter service."

Source:  WILLIAM M'ALLISTER DEAD -- Noted City Island Yacht Builder Expires in Washington, The New York Press, Mar. 25, 1912, p. 10, col. 5.

"PELHAM MANOR
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Death of William McAllister.

William McAllister, who in 1888 [sic] was elected supervisor of the town of Pelham, which included City Island, Pelham Manor, Pelham Bay Park and Pelhamville, died Sunday after a long illness at his residence, No. 332 Indiana avenue, Washington, D. C."

Source:  PELHAM MANOR -- Death of William McAllister, The Daily Argus [Mount Vernon, NY], Mar. 28, 1912, No. 67,802, p. 9, col. 3.  

"WILLIAM McALLISTER, a retired yacht builder of City Island, New York, died of heart disease at Washington, D.C., March 24.  During the Civil War he was at the shipyard of Mr. William H. Webb in New York, and there was employed in the construction of many of the gunboats built for the Federal Government.  He was subsequently employed in the construction of many famous yachts.  He is survived by a widow, two daughters and one son, Mr. Charles A. McAllister, engineer-in-chief of the Revenue Cutter Service."

Source:  "Obituary . . . WILLIAM McALLISTER" in International Marine Engineering, Vol. 17, Apr. 1912,  p. 168.

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Biographical Sketches of Two Members of the 1887-88 Westchester County Board of Supervisors With Pelham Connections

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In 1887, The Eastern State Journal of White Plains, New York published on its front page brief biographical sketches of each of the newly-elected Supervisors of the various Towns of Westchester County who, together, made up the Board of Supervisors of Westchester County.  Two of the Town Supervisors had connections to Pelham.  The first was Charles Henry Roosevelt, Supervisor of New Rochelle, whose family owned a vast swath of the land that later formed much of the Village of Pelham Manor.  The second was Sherman T. Pell, Supervisor of Pelham.

The two men could not have been more different.  Charles Henry Roosevelt was an honorable man.  Sherman T. Pell was not.  Indeed, Sherman T. Pell was a dishonest scoundrel.

I have written about Sherman T. Pell before.  See Bell, Blake A., Take the Money and Run:  Pelham Town Supervisor Sherman T. Pell, The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XIV, Issue 19, May 13, 2005, p. 14, col. 2.  

Sherman T. Pell engaged in election fraud to extend his service as Town Supervisor of the Town of Pelham.  Then, in 1893, after completing seven years of service as Town Supervisor but recently defeated in his bid for re-election, Sherman T. Pell simply disappeared, never to be seen again.  Worried that there might be a fiscal reason for the disappearance, the Town Board audited the Town's accounts and discovered $1,700 missing.  That was bad enough.  Soon, however, the scandal grew darker.  Soon it was discovered that for years Sherman T. Pell had been forging notes on behalf of the Town of Pelham and forging the Clerk of the Town's signature on those notes.  Pell then sold the forged bonds on Wall Street for amounts totaling up to $100,000.  He absconded with the ill-gotten proceeds of his criminal enterprise.  His disappearance was a pathetic attempt to leave the Town of Pelham and its taxpayers holding the bag.  Sherman T. Pell reportedly fled to South America and was never brought to justice.  After years of litigation, the "investors" who purchased the forged bonds were left holding the bag and suffered the losses.

In contrast to Sherman T. Pell, Charles Henry Roosevelt was a diligent, honest and hard-working Town Supervisor who represented New Rochelle honorably and ably.  I have written about him and his family and their ties to Pelham on prior occasions.  See, e.g.:

Tue., May 13, 2014:  Elbert Roosevelt, An Early Settler of the Manor of Pelham, and Other Members of His Family.

Mon., Apr. 05, 2010:  Obituary of Noted Pelham Manor Resident C. H. Roosevelt Published in 1901. 

Thu., Jan. 01, 2009:  A Brief History of Pelham Bridge. 

Wed., Jan. 29, 2008:  Brief Obituary of Rev. Washington Roosevelt of Pelham Published February 13, 1884. 

Mon., Nov. 19, 2007:  1901 Obituary of Charles Henry Roosevelt, Grandson of Elbert Roosevelt, One of the Early Settlers of Pelham Manor. 

Mon., Dec. 18, 2006:  What May Be The Earliest Patent Awarded to a Resident of Pelham: Patent Issued to Elbert J. Roosevelt on May 29, 1866. 

Wed., Dec. 13, 2006:  More About Isaac Roosevelt of Pelham Who Carved His Name on a Glacial Boulder in 1833. 

Mon., Nov. 13, 2006: The Isaac Roosevelt Stone Carved in 1833. 

Wed., Sep. 20, 2006:  Brief Biographical Data About Elbert Roosevelt of the Manor of Pelham.

Fri., Jan. 06, 2006: Pelham Loses its Right To Use the Town Dock in the Early 1900s.

Copy of Undated Daguerrotype Showing Samuel Pell, His Wife and Family.

Arrow Indicates Young Sherman T. Pell, a Son of Samuel Pell of City Island.

Source:  Digital Collection of the Author.

Transcribed below is the text of the relevant portions of the 1887 article containing the biographical sketches of Charles Henry Roosevelt and the cowardly criminal scoundrel Sherman T. Pell.  The text is followed by a citation to its source.  

"SKETCHES OF MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS FOR 1887-8.
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We give below a short biographical sketch of each of the newly elected supervisors.  They are by virtue of their selection representative men, and inasmuch as they will constitute the local legislature of the county for the current year, and their acts will affect each tax-payer, and each citizen as well, the people have a right to know of their history and qualifications. . . . 

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CHARLES H. ROOSEVELT,
SUPERVISOR OF NEW ROCHELLE.
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Charles Henry Roosevelt, Esq., the new supervisor of New Rochelle, was born Nov. 4, 1832, at Sandy Hill, in the northern part of this state, and is the son of the Rev. Washington Roosevelt.  His grandfather bought a farm in the town of Pelham in 1798, near Hunter's Island, and for many years spent his summers there, residing in New York City in the winter.  Members of the Roosevelt family still reside on the old place.  The village of Pelham Manor occupies a part of this historical farm.

Mr. Roosevelt came to New Rochelle from New York city in 1858, and entered into partnership with the late Robert H. Coles, then surrogate of this county and under the name of Coles & Roosevelt, did a large business.  During the war he took very decided and active part in raising troops and in the political campaigns supported the administration with voice and pen, speaking every night in the week to his fellow-citizens for a long time, and was known as a 'War Democrat.'

Mr. Roosevelt has been elected supervisor of New Rochelle three times; the first time over Henry D. Phelps, who had held the office for a number of years, and who was justly regarded as one of the most popular republicans in the county.  At the second and third elections he was nominated by the democrats and endorsed by the citizens' association and the republican party.  In the Tilden and Cleveland campaigns, Mr. Roosevelt was very active, speaking night after night to large audiences, and in every way aiding his party.

Mr. Roosevelt is well-known as a gentleman of solid legal attainments and of pleasing address.  He has been active, earnest, and self-sacrificing as a democrat, and is deserving of consideration at the hands of his party.  The honorable position of County Judge, at the expiration of the present term, would be a fitting reward for fidelity and long service in the democratic ranks, and for which his qualifications eminently are apparent. . . . 

SHERMAN T. PELL,
SUPERVISOR OF PELHAM.
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The town of Pelham is represented in the board of supervisors by Sherman T. Pell, after whose ancestors his town was named.  He was born on City Island October 21, 1853, educated there and in New York city, and is a worthy representative of a noted family of that vicinity.  His occupation is that of an insurance broker and agent and dealer in real estate.  He was town clerk of Pelham from 1875 to 1880; was elected supervisor in 1886, and is re elected for 1887.  Mr. Pell was an attentive member last year, was efficient as a legislator, and accomplished more for his town than has been done before for many years.

Pelham is the smallest town in the county.  New York city has absorbed the best part of her territory for park purposes, and brought her down to an acreage uncomfortably small for a township.  If we are to judge of her value by the real estate experts who testified before the park commission, we shall conclude that she is a real diamond -- small in extent but immensely valuable.  Pelham has been the homestead of a great number of the old families who were noted in social circles a half century ago.  Most of the heads of the families have disappeared, and their estates are represented by new names and strangers to our people.  The old stock of the Hunters, the Morrises, Schuylers, Bartows, Secors, Jessups, Boltons, and Rapelyeas are gone by reason of age, and the dissolving view brings new Christian names or strange patronymics to the front; but the land is there, and time is fast drawing the monster metropolis up to cover up its water-washed meadows."

Source:  SKETCHES OF MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS FOR 1887-8, The Eastern State Journal [White Plains, NY], Apr. 9 ,1887, Vol. XLIII, No. 1, p. 1, cols. 3 & 5-6  .

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Pelham: Once Oyster Capital of the World

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It seems fanciful and hard to believe today.  Pelham once was oyster capital of the world and supplied New York City with much of its massive daily oyster fare at a time when oysters were sold on nearly every street corner.  In those days, City Island was part of the Town of Pelham before its annexation by New York City.  City Island Oystermen were world famous for their harvests off the shores of the island and for their scientific approach to the renewal of the resource on which they relied.  It was a serious business.  Pitched battles were fought in Long Island Sound among oystermen, including City Island oystermen, protecting their right to harvest the tasty marine morsels.  

I have written extensively on numerous occasions about Pelham's rich oystering history.  At the end of this posting, I have included links to eighteen previous stories about Pelham and the City Island oystering industry.  

The 19th century oystermen of City Island in the Town of Pelham long have been credited with inventing the process used to create and cultivate artificial oyster beds.  Today's Historic Pelham blog posting transcribes an account published in 1884 alleging that City Island oystermen pioneered the process.  It is followed by the transcription of an article about legislation proposed during the 19th century that upset the City Island oystermen because it proposed to allow the government to charge oystermen for the right to harvest oysters off City Island and elsewhere.

"OYSTER FARMING IN AMERICA.

The American system of oyster farming, which presents some features of resemblance to the French system, and also many differences, has grown up as the result of private enterprise, without any help or any direct encouragement from government.

The French people are generally held to be the originators of modern oyster farming, but, as an American, I take pleasure in pointing out that our own industry, which is now so extensively developed in Connecticut, has not been borrowed from France, but has grown up independently.  

Several years before Coste and De Bon commenced their experiments, the oystermen of East River, having observed that young oysters fastened in great numbers upon shells, which were placed upon the beds at the spawning season, started the practice of shelling the beds, in order to increase the supply, and in 1855, or three years before Coste represented to the French Emperor the importance of similar experiments, the State of New York enacted a law to secure to private farmers the fruits of their labor, and a number of persons engaged in the new industry on an extensive scale.  Among those pioneers in this field were Mr. Fordham, Capt. Henry Bell, Mr. Oliver Cook, Mr. Weed, Mr. Hawley and others.

The industry has grown steadily from that time, and East River is now said by Ingersoll to be the scene of the most painstaking and scientific oyster culture in the United states, and the interest and importance of the subject is so great that I quote the whole of Ingersoll's account of its origin, development and present methods:

'I have no doubt that, whatever was the date of its origin, the credit of first truly propagating oysters from seed caught upon artificial beds or prepared receptacles belongs to the men of City Island.  It has been a matter of common observation that any object tossed into the water in summer became covered at once with infant oysters.  The sedges along the edge of the marshes, and the buoys, stakes and wharf-piles, were similarly clothed  If the circumstances were favorable this deposit survived the winter, and the next spring the youngsters were large enough to be taken and transplanted.  It was only a short step in logic, therefore, to conclude that if objects were thrown thickly into the water on purpose to catch the floating spawn, a large quantity of young oysters would be secured, and could be saved for transplanting at very slight expense.  The next question was -- What would best serve the purpose?  Evidently, nothing could be better than the shells which, year by year, accumulated on the shore from the season's opening trade.  They were the customary resting-places of the spawn, and at the same time were cheapest.  The City Island oysterman, therefore, began to save his shells from the lime-kiln and the road- [page 100 / page 101] master, and to spread them on the bottom of the bay, hoping to save some of the oyster-spawn with which his imagination densely crowded the sea-water.  This happened, I am told, more than fifty years ago, and the first man to put the theory into practice, it is remembered, was the father of the Fordham Brothers, who still pursue the business at City Island.  In 1855 Captain Henry Bell, of Bell's Island, planted shells among the islands off the mouth of Norwalk River, and a short time after, under the protection of the new law of 1855, recognizing the private property in such beds, Mr. Oliver Cook of Five Mile River, Mr. Wood of South Norwalk, Mr. Hawley, of Bridgeport, and others, went into it on an extensive scale.  Some of these gentlemen appear never to have heard of any previous operations of the sort.  Discovering it for themselves, as it was easy and natural to do, they supposed they were the origination; but if any such credit attaches anywhere, I believe it belongs to the City Island men.  It was soon discovered that uniform success was not to be hoped for, and the steady, magnificent crops reaped by the earliest planters were rarely emulated.  Many planters, therefore, distrusted the whole scheme, and returned to their simple transplanting of natural-bed seed; but others, with more consistency, set at work to improve their chances by making more and more favorable the opportunities for an oyster's egg successfully to attach itself, during the brief natatory life, to the stool prepared for it, and afterward to live to an age when it was strong enough to hold its own against the weather  This involved a closer study of the general natural history of the oyster.'"  

Source:  Brooks, William Keith, et al., Report of the Oyster Commission of the State of Maryland January 1884, pp. 100-01 (Annapolis, MD:  James Young, State Printer, 1884).  

Additionally, immediately below is a transcription of an article published in the Mount Vernon Chronicle in 1887 detailing the reaction of City Island oystermen to proposed legislation that would raise their cost of doing business.

"PELHAM AND CITY ISLAND.

*     *     *

The oystermen of City Island are very indignant at the proposed bill of Mr. Eugene Blackford, the United States Fish Commissioner, who has again brought this obnoxious question into the state assembly.  The purpose and substance of said bill seems to be that all of the natural beds or ground on which the natural growing oyster now exist in this state shall be sold out or commissioned to the ownership of capitalists, who shall have the exclusive right to grow oysters thereon, and utterly disfranchise the thousands of poor industrious fishermen, who are entirely dependent on this branch of industry for the maintenance and support of themselves and their families.  It has been heretofore an established matter of fact that custom makes law, and it seems that no precedent is on record where an established and legitimate business recognized as the privelege [sic] granted to them by the Creator of all things, for the purpose of feeding the inhabitants who live in the vicinity, and who have without any interruption or pretended claim from this state, been allowed to pursue the dredging and raking such shell fish from the bottom of the bay as may naturally grow there, for a period of at least fifty years past, and consequently those engaged in this business have managed to have built boats and small vessels suitable for the trade at considerable expense; in fact, they have invested every dollar they could possibly spare from their immediate wants, in purchasing improved tools and implements needed to work with, with no expectation or fear that any person or firm would ever be heartless enough to originate such a heartless scheme to steal from them the only means at present known to them of earning their daily bread and sacrifice all of their investments, that it has required years by hard struggling to accumulate, and consequently leave them helpless and penniless.  And this only done to suit the grasping disposition of some who would sink so many of their fellow beings into obscurity and beggary if they could only accomplish such a design by foul legislation.  Such does not seem likely to the masses in this neighborhood; but in order to evade such a serious conspiracy against the rights of such a serious conspiracy against the rights of such of our worthy citizens as are engaged in this legitimate business, it becomes necessary to Chronicle the facts of the case in order to arrest such a calamity.  Believing that our present assembly, if they knew all of the facts in relation to this scheme, would not tolerate it for a moment, I sincerely hope they will give it their earnest attention and defeat such schemes as this that can have no other effect than destroy all confidence in our legislators, if passed, and would send thousands of its victims headlong into poverty from which they can never extricate themselves.  A large assemblage of the City Island oystermen was held in the court house, one evening recently.  John M. Bell, Esq., was chosen chairman.  Supervisor Sherman T. Pell and others addressed the meeting, dwelling particularly on the proper course to pursue to thwart such damaging attempts to rob our citizens of their privileges to make a living."

Source:  Pelham and City Island, The Chronicle [Mount Vernon, NY], Vol. XVIII, No. 956, Feb. 4, 1887, p. 2, col. 4.

Oystermen Dredging in Long Island Sound in 1883.

Source:  Harpers Weekly, Aug. 18, 1883. 

Below are links to more stories about Pelham's rich oystering traditions.    

Thu., Mar. 25, 2010:  Discovery of "The Great Oyster Bed" in Long Island Sound in 1859.

Wed., Mar. 24, 2010:  The Oyster War of 1884 Between Glen Cove and City Island Intensifies.

Tue., Mar. 23, 2010:  Yet Another "Oyster War" in 1884; Glen Cove Officials Feud with City Island and Connecticut Oystermen.

Mon., Mar. 22, 2010:  77-Year Old City Island Oysterman Joshua Leviness Reminisces in Testimony Provided in 1884.

Fri., Mar. 19, 2010:  The New York Legislature Stepped Into the Oyster War on Long Island Sound in 1895.

Thu., Mar. 18, 2010:  1859 Town of Huntington Record Reflecting Dispute with City Island Oystermen.

Wed., Mar. 17, 2010:  Report of September 13, 1884 Tour of Oyster Beds by Captain Joshua Leviness of City Island.

Tue., March 16, 2010:  More on 19th Century Oystering in Pelham - Descriptions of Oyster Beds Off Hart Island, City Island and in Pelham Bay Published in 1887.

Mon., Mar. 15, 2010:  More on 19th Century City Island Oyster Industry - City Island Oystermen Complaint of Pollution.

Fri., Mar. 12, 2010:  Early History of Oystering in the Waters Off City Island in the Town of Pelham.

Thu., Mar. 11, 2010:  The "Great Oyster War" Between City Island and Tarrytown in 1877 and 1878.

Thu., Dec. 3, 2009:  Pelham News on May 30, 1884 Including Allegations of Oyster Larceny and Meeting of the Pelhamville Improvement Association.

Mon., July 30, 2007: 1885 Report Notes Decline of Oyster Industry Near City Island in the Town of Pelham.

Fri., Jul. 27, 2007:  Possible Origins of the Oyster Feud Between City Islanders and Huntington, Long Island.

Thu., Jul. 26, 2007:  Pelham's City Island Oystermen Feud with Long Islanders in 1869.

Fri., Apr. 13, 2007:  Oystermen of City Island (When It Was Part of the Town of Pelham) Pioneered Oyster Cultivation.

Fri., Jan. 26, 2007:  A History of the Early Years of City Island When it Was Part of the Town of Pelham, Published in 1927.

Mon., Sep. 18, 2006:  A Brief Description of Oystering in Eastchester Bay and at Pelham Published in 1881.

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