Notes:

From Beverly Branning Green:
per 8Mar1915- Lava - Along the Delaware
Mrs. Mary Case, wife of C. Y. Skinner of Lava, died in Brooklyn, at the M.E. Hospital where she underwent an operation, Feb. 27, 1915 aged 51 years. The funeral was held at the M.C. church at Narrowsburg Thursday. Interment in the Narrowsburg cemetery by undertaker N. Rasmussen. She is survived by her husband, three sons and one daughter, Mrs. Lillie Williams of Corning, and Willis, Arlo and Raymond at home; also by one sister, Mrs. Anna Cassidy of Jersey City, and three brothers, Ezra, Judson and George of Welcome Lake, PA.

Mary married Cyrenous Skinner in 1884. Cyrenous (son of Henry Skinner) was born about 1857 in Tusten, Sullivan Co., NY; died about 9 Sep 1921 in Lava, Sullivan Co., NY; was buried in Narrowsburg, NY. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. Lillian Hannah Skinner was born between 15 Jan 1886 and 1888 in Rowlands, PA; died on 20 Jan 1934 in Callicoon Hospital, Cochecton Center, NY; was buried in Glen Cove Cemetery, Narrowsburg, NY.
2. Raymond Skinner was born about 1902; was buried on 7 Jun 1973 in Lava Cemetery, Lava, Sullivan Co., NY.
3. Arlo T. Skinner was born on 24 Jul 1891 in Westcolang, PA; died on 13 Dec 1958 in Bethel, Sullivan Co., NY; was buried in 1958 in Cochecton Center Cemetery, NY.
4. Willis Skinner

Notes:

FHS Microfilms to view:
FHL US/CAN Film 1320987 Items 1-3 Twentieth century family trees James E. Lincoln 1898 Information was taken from newspapers in Sullivan County, NY.

FHL US/CAN Film 924659 Items 2-3 First Congregational Church (Lumberland, NY) Records "Sullivan County, NY, church records" compiled by Gertrude A. Barber.

FHL US/CAN Film 823668 Item 5 Records of the Methodist Episcopal and the Baptist Church of Sullivan County, NY Barber, Gertrude A. (Gertrude Audrey).

From the Honesdale Citizen (June 2, 1904):

Warren L. Case, a well-known and much respected citizen and a life-long resident of Damascus township, died at the residence of Herbert Branning, in Berlin, on Sunday last, May 29th, 1904, aged 81 years and 6 months. Mr. Case having made a business trip to the Beach Lake creamery, on Friday, was on his way home, when, stopping for a friendly call at Mr. Branning's he was persuaded to spend the night. He retired to his room and toward morning his moans attracted the attention of the family, and he was found to be very ill, suffering from some internal ailment which the domestic appliances at hand failed to relieve. A physician was summoned in the morning, but the patient was found to be beyond help, and passed away shortly before 8 o'clock on Sunday evening. The deceased was born in Tusten, Sullivan County, N.Y., but from early manhood was a resident of Damascus township, this county, where he became prominent as a lumberman and noted as a Delaware river steersman. In 1846 Mr. Case married Miss Lura Dexter, who died a year later. He took as his second wife Miss Elizabeth Sherwood, a native of Connecticut, who died some years since, leaving a large family of children. The survivors are five sons: A.M., of Indian Orchard; Ezra A., Judson C., and Virgil B., of East Berlin; and George A., of Narrowsburg, and two daughters, Mrs. Mary Skinner, of White Mills, and Mrs. Annie L. Cassidy, of Jersey City.
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Tusten, NY was once part of Lumberland, NY.
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Cases in Lumberland in the 1810-1840 census:

Daniel Case (1820) p.169
Henry Case (1830) p.020
Joshua Case (1830) p. 019 Looks promising.
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Emily Hallock's correspondence and transcription of the 1910 census for Tusten shows Warren's son George age 40 with both parents born in PA.
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Candy Graser of Buffalo, NY wrote me on 2/10/2000 about Warren P. Case of Cowlesville, Wyoming Co., NY. She mentioned letters in her possession from PA to her Aunt Betsy about Judson from Mary Case and also about "the twins". Her tree was as follows:
Pelatiah Case m. Apphia Loomis b. 1/18/1771, d.1851 in Windsor, CN. They moved to Cowlesville and their children were: Pelatiah Jr., Appia, Chauncey, Aurelia, and Martin (1807-1893).
Martin m. Lucinda Sprague (1809-1879) and second, Caroline S. Rowley. Children were: Amelia Loomis, Warren P., Lucy Hart, Loretta Pear, and Harlow Case.
She said Harlow was a farmer, businessman, and drummer (peddler). He and Warren sold shoe polish by traveling west for orders. She has letters from both men and family Bibles.
Warren was apparently a difficult man to live with and was married 3 times.
Since Candy was doing this from memory I believe she had her Warren Cases mixed up but there is a likely connection here.
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Soundex for Case is C200.

Ms. Sharon Freeman, GenealoGrand Isle Co.cal Research Society of Northeastern Pennsylvania, looked up 1870 census information for me and found Warren and Lura married with names of children. POB 1, Olyphant, PA 18447-0001. Phone (717)383-7466. searcher@microserve.net.
Warren was found on the same 1870 census page as George Dexter, Moses father, and likely related to Laura Dexter.

The 1870 Census data was not very leGrand Isle Co.ble but indicated a son of Warren - Amsa? Also Elam who was on the 1850 census looks like Ezra on the 1870 census. The 1850 census indicated no wife. Roll 1464, p.108

Ms. Agnes Wetmore, HCR-1, Box 1026, Tafton, PA 18464 visited Christ Episcopal, Indian Orchard, and Grace Episcopal, Honesdale, Churches, and sent me copies of baptismal, confirmation, and headstone information on Warren and Lura, Amiah, and John William. Email agnes10@ptd.net. At the cemetery she also found a headstone for Madeline E. Case b.1917 d.1961 m. Leonard J. Case b.1915 d.1966. Other Case Family lots were: E.A.Case, Marsh,William,Ferrington, Russell, and Ruth. Dexter lots were: John, Lewis, Rosetta, and Albert.

1850 Census, Damascus, Wayne Co. lists only Warren Case age 25, oriGrand Isle Co.n NY, and Elam Case, born PA age 2, viewed scanned record at
Genealogyonline.com.
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1860 Census shows Warren in Damascus page 197. Also a Chaney Case and Lucy and Rachel Sherwood on the same page. Albert Sherwood on p. 196. The Broderbund Index to 1860 shows no other children listed in index. George and Moses Dexter shown on p.198.

Minnie Dexter thought the Cases emigrated from the Isle of Wight off the southern Hampshire, England coast. Newport is its capital. Ferry service ran from Southhampton, Portsmouth, and Lymington so this may have only been a ships departure point.

Wayne Co., PA was formed from Northampton Co. on 3/21/1798. Pike Co. was formed from Wayne Co. in 1814. Wayne Co. was named for "Mad Anthony" Wayne and its county seat is Honesdale, PA.

The local newspaper was the Wayne Independent, 220 8th St., Honesdale, PA, 18431. Phone (717)253-3055.
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WWW.Familysearch.Org 1880 Census Grand Isle Co.ves:
Household:

Name Relation Marital Status Gender Race Age Birthplace Occupation Father's Birthplace Mother's Birthplace
Woren L. CASE Self M Male W 57 NY Farmer NY PA
Marah H. CASE Wife M Female W 53 NY Keeping House CT PA
Amza N. CASE Son S Male W 26 PA Farm Laborer NY PA
Ezra A. CASE Son S Male W 21 PA Farm Laborer NY PA
Judson C. CASE Son S Male W 19 PA Laborer On Farm NY PA
Mary F. CASE Dau S Female W 17 PA Going To School NY PA
Annie L. CASE Dau S Female W 15 PA Living At Home NY PA
VirGrand Isle Co.l B. CASE Son S Male W 14 PA Living At Home NY PA
George A. CASE Son S Male W 13 PA Going To School NY PA

Source Information:
Census Place District 2, Damascus, Wayne, Pennsylvania
Family History Library Film 1255202
NA Film Number T9-1202
Page Number 115B
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Glen Cove Cemetery Listing, Sullivan Co., NY by Edey Werman (edeywerman@yahoo.com).
Found at http://c-23.rootsweb.com/usgenweb/archives/ny/sullivan/cemeteries/glencove .txt

Glen Cove Cemetery shows -
Lura wife of Warren L Case d Feb 21, 1848 AE 23y 7m "For we know that if our earthly house of this
tabernacle were disolvent we have a building of God. A house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens
Gaylord S son of Warren & Elizabeth Case d Aug 15, 1857 AE 2y 26d
Harvey M son of Warren & Elizabeth Case d Aug 22, 1852 AE 8m 5d "Alas how soon this bud of
promise Grand Isle Co.ven. But gone to yonder clime to bloom in Heaven
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Name: Warren Leonard Case m. Elizabeth Sherwood d. 17 May 1870 dau. of Albert Sherwood and Polly Burr Wood.
Gender: M
Birth Date: 23 Nov 1823
Birth Place: Sullivan County, NY - town of Tusten
Death Date: 29 May 1904
Source: http://pedigree.ancestry.com/cGrand Isle Co.-bin/pedview.dll?ti=0&Ind=300&File=42862
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History of Wayne Co shows H. Case as a civil war casualty and appears on Civil War monument in Honesdale.
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obituary from The Ellenville Journal 1-18-1901:
Jacob Case of Oakland Valley, Sullivan Co. (New York) aged 33 died suddenly at the home of his sister, Mrs M.W. Decker at Fallsburgh.
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From Rootsweb search on Joshua Case:
Joseph Case was born about 1747 in Roxbury, Morris County, New Jersey. He died on Feb 5 1811 in Minisink Ford, Sullivan County, NY. Parents: Joshua Case and Elizabeth Young.
He was married to Esther Budd about 1776.
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In 1870, Warren lived next door to a C.J.Sacket (note Warren's brother Sacket). Possible connection to his parents?
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At: http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/cGrand Isle Co.-bin/igm.cGrand Isle Co.?op=GET&db=patrickbarnum&id=I4154

ID: I4154
Name: Minerva SACKET
Grand Isle Co.ven Name: Minerva
Surname: Sacket
Sex: F

Father: Isaac SACKET
Mother: Betsey BARNUM b: 4 FEB 1788

Marriage 1 Covall CASE

Children

1. Sacket CASE
2. Unknown CASE
3. Unknown CASE
4. Unknown CASE
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From Land transfers at Rootsweb under Sullivan Co.:

FILM 0828548 E and F
F 216 June 28, 1796 Enos Case and w Ann G town, farmer to James Carpenter,
G, merchant, 66 lbs., tract located by Christopher Denn bounded by road G to
New Windsor, E corner of land belonGrand Isle Co.ng to said Carpenter,Enos Case house,
David Case/reserves land for buryinbg lot as in Daniel Case's will. Wit:
David Sweezy, Jr. and John Wells

F 368 1796 John Carpenter late of G to James Dotson, Minisink, property in
Minisink 176 L 45 and 276 acres ?, borders James Dotson and Anthony Cooley,
Minisink Rd, survey by Abel Gale; Wit: Theophilus Howell and Wm Pettit, Jr.,
Sign John Carpenter rec. 1798

F 387 Commisioner (Children of Anthony Yelverton) to James Carpenter, Esq
property in G, bordered John L. Homidue and James Carpenter; Wit: Wm Jackson
and Phinias Case

From Land transfers at Rootsweb under Sullivan Co. (from Orange Co.):
F 54 1798 Carmen Carpenter and w Mary, G to David Case, G 500 L , 48 acres
previous Capt. Christopher Denn, borders NE Abjah Wells/David Case, Wm Wells
land formerly Peter Clows, Elyood Tryons Wit: Johsha Brown ___ and John
Wells; Sign Carmen Carpenter and Mary Carpenter rec. 1796

Warren married Elizabeth Sherwood about 1851 in New York, USA. Elizabeth (daughter of Albert S. Sherwood and Polly Burr Wood) was born in 1836 in Weston, Fairfield Co., CT; died on 17 May 1878; was buried in Overlook Cemetery, Damascus, Wayne Co., PA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

1860 Census shows Warren in Damascus page 197. Also a Chauncy Case and Lucy Sherwood on the same page. Albert Sherwood on p. 196 just prior to Rachel. There is an E. Case listed as living with Rachel, age 25. There is no E. Case listed with Warren who could have been his wife. She may have been staying with her parents at the time. In 1870, no wife is listed for Warren.

The Tustin census of 1910 showed George Case born in PA with both parents born in PA. This is their son, George.
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From "Lenore H. Geller" transcribed from her mother's notes:

Wood and Sherwood Families

(Information given to Grace Hayes Jones in 1922 by her grandmother, Jane Sherwood Dexter. She was baptized Priscilla Jane but changed it to Jane P. Dexter.)

When Thomas Wood, father of Polly Burr Wood was 5 years old, he lived in Fairfield, Co., Conn. and during the Revolutionary War, or about that time, he remembered the soldiers passing through the country, burning the houses as they went. They were perhaps Red Coats.

It has been told that there was an English estate (whether on the Sherwood or Wood side is uncertain) but lawyers got most if not all of it.

Both the Wood and Sherwood families lived in Fairfield County, Conn. The older children of Albert Sherwood were born in Conn. but the younger ones, after they moved to Wayne County, for their daughter Jane was born there in 1834

Jane's sister Elizabeth (Lib) was married when only 13. (Census records later proved she was 14 or 15.) She and Jane went to a party one night. Their mother said to Jane, "Look after Lib." But Lib slipped out with Warren Case, a widower, and crossing the Delaware River into New York, they were married. A license was not required in that state then, though it was in Penn. Warren had been married to Lura Dexter, Virgil Dexter's older sister but she had died. (Elam Case was Lura and Warren's son.)

After giving birth to 15 children, one right after the other and about a year apart, Aunt Lib died. Then Warren married Aunt Maria, who was an excellent mother to the big family. This is the story that has been told: One evening Warren brought in two big pails full of warm fresh milk, and set them on the kitchen floor to be strained and the milk to be put away. After a little while in he came to find two full pails of milk sitting in the same spot. Thinking his wife was neglectful, he poured the milk right on the floor. Aunt Maria promptly picked up a chair and just about smashed it over his head. After that he respected her as he never had the first two wives. The milk he had so angrily dumped on the floor was sour milk for the pigs. (Nettie Dexter Hayes used to talk about Aunt Maria's rye bread - how good it was. When Mother was a little girl she loved to go back to Wayne Co. PA to visit Aunts, uncles and many cousins.)

Notes:

Married:
There were 15 children total according to Lenore Geller. Several died in infancy.

Notes:

From 1743 until 1798, the land that would be named in Col. TUSTEN?s honor was part of the Town of Mamakating, Ulster County. In fact, for a period of 101 years, until 1769, it had been part of the territory claimed by New Jersey, a claim that extended northward to present day Cochecton.
In 1798, what is now Tusten became part of the Town of Lumberland, Orange County. At this time, Lumberland Township extended north to the Delaware County line, east to the Mongaup River, and northeast to the Town of Rochester, Ulster County. When Sullivan County was formed in March 1809, our township was still encompassed by what was then Lumberland.
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http://www.familytreemaker.com/users/m/a/r/Gloria-D-Marashai/GENE7-0016.ht ml:
The lists of early Ontario Co. settlers comes from photocopies
from microfilm and are complete with the actual spellings, some of which
seem unusual.

Town of Hopewell: - In 1789 a Dist. set off from Easton was formed all that
is now Gorham and Hopewell changed to Lincoln Apr. 16, 1806 in 1807 to
Gorham. In 1822 Gorham divided, north half known as Hopewell. Pioneers : Joshua Case listed.
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From Corwin Genealogy at genealogy.com http://www.familytreemaker.com/_glc_/1072/1072_152.html:
26 MARY,7 (Benjamin, 4,) b. (???), 1770-90. M. Joshua Case. (Morris Co., N. J.)
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From Emily Hallock and 1830 census of Lumberland:
Neighbors before visit: T. Dunn, J. Dunn, David Grinnip, J. Scielder, Wm. Braffit.
Neighbors after visit: S. Hankins, J. Hankins, Wm. Campbell & J.Bross.
This was the neighborhood of the Old Tusten settlement. Until 1853 Tusten was part of Lumberland.
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1810 Census Lumberland has Enos Case.
1820 Census Lumberland has a Daniel Case.
1830 Census also has a Henry Case next page from Joshua. (age 30-39)
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The Town of Tusten was formed from the existing Town of Lumberland by an Act of the Sullivan County Board of Supervisors on Dec. 17, 1852, following a three year campaign to divide Lumberland into three smaller entities (Highland Township being the third part). It was not until March 7, 1854, however, that the first town meeting was held at the home of Jonathan Hawks. Charles S. Woodward, a prominent Lumberland resident and Chairman of the Sullivan County Board of Supervisors, was elected as Tusten's first Supervisor.

Tusten derives its name from Colonel Benjamin Tusten, a 36-year-old Goshen, N.Y. physician and militia colonel who died in the Battle of Minisink on July 22, 1779, as local militiamen fought a combined band of Indians and Tories under the command of Mohawk chieftain "Captain" Joseph Brant.

Although not documented, the first settlement in the township was reportedly located near the confluence of the Ten Mile River and Delaware River in 1751, when a group of Connecticut citizens in the employ of the Delaware Company established residence there. This small group of about 20 souls was massacred in its entirety in April 1763, by an Indian group en route to attack the Cushetunk Settlement near present-day Milanville. The impetus for the attack was the death of Chief Teedyuscung, whose sun, Captain Bull, blamed on white settlers in the Wilkes-Barre area; and as Cushetunk was seen as the gateway for white men onto Indian lands in eastern Pennsylvania, he was determined to eradicate it, along with any other settlements along the way. Unfortunately the Tusten settlement, as it is now known, was along his intended route of destruction.

The Narrowsburg area was believed to have been settled in the early 1770s by Benjamin Hoffman and the area became known as Homan's Eddy, named for the wide expanse of the Delaware at that point. Following the Revolutionary War, the area became further settled and took on the name of Big Eddy. By 1837, the fledging community was known as Narrowsburg, due to the Delaware being at its narrowest point there, just above the eddy. In 1893, the hamlet's post office took the name of Narrowsburg. When Tusten's government was formed in 1854, the township consisted of 6,341 acres of which only 1,087 were listed as improved. The population was enumerated at 1,164 (439 males, 386 females, 315 school children) which made it the least populated town in Sullivan County at that time. Six separate school districts provided formal education to those who could avail themselves of it.

Originally, commerce in Tusten took the form of timber cutting and agriculture as land was improved. The cut timber was formed into large rafts and floated down the Delaware to markets near Philadelphia. Narrowsburg became a convenient stop-over for the raftsmen and soon boasted several hotels to accommodate the transients. Development and settlement continued with the building of the Erie Railroad in the late 1830s to mid 1840s. This construction coincided with the Irish Potato Famine and political unrest in the German States, both of which provided a large workforce of many immigrants who were looking to settle and start a new life. Regular rail service was established in 1848, and the river became less important to commerce. Quarrying a bluestone from Tusten's mountains to be used in burgeoning Eastern cities became a mainstay of the area's economy as did dairy farming and egg production to feed the cities' inhabitants. Later, the area was discovered as an easy train ride into the country from the metropolitan New York area and resorts and boarding houses flourished.

During this period of growth, the Town of Tusten saw several communities form in addition to Narrowsburg. Beaver Brook Mills and Bloomdale (later renamed Lava) were small but distinct communities in their own right. A thriving village called Tusten had also formed along the Ten Mile River where the 1763 massacre had occurred and consisted of at least two stores, a post office, a school, church, several homes, and a grist mill. Today all that remains of this community whose livelihood was tied to the quarries, is a stone arch bridge built across the Ten Mile River in 1896, and the Baptist Church erected in 1856.

Source: Frank V. Schwarz, Historian
Lumberland: A Gem with Many Facets
Bicentennial Pamphlet, 1998
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The history of the Town of Tusten until 1900 (http://www.tusten-narrowsburg.org/Hawker1a.htm)

Before the first white settlement, the Delaware River Valley was inhabited by the Lenni Indians, an Indian nation formed of many tribes, clans, and families. The three main tribes were translated as the Turkey, Turtle, and Wolf tribes, with the Wolf tribe of the Minsi being predominant in this area between the Delaware and Hudson Rivers. The arch enemy of the LENAPE was the IROQUOIS CONFEDERACY or SIX NATIONS which had initially been formed some 300 years before in 1450. (During the French & Indian War with Britain 1754 to 1763, this confederation backed the French, who lost, then in the American Revolution they backed the British, who also lost).The IROQUOIS, having depleted their lands of furs, were well armed by the Dutch traders, and had stolen other Indian lands from Albany to Ohio before the Dutch had been run out of the territory by England in 1675.

Earliest white explorers to the river valley were said to be Dutch traders who had come down river via the Hudson and Mohawk rivers , and Swedes who had reportedly sailed upriver in 1638 on the water they called the New Swedeland Stream. These adventurers had been traders and no settlements by them are recorded.

Ten Mile River, or Tusten, as it is now known, was settled according to various sources in 1757, by Connecticut area residents under the auspices of the Delaware Company, a trading business. At the same time, one or two settlers were near present day Narrowsburg, with a larger settlement at Cushetunk, in the present day Milanville - Cochecton area.

During this same time, TEEDYUSCUNG, a great Indian statesman and veteran of many Indian conflicts was the acknowledged leader of 10,000 LENAPE tribes. Baptized in 1750 by the Moravian missionaries at Cushetunk, he was also known by his Anglican names of GULIAN and HONEST JOHN. In 1763, he was living in what is now the Wyoming, Pennsylvania, area where the ruling council stayed. On the night of April 13th or 19th, 1763, he was burned to death in his cabin. Having made numerous enemies over the years, some called his death an assassination by Indian enemies, while some blamed white settlers, and others attributed it to alcohol. Regardless, his son , CAPTAIN BULL, blamed the white man and set out to avenge his father?s death. One of his primary targets was the Cushetunk Settlement, which he planned to reach via the Lackawaxen River. At this time, Cushetunk was a threatening white settlement of 30 log homes, a blockhouse, a sawmill and a gristmill. Traveling up the Delaware River from the Lackawaxen, BULL encountered the small settlement at the Ten Mile River and killed an estimated 22 people, burning every structure present and leaving no survivors.

BULL and his war party continued North toward Cushetunk. At this time the first officially recognized resident of Big Eddy, or what was later to become Narrowsburg, was HELKIAH WILLIS, who lived with his family in a cabin on the Pennsylvania side of the river. One August (?) day, his two sons were winnowing buckwheat when they espied the Indian party coming up river. The boys ran to tell their father, who, because of their past exhibitions of laziness and lying, was somewhat skeptical, figuring they were just telling a tale to get out of work. The boys were adamant, so WILLIS and two others, MOSES THOMAS and EZRA WITTERS went to investigate. Reportedly, they encountered the Indians eating turnips in a turnip patch but were immediately detected themselves. Shots were fired with THOMAS being killed outright, and WILLIS was so badly wounded that he was soon overtaken and killed. [One written account places this skirmish near the site of the current Methodist church on Lake Erie, but lacks detail as to how this is known and does not mention a crossing of the river]. WITTERS, through great skill and good fortune, was able to make it back to the Cushetunk blockhouse and give warning. Runners were sent North and South to sound the alarm and get help for the imminent attack. One of those sent South to the Minisink Settlement near present day Port Jervis, was MOSES THOMAS II, whose father had been killed. The Indians soon arrived but did not attack due to WITTERS? ingenuity. He used several voices, it is told, to make the blockhouse sound heavily defended, which made the Indians wary of approaching it. Under the cover of darkness however, one of the brave braves attempted to ignite a pile of hay, which was stored against the blockhouse, but WITTERS shot him for his trouble. After retrieving the body, the Indians engaged in a verbal harangue during the night, and eventually left, retreating to the South.

The lads who had been sent south to the Minisink Settlement, both reportedly under 11 years old, made it safely and a rescue party canoed upriver to bury the dead and take the living to safer environs, and it was at this juncture that one more tragedy took place. This was occasioned by the fact that there was room in the canoes for all but one, who, it was decided must be left behind. This misfortune fell to a mother who had an "idiot daughter". The mother was forcibly placed into a canoe and they sailed off with her moaning and the girl crying on the beach. Upon their eventual return, the girl?s bones were found near the blockhouse and buried.

The next notable Indian conflict occurred 16 years later at Minisink Ford. During this interim, not much is written about settlers in the Tusten area. The Battle of Minisink of course, occurred during the Revolutionary War, and it is important to us because of BENJAMIN TUSTEN, who died there and became our Town?s namesake. TUSTEN was a Goshen, NY physician, who was also the son of a prominent physician. He was also a Colonel in the Orange County militia. Locally, TUSTEN had been well known for his practice of inoculating people against disease, a medical practice not commonly undertaken in those days, and for his generosity in providing housing for the sick. While Col. TUSTEN was peacefully practicing his profession in Goshen, a Mohawk warrior who had been well educated in Britain, was plying his own trade. TAYADANEEGA (also written Thayendanegea), holding a Colonel?s rank in the British army, was a master at psychological warfare and headed a small army of Indians and Tories (Loyalists), and had gained a reputation for ruthless attacks against American colonists in Pennsylvania and New York. Although the Iroquois Six Nation Confederacy had opted to remain neutral at the outbreak of the Revolution, it was at the urging of TAYADANEEGA that they entered the war in 1777 on the side of the British. We know this warrior better by his Anglican name, JOSEPH BRANT.

On July 19, 1779, as part of a series of raids in this area, BRANT?s group crossed the Delaware River at Lackawaxen, leaving a rear guard on the west side of the river. Their goal was to re-provision themselves with an attack on the settlement of Maghaghkamic, or Minisink, in the Port Jervis area. This was accomplished the following day with several colonists being killed, buildings burned, and captives taken. BRANT?s compassionate decision to spare some of the settlers allowed them to make their way to Goshen and alert the authorities there.

On July 21, 1779, 149 members of the militia responded to Col. TUSTEN?s call. After some discussion, Tusten felt it prudent that they wait for reinforcements before pursuing their quarry, but a Major MEEKER gave an impassioned speech, challenging cowards to remain behind and for brave men to go forth. This swayed the group and they headed west to their destiny.

The following day (July 22), they were joined by a smaller militia from Warwick, NY, under the command of a Col. HATHORN, who was senior to Tusten and took over command of the combined army. In the vicinity of present day Barryville, the Indians were sighted, moving slowly because of captives and stolen livestock, and Col. HATHORN decided to take a trail along the ridgeline and ambush the Indians as they tried to cross the Delaware. Little did he realize that they too had been spotted. When the terrain allowed the Indians to go out of sight, BRANT, anticipating HATHORN?s intent, moved his warriors up present day Dry Brook, knowing that the soldiers would have to cross a ravine in that area. Written accounts vary as to what happened next, but the final results were the same. One popular story goes that BRANT offered the militia a chance to surrender on the terms that no harm would befall them. While he was talking, a militiaman?s musket discharged, either by intent or accident, passing through BRANT?s belt, and the Battle of Minisink began. According to the Americans? version, the militiamen held out valiantly from 10 AM until sundown, plagued by lack of water and ammunition, before the Indians were able to break through their ranks and massacre those who still remained alive. The dead included Col. BENJAMIN TUSTEN, our township?s namesake, MOSES THOMAS II, whose father had been killed in the previously related Narrowsburg raid in 1763, and Major BELEZEEL TYLER, a scout from Cochecton. Ironically, Major MEEKER, whose strong oratory had caused the militia to set out without reinforcements, survived the ordeal by being at the end of the column and escaping.

BRANT?s memoirs offer a slightly different version of the battle. He wrote that his group was attacked by the "rebels" while crossing the river. Sizing up the situation, they scattered into the woods while he took some men and went around to the rear of the enemy, to where they had retreated at the top of a rocky hill. Instead of an all day battle, BRANT reports that in 4 hours they took "40 odd scalps", which he estimates was half of the enemy force, plus they took a Captain as captive. He listed his own losses at 3 men.

The bones of the militiamen lay where they had fallen for 43 years before they were retrieved and interred in a common grave in Goshen. Their deaths, however, were avenged within a month of the battle, when Gen. JOHN SULLIVAN, for whom our county is named, began a campaign of retribution in Central and Western New York. Attacking the IROQUOIS CONFEDERACY on their own grounds, he conducted his own massacres under the battle cry of "Civilization or Death to All American Savages". Men, women, and children were slaughtered, their crops and dwellings burned, and their orchards cut down. Many of those who escaped immediate death during the campaign that summer either starved or froze to death that winter. Another tragic consequence of this 1779 campaign was that two tribes of the Confederacy who had remained neutral, the ONEIDA and the TUSCARORA, were beset upon by the others and destroyed.

From 1743 until 1798, the land that would be named in Col. TUSTEN?s honor was part of the Town of Mamakating, Ulster County. In fact, for a period of 101 years, until 1769, it had been part of the territory claimed by New Jersey, a claim that extended northward to present day Cochecton.
In 1798, what is now Tusten became part of the Town of Lumberland, Orange County. At this time, Lumberland Township extended north to the Delaware County line, east to the Mongaup River, and northeast to the Town of Rochester, Ulster County. When Sullivan County was formed in March 1809, our township was still encompassed by what was then Lumberland.

It is generally held that the first white settler on the New York side of the river was BENJAMIN HOMANS, who came here around 1770. This locality initially bore his name in the form of Homan?s Eddy. Names of other early settlers included the Dexter, Van Winkle, Thomas, Cole, Decker, Corwin, Goldsmith, Cuddeback, and Dunn families among others.

There was also a family named WICKHAM who owned a good deal of our present village, then sold the land to the DUNN family, who had moved here en masse from New Jersey. In these late 18th and early 19th Century times there were cabins on the Flats, then referred to as the "Lower Place", about three near the present Lake Erie, the "Middle Place", and a couple farther north in the "Upper Place".

The family of THOMAS DUNN formed the first cemetery in what is now the Glen Cove Cemetery, and the oldest marked stones are still there, as is a historical marker. The DUNN family also has the dubious distinction of being the only recorded slave holders in our community. It is written that WILLIAM DUNN, returning from New York City, stopped in Cuddebackville, and was entreated by a slave mother to buy her 4 year old son because she was unable to provide properly for him, but wanted him close enough to visit on occasion, which was not uncommon. The lad was purchased and named JAMES B. DUNN. Upon reaching adulthood in 1827, JAMES was declared a free man and settled on the lower part of the Flats where he was still living when JAMES QUINLAN published his History of Sullivan County in 1873. Locally, up until the 1960's at least, Black Jim?s Farm was often referred to as that area near the former Tusten dump along the railroad right of way. (The existence of "Black Jim" is confirmed by an entry in a ledger from the Hankins Family General Store, which operated in the community of Tusten from the early 1800?s into the twentieth century. A transaction record dated January 14,1829 refers to "Black James Dunn", with subsequent entries referring to James Dunn, or simply "black man", settling the account of William Dunn)

Having mentioned the railroad, it would be remiss not to discuss the early modes of transportation in the area. Initially the river may have been a hindrance to travel except by canoe, but as the population increased, so did river commerce, which became tied to that growth. Naturally, rafting of lumber became an industry , which gave rise to hotels that provided places of food and rest. Rope and later cable ferries plied the river at choice locations, which included one at Ten Mile River, which had been resettled and was now a prospering community.

In 1810 a charter was granted to the Narrowsburg Bridge Company and a 25' wide bridge was built across the narrows. This, of course, was a toll bridge and the rates of passage were steep for those days; 37 ? cents for a one horse wagon, $1 for 4 horses, and 6 cents by foot, in an age when a laborer earned $1 for a full day?s work. Because of this high tariff, people crossed by other means, including wading across the river wherever practical. Other records, which appear to be more reliable, indicate that this charter did not occur until 1830, with the first bridge being built in 1832, and the tolls being somewhat less costly. Whenever built, the bridge became part of a transportation system, which included the Mount Hope ? Lumberland Turnpike, chartered in 1812 with Narrowsburg resident ABRAHAM CUDDEBACK as Director. This thoroughfare ran from Orange County to Honesdale, and consisted of a plank road in many places. Ice and high water apparently took out at least two bridges before 1848 saw a covered bridge 250' long and 35' above the low water mark. This in turn was replaced by an iron structure built 54 years later by the Oswego Bridge Company in 1899, which lasted until the present interstate bridge was completed in 1953. It was not until January 12, 1927 that the bridge became toll free after being purchased by the New York-Pennsylvania Joint Bridge Commission for $55,000.

Many changes also occurred during the early 19th century in our community. Although Narrowsburgh appeared on a map as early as 1829, it was still known as Big Eddy and a post office by that name opened on the Pennsylvania side on 6/06/1837. On 9/19/1840, this post office was closed and reopened the same day across the river in Narrowsburgh. ABRAHAM CUDDEBACK, who built the Narrowsburg Hotel (currently Narrowsburgh Inn and formerly Century Hotel) that same year, is credited with having been instrumental in getting the change made. It was not until 11/23/1893 however, that Narrowsburg became the official post office name. Mr. CUDDEBACK had also purchased land along the river at the bridge approach and then got the charter to build the bridge in March 1834.

With growth in the area, the Sullivan County Board of Supervisors met on Nov 17, 1853, and passed legislation creating the townships of Tusten and Highland from Lumberland by a two-thirds vote of the Board. Tusten was formed from Lots 71 & 72 of Great Lot 18 of the Hardenburgh Patent. As legislated, the first official town meeting was held on Tuesday, March 7, 1854, at the home of JONATHAN HAWKS located at the foot of present day Mile Hill. The meeting was presided over by JOHN S. HUGHES, WILLIAM H. MAPES, and JAMES R. HANKINS with another Lumberland resident, CHARLES S. WOODWARD, Chairman of the Board of Supervisors, serving as clerk. As the fledgling town government was set up, WOODWARD was voted as the first Tusten Supervisor, serving for one term.

Even before the Town as formed, however, the Erie Railroad contributed greatly to its development. After being first proposed in 1829, the railroad did not receive its incorporation until 1832, at which time a survey was begun by future New York Governor DEWITT CLINTON. In 1835, financial difficulties arose, requiring re-organization of the company. As originally proposed, the railway was going to run from Hoboken to Port Jervis, then to Monticello, not hitting the Delaware River Valley until the Callicoon area. Owing to concessions made in the re-organization, the Delaware Division of the railway was changed to enter Pennsylvania just north of Sparrowbush and return to New York at Tusten, which resulted in Narrowsburg being on the line.

Although the Erie brought greater prominence to the village, it also brought changes. During the course of 1847, the roadbed had reached Narrowsburg and with it came many German and Irish immigrant laborers. On December 11th of that year, owing to reduced wages and probably increased prices of goods, inn keeper JOHN VERSCHAU was attacked by about 100 workers who ransacked his house, destroyed property, and burned a building. Seventeen German workers were arrested and sent to jail in Monticello. Ten of those were found guilty and received sentences of 90 days in jail and $50 fines.

Later the next summer, in 1848, the locomotive Piermont (some sources cite Piedmont), was disassembled at Piermont, NY and loaded onto a vessel, from which it traveled up the Hudson River to Rondout in Ulster County. It was then shipped via canal to Lackawaxen where it was re-assembled and used on the expanding Erie line to distribute rails and ties. The first appearance of this engine run by engineer WILLIAM VAN DE GRAFF caused quite a commotion. The story is told how he allowed the curious to climb upon the machine to look at it, and then at the opportune time blew the whistle. This caused the inquisitive folk to jump, slide, and push themselves from the beast and run for their lives, much to the amusement of the driver. That fall, the railroad was finished as far as Narrowsburg and it is recorded that the locomotive ELEAZER LORD brought the first passenger train into town. By year?s end, there were two trains coming through on a daily basis. During the Erie?s early years, Narrowsburg was in consideration for becoming the connection point between two of the railroad?s Divisions. Because it was doubted that sufficient land existed, and local property owners, having greedily sensed a windfall, inflated values of available land, the Erie opted for Port Jervis to fulfill that need, and did establish a roundhouse and large rail yard in that city.

The diversity of people employed by the railroad also impacted on the religious needs of the area?s residents. The Baptist Church, which served Tusten residents was organized in 1840 and the church built in 1856. Methodists had been holding services on the Flats at the home of COMMODORE C. MURRAY (this was his name and not a military title) since the late 1830's and in 1856 their church was built on a donated lot on the upper part of Irish Hill. This church was moved to its present day site on Lake Street in 1879 on land donated by COMMODORE MURRAY.

To serve the German and Irish Catholics, masses were held at the home of HENRY BUCH, about one mile east of town. With an increase in the size of the congregation, services were moved to the upper floor of a tannery building near Deep Hollow Brook ( now Hunts Corners). The first Catholic church was built in 1862 on lands of WALTER LILLIE, at the top of present day School Street. In 1878 a new church was built on Bridge Street on the land of JOHN ENGLEMANN. By 1925 this structure proved too small,, so a lot was purchased from MICHAEL T. CLARK and the present ST. Francis Xavier was built there.

Schools were also several throughout the Township. In the 1840's, one was established across the river in Atco, Wayne Co., PA., and another in town on Kirk Road. It was not until 1928 that the Narrowsburg Central School District was formed, replacing schools in Narrowsburg, Lava, Tusten, New Weiden, Beaver Brook, and Nobody?s Switch. High school was at one time held in the old Catholic church building on Bridge Street while the two room elementary school was on the present day playground facing School St. The new school building in 1929 consisted of 12 rooms and the first graduation class was held in 1931. In 1938, the District absorbed Lake Huntington, Cochecton, and Cochecton Center schools. The "new" addition was built in 1951.

Both Narrowsburg and Tusten prospered and grew from the mid to late 1800's. Tusten?s economy was tied heavily to the lumbering and stone quarrying businesses. At its fullest development, Tusten had a saw mill, a grist mill, two stores owned by the CRAWFORD and HANKINS families, a tavern, a school, and the aforementioned Baptist church. One of Tusten?s most enduring structures, the stone arch bridge, was built by WILLIAM HANKINS in 1896, and is still in use today. A cable ferry and stone docks delivered goods across the river and back from the railroad. Tusten even had its own post office located in the Hankins Store on Crawford Road, which still stands as a private home. This same structure also served as a stopping place for raftsmen up until the 1880's, when that industry had faded out. With the depletion of lumber resources and less call for quarried stone, Tusten began to decline,

Joshua + Unknown. was born between 1781 and 1790; and died. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Edmund West, comp. Gene Pool Individaul Records. [database online] Provo, UT: Ancestry.com, 2000.

Has an Albert Sherwood, born 7 January 1795, Weston, Fairfield Co., CT son of Jabez Sherwood and Catherine Tuttle.
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From MHT:
Burial sites unk. still trying to trace. Have his abbrev. obit. See 1870 W.C. census. Marr: abt 1813 based on birth of Harriet, first child b 6 May1814 in Weston. Have info on both Jabez'.
HAVE SEVERAL LAND DEEDS FOR PROPERTIES OWNED BY HIM & HIS FAMILY.

In the 1850 census only Polly, Jane, and Elizabeth are living with him.

Albert married Polly Burr Wood about 1819 in Connecticut?. Polly (daughter of Thomas Wood and Sarah Rowland) was born on 8 Mar 1796 in Weston, Fairfield Co., CT; died on 17 May 1870 in Prob. Damascus Twp., Wayne Co., PA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Sources:
1.HISTORY AND GENEALOGY OF THE FAMILIES OF OLD FAIRFIELD by Donald L. Jacobus
2.EARLY RECORDS OF THE SHERWOOD FAMILY OF WESTCHESTER CO. by Grenville MacKensie(1952)
at the NYPL.
3.YOUR ANCESTORS magazine Vol 3-4 and THE AMERICAN GENEALOGIST 27:156-9.
4.William Lounsbury Sherwood's SHERWOOD FAMILY MSS. in 4 large boxes at the NYPL.Two boxes contain files on individual Sherwoods,the other 2
contain correspondence from Sherwoods all over the USA. This appears
TO BE A GOLDMINE THAT HAS NOT BEEN TAPPED!!!
5.William A.D. Eardeleys Sherwood notes,on film at Long Island Historical Soc.,Brooklyn.
6.Donald Notleys Sherwood data on file at Rye and Fairfield Historical Societies.

Jabez + Catherine Tuttle. Catherine (daughter of Peter Tuttle and Ann Jeliff) was born on 14 Jul 1771 in Weston, Fairfield Co., CT; died in 1845. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Thomas married Sarah Rowland on 3 May 1792 in Weston, Fairfield Co., CT. Sarah (daughter of Daniel Rowland and Esther Beers) was born on 14 Jun 1773 in Weston, Fairfield Co., CT; died on 31 Jan 1837 in Weston, Fairfield Co., CT. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]