It Happened Here--The New York-New Jersey Line War 

   

A Hamlet, SE of Rochester, 1/3 mi. S of I-90!

 Boundary disputes were common between the colonies in early American history. Colonial charters were often the origin of these disputes, as the result of poor maps, calculated deceptions, and the indifference of British monarchs who were ignorant of geographic realities but eager to discharge debts and solidify support among their friends and political supporters by granting them lands in the American wilderness, (never mind the rights of Native-American inhabitants.)  Thus, Connecticut would claim a swath of territory from a line roughly extending from its border with Massachusetts, and from islands in Narragansett bay,  excluding the territory settled by the Dutch in New York, to the South Sea--the Pacific Ocean!  She continued to maintain her rights of ownership within this band in Ohio (called the Western Reserve) until the United States incorporated it in the Northwest Territory.   Massachusetts, similarly, claimed the territory within the parallels of her north and south border, beyond New York settlement, west to Lake Erie. The dispute with New York was settled in the Treaty of Hartford, in 1786 when Massachusetts gave up her rights to govern the territory, but secured her "preemption rights"- the right to sell the land to speculators, once they had negotiated a sale with the Iroquois. William Penn's charter was granted to settle a debt owed by Charles II to Penn's father. It  included a  grant of land west of the New York Colony north to the 43d parallel. The Pennsylvania proprietorship maintained its claim to this area until 1774

The problem was exacerbated by the granting/selling of "patents" to individuals by colonial governors.  A patent was the exclusive right to develop/settle a large parcel of land either by sharing it with partners, retailing it to individual farmers (the New England mode) or settling it with tenant farmers, charged annual "quit-rents" (the Hudson Valley/Dutch/New York mode.) Frequently these patents overlapped. On the New York/ Hampshire Grants (Vermont) border the title to lands were sold by New Hampshire Governor Benning Wentworth, in the same area tenants were being settled on the land by New York's Phillip Schuyler. New England farmers found their properties threatened by New York sheriffs; the New Englanders formed a vigilante force led by Ethan Allen, the "Green Mountain Boys."

The New York/New Jersey border problems originated in the charter given by Charles II to two of his political supporters.  With the cleaving off of east and west New Jersey from New York, a northern border needed to be defined. The King's charter specified a borderline running from where the 41st parallel crosses the Hudson River, to 41 degrees 40 minutes "along said River or Bay (the Delaware) to the northward as far as the northward most branch of the said Bay or River." Unfortunately, there is no northern-most branch of "said River" anywhere near where the 41 degree 40 minute parallel crosses the Delaware.  This gave New Yorkers an excuse to challenge the borderline and for  a succession of New York governors  to aggressively issue patents in the hopes of creating a defacto border favoring New York.

Beginning in 1701 farmers around Mahackemeck (Port Jervis,  today) and the Peenpack valley began increasingly serious squabbles over land.

Rte 209, N end of Port Jervis

In 1719 New York's governor Hunter and the New Jersey legislature agreed to actually survey a line between the Delaware at 41deg. 40min and the Hudson end of the line. After a contentious few months the surveyors reported on their efforts, identifying the western end of the line near the Indian village of Casheightouch (now Cohecton, NY.) but not near any "northward most branch" of any river.

Rte 209 between Huguenot and Port Jervis

Rather than settle the issue, the survey inflamed the situation as competing farmers from New Jersey and New York fought over who had legitimate title to their land.  To make matters worse, farmers found they might be subject to taxes or quitrents from both colonies, and be required to participate in local militias from both Orange County, NY and Sussex County, NJ!  By 1720 the dispute had started to get violent with the families of Thomas and Jacobus Swartwout of New York and John and Nicholis Westfall, of New Jersey regularly getting into fights and burning each other's crops. Men regularly carried arms, and women pitchforks as they went about their daily chores.

Rte 97@line w/Sullivan Co.

Major Jacobus Swartwout, an officer of the Orange County militia, was, according to tradition, a large, bellicose and outspoken man who became a lighting rod for Jerseymen opposition. One night following a period of braggadocios ranting a group of Jerseymen crept up on the Major's house, bodily throwing the major and his family out into the cold while they consumed the Major's beer, spirits and victuals. The Major rallied local Orange County militiamen who retook the house allowing the Major to (literally) kick the intruders out.

Another family legend speaks of a confrontation between Jacobus Swarthwout and  Johannes Westfall in a pumpkin patch. During the escalating argument Swarthwout indignantly turned his back on Westfall.  The Jerseyman grabbed a large pumpkin and sent it crashing down on Swarthwout's head. The surprised and stunned major, lying on the ground, covered in pumpkin "gore" cried out, "I am killed and my brains spilled!"

Rte 209, 1/2 way between Huguenot,Port Jervis

A more serious episode occurred when a large group of armed Jerseymen led by a constable from Sussex County attempted to arrest Harmanus Van Inwegen, brother-in-law of Jacobus Swarthout for his part in the disturbances. An Orange County "spy"among the Jerseymen warned Colonel Swartwout of the armed posse. Swartwout mobilized most of his kin and neighbors forming a battle line near Van Inwegen's house to block the approach of the posse with Van Inwegen commanding the left wing of the line and Jacob Cuddeback commanding the right.  Both the New Yorkers and the Jerseymen had expected to overawe their opponents with their numbers and neither were prepared for deadly combat.  Both sides angrily eyed each other, for an embarrassingly long period of time, with neither side willing to take the first action. Finally a bewildered son of Jacobus Swartwout asked his father, loudly enough so the other side could hear them, should they shoot at them, or over their heads?  The old Colonel bellowed "Kill Them!" The vehemence of his words shocked the Jerseymen whose line broke and they retreated.
Swartwout raced ahead with some of his men, catching the Jerseymen in a ravine. Poorly aimed shots were exchanged with the constable's horse being the only fatal casualty.

Site of the "battle", unmentioned on this sign.
Rte 209, N of Huguenot

For a few years confrontations between neighbors subsided as the French and Indian War descended on the Delware and Peenpack valleys. Half a dozen houses were fortified, some with palisades around them, and designated as places of refuge.

               A Jerseymen's fort in Mahackemeck (Port Jervis)

  The Gumaer Family came to the Peenpack Valley with the Swarthouts, 
 They were neighbors and allies. Rte 209 between Huguenot and Godeffroy






The Westbrooks also came with the Swarthouts
The house is still a private residence. 
Rte 209 @ Westbrook 

Indians attacking the fort in1756 were surprised to find a 
large group of militiamen visiting the house. A vicious hand to hand fight ensued with fatalities on both sides before the Indians fled. Two years later a second skirmish (described) occurred here.
Rte. 209 1/2 way between Huguenot and Port Jervis




As French and Indian fears subsided, tensions between the settler factions increased.  In 1765 the Jersey faction struck the next blow. Their plan was to apprehend Jacobus Swartwout and Capt. Johannes Westbrook as they emerged from church to deliver them to the authorities in Sussex. (Church had become something of a tense ordeal with New Yorkers in some pews, suspiciously eyeing Jersymen in other pews across the aisle.)  The Jerseymen, out of  respect for the Sabbath  carried no arms, hoping their strength in numbers would persuade Swartwout and  Westbrook         that resistance was futile.  When church adjourned for the noonday meal break, they attempted to arrest Swartwout and Westbrook.  A wild melee broke out in the church yard, with no fatalities but much blood shed. Swartwout and Westbrook were eventually arrested and taken to Sussex only to be released a few weeks later.
                                                                                           Maghaghkamik Church, built
                                                                                           1743 on this site, was
                                                                                           burned in raid by Joseph
                                                                                           Brant’s Mohawks and Tories,
                                                                                           July 20, 1779.

                                                                                           E. Main St., by St. Mary's Cemetery
   
News of the donnybrook on the church lawn, on the Sabbath, quickly reached the capitals of both colonies and shocked the legislatures into finally agreeing to settle the dispute. Though more pressing business side-lined the issue until 1767,  joint commissions that included Benjamin Franklin and John Jay, were appointed. Political wrangling, other business and problems in travel would delay the commission's final settlement until 1773 when a new compromise border was established, beginning at the 41 degree line on the Hudson and ending where the Neversink creek enters the Delaware, south east of Port Jervis.
                                                                                        

Maj.Jacobus Swartout marker--mentions the "infamous kodnapping"  
Rte. 209. Deer Park, near town hall

Uncle Sam Park, River St., Troy

Marker of the Week-- Labor day 2018.  For some reason there appear to be few NY historic markers whose subject is historic Labor Leaders or milestones in Labor Progress.  Perhaps this is because of the tendency for Labor history to be made mainly in big cities, where NYSHMs are rare, or made mainly in the 20th century, not commonly the time period focus of NYSHMs, or perhaps it reflects the biases of the creators of historic markers and traditional popularizers of history that relegate "Labor history" to a subordinate role in history.  Whatever the case, "Labor NYSHMs" are pretty hard to come by. So I will bend the "rules", today, to include a monument, not a sign, for a man, a labor leader, a socialist, and an Irish revolutionary who lived briefly in Troy.

references: wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_–_New_Jersey_Line_War
                   Swartwout, Charles H.  "Keynote Speech, Swarthout 2000 Family Reunion".   swarthoutfamily.org/Reunion/speech2001.htm.   The shortage of readily available information on the "NY/NJ Line Wars"combined with some fascinating detail relayed by someone who has some familiarity with the topic leads me to believe their must be more interesting stories to research and tell, beyond the scope of a weekly blog written many miles away. What, for example, could the 18th century Westfalls tell us about their side of the "war"?