History of Westchester county : New York, including Morrisania, Kings Bridge, and West Farms, which have been annexed to New York City / . ndsome residence, command- NORTH SALEM. ing a beautiful view of the Croton Valley to the southand west, is located but a few rods from the oldhouse. Joel Purdy was engaged in business inNew York for many years and amassed a competence,after which he returned to his native town anderected the fine residence above mentioned; also fac-tory and store buildings at Croton Falls, where hisson is engaged iu mercantile life. He has been and isan active man in the co
History of Westchester county : New York, including Morrisania, Kings Bridge, and West Farms, which have been annexed to New York City / . ndsome residence, command- NORTH SALEM. ing a beautiful view of the Croton Valley to the southand west, is located but a few rods from the oldhouse. Joel Purdy was engaged in business inNew York for many years and amassed a competence,after which he returned to his native town anderected the fine residence above mentioned; also fac-tory and store buildings at Croton Falls, where hisson is engaged iu mercantile life. He has been and isan active man in the community, was one of the orig-inal organizers of the Baptist Church and occupies aprominent official position therein. He is also a largeowner of real estate in the vicinity- There was an-other Purdy family in early Salem—that of JudgeEbenezer Purdy, prominently mentioned in connec-tion with town and academical interests. This was aseparate and distinct family, having no connection, sofar as is known, with the same-named branches men-tioned. It has long been known that Harvey Birch, thehero of Fenimore Coopers novel of The Spy, was. a real personage, and that his true name was EnochCrosby, and a most accurate description of the manand his exploits was made in an address delivered be-fore the Westchester County Historical Society, atPeekskill, on January 21, 1879, by Mr. Joseph Bar-rett, who confirmed his place in history. The factswere mainly derived from ex-Chief Justice John Jay,to whom Cooper was also indebted for the sketchwhich he developed into the romantic figure of The Spy. Following Mr. Barrett, however, we find that JudgeJay erred in his notion that Crosbys operations evertook him into New York City ; on the contrary, theywere confined entirely to the country districts alongthe Hudson. Crosby was born in Harwich, Barnstable County,Mass., January 4, 1750, and at the breaking out ofthe Revolution was a shoemaker at Danbury, had previously been a tanner and curr
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