. History of Columbia County, New York. With illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers . an Valkenburghs. Of the latter family therewere four brothers,—James, Bartholomew, Lawrence, andSolomon. One of the sons of James, John J., yet residesat Chatham Centre, aged ninety-six years. He lives nearthe spot where he was born, and is said to be the oldestliving ex-assemblyman in the State. A brother resides atPlymouth, Indiana, who is more than one hundred yearsold. During the Revolution the settlers along Kinderhookcreek were much distressed by the incursions
. History of Columbia County, New York. With illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers . an Valkenburghs. Of the latter family therewere four brothers,—James, Bartholomew, Lawrence, andSolomon. One of the sons of James, John J., yet residesat Chatham Centre, aged ninety-six years. He lives nearthe spot where he was born, and is said to be the oldestliving ex-assemblyman in the State. A brother resides atPlymouth, Indiana, who is more than one hundred yearsold. During the Revolution the settlers along Kinderhookcreek were much distressed by the incursions of rovingbands of Tories and their Indian allies. On one such oc-casion Abraham Van Ness was brutally murdered at hisfiithers door. At a later period than the settlements in the westernpart were those in the south and the east of the town, madeby immigrants from Dutchess county and the New EnglandStates. Many of those in the latter section were membersof the Society of Friends, whose relations with the nativeshere, as elsewhere, were of the most amicable nature. It isrelated of one of them named Wilbor that he exercised. HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK. great influence over the natives, and was frequently con-sulted by them. His services were especially sought afterto divide the presents and whisky which the Indians re-ceived from the fur-traders, and his decisions were alwaysdeemed satisfactory. After 1750 the settlement of the town was very rapid,and embraced hundreds whose names appear in the sketchesof the villages and in the civil list. In 1875 the popula-tion was four thousand four hundred and ninety. CIVIL GOVERNMENT. The original town of Chatham was erected in pursuanceof an act passed March 17, 1795, which provided that fromand after the first Monday of April, certain parts of thetowns of Canaan and Kindcrhook should constitute a newtown, whose first meeting shall be held at the house ofEbenezer Crocker. The ofiicers elected were : Supervisor,James Savage; Town
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