Genealogical and family history of southern New York and the Hudson River Valley : a record of the achievements of her people in the making of a commonwealth and the building of a nation.
(I) Joost Paulding was the first of this
family to come to America, in 1664. His name
being in the Dutch language, it corresponds
to the Christian name Joseph. He came from
Cassant, Holland. He first settled at East-
chester, in Westchester county. New York;
but removed to the Philipse Manor estate,
where he remained until some time in August,
1710, when he expressed to the Dutch church
at Tarrytown, New York, the desire to re-
move to New York City. This request was
granted and to it was added the special com-
mendation of his record as deacon and treas-
urer, both of which offices he filled in 1712
and 17 1 3. after they had scrutinized his ac-
counts and found them in proper condition.
Joost or Joseph Paulding married (first)
March 16, 1688, Catharina Jans Duyts, born
in 1664 (although one record places the date
as 1674, too young to marry), daughter of
Hans Duyts, born in 1644, who recided in
Harlem in 1667. Hans was the son of Jan
Laurens Duyts, born in Holstein in i6io, and
died in Bergen, January 14, 1668. Joost
Paulding married (second) in 1709, Sophia,
widow of Teunis Krankheit, of Philipse
Manor. From the following dates it will be
perceived that his eight children w-ere born
to him by his first wife, and that the Paulding
descendants are of equal origin with the Duyts
family. Children (baptismal dates): I.Abra-
ham, April 7, 1689, died young. 2. Lysb.eth,
April 24, 1^2. 3. Maria, February 24, 1695;
married, April 29, 1713, William Forbosch.
4. Abraham, May 23, 1697; married, March
25, 1720, Maria Cousyn. 5. Catherine, June
II, 1699; married, November 26, 1720, Gys-
bert Uitenbogert. 6. Margarita, October 12,
1 701, died young. 7. Margarita. September
5, 1703; married, November 13, 1726, Jan
Uitenbogert. 8. Joost, or Joseph, see for-
ward.
(II) Joseph Paulding, son of Joost and
Catharina Jans (Duyts) Paulding, was born
at Tarrytown, New York, and was baptized
November 3, 1708. He died probably at the
beginning of 1787. At the age of two years
he was taken to reside in New York City by
his father, and evidently he remained there
for two score years, because his name appears
in the census of 1737, and about 1753 he re-
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moved with his wife to Tarrytown, as shown
by the entry of their names as members of
the church there. In the census report of
1755 he was recorded as the owner of two
slaves at Phihpsburgh. His homestead was
at a place more recently known as East View,
about two miles east of Tarrytown. He exe-
cuted his will September 17, 1782, which was
probated February 12, 1787, in which he
speaks of his sons William, Joseph, Peter and
John. He married Susanna White. Children :
Joseph, see forward ; William, baptized in
New York City, December 7, 1735 ; Abraham,
baptized September 24, 1738; Peter, baptized
November 3, 1742, died young; Catherine,
baptized September 30, 1744; Peter, baptized
November 9. 1746, died young; Peter, bap-
tized November 8, 1749; John, born January
28, 1755, died uiunarried, at Mount Pleasant,
New York, 1847.
(HI) Peter Paulding, son of Joseph
and Susanna (White) Paulding, was bap-
tized November 8, 1749, and died in 1847.
He was a private, then ensign in the revolu-
tionary war. He made a joint will with his
brother John, dated June 3, 1835, stating
therein that his home was at Mount Pleasant,
New York, which will was probated Novem-
ber 10, 1847. Peter Paulding married, August
I9> '^7^7 > J^ne, daughter of Reuben Fowler,
of Peekskill, New York. Children : John ; Su-
sanna, married a Mr. Conway, by whom:
William Henry Conway and Charles W. Con-
way.
(HI) William Paulding, son of Joseprh and
Susanna (White) Paulding, was baptized in
New York City, December 7, 1735, and died
at Tarrytown, New York, February 10, 1825.
It is believed that he came to Tarrytown with
his family between 17O6 and 1768, because in
recording the birth of his daughter in 1768
the first mention is made of Philipsburg. He
removed to Bedford probably in 1776, follow-
ing the battle of White Plains, and subse-
quently to a place called Great Partners, Put-
nam county. New York, where two children
were born.
William Paulding was an ardent supporter
of the patriot cause, becoming a member of
the provincial congress, and was appointed
"Commissary of the Militia raised or to
be raised in this State northward of King's
Bridge." His friends and neighbors regarded
him as one of the most influential men of the
place, one of those to be depended upon foij
advice or practical assistance. As is so oftenl
the case in life, this nobleness of character
precipitated him into trouble. As a buyer of
stores throughout the entire period of the;
revolution, he became liable for large quanti-ij
ties of these supplies. When a severe depre-i'
elation of the currency of the new nation took
place, and the government was unable to meet
its obligations, he was involved and finally be-;j
came impoverished. Arrested for his debts,(|
incurred in the service of the government, he
was held at the White Plains jail, until that
building burned, and he was free to walk to
his home in Tarrytown. No steps were after-
ward taken to reincarcerate him, and nothing
further along that line would be necessary
that we should regard him as the highest typej
of patriot, as demonstrated by what he gave'
of his own for liberty's sake. Few of the
wealthy men of to-day would care to follow
his example, and consequently it is well that
they should revere the name of one who was
an example which they have not the courage
to emulate. He was elected supervisor in
1784, among the first to hold said office after
the revolution, which demonstrates the factj
that his fellow townsmen not only respectedf
him after what had transpired, but also de-
sired to honor him to the best in their power. I
Commissary Paulding continued to reside at
Tarrytown until he died, and although his
home would now be considered of simplest
construction, it was then spoken of as one
of the town's pretentious residences. His
house was built of wood, two stories and an
attic high, and was within a short distance of
the Hudson river. Among his friends and
a visitor at this house was Washington Irving,
for which reason the author was drawn there
to live because of his attachment for the place
and its people. It is said that Irving wrote
some of his famous Salmagundi papers while
in the house of William Paulding, Sr.
William Paulding, Sr., married, at New
York City, July 25, 1762, Catherine Ogden,
of New Jersey. Children: i. Catherine, born
at New York City, June i, 1764. 2. Henri-
etta, born at New York City, October 9, 1766;
mari'ied Captain John Requa. 3. Julia, bom
at Philipsburg, New York, August 10, 1768;
married Hon. William Irving (see Irving).
4. William, born at Philipsburg, New York
(Tarrytown), March 7, 1770, died at Tarry-
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1281
town, February 11, 1854; he received a good
classical education ; became a lawyer, practic-
ing in New York City ; served in congress,
November 4, 1811, to March 3, 1813; delegate
to state constitutional convention, 182 1 ;
mayor of New York, March 6, 1824, to March
5, 1826; at head of a deputation of citizens
welcomed General Lafayette to the city on
the deck of the "Cadmus," Sunday, August
15, 1824; was adjutant-general; director of
Manhattan Banking Company, 1837 ; an in-
corporator of Erie railroad ; resided in a
house at the place known as Paulding's Row,
Jay street, corner of Greenwich ; subsequently
removed to Tarrytown, where he erected his
country seat ; married Miss Rhinelander ; by
whom Philip Rhinelander Paulding. 5. Jo-
seph, born at Philipsburg, February 29, 1772.
6. Susanna, born February 28, 1774, died at
New York City, May 22, 1797. 7. Nathaniel,
born May 18, 1776. 8. James Kirke, born at
Nine Partners, Dutchess county, New York,
August 22, 1779, died at Hyde Park, Dutchess
county, April 6, i860; in his youth there was
little sunshine, he declared, for war had im-
poverished everybody, and he had to walk
two miles to a log-cabin school, but he strove,
nevertheless, and finally became an author of
prominence ; went to New York City to live
when nineteen years old, residing there with
his elder brother William, then aged about
thirty years : through his brother-in-law he
met his brother, Washington Irving, and a
strong friendship resulted, each starting his
literary career by writing articles for the
Morning Chronicle; with Irving, he began the
publication of the "Salmagimdi," January,
1807, to amuse the -people of their town;
among his novels, "Westward Ho!" 1832;
"Life of George Washington," 1835 ; "The
Puritan and His Daughter," 1849; "John Bull
in America," 1825; "The Merry Tales of the
Three Wise Men of Gotham," 1826, and
"The Dutchman's Fireside," 1831 ; was ap-
pointed secretary of the United States navy
by President Martin Van Buren, serving
1837-41 ; married Gertrude Kemble. 9. Eu-
phemia, born at Nine Partners, New York,
July 9, 1781 ; married, December i, 1799,
Leonard Decline.
(Ill) Joseph Paulding, son of Joseph and
Susanna (White) Paulding, was baptized
April 22. 1733. He was chosen a supervisor
of Philipsburg, New York, in 1778. He had
a military record in the revolution as a private
in Captain George Comb's company of militia.
He married, November 12, 1757, Sarah Gar-
denier. Children: i. John, see forward. 2.
William, baptized at New York City, Febru-
ary 4, 1761. 3. Susanna, baptized at New
York City, October 5, 1763; married, January
II, 1789, Henry King. 4. Abraham, baptized
at Tarrytown, April 16, 1771. 5. Peter, born
at Tarrytown, May 12, 1774; baptized July 7,
1774. 6. Joseph, married, July 20, 1795, Sarah
Seeley.
(IV) Major John Paulding, son of Joseph
and Sarah (Gardenier) Paulding, was born
in the Tarrytown homestead of the Paulding
family in Peekskill, New York, October 16,
1758, and died at Staatsburg, Westchester
county, New York, February 18, 1818, in his
home on Lake Mohegan. He was buried in
St. Peter's churchyard near Peekskill, and in
1827 the corporation of New York erected a
monument over his grave in appreciation of
his services during the revolution.
Major John Paulding was a man of great
courage, and displayed his valor on more than
one occasion during the struggle of the col-
onists to overthrow British rule. When it is
known that he stood over six feet tall, ex-
celled in feats of strength and, judging by
his picture, a man of most prepossessing phy-
siognomy, one may consider that he was in
every way a fine type of the true American
hero of the war of '76. It is related as an
example of this, by Captain John Romer:
"Paulding was a very brave man. He. was
once during the war upon Kaak-out, or
David's Hill, with a party of militia, when
the Refugee's horse appeared on some rising
ground half a mile or a mile to the south.
Paulding proposed to attack them there ; but
the militia refused, considering it too hazard-
ous. He then went alone, and getting under
cover, advanced and fired at them several
times. Annoyed, they at length rushed upon
him, and he escaped, but with difficulty, by
getting into the bushes and swamp." When
a young man he had one of his most exciting
experiences. The house of his father had
been plundered by British ruffians, and his
mother compelled to submit to indignities.
Coming home and learning what had hap-
pened, he seized his gun and hurried towards
the camp of the enemy, intent upon revenge;
but finally was forced to retreat before a
1 282
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dozen horsemen. On one of his visits to his
sweetheart. Miss Sarah Teed, whom he after-
wards married, he was set upon by a number
of Tories, among whom was Ensign Teed,
of De Lancey's corps. John ran into a bam,
whence he fired upon his assailants. Angered
by the wounds he had so intlicted, the attack-
ing party desired to kill him ; but young Teed
dissuaded them. He finally surrendered and
was taken to the old "Sugar House" prison in
New York City, from which he presently
escaped only a few days before the capture of
Major Andre occurred. Captain Henn,' Chi-
chester relates Paulding's escape in this way:
■■John Paulding was a prisoner in the Sugar
House, in 1780, and made his escape in the
middle of the day, by jumping on a pile of
boards from a window. I drew the attention
of the sentinel while he did it.'" General
Pierre ^'an Cortlandt relates that after Pauld-
ing made this escape, ■■he went to Nathan
Levinus, who kept a livery stable in Chatter-
ton street, where Lorillard's manufactory was
afterwards. Paulding there got a Hessian
coat, green, trimmed up with red ; got a boat,
at the North River, and escaped to the Jerseys.
At ^^'eehawken he was taken up and brought
before Marquis de Lafayette as a spy ; but
Colonel Cortlandt knew him, and procured
his release." He then crossed the river to his
home.
Even,- child at school becomes familiar with
the stor)- of the capture of Major Andre, the
British spy, without persuasion, because of
the wonderful interest in the episode, and in
this act Major John Paulding was acknowl-
edged the leading figure among the three who
accomplished it. an event of such great im-
portance that congress by resolution bestowed
medals upon these three men. Andre was
negotiating under the name of "John Ander-
son" with General Benedict Arnold for the
surrender of \\'est Point. That place, although
one of the principal fortifications expected to
hold the enemy from ascending the Hudson
river, had many vulnerable portions which
Arnold was willing for a price to expose to
the British, despite the fact that he was in
command thereof. Andre met with Arnold
on the night of September 21. 1780. at the
house of Joshua Hett Smith, when the Amer-
ican general delivered to the British officer
six papers, filled with information regarding
the defences and their weakness pointed out
with minute detail. Against the advice of
Clinton, the British officer at New York,
Andre wore a disguise, and against the in-
structions of Arnold, Smith persuaded Andre
to return to New York by land, leaving him to
proceed alone. John Paulding was patrolling
the east bank of the Hudson river on the
morning of September 23, 1780, in company
with Isaac \'an Wart and David Williams,
seeking any Ton.- depredators, known as "■cow-
boys." Andre had reached a point within half
a mile of Tarrytown. when Paulding sprang
out of a thicket where he had been secreted
with his companions, and he presented a fire-
lock at Andre's breast, asking him whither he
was going. As Andre supposed these men
were friendly "cow-boys, he replied, ■'Gen-
tlemen, I hope you belong to our party?"
Paulding asked: ■■\Miich party?" "The lower
party," returned Andre, meaning the British,
who were holding possession at the mouth
of the river. When Paulding, to test him
thoroughly, answered that he did, "Then,"
said Andre, "I am a British officer, out on
particular business, and I hope you will not
detain me a minute." Paulding ordered An-
dre to dismount. By this time the British
officer was suspicious of having made an
error, and dismounting, produced a pass which
General Arnold had given to him, made out
in the name of ■■John Anderson," adding, '■By
stopping me you will detain the General's
business. .-\t this point Paulding apologized,
and remarked that they did not mean to take
anything from him, adding that there were
■■many bad people along the road ; perhaps
you may be one of them." Answering further
questions. Andre declared that he carried no
letters ; but the three men led him among the
bushes and searched his clothing minutely.
They had proceeded to undress him, remov-
ing his boots, and when his stockings had been
taken off, the documents, folded into small
compass, were found. Williams then asked
him whether he would give his horse, saddle,
bridle, watch and one hundred guineas to be
released. Eagerly he promised any and all
of these article, and a quantity of dry goods
besides to the amount his captors might name.
It was thought by some critics that it was the
intention of the three men to obtain so large
a bribe ; but such a thought would be set at
rest by the next statement of Paulding: "■No,
by God, if you would give us ten thousand
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1283
guineas you should not stir a step." Major
Andre was taken to the nearest military post,
at North Castle, and delivered to the com-
mandant, Lieutenant-Colonel Jameson, chief
of the Sheldon Dragoons. The three men
departed without seeking reward, nor did they
leaves their names upon the record, and the
prisoner was removed to New Salem. After
his trial, when Washington refused to pardon,
he was executed at Tappan, New York, Oc-
tober 2, 1780. When the trial of Joshua Hett
Smith took place, Paulding was asked why
he had not released his prisoner when the
pass was shown, and he replied : "Because he
said before he was a British officer. Had he
pulled out General Arnold's pass first, I
should have let him go."
More intimate and accurate facts in the life
and character of Major John Paulding may be
learned from his own statement made and
signed by him on May 6, 1817, which reads as
follows :
John Paulding, of the County of Westchester,
one of the persons who took Major Andre, being
duly sworn, saith, that he was three times during
the Revolutionary war a prisoner, with the enemy: —
the first time he was taken to White Plains, when
under the command of Captain Requa, and carried
to New York, and confined in the Sugar House;
the second time he was taken near Tarrytown, when
under the command of Lieutenant Peacock, and
confined in the North Dutch Church in New York;
that both these times he escaped ; and the last of
them only four days before the capture of Andre ;
that the last time he was taken, he was wounded,
and lay in the hospital in New York, and was dis-
charged on the arrival of the news of peace there;
that he and his companions. Van Wart and Wil-
liams, among other articles which they took from
Major Andre, were his watch, horse, saddle and
bridle, and which they retained as prize; that they
delivered over Andre, with the papers found on
him, to Colonel Jameson, who commanded on the
lines; that shortly thereafter they were summoned
to appear as witnesses at the headquarters of Gen-
eral Washington, at Tappan ; that they were at
Tappan some days, and examined as witnesses be-
fore the court-martial on the trial of Smith, who
brought Andre ashore from on board the sloop-of-
war; that while there. Colonel William S. Smith
redeemed the watch from them for thirty guineas ;
which, and the money received for the horse, saddle
and bridle, they divided equally among themselves
and four other persons, who belonged to their party;
but when Andre was taken, were about half a mile
off, keeping a lookout on a hill ; that Andre had
no gold or silver money with him ; but only some
Continental bills, to the amount of about eighty
dollars; that the medals given to him, and Van
Wart and Williams, by Congress, were presented to
them by General Washington, when the army was
encamped at Verplanck's Point, and that they on
the occasion dined at his table; that Williams re-
