Person:William Titsworth (2)

The earliest European settler into this valley was William Titsworth who arrived in the 1690s. He was a blacksmith who carried on a trade with the local Native Americans. Soon a steady stream of Dutch and French Huguenots who were escaping religious persecution in Europe were coming into the area by proceeding southward along the Old Mine Road from Kingston, New York into an area that was called "The Minisink" and known for its rich river bottom land, fur trade and abundant land.