Orange County, New York Genealogical Records Information

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Orange County History and Information

Orange County Facts

Orange County was created in 1683 and formed as an Original County. Orange County was named for William of Orange, King William III of England and the County Seat is Goshen. See also Extended History for more historical details.

The Orange County Courthouse is located at County Government Center, 255 Main St., Goshen , NY 10924; 845-291-3000 and the Official County Website is located at http://www.co.orange.ny.us/. On March 12, 1773, a courthouse and jail were erected in Goshen. Originally it was two stories high. It was plain and without a belfry and its only ornamental features were two windows larger than the others and arched, one over the front door on the north side and the other on the south side. Later on, the building was changed by the addition of a third story, cupola and bell.

In 1842, two new courthouses, one in Newburgh and one in Goshen were opened, as well as a jail in Goshen. This was following nine years of debate in the county's Board of Supervisors.

The courthouse in Goshen was used full time for over 130 years until the new County Government Center was built in 1970. This new building was a modern, cube-like arrangement of concrete and glass which was said to be one of the most functional office buildings in the state at that time. In 1970, the Newburgh courthouse was closed, making Goshen the single county seat.

In 1998, expansion began of the Orange County Court. This new addition rose behind the Government Center. This expansion included additional courtrooms, rooms for hearing officers, a nursery for Family Court, and a holding area for inmates.

Orange County Borders the New York counties of Dutchess County, Putnam County, Rockland County, Sullivan County, Ulster County, and Westchester County, as well as Passaic and Sussex counties in New Jersey and Pike County in Pennsylvania. .

Orange County Municipalities: Blooming Grove (town), Chester (village), Chester (town), Cornwall on Hudson (village), Cornwall (town), Crawford (town), Deerpark (town), Florida (village), Goshen (village), Goshen (town), Greenville (town), Greenwood Lake (village), Hamptonburgh (town), Harriman (village), Highland Falls (village), Highlands (town), Kiryas Joel (village), Maybrook (village), Middletown (city), Minisink (town), Monroe (village), Monroe (town), Montgomery (village), Montgomery (town), Mount Hope (town), New Hampton, New Windsor (town), Newburgh (town), Newburgh (city), Otisville (village), Port Jervis (city), Sugar Loaf (village), Tuxedo Park (village), Tuxedo (town), Unionville (village), Walden (village), Wallkill (town), Warwick (village), Warwick (town), Washingtonville (village), Wawayanda (town), Woodbury (town) . Town Clerks are responsible for vast amounts of local information from deeds, property transfers, and genealogical materials. Research on place and road names, the history of property transfers and much more are available through your Town Clerk. They are a tremendous resources.

Orange County, New York History Books at Amazon.com
Family History Library - The largest collection of free family history, family tree and genealogy records in the world.

There are free downloadable and printable forms to help with your research. These include U.S. Census Extraction Forms, U.K. Census Extraction Forms, Research Calendar, Ancestral Chart, Research Extract, Correspondence Record , Family Group Sheet , Source Summary Form.

Orange County Court Records

See Also New York Land Records, Marriage Records, Court & Probate Records

PLEASE READ!! Please call the clerk's department to confirm hours, mailing address, fees and other specifics before visiting or requesting information because of sometimes changing contact information.

Orange County Clerk has Land & Court Records from 1703 and is located at 255 Main Street, Goshen, NY 10924; Phone: (845) 291-2690, Fax: (845) 291-2691 .
The county clerk is the keeper of most civil and criminal trial court records for Supreme Court and County Court, naturalizations, marriages (1908–35), censuses (Some county clerks' offices hold duplicate copies of some of the State censuses taken periodically between 1825 and 1925 and copies of the federal census), as well as deeds and mortgages.

Land conveyances (deeds and mortgages) are recorded in the county clerks' offices or in the New York City Register's Office. Recording of deeds became mandatory statewide in 1840. Before that many deeds were not recorded.
Marriages Prior to 1784 couples intending to marry were required to obtain licenses from and file bonds with the provincial secretary, if the impending marriage was not announced in a church. These Marriage Bonds were mostly destroyed in the 1911 Capitol fire. Published abstracts are available in Names of persons for whom marriage licenses were issued by the secretary of the province of New York, previous to 1784. (Albany: 1860; repr. with supplements 1984); and in New York Marriage Bonds, 1753-1783, comp. Kenneth Scott (New York: 1972).
Naturalization records are created by the Federal and State courts. State court naturalization records generally remain in custody of the county clerks. Older Federal court naturalization records have been transferred to the National Archives. Photocopies of naturalization documents and indexes for New York City for the period 1792-1906 (both Federal and State courts) are held by the National Archives--Northeast Region, 201 Varick Street, New York, NY 10014.

Orange County Surrogate Court Clerk has Probate Records from 1787 and is located at Courthouse, 30 Park Place, Goshen, NY 10924; Ph: 845-291-2193 .
The Surrogate's Court in each county generally has records dating back to the establishment of the county or 1787, whichever was later. Record keeping was systematized by an 1830 statute. Surrogate's Courts maintain records of wills, letters testamentary, letters of administration, orders and decrees, and appointments of guardians; and filed papers, including original wills, petitions for probate (gives date of death and lists next of kin), performance bonds, property inventories (seldom found after ca. 1900), administrator's or executor's accountings, etc. Surrogate's Courts create comprehensive indexes to records and files.

In recent decades many courts have ceased recording documents in books and substituted microfilm recording. Some courts have disposed of old property inventories, which have no continuing legal value. Most Surrogate's Court records are retained permanently because they may document title to real property or the legal status of individuals. Surrogate's Court records statewide occupy over 200,000 cubic feet, with over half a million record retrievals yearly. The court is authorized to charge substantial fees for records searches conducted by court staff. Prior to that time most estates were handled in New York City, the capital until 1797. Before 1787, some wills were recorded in the counties and occasionally in town records.

Click Here to Search New York Court, Land, Wills & Financial Records! - Researchers often overlook the importance of court records, probate records, and land records as a source of family history information.

Orange County Historian is located at 1841 Court House, 101 Main Street, Goshen, NY 10924.In New York State, every municipality (town, city, village, county) must have an appointed historian. Most of the towns have their own historians as well and each can be contacted. A county historian may be appointed for each county, check for availability.

Below is a list of online resources for Orange County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Orange County Court Records by clicking the link below:

New York Wills, 1626-1836: This database is a collection of New York citizens' wills from 1626 to 1836 that were recorded in the office of the clerk of the court of appeals, of the county clerk of Albany and of the secretary of state.
Soundex Index to Petitions for Naturalizations Filed in Federal, State, and Local Courts in New York City, 1792-1906: NARA M1674. The Soundex index to naturalization petitions filed in federal, state, and local courts in New York City, including New York, Kings, Queens and Richmond counties, 1792-1906.
Index to the Naturalization Petitions of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, Jul 1865-Sep 1906: NARA M1164. A card index to naturalization petitions filed in the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York from July 1865 through September 1906
Index to the Naturalization Petitions of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, 1906-Nov 1925: NARA M1164. A card index to naturalization petitions filed in the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York from October 1907 through November 1925.
Index to the Naturalization Petitions of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, 1865-1957: NARA M1164. A card index to naturalization petitions filed in the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York from November 1925 through December 1957.
Alphabetical Index to Declarations of Intention of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, 1917-1950: NARA M1675. Alphabetical Index to Declarations of Intention of the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, 1917-1950
Alphabetical Index to Petitions for Naturalization of the US District Court [and Circuit Court] for the Southern District of New York, 1824-1941: NARA M1676. Alphabetical Index to Petitions for Naturalization of the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, 1824-1941.
Alphabetical Index to Petitions for Naturalizations of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York, 1907-1966: NARA M1677. Alphabetical Index to Petitions for Naturalizations of the US District Court for the Western District of New York, 1907-1966
Orange County, New York Court Books at Amazon.com
New York Immigration & Emigration Records - Immigration records help the family historian to understand the movements of their ancestry as they relocated to different parts of the world.

Orange County Vital Records

See Also Research In Tax Records

Scattered town and precinct tax records for a few years in the 1770s and 1780s and nearly complete lists for the whole state, 1799-1804, are at the New York State Archives, although for the latter period the surviving 1804 rolls cover only delinquent taxes of nonresidents. New York City tax records are at the Municipal Archives. Some early assessment rolls have been published in The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, such as those for New York City, 1730, in volume 95; New Rochelle, 1767, in volume 107; and Ulster County, 1709-21, in volume 62. See also volumes 43-44 of the New-York Historical Society's Collections for New York City assessments 1695-99. A few counties such as Ontario have retained their early tax records, but most do not have them until about 1850 or even later. Many old tax lists are to be found in manuscript collections. Dutchess County is fortunate to have a long series of eighteenth century tax records. Some of the 1798 U.S. Direct Tax records survive for New York.

Below is a list of online resources for Orange County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Orange County Tax Records by clicking the link below:

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Orange County Genealogical Addresses

See Also Other New York Genealogical Addresses

The Repositories in this section are Archives, Libraries, Museums, Genealogical and Historical Societies. Many County Historical and Genealogical Societies publish magazines and/or news letters on a monthly, quarterly, bi-annual or annual basis. Contacting the local societies should not be over looked. State Archives and Societies are usually much larger and better organized with much larger archived materials than their smaller county cousins but they can be more generalized and over look the smaller details that local societies tend to have. Libraries can also be a good place to look for local information. Some libraries have a genealogy section and may have some resources that are not located at archives or societies. Also, take a special look at any museums in the area. They sometimes have photos and items from years gone by as well as information of a genealogical interest. All these places are vitally important to the family genealogist and must not be passed over.

Below is a list of online resources for Orange County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Orange County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:

Orange County Genealogical Society, 1841 Court House, 101 Main Street, Goshen, NY 10924
Local New York Researchers, Find a local researcher or become a local researcher.
New York State Archives and Records Administration, The State Education Department, Cultural Education Center, 11th Floor; Empire State Plaza, Albany, NY 12230; (518) 474-8955, [EMAIL]
Referred to here as the New York State Archives for brevity, it was the last such archives to be established in the United States. It houses land and court records, military and tax records, New York state vital records indexes, pre-settlement survey maps, and legislative records.
New York State Library, Cultural Education Center, 7th Floor, Empire State Plaza, Albany, NY 12230; The state library has a large collection of published and manuscript material on New York, including genealogies and local histories, federal and state censuses, city directories, and periodicals. It is also one of the two depositories for the State of New York DAR collection.
The New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, 122 East 58^th Street, New York, New York 10022-1939; 212-755-8532, Fax: 212-754-4218; A private society, the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society publishes the NYG&B Newsletter and a quarterly, The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record. Its library holds much New York State and related material, both for New England and the Mid-Atlantic states. For New York there are censuses, federal and state; a large manuscript collection of church, cemetery, Bible, and other records; and an extensive amount of published family and local histories. Nonmembers can use the library for a small fee, but only members have access to the stacks, manuscripts, and microforms. The library provides a list of area researchers.
New York State Historical Association, West Lake Road, P.O. Box 800, Cooperstown, New York, 13326-0800
National Archives--Northeast Region, 201 Varick Street, New York, NY 10014.
New York Newspapers & Periodicals Records - Newspapers and periodicals are the diaries of local communities. They are excellent sources of family history details - often recorded nowhere else. Look for obituaries, marriages, legal notices, and more found in our Historical Newspaper Archives.
New York Genealogical Society Books at Amazon.com

Orange County Church & Cemeteries

Click Here to Search New York Obituary Records! - This database is a compilation of obituaries published in U.S. newspapers, collected from various online sources. Obituaries can vary in the amount of information they contain, but many of them are genealogical goldmines, including information such as names, dates, places of birth and death, marriage information, and family relationships.

There are many churches and cemeteries in Orange County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the Orange County Tombstone Transcription Project.

Many church records, mostly early and particularly for Long Island, New York City, and the Hudson River Valley, have been published in The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record with a large collection of unpublished records maintained by the New York. Particularly useful as vital records substitutes among the surviving New York church records are those of the Dutch Reformed, Lutheran, Anglican, and Quaker groups.

The largest number of New York cemetery records (the bulk of which are actually transcriptions of cemetery marker inscriptions) is found in the multivolume collection of the Daughters of the American Revolution in the State of New York, Church, and Town Records, located at the New York State Library, the New York Public Library, and the DAR Library in Washington, D.C. Scattered volumes are found in other libraries including many local libraries in the area in which a particular cemetery is located.

Below is a list of online resources for Orange County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Orange County Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:

Family Trees & Genealogy Tidbits

Click Here to Search New York Family Tree Records! - The use of published genealogies, electronic files containing genealogical lineage, and other compiled sources can be of tremendous value to a researcher.

When view family trees online or not, be sure to only take the info at face value and always follow up with your own sources or verify the ones they provide. Below is a list of online resources for Orange County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Orange County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:

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Orange County, New York Family Books at Amazon.com

County History

Dating back to its formation under a colonial law of 1683, Orange is one of the oldest of the counties in the State. It was reestablished in 1788, and had its boundaries finally determined April 3, I80I. In 1799, Rockland was set off, and five towns from Ulster added. Newburgh and Goshen were jointly the shire villages. The County was divided at this time into the towns of Blooming Grove, Chesekook, Deer Park, Goshen, Minisink, Montgomery, New Windsor, Newburgh, Wallkill and Warwick. The County has an area of nearly half a million square acres; fronts on both the Hudson and Delaware, and is bounded on the south and west by the States of New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Sullivan and Ulster counties supply the west and north lines, the Hudson the east.

Few sections of New York can equal the district in the variety and picturesqueness of terrain. The most and best of the Hudson highlands, with Storm King, Cro'Nest and Bear Mountain dominating the landscape, is one of its natural beauties. The central part is one wide range of rolling surface, broken by deep valleys; on the west are the Shawangunk mountains. There are valleys in which the richest bottom lands have been cultivated for more than two centuries, such as the Neversink. Lakes are to be seen in profusion, some of the best roads making them accessible to all. Even the swamp lands, such as those in the "Drowned Lands," have both charm and utility, since drainage has been used in their development. The geology is as interesting as the topography, although minerals of commercial value are few.

Of the part played by the County in the history of the State and Nation, it is well to recall that this section was intimately associated with some of the crucial events of the Revolution. Not only was there a continuous movement of troops through the region, for West Point was on the County's frontier, but near the close, the last cantonment of the war was in Orange, and Washington passed the greater part of his time here. When the army went into winter headquarters at Little Britain in 1782, with the end of the war in sight, there grew the idea that a republic was an impossibility as a form of government, and Washington was suggested as the king of a limited monarchy. He was a resident of the County when such an offer was made to him by Colonel Nicola. The stern rejection of the idea is well known, and in his utterance he assured the establishment of a free government.

Cities & Towns of Orange County

Newburgh, the principal city of Orange County, is also the largest industrial place between New York City and Albany. Its location on the high west bank of the Hudson, of which magnificent views may be had from almost any part of the city, early attracted settlers, who soon put it in a foremost place as the commercial center of a great timber and farm region, and the main shipping point for the lumber and produce. The site of the city was on the lands bought by Governor Dongan, in 1664, from the Indians, and sold by him to Capt. John Evans thirty years later. A group of the Palatines, who had been sent to this country by Queen Anne, fifty-three in all, settled here in 1708. The district was then known as "The Globe," or the "Parish of Quassaick," and was quickly improved by the Germans with houses, church and farms. They never were permanent in their settlement or effect on the character of the locality, and, when the Dutch and English drifted in later, the name was changed to Newburgh, 1752, which also indicated the change in the a peoples who resided there. It must not be forgotten that seventy years after the coming of the Palatines, the future city consisted only of a "tavern, a score of houses, with three boats owned in town making occasional trips to New York."

The Revolution was now at its height, the one tavern had been made the headquarters of Lafayette, and the Has- brouck house was later to shelter Washington. The little hamlet suf fered all the anticipations of destruction and loot, which, however, never came to pass. Although like all the settlements of the colonies, the cessation of the war left it sadly depleted and poor; its natural advantages had not been wiped out, or even weakened, and the precinct rapidly filled with new families. In 1790 there was a population of 2,365. There now began to be a semblance of order about the village. Streets were laid out, docks built, and the first regular store opened. With no competition by canal or railroad, Newburgh played an important role as the transportation center of the district on both sides of the Hudson. Mills there had been from the first, but manufacturing had been frowned upon by England, who wanted the colonies to import from it their supplies. Ship building was one of the early occupations, but after the war all manner of factories started.

On March 25, 1800, the village of Newburgh was incorporated. A turnpike was constructed a few years later to, and through, Sullivan County, which not only joined the back country with Newburgh, but later, with connecting roads, gave "The shortest and most expeditious stage route from the village to Buffalo," sixty-five hours. In 1830, the river and land trade of the village rose to great heights, but after this the Erie Canal made itself felt, and only a few years later the Delaware and Hudson Canal did even greater harm. Then the Erie Railroad from Goshen to Piermont diverted even more trade, and was the straw that broke the camel's back. The monopoly of transportation, as far as Newburgh was concerned, was ended. Fortunately, manufacturing more than took the place of the losses, and the 1870 population of the city was above 17,000. It was now a city, for it had been so chartered in 1865.

The history of Newburgh in these modern days has been that of a quiet, steady growth, with emphasis laid on the improvement of the municipality, from the standpoint of beauty, convenience and facilities for industry and commerce. It is the mercantile center of a surrounding set of villages, with a population three times its own. In 1920 there were more than a hundred factories, employing 5,389, manufacturing products to the value, annually, of $30,000,000.

Middletown, incorporated in 1888, covering an acreage of 2,330, is the second largest city of Orange County. It is also the one most centrally located, being among the fertile rolling rural township of Wallkill. Not to a river, but to the railroads, does the place owe its growth, there now being three which pass through it. Distant from New York City only sixty-seven miles, it is in some respects almost a suburb of the Metropolis, and is one of the largest of those places that supply the great city with food supplies, particularly milk. As a city of homes, scenic and healthful location, energy and enterprise, Middletown is not surpassed by any of the places in the county.

When the site of the city had its first house is uncertain, but it seems likely that it was about 1743-45. John Green had purchased land of the DeLancey patent, including the site of the present city. Later he donated a lot for a church, and when the farmers from all around came to raise the frame of the Congregational Church on it, the question of a name for the locality was considered. "What shall it be? There is Dolsontown on the south; Goshen on the east; Scotchtown on the north; and Shawangunk on the west. We will call it Middletown, it being in the center." In 1829 the name was changed to South Middletown, there being another place of the same title north of Newburgh, but in 1849 the prefix was eliminated. This was just after the incorporation of the village April 7, 1848.

The building of the Erie Railroad seems to have been the main factor in the expansion of the village. This road, built on the installment plan, in the county at least, first laid a section to Monroe, then to Chester, then to Goshen, and finally induced by the raising of large sums of money, to Middletown. This was followed by a large influx of people and factories. Middletown has never had any period of inflation, its growth being continuous and steady. In 1807, the population was 45; in 1838, 433; ten years later, 1,360; a decade saw these figures doubled; in 1888, when made a city, the residents numbered 12,000 ; in 1920, 18,420. Some of the old concerns that made he name of the city honored and well known, were those making saws, files, hats, leather and carpet bags. The Ontario and Western Railroad, in more recent times, located their repair shops in the municipality. There are now, 1920, a total of seventy-eight manufacturing plants doing business in the city, with employees to the number of 2,162, turning out products valued at $9,803, 344. There are large wholesale mercantile companies in the city, and a full list of charitable, benevolent and educational institutions.

Port Jervis, the third city of the county, is located in the far west section of Orange on the Delaware River. Its settlement grew out of the selection of this spot, in 1826, as an outlet of the projected Delaware and Hudson Canal. The name given the hamlet was in honor of John B. Jervis, who superintended the construction of the canal. Its position as the midway point on that waterway between Kingston and Honesdale, Pennsylvania, gave it an advantage that the residents were prompt to use. It was in the early days one of the most important of the lumber and coal points, and one of the places where supplies were bought. The completion of the Erie road to Port Jervis on the first day of 1848, gave a new impetus to the expansion of the village; as the head of the Delaware division, and the establishment of large car shops at the place, was, and has continued to be, one of the greatest factors in the prosperity of the city.

In 1853, Port Jervis was incorporated as a village, and on June 26, 1907, it was made a city. The population according to the 1920 census, was 10,171. There were, in this same year, seventy-eight industrial establishments, employing more than 2,000, with products to the annual value of $8,242,515.

TOWNS

Industry - To obviate the repetition of the industry of each town in the county, it may be stated that dairying so dominates the agriculture of the rural sections as to constitute the principal occupation of practically all the divisions. The terrain and the character of the average soils, proximity to a metropolitan market, all conspire to make milk the best one product of Orange farms. Fruits were until recent years a very important crop, and there is a tendency to rehabilitate horticulture. Vegetables are grown in quantity. But the value of the dairy cattle is $7,332,829, and of dairy products nearly $7,000,000 annually, showing the dominance of this one phase of agriculture. All remaining farm crops fail to equal the value of milk, and the greater part of these crops is used in the caring for the cow. Orange County can, and does, grow nearly all the plants and fruits that are grown in the temperate zone; it has found, however, that dairying is the more profitable, or the best suited to its conditions.

Blooming Grove, one of the older towns, with an area of 21,759 acres, lies northwest of the center of the county. It was formed from Cornwall, March 23, 1799, and included part of Hamptonburgh until 1830, and part of Chester until 1845. The first settler seems to have been Vincent Matthews, who built a mill at Salisbury in 1721. Blooming Grove village was the principal center when the town was organized; it now is only a small group of houses and a church. Washingtonville, started later, is now one of the choicest villages of the county. Craigville, on the falls of Greycourt Creek, was once an important mill town, with three dams supplying power. Oxford is a pleasant hamlet.

Chester, an interior town, with more than 17,000 acres of fine dairy land, has some of the higher summits of the Highlands. The King's Highway, the natural avenue between Newburgh and New Jersey,crosses the town. The famed Glenmere Lake is one of the scenic features. The town was organized in 1845, from Goshen, Warwick, Blooming Grove and Monroe. John Yelverton (1721), is the first known settler in the district. The first postoffice was established on a part of the present main village, Chester, in 1794. It was at this village that the first effort was made to ship milk as far as New York City, 1842; the beginning of the principal rural industry of the county. Chester was incorporated in 1892, with a population of 1,400, which is also the number of its residents today. Besides being a shipping point for milk, it manufactures quantities of cheese, milk, sugar and other lacteal products. Greycourt, successively East and West Junction, and Chesterville, received its present title from the nearby Greycourt meadows. The hamlet of Sugar Loaf is one of the oldest communities in Orange, dating from 1738.

Cornwall, in the heart of the Hudson Highlands, was a part of the Governor Dongan tract, purchased in 1685. A year prior to this a Scotchman, named McGregorie, had located with several families, being the pioneers of the district. The region is full of beautiful estates, summer hotels, and vacation colonies. Idlewild is one of the oldest and most famous, started by N. P. Willis, in 1851. The town was also the home of E. P. Roe. Cornwall Landing was, from Revolutionary days, the great river outlet for the cattle and the produce of a wide back country, and in more recent times, one of the fruit and berry supply stations for the "City." Canterbury village was, probably, the first district to be worthy of being called a hamlet. Cornwall-on-the-Hudson, incorporated in March, 1885, is the principal village of the township, with a present population of about 1,800.

Crawford, a triangular township in the northwest corner of the county, has an area of 24,769, and was formed from Montgomery, March 4, 1823. The name was derived from a numerous family who were among the first to locate in the region. The history of the town is so intimately connected with Montgomery that it is impossible to state when, or by whom, the district was first settled. The date 1740, and the names Weller or Snyder, are as near as one may come. Among the villages of the town ship are: Hopewell, a farm hamlet; Bullville, formerly Searsburgh, important until the railroad took away its trade; Thompson's Ridge, a milk shipping point; Collabar, or Callaburg, and Pine Bush.

Deer Park, in the extreme west angle of the county, has an area of 37,120 acres, the second largest in the county. Three States meet at a point on its boundary. In a legislative act of 1701, the section is mentioned, but formal organization dates from 1798; Port Jervis was a part of the town at its formation. Arent Schuyler visited the region in 1684, and William Tietsoort (Titsworth) after living here some time, tried, in 1698, to buy the land on which he was located. The town attained prominence when it became the subject of a long controversy between New York and New Jersey over the boundary line, which was not settled until 1874. The proximity of the city of Port Jervis has prevented the growth of any large villages. Westbrookville, Port Orange, Cuddebackville, Rose Point and Gumears, are all small hamlets. Carpenter's Point, the site of the first postoffice, and a former rival of Port Jervis, is now a rural village, located near "Tri State Rock." Other hamlets are: Sparrowbush, Bushkill, Quarryhill, Shin Hollow, Paradise, Honesville and Bolton.

Goshen, "the promised land," was first known by the name in 1714, but had its boundaries established in 1788. It then included a part of Hamptonburgh until 1830, and Chester until 1845. Although the settling of this region was planned as early as 1664, the first name recorded as actually locating, is that of Christopher Denn, who came, in 1712, and built his home near the Otterkill. The Goshen section soon became one of the most populous of the county, a census of 1738 showing 319 males above the age of ten. Goshen village, the county seat, has always dominated the section to the exclusion of other settlements. It is located on the main line of the Erie and the terminus of two other roads. It is the principal shipping point for milk from the large and fertile surrounding dairy section, and the home of many who are in business in New York, sixty miles away. Its broad streets, excellent municipal utilities, fine homes and public buildings are the admiration of the visitor. It was incorporated 1809, and had, in 1920, a population of 2,803.

Greenville, with an assessed acreage of 18,287, derives its name from the beautiful colors of the grass covered sides of Shawangunk Mountain, near which it is located, in the western part of the county. It was formed in 1854, and the first town meeting was held in the then important village of Eushville on March 28. The oldest hamlet of the township is Smith Corners, founded by Elijah Smith, just after the close of the Revolution. Minisink, or Greenville, is now the principal settlement, a quiet rural village, away from the railroad, in the center of a dairy land valley.

Hamptonburg was formed in 1830, from Montgomery, Goshen and Blooming Grove. A patent signed in 1703 covered this region and Christopher Denn was one of the patentees. A girl, whom his family had cared for, Sarah Wells, is one of the principal names in Hamptonburg history, particularly as the wife of William Bull. Denn located on his tract shortly after acquiring it, and Bull became a neighbor in the early years of the eighteenth century. Bull gave the present name to the region and town. Campbell Hall, now the principal settlement, owes its prominence to its location near the junction of four railroads. Burnside is the only other hamlet.

Highlands, with the most extensive frontage on the Hudson, beginning at Cro'Nest, has an area of 15,514 acres, was formed in 1873, almost the youngest of the townships. Its name is appropriate, for some of the finest of the Hudson mountains are located in the town, and the section back from the river has a delightful variety of scenic beauty. The region did not invite early settlement, and it is probable that John Moore, a patentee, was the earliest to locate, 1725. The principal village of the township is West Point, famed as the seat of the Nation's Military Academy, established between 1778 and 1780. West Grove is a hamlet of early founding.

Minisink, one of the original towns, organized March 7,1788, has lost territory since, in the formation of Deer Park in 1798, Calhoun in 1825, Wawayanda in 1849, and Greenville in 1853. It is located in the western part of the county, near the dividing lines between two States. The first settlers were probably Inman Walling, 1725-30, and John Whitaker, although there are traditions of pioneers of an earlier date. A strictly rural section, Minisink has many hamlets, the most of which are holdovers of an early industrial period. Among these are: Millsburg, Unionville, Westtown, Johnsons, Gardnersville and Waterloo Mills.

Monroe, a precinct in 1764, with the name, Chesecock, until 1801, when it changed to Southfield; on April 6, 1808, it took the present title. In 1863, the town was divided int