Peter E. Gumaer

“ Very little is now known respecting the seven first pioneers. I imagine that they had all been in comfortable circumstances of life, and had become reduced so that they were in want of means for a livelihood, and became associated to obtain possession of some good land which they were not able to purchase in the settled part of the country, and had to venture to emigrate into its wilds which remained unsettled by white people but was inhabited by Indians, who at that time were thought to be a more savage and cruel people than what they in reality were. ”

“ What shall we think of mankind, who, for self-exaltation, have so overcome all those tender feelings implanted in their natures as to kill, murder and plunder each other without any just cause, but merely to satisfy the cravings of men who were a curse to the world? ”

“ The other inhabitants of the second generation, and their contemporaries in the lower neighborhood as well as those mentioned, were useful members of society, and each did more or less contribute towards the welfare of others. They were generally an industrious, honest, prudent and economizing people, who obtained their living by the sweat of their brow, and had to manage their business suitable to their circumstances and means of procuring a livelihood. ”

“ It has been prophesied that a time will arrive when men will become blessed with a happy state of existence, when wars will cease and peace prevail. In respect of which, if we take a view of what has transpired in the world, it appears that mankind have made a great advance since the commencement of our historical revelations from a rude and barbarous state towards that of civilization, and from the numerous, cruel and terrible warfares of ancient times to a greater prevalence of peace and much less cruelty in warfare. ”

“ The production of this metal by the original cause of all things, and its manufacture, are indispensable for the whole business of mankind. The blacksmith and manufacturer of iron and steel stand at the head of all other mechanics. If the productions of the former were to pass out of existence, that of the latter would inevitably become extinct and the farmer would have to abandon the cultivation of the earth, and the wheels of all the hydraulic works and manufacturing machineries whatever would cease to move. ”

“ It appears that the constitutions of people become adapted to the climate in which they reside, and to such habits of life as they from generation to generation continue to pursue, and a change of these will affect persons more or less. This is evident from what is known in relation to the different races of mankind, some of whom live very different from others, and the exchange of some, whose food differs very widely, would be mortal to many of one or both of those races who should make the exchange. ”

“ We have been farmers and inured to all the different kinds of labor thereunto appertaining. We have in early life ploughed with wooden ploughs, to which a wrought share and coulter were fastened, sowed all our grain by hand, harrowed the ground with square iron teeth harrows, cut all our grain with scythe and cradle, threshed all our grain with hand flails, mowed all our grass with scythes, and raked our hay together with hand rakes, and commenced tillage when the soil of our river lands was reduced to its lowest state of nutrition since the time their cultivation was first commenced. ”

“ We have been travelers on the early rough and stony roads in Orange County and have seen the first construction of turnpikes in our county, and the great improvement of our highways, and at last have beheld the gigantic works of canals and railroads, on which the value of millions of property is annually transported to and from all parts of our country, and thousands of people are continually enjoying the easy and speedy travel thereby furnished. ”

“ The cravings of food and other bodily desires emanate from the nature created in their bodies. The way and manner of each species to procure its food are dictates of the mind, in which some, if not all, display as much tact and correctness to obtain their objects as the mind of man could direct in their respective bodily capacities. The fear of an enemy, or of danger from any cause, is a dictate of the mind and affects the body, and both will unite their efforts to defend or escape the danger the means of which the mind directs, and the body performs accordingly thereto. ”

“ In religion it is probable that the different denominations will generally continue to become freed from that enmity which formerly existed in consequence of their religious opinions, the folly of which is now apparent to the best informed part of mankind. The use of force and arms in former times to compel men to unite or keep united with certain religious sects, had a tendency to produce hypocrisy, for self preservation, but not to alter men's opinions. ”

“ Peter Gumaer was a man of about five feet ten inches stature. During the time of my acquaintance with him he was fleshy and fat, and in his younger days was a very persevering business man. He never was a hard working nor an idle man himself, but all his children and slaves performed a great amount of labor. His family produced a greater amount of farmer's productions than any other farmer within 20 or 30 miles distance from his residence, and he had all the necessary fixtures for his different branches of business in the best manner of his time. ”

“ Caudebec was the reverse of Guimar in respect to his business transactions, and more tender towards his children. He had much of a speculative disposition, and aimed at getting a living by easier means than that of steady manual labor, and this probably was the view of the seven first settlers and cause of their emigration to get possession of land where wild animals, fowls and fishes abounded, which, together with the cultivation of small portions of such land, would furnish means for an easy life and a better living, in respect of eatables, than what we can now enjoy. ”

“ The continual exercise De Puy had on his horse and sometimes in the wagon and sleigh for doing his business at the mill, stores, blacksmith's, &c., had a tendency to keep him healthy, yet he had a few short, hard sicknesses, but continued to live to a good old age, and in the last part of his life sold the part of his farm which he had retained and was removed by his sons to the town of Owasco, where, and in that part of New York, all his sons and daughters, excepting two, had previously settled and there his mortal life was ended. ”

“ The numerous branches of mechanical and scientific works and occupations employ millions of people, who obtain a living thereby. Each of these produce materials and literary works whereby others become interested, all of which create an extensive social intercourse which reaches all the civilized and manufacturing nations of the earth; and, even in a small degree, some of the unimproved races of mankind. ”

“ The reader will learn from this history that generally the descendants of the first pioneers became farmers, and continued in those occupations to the end of the third generation; and the greatest proportion of the fourth and fifth generation of the present time (1858) are farmers. Our ancestors were not in opulent circumstances, but generally had a plenty of the necessaries of life and were a thriving people, and, so far as the writer's knowledge extends in relation to those who have settled in other parts of our country, they have generally acquired farms. ”

“ There also was a beaver-dam across the Old Dam Brook, on the land of Abraham J. Cuddeback, Esq., which also overflowed a tract of swamp and bog meadow land. There undoubtedly have been others in ancient times in this town. These were the two best places in this part of the town for Beaver dams, and were on streams not subject to freeze much.
It appears evident that the genius and natural activity of some animals and birds is greater than that of others, and that all possess thought, memory, discernment, and many of the passions and affections like those of human beings ”

“ The most ingenious of our own race of people would be puzzled to get into operation any works to answer that purpose, naked-handed as those people were, and in their state of ignorance when alone in this country. ”

“ The men of this generation of descendants were generally stronger than those who succeeded them, from which it appears their eatables were healthful and that their drink, which was the best of spring water, also promoted health, and that all other circumstances which attended them were also of a healthful character, to wit: a pure air of the atmosphere, not impregnated with the exhalations from bad, stagnant waters; brooks and small streams of clear water running down the mountains into the Neversink, creating a river of clear water passing through this valley ”

“ He continued to follow it through life, and killed more deer, bears and other wild animals and wild fowls than any other man of his time in this vicinity, whereby he not only obtained a very plentiful supply of those meats for his own family, but contributed liberally to those of Cuddeback and Gumaer, his neighbors, and enjoyed a very happy life. He was much addicted to playing tricks on people, and, when any of them happened to be offensive, he could generally end the matter in good humor. ”

“ The most perfect course of life creates the easiest journey, but a perfect guidance in all respects is beyond the comprehension of man, and would not be fully pursued even if understood. Our country is filled with preachers to expound the laws of God and dictate the walks of life, yet men err to such a degree from a perfect life as to make it necessary to have many codes of civil law, and a great number of civil officers versed therein to prevent imposition and sustain the rights of man. ”

“ This discovery of manufacturing iron and steel utensils is the most useful to mankind of any ever made. Without the manufacture of iron, or some other metal which would have answered the same purpose, mankind must all have remained in that low, naked-handed and unimproved state in which the Indians were found in this country. ”

“ He had one man slave and an insane man lived with him, who remained in the family during life. With this help he commenced to work the farm, and, after his son James became old enough to learn the blacksmith trade, he built a shop, got a blacksmith who, together with James, pursued that business, and the father, with his other sons and slave, worked the farm and made money last, so that he paid all his debts, and had money standing out at interest when the war commenced. ”

“ The arts and sciences have been stretched far beyond their former bounds, and gigantic and minor productions have been brought to view by the labor and ingenuity our countrymen have displayed, and great are the benefits mankind have derived from their labors. ”

“ Another occurrence of anterior times will show the effect of hunger, in the last stage of life, of a certain hawk.
At a certain time when Gerardus Van Inwegen and Abraham Cuddeback were catching pigeons with a net, a hawk came and lit on a fence near them, and continued there watching the pigeons until they had made some hauls; and all the ado they made to spring the net, run to it, kill and carry the pigeons, &c., did not scare the hawk so as to drive him from his place, but from his action appeared to want a pigeon. ”

“ The general topics of conversation have changed much in this vicinity within my time of life. At the termination of the Revolutionary war this change commenced. The attention of the young people was generally directed towards the passing scenes of their time, and they remained ignorant of what had transpired during the lives of their forefathers. In the early part of my life some of the old people, whenever they came together, generally introduced the occurrences of former times, in relation to the ancient inhabitants of this valley, who inhabited it for a distance of eighty miles. ”

“ Important as the preservation of health is to mankind, few appear to be willing to use means for preserving it, some of which are irksome and others counteract the cravings of nature. These latter differ widely in persons, and consequently are easier overcome by some than others. Many men of strong constitutions, in healthy employments, have little need of being strictly temperate, or to use extraordinary means to preserve health. ”