I 1 6 HISTORY OF THE COUNTY OF WESTCHESTER. 



Stamford. A.D. 1734, and bought lands of John Jacklin in 1747. In 

 1750, his name is on the official list of that town. He married Eunice 

 Bouton. November 19, 1736, and must have removed to Poundridge 

 sometime after 1750. William Fancher, Esq., of Poundridge, son of 

 John Fancher, was a judge of the Court of Common Pleas in Westches- 

 ter count}", a justice of the peace and captain of the minute men during 

 the Revolutionary war. He was born 13th of November, 1739, and died 

 August, 1S20. His remains repose in the Presbyterian grave yard, 

 Poundridge. By his wife, Sarah Smith, who was born 15 Oct., 1744, he 

 had two sons — Dr. Nehemiah Fancher, the father of Henry Fancher, of 

 Poundridge, and Thaddeus Fancher, the father of Alanson Decatur Fan- 

 cher, who now owns the site of the old mansion, a little east of the Mill 

 river. It was in the immediate vicinity of the old Fancher homestead 

 that one of Col. Tarleton's hussars of the Legion calvary was shot in the 

 summer of 1779, under the following circumstances : " Nearly one hun- 

 dred Legion cavalry, after the skirmish at Poundridge village, had pur- 

 sued the retreating Continentals down the Stamford road, at the junction 

 of which, with the New Canaan road, they divided — about one half of 

 them taking the road to William Fanchers, the other half going south; 

 the latter captured Thaddeus Seymour, whom they carried off a prisoner 

 to the sugar house in New York. The hussars pursuing east halted on 

 the hill just above the site of the new school house, near Alanson D. Fan- 

 cher's, and turned their horses into a field of oats, sending three of their 

 mounted companies to search the house of William Fancher, which 

 stood a little south of the present homestead. After rummaging around 

 for some time they discovered an old wooden chest, which they insisted 

 on Mr?. Fancher's opening ; this, she resolutely refused to do; whereupon 

 they broke it open by force. One of them immediately stuffed his bosom 

 and pockets with the family papers, and both remounting started for the 

 hill. Just as the robbers were crossing the brook, about fifty rods dis- 

 tant, up rose William Brown,' 1 with his father, who had stationed him- 

 self behind the wall, and levelled his fowling piece. Seeing him in the 

 act of firing, they both yelled out lustily for quarter. " Yes," shouted the 

 patriot. '• I'll quarter you ! " And suiting the action to the word, fired. 

 An empty saddle and a lifeless corpse soon told the story. The survivor 

 started up the hill at full gallop, followed by the riderless horse. Mrs. 

 Fancher ran out and recognized in the dead corpse the very man who 

 had just robbed her. The papers were thus wonderfully rescued. Just 

 at this moment the bugle sounded a recall on the hill, and the whole 



a This William was the father of William whose son is the present Bcdj. W. Brown. 



